Ho ho bloody ho and Merry Xmas everyone!
This will be my final blog for 2008, and being the festive season, the following are some handy tips for the xmas, new year, summer and general holiday drinking periods...
Bubbles will be everywhere in the next couple of weeks and my clear fave this year has been the Bollinger Special Cuvee. Yes, that's right, the real deal: French champagne.
James (Wine God) Halliday has this to say about it: A complex spicy, bready, toasty, baked apple bouquet, the palate complete and round, with an unexpected touch of delicacy, and a pleasing, dry finish. 94/100.
Although a non-vintage, it ain't super-cheap - RRP is around $80. However, at this time of year competition between the big wine merchants is super-fierce, and you may just be able to pick up a bottle for around $60 as I recently did - this represents fantastic value for money. And if you can't splash out on some premium bubbles at this time of year, when can you?!
Even if you have been an unfortunate victim of the recent credit crunch, you don't to miss out on the fizzy stuff: look no further than the Montana Lindauer Special Reserve from NZ's Marlborough region. This is the next step up from the Montana Lindauer Brut, but for only $5 more a bottle, its definitely a giant step!
Since leaving the Land of the Long White Cloud over a decade ago, I have had major trouble tracking down the Lindauer Special Reserve and had to get my fill on infrequent trips back home. However, my local Sydney bottle shop recently started selling it, and for only $15 a bottle, I am in heaven!
Here's some tasting notes: Bright gold with signature coppery tones. The yeasty and toasty bouquet show excellent maturity from prolonged bottle maturation and the wine is full on the palate with a pleasant, steady mousse and elegant aroma. Lindauer Special Reserve can be served as an aperitif or with any style of food. Whilst best enjoyed young and fresh, it will increase in toasty flavours if left to mature for 1-2 years.
YUM!
If the squeeze is really, really on , you could do worse than picking up the basic Lindauer Brut for around $10 a bottle.
OK, now onto some other current bargains:
Both Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc and 'The Ned' Sauvignon Blanc are currently selling at the ridiculous price of around $15 a bottle - crazy prices for top-rating Marlborough 'savage john.' Brent Marris is the winemaker behind The Ned, having moved on from Wither Hills. As such, the quality of The Ned now almost surpasses the Wither Hills, but hey, at this price, why not grab a bottle of each, conduct a taste-test and decide for yourself?
My award for savvy for the year would have to be that liquid slice of heaven: Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc. Again, from the Marlborough region, it is the most more-ish savvy I have ever tasted. Look for the green bottle with the distinctive sea shell just above the label. Expect to pay around $22/bottle.
Here's some tasting notes to get you salivating in ancipation: Nautilus Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008 is pale straw in colour with an aroma of passionfruit skin, gooseberry and boxwood with a hint of basil. The palate has flavours of melon and red capsicum with good texture and length and a typical zingy finish. Delicious now, this wine will continue to develop over the next six to eighteen months.
Definitely the summer tipple of choice.
My tip for best non-NZ savvy this year would have to go to the Logan Sauvignon Blanc from Orange in NSW. Orange's cool climate is perfect for this variety and it could almost turn me from the NZ-based drops. Steady on, I said 'almost.' This is a lovely crisp wine, perfect for hot summer days, lunches, afternoons, early evenings, hell, anytime! Its mouth-wateringly good. Around $19 a bottle.
Notes: The Logan 2008 Sauvignon Blanc is pale gold in colour.It has a pungent aroma of passionfruit, guava and nettle.The palate zings with crunchy fresh flavours of pinkgrapefruit, green papaya and lime. The finish is longand crisp.
And finally, in reds: McLaren Vale's Wirra Wirra vineyard produces the always-reliable 'The Church Block,' typically a blend of around 50 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 per cent Shiraz and 20 per cent Merlot. This is an absolute steal currently at $16 a bottle.
My last recommendation for the year in reds is the Voyager Estate Cabernet Merlot 2004. This is a mouth-wateringly good drop from WA's Margaret River. It has picked up numerous awards this year, including Winestar's 'Wine of the Year' and features in James Halliday's Top 100 of the year. It's RRP is $60, but it was recently advertised you-kn0w-where for just over $45 a bottle. Word on the street is that future vintages will be more realistically priced (given the quality of the wine) at closer to $100 a bottle, so grab yourself a bottle of this vintage while you can.
Here's just one of many glowing reviews: So utterly beguiling and downright delicious that I can’t stop drinking it – this is Margaret River cabernet at her best. Wound around the core of blueberry, mulberry and black fruits are layers of savoury and spice notes such as liquorice, bay leaf, tobacco and a hint of mint sitting alongside fine soft tannins and cedary yet well-integrated oak. Very plush, succulent and superbly balanced but with all great reds, this needs time. And in a word, outstanding." Jane Faulkner, The Age 48 Hours Drink Now to 2025
That's all from me for now. I hope at least some of you have enjoyed my ramblings. Have a great Xmas and New Year and see y'all in 09.
Yours in Plonk,
The Plonker
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