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Old World: Odd Bottles

An unusual collection of wine tasting notes, from Hungary, England, Greece and even Moldova! There are some wonderful wines to be found from these countries. England is no exception. Click to locate stockists.

Union de Cooperatives de Vinicoles de Samos Vin Doux NV: Purchased as an experiment this turned out to be a very pleasant wine. A rich, orange-amber colour, and a typical Muscat nose of honey, nuts and orange citrus fruit. The palate has the necessary fresh, almost racy acidity to carry off the rich, floral, orange blossom sweetness. Good texture and weight, and a lingering finish. 15/20 (October 2000)

Szölöskert Cooperative Matra Mountain Unoaked Pinot Grigio (Nagyréde) 1998: Buttery yellow colour. Fresh nose of apple and pear fruit salad. Good weight on the palate, refreshing acidity, more orchard fruits. Almost creamy on the finish. Delicious, inexpensive summer drinking. 16/20 (July 2000)

Disznókö Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 1993: This is the first vintage made under the direction of J-M Cazes, following the purchase of this estate by AXA Insurance. It has a deep and rich golden amber hue, and unsurprisingly the nose is laden with botrytised fruit, aromas of orange marmalade, apricots and a hint of pineapple. An opulent palate, very big with a luscious texture and an intense, honeyed botrytis richness. Good balancing acidity. 16.5/20 (March 2001)

Disznókö Tokaji Edes Szamoridni 1990: Edes Szamoridni is essentially a zero-puttonyos wine, which has not been sorted in the vineyard, and can therefore vary in style from dry to sweet depending on the level of botrytis present. This is a paler, orange-brown wine. The nose has a flor-like aroma, and is a touch oxidised. Startlingly dry on the palate, yet in combination with a rich, full texture. Interesting, and may be of interest to sherry-lovers, but I'll stick to Puttonyos wines. 14/20 (March 2001)

Hilltop Neszmély Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 1990: Paler than the Royal Tokaji Blue Label. Lovely nose though - lemon and orange marmalade and elegant botrytis. The palate has good balance, with a rich texture that never cloys thanks to good acidity. More marmalade and botrytis notes, and a rich finish. Very good length. Lacks complexity, but makes up for this with lovely structure. 16.5/20 (February 2001)

Royal Tokaji Blue Label Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 1995: A deep amber and peach colour. The nose carries rich honeyed raisins and almonds, notes of botrytis and a marked flor characteristic. The palate has an unctuous consistency, but does have balancing acidity, together with more luscious honey and raisins. I can't help feeling, however, that it tastes a little unclean, or that there is an old, wet wood note to it. It's interesting, but hardly endearing. 13.5/20 (February 2001)

Bernard Massard Cuvée de l'Ecusson Brut 2004: A pale lemon-gold hue, youthful in appearance, a thought reinforced by this wine's abundant bead. The nose has fresh, lemony, stony frut which really holds my attention, and this is followed up by little nuances, part peppery and spicy, part exotic and ripe, rather like mango or tangerine. These are very subtle seasonings, however, and the main character of the wine is one of cool climate minerality. The palate has a beautifully creamy character, with a delictae sherbet-tinged meat underneath it, and nuances of those fruits again, but once more it is predominantly lemon, steel, chalk and stone that prevails. What a delicious and appealing, easy-drinking wine. This is full of life and vitality, and is certainly even more impressive than the 2003 vintage. 17/20 (December 2008)

Hush Heath Estate Balfour Brut Rosé (Kent) 2005: My first encounter with the wines of this estate in Kent, established by Richard Balfour-Lynn in 2002 with the sole purpose of producing sparkling rosé, planting 45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier. A delightfully peachy onion-skin hue on inspection, and a very fine bead. The nose is entrancing, with elements of peach fruit, redcurrrant leaf and lemon zest providing a fresh and lively note to the subtle layer of praline, coffee and toasted brioche that lies beneath. Wonderfully fresh and vigorous on the palate, lifted and bright, with sappy-sour fruit and a lightly creamy character to it, helped by the very fine, velvety mousse. Nicely perfumed, and a good fresh finish, full of lively acidity, and good sappy length. An excellent style, very approachable and for current drinking rather than keeping I think. I like it! 17+/20 (August 2010)

Ridgeview Bloomsbury Cuvée Merret (Sussex) 2006: A pale straw hue, a rich effervescence, creating a bone-white and deep layer of very fine bubbles on the surface of the wine. An attractive nose, quite vinous, lemony, certainly really rather mineral, with a little rosemary nuance to it. Very well defined on the palate, crisply defined, but also quite broad and full, with a creaminess to the texture even though the wine doesn't have a creamy weight. The midpalate has a firm, stony, pebbly character with bitter citrus fruits and nettle flavour, pears and a hint of peach. The finish is firm, with good bite, although rather short. An impressive and very fresh style which would surely develop well in the cellar, short-term at least. 16.5-17+/20 (May 2009)

Ridgeview Bloomsbury Cuvée Merret (Sussex) 2005: This is 57% Chardonnay, 14% Pinot Noir and 29% Pinot Meunier. Fairly pale hue, with a moderately fine bead and plenty of it. The nose is very clean and hard, with nettles, stones and the freshness of surf. This is something minerally and seasoned rather than rich or creamy. The palate follows on as expected, a crisp mouthful with firm acidity, nettles, pepper and the spice of red mustard leaf. Lots of character here, with a stony structure and just the barest hint of gentle cream, just enough to soften the wine's edges. Good mousse. Lemon, herb and peppery rocket abound. Very good. 16.5/20 (December 2008)

Nyetimber Classic Cuvée Brut (Sussex) 1993: I had high hopes for this wine, having immensely enjoyed the Première Cuvée Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs Brut 1992 earlier in the year. Unfortunately, although I have read glowing reports of the Classic Cuvée, it failed to make an impression on me. A hollow midpalate and unpleasantly green, tart astringency made this bottle difficult to drink. 13/20 (August 2001)

Negru de Purkar (Moldova) 1975: A deeper, quite youthful colour to this wine, which fades to a pink-orange rim. Aromas of smouldering charcoal and creosote on the nose. There's a suggestion of a full, sweet character, although this doesn't really come through on the palate, which has a hard, tarry, burnt character to what fruit remains. There are also suggestions of stewed coffee and hung game. A little tannin and balanced acidity complete the picture. Eminently more drinkable than the Rioja. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Saperavi (30%) and Rare Niagre (10%). Hidden as a ringer in a tasting of 1975 Bordeaux. 16/20 (August 2002)