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New Agencies from H & H Bancroft

New vintages and new wines are always exciting, and so it was a recent delight to get my teeth into a selection of wines new to the list of H & H Bancroft, a top London merchant and long-time sponsor of Winedoctor. This was a very broad selection of bottles, touching on new wines from familiar, well established regions, such as Champagne and Bordeaux, as well as styles with which I am less familiar, particularly from Spain. There were wines here from Toro, Ribera del Duero and also Terra Alta in Catalonia. The vineyards of the New World were also represented, in the shape of two bottles from South Africa's most famous wine region, Stellenbosch.

Although many of these wines were good it was the Syrah-Garnacha blend from Las Colinas del Ebro that impressed most. A juicy but well-structured and nicely fruited cuvée free of any tarting up with excessive oak, sugar or extraction, this is a delicious wine that also offers very good value for money. I also enjoyed the cuvée from Bodegas Arrocal, a Ribera del Duero, although this was in a completely different style. There is modern, plump, creamy fruit here, together with a honey-oak influence, but I like the silky quality it posseses and without doubt this would be another crowd pleaser. As for the Bertineau St-Vincent, a wine from the Michel Rolland portfolio, this bottle showed the strengths of the great 2005 vintage in Bordeaux. It is a wine that demands cellaring though.

I have included the H & H Bancroft prices in brackets throughout (inclusive of VAT), and for transparency have also included links to wine-searcher (where prices are usually listed excluding VAT). The usual disclaimer; I make no commission on sales and I do not sell wine. I don't believe we can ever expect an honest opinion from a writer with a vested interest in the success of a wine, and I am happy to avoid being in that position. And also a disclosure; as already stated, H & H Bancroft advertise on Winedoctor. This is in no way tied in with the receipt of these wines and has no bearing on the independent opinions that follow, but if you feel my opinions may be subconsciously swayed please bear this relationship in mind when reading my notes below. (14/10/09)

New Agencies from H & H Bancroft - Tasting Notes

The following were tasted in October 2009. Click to locate stockists.

René Geoffroy Brut Premier Cru Expression NV: Lots of bead here, bubbles of a moderate size, and a fairly pale hue. Very mineral on the nose, salty even, with notes of soft and crumbly rock, with a smoky-steely character and elements of pine kernels. A lovely texture on entry, soft but with lovely plump, yellow plum flavours . Minerally too though. Sappy, fading but polished finish, and a good length too. Still very youthful, this will show more evolution of flavour over the next year or two I think. It does have potential for the cellar, nevertheless it is certainly tasty now. 16+/20 (£23.50)

Château Bertineau St Vincent (Lalande de Pomerol) 2005: A wine from the Rolland collection, this cuvée - which I have only tasted before in the 2008 vintage - shows an admirable depth of colour. Decanted, it was drinkable within an hour or two, but it remained tannin-bound for several hours more, and it was only after five hours or so in the decanter that it really developed real harmony. The nose is still very reserved and yet primary at the moment, with dark fruits overlaid with fading elements of honey-toasted oak. The palate is mostly tight, dominated by a core of ripe tannins, with good acidity and good substance. There are some perfumed elements to the fruit as the wine opens up, a note of violets amongst the savoury, meaty fruit, but overall this is for the present a withdrawn wine that demands time in the cellar. Really good potential here though, and a real sign of the strength of this vintage. 17+/20 (£28.85)

Las Colinas del Ebro Garnacha Blanca (Terra Alta) 2008: This wine originates from Grenache vines in this region of Catalonia, in north-east Spain. The fruit is hand-harvested, sees a temperature-controlled fermentation and is bottled under a synthetic closure. The colour is pale and clean, the nose gently aromatic, with clean, fresh and dew-touched herbs, a little nuance of pear skin, and a papery edge. The palate is fresh, moderate in terms of substance, but with a nicely rounded composition. Reserved rather than lean, crisply cornered but with flesh in the middle, and subtle and steely flavours, this makes an attractive foil for summer afternoons and fish dishes. This is ready to drink now. 15/20 (£7.95)

Las Colinas del Ebro Syrah Garnacha (Terra Alta) 2007: As with the white, this is harvested by hand, sees a temperature-controlled fermentation, and is bottled under a synthetic closure. A great colour in the glass, deep but a vibrant, juicy, dark cherry red. The nose is packed with fruit, dark cherry and crunchy cranberry, with a little vein of smoke too. Fresh, rich but well delineated, crunchy but ripe fruit, and lovely definition, this is a real flatterer on the palate. Broad, juicy, crunchy, flavoursome and dry, this is a stylish wine unspoiled by excess of either sugar or oak. Lovely finish, structured, with a gentle coating of savoury, cottony tannins. At the price, this is an absolute bargain. 17+/20 (£8.20)

Bodegas Arrocal Ribera del Duero 2006: Sourced from the estate's Gumiel de Mercado vineyard, this is predominantly Tempranillo but also includes 4% Cabernet (I imagine Sauvignon, although this is unspecified) and 1% Merlot, and has spent six months in oak. A good glossy although dense colour in the glass. The nose still has some elements of oak, little coconutty notes alongside the dark, bright but slightly meaty fruit. Soft, warm and somewhat silky on entry, with the pleasing sweetness of blackcurrant, blueberry and damson jam, but with an element of honeyed grip which builds through the palate and which probably relates to the short period of barrel-ageing. Overall this is really good, albeit very modern and international in style, and although it is very drinkable now it is capable of picking up some interest with a little time in the cellar I think. 16.5+/20 (£11.95)

Bodegas Abanico Eternum Viti (Toro) 2007: Very attractively packaged, white label and silver and black capsule, and bottled under natural cork. Very dark and glossy appearance in the glass, and a very modern style apparent on the nose, as well as on the label which declares 14.5%. Lots of fruit, with a queue of blackberry, roasted plum and damson jam, overlaid with the aroma of honeyed oak, tar and liquorice. Soft on entry, a very creamy composition, full of gently rich substance and texture. There is a tangible but ripe and velvety layer of tannins, some no doubt oak-derived, with moderate acidity too. Lots of lingering substance on the finish too. Altogether this is a very attractive wine which has many good points, and which will appeal most to fans of modern, oak-influenced cuvées. I think I would keep it a year or two to see if the wood integrates a little more though. Good. 16+/20 (£11.10)

Hartenberg Sauvignon Blanc (Stellenbosch) 2008: The fruit for this wine was harvested in stages over a two-week period and then fermented in steel, with four hours of skin contact and four months on the lees, with bátonnage. The nose is loaded with very typical Sauvignon fruit, some of which no doubt owes its existence to the methylpyrazines from the earlier pickings, with notes of yellow pepper, green pepper and a pungent, grassy gooseberryishness. The palate has a good impact, full-flavoured, with some fatness and texture from the lees-stirring, nicely counterbalanced by the vibrant, tingling acidity which starts out on entry and runs right through to the finish. A good style, full-on and very true to the variety. 16/20 (£10.90)

HHartenberg Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz (Stellenbosch) 2005: This wine has a rich, dark plum hue in the glass. The nose is quite straightforward and laden with fruit, blackcurrant and smoky damson, with a somewhat sweet and jammy feel to it. There are also notes of coffee, dark chocolate and coconut, some of which may reflect the wines élevage in French oak for 12 months. The palate is soft, slightly sweet, full of jammy plum, damson and blackcurrant fruit, with soft and ripe tannins and a low level of acidity. There is some spice and grip towards the finish, and overall this ranks well as a sweet little crowd-pleaser. 15/20 (£10.30)