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Spring 2001 Wines at Majestic

This is a selection of wines available at Majestic during Spring 2001. (22/5/01)

Tasting Notes

Tasted in May 2001. Click to locate stockists:

White Wines

Pasqua Pinot Grigio del Veneto Vina da Tavola (Italy) 1999: Pale, with a nose of green apples and a touch of sherbet. Delicate fruit on the palate, with marked green apple acidity. 14/20 (£3.99)

Domaine Marguerite Carillon Chablis Vau-Cousières (Burgundy, France) 1999: A mineral and leafy nose. Medium weight on the palate. Simple fruit but good acidity. 14/20(£5.99)

Fortant de France Sauvignon Blanc (VdP d'Oc, France) 1999: Fresh, slightly grassy nose, with a hint of lemon drops or boiled sweets. The palate has low acidity, and is short on flavour. 14/20 (£3.99)

Chateau la Touche Muscadet Sur Lie (Loire, France) 1999: Leafy, fruit-drop nose. Boiled lemon sweets on the palate, with a hint of sur lie richness. Medium body but a hollow finish. 14/20 (£4.49)

Henri Beurdin Reuilly (Loire, France) 2000: This has a fairly classic, fresh and grassy, greengage and gooseberry nose. On the palate it is lean, with aromatic fruit and firm acidity. Would make a good food wine. 15.5/20 (£6.49)

Les Griottes Pouilly-Fumé (Loire, France) 1999: This appellation is known for the gunflinty, pungent aromas that it can generate, and in this bottle there was a mix of slightly sulphurous cordite, mixed with some typical Sauvignon fruit. Behind this aroma there was a wet, vegetal aroma that marked the wine as corked. A second bottle faired better, with a cleaner nose, and still with that interesting cordite aroma, which follows through onto the palate. Pleasant, meaty fruit and good acidity. Like Pouilly-Fumé used to be? 16/20 (£7.99)

La Guiberte Sancerre (Loire, France) 2000: A clean and tight nose. Aromas of fruit drops and greengages. Good acidity on the palate, herbaceous with minimal confection, and good texture. 15/20 (£8.99)

Domaine Vacheron Sancerre (Loire, France) 2000: I must admit to having a soft spot for Vacheron, as every bottle brings back memories to my visit to the domaine back in 1993. The current vintage has a nose of nettles, freshly pulled weeds and gooseberries. Good, aromatic fruit on the palate, with no sense of confection. Very clean through to the finish. 16.5+/20 (£9.99)

Vistasur Sauvignon Blanc (Chile) 1999: Very pale. Gooseberry and grapefruit nose, fresh but simple. Deliciously fruited, slightly confected palate. Marked acidity. 14/20 (£4.79)

Cono Sur Viognier (Chile) 1999: A pleasant, well-fruited nose, with peach and apricot aromas. Good weight on the palate, and a typical Viognier flavour profile. Has developed some character since I last tasted this. 15/20 (£4.99)

Penfolds Rawsons Retreat Bin 21 Semillon Chardonnay Colombard (Australia) 2000: Semillon definitely dominates here, with a honeyed, lemon curd nose. The palate has good weight, low acidity and an aromatic, pear-drop flavour. Extravagant finish. 15/20 (£4.99)

Rose Wines

Le Fauve Rosé de Syrah (VdP d'Oc, France) 2000: A strawberry and cherry nose. Boiled sweet palate, with moderate acidity. Very confected finish. 12/20 (£3.99)

Red Wines

Viña Arisabel Rioja Joven (Rioja, Spain) 1999: A pale pink-red. Confected slightly smoky berry fruit nose. Thin and weak palate. Astringent fruit. 12/20 (£3.49)

Domaine de Richard (VdP de l'Aude, France) 1999: Pale but vibrant cherry red hue. A smoky, slightly tarry nose. Thin and unimpressive palate, with some background tannins and marked acidity. Unconvincing fruit. 12.5/20 (£2.79)

Gaetane Carron Rouge (VdP de Vaucluse, France) 1999: Vibrant slightly denser red. Liquorice and fruit on the nose. Stony elements. The palate is a bit thin and washed out, with an attack of acidity. 12/20 (£2.99)

Cave de Tain l'Hermitage Syrah (VdP des Collines Rhodaniennes) 1999: Sweet blackcurrant fruit gum nose. Unremarkable palate, with nonexistent tannins. Soft acidity. 14/20 (£4.19)

Tuella (Douro, Portugal) 1997: A moderate colour. Summer berry fruits on the palate, with nice weight and soft tannins. 14.5/20 (£4.99)

Domaine de L'Ile St-Pierre Cabernet Franc (VdP des Bouches du Rhône, France) 1999: A much paler colour. Typical leafy, herbaceous Cabernet Franc nose, A very light palate, with thin fruit. 13.5/20 (£3.99)

Chateau Guiot (Costières de Nimes, France) 2000: Good colour. A fresh, fruit-laden nose. The palate has weight, some attractive fruit and soft tannins. 14.5/20 (£4.99)

Duboeuf Brouilly Flower Label (Beaujolais, France) 2000: A tempting, deliciously vibrant purple colour draws this wine towards your nose, only to find an overpowering bubblegum stench. On the palate soft fruits sit with confected bubblegum, with soft background acidity. Lovers of this should try the Rosemount wine below as well. 13/20 (£6.99)

Duboeuf Château de Grand Pre Fleurie (Beaujolais, France) 1999: This is more like it. A more sensible red-garnet hue, and a more serious red fruits nose. Fresh acidity on the palate, which is light in body. Some light, powdery tannins and young summer fruits. Simple but clean. And it tastes like wine. 15/20 (£7.99)

Rosemount Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia) 2000: A blackcurrant concentrate and fruit gum nose. On the palate, no surprise to find low acidity, little or no tannin and sweet, chewy, confected fruit gums. 13/20 (£6.99)

Vistasur Merlot (Chile) 1999: Denser hue, with a typical spicy fruitcake nose. Fairly light in body, with soft, spicy fruit, but an attractive body. Soft tannins. 14.5/20 (£4.79)

Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz (Australia) 1996: A more elegant mahogany red colour, a sign of age. Attractive fruit on the nose, with spice and vegetal complexities. More refined on the palate, but still with plenty of fruit. Integrated tannins and correct acidity. Beetroot and spice notes. 16/20 (£9.99)

Penfolds Rawsons Retreat Bin 35 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz (Australia) 1999: A good dense colour. Dark fruits on the nose, with a big lick of vanilla and liquorice American oak. Medium bodied, with spicy, vanillin American oak dominating, good fruit and tingling acidity. A touch sweet and confected on the endpalate. Pleasant, but somewhat incongruous acidity. 14/20 (£5.99)

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia) 1998: A richer, denser hue. Liquorice and black fruits on the nose with less prominent oak. Pleasantly fruited palate, slightly softer acidity here, and integrated tannins. 15/20 (£6.99)

Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz (Australia) 1997: Again a more dense colour, with a more complex nose. Vegetal notes on top of a layer of fruit. Aromatic spices on the palate, with integrated oak and well balanced acidity. Good body, slightly more prominent alcohol than the other wines. 16/20 (£9.99)