Home > Trade Tastings > Thirty Wines from Sainsbury's, 2010
Thirty Wines from Sainsbury's, 2010
Take some good quality bread, perhaps a lovingly-fashioned home-baked loaf, not long out of the oven, the sort of loaf that fills the kitchen and indeed the whole house with its gorgeous aroma, overwhelming your olfactory senses. Slice it, so that you have two perfectly-sized slabs, as thin or as thick as you prefer, soft and still slightly warm to the touch, an ideal beginning for a delicious sandwich. And then choose your filling. What would you like? Bargain basement meat paste, the meat content at such a low level it would perhaps be better labelled as 'non-meat' paste? Or perhaps a couple of slices of processed cheese? My thoughts on processed cheese have long been dominated by what I learnt as a sixth-former, when one of my friends had a weekend job working in a dairy; I still recall his account of scraping any spilt curds up from the floor to be packaged up and sent off to the processing plant. And so I learnt of the origin of processed cheese, and although I'm aware the tale was probably apocryphal I've never touched the stuff since. I have the same attitude to meat paste. How about a slice of fried spam instead then?
It's not quite living up to your initial expectations, this sandwich, is it?
And so we arrive at my account of the wines
shown at the recent Sainsbury's
trade tasting. The bread for my sandwich was provided in the first instance by
Christian Seely and the wines of Quinta do Noval, a lunchtime tasting mainly of
LBV Ports, including the new Quinta do Noval LBV 2004, for the first time an LBV
sourced purely from Noval fruit. There were some really lovely wines here. And
my second slice of bread came later in the day courtesy of Handford Wines, with their
celebratory 21st Anniversary 1989 Tasting. Suffice to say many of these wines
were just delightful. And my disappointing filling came from Sainsbury, the
vinous equivalent of a slice
of shiny-rubbery processed cheese, too easily overshadowed by what lay around it.
With just a little time to spare before I needed to be at the Handford Wines tasting, and with well over a hundred wines lined up before me, I needed to be selective; so I decided I would kick off with any Loire Valley wines on offer (even own label wines, which I would usually steer well clear of), and along the way also pick up on any that utilised relevant varieties, which I expected would lead me to focus on New Zealand Sauvignons. They were a sorry bunch of wines, with even the 2009 Sancerre La Moussière from Alphonse Mellot coming across as a bit soft and confected, perhaps reflecting the ripeness of the vintage. In desperation I switched my game-plan and moved to the fine wine offerings, taking in wines from Champagne, Burgundy, the Rhône and Bordeaux in particular. They didn't dramatically raise the stakes. And although the quality was a little higher here, so were the prices, and this would be the major stumbling block where the wines did live up to scratch, such as the very attractive 2004 from Smith-Haut-Lafitte.
It was all a little depressing, and I have to confess I left glad that Winedoctor doesn't require me to report on supermarket offerings such as this with any regularity, as there were any number of hacks circling the rooms who clearly do just that in order to earn their daily crust. I suppose the skill is to taste quickly, rejecting immediately where appropriate, and reporting just on those handful of wines which are of interest. If I ever return perhaps that will be my approach. That's if I ever return, note. (29/12/10)
Thirty Wines from Sainsbury's, 2010 - Tasting Notes
Tasted in October 2010. Click
for stockists.
Sainsbury's Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV: This 100% Chardonnay, based
on the 2006 harvest and made by Duval-Leroy. A blend of up to twelve sources
across the Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne and around Épernay, with a dosage
of 8g/l. It has a rather confected fruit style on the nose, and intensely sweet
yellow plum, mixed with sherbet and more than a hint of banana. Texturally on
the palate it has a lot going for it, a nice suggestion of cream with crisp,
mineral edged fruit. This has promise; and as the aromatic profile develops this
may well turn very drinkable. 15+/20
Sainsbury's Brut Rosé Champagne NV: Another from Duval-Leroy, this is a blend of
87% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs and 13% Pinot Noir from Vertus. The base
vintage is again 2006, and dosage is 10 g/l. It has a very appealing hue in the
glass, a salmon-sunset pink. Good fruit on the nose, certainly forward and
expressive, with a crunchy, grippy-gritty fruit character. There is a slightly
leafy element to it too which I don't mind. An attractive palate, with an
incisive mousse, and delicate pink fruits, altogether fresh with nice acidity. A
good effort. 14.5/20
Sainsbury's Blanc de Noirs Champagne NV: This wine is sourced from the
Producteurs des Grands Terroirs de la Champagne, a co-operative, and is a blend of 60%
Pinot Meunier and 40% Pinot Noir. The dosage is less than 12 g/l. On the
nose it has some dark, reserved, slightly chewy black fruits, and
there is a touch of smoke too. The colour is a little deeper than the other
wines in keeping with its Pinot basis. Nice flesh on the palate, creamy but a
light substance to it. Soft, supple, with a touch of crunchy honeycomb, this has
a more appealing flavour impact than the preceding wines. With a little bottle
age this could be very drinkable. 15.5+/20
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Champagne 2004: Back to Duval-Leroy here for
this blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, sourced from premiers and
grand crus Vertus, Trépail, Avize, Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger for the former and
Avenay, Mareuil sur Aÿ, Cumières, Bouzy, Ambonnay, Verzy, Verzenay and Ludes for
the latter. The dosage is 8.5g/l. There is sweet and crunchy fruit on the
nose, youthful but certainly a step up in quality from the non-vintage offerings.
Still showing a trace of sulphur though, which is distracting. The crystalline
yellow fruits do offer some appeal though. Quite broad on the palate, fresh and
acidic, with a touch of gritty honeycomb. Overall an attractive effort. 15.5/20
Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial NV: This is a blend of 50-60% Pinot Noir,
20-30% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay, including 10-20% reserve wines, all
from around Épernay. An impressive dosage here, 45g/l. Rather smoky on
the nose, still sulphurous too, perhaps an unsurprising necessity with that much sugar
floating about. Plenty of matchstick and mothball character, although you can
sense the yellow fruits hidden behind. Good substance on the palate though,
creamy, the sulphur not intruding here so much. Sour fruit, rather creamy,
sweetly polished. This has some potential upside despite its sweet and
sulphurous showing here. Also some little praline elements which I quite like. 15.5/20
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Sancerre 2009: Made by Florian Mollet
predominantly from the fruit of his Clos du Roc vineyard. Hand harvested, and
fermented cool in stainless steel before remaining
on its lees until spring. I find a light and chalky character on the nose, with
fruit characteristics redolent of slightly sweet, yellow plum. It all seems
fairly diffuse and low intensity, perhaps just the fuzziness of youth. On the
palate it is light, lean and supple, with some attractive substance but what it
really lacks is any strong defining character. Quite short on the finish. 13/20
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Pouilly Fumé 2009: Made by André Figeat,
fermented cool in stainless steel, and left on its lees until the spring. I find
more minerally character here than in the Sancerre which is welcome, with some
green fruit, and a less attractive blend of sugar snap peas, asparagus and
crisp, white vanilla ice cream. It does have a nice substance on the palate
giving it a certain presence, along with a lightly peppery, quinine edge. This
is certainly drinkable although I don't find the 'fruit' profile very appealing. 14/20
Camino San Pablo Sauvignon Blanc Verdejo (Castilla y Léon, Spain) 2009: A
blend of 51% Sauvignon Blanc and 49% Verdejo from the Storks' Tower estate in
Valladolid. High altitude (550-650m) vineyards, temperature-controlled
fermentation in stainless steel. Really very fresh and expressive on the nose
although it does not suggest concentration. Moving into yellow fruit, with a
touch of butter cream, and obviously ripe fruit. Fresh and fairly substantial on
the palate, rather solid, with an aromatic character like the nose, which
flattens out in the middle. A touch oily too. I was surprised to see it only
has 12.5%- the benefit of the cooler, higher vineyards I suspect. 14/20
Houghton The Bandit Sauvignon Blanc Pinot Gris (Western Australia) 2009: A
blend of 94% Sauvignon Blanc and 6% Pinot Gris. Presented in a clear glass
bottle, and a slightly green-tinged wine within. An unusual nose, rather meaty,
but with a green herby streak mixed with pure, crumbled chalk. A little
sulphurous too, perhaps enhancing this chalky character. Clean and clear on the
palate, more creamed fruit than I expected, fairly substantial but quite bright
too. Lacks appealing character though. 13.5/20
Yealands Estate Clearwater Cove Sauvignon Blanc (Awatere Valley, Marlborough)
2009: It's been a while since I came across such a pure expression of tinned
green beans, but here's a reminder of what that smells like, mixed with more
than a hint of brassica for good measure. Moderate substance on the palate, and
a similar 'fruit' profile to that found on the nose, with a good bite underneath
the body of the wine. I don't find this particularly appealing. 12/20
La Grille Classic Loire Anjou Barrel-Fermented Chenin Blanc 2009: Sourced from the
vineyards of Château de Fesles. Hand-picked grapes from a schistous terroir,
fermented in 400-litre oak barrels. The label declares its origins as "F de
Fesles Gilles Bigot", the latter being the current winemaker there. Rather a
sweet and mildly confected nose here, tinged with sweet baked banana, with a
rounded, polished, sweet oak layer which adds to this impression. Texturally it
is very smart on the palate, although it seems remarkably sweet (not from true
residual sugar though, which is 3 g/l), too much for me in fact, even with its
bright and incisive structure. An interesting wine, which may improve with time
in bottle. 14.5+?/20
Sainsbury's Fairtrade Chenin Viognier (Swartland, South Africa) 2010: A
blend of 75% Chenin Blanc and 25% Viognier, fermented using cultured yeast with
temperatures regulated to 12°C. The Viognier is oak-matured for three months. Sweet and
confected chalky fruit on the nose, rather green flavours, with crumbled
Edinburgh rock alongside. Rather a round ball of a palate, fleshed out a lot
around the edges but without too much in the middle. Not very interesting. 12/20
Waipara Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010: Sourced from Wairau and
Awatere vineyards. The grapes are machine-harvested and fermented in stainless
steel tanks, followed by up to six months therein. Broad and watery but fresh
character on the nose here, with some yellow plum fruit, buttercream too, with a
rather low level intensity. A better presence on the palate though, the wine
showing a sweeter concentration here. There is a decent acid backbone too. It is
still a little straight up and simple, but could serve a useful function in the
right situation. 13.5/20
Springfield Estate Special Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2010: The fruit of 100-year
old vines is harvested at night with six hours maceration, a protracted cold
settling and temperature-controlled fermentation. It has a fairly polished nose,
slightly baked but grippy yellow fruits, with buttercream, smoke and crushed
stone too. Fresh and substantial on the palate, bright with some nice midpalate
substance. Very classic in terms of style, robust and full of flavour. A
varietally-styled but still very interesting wine. 14.5/20
Florian Mollet Pouilly Fumé Antique 2009: This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from
old vines grown on sand, chalk and flint, bottled without cold stabilisation or
filtration. An attractive nose here, sherbetty, rather pithy in style,
reminiscent of grapefruit, but more its tang and grip rather than the intensity
of flavour. Nicely styled on the palate, just a touch honeyed in terms of
substance. Certainly grippy with some interesting substance. A touch chewy even.
Dry and reserved, but with a rather robust and masculine character beneath it. 15/20
Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussière 2009: This is sourced from vines
aged 4 to 40 years, with yields of 45hl/ha, sorted and then fermented at 18-23°C.
Dense and concentrated aroma on the nose, fairly rich with a sweeter
concentration of fruit than I would have expected - perhaps reflecting the
vintage? There is almost a dried-fruit quality to it. Good substance if rather solid on
the palate, as you might expect from the aromatic profile. Certainly rather soft
in terms of structure. Not a real success based on this tasting, and I suspect
this vintage has been just a little to warm to give this wine the cut and verve
that it really needs. 14.5/20
Domaines Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu Sainte Céline 2008:
Stainless steel fermentation with subsequent malolactic. Aged on its lees for
two months. Rather smoky and minerally on the nose, complicated by a little
residual sulphur that needs to dissipate. A good presence on the palate though,
showing rather golden fruit, but with a very fresh style despite the weight and
substance there is here. Behind the sulphur there is a good wine I think. Give it
time in the cellar to see it at its best. 15.5+/20
Paul Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 2008: Another wine from the Brocard
family, the wine made by Julien Brocard in each case. Fifty-year old vines here,
alcoholic fermentation in tank with indigenous yeasts, malolactic then élevage
in 100-hectolitre foudres. This is rather nicely polished in style,
although with slightly sweet fruit on the nose. The fruit has a slightly dried
character to it, although that can work well in Burgundy. A nice substance on
the palate, a touch sweet at the edges but there is an appealing structure to
it. And a touch of sweet apple fruit too. While attractive, I don't find it
classically redolent of grand cru Chablis. But you can certainly drink it. 14.5/20
Closerie des Alisiers Meursault 2008: Fruit from clay and limestone soils,
aged after fermentation in barrels for twelve months. An interesting character
on the nose, all matchstick sulphur and a touch of reduction too, showing
obvious youth, but with a sense of some clean fruit behind it all. A supple
presence on the palate, rather a gentle substance, well-judged and fresh. This
has some in the middle and this it carries some appeal. 16+/20
Domaine Chanson Meursault 2008: Fermented in barrel with fifteen months in
oak thereafter. On the nose it also has a slightly dried-fruit character, with
candied lemon, carrying through onto the palate where there is a rather bright
and pervasive structure, with plenty of crunchy lemon and melon fruit. It has
appeal, but it is very intense and certainly primary at present. The trick here
would be to wait and give this time in the cellar I think. With that treatment
this could surely develop some appeal. 15.5-16+/20
Piccini Pietracupa Tenuta Moraia Bolgheri 2007:
This is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, aged in French oak for
twelve months before bottling. It has a soft and dusty hue, especially considering the
varieties involved. Sweet and smoky on the nose, dark and dusty as the
appearance suggests. Nevertheless more direct and defined than I was
anticipating, dark and a touch smoky, but with a very upright Italian structure,
especially when looking at the acidity. Sappy and sour in the finish. An
interesting wine. 16/20
Perrin Châteauneuf du Pape Les Sinards 2006: This is a blend of 70% Grenache,
15% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre. The fruit is predominantly from
Beaucastel itself,
with some from other sites around Châteauneuf du Pape and Orange. This has a
really overpowering rubbery reduction on the nose, with a meaty note on the
side. It seems a touch lean and stretched out. Nicely fleshed out on the palate
though, quite a cool structure, defined and bright, but with those
rubbery-animally elements coming in at the back of the palate still. An
interesting wine, although not one for drinking now. Leave 5-10 years I think. 14.5+?/20
Chapoutier Châteauneuf du Pape La Bernardine 2007: This is a blend of 90%
Grenache, 5% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre from a number of different vineyards.
Vinified in concrete tanks over three weeks with a permissive approach to
temperature. The nose certainly has plenty of young Syrah and Grenache character,
very much at the orange peel end of the spectrum; a zesty overlay on top of some
red fruit and cherries, them some chalk. Quite supple and sweetly textured in
the upper layers, over a chalky-grippy core, but with a strange
roast-meat-Bovril element to it. Texturally though it is very appealing. Could
the rest of the wine come good as it evolves? 15.5+?/20
Château Potensac (Médoc) 2006: This is a blend of 46% Merlot, 42%
Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc. The fermentation is at a maximum
temperature of 28°C in both stainless steel and concrete vats with up to 18 days
of maceration, followed by up to 16 months in barrel (up to 30% new). Dark and concentrated, smoky, still with some oak-related elements here, touches of bacon
fat and smoke too. Lots of youthful substance. A good layer of fruit too, very
solid in terms of composition. It doesn't seem very 'old school' (which is how I tend
to think of Potensac), there is more flesh and substance here than there used
to be. Good potential. 15.5+/20
Château Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac (Saint Emilion) 2006: A blend of 65%
Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc. A cold maceration for up to five days, with 18
months in oak after fermentation. The wine itself has a glossy-dusty hue. A nice
presence of fruit on the nose, slightly fruitcakey but not over the top, and
attractive spice too. Rather composed and harmonious in fact. A supple entry,
rounded, rather reserved in style, and classically dry though the
midpalate. Varietally very strong on Merlot, and it does have appeal,
especially its dusty spice. 15.5/20
Château la Vieille Cure (Fronsac) 2002: The blend here is 70% Merlot, 27%
Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon from 40 year old vines. Fermentation is
in stainless steel with temperature control, and with consultation from Michel
Rolland. An élevage in French oak, one-third new, for up to 16 months. Rather a
dark hue considering this wine's age and the vintage. On the nose, a maturing,
meaty, slightly feral character. It does seem much leaner than the other wines
here (although it is unfair to compare with 2006s) but it does still have some
breadth. Dry and fresh and with some substance. What I find distracting is the
rather dusty, animally, horsey element that I find here. 14/20
Château Clarke (Listrac) 2002: This is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.
From 30-year old vines, cold-macerated, fermented in a mix of wood and steel
with micro oxygenation in the latter, and the élevage us in new oak for up to 16
months for 80% wine. A very dark hue in the glass, and a soft, reserved,
slightly reductive nose. I find the same on the palate, with a massive layer of
wall-to-wall rubber running right across it. A little midpalate
substance and correct acidity, but it has a rather hard shell on the outside. A nice presence
in the mouth though and actually a rather appealing, meaty-savoury
element, which you only get when you give it time for that reduction to blow
off. It does have promise in truth. 15.5+?/20
Sarget de Gruaud-Larose (St Julien) 2002: The second wine of
Gruaud-Larose,
in this vintage this is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc
and 3% Petit Verdot. This sees a cold-soak prior to temperature-controlled
fermentation in wooden and concrete vats. A portion undergoes malolactic
fermentation in barrel. On inspection this has a maturing hue, with a nicely
leafy, tobacco-infused and tealeaf character on the nose. A lean edge to the
palate, crisply cut tea-leaf fruit, pleasant but very fitting for the old
description of 'luncheon claret'. Crisp and lean in terms of structure. Not an
unpleasant wine though. Just too expensive. 14/20
Château Lilian Ladouys (St Estèphe) 2000: A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon,
35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. There are new owners at Lilian Ladouys these
days, but this wine predates their involvement. This is a great vintage though
so hopes should be high. Dark, rather high-toned but certainly fresh on the
nose. Notes of crunchy autumn leaves, mature and delicate, something of a
surprise given the vintage. Supple on entry, then rather dry and reserved
through the middle. Structured, but with broad and soft edges. Really remarkably
light and stony. Disappointing. 13/20
Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: This blend is 55% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. I've tasted this
wine plenty of times before. Some really appealing young Graves
nuances here, this is going to be beautiful with a few more years. Aromas of
dark pencil shavings, autumn leaves, cough-stick candy and Pessac earth all
rolled up into a whole. A restrained character on the palate despite this
expressive nose, with a well-judged, linear substance and a well-defined core of
fruit which has an appealing leafy and smoky edge. Fresh acidity too. By far
the most enticing wine in this tasting. 16.5/20
