Some wines I enjoyed in February
Sparkling ice wine, aged Gavi and American dreams
February was a big month for big tastings with both Liberty and SITT (where I co-hosted a table on Washington State wines) coming to Manchester. I was also kindly invited to join an itinerant wine tasting of Gavi wines around Manchester hosted by Richard Siddle of The Buyer. I managed to squeeze in a few ‘off-duty’ drops too. Strap in, there is a lot to get through.
Here are some wines I enjoyed in February 2024.
Charles Heidsieck Blanc Des Millénaires Blanc De Blancs 2007 (RRP ~£150-£200)
At the big tastings, there is a lot to get through and it can get a bit much. I sometimes try and ‘do the whole room’, which can be challenging - as fun as it might sound. It often means tasting over 100 wines in just a few hours. But other times I am really choosy, only checking out things that look super interesting. Take this very expensive Champagne. It’s expensive - mainly because it’s a rare vintage; one of only seven since the first in 1983. Most champagnes are a blend of wine from different years and vintage champagnes only happen in years when vineyard conditions are perfect enough to produce outstanding grapes.
How do you describe a wine like this? It’s got everything you would expect: pastry notes, citrussy freshness, and a little smokiness but with everything maximised, layered and impeccably balanced. I’m lucky to have tried it.
BTW did you know Charles Heidsieck was the inspiration for the song Champagne Charlie? A song that always reminds me of my late grandad Charles who would jump on a piano and sing that song at any opportunity.
The Fog Monster Syrah, California USA 2018 (RRP ~£60)
I’m a sucker for a good name and this mysterious creature lured me right in. It just so happens that American wine is tickling my pickle at the moment too. This Syrah from Monterey County California reminds me of when chefs get creative with desserts throwing all manner of unexpected spices into the mix. Like an intense fruits of the forest compote spiked with cracked coriander seeds and black pepper. There’s a smokiness like those seeds have been panfried a bit first. There’s all sorts lurking in the fog with this monster.
Littorai Les Larmes Pinot Noir, Sonoma, California USA 2021 (RRP ~£90)
When people get all sweaty-palmed about pinot noir, sometimes it’s hard for non-wine folks to understand. Especially if you’ve only tried younger, cheaper ones. Hey don’t get me wrong, there are great inexpensive ones out there, and that’s mostly all I can afford but when I get to taste something like this belter, I get it.
This bottle, another American beauty (Sonoma), has everything the legends tell you great pinot noir should have. So you stand there swirling and sniffing and snuffling like a pig and yep, there is something truffley to be found - or is it a chocolate-coated mushroom? There’s all those mushy, trodden-down leaves of a November forest walk. There’s glossy fruit: over-ripe strawberries almost on the edge of acetone, and the kind of juicy blackberries you’d crawl through thorny undergrowth for. All this and a wee bag of dried herbs on the pillow of an expensive hotel. This will only get more exciting as it ages too. Sigh. If only I could drink this kind of stuff all the time.
Inniskillin sparkling icewine, Niagara Peninsula, Canada 2021 (RRP ~£50)
Another thing you almost only get to do at big tastings is try bonkers things like sparkling ice wine. This table had excited wine nerds flocking like pigeons around a dropped pot of sweetcorn on Market Street. Ice wine is made from grapes that have ripened and then frozen, they are then pressed while frozen so you get a concentrated intensity of flavour. It isn’t usually my favourite of the sweeties but this was too special to ignore - a bit like a fizzy alcoholic Um Bongo (I’m sure they’ll love me for that description). Canadian wine is on my radar generally at the moment. There’s some joyous stuff coming out of Niagara, and not just ice wine. Watch this space.
Bruno Rocca Langhe Nebbiolo Fralú (RRP ~£25)
One thing wine bods love to do is find wines that are adjacent to esteemed wine regions. Why? Because these wines are usually made from the same grapes, in a similar climate and often in a similar style to their more famous brethren but are far more pocket-friendly.
So if you’re a Barolo fan with a Bargain Booze budget, look out for Langhe Nebbiolo. Langhe is the wider region within which Barolo sits. Think of Langhe as South Manchester and Barolo as Levenshulme. If we made wine in Levy, you couldn’t call wine from Longsight Levy wine but it would be as near as damnit - and they would both come under the wider region of South Manchester.
Langhe Nebbiolo is usually a bit lighter than Barolo. It’s never cheap but more affordable than the Nebbiolo grape’s star Barolo DOCG. This one is bright like nibbling from a punnet of freshly picked berries and cherries while you stroll past a leather market stall.
Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington State USA 2020 RRP ~£40
One of the most fun and educational work days I have had this year was pouring wine for Washington State at SITT. There were 30 or more on our table and I was bowled over by so many of them in different ways. What a privilege to host a table with the knowledgeable Heather Dougherty and learn all about the region which is now a firm favourite of mine. As seems fitting for Seattle, indie wineries make up around 90% of Washington State’s producers. I loved this juicy but smooth AF Cabernet Sauvignon from Abeja Winery in Walla Walla. A classic Bordeaux-inspired Cabernet, all juicy blackcurrants with a touch of vanilla from the French oak. This is the kind of wine I would drink all the time if only I could afford to.
Kiona Lemburger, Red Mountain AVA, Washington State USA 2021 RRP~£15
The other Washington State wine that really stuck in my memory was this Lemberger (AKA Blaufrankish) from Kiona. I loved this wine, light but bright with berry fruit: think pomegranate, blueberry and cranberry. It was a hit with the punters too and great value. I hope it makes it onto Manchester shelves soon. I’ll be grabbing an armful of bottles if it does.
Inca, Calchaqui Valley, Argentina 2022 RRP~£12
I didn’t get a chance to taste much at SITT as I was working, but a quick trip to see my friend Mark from Condor Wines led me to this beauty. I always like to taste Tannat wines whenever I see them. As the name suggests, this is a tannic and intense grape making the kind of big bold wines we all love from South America. If you’ve completed Argentian Malbec and want to try something in the same ballpark but a bit different, look out for this savoury, black fruit beauty.
Channing Daughters Rosso Fresco, New York USA RRP~£20
I attended a brilliant tasting of New York state wines hosted at The Fountain House. There were countless tangy rieslings, as the region is well known for, and I would happily drink those all day but I have picked a couple of wines that surprised me to highlight here. This one I kept going back to to make sure I still adored it and yes, my favourite wine of the day by far. It’s a unique blend of Merlot, Dornfelder, Blaufränkisch, Syrah and Cabernet Franc from Channing Daughters in Long Island. I tasted abundant soft red and blue fruits but also a medicinal, root beer-like note that I couldn’t get enough of.
Osmote Cabernet Franc Seneca Lake, New York USA 2021 RRP~£30
My other favourite was this super light Cab Franc from Ben Riccardi at Osmote. I love Cab Franc anyway and this had the hallmark green capsicum and cranberry bitterness but also a mintiness and some soft strawberry making it light but interesting and very drinkable. More please!
Castello di Tassarolo, Il Castello Gavi RRP ~£16
An itinerant wine tasting (for trade only) organised by The Buyer magazine was a lovely way to learn more about Gavi wine. We tasted over 50 but I have picked two of my favourites here. The Cortese grapes for this wine are harvested from around the grounds of Tassarolo Castle which the winemaker owns. It’s a classic Gavi, bright with a still-life bowlful of citrus fruit and ripe pears. Gavi is made in two distinct styles. This is the fresh and light version of the two and it went so beautifully with deep-fried seafood dim sum from Home Chinese on Richmond Street.
La Mesma Gavi Riserva 2016 RRP ~£40
I always think of Gavi as a bright, zingy young wine so it was interesting to taste some with a bit of age on them like this Riserva from 2016. Among a group of very opinionated wine professionals, this was the favourite of the table. These grapes are grown on Northern Gavi’s iron-rich red soil, the soil in the south is white clay and in the middle it’s a mix of the two. The north is less elevated so the acidity is less intense compared to some Gavis. It’s got margarita-like notes of lime and salt but also a rich, layered complexity with aromas like tarragon, honeyed apricot and almond.
Nina Barraco Zibbibo, Sicily 2021 £9.50 a glass at Erst
I’m always telling people that Erst is my favourite restaurant in Manchester - it’s a tough choice and I have a lot of faves but I return a lot and am never disappointed. I also like to pop in for a glass of wine and try to resist ordering a flatbread to go with it. It feels cinematic and sexy here in the evenings. The low light and slick soundtrack buffering the clatter and clink from diners.
People always ask me what my favourite wine is too. What a question. It’s impossible to answer of course but if I have a top five white grapes, Zibbibo is up there. It’s also known as muscat of Alexandria so you probably already know it’s a grandma’s knicker drawer wine. All rose and lavender and Palma Violets. This skin contact version has all those Laura Ashley florals but with a welcome bit of saltiness and sass.
L’archetipo Moscatello Selvatico at KERB (£40 a bottle)
More muscat, Kel? Really? Well, yeah. This one is a slightly sweet peachy fizz though and oh how cute it is. Beautiful as a final flourish at KERB on a Manchester wine tour served with a slice of cake from Companio. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.
El Maestro Sierra Jerez 1830 Oloroso £7 gls / £60 btl at Tast
Sherry is a fascinating and complex area of wine that I only just got my head around in my study days. So when Alberto at Tast told me he was hosting a sherry tasting I jumped at the chance to improve my understanding. It’s the dry ones I love, and I particularly liked this oloroso - so much that I added it to a couple of wine tours. Might bring it back for Xmas. Oloroso means aromatic in Spanish and boy does it live up to its name. I love how it smells like all the good stuff at Xmas: orange zest, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, raisins, walnuts, so you expect it to taste sweet like Xmas pud, then the bone-dryness shocks your system. This one has such a distinct nutty aftertaste that goes and goes. An absolute beaut.
NOTE: If you’re new here and wondering: why February? This blog is one of many things I do and I’ve got a bit of backlog on the wine notes that I am trying to get up to date with. It’s a good job good wine generally ages well, eh?