Madame de Rayne Sauternes 2005

(as part of a fine wine tasting)

This is the second wine of Chateau de Rayne-Vigneau. There is an excellent write up of this producer here.

This was the final wine of our fine wine tasting (see previous 5 posts). I thought it was a good wine, but it didn't blow me away. There are other, much more affordable dessert wines that I'd recommend before this one, and not just because of the price.

I actually found the shop I bought it in more interesting - The Grape Shop on Northcote Road near Clapham Junction. It's a very small shop and their selection is limited, but I actually chose to buy my wine there instead of the more well-known Philglas & Swiggot down the road. I thought the proprietors at The Grape Shop were very helpful and engaging, in contrast to their counterparts at Philglas & Swiggot, who seemed more interested in hearing about someones recent trip to Hungary than helping their customers. I was in there again today and two of the staff were eating their (smelly) lunch in full view of the rest of the store. A bit of a turn-off.

Anyways, despite their smaller store, The Grape Shop also manages to stock a few interesting, affordable wines, some of which are personal favourites. This Copertino is one, along with a Barolo from Araldica (who produce affordable Piedmontese wines), and several wines from the Alsace co-op Cave de Turckheim (I picked up a 2005 Grand Cru Gewurztraminer for about £13).

Chateau de Rayne-Vigneau Madame de Rayne Sauternes 2005
Bordeaux, France
The Grape Shop
~£29
3/5