Cave de Turckheim "Brand" Gewurztraminer Grand Cru 2007

The price of this has crept up significantly since the 2005 vintage, but it is still worth every penny.

2007 was an exceptional vintage for Alsace, and I needed an impressive white to display the merits of white wine to a visiting red-loving friend of mine.

I think it did the trick. It had concentrated floral aromas, super-velvety texture and a lovely rich, complex palate. I wasn't tasting it side by side with the 2005, but from what I can recollect the 2007 may have been slightly lighter and more elegant.

Cave de Turckheim

"Brand" Gerwuztraminer Grand Cru 2007

Alsace, France

The Grape Shop

£15.45

4/5

Andes Peaks Reserva Chardonnay 2008

I was in The Grape Shop today, and I asked the proprietor for a good Chardonnay. I took the cheapest one he recommended because I was looking for an everyday-type wine, and it was this Chilean Chardonnay from the Casablanca Valley.

I found this wine a bit odd. It has the creamy texture of an oak-aged Chardonnay, but the nose and palate show some of the grassy, green characteristics of a Sauvignon Blanc. At first I was half-wondering if they got the label wrong. As it warmed up though, you get some more traditional citrus and pear flavours, and also some starchy (rice) hints.

Initally a bit weird, but overall pretty good.

Andes Peaks

Chardonnay Reserva 2008

Casablanca Valley, Chile

The Grape Shop

£7.75

3/5

Underraga Brut NV

I hate reviewing sparkling wines.  They hardly ever make much of an impression on me, probably because I only ever buy cheap ones.  This was meant to be an aperitif, but we ended up drinking it after dinner (because my host's wife wouldn't let him open the Pol Roger).

Produced by the charmat method, it's a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir from vineyards in Chile's Maipo Valley.  I thought it smelled like whisky.  It tasted OK though - fairly simple and light.  I paid just under £9 for it, which now seems like a rip off seeing that Majestic has it on offer for £4.99.

Underraga

Brut NV

Maipo Valley, Chile

The Grape Shop

£8.95

2.5

Cave de Turckheim "Brand" Gewurztraminer Grand Cru 2005

This wine is fabulous.  We had it the other night with Fushsia Dunlop's General Tso's chicken.  Fuchsia is one of my personal cooking heroes.

I am going to break from tradition a bit here and use my dinner companion's tasting notes, as they are far more descriptive that anything I could come up with.  I think I'm pretty good at gauging whether a wine is good or not.  As for picking out individual flavours and things, well there are other more talented people than me.

"Fresh cut, under ripe cantaloupe melon, that is still a bit green", (I think these apply to the nose), and  "honeysuckle".  As for the palate, I can chip in with this:  this is a Grand Cru wine, so imagine a "normal" Gewurz and triple the concentration.  It's like drinking flower juice, with a bit of an oily texture.  My  dinner companions reckoned it had a bit of residual sugar, but I think they are mistaking aromatics for sugar, which is easy to do with Alsatian wine.  I felt it was quite dry, although I could well be dead wrong about the sugar part.

As for the finish - "white raisin", "slightly burnt caramel - like when you make it at home and leave it on the heat just a minute too long", "bitter" and "apricot".  Sounds about right, except I've never made caramel at home before.  By the way, Duncan is single and his number is....

I got this from a shop by Clapham Junction called The Grape Shop.  A few comments about it in a previous post here.  

Overall a fantastic wine and great bargain.  The Grape Shop also stocks a Grand Cru Reisling from the same producer.  It's pretty safe to say I'm going to be buying it.

Cave de Turckheim

"Brand" Gerwuztraminer Grand Cru 2005

Alsace, France

The Grape Shop

£13

4/5

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