Malcolm Creek Chardonnay 1999

Here's another bin-end from El Vino. This time it's a 10 year old Chardonnay from Australia.

El Vino is currently selling the 2001 vintage of this wine for £13.50, which means the 1999 here has been relegated to the bargain bin. If the 2001 is worthy to sell, surely the 1999 can't be too far behind? And for £3.95...

The wine is gorgeous. A deep yellow gold colour in the glass shows its age. On the nose though is where the quality shows, with intense, rich aromas of melon and caramel. The palate shows similar characteristics, along with some vanilla and a lingering, nutty finish.

I guess this is near the end of its life-span, but it's by no means over the hill. It's definitely showing secondary characteristics brought on by bottle age, but the fruit character is still strong and pronounced.

The odd thing about these bin-ends at El Vino is they put them in the front window with a sign on them saying 'Cooking Wine'. When I asked about this, they just told me that they were bin ends. Who on earth would want to buy a wine labelled 'Cooking Wine'? Why not just call them 'bin ends'? My only guess is that they can't guarantee the quality, and I suppose that's fair enough because some of the bottles may have gone off, but at £3.95 who cares?

Anyway, this stuff isn't exactly flying off the shelves and I'm happy about that - it means I can buy it all!

Malcolm Creek

Chardonnay 1999

Adelaide Hills, Australia

El Vino

£3.95 (bin end. 2001 currently selling for £13.50)

4/5

Brian Barry Juds Hill Riesling 2004

I went back to El Vino and bought a bunch more of the 2002 Brian Barry Riesling - but at the same time I bought a bottle of the 2004 to try.

This was like a different wine almost - it was what I would call a typical Clare Valley Riesling. Only a slight whiff of petrol on the nose, along with typical apple and citrus notes. On the palate it was fairly light and spritzy with good bit of acidity. Not as concentrated, intense or as long as the 2002.

For what it's worth we tried another bottle of the 2002 - and I had a different experience with it time. It seemed a lot more palatable - less petrol and more fruit. Either way the 2002 is the bargain of the century - I spent £31 and came out with 7 bottles of good Riesling.

Brian Barry

Juds Hill Riesling 2004

Clare Valley, Australia

El Vino

3/5

£7.75

Brian Barry Juds Hill Riesling 2002

I've recently moved offices with my work. I'm now based near Fleet Street in London, which gives me the opportunity to check out new wine shops. Except they are not really new to me - I used to work in this area a few years ago, but I changed location soon after I caught the wine bug. It was actually (to my chagrin) around the same time that Jeroboams closed their Chancery Lane branch, which was also nearby. Anyway, I'm back.

Located at the intersection of Fleet Street and Fetter Lane is a shop/wine bar called El Vino. There are a bunch of these around, mostly in The City. This particular one is only yards away from another branch, located near Blackfriars tube station.

The business has an interesting history, and you can read all about it on their website.

So, I was peering into the window of the Fleet Street shop, and I noticed they had several bottles of this Riesling, with a sign saying: "Brian Barry Riesling £3.95".

A hand-picked, bottle-aged Clare Valley Riesling for only £3.95 is worthy of investigation. The guy in the shop said it was just a bin-end, as they were now onto the 2004 vintage. I picked up a bottle and opened it that evening.

It has very strong petrol and soap character on the nose and palate. The thick, velvety texture indicates that it is a concentrated wine with much intensity. There wasn't a lot of fruit however, and the acidity seemed to have waned a bit. It was very dry, and had a slightly bitter finish. Food helped a little bit with the bitterness.

I think this may be a bit over the hill (or maybe just too mature for my taste), although I might buy a couple more bottles anyway and experiment with different foods. If possible I'll also pick up a bottle of the 2004 to compare.

UPDATE: I bought a few more bottles of this, and I have to say that the experience has been quite different to that described above. I don't know if the one I tried first was just a dodgy bottle, but the other ones that I've tried are much more enjoyable. More acid and fruit present, and the petrol isn't overwhelming. I also tried the 2004.

Brian Barry

Juds Hill Riesling 2002

Clare Valley, Australia

El Vino

£3.95 (bin-end - £7.75 for the current 2004 vintage)

3/5