Grande Reserve Bergerac Cabernet Merlot 2009

This can probably be thrown on to the 'it's only worth it's offer price' heap. I thought it was worth a try because of Bergerac's proximity to Bordeaux and the 2009 vintage being an excellent one.

I didn't like it so much though - forgive the lack of technical terms here, but I just didn't like the taste.

When I think about it, there aren't too many cheap French reds that I like, except the odd one from Southern Rhone or the Languedoc, if it's on offer. They seem to lack the bright fruit flavours that cheaper New World wines have that make them so gluggable. That's just my opinion and taste however.

Grandissime

Grande Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2009

Bergerac AOC, France

Sainsbury's

£4.99 (£9.99)

2/5

Domaine Pichard Madiran 2004

I bought this several weeks ago, and when we went to drink it on the weekend, we found it was horribly corked. Luckily I had a second bottle, and that one was thankfully OK.

I wasn't sure of the returns/refund policy of the Wine Society. They are located in Stevenage, and I'm in London, so it's not really feasible to return a faulty bottle. Even more inconvenient was the fact that I didn't actually order this wine, the order was placed by a friend of mine (also a member). The order was placed over the phone in order to claim the 10% discount allowed immediately after tastings - we tried this at a London tasting of SW France wines, so there was no record of it (on our part anyway). If all this wasn't enough, the wine was no longer available and I wasn't even sure what I had paid for it.

No matter - I emailed member services, explained the situation, and a got a reply the same day stating that I had been credited with £9.50. Simply put, that is how to treat your customers.

The wine itself was lovely. Madiran to me seems like a cross between a Barolo and a Bordeaux. It has the structure and tarry character of a Barolo, but also the fruit and 'French' character (aroma, flavour) of a Bordeaux. The best thing of all is it lacks the price of both Bordeaux and Barolo. You can get good examples for £9 - £13. All this is thanks to the local Tannat grape variety (possibly blended with Bordeaux varieties). Tannat also produces good wine in Argentina and Uruguay among other places, although I've never tried a wine from the latter.

I really like this region and its wine. I think red wine should be structured as well as fruity, and obviously affordable. This region has it all. It just may well be starting to become my personal favourite wine region in France.

Domaine Pichard

Madiran 2004

AOC Madiran, South West France

The Wine Society

£9.50

3.5/5

Grandissime 'Grande Reserve' Bergerac Blanc 2009

Bergerac is a French wine region not too far from Bordeaux, and it produces wines from the same grape varieties. I'm not too experienced with it, but I suspect it may be a source of good-value wines that may have similar characteristics to the wines of Bordeaux.

This one for example (I'll ignore the half-price thing for now) is a perfectly acceptable white wine for a fiver. Very similar to a white Bordeaux (Sauvignon Blanc/Semillion blend), it's crisp, clean and light.

There is a red on offer as well, and I bought a bottle but have yet to try it. A friend of mine who has though keeps going back and buying more.

Grandissime

Grande Reserve Bergerac 2009

AOC Bergerac, South West France

Sainsbury's

£4.99 (£9.99)

3/5

Chateau d'Aydie Madiran 2006

This Decanter trophy-winning red comes from the southwest of France and is made from the Tannat grape.

I've been drinking a lot of new world reds recently, so this is a bit of a departure. It's well put together and nicely structured. Neat and tidy. It very much reminded me of a good claret. I wasn't taking notes while I drank this (mentally or otherwise), so I don't have many details to report, except to say that this wine always performs well in competitions and the producer (the Laplace family) are highly regarded winemakers.

At £12.99, that makes it a 'special occasion' wine for us, but it's definitely worth the money.

Chateau d'Aydie
Madiran 2006
Madiran AC, Southwest France
Waitrose
£12.99
4/5

Clos Triguendina Le Malbec du Clos, Cahors 2006

Cahors is an appellation in South-West France that specializes in the Malbec grape. The winemaker that produces this wine, Jean-Luc Baldes, is apparently one of the more prominent figures in the area, and someone who is interested in carrying on the old wine making traditions of Cahors (i.e. the "black wines" of Cahors). See the website at the bottom of this post for more info.

The Le Malbec du Clos is made from 100% Malbec, and seems to be an entry-level wine. It's briefly mentioned on the website but there is no more information about it. I liked the wine, it is a dark red, almost purple colour with a fairly strong cherry-fruit, tarry nose. It's not terribly complex, but pleasant enough. A good food wine.

I can't remember exactly what I paid for it, I think it was around £6 on offer, marked down from about £8. A decent choice, but it's left me curious about what else this producer has to offer.

Jean-Luc Baldes

Clos Triguendina Le Malbec du Clos Cahors 2006

Cahors, France

Waitrose

3/5

Domaine de l'Ancienne Cure Monbazillac 2005

The day I bought this I really fancied a dessert wine. We were going over to a friend's place for dinner that night, and I usually bring something such as a sparkling wine or a dessert wine, because the host usually has the dinner wine covered.

Anyways, I noticed Bedales in Spitalfields because I work in the area, and to be honest what I noticed about it wasn't the wine, but the food. They serve these fantastic looking platters of cold meats and cheese, and I've always wanted to go in there and order one along with a bottle of something. Looking over the wines, however, my enthusiasm waned a little. A lot of lesser known wines for sure, but pricey. Also a few big names, older vintage clarets, Burgundys, Barolos, etc. I wouldn't shop there without doing my research first.

Ignoring my own advice, I walked straight in and asked the (helpful) merchant for a dessert wine. Nothing interesting was on show, but he disappeared for a moment and then produced this Monbazillac. Monbazillac is part of the Bergerac region of France. It produces sweet wines of high quality from botritized Semillion, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes. Perfect, just what I was looking for, and it was only £8.99.

It was a nice wine. I'd say it was good. I wasn't bowled over by it, but it was all the things it should be. Sweet without being cloying, some depth (not a lot) and a good finish. A good effort. I think this is an up and coming region, and I'll be looking out for more Monbazillac.

Domaine de l'Ancienne Cure
Monbazillac 2005
Bedales
£8.99
3/5

Carte Noir Cahors 2006

This wine was obtained from Tesco for something like £2.80 a bottle. It's a Cahors, which to generalize, is French Malbec (as opposed to the more well-known Argentinean version).

Cahors is currently out of fashion. I'm not sure why. I think I've read about it, but I've forgot. I suspect it's because of wines like this. That's not really fair actually. There are plenty of French wines like this that cost a lot more.

I have to be honest. Everyone hated this wine. I did open it at a bad time though, because I was gagging to try it. I opened it after we'd eaten, late at night, and it went over like a lead balloon. I understand why, it's not terribly fruity, it's acidic and it's just not much fun. But I would be perfectly happy to sip it with my beef stew on a cold winter evening, or whittle away on a glass as I played my guitar, even if it took all night.

But only because it cost £2.80.

I think this is produced by a co-op. Reunis.

Carte Noir Cahors 2007
Cahors, France
Tesco
< £3
2/5

Chateau Jolys Cuvee Jean 2004, Jurançon

This is a remarkable wine that is worthy of the award stickers plastered to the bottle. A Decanter World Wine Awards trophy winner, this sweet dessert wine is a bargain at just over £10 (for a 750 ml bottle). Rich and concentrated with a delicious, lingering finish this is one that I'll definitely be having again.



Chateau Jolys Cuvee Jean 2004
Jurançon, France
Appelation Jurançon Controllee
Waitrose
£10.99
4/5