Cloudy Bay Wines

Cloudy Bay Wines

Cloudy Bay wines are a fine way to go for Foreign Fridays and do I have the FOUR wines for you! Cloudy Bay is the most famous producer from New Zealand who set the bar for other NZ Sauvignon Blanc producers and made the varietal famous in this part of the world. Much celebrated and lauded Cloudy Bay are much more than SB these days with a range of wines including a Gewurztraminer, late harvest Riesling, Pinot Noir, the sparkling "Pelorus" and "Te Koko" an alternative SB. I spent Wednesday night at the Cloudy Bay tasting at Chelsea's Bluebird with the WineSleuth, see how we got on with our four favourites from the event.

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008 - BORDERLINE- £13.50
Straw yellow in colour. A rich bouquet, fresh and tropical and quick to give it up too. Good acidity and freshness and continuing with a pineapple/zesty theme. Very flavourful on the palate but a touch clipped on the end. 88 Points

Cloudy Bay Gewurztraminer 2006 - BUY - £16.95
Deep straw yellow in colour. A hugely fragrant wine with classic Gewurzt notes of rosewater, lychee, honeysuckle combining to create a Turkish Delight-esque nose. On the palate the wine is fat and full with a hint of residual sugar, the wine has good acidity but isn't cutting. An interesting example of NZ Gewurtz 90 Points

Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - BUY - £21.69
A clear but intense straw yellow. One of the best noses I've experienced all year. Delicious notes of ginger, jasmine, herbs, butter and mandarin, smoky oak, all aligning to create, for my nose, an extracted fortune cookie nose. On the palate the wine is full bodied, luscious and creamy with citrus and orange peel notes. A long finish completes a stunning, well rounded wine of top quality. Can't recommend this highly enough and much better than the standard Sauvignon Blanc. 92 Points

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2006 - PASS - £17.35

A darker than expected ruby red. The wine is forthcoming aromatically with layers of fragrance including smoky bacon, plums and blueberry. A mid bodied wine with well ingrained tannins and smooth lingering finish. 86 Points

I'm passing the Pinot Noir simply because I think there are better priced New Zealand Pinot Noirs in this price range, on this occasion myself and the WineSleuth did not agree. In the £15-£20 NZ Pinot Range I much prefer Craggy Range and Peregrine though both of these are Central Otago and not Marlborough. I have yet to be impressed by both Cloudy Bay or Wither Hills in the Pinot stakes. A matter of taste of course.

Where can I buy these wines?
Watch the video, lowest prices outlined for each wine.

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Favourite Cloudy Bay wines, favourite producer of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir?

Diego Curtaz

Diego Curtaz

The vineyards of Diego Curtaz lie in the north west corner of Italy in the Valle d'Aosta, a region growing in stature thanks to small producers like Diego Curtaz and the award winning style of the Valle d'Aosta's standard bearer at "Les Crêtes". 2007 was a decent vintage in this tiny parcel of Italy, in the Italian Alps and due north of the mighty Piedmont, the Valle d'Aosta shares little with its formidable neighbour, not even the grapes make it up the steep slopes to Europe's highest growing region aside from the sturdy Dolcetto. Here you will find Petit Rouge and Gamay rule supreme in the land of VdA reds.



An industrious lot, the winemakers of the Valle d'Aosta are not shy in trying their luck with a multitude of grapes and they even plant Syrah in them there hills. Today I tried three wines from Diego Curtaz, a sumptious Gamay, a complex and terroir typical Torrette and a Petit Rouge that hit me upside the head with age-old Asparagus notes that I can't forget even though I'm really trying.

Diego Curtaz Valle d'Aosta Torrette DOC 2007 - BUY - €6.50
Mid ruby red, aromatically explosive with huge chunks of cherry, a black pepper note as well as a strong showing of strawberry. The wine is light bodied, low tannins and high acidity, the wine blend is complimentary and interesting leaving the impression on the finish of a well mixed cherry cordial (!!!), alcohol well ingrained. Above average and interesting. 86 Points

Diego Curtaz Gamay 2007 - BUY - €6.50
Mid ruby red with candied cherry notes, hints of violet and banana, looking like Beaujolais Nouveau until the palate which is of a high quality. Great acidity, fruity and vibrant on the palate with a shockingly decent finish. Are we in Morgon? 88 Points

Diego Curtaz Petit Rouge 2007 - PASS - €6.50
Mid ruby red with a similar profile on the nose to the Torrette with cherry, pepper and strawberries but the wine falls apart on the palate turning vegetal and plain strange, poorly balanced, uninteresting flavours and a finish that's going nowhere. 72 Points

Where can I buy this wine?
All wines available at The Cellar Door

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72 Points is one of the worst wines of the year. What has been your worst wine experience this year?

Balfour Brut Rose 2005

Balfour Brut Rose 2005

Balfour Brut Rose is being hailed as the greatest pink fizz to ever come out of England scooping the coveted gold medal and trophy at the International Wine Challenge in 2008. It seems, within just two vintages, Richard Balfour-Lyn, the producer, has succeeded in his ambition to create the "finest Rose Sparkling Wine" in England but "comparable with the great Rose Champagnes"?



I went along to the oh so chic Bluebird club on Chelsea's Kings Road to taste the Balfour Brut Rose and speak to their wine consultant, Stephen Skelton MW about the wine, the estate and the demand for this very special English Rose.

Balfour Brut Rose is made at the Hush Heath Estate in Kent, England, a tiny vineyard currently set in just 4 hectares this is the only UK vineyard to focus 100% on sparkling Rose and is aiming to become a sparkling rose spoken in the same breath as the best from Champagne. A high aim indeed, but with men like Stephen Skelton MW working alongside chief winemaker Owen Elias and already a bagful of trophies in just two short vintages there may only be one thing to put pay to Richard Balfour-Lyn's dream of creating world class pink fizz; the good old English weather.

However, with climate change working in the favour of the estate it is now possible to grow grapes in England that were once thought impossible. Traditionally English wines have come from Germanic grapes but with summers like '04, '05 and '06 it has been possible to tease a fine expression from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meuiner (traditional grapes of Champagne) in Cranbrook, just 10 miles south of Maidstone.

The wine is obviously limited production and goes some way to explaining the price, however, comparing the £28.50 you'd pay for this sparkling rose at Bibendum to the equivalent French product; the difference in quality is immense.

Balfour Brut Rose 2005 - BUY - £28.50
A very delicate salmon pink. On the nose the wine has hints of red current and strawberries. On the palate the wine has very good crisp acidity and carries hints of red apple and raspberry. A refreshing, complex and well made sparkling rose perfect as an aperitif. 92 Points

Where can I buy this wine?
No Dice. Tiny production, but as of today the estate are signing for another 7 hectares so you may be able to get this wine in the USA in the next couple of years. In the UK you can buy this wine at the Bluebird club in Chelsea or online at Bibendum

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Favourite sparkling wine/Champagne?

Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico

Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico

Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico 2006 "Brolio" was the winner of my Saturday night Chianti Death match face off, roundly knocking out the same vintage bio dynamic effort from Badia a Coltibuono. This week I've received a few emails from folk watching the vlogs asking for a clear up on the rules in Chianti Classico and also requesting a Chianti Classico episode, as a natural people pleaser what else could I do? See Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico score a QPR busting 89 Points and impress my palate despite cutting myself somewhat ferociously with a butter knife just before the tasting.



This is on YOUTUBE today instead of Viddler. Press on the "HQ" on the player, its far better sound quality.

Very disappointing that the biodynamic wine did not fair better to my palate. This wine is lauded by the producer as a "true representative of Chianti Classico" well, perhaps I just like my sulphites but I found the Barone Ricasoli to represent my ideal of Chianti far more closely and at £7 less, please my pocket too.

Barone Ricasoli have a great website showcasing all their wines and a really interesting film intro that you can check out here - Barone Ricasoli.

Where can I buy this wine?
Americans - Laurenti Wines - $18
Europeans - Superiore - €12.40
Brits - AG Wines - £12.50

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Please leave a comment if you've tried either of these wines or have a favourite Chianti Classico to tell us about or indeed, one you'd like me to review. Favourite bio dynamic producer?

Allegrini Valpolicella Classico 2007

Allegrini Valpolicella Classico 2007

Allegrini Valpolicella Classico 2007 is a perfect example of Valpolicella done right and at a fair price. A great example of its type, Allegrini Valpolicella Classico 2007 will be a terrific accompaniment to a summers picnic and saw me through an afternoon re-run of the Formula One GP, a perfect wine to relax with.



Allegrini are one of the top producers in the Veneto and one of my personal favourites (you'll notice them mentioned a few times on the blog). They are pioneers in the area and produce some exceptional wines including a blend "La Grola" (Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, Syrah and Sangiovese) and a 100% Corvina wine "La Poja" that regularly scoop all the top scores and awards as well as a magnificent Amarone of which I like to keep a magnum or two in the house at all times.

Allegrini Valpolicella Classico 2007 - BUY - £7.75
A striking ruby red in the glass the wine is hugely aromatic and attacks your nostrils as you uncork the wine. Lively notes of glazed cherry and herbs on the nose with a light-mid bodied palate with some cherry fruit on the mid-palate. The wine has good acidity and is a typical Valpolicella Classico with a bitter note on the finish. 86 Points

Where can I buy this wine?
Americans - The Wine Buyer - $11.99
Europeans - Superiore - €7.90
Brits - AG Wines - £7.75

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Your perfect summer wine?

Suavia Soave Classico

Suavia Soave Classico

Suavia have had a mega couple of years with their Soave Classicos scooping WineSpectator and Gambero Rosso awards. Suavia produce only Soave wines and with 4 very different Soaves (2 you can see in the episode below, a further oaked Soave Classico and a Recioto di Soave) they seem on the fast track to joining the other kings of Soave, Inama, Pieropan, Gini and Anselmi. Watch the video below to see how their entry level Soave Classico and Tre Bicchiere award winning "Monte Carbonare" faired.



Hows that for some crazy titles?

I really can't recommend these wines highly enough. This is real quality wine for £7 and £11 and represents the very best of Italian white wine value. Its common knowledge that the southern whites, the Fianos and Falanghinas have come on in great strides over the last 5-10 years but that you can get this level of quality from Soave for £10 is something worth shouting about. Please go out and try these wines. Then come back here and let me know what you thought. Do it now :)


Suavia Soave Classico 2008 - BUY - £7
A straw yellow colour with green hues the wine is generously aromatic with a strong note of nettles as well as wet rocks and grapefruit. On the palate the structure is elegant with great acidity and fruit balance producing a fresh and lively wine, really cutting acidity. A good length dry finish completes a brilliant example of Soave. 90 Points

Suavia Soave Classico "Monte Carbonare" 2007 - BUY - £11
A darker straw yellow with good intensity. On the nose the wine has a nutty character but the over-riding pineapple and apricot fruit shine through, earth and mineral notes combine to give this wine a multi-dimensional personality on the nose. The palate is luscious and full with a tropical flavour continuing with strong apricots on the mid palate and a fruity generous finish. Less cutting but still fresh and lively. Top quality Soave. 92 Points

Where can I buy this wine?
Both Soaves can be bought at the UK retailer Bibendum
Both Soaves can be bought at European retailer Superiore
The Soave Classico can be bought at SuperwineWarehouse and the Monte Carbonare at Winerz in the USA.

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Both these Soave wines come from 50 year old vines yet Suavia don't mention that fact. Most producers with old vines will make a point of letting their customers know this. Why is it that Suavia are not making a fuss over this? Are 50 year old vines par for the course in Soave? Does vine age matter less with Gargenega?

Any general comments about Soave or bullfrogs are welcome :)

Joachim Heger Spatburgunder Q 2005

Joachim Heger Spatburgunder Q 2005

Joachim Heger Spatburgunder Q (Baden) doesn't leap to mind as a wine for a dreary Good Friday in SW London for it really isn't a wine for that occasion but this was "Foreign Friday" and I'd just taken delivery of this interesting Spatburgunder!



This really is a wine for food suited perfectly to chinese foods like Peking Duck or Sweet and Sour Pork but not to drink on its own as its far too acidic and lacking in character on the palate.

Joachim Heger Spatburgunder Q 2005 - PASS - £11
Light garnet red colour with a beautifully perfumed nose of roses, cinnamon, cherry stones and cranberries. On the palate the wine is light bodied with very high acidity, no real fruit but is soft and easy drinking, lack complexity. 80 Points

80 Points is really low for a wine of this price but this is a food wine, with food, this wine could score considerably higher.

Where can I buy this Wine?
Americans - Winebuys - $20
Europeans - Chile Wein - €8
Brits - Virginwines - £11

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Anything Spatburgunder? Like, don't like? Tried, never tried? Tell me about your Spatburgunder experiences.