The 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' also presents us with a wonderful choice in terms of wines. This is the season when our larders are well stocked with fine game, some excellent meat and fish and the late summer vegetables,
Burgundy, both red and white, start to come into their own again as the barometric pressure drops. Generous and hearty reds, like a good Australian Shiraz or a spicy Southern Rhône, become the natural partners to venison and other game. Now is the time to uncork a Barolo or fine Chianti and to serve it with a hearty stew or some fine cheeses.
Autumn is, in essence, a time when we indulge - it is after all the time of the harvest in the northern hemisphere - it becomes a staging post between summer and winter when we celebrate the bounty of summer's harvest whilst nurtuing our body and soul for the long, cold winter days ahead.
Classic White Rioja, full bodied and dry, with a crisp fruitiness and a good dollop of creamy vanilla oak. The Monopole Blanco is a barrel-fermented white Rioja, a style which was pioneered by CVNE's winemaker, Basilio Izquierdo, combining the classical use of American oak with the intense fruity flavours and refreshing acidity of the Viura and Malvasia varieties.
The Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España (or, as it is better known, CVNE) opened its £12 million winery in Haro in 1992 and it is still probably one of the most modern and best equipped in Europe. This high-profile, quality orientated firm was established in 1879 and, today, is run by direct fourth generation descendants. CVNE, still very much a traditional-style bodega, own over 1000 acres of their own vines in both the Rioja Alta and Alavesa which supplies over 65% of their overall needs.
Gigondas, 2003 - Domaine les Pallières, Southern Rhône - £16.80 per bottle
The hot summer of 2003 produced intensely rich, powerful and Victoria plum-rich wines but with comparatively low acidity and very ripe tannins. Although difficult to resist now this wine will not disappoint those with more patience who can cellar it for a few more years. Drink now until 2008.
It was no secret that Pierre Roux, the previous owner of this estate, had been keen to sell les Pallières for a number of years. We have had a close association with this splendid domaine almost since we started in business and were delighted when it was bought (just before the 1998 harvest) by the Brunier family (of Châteauneuf-du-Pape la Roquette and Vieux Télégraphe) and their American importer, Kermit Lynch.
It is one of the most beautiful estates in southern France, with its terraced vineyards forming an amphitheatre around the old house. It also has one of the coolest micro-climates in the Gigondas appellation.
At its pinnacle in the late 1970’s, this great domaine was making some of the southern Rhône’s finest wines but as the Roux brothers became less dynamic with age, this exceptional vein of quality gradually disappeared. The 200 is a mass of blackberries and black cherries on the nose which is only now beginning to show. It has a vast expanse of spicy fruit combined with big, minerally tannins with a smack of pepper on the finish. This is another notch up on the already fantastic 2000 vintage but needs some time to meld before reaching its zenith.
80% Grenache, 5% Cinsault and 5% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah.
[ Email us ] 