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Weekend wine with Blake Creedon
The selection of six wines I have for you from O’Brien’s has turned out by accident to be quite symmetrical: four new world whites — two chardonnays, two sauvignon blancs — and two powerful, fragrant reds from Europe.
It’s a shame to have to leave out some of the other highly characterful wines that were on show among the 50 in O’Brien’s recent media tasting. I’ll return to some of the bigger themes that emerged at the event at a later date — including rosés if it look likely that summer is going to start. But for now can I nudge you towards some excellent value wines...
In my view a wine has to be pretty special to merit €17, and three of the Astrolabe range certainly do — maybe four if only the discreet charms of the understated pinot gris wasn’t overshadowed by comparison with two striking sauv blancs and a riesling.
More modestly priced (and all the more impressive for that) is the Rizzardi range which seems to have a distinctive personality right across a range of wines. That seems to be the case with three modestly-priced winners from Rizzardi — a rosé, a sparkler and a lovely friendly Soave.
Another candidate for my top wine of the week has to be the lovely Longview Bucket Semillon Sauvignon 2010 (€12.99) from Adelaide Hills. Like its counterparts in Western Australia, this is a generous, expressive, juicy take on the classic blend: Bordeaux blanc, only more so.
* O’Brien’s has 29 stores around Dublin and Leinster, and one each in Galway and Limerick — you can find the nearest branch to you with the store locator on their website, at www.obrienswine.ie. The chain is continuing to expand, with Lucan the latest location, and it’s about to bring its total number of to 32 having recently taken a lease on a premises adjacent to Dunnes Stores in Douglas, Cork.
An opening date for that one has yet to be announced, and O’Brien’s hasn’t announced any other further openings.
Castellani Chianti 2010, €9.30 at O’Briens and other independents
By lovely coincidence, fiasco is the Italian for the straw flask in which some cheap and cheerless basic Chianti (ie not classico) was traditionally wrapped. The region has changed greatly in recent decades though, and you will find good solid wines there — but this one surpasses even that promise, delivering a beautiful creamy red with a gorgeous comforting herbal scent.
Chicken Run Sauvignon Blanc 2011, O’Briens, €9.99
If you’re putting a mixed case together on O’Brien’s website, you might enjoy comparing this sauv blanc and its bouncy vibrancy and playful sweet-and-sour notes, against the even more impressive Chono Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (€11.99). Made in the Casablanca region, the latter is an even more striking instance of thrusting, pungent sauv blanc.
Chono San Lorenzo Chardonnay 2009, O’Briens, €9.99
This has beaten the many other candidates to become my bargain of the week. Delightfully dry and crisp, this chardonnay made in Maipo, Chile, by Alvaro Espinosa is unoaked but the grapeskins and solids are allowed in contact with the fermenting juice to impart a vital leavening touch of texture, counterbalancing and plumping up the leanness. Tremendous value.
Chateau St Esteve Corbières 2010, O’Brien’s, €13.99
Now this is gorgeous. Intense, dense with ripe berries and plums and a whiff of coal tar. Hailing from the under-appreciated and seldom explored southern French appellation of Corbières, it is useful proof that big, powerful wines can also be suave and elegant.
Astrolabe Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2010, O’Brien’s, €16.99
It’s a hard call to choose between the Astrolabe winery’s Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010 and this, which comes from the Awatare enclave within the same region. I’d be very happy with a glass of either but this is the more obviously brilliant.
Domaine l’Aigle Chardonnay 2008, O’Brien’s, €13.49
There’s no pussyfooting around with this big south-of-France chardonnay which is both oak-aged and rested on its lees. With the warm richness shot through with piquant lemon, I’d be very happy to pay this price. But if you wait ‘til tomorrow week the price is coming down on this one to €9.99 in O’Brien’s July promotion.
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