Wine with Leslie Williams: An excellent Chilean red and Bollinger RD
A reminder in case you have forgotten — Ireland pays the highest wine taxes in the EU — we pay on average 600% more for this agricultural product than the EU average, If I was the French, Spanish or Italian agriculture minister I’d slap a 600% tax increase on Irish butter to see how that made our Ministers feel.
There is worse to come — I’ve been somewhat supportive of upcoming Health and Alcohol Bill but I’m hearing the latest text of the bill will make it mandatory to have large labels with bottle-specific descriptions of calories and health information on back labels.
I’m fine with a general warning but the current wording would effectively ban importation of wine from small independent producers and importers, 95% of what is interesting. If you spot a Fine Gael TD this weekend, harangue them.
To better news, the latest edition of Bollinger RD has arrived. RD — Recently Disgorged — is only released in the best years and just a couple of months after disgorgement (removal of sediment from the bottle-fermentation), following long bottle aging. The 2004 was aged for 13 years, significantly longer than most top Champagnes and the ’04 is one of the best RD’s that I’ve tasted — see below.
Speaking of Champagne I recently bought some Fleury Champagne from Mary Pawle and I’ll write more about them in a couple of weeks — the first bottle I tasted features below. Founded in 1895 the estate is still run by the same family and is fully biodynamic — a rare thing in the region.
The wines are available direct from Mary or from Organico in Bantry and deserve better distribution — the Blanc de Noirs is on pour in such excellent spots as Gregans Castle in Clare and Ballymaloe House in East Cork. If you get to Paris you can try the full range in Mogane Fleury’s wine bar Ma Cave Fleury on Rue Saint-Denis in the Sentier (2nd Arr) just a step from Rue Montorgueil, one of the best food shopping streets in Paris (and hence the world).
As well as the posh fizz I recommend three supermarket specials this month, two from the Lidl Iberian sale and one excellent Chilean brand from SuperValu that I haven’t mentioned in a few years. As well as the two Lidl wines below I also really liked the two Douro whites in the sale.
BEST VALUE UNDER €15
One of my favourites among the whites in the current Iberian Wine promotion in Lidl. The Verdejo grape from Rueda in North-Western Spain (this is from just outside the region) is almost always worth a risk. This is lemon-fresh, zingy and clean with lively lemon sherbet and crisp apple flavours and a hint of residual sugar. Perfect for drinking in the garden.
My highest scoring Iberian red at the tasting and a blend of three typical Douro (Port) grapes — Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. Floral and seductive aromas with violets and ripe black fruits, supple and fruity on the palate with warm mouth-filling blackberry fruits on the finish.
Normally costing around €15, this is on special offer this month along with the Sauvignon Blanc from the same range. From the cooler coastal climate of the Casablanca Valley this has 10 months barrel aging and has ripe raspberry and soft red fruit aromas but with darker more blackberry fruit flavours.
BEST VALUE OVER €15
Bollinger RD is Bollinger’s equivalent of a Cuvée Special (such as Cristal or Dom P) and a new release is always news. The 2004 is 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay with a tiny dosage of 3g and was disgorged last November. Subtle brioche at first with touches of preserved lemon.
This is a first I think, traditional method sparkling wine from Wales (planted in ’06-’07) — new on the Findlaters list so only has a couple of stockists. A Pinot Noir-Chardonnay blend — ripe red fruit and floral aromas, complex and fleshy with lovely vibrancy and energy.
Fleury are in southern Champagne in the Côtes de Bar and grow mainly Pinot Noir. This is a rare thing in Champagne, a pure Pinot Blanc. Intense aromas of yeasty brioche with hints of preserved lemon and lemon curd, supple and rich on the palate with dried lemon peel and lingering bitter lemon touches — bone dry and with a taut lingering finish.
