Wine with Leslie: Picking winners of the harvest
As the 2022 wine harvest gets underway, wine regions are expected to begin picking their whites and sparkling wine grapes next week.
The 2022 wine harvest has begun with grape picking already underway in the Languedoc and in California and many other Northern Hemisphere wine regions are expected to begin picking their whites and sparkling wine grapes next week.
This is reduced from €15 to €10 until August 31. Laurent Miquel is the 8th generation to work the family’s Languedoc vineyards and a frequent visitor here thanks to his Irish wife and business partner. This bargain Syrah is bright and juicy with pleasing soft blackberry fruits and a touch of prune, ripe and fruit-driven and a steal at this price.
Luzôn wines from Jumilla near Alicante have appeared here before often and this is relatively new to their range. All the range is reduced this month and this is my favourite - fruity, juicy and soft with blackberry aromas and ripe soft dark fruits on the palate — serve a little cooler to bring out the ripe primary fruits.
Nerello Mascalese is more commonly found around Mount Etna where it is more expensive to grow on the volcanic soils — the best ones are Burgundian in complexity. This is a good bargain example from an IGP vineyard — dark garnet in colour, ripe berry fruit aromas, juicy and supple with a pleasing roundness and weight.
Annick Tinel-Blondelet is the 12th generation of winemakers in her family and this is from old vines grown organically on typical kimmeridgian and marl soils. A fairly classic Pouilly Fumé at a very fair price with stony lime fruits, citrus and green apple notes and a lively and fruity palate with some nice tautness and lingering textures thanks to lees ageing.
It’s not just the supermarkets and chains that have sales and Whelehan’s Wines once again has some nice reductions. I mentioned the Saint Véran from this producer recently and their Pouilly-Fuissé from the vineyard next door is also excellent — peaches and ripe pear aromas, creamy and complex on the palate with clean taut acidity on the finish.
I featured this producer’s Mercurey 1er Cru a few weeks ago which is stunningly good but this Bourgogne Rouge also punches above its price point given Burgundy prices. Floral red fruit aromas with a leafy forest floor edge, textured cherries and pomegranate flavours and lively cherry skin finish. Treat yourself.
Bushmills Causeway Collection has added two brilliant new limited edition whiskies which will be officially released for sale on August 26 next — both online, and in the usual good whiskey shops.
The 2012 Pomerol Cask pours a rich dark gold colour with red fruits, apple and toasted notes — spice and honey on the mid-palate, and lingering nutmeg and vanilla. Also released is the 2002 Vermouth Cask (48.2% ABV - €250) which pours a pale gold with herbal, orange peel and berry notes — a sweet attack, mellow and rounded on the palate with a touch of light fruitcake followed by ginger notes and gorgeous length. Both are outstanding.
