Bearing in mind decent wine starts from around a tenner a bottle, this month I have tried to find some wines that are in that price bracket. Even I don’t drink Grand Cru Burgundy all of the time…
Pinot Blanc ‘Brand’ 2004, Domaine Albert Boxler: He is not really allowed to put the name of the Brand Grand Cru on the label, but this utterly delicious white wine comes from fruit grown entirely on that great vineyard. It has a real depth of flavour and great complexity. Don’t bother ageing it, drink with great pleasure as soon as you get your hands on some; this is a serious bargain. £14.75 from Lay and Wheeler.
Pinot Noir 2004, Diamond Valley: I met the winemaker of this estate when he was doing the vintage at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy, a charming fellow. This is a good Pinot Noir with plenty of fruit and a reasonable degree of refinement. £13.99 from Oz Wines.
Sancerre 2005, Domaine Vincent Delaporte: A good, mineral and reasonably complex Sancerre. I always used to be happy when I worked in a shop selling this and I could recommend it to people after some Sauvignon Blanc. £10.95 from Lea and Sandeman.
The Fergus 2002, Tim Adams: Now here is some serious quality for a tenner. A Grenache-based wine that gets a bit more rigour by fermenting with with Cabernet and Shiraz skins, it is a heroic but tasty drink when young and it ages into something really quite delicious. Drink when you buy or keep until it is ten years old. £9.99 from Oz Wines.
Shiraz 2003, Tim Adams: OK, I like the wines of Tim Adams a lot. They are very high quality and he doesn’t feel the need to over-charge for them. This is a good Shiraz that is very fruity and not over-blown in the slightest. Drink with pleasure now. £9.99 from Oz Wines.
