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Bingley Section Report

March

Rather than cancel for lack of numbers, we went for the D.I.Y. approach. First we tried a Grüner Veltliner from the Wachau in Austria. Jancis Robinson asserts that this grape never made a great wine – nor a bad one. We were very happy with it. The following Pinot Grigio from Alsace had peach and citrus notes with a crisp, dry finish. The first red was a vins de pays which proved to be an intriguing blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Mourvèdre. Its bouquet was reminiscent of a redfruit salad the soft tannins of which were followed by a fruity, spicy palate. It was much liked. An organic Côtes de Provence was based on Cabernet Sauvignon blended with some Syrah, Carignan and Grenache. Sadly, this won few friends.

A Cahors from Château de Gaudon, on the other hand, was delicious justifying its Decanter Silver Award. It had been made from twenty-five year old vines and had had eighteen months in new oak. This evinced morello cherries, red fruits with some spices. Full-bodied and concentrated, it took time to open out and really should have been decanted a couple of hours earlier. Certainly it overshadowed the final offering which was a grand cru, 2002 Château La Grave Figeac from Saint-Émilion. I know, I know it was far and away the most expensive wine of the evening and showed promise of greater things to come. The blend of sixty-five % Merlot – the rest being Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc – had some cassis and cedar on the nose as well as fruit – tending to raspberry, with lingering spice on the finish. It was appreciated but we’ll have to wait another ten years for it to show at its best!

April

Leon Stolarski, an independent specialist from Nottingham, presented wines from southern and southwestern France. A Sauvignon Blanc was atypical but interesting whilst the Jurançon Sec, which followed, was superb – citrus, ginger and oregano were mentioned.

The first red was from Madiran – a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc with the local, tannic Tannat grape variety. We all thought it would be a good food wine. A Côtes du Rhône, soft and fresh by contrast, was much appreciated. We then sampled a red from the tiny Côtes du Brian (Languedoc-Roussillon). It was made from 100% Cinsault, a grape variety usually blended with others. This was quite a surprise – black fruit, herbs, soft tannins with bold acidity combined to make it warm and friendly.

Next came a Syrah/Grenache/Carignan blend from the Côtes du Roussillon. There were spicy, tarry notes both on the nose and palate. One tasting note said “sweet, sour, savoury and rich.” The final offering, another Roussillon, was almost 100% Mourvèdre with a splash of Syrah and Grenache. It’s eighteen months in oak was evident and this was, we thought, a wine to rival the reds of Bandol.

May

Our AGM was followed by a tasting of wines from Uruguay and Argentina selected and shown by David Lawson the proprietor of Chez Vin in Otley. A Uruguyan Sauvignon  Blanc had good acidity with a bouquet of apples and gooseberries on the palate. It was more French Loire than New World in style although a comparison with Tourraine was disputed. The next wine, a Torrontes from Mendoza/Argentina, had an almost perfumed nose reminiscent of roses and lychees. It was rich and silky smooth.

The first red was a Tannat from Uruguay which had a black fruit – damson and blackcurrant – nose with medium weight and firm tannins. Next we tasted two together – both Malbecs, one from Mendoza in the centre-west region, the other from Patagonia in the south of Argentina.The first had smoky oak on the nose, dark fruit and velvety-ripe tannins whilst the latter showed toffee and liquorice notes – someone said Germolene – and was much more tannic and complex.

Next came an Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon which proved to be a classic text book example of this variety. We finished with a 2005 Cabernet Franc Reserve from Uruguay. The nose reminded us of morello cherries but was big, ripe and juicy in the mouth. Somehow Italianate it had a sour fruit aftertaste. Priced at £13.99 we drank the last bottle as it’s no longer imported but no-one seemed unduly disappointed to hear this!

June

HC Wines of York returned to show eight wines that ‘break the rules’. A Crémant de Loire rosé led the way followed by an Australian blend of Sémillon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. At £5.50 this was a steal. A Corbières Blanc comprising Roussanne, Vermentino and Bourboulenc was much appreciated as was a biodynamic N/V blend of Petit Manseng and Chenin Blanc from the Languedoc.

The first red came from the same region, namely a 2005 made from four grape varieties –Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre. It had a still purple rim with a long cherry, herby palate. The 2006 Côtes de Roussillon was almost black, fruity, spicy, complex and long.The last red – a 2007 Valpolicella Ripasso – had almond and cinnamon on the nose, black cherry palate and was both unfined and unfiltered.

We finished with a 2005 sweetie from Gascony. Made  from 100% Petit Manseng it was showing hints of honey, apricots and ginger. Superb! A fitting end to a fascinating tasting.