Ranquet Lafleur, Carignan Vieilles Vignes, Vin de Pays de l'Hérault, 2009

Described by the WS as a 'soft, spicy and fruity red'. Agree with the last two adjectives but 'soft' is perhaps a slight stretch. Rather too heavy for me (although the current subzero temperatures make it more appealing). In no way offensive and at £5.50 it is good value. Reminiscent of the Armandieres and a similar price. would be a good one to buy in bulk for the 'give me something dark and plummy' brigade.

Moulin-à-Vent 2008 Château de la Terrière

As if to prove the point (see last post) I present this shockingly good value Beaujolais:

Majestic yet again prove they can bring home the bacon when it comes to fairly priced, perfectly acceptable Beaujolais. Not sure it merits it's RRP of £9.99 (takes it dangerously close to Thivin country - a different flavour league) but at the multibuy price of £5.99 is absurdly good value. Some black cherry on the nose followed by a very well rounded attack and a hint of pepper on the finish.

If this kind of product really does fly with the British public (and why else would Majestic devote so much effort to them) surely somebody could market Loire reds in a similar fashion? Perhaps there just isn't the supply of such wines at the right price?

Cuvée des Amandiers Rouge 2008 Vin de Pays d'Oc

A quick note on a wine that, at £4.69 (Majestic) has to be considered outstanding value. I can't remember the last time I had a wine that was as good as this at such a keen price.

Not to give the impression that it was memorable or even very harmonious, but it certainly qualified as superplonk which is ideal for the 'caning multiple bottles' stage of the evening.

It has warmth and jammy (damson?) fruit but doesn't have the intense highly alcoholic overpowering quality that I often seem to find with low-end Languedoc-Roussillon. It's a bit like some of the Lirac/Ardèche wines I had from Yapp bros but with less intensity. Apparently the blend is Grenache & Syrah which I beleive is also widely found in Rhone wines?

Although Majestic do piss me off at times (lazy staff who are prone to bullshitting about wines which they clearly know even less that I do), you have to hand it to them when it comes to cheap french country wines. They have much to offer below £6 and, if you know what you want (i.e. not needing any advice) they are worth a go.