Domaine des Eyssards 2009 Bergerac

£6.99 (Waitrose). Was hoping for some sense of the Luc du Conti I enjoyed back in the Old School Lofts. It failed to provide this. Rather rustic in a typical south-west of France type way. Dad and I have had some wonderful reds form this area that have provided real class without the prices hikes of similar quality examples from neighbouring Bordeaux but that was a fair while ago. Maybe more experimentation is called for.

Beaujolais-Villages, Château de Lacarelle, 2009

At £6.95 (WS) this is a big disappointment. Thin and somewhat sharp. This is the kind of stuff that gives Beaujolais a bad name.

Gamay, Vin de Pays des Gaules, Jacques Dépagneux, 2006

At £4.95 (WS) this is the best value red I have come across in years. Shades of Matt's find: Raisins Gaulois Lapierre 2009 but just under half the price. Both from 'declassified Beaujolais', suggesting this is worth more effort from the likes as Majestic etc? Real freshness to the fruit. Really lively. No hint of the two stage flavour that seems to there in the Cru's such as Thivin (no peppery/violet finish) but at this price ye cannae go wrong.

Baron de Ley Rioja 7 Vinas Reserva 2004

Here's what Decanter had to say about it:

Very expressive on the nose with aromas of sweet black berry fruit and spice. The palate is full-bodied and has concentration but is well integrated with the structure and acidity; well-integrated spicy oak on the finish. Modern style but very stylish wine.

Can't say I agree with this at all. I bought this out of nostalgia more than anything else. It was perfectly pleasant but again confirms my concerns for the complexity of high end Riojas. At £18 (Tesco) I feel confident that it could be slapped down fairly severely by an equivalent priced Claret. No real feeling that this wine was trying to do anything other that be smooth.

Terret, Les Terres Noirs, 2009

Outstanding value at £5.57 (WS). Plenty of interesting flavour. No hint of the excessive acidity than is often passed off as 'bone dry'. Will make a decent aperitif. Apparently 'thrives in the hot, arid conditions of France's Mediterranean coastline'. I don't recall coming across it last summer but it's likely that we drove past some vineyards of the stuff it hails from the Herault. Yet another grape variety I had never heard of until now. Would be a good one to have in bulk re book clubs ect.

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.

2008 Domaine Bel Air Bourgueil "Vingt Lieux Dits"

Oddbins fails yet again. At £11 this was very disappointing. Nothing like the Bourgueil I had from Majestic some time ago. No nose to speak of. Thin. very little fruit. Chilling didn't help.

Surely the jig will soon be up for Oddbins? They do well from the 'nip out to buy a couple of bottles' demographic but surely they are vulnerable to somebody who comes along and services this crowd without the overpriced sumugness?

Still, I seem to find myself in there from time to time so I guess I'm guilty of hypocrisy here...

Coteaux du Lyonnais, Domaine des Hauts de Chasselay, 2008

2nd wine form the inaugural Wine Society order.

100% Gamay from a region that looks to be just east of Beaujolais. The overwhelming sentiment is one of incredible lightness. Pale red in colour and very faint fruit. The label has red currents on it and that can't be a coincidence. Just the faintest of edges to it that suggest Gamay. Feels almost like a rose. It comes in at £6.75 which probably rules it out for all bar al fresco drinking on a hot summers day.

The Society's White Burgundy, Macon-Villages

Much trepidation as I opened this. To some extent the wisdom of my Wine Society membership fee will stand and fall on the quality of it's own range wines. This one came in at £7.50 thus, not everyday drinking, more mid range.

Massively impressed with this. Real buttery, slightly honeyed minerality to it. Reminded me a great deal of the fabled St Véran Domaine de la Croix Senaillet which now seems to have shot up to £16 a bottle or even higher (further evidence that St Veran is no longer a fertile hunting ground for sensibly priced white burgundy, if that isn't a contradiction in terms). This is arguably the best value wine I've had all year. Will be stocking up on this without a doubt.

Anjou-Villages Brissac, La Croix de Mission, Domaine des Rochelles, 2005

One from the first Wine Society batch. Given where this wine originates from, I assumed this was going to be 100% Cabernet Franc and ordered it on this basis. On first inspection I thought it tasted different from the other Loire reds I've had but managed to convince myself I could detect some traces of what I expected - classic example of the power of suggestion and a great argument for bind tasting - and went as far as chilling it! Now I realise it is 90% Cabernet Sauvingnon and 10% Cabernet Franc I have set about convincing myself that I recognise the strains of the former! Anyway I do think there is a noteworthy point here in as much as the two grapes do seem to share some similarities in terms of their tannins. Both seem to have that very abrupt, dry finish I associate with some the the Chilean Motes Alpha pure Cabernet Savignon's I've had over the years. How did it taste? Nice enough without being hugely memorable. It had some purity and was not unbalanced but worth £11? Not sure. I will stash one away and try it again in a few years time (apparent it will keep well for another 5).

Vina Arana - Rioja

Louis Latour - Pinot Noir

Chateau de Chamboureau - Savenniers

Wine Evening - Chateau Thivin

I thought this might be the perfect forum for discussing the wines we had over the weekend, and maybe also to discuss and arrange any further evenings.

I've not got time to comment tonight on all six but I'll post pictures of them all and pass some initial comments on the wine I supplied.

Cote de Brouilly - Chateau Thivin - Cuvee Zaccharie

This wine wasn't actually the bottle I intended, and although it is slightly more expensive I find that it lacks the peppery finish (which can also be found in a few Cabernet Francs) of the Cuvee Chapelle from the same chateau. However this wine does have a very light touch with a short but not sharp finish. I could drink this by the pint.

Montus 2006

This evening I cracked open one of the 2006 Chateau Montus that I bought en primeur around 18 months ago.

Interesting flavour. My fears were that is would be have the same rough tannic edge that it had one year ago. Those fears were misplaced.

The overriding feeling is that this wine has much in common with the (small) number of Cahors I've had: dark colour, inky, dry, earthy, plenty of fruit, weird kind of fruit though. Will it improve with age? Still pretty interesting but I expected something different.

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?

2008 Coteaux du Tricastin, Cuvée Traditionnelle, Cellier des Dauphins, France

I gave this a try whilst struggling to find anything interesting at the Tesco's in St Andrwews. I think I paid about £6 for it but I see that Waitrose had it on offer at £4.50 earlier in the year.

It starts well with nose that seems to be common to the (small number) of red Rhones I've experimented with - velvety with hints of damson. On the pallette it proceeds to a brutal attack of totally uncoordinated fruit before moving onto a finish that can only be described as bordering on harsh.

Sadly this provides more ammunition to by suspicions surrounding reds form the part of the world: far too much baked fruit about them which, if I wanted (which I don't), I would eat a Jam roly-poly.

Granted it's cheap, and perhaps this also proves the point about just how hard it is getting to find palatable reds under £6, regardless of region. Still, the Armandieres managed it with a comparable blend of the same varieties.

I note this brainless review from Jane McQuitty:

[those] after a keenly priced, ripe, racy, grenachebased, unoaked rhône, dominated by a seductive, spicy, peppery dollop of syrah, will smack their lips over this

Is she high? Whatever The Times is paying her it is far too much.

St Nicolas de Bourgueil AC 2008 Les Graviers

Brief report from a very successful evening at the Hotel du Vin in Harrogate. Of particular note was the wine they served with the main: St Nicolas de Bourgueil AC 2008 Les Graviers. A very pleasant 100% cabernet franc which had loads of fruit, backbone and nose but still seemed to stay very light and supple. Went very well with the roast pork. Vine Trail have it for a tenner (ex VAT) which seems good value. However, given our domestic situation, I must strive to keep the purchases at a lower price than that for the time being.....

Seems the region is a very small one located between Anger and Tours. I wonder if the weather is clement enough at that latitude to make it a contender for 2012?