Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022, Coal River, Tasmania, 13.5% (c £65-85, Momentum Wines, Hedonism, Vincognito or internationally via Winesearcher) 'Give us a tasting featuring fine wines from around the world - and make it interesting.' That was the brief. So I headed over to Portugal with a spring...
Lyme Bay Pinot Noir 2020, 12.5%, England (from £27.99, Lyme Bay website & cellar door, Amps Fine Wines, Fareham Cellars, Tivoli, Elizabeth Rose, Wickham Wines etc) When we put this tip out via social media, someone responded along the lines of: all English Pinots taste like battery...
Bride Valley Pinot Noir 2018, Dorset, England, 12% (£21.50, Bride Valley) This is a sprightly, elegant red with a spring in its step, a joie de vivre and a youthful charm, all of which captures something of its proprietor, Steven Spurrier, who recently died aged 79. His passing...
Busi-Jacobsohn Classic Cuvée Brut 2017, Eridge, England, 12% (£38, Busi-Jacobsohn.com) Let's be honest, some sparkling wine (including champagne) can be dull. Boring. It's fine, it's classic, it's more or less what you expect but it just...
Hacienda San Juan Pinot Noir 2015, San Antonio, Chile, 13.5% ($34, Vinos del Rey (Miami) and Crescent Inc (NY)) Freshness. Elegance. Complexity. That's what the best wines from San Antonio can give you. This coastal region is a relative newcomer in Chilean wine terms but right from the...
Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir 2018, Waipara, New Zealand 13.5% (£26.50, North and South Wines, Saxtys Wines, Must Wines, The Wine Reserve) February has proved a bleak month for those in lockdown in the UK but it was brightened somewhat by New Zealand Winegrowers holding its first ever...
Eyrie Original Vines Pinot Noir 2016, Dundee Hills, Oregon 14% (£80-90, Savage Selection) This was a lockdown wine to remember. And remember we did, because we only had about 100ml of the stuff (whole bottles tend to interfere with memory, we find). That's because this wine was part of...
Bollinger La Grande Année 2012, 12%, Champagne, France (£440 for 6 in bond, J&B) Watch out champagne lovers: 2012 is not a vintage to miss. And Bollinger’s La Grand Année (LGA) 2012 is a wine to buy, even if you have to beg, borrow or steal. It’s that...
Sidewood Isabella rosé 2014, Adelaide Hills, Australia (£21 or AUS$32, www.sidewood.com.au) Owen Inglis’s Sidewood Estate in Australia’s Adelaide Hills is a new discovery for us. Although the estate produces both still wines and ciders, it was the current releases of Sidewood’s sparkling wines that we were recently sent...
'If there's one thing that gets wine lovers hot under the collar, it's great Pinot Noir. As for the Holy Grail - well, that's great Pinot Noir at a bargain price.' This Decanter panel tasting revealed exactly that - some outstanding Pinot Noir from Chile at...