Bollinger, Roda, Corimbo & Vin de Constance

Fellow Wine Lovers,

This week at PV Towers, we learnt of a new online tool that could revolutionise how we all engage with the rogues and ne’er do wells that are always asking us for our votes. Polifiller.com* is building a database that will enable us to cut all the jargon and cliché from speeches by the power of cut and paste.

Imagine how much shorter presentations, meetings and speeches will be without all those extra, pointless message words.

For example: “The fact of the matter is we’ve travelled up and down Arthur Road chatting to hardworking families and we’ve come up with a whole range of proposals. That is why we’re organising a Christmas Cheese and Wine tasting for Thursday 20th November. At the end of the day there is no instant solution, it’s going to take time to match the right wine to fabulous cheese from our chums at Norbiton Fine Cheese.”

Would become: “We’re organising a Christmas Cheese and Wine tasting for Thursday 20th November.”

Works for me!

New Wines Listed – Prohibition is over, Bollinger is in da house!

France

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV, Champagne – £45 (or £198 for six bottles)

“Lots of maturity, lightly bruised apples and character. Gentle fizz which feels as though it has had to battle its way through great intensity of flavour. Kick of acidity on the end. 17/20” – Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com, 4 Dec 2012

Bollinger Grand Année 2004, Champagne – £70
“A wine of great power with enduring elegance. Perfectly ripe layers of mirabelle, apricot, poached vanilla pears, yellow apples and lemon sherbet against a pleasing, nutty backdrop. Vigorous and creamy-textured, with great depth, chalky minerality and a hazelnut complexity. Extraordinary.” – Decanter World Wine Awards 2014, August 2014

South Africa

Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Constantia – £15.89

“Delicacy is this wine’s watchword. Matthew Day uses the coolness of his vineyards to good effect, producing a wine with a bright intense color and restrained fruit aromas, but once in the mouth, the sensation is one of freshness, finishing off with a moreish, tangy acidity.” – Will Lyons, The Wall Street Journal September 2014

Vin De Constance 2008, Constantia – £45

“Wonderfully complex, spicy and marmaladey with sweet, pure apricot fruit. The palate is fresh and sweet with grapes and raisins as well as spiciness. Lovely intensity here and a long, warm, spicy finish. Remarkable.” – Jamie Goode, wineanorak.com, June 2014

Spain

Bodegas La Horra, Corimbo 2011, Ribera del Duero – £27.49

We found this not as polished as the Roda, a bit of American oak used here not too much of which is new. Savoury spicy game notes complement the forest fruit aromas nicely. The palate has sweeter fruit than the Roda and a bit more bodyweight too with a lovely perfumed spice to the finish. So a tad more rustic but none the worse for that! – Wayne & Alex, Park Vintners (the comparisons with Roda are based on the fact that Corimbo is the Roda venture in Ribera del Duero)

Bodegas Roda I Reserva 2007, Rioja – £50

“This is a fabulous ultra-modern rioja, whose light toasting of vanilla oak coats a power-packed cherryish fruitiness topped and tailed by smooth oak and lively refreshing acidity in perfect balance.” – Anthony Rose, The Independent, May 2014

Drinks Cupboard Essential

Mentzendorff Kümmel – £22.99

“This caraway-flavoured liqueur can trace its lineage back to 1823 when it was made in an old manor house in the Latvian port of Riga. Regarded by connoisseurs as having the more classic or fuller taste, it is now produced at the Combier distillery in the Loire Valley. Best served virtually frozen over ice as a digestif.” – Will Lyons, The Wall Street Journal, July 2013

If these all sound simply fabulous and delicious and you’re wondering how you might afford to buy them all to taste then you can relax….
On Wednesday 10th December at 8pm you can taste them all for just £25 per person. Clive Ashby, world expert on all the above wines and an old pal of ours, will be pouring and sharing all the information, stories and innuendo before being sent home in a cab. Don’t miss out, this is the Christmas tasting to attend – far more fun than a pint and a pork pie with Nigel from accounts.

Tasting This Weekend

Alex tells me it’s National Curry Week this week. The Roberts’ kitchen has been overflowing with Tarka Dhal and Murgh Makhani and barely a day has passed when a suitable wine partner hasn’t been discussed.

In the white corner, we’re plumping for Broken Shackle White (£8.49) a fruity, crisp blend of Semillon, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.
Whilst Santa Julia Malbec (£9.99) a juicy, unoaked Malbec (made from organic grapes, no less) will fight the good fight in the red corner.
Will they both work with curry? Come and help us decide, corks from Crackerjack time. (Friday at 5 o’clock for you youngsters!)

Over to you, Paul!

Wayne & Alex

*The Directors and Management of Park Vintners Limited would like to point out they have no connection with Profiler.com other than as amused observers

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