Fellow Wine Lovers,
My daughter hasn’t eaten a proper meal since Monday lunchtime, or at least that’s how it feels. However, she has certainly eaten Love Hearts, Maoam’s, Parma Violets, countless lollipops and too many funsize Mars/Snickers/Twix. My son had a binge on Sour Patch Kids but then felt sick. And my saintly wife has been surviving on lettuce and dried bread, never once dipping her hand into the gargantuan bowl of child size sweets.
Isn’t Halloween great?
And now we are in the midst of Guy Fawke’s fever/fervour. As one of our customers pointed out earlier, in this super-sensitive politically correct environment we inhabit, it’s quite amazing that we are allowed to celebrate, and indeed celebrate quite so vigorously, a foiled catholic plot that took place over 400 years ago! But celebrate we do, by lighting a bonfire and setting off fireworks – ironic considering these are exactly the things that the plotters failed to do.
Remember, remember the 5th November, although if you wanted to see fireworks in Wimbledon Park, they were held last night, bizarrely, as opposed to Saturday…
Back in the modern day another plot has been foiled, if only temporarily, as the High Court rules that Parliament must vote on whether the UK can start the process of leaving the EU. Talking of Brexit, a much quoted line from The Spectator’s Parliamentarian of the Year awards on Wednesday evening, whilst receiving an award for Comeback of the Year:
In the words of our great prime minister… I understood that Brexit means Brexit and we are going to make a Titanic success of it
Isn’t Boris great?
Meanwhile, a small wine merchant in Wimbledon Park….
… has been continuing about its business whilst trying not to uspet anyone or get caught up in any plotting. We’d like to confirm that the darker afternoons and colder mornings are not of our doing – if we had our way it would be shorts and t-shirts 24/7/365 – but we have plenty of Whisky and Gin and King’s Ginger and Amaretto and Kummel open to taste all the time to keep our cockles warmed when required, so pop in on your way past if you feel chilly.
We’ve taken delivery of more wines with a distinctly festive feel, sometimes more traditionally described as wines from Bordeaux, and we’re getting quite excited about how things are shaping up. Latest arrivals (just today in fact) are
Chateau Corbin 2010, Montagne Saint-Emilion – £19.99 – 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon – the winemaker has spent some time in Australia so he likes a bit of ripeness and so we have nice bright fruit, plums and damsons here. Really fresh and a bit broader on the palate with quite delicious and softened tannins on the finish.
Chateau Haut Ferrand 2009, Pomerol – £43.99 – 60% Merlot 40% Cab Franc – a beautiful nose, showing the ripeness of the vintage and a very smooth palate – extremely delicious and very habit forming. Smooth, ripened soft blackberry fruits perhaps even some background hints of strawberry. Proper wine.
Chateau Relais de la Poste 2012, Cotes de Bourg – £18.49 – known as Cuvee Malbec. This has deliciously dark blackcurrant fruit, appealing with a hint of violet too, and is frankly really tasty but with a bit more weight and juice than a normal Bordeaux. Unusual to be 100% Malbec and thus, very interesting.
Smooth palate, plums and damsons, fresh and broad – what are you on about?
If you want to know what we’re on about and fancy learning how to write tasting notes as erudite as Wayne’s then the Park Vintners Wine School is the place for you!
School starts again in the New Year – Wednesday January 25th 2017 to be precise, at 8pm, to be even more accurate. It will then proceed on a weekly basis until Wednesday 8th March – a break for half term will be taken on the week containing Wednesday 15th February. You’ll taste around 60 wines, you’ll learn lots of clever wine terms to use at dinner parties and you’ll get a thorough grounding in the key grape varieties plus a foray into the exciting grapes that sometimes hide in the shadows.
The course costs £150 per person and full details are attached to this email.
If you can’t wait until January…
… then come and taste some wines with us this weekend. We’ve finished #ShopRioja now so will be leaving Spain for a bit. How about a quick trip to Argentina …
Pulenta Estate Chardonnay 2014, Mendoza, Argentina – £12.99 Pulenta Estate is located in Alto Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, its high altitude, at 980m, ensures a wide temperature range and a slow ripening of the grapes. This is a lovely crisp yet full bodied Chardonnay with a good finish.
And…
Susana Balbo Signature Malbec 2013, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina – £25.99 “Bright ruby-red. Pure, vibrant aromas of blackberry, blueberry and mint. A smooth, densely packed midweight with noteworthy inner-mouth tension and lift to the flavors of dark berries and violet. There’s something a bit Syrah-like about this very fresh, juicy, long Malbec. Has the strength of character to evolve slowly but this is already easy to appreciate. Drink 2016-2023. Score – 91.” (Stephen Tanzer, vinous.com, Jan. 2015)
That’s all from us this week. By next week we’ll know the next POTUS – scarily it’s now shaping up to be a bit of a nailbiter!
Cheers,