Notes:
Our good friend, Pippa from Seckford Agencies travelled to Jersey yesterday for a very brief visit in order to go through a number of wines she felt would be perfect for our portfolio. We have been working with Pippa for over 10 years and many of our best selling wines are through her. Seckford Agencies Ltd are specialist importers of wines from all over the New World, supplying the trade throughout the UK. They operate as the exclusive UK agents for a comprehensive range of privately owned wine estates providing high quality wines at all price levels. Their team is dedicated to providing high levels of service, efficiency and reliability, underpinned by a solution-focused philosophy. This is why we love Seckford so much! Supplying the likes of Rustenberg Wines, Kaapzicht, Guardian Peak, Paul Cluver and Hollick, Seckford have an amazing portfolio of wines that our customers love, coming back for more, time after time, year after year. Pippa knows our portfolio inside and out and studied our list very recently to find some gaps that she could fill. She explained that this was quite difficult as our range is so diverse and covers almost all areas, which is a huge compliment but, as you will see from the following notes, she did find some cracking wines that are just perfect for us.
1. Lantana Semillion Chardonnay 2008, Australia
This was a great start. A 60/40 blend of Semillon and Chardonnay, this lighter styled wine is perfect for functions/parties etc as it has mass appeal. Lovely aromas of tropical fruit from the Chardonnay and citrus tones from the Semillon. It is clean and crisp with slightly nutty tones. Extremely easy drinking and excellent value. Pippa explained that it was currently there best selling wine in their portfolio and we can definitely see why. We will be stocking this. Will be ideal for Asian food, chicken and lighter casseroles but can easily be drunk without food. The two Lantana wines (the red is also excellent, see notes below) are named after an exotic plant that thrives in Australia. Anthony Murphy has produced a 'bang for bucks' duo that really do over-deliver fruit and flavour for their price point. This wine will sell for about £5.75 per bottle and we all liked this.
2. Pikes 'The White Mullet' 2008 (Riesling/Viognier/Chenin/Sauvignon), South Australia
Gorgeous nose filled with fresh and zingy aromas. Lycees and fruit salad with great viognier touches to bring out the marzipan flavours. Lovely weight and complexity with soft palate leading to a bone dry finish. I personally loved this wine. Great presentation too - love the name. Only 12% alcohol too so great for those who want a lighter style of wine, without forgoing the flavour. An unpretentious wine. Will be wonderful with seafood and we will be stocking this. Will sell for around £7.50 per bottle.
3. Trentham Estate Range Albarino 2008
Albarino hails from Rias Baixas in Galicia, north-west Spain and is becoming popular in many new world wine producing countries. The grape variety is well known for its natural acidity, beautiful aromatics in the youthful wines and the ability to thrive in diverse weather conditions.
This is a fresh, attractive fruit driven wine displaying subtle peach and pear aromas. The palate is soft and long consisting of stone fruit characters balanced with subtle citrus flavours. Very fresh wine. We actually commented that if you were to blind taste this wine, you would think it was a Sauvignon Blanc and since we will be selling this wine fro around £7.95 it is/will be incredible value for money and certainly rivals the more expensive Sauvignons that you find from New Zealand. Will be great with seafood and white meat dishes. 12% Alcohol again - great!
Independents Note:
The nose has an attractive richness, pear and apricot vying with fresher greengage for dominance. There is depth to the palate, layers of fruit that give complexity and sweetness well balanced by lime freshness. Derek Smedley MW
4. Living Rock Chenin Blanc/Chardonnay 2008 @ £4.65 per bottle
This is a great seller for us. This blend of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay grapes evolves into a vibrant and refreshing wine with floral and tropical fruit flavours that superbly balances the zinginess of Fresh Chenin Blanc with the structure and elegance of Chardonnay. Highly drinkable with food and equally delicious just on its own with good friends! The team members loved it. Click on the image for more information and to purchase.
5. Rustenberg 'Brampton' Sauvignon Blanc 2008 @ £6.65 per bottle
A zesty upfront wine in true New World style. Passionfruit, Gooseberry, Lychee and Asparagus aromas follow through to a full, lively palate. The fleshy well-rounded mouthfeel derives from grapes harvested at optimum ripeness. Structured yet elegant with clean after taste. This is a huge selling wine for us and the 2008 vintage will continue this trend. Great! Click on the image for more information and to purchase.
6. Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2007 @ £9.95 per bottle - Only available in-store at present.
This wine is a typical example of a classic Burgundian style Chardonnay, the nose is bursting with aromas of citrus, floral tones, hints of ripe peaches, pineapple, oak and a lovely toasty nuttiness. The palate is gentle and complex with a combination of ripe fruit, citrus and mineral flavours with hints of oak in the background. The aftertaste is long, elegant and lingering. Wow, for those who love a full flavoured Chardonnay, this is the one for you. This wine won the best Chardonnay below £10.00 in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2008. Huge praise. You would expect to pay over £20 for a wine like this from Burgundy. Pippa explained that after this wine has been fermented, the lees are rolled/stirred once a week to enhance the yeast autolysis which adds complexity and mouth feel. More minerality than from the Rustenberg Estate since the estate is closer to the coast. This wine wins award after award, year on year. It is superb! Alick loved this wine in particular.
7. Trentham La Famiglia Pinot Grigio 2008, Australia
100% Pinot Grigio and very typical of the variety. We commented that it is great to have a Pinot Grigio from Australia. A light aromatic white wine with delicate perfumed fruits and talc overtones; the taste is fine but rounded with pear and minerally acidity. A dry captivating style. Neil was not too keen on this wine when it was first opened but when we tried it with the team a few hours later, it had really mellowed and we all generally liked it. Neil still unsure though.
8. Willandra Chardonnay Gentle Press 2006, Australia
Unfortunately this bottle was not good. We chilled down a second bottle but we did not have time to try it as a team. We will try it another time.
9. Lantana Shiraz/Cabernet 2007, Australia
This wine has really good Cabernet fruit on the nose. Very clean and well balanced and offers very easy drinking style. Perfect for parties and functions as it is mass appeal. We are delighted that we have now found another 'pair'. The white was excellent and this red is equally good. Even, Danielle liked this and Danielle is not a red wine drinker. Super. Generous fruit with plums and red berries. Silky palate and fine tannins. Perfect and will sell for about £5.95 per bottle. We can see this selling extremely well so we will be stocking this.
10. Scotto Family Vineyards Cabernet/Carignan 2006, California
This wine is part of a group called Blue Moon wines in California but Seckford did not like this name and so redesigned the label and named the wines, Scotto Family Vineyards. They have been privileged to work with Anthony Scotto to develop the blends for this range with an emphasis on bright fruit expression and minimal use of oak. The Carignan vines which produce the fruit for the Cabernet Carignan blend are over 100 years old resulting in a wine of great concentration at this price level. On tasting, we detected brambly fruit, a nicely balanced structure and fine tannins. It was a little short on the length but for a bottle of wine that will sell for around £6.95, it really is excellent.
11. O. Fournier Urban Uco Tempranillo 2007, Argentina
Rich, ripe blackcurrant fruit. Brambly. Clean with light chocolate notes. Very nice indeed. Will sell for £6.95 per bottle. Great new presentation. So much more modern than previous labels.
12. Trentham Pinot Noir 2007, Australia
Good ripe fruit with soft toasty palate. Neil found this wine a little light but Liz thought it had great strawberry notes and is great if you like a lighter style of Pinot Noir. Majority liked it and since it will be cheaper than the very popular Luigi Bosca, it is certainly worth stocking. Will sell for £7.95 per bottle.
13. Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2007, South Africa
Now we're talking! Wow, this is good. Indeed, this is a much more expensive wine (£18-£20) but it is lovely in its league. Firm but deliciously elegant. Fragrant rich with exuberant fruit and long lasting palate profile. This is a stylish wine with lovely acidity, complexity and length. My favourite red of the night! We will be stocking.
14. Scotto Lodi Zinfandel 2005, Calfornia
This is a lovely Zinfandel that will sell for around £7.00 per bottle. Great blackberry fruit. Medium bodied and very well balanced. A very easy drinking wine and will sell well. Ripe tannins and lusious finish.
15. Slowine Shiraz 2006, South Africa
Another good wine showing lots of spice and fruit on the nose. Neil and I detected a slightly farmyardy smell but this disappeared on the palate. Soft palate and lingering aftertaste. Good. Will be great to have another shiraz that is not so jammy. Will sell for approx £5.95 per bottle
16. Engelbrecht Els Proprietor's Blend 2006, South Africa (currently available in-store only at £18.95 per bottle)
This is a Bordeaux style blend of five grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Deep red in colour with a bright rim. The wine is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon which releases strong oak, cigar box and tobacco aromas. These are supported by hints of spice from the Shiraz. Full, juicy red fruits and floral aromas complete the bouquet. Palate: The Engelbrecht Els 2006 has a tight structure with great length and integration. The Initial mineral impression is followed by juicy plum and cassis flavours, and concludes with a fresh jasmine aftertaste. An expensive drop but well worth it for a special occasion. It is accessible right now but will benefit from further maturation, reaching its peak after 5 years.
End
Thank you so much Pippa, the wines were excellent. One of our best tastings so far. Fantastic to find a new 'pair' and we can really see some of these wines selling very well indeed. Thank you for taking the trouble to come to Jersey, even if it was a short visit. Looking forward to hopefully seeing you for another tasting in the summer!