




if you've got a favourite wine in the £7-12 price range, feel free to let me know and we may well feature it either as a wine of the week, or simply to share an insight on a different region.
Cheers!
I decided to drink my Naked wines over a period and save reviewing them until I had drunk a few. In restrospect, this was a very bad idea as most of them have sold out now, rendering the reviews somewhat useless. But in the hope and expectation that some may be restocked, here's my take on them below. ![]() Casa L'Angel is now sold out. It was £6.99 (and full price £8.49) and at £6.99 it was probably so much of a bargain that this is why it's gone. I bought this one for two main reasons. Firstly, it mentioned Old Vines. I don't often see mention of old vines on wine labels outside of Zinfandels, and I am a sucker for the rich concentration of flavours that more mature wines can bring. That said, one of Spain's advantages over many regions is the age of it's vines. Secondly, it is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. Mr Purple Teeth and I have long argued over the supremacy of these particular grapes. He loves Cab Sauv and it's one of my least favourites. When I first met him, I spent months trying to convince him about the merits of Rioja (mostly made from Tempranillo). I'd never before seen a blend of these two grapes and was keen to see how they would pair. At 14% abv it's big, full bodied and deep. Sadly, I forgot to read the label before pouring a couple of large glasses. Decanting an hour before drinking was recommended, and I could definitely see how this would have improved the wine. Still, lots of swirling and waiting with the wine in the glass helped, and we drunk the second half of the bottle the second night. We struggled a bit with what to make of it. It's a wine that definitely needs food but we had already eaten before we opened it. Some salted crisps helped. For me, it's got too much drying tannin, but for Mr Purple Teeth, that's exactly what he loves in a Cabernet. There's oaky spiciness, and some hints of blackcurrant but it didn't feel like an overtly fruity wine. Combining two individual favourites made for an interesting experience, but, in the end, the match didn't really beat better examples of the individual grapes at the same price point. in any case, it's now sold out, so, you couldn't buy it even if I'd loved it. ![]() Benoit Dreyer Gewurztraminer from Alsace was a surprise hit. It's never a surprise to me that I love Gewurz, but the same wine-maker's Riesling had been a bit of a let down, just not delivering the archetypal Riesling punch. So it was with some trepidation that I pulled this out of the fridge, really willing it to be amazing. Liquid lychee and everything I love about Alsace, burst out of the glass: floral, aromatic, fuller bodied whites with tons of varietal character. Just a shame I left it so long to taste it that now it's sold out. Roll on the 2012 vintage! At £9.99 it was better than the examples available in supermarkets for that price. I saved some till next day and enjoyed it with a Thai meal: made for each other! Mr Purple Teeth agrees, "that's class in a glass, most impressed, would definitely still buy this at a higher price" High praise indeed from the man who can seldom be encouraged to drink white wine. Sorry it's all gone... ![]() Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz (2009) - again sold out, but from what I can remember was about £14.99. Very smooth, medium bodied and elegant rather than punchy, this was a decent wine for accompanying a comfort food cottage pie. By the end of May it really ought to be summer whites and salads, but a day of torrential rain had me running for the red. It's got plenty of black fruits and peppery spice. I would buy it again, but it's sold out. Who knows if another vintage will come in... Sadly the other Naked Shiraz that I loved is also sold out, so I've ordered a few different ones in my next case in the hopes that another treasure is just waiting to be discovered. The key to Naked seems to be these small lots, unusual wines, giving you something of more interest than the supermarket the fare. The main difficulty comes when you want to buy it again, as you may not have the space for another case just because you tasted one you like, and when you do, there is the risk it will all be gone. ![]() I'm definitely going to have to drink my next case more quickly, but at last, a wine that hasn't sold out. The Simpsons of Sainte Rose Low Yield Roussane (14% abv) is still around to Angels at £9.99. Some more will definitely make it's way back into my basket, but then, I like oak. This is an oaky and full bodied white but with enough crisp acidity to make your mouth water on a hot summer's day. I think it would be a great match for barbecued chicken - though I can't recall the last time I barbecued anything! The low yielding vines probably add to more concentration of flavour within the russet coloured grapes. It's got a nutty, herbal character that means it could stand up also to stronger tasting meats, perhaps even belly pork. Buy some before it runs out! If you, like me, like fino sherry and oaky chardonnays, I think you'll enjoy this one. This is definitely arriving in my next order, and more than one bottle this time - before it runs out! ![]() Perhaps I'm being unfair to the Benoit Dreyer Pinot Blanc, but I had hoped for more after the stunning Gewurztraminer. Pinot Blanc does tend to be a very neutral-flavoured grape and on Friday night we opened it to follow on from a bottle of English Sparkling wine and to lead into an Indian meal. Many Alsace whites are very food friendly and pair particularly well with exotic and spicy foods. In this case, the wine was flattened by the food, and didn't quite stand up for itself. In the end, I put it aside and finished it off on Saturday afternoon chilling in the sunshine. Here it fared better, and gave crisp green apple flavours with a hint of cider on the finish. This is a decent enough wine, but for £10.49 (Angel price), I can definitely get much more oomph for my money from a different Alsace grape variety so I don't think I'll purchase it again. It is still available at Naked though, should you want to give it a go. Do bear in mind that not all Alsace Pinot Blancs are 100% single varietals due to an unusual local regulation. Some can be blended with Auxerrois and white wine made from Pinot Noir (ie with no skin contact). As a result of being unable to thoroughly recommend many wines which are still on sale, I thought I'd let you know what's arriving from Naked Wines at Casa Purple Teeth tomorrow, just in case you want to buy some and drink them along with me on Facebook or Google Plus... I was very lucky to get an Angel special offer which has netted me 2 free bottles. There are three here I've drunk before, but sadly most of my favourites so far have sold out, so it's an experimental bunch of wines which I hope will suit the warm summer evenings ahead, with Alsace varieties grown in the new world, Pinot Noir, and hopefully Syrah will be more suitable for summer than the heavier Australian Shirazes. No doubt you'll hear how I get on over the coming months.Rod Easthope Hawkes Bay Pinot Gris 2012, Rod Easthope Hawkes Bay Syrah 2012, Monowai Chardonnay 2011, Simpsons of Sainte Rose Old Vine Syrah 2011, Jen Pfeiffer The Rebel Riesling 2012, Seifried Gewurztraminer 2012, Arabella Viognier 2012, Landhaus Mayer Riesling 201, Small and Small Pinot Noir 2011, Simpsons of Sainte Rose Low Yield Roussanne 2011, plus the free bottles: Arabella Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2011 and Sacchetto Paradiso Prosecco NV× 1£0.00
if you've got a favourite wine in the £7-12 price range, feel free to let me know and we may well feature it either as a wine of the week, or simply to share an insight on a different region. Cheers! Comments are closed.
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Purple TeethMy name's Heather and I've been enjoying wine for over 20 years. I'm the 2013 winner of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Rhone prize for oustanding students at the advanced level. |