Nick Dobson Wines Wines of the Month

July 2010 White Wine of the Month - Weissburgunder/Pinot Blanc 2007 Heidi Schröck Weinbau Heidi Schröck, Rust
Ref: WHITEJULY10

This is a really nice classic expression of Pinot Blanc, one of the nicest I have come across in Austria. A pale straw colour, with a nose which is floral (mimosa, acacia), mineral, and has fine yellow fruit aromas. On the palate the wine is quite penetrating and lees-ey, has plenty of fruit, a hint of spice, minerals, and is compact and dense. Excellent length, with a nice acid streak in the finish. This wine represents extremely good value for money.

Food recommendation: mussels or other shellfish; crab; lobster.

Normal price for a 12-bottle case of this wine £185.40 - offer price £176.

Price: £176.00 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

July 2010 Red Wine of the Month - Fleurie 2009 Cuvée Tradition Domaine du Point du Jour Jocelyne Depardon
Ref: REDJULY10

** (*)

The superb 2009 vintage of Jocelyne Depardon's Fleurie. Dark purple, the nose is expansive, both floral (violets) and with rich dark fruit. On the palate this is a big wine; fleshy, meaty and rounded. Very approachable now but will last at least 5 years. Drink at 14-15 deg C with all meats, cheeses, or just on its own.

Normal price for a 12-bottle case of this wine £150.00 - offer price £142.50.

Price: £142.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

July 2010 Red Wine of the Month - Fleurie 2009 Cuvée Tradition Domaine du Point du Jour Jocelyne Depardon

Split Red/White July 2010 Wines of the Month Case
Ref: SPLITJULY10

6 each of this month's red and white wines of the month.

Offer price £130.25 inc. VAT.

Price: £160.00 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

June 2010 White Wine of the Month - Quinta da Raza Vinho Branco Grande Escolha 2009 (Alvarinho/Trajadura blend)
Ref: WHITEJUNE10

*£

Ths wine is a blend of Alvarinho (see above) and Trajadura grapes. Trajadura is a lightly scented but full bodied white grape grown widely in Vinho Verde and normally blended with other local varieties in many Vinho Verde wines. Occasionally, as here, it is blended with Alvarinho to produce a premium Vinho Verde. Trajadura is also grown in Galicia in Northern Spain, under the name Treixadura. Very occasionally it is used for single-varietal wines though these tend to be quite light.

This paricuar Alvarinho/Trajadura blend is a very pale green with golden hues, and has a creamy nose with gooseberry aromas, not unlike a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. On the palate there is good crisp acidity, with lots of fruit. The finish is long and flavoursome. This would make an ideal partner for shellfish such as mussels, and also for salmon, trout, monkfish or seabass.

Normal price for a 12-bottle case of this wine £119.40 - offer price £113.

Price: £113.00 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

June 2010 White Wine of the Month - Quinta da Raza Vinho Branco Grande Escolha 2009 (Alvarinho/Trajadura blend)

June 2010 Red Wine of the Month - Quinta dos Currais Red Reserve 2003
Ref: REDJUNE10

**£

This is a blend of 50% Touriga Nacional, 25% Aragonês, and 25% Castelão. Following traditional vinification, temperature controlled for 5-6 days, the wine is macerated and then aged 18 months in French and a further 14 months in bottle.

This is a very serious wine indeed. A deep granite red, with a nose of vanilla, sweet red barry fruit, and garrigue. On the palate there is masses of deep dark fruit, with soft grippy ripe tannins and sweet spice, all wrapped up in a smooth velvety texture. Huge length. Open a couple of hours before consumption, and drink at 14-15 deg C with robust dishes such as venison and game stews. Drink - now to 2022.

One of Sarah Ahmed's 50 Great Portuguese wines for 2010. Click here for more information.

Normal price for a 12-bottle case of this wine £155.40 - offer price £147.50.

Price: £147.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

June 2010 Red Wine of the Month - Quinta dos Currais Red Reserve 2003

Split Red/White June 2010 Wines of the Month Case
Ref: SPLITJUNE10

6 each of this month's red and white wines of the month.

Offer price £130.25 inc. VAT.

Price: £130.25 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

September 2010 White Wine of the Month - Quinta dos Currais Selected Harvest 2008 White Wine
Ref: WHITESEP10

**£

Síria is a grape grown principally in the interior of Portugal. It is the most planted white grape variety in the Alentejo region, where it is known as Roupeiro. However, Síria is a grape which gives of its best when grown in cooler climates, as in hotter regions the wines can lack acidity and be insufficiently aromatic. For this reason it is now also grown in the higher and cooler lands including Beira Interior, where it producers excellent results, with delicate, fresh, and elegant wines. Síria is a very productive grape variety, with large numbers of small-berried small bunches. It can be tricky in the vineyard; it is resistant mildew, but prone to rot, meaning it prefers dry well-aerated sites.

Most blends get a name, but they don't do this at Quinta dos Currais; I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Anyway, this un-named wine is a blend of 50% Fonte-Cal, 25% Arinto, and 25% Síria. A very pale yellow, with aromas of lychees, reflected on the palate along with gooseberries and yellow stone fruit, this is a lovely suimmer wine ideal as a partner for white meats and freshwater fish.

Normal price for a 12-bottle case £95.40 - offer price £90.

Price: £90.00 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

September 2010 White Wine of the Month - Quinta dos Currais Selected Harvest 2008 White Wine

May 2010 White Wine of the Month - Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese ** 2007 Andreas Schmitges Weingut Schmitges, Erden/Mosel
Ref: WHITEMAY10

**(*)

Only a very small quantity of this wine was made and we have a very tiny allocation. This is a masterpiece; a truly top-Spätlese from the Erdener Treppchen, one of the very best sites in the Mosel - the steep, iron-rich red soiled slopes of this site produce quite outstanding wines. On the palate masses of extract, clear and cool, this wine is alive, with fascinating racy, refreshing, zingy acidity, superb finesse and a gorgeous mineral finish. For a wine with 93 Parker points this is outstanding value for money. Andreas reckons this will last till 2020 but my own suspicion is that you won't let it! At only 8.0% ABV, this makes a great lunchtime bottle.

Parker 93 points.

Normal price for a 12-bottle case £192 - offer price £182.

Price: £182.00 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

May 2010 White Wine of the Month - Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese ** 2007 Andreas Schmitges Weingut Schmitges, Erden/Mosel

May 2010 Red Wine of the Month - Dornfelder QbA Trocken 2009 Weingut Kollmann-Lex,Thörnich)
Ref: REDMAY10

**(*)

This is exactly the same wine as was made by Josef Lex in previous years, now made by Weingut Kollmann-Lex who have aquired the Lex estate. Those of you used to thin wishy-washy German reds are in for a treat. A very dark inky ruby red, approaching opaque, this wine has a nose whch is creamy and earthy with notes of cooked dark berry fruit. On the palate there is full, ripe dark fruit - loganberries and blackberries - with a chalky, earthy overtone, and a slightly herbal note. Lovely creamy texture, and good length, with some spice on the long finish. This really is a lovely wine, and quite a find. Can be drunk on its own, or with food (pork schnitzel, spicy sausages work well).

12.5% ABV, 2g/litre residual sugar, 5.3g/litre acidity. Serve 14-16°C - also works well chilled - treat as you would a mid-weight Beaujolais Cru, like a Chiroubles or Côte de Brouilly.

Normal price for a 12-bottle case £119.40 - offer price £113.

Price: £113.00 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity:

May 2010 Red Wine of the Month - Dornfelder QbA Trocken 2009 Weingut Kollmann-Lex,Thörnich)

Split Red/White May 2010 Wines of the Month Case
Ref: SPLITMAY10

6 each of this month's red and white wines of the month.

Offer price £153.50 inc. VAT.

Price: £153.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

Quantity: