Two Excellent Wines from Macon and Minervois.

Two Excellent Wines

 from Macon and Minervois.

Bourcier-Martinot Macon (AOC) 2017, 13%, €19.95 O’Briens 

If you like Maconnais, as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald did, then you’ll have love this. Coming from the northern reaches of the Mâcon, it is an unoaked Chardonnay and is  is new to the shelves at O’Briens.

Pale gold is the colour, clean and bright. Apple and lime and a floral touch too in the aromas. On the palate it is crisp and fresh, an array of citrus and melon flavours, nice bit of acidity also, an almost creamy mouthfeel and a good long finish. I’ve always enjoyed wines from this region, this is no exception and is Very Highly Recommended.

Hemingway was quite a lover of these wines as he disclosed in A Moveable Feast. On a drive up from the south of France with Scott Fitzgerald, they enjoyed a packed lunch which included truffled roast chicken and he reported that Scott was very happy when we "drank the white Maconnais at each of our stops".  Later on that day, "At Mácon I had bought four bottles...which I uncorked as we needed them." No breath-analyser in those roaring twenties.

I’ve read this is an excellent wine to serve with oven roasted scallops in the shell with herb cream. Then again, Hemingway’s pairing with truffled roast chicken sounds very interesting as well.

Money was no problem to Hemingway but many of us would struggle to buy some of the better Chardonnays from Burgundy. The Mâconnais, as illustrated here, offers an excellent introduction at a much lower price point than the Côte de Beaune and so on.

Chateau de Girard “Cuvée Arthur” Minervois (AOC) 2017, 14.5%, €19.95 O’Briens

Dark ruby is the colour of this supple unoaked Minervois from certified sustainably farmed vineyards. It is the classic GSM blend:  Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

 In the intense aromas you’ll find black fruits (plums, cherry). Soft, juicy, fruity, terrific balance and a long finish. This easy-drinking rather elegant wine, with silky tannins, is relatively new to the O’Briens portfolio. Full bodied and lush, immediately loveable, with a persistent finish and a touch of spice, this is Very Highly Recommended. Pair with paté, roasted meats and pasta. Serve at 18 degrees.

Foot-treading has its merits! Douro Delight.

Foot-treading has its merits! 

Quinta do Judeu

A Cracking Douro Red.

Quinta do Judeu Corgo da Régua 2012 (Douro), 14%, €13.99 at Curious Wines, other stockists

If you thought foot-treading in wineries was a thing of the past, think again. It is alive and kicking, at least in the Douro region of Portugal. Chris Forbes of Taylor’s Port sang its praises - it maximises the juice and the flavors - at a tasting in Ballymaloe the other evening and, at the weekend, I had its merits beautifully confirmed by this bottle.

Colour is a dark red and the aromas are of red fruit. On the palate it is fresh and fruity and with a gentle mouthfeel. Tannins have their say but they are mild. Perfect with red meat, this is your everyday wine. And not just weekdays! Weekends as well. Very Highly Recommended.

While you might not expect the foot-treading, you won't be too surprised by the cork closure as after all it is a Portuguese wine. Grape varieties are local: Tinta Roriz 35%, Tinta Barroca 35%, Touriga Franca 20% and Touriga Nacional 10%. Decanting advised.

Domaine de Rochelin, Macon-Lugny 2012, 12.5%, €14.60 Karwig Wines

Must say I rather like the Chardonnays from this region and this is no exception. You've got a pale straw colour with tints of green and a nose of white fruits, peach and melon. It is fruity and fresh, with an almost plump feel and with a floral finish..

It is the result of sustainable cultivation, the aim being to create a style of freshness and exuding fruit aromas. I reckon they succeeded. Highly Recommended.

Bodegas Exopto, Dominio del Viento, Crianza 2010 Rioja, 13.5%, €15.99 Curious Wines.

Colour here is a light red and a bright one. The red fruit flavours are pleasantly obvious in the mouth while a mild acidity is enough to balance. Some spice too. All the delicious elements at play too in a decent finish. A well made rounded example of the type and Highly Recommended. It is made from 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha and has spent 12 months in oak barrels.

Domaine des Geslets, Les Geslets Bourgueil 2010, 13%

Domaine du Raifault Clos du Villy, Chinon 2009, 12.5%

Not sure you'll find either of these two in Ireland (you will find similar) but if you are in France during the summer, do watch out for them. I have been praising the reds of Chinon and its neighbour Bourgueil recently and these are two really excellent examples.

A Red that’s light and bright

A Red that’s light and bright

Chartron et Trebuchet, 2010 Macon AOC, 12.5% abv, €12.99 Curious Wines

Want to try something in red other than Cabernet Sauvignon, Rioja or Merlot, then why not have a look at this bright featherweight from the Macon?

It is an easy drinking fruity red with a little tannic kick, light and with a decent balance. If you don’t fancy the more full-on reds, this one, a blend of Pinot Noir and the Gamay grape (used extensively in Beaujolais), is a sound bet.

The general advice for this Macon, which is probably more of a spring and summer wine, is to drink it as young as possible. This is the kind of light red that easily fits with a salad and would be gorgeous with one that includes Ummera smoked chicken.