Xmas cheer from O'Briens - Results Part1

Hola Amigos, apologies for the delay. Between work in Edinburgh, Xmas shopping and working from home this week (Best Decision EVER) I haven't had much chance to blog. Anyway - below are some micro reviews of a those wines that I have sampled out of the dozen odd I got on special in O'Brien's last Friday week.

Rizzardi Pinot Grigio 2009 - (€10-99 reduced from €11-89). I didn't love this, this time around, for some reason. Perfectly fine but nothing to write home about.

Clos Du Val Zinfandel 2006 (€15-99 reduced from €22-95). I have been wanting to try this for years and at this bargain price it was sold out when I got everything else. However, I popped in between snow showers on the off chance and got lucky. The girl in the shop said it was her favourite wine so I was sure not to be disappointed, but I was. Again, there was nothing wrong with this wine, some fruit, reasonably balanced but not a world beater and definitely not worth 20+ euro, but may be worth a punt if you like your U.S. zins.

Ferraton Plan de Dieu Cotes du Rhone Villages 2009 - (€9-99 reduced from €12-99). Very nice indeed, we both liked this a lot. Nicely balanced and a big finish.

Domaine De Nizas Coteaux de Languedoc 2007 (€12-99 reduced from €16-45) Bought this as a punt and lucked out. An elegant and exceptionally well balanced wine, great value as priced.

Mas Belles Eaux Les Coteaux Languedoc 2006 (€13-99 Reduced from €19-45). Fruitier than I had expected this was still a classy wine. Big and bold and not for the faint of heart.

Gerard Bertrand Pic Saint Loup 2008 (€9-99 Reduced from €14-45) Another two bottles drunk and still performs very well. Would be a perfect wine to entertain with over Xmas.

Rizzardi Tacchetto 2009 (€12-99 Reduced from €16-99) This the only wine on the bunch to date that I didn't like at all. It reminded me of a cheap, new world cab sav. From looking at the reviews on this page on the O'Briens site, I seem to be in the minority, so I just don't know what to tell you.

That's it so far. As I drink the rest of them I'll let you all know how I find them.

Looking forward to Xmas eve, we'll start with a bottle of Bollinger NV, and then the second last bottle of June's wedding gift, from the depths of my "cellar", a Chateau Chasse Spleen Moulis-En-Medoc 2000.

I made the list...

Sourgrapes has put together a comprehensive list of Irish wine blogs and I'm on it. Go me, again!

The list is here and is a good mix of the commercial, the expert and the enthusiastic amateur. Thanks for the inclusion.

**Update** The Clos Du Val Merlot was as good as last time. We had it with a couple of fillet steaks from Dunnes (pretty decent btw) and it was the perfect accompanyment. If you are a New World Merlot hater, its definitely worth a try. It changed my mind.

Savage Flowers

We're now back in our mountain home, herself is off in sunny Rosslare with "the girls" and I'm left here on my own to mind the chiseler. No better time to post on a few wine related tings.

As I mentioned last post I wanted to get into Oddbins on Baggot street and I was presented with the opportunity with the impending arrival of B&G for a spot of Thai food from Kanum, which by the way is as good as any Thai food I've had in Dublin and is pretty good value, but I digest.

One way that Oddbins falls down I find is in the cheapish €9-€13 bracket. Supermarkets, particularly Tesco have a myriad of decent, drinkable wines in this range, and most offies have a few bottles to be had for this money. If you are entertaining, on a budget, need to buy a few of something, you don't want to spend a fortune. Hence, Supermarkets clean up here.

Long story short I bought a couple of these - Chateau de Combebelle Les Fleurs Sauvages St Chinian 2007 (€13-99) and one of these for B, a Falerio Palastri Organic 2009 (a snip at €8-99).

Note, I really bought the red to be drunk after the Thai food, not with it. For the food I bought a case of 12 bottle of Veltins Pilsener (good value at €14), this proved to be a delicious hoppy treat and more than a match for the strong Thai flavours.

Anyhoo, the wine itself was very fine. Lots of spice, some nice fruitiness, a surprising, but not overpowering amount of tannins and a long tasty finish. As I mentioned above this is more than I'd normally spend on multiple bottles but I couldn't find anything else in the shop for less money that I thought would be decent.

Lastly, I have been tempted, ever since I tried one a few weeks ago, to buy more of the Clos Du Val Merlot from O'Briens. It's still on sale at the ridiculously cheap price (for the quality) of €16-95, so I bought one to have with a (hopefully BBQ'd) steak tonight. Lar from Sourgrapes suggested I try the Chardonnay also so I grabbed one of these also. Again not cheap at €16-95 (reduced from €22-95) but if the rest of the range is a guide then it should be worth it.

On a wholly OT note, I watched Zombieland last night. BEST CAMEO EVER.

Wow! - or how we stopped worrying and learned to love the F**king Merlot

I had forgotten to mention I also picked up a bottle of white, a Rizzardi Pinot Grigio, which I've got before and I liked it again. It's crisp and fruity and very moreish (I hate that word but it's apt here).

Next up the big event, the Clos du Val Merlot 2006, as I mentioned in my previous post I am wary of pure New World Merlots given past experiences, although Clos du Val are a very respected winery and their Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the U.S. wines involved in the famous 1976 Judgement of Paris. I bought a bottle of this once, €44 reduced from €55 and it was up there with best Bordeaux and while expensive, is a fraction of the price of a Premier Cru for example.

Anyhoo, after about 90 minutes in the decanter, we had our first sip and boy howdy it was good. I didn't think it much like a right bank Bordeaux, it was softer, fruitier with a hint of spice. This was not a light wine though, it was rich and complex with a lingering finish and I felt it was more like a New World take on a St Emilion than an effort to ape it.

Even at full price (€22-95) I would buy this for a treat, at €16-95 it's a freaking steal. It makes me want to try the Zinfandel even more. Perhaps next weekend if I'm feeling flathúlach.

F**king Merlot

So I went down to O'Briens with the full intention of buying the Clos Du Val Zinfandel which I reckoned was around €22, but I was sidetracked by their 2006 Merlot (gasp!) instead. It was reduced from €22-95 to €16-95, and I can't resist a bargain. If you follow the link you'll see that Tomás Clancy raved about it in the SBP.

I can honestly say this is the first time I have bought a non-St Emilion Merlot in living memory. For a variety of reasons, (mostly because the lion's share of non-St Emilion Merlot is cheap piss from South America(controversial!)), I have been very much in the "No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f**king Merlot!"* camp, so I hope I will be pleasantly surprised. I picked it up to go with a couple of Angus Rib-eyes from the meat shop in the village. Plus - any wine with naked chicks on the label gets my vote...

Also, as I watched the match in BE's house today (c'mon Ireland!) I realised I'd forgotten to report on the Crozes Hermitage and other wines that I'd received that night,

Seigneur D'Albret Medoc 2006 - We liked this, a decent Bordeaux at (I assume) a reasonable price.

Paul Jaboulet "Les Jalets" Crozes Hermitage 2006 - We liked this too - big fruity flavours but old world and balanced with it.

Next up - Merlot Report.

*interestingly - his prize wine in the movie is Chateau Cheval Blanc 1961 from St Emilion, but in this case the wine is on average 57% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot with trace amounts of Cab Sav & Malbec. So no great Gotcha! here.