Bibendum Sale - Six Wines Tasted

Bibendum Sale – Six Wines Tasted »

Andrew Barrow

7 Jul

Bibendum, Chilean Wine, French Wine, monastrell, pinot gris, shiraz/syrah, Spanish Wine

One of the UK’s most interesting wine retailers – Bibendum – are hosting a sale. An opportunity to taste a small selection of the wines included in the offer recently presented itself; here be the notes…

The sale runs from 9am Tuesday 7th July until close of business on Friday 17th July. There are huge discounts on around 200 wines from the ‘everyday’ up to fine Bordeaux and Burgundy.

“In the second week of our Summer Sale, from Monday 13th to Friday 17th we will also be running a ‘Fine Wine Price Drop Sale’ on a separate list of wines.This will involve rounding up a bevy of old bottles and random cases of posh wine on the Monday and slashing the prices. We will then cut the prices even further on the Wednesday on whatever wines are still unsold – and then do it again on the Friday to try and clear everything. All the wines will be offered on a strict ‘when it’s gone, it’s gone’ basis. We ca promise a lot of very good wines at very low prices. Customers should check the website regularly that week to see the latest wines and prices.”

A Wine For Fish:

Wine Tasting Note: Quinta do Vallado Douro White 2007, Douro, Portugal.
Was £9.24 now £6.84 [More: Adegga / Snooth]
Pick something a llttle different for your fish or salads; a blend of Arinto, Gouveio, Rabigato and Viosinho. Expensive at the pre-sale price but certainly worth buying now. Crisp acidity, herby, touch of nettle greenness amongst the sorrel, aniseed complexity. Alcohol 12.5%.
Scribblings Rating – 90/100 [3.75 out of 5]

A Clean Cut Riesling:

Wine Tasting Note: Spy Valley Riesling, 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand
Price: £9.00 now £6.50 [More: Adegga / Snooth]
A light but vivacious nose, lime, lemon, spritzy palate. A smidge of kerosene and weight too… Alcohol 12%.
Scribblings Rating – 88/100 [3.5 out of 5]

A rich little number:

Wine Tasting Note: Valdivieso Single Vineyard Pinot Gris, Lontue Valley, Chile.
Price: was £9.99 now £7.24 [More: Adegga / Snooth]
Endulge in a creamy, almost Alsace-like, Pinot Gris. Stony pear and smoke with a little oak aging adding a unique expression, especially on the nose. Weighty, off-dry.Alcohol 14.5%.
Scribblings Rating – 92/100 [4 out of 5]

One for the Cellar;

Wine Tasting Note: Domaine Paul Autard Chateauneuf du Pape , 2006, Rhone, France
Was £26.00 now £16.80
[More on Adegga / Snooth]
First sampled back in January described as “The colour of Valerian’s blood-soaked Imperial cloak; the aroma of dusty, sun-lashed dark red fruits, subdued, reticent but harbouring hints of greater complexity that will come with age”. Alcohol 14.5%
Scribblings Rating – 94/100 [4.25 out of 5]

For the ‘everyday’:

Wine Tasting Note: Château de Nages Costieres de Nimes Reserve Rosé, 2007, Rhone, France.
Was £8.50 now £5.72 [More: Adegga / Snooth]
Ignore the unexciting label; the wine offers plenty for little outlay. Nicely sharp on the finish keeps it refreshing and highly dirnkable. Enjoy the raspberry/red berry scented and rather full mouthfeel.Alcohol 13.5%.
Scribblings Rating – 92/100 [4 out of 5]

For the Spanish Aficionado:

Wine Tasting Note: Casa de la Ermita Reserva Tinto, 2003, Jumilla, Spain.
Was £12.99 now £8.12 [More on Adegga / Snooth]
I love the spicy, woody notes overlaying the deep black fruits on the nose here. The broad palate is deep and warm too. Plummy. Smooth. A mix of Monastrell, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Alcohol 14%. A wine for outdoor summer cooking but save some for deep, more autumnal food too.
Scribblings Rating – 90/100 [3.75 out of 5]