This year Decanter magazine’s panel of experts tasted more
than 10,000 wines in the 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards. Following the recent announcement of the results, Decanter’s Tastings Director makes her pick of the Top 10 award-winners to best accompany game.
Matetic, Corralillo Syrah,San Antonio Valley, Chile 2007 Decanter medal – Regional trophy Red Rhone Varietals over £10″Very Chilean! Lots of sweet cakey fruit and menthol leafy hints. Sure-footed, spicy,leather and tobacco flavours – luscious, sexy and enjoyable.”£12.50 Genisis Wines (020 7963 9060), Majestic, Oddbins, The Wine Society (01438 741
177)
Mas du Soleilla, Les Bartelles, Coteaux du
Languedoc-La Clape, France 2007 Decanter medal – International Trophy Red Rhone varietal Over £10 “Dense but wonderfully lifted orange citrus, violets,floran and lavender – sumptuous and packed with complexity. Youthful but ready,and very ageworthy.” £15.50 Great Western Wines (01225 322 800)
Averys, Fine Claret, Bordeaux Supérieur, France 2006 Decanter medal – Silver “Good ripe fruit on the palate, good weight,tannins present but not intrusive. Excellent. ” £8.49 Avery’s of Bristol (01275 811 100)
Viña Indomita Reserva
Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipó Valley 2007 Chile Decanter award: International Red Bordeaux Varietal under £10 Trophy. Black olives, balsamic, tar,violets, iodine and strong black fruit. Rich, lip-smacking mocha and blackberry flavours on the palate, great depth and firm, balanced tannins. Excellent freshness, charming now but will continue to develop. A worthy winner. £6.99 Denby Dale Wines (01484 865 222)
Marchesi di Gresy, Martinenga, Barbaresco, Piedmont,
Italy 2005 Decanter medal – Regional Trophy, Piedmont Red Over
£10 “Leafy, floral nose, pine, nettles, strawberry, dried
plums, mocha and smoke. Grippy, fine-grained tannins, wonderful savoury layers
with a long intensity and a balsamic note.” £45; Adams Fine Wines, Wirral (0151 632 0507)
Boutinot Wines, Cheshire (0161 908 1300) Wine Buy The Case (01483 479 555) www.winebuythecase.com,
Wood Winters, Bridge of Allan (01786 834 894), Noel Young, Cambridge (01223 566
744)
Craggy Range, Sophia, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay,
New Zealand 2004 Decanter medal – Silver “Ripe, red fruit, intergrated oak and a smooth, long
finish.” £25 Amps Fine Wines (01832 273502) Hanford (020 7589
6113); The New Zealand House of Wine (0800 085 6273), Waitrose
Opi, Malbec aka Rodolfo
Sadler, Mendoza 2008 Decanter Medal – Red Single
Varietal under £10 Trophy. Dark, rich cassis fruit with
some oak. Mouthfillingly juicy fruit on the tongue with complex earth and
woodland tones, plus tingly tannins and a long and surprisingly elegant finish.
Amazing value for money. £6.99; Laithwaites (0870 444 8383)
Berberana, Viña Alarde, Rioja Gran
Reserva, Spain 2001 Decanter medal – Gold “Smoky cherry, strawberry
syrup, sandalwood, grainy tannin, broad texture.” £12.99 Majestic
The Co-op, Santa Helena Pinot Noir, Casablanca
Valley, Chile 2008 Decanter medal – International Trophy Pinot Noir
Under £10 “Ripe cherry, violets, chocolate, a hint of
minerality and a touch of oak. Deep and sweetly fruited, exuberant cherry.
Creamy, warm, full-bodied and soft – lots to get stuck into and lots to like.” £7.99 Co-op
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference, Amarone della
Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy 2006 Decanter medal – International Trophy, Red Italian
Varietal Over £10 “Tobacco, tea, floral notes, leather and raisined
cherry and raspberry fruit. Braod, lush, sumptuous plum fruit, polished tannis
and spice complexity. A wonderfully eclectic and seductive mouthful.” £14.69 Sainsbury’s.
To see the full list of
winners in all categories, visit Decanter or see the October issue
of Decanter magazine on sale now.