The global less-is-more wine movement, where soil not science has the upper hand, is growing. That’s good news for wine drinkers like me, who are fed up with over-oaked, headache-inducing wines featuring astringent, tannic flavours with too much vanilla, clove and creosote on reds and burnt toast and cashew nut on whites.
Looking back, it’s easy to spot the beginning of the winemakers’ obsession with oak, and Robert Mondavi’s late-Seventies-to-early-Eighties experimental oak programme at his vast, high-tech winery in Oakville, California, has much to answer for. Suddenly new-oak-barrel ageing, using the traditional 225-litre Bordeaux barrique, was in vogue everywhere, whether you were trying to make a top chardonnay in Australia or a limited-edition Italian or Spanish red.
That prized scent of French barrique ageing was the quick route to a global reputation. Coopers everywhere began to offer not only a choice of different types of oak, from the heady vanilla and coconut scent of American oak to the spicy almond of Allier, but also different degrees of toast, depending on the charring inside. Decades on, it’s clear that lots of winemakers are still continuing to charge excessive prices for overoaked, disturbingly similar wines.
With new oak barrels, such as Bordeaux’s barriques, costing about £200 each, and claret spending about 14 to 16 months maturing in them, lengthily oak-aged reds are never cheap. That said, why not try the delicious, plummy, velvety, cedary 2011 Château Barreyres, Haut-Médoc claret (Sainsbury’s, £13) or Cune’s gorgeous, rich, beefy, sandalwood-scented American oak-aged 2008 Imperial Reserva Red Rioja (Co-op £14.99; Booths, £19.49), both of which are good value. Winemakers can opt for a quick, cheap oak fix in the shape of oak chips or oak staves. On cheaper wines, this does not bother me, provided it is done judiciously. Scoop up the nutty, peachy French oak-staved 2014 Waitrose Fairtrade South African Chenin Blanc, £5.49 until Tuesday. Twice the price brings you the glorious, smoky-toasty, part new French oak barrel-aged Chilean 2014 Santa Rita Medalla Real Chardonnay (Majestic, £11.99, or two for £7.99 each from Tuesday). Or try the spicy, red fruits and creosote-licked 2011 Santa Rita Medalla Carmenere, which has spent just ten months in charred French oak (Majestic, £11.99, or two for £7.99 each until Monday).
This week’s best buys
Advertisement
San Leo Prosecco Brut, Italy
Waitrose, down £3.50 to £6.99 until Tuesday
Mark Mother’s Day with this softly sweet, lively, floral, frothy, deliciously cheap prosecco that will pep up everything from fresh orange juice to drinks before Sunday lunch.
Duval-Leroy Fleur de Champagne Brut, France
Waitrose, down £10 to £19.99 until Tuesday
Splash out tomorrow on this elegant, creamy, buttered brioche and popcorn of a fancy premier cru champagne, predominantly chardonnay with an almost one third dollop of pinot noir.
2014 Russian Jack Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Majestic, £11.99, or 2 for £8.99 each
Tongue-tingling, classic Kiwi sauvignon with more finesse than the usual, sticky version, closing on a dynamic, white currant, gooseberry and guava-scented finish.
2013 Russian Jack Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zealand
Majestic, £15.99, or 2 for £11.99 each
Striking label, striking wine, with lashings of rich, savoury, yet stylishly-integrated, smoky, strawberry-ripe fruit, typical of Martinborough’s best.
The keeper
Advertisement
2013 Domaine Brusset Gigondas, Tradition Le Grand Montmirail
Great Western Wine (01225 322810) £19.95
Which would you rather have: a costly claret or red burgundy from a leading estate, or a tasty, single domaine red rhône from a top site made by equally devoted winemakers for around half the price? Laurent Brusset is the third generation of his family to live and work at this domaine since 1947, situated at the foot of the crazy Dentelles de Montmirail. Brusset’s low-yielding Tradition is mostly grenache, with a dab each of brutish mourvèdre, spicy syrah and perfumed cinsault. The result is a terrific, bold, plump, plummy, peppery red with dazzling, complex, lush fruit that is gorgeous now but will be even better with a few more years in the cellar.