Morgan Bay Cellars, Chardonnay, Napa California 2012 around €15.99
Available from: Sweeneys of Glasnevin; The Wine Well, Dunboyne; Matsons, Grange and Bandon, Co. Cork; Stacks of Listowel; Redmonds, Ranelagh and better local Independent Off Licences and wine shops nationwide
California is all about the balancing of exuberant and widespread heat and often unrelenting sunshine, oh to have those problems and the issue of sudden and quite violent rains and on the coastal fringes constant fogs.
No one for a moment is going to suggest that making wine in California approaches the difficulties of many European wine regions, but in the case of Chardonnay as here and its Burgundy originated companion, Pinot Noir, it is not an easy thing to do well. Over baked, soft, jammy red wines and stretched and glutenous white wines can result. With Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel winemakers have it a great deal easier.
However here we have a fine and rare thing, a Californian wine that accepts the creamy, opulent lusciousness that comes with fine heat and works with this in organic certified vineyards and 3 generations of family expertise to give us a no holds barred ode to creamy, pleasure seeking, almost indulgent Chardonnay. There is lovely toasty, brioche, touches of hazelnut, with even a deeply unfashionable, buttery and caramel finish. It seems as if people want o criticise Californian Chardonnay like this for being to easily delicious. If that is the charge, this engaging wine is guilty. Try it and enjoy its easy, laid back and charming manners.
Villa Antinori , Toscano Rosso, IGT, Tuscanny 2010 around €20
Available from good Independent Off Licences including: World Wide Wijnes, Waterford; Mitchell and Sons, CHQ, IRSC and Glasthule Road, Glasthule; Martins Of Fairview, Marino Mart online at martinsofflicence.ie; Redmonds of Ranelagh; McCabes of Mount Merrion, Blackrock, County Dublin; Baggot Baggot Street Wines, Baggot Street, D4; McCambridges, Galway and Jus de Vine Portmarnock
The very opposite of the laid back Californian style in almost every way. The Tuscan aristocratic family of Marchesi Antinori have been at the heart of Italian wine for 26 generations. A good sign is they live in palatial splendour on Piazza Antinori, a sign that something has been going well in your business for some time now. It began in 1183 at their castle in Combiate for the Antinori family in military, silk and much later in 1385 with Giovanni di Piero Antinori in the wine businesses.
But despite this tardy arrival in wine they have made up for it, virtually inventing the modern Italian wine business from Chianti to SuperTuscans, which the current maquis inventing Tignanello and his cousin, Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta inventing Sassicaia. This wine benefits from this expertise and sourcing power it is quite an austere wine that will appeal in its savoury, leathery flavours to Bordeaux lovers and is a bit of a steal at €20. In Bordeaux this kind of quality could cost almost twice this. This pricing is the secret of New Italian wine and one of the reasons wine lovers should be looking this way over the next few years.
