Windy & cold January/09 wines...

- José Michel Brut. AOC Champagne (18.9 EUR) L11 07
Because we worth it. Because we need it.
I decide to clean the ferruginous tast of the preceding year drinking champagne. It looks a good way to begin the year, isn't it?
It's an easy champagne. Strong bakery smell, with hazelnut peelins and grapefruit. It's so easy that I would drink two magnums!

- Argile Rouge. Bouscassé. AOC Madiran (14,8 EUR)
Licquorized rippen red fruit. Ferrous and balsamic hints joined with a pinch of herbaceous notes. Rough and earthy sip. I expected a stronger character on it.

- Domain Chancelle, L'Epine 2007. Lydie et Thierry Chancelle. Appellation Saumur Contrôlée (8 EUR)
What an odd Sauvignon Blanc, was my thought while sipping... Hell, it's Chenin Blanc! Well, everybody can fail...
The matter is that we can find in this wine white flowers, a strong smell of meadow in the morning and a tight wine with an acidity that wouldn't fit to everybody's palate. At last it shows a touch of bitterness that gives an extra dimension to the wine. Nice wine in a blind shopping.

- Domain Chancelle, Les Guillemonts 2007. Lydie et Thierry Chancelle. Appellation Saumur Champigny (10 EUR)
The lazyness of the sales person in the wineshop convinced me to buy this bottle. Easy quaff, sort of young wine or MC... It sounds as enoughly positive adjectives to me. It's really this way. An easy quaff, with red fruit, acid strawberry and violets candies with a touch of black
olives. Slightly rough and a hint of stalk as the second voice. Nice wine for the dinner of the working days.

- Magnolia Blanco 2007. Jean Leon. DO Penedés (5.53 EUR)
A wine by Jean Leon unknown to me. Having an affordable price I decided to add it to the basket.
It's a nice wine. Light, flower-like, fresh. White flowers on the morning, honey with lemon juice and camomile tea. A touch of bitterness in each sip. It comes to three when paired with serrano ham sautée with green favas.

- Domaine Brana Irouleguy Axeria. Appellation Irouléguy Contrôlée. (20,2 EUR)
A big amount of tannins and astringency. At first quite disappointing smell, but it has a better sip than smell. With more hours it's more kind. Therefore it's much better the next day. This wine is really austere. Dry and distant but polite as an unknown gentleman. This wine requires food. First dish that comes to my mind is that traditional one called 'Botillo Berciano'.

- Nuviana 2007. Bodegas Nuviana. Valle del Cinca (2.42 EUR)
With this wine in the usual Daily Menu on budget restaurants the wine consumption would increase. It's a really easy wine, that doesn't give you any extra-pinch for the price you've paid. Even people who likes to add sparkling water or drinking sangria would enjoy using this wine.

- Blanco Nieva Sauvignon Blanc 2007. Viñedos del Nieva. DO Rueda (5.02 EUR)
Again a no-time-friday. I cook a fast greens stew and this wine is at my hand to be paired with the dish. It's still fine. Full of acidity and vividness and I even notice a slight touch of bubbles; maracuya and herbaceous hints. Nice wine.

- Gran Coronas Reserva 2004. Miguel Torres, S.A. DO Penedés (10.54 EUR)
You wouldn't notice this wine on the shelves if nobody tell you it's there. I reach it due to a post in the spanish side from Suiko. I've tasted this wine and I've to admit it's really a nice wine. There's an interesting game between the fruit, tobacco and leather. Moving and playing the different hints quite vividly. Despite the amount of CS in the coupage it's far of being one of this dark and thick CS I use to taste overhere. It's a light wine, being this a positive adjective. I'd try to see how it ages. It's been nicely paired with canelloni stuffed with pumpkin and pork meat.

Cheers,

Jose