Les Caves wines in the press
From The Guardian Saturday 27th July 2008
Tamellini Recioto di Soave Vigna Marogne 2004, Italy
Stockists: £19.85 for 500ml, Les Caves de Pyrene (lescaves.co.uk); 13.5% abv.
Description: Burnished gold, this sweet wine has a glossy, polished texture, and a taste reminiscent of wild flower honey, dried apricots, candied grapefruit peel and hay. It’s made by drying picked bunches of grapes for several months before pressing them.
Drink it with: A glass on its own, mid-afternoon, or try it with nectarines, thyme and mild goat’s cheese.
Score: 4 stars
From The Guardian Saturday 20th July 2008
..try Caveau de Bacchus Cuvée des Géologues 2002 Arbois, France (£12.99, Les Caves de Pyrene, lescaves.co.uk), which isn’t made from the red burgundy grape, but almost tastes as if it might be - this age-defying wine is like the most swooshy, silky, alpine-fresh pinot noir you could imagine.
What I like about Verdicchio di Matelica Colle Stefano Marche 2007, Italy (£8.99, Les Caves de Pyrene, lescaves.co.uk), is that for a split-second it feels like shooting stars or sherbet pips firing off in your mouth, then swerves into a more minerallic, sleekly fruity (pears and citrus) lively finish. It tingles with acidity that hides the tiny hint of sweetness that makes it really work against the smoke and salt of the bacon and with the caramelised scallops and sweetness of the peas. I have to admit that I’m quietly forgetting about the eggs here - egg yolks, boil - Sted or fried, tend to knock the middle out of a wine, but luckily there aren’t many of them..
From Jamie Goode’s Wine Anorak - Saturday 19th July 2008
Two wines from Hervé Souhaut at Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet in the northern Rhône. He has about 5 hectares of vines over the river from the Hermitage hill, so the wines are classified as Vin de Pays de l’Ardèche, but they are utterly beautiful, elegant creations, made from old vines with very little sulphur dioxide added. Elegantly packaged with their minimalist labels and black synthetic corks, these are wines of the moment – not designed to be cellared. Best served a little cooler than room temperature, too. [Unsurprisingly, in the UK these are available from Les Caves de Pyrene. No commercial connection, etc.]
Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet ‘La Souteronne’ Gamay 2007 Vin de Pays de l’Ardèche, France
Fresh, slightly sappy, herb-tinged nose. The palate has a lovely smooth texture and shows pure red cherry and cranberry fruit, with freshness, elegance and just a little spicy grip on the finish, making this a delightful, food-compatible wine of great purity. 91/100
Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet Syrah 2007 Vin de Pays de l’Ardèche, France
This is simply beautiful. There’s a distinctive cool-climate Syrah peppery kick on the nose, which is otherwise really pure and focused, with a gentle leafy character underneath the red fruits. The palate is beautifully supple, slightly sappy, and fantastically elegant, with real purity to the smoothly textured fruit. I guess the granite soils may have something to do with this: it’s light, but aromatic. Just 11.7% alcohol. 93/100
From Jamie Goode’s Wine Anorak Friday July 18th 2008
A deliciously full flavoured white from Luc Conti’s Tour des Gendres. Very stylishly packaged, too.
Chateau Tour des Gendres Bergerac Sec Muscadelle Petit Grain 2005 France
Nicely packaged with a musical score as a front label (can anyone read this?), this is a richly textured Muscadelle of real appeal. It’s quite complex, with notes of grapes, lemons, nuts and vanilla ice cream, as well as an almost floral, herby character. In the mouth it is quite thick, with a lush texture and a hint of pithy bitterness on the finish. It reminds me of a cross between an Alsace Pinot Gris and a rich Viognier. Quite a serious effort, and it also tastes quite modern in style, with fruit to the fore. 90/100 (Les Caves de Pyrene)