Sarah McCleery gets the Framingham goosebumps
Goose bumps! I love it when I come across a wine so good it makes me shiver. I must have tasted a couple of hundred wines yesterday but only once did I have that feeling.
The highlight of my day came courtesy of Gateshead-born Andrew Hedley who has been head winemaker at Framingham Wines, Marlborough, New Zealand since 2002.
Andrew’s a Geordie with a particular passion for Riesling and he has certainly got a deft touch when it comes to delivering elegant wines from this unfathomably unfashionable grape variety.
Framingham Classic Riesling 2009 (£10.99) is a fragrant, uplifting wine with notes of tangerine, lemon, sweet pea and honey. It is off-dry, perfectly-balanced and delightfully refreshing.
I went weak at the knees for the Select Riesling 2008 (£13.99) which is still very much in its infancy and will improve in the coming five years or so. It’s perfectly-poised with a more mineral edge than the Classic, achieving ideal balance between the residual sugar and bright, invigorating acidity. Given the 7.5% alcohol and 62g/litre residual sugar I’m squirreling it away to serve up with a fruit-based pudding in the summer… or, if I crack, as an apéritif, before then.
From the same estate there is also an impressive Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (£9.99) which, given the price of New Zealand wines generally, is exceedingly good value. I was equally taken with the Old World-style Pinot Noir 2008 (£12.99) which is decidedly Burgundian in style and an absolute bargain.
To buy:
Les Caves de Pyrène, Pew Corner, Old Portsmouth Road, Guildford, GU3 1LP
Tel: 01483 538820 Web: http://www.lescaves.co.uk
The round of tastings of Burgundy 2008 en-Primeur is now in full-swing and I will be in touch soon with edited highlights.
Best wishes
Sarah