Make Mine A Double

Wine Review: Aldi Specially Selected Limoux Chardonnay and Bekaa Valley Red

I might well be late to this party, but if there are either of these wines still available from Aldi’s Specially Selected range then you should definitely pop them in your trolley.

Aldi Specially Selected Limoux Chardonnay 2020

Specially Selected Limoux Chardonnay

Limoux is in the Languedoc and is most widely known for its sparkling wine production: Blanquette de Limoux, Blanquette méthode ancestrale and Crémant de Limoux. Blanquette is the local name for the Mauzac grape which stars in the first two sparklers and can feature in the Crémant. It also plays a part in the still white wine known simply as Limoux, though Chardonnay and / or Chenin Blanc are also used.

This wine is 100% Chardonnay and is made by Jean-Claude Mas. It pours as a light gold which hints at the taste profile to come. The nose is a combination of bright pineapple and cream. The palate is intensely creamy with succulent yet restrained tropical (pineapple, mango) and stone fruit (peach, apricot). This is an enticing but not overly indulgent wine with a crisp, very long finish.

I loved this wine and it shows how good French Chardonnay can be outside Burgundy.

  • ABV: 13.5%
  • RRP: €9.99
  • Source: sample*
  • Stockists: Aldi stores and aldi.ie

Aldi Specially Selected Bekaa Valley Lebanese Red 2019

Specially Selected Bekaa Valley Lebanese Red

This bottle stood out to me as being very unusual for a discount supermarket as it’s from Lebanon. Yes, Lebanon has a long and noble history of winemaking, but it rarely impinges on the consciousness of the supermarket shopper. Wine connoisseurs know of the great Chateau** Musar and perhaps a few others like Château Ksara and Château Kefraya, but even for them that’s about as far as it goes. So, how is this inexpensive Lebanese red?

In the glass it pours a medium to dark red, not quite opaque. The nose shows ripe brambles and cocoa powder, very appealing at this time of year. The palate is initially somewhat earthy, with a slab of dark chocolate thrown in for good measure. Then red and black fruit follow through: cherries, plums and blackberries in particular. It also has a real garrigue aspect to it with rosemary and thyme notes. The finish is dry with fine, dusty tannins. With a little time in the glass the earthy notes die down a little and the fruit shines even more.

With rich fruit and herbs this Bekaa Valley red cries out for food – I’m thinking roast lamb, or lamb chops,, or lamb stew….you get the idea.

  • ABV: 14.5%
  • RRP: €10.99
  • Source: sample
  • Stockists: Aldi stores and aldi.ie

* I liked this wine enough to buy the remaining stock at my local Aldi.

** Yes I’m really particular about spelling French Châteaux names properly, but if a producer from another country wants to drop the circumflex then I’m going with their spelling.


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Opinion

Frankly Wines Top 10 Value Whites of 2017

2017 was another fantastic year of wine and I’ve been lucky to taste a great many superb wines.  For the first time, this year my Top 10s include Value Whites and Value Reds as lower priced wines often lie in the shadow of their more expensive counterparts.  Even so, there were many wines I had to leave off these lists.  Let me know what your favourites were in the comments!

10.  Gaia Monograph Assyrtiko 2016 (13.0%, RRP €14.95)

Gaia Monograph Assyrtiko

Whereas the big brother Wild Ferment Assyrtiko comes from the variety’s home in Santorini, the Monograph is sourced from Nemea which is also well known for its red wines, particularly Agiorgitiko.  The Monograph is a cleaner, straight-up style without any wild yeast or barrel-fermentation characters, but is a true expression of the grape itself.

9. Vale da Capucha VR Lisboa Fossil Branco 2014 (14.0%, RRP €18.00)

Fossil

If ever there was a wine which added weight to the theory of soil types directly affecting wine taste, this is it, the very mineral “Fossil” made from vines grown on limestone on the coast just north of Lisbon.  Local grapes Arinto, Gouveio and Fernão Pires combine to give floral aromas with a palate of soft white fruit with a wide streak of minerality.  Refreshing to sip on its own, this also make a great match for seafood.

8. Callia “Alta” Pinot Grigio 2016 (13.5%, RRP 12.99)

Pinot Grigio

My general dislike of disinterest in Pinot Grigio is well documented, though it does have a few exceptions.  And any wine that gets included on one of my top 10 lists must be exceptional – and this is!  It has recognisable Grigio qualities (indeed some which make it as far as being Pinot Gris-like) but without the diluteness and general lack of flavour that much of the mass-produced Italian swill exhibits.  Lovely drinking.

7. Château Martinolles Limoux Vieilles Vignes 2015 (13.5%, RRP €15.00)

Martinolles Limoux Vieilles Vignes

Although Burgundy is thought to be the birthplace of Chardonnay and is still its spiritual home, the prestige of the region means that value for money is often better sought elsewhere.  Normally that would be in the New World, but Limoux in the Languedoc is an alternative closer to home.  As it’s in the south of France we tend to think of the Languedoc as being very warm and only good for bulk wine, but excellence is being rediscovered and cooler subregions are making some great wine.  There’s a fair bit of oak here but actually more creamy lees character .  Cracking Chardy for the money!

6. Domaine Eloy Saint-Véran 2016 (13.0%, RRP €14.99)

Domaine Eloy Saint Veran

Saint-Véran is one of my go-to Burgundy appellations.  Of course the producer still makes a big difference, but my experience has been generally very positive with this Mâconnais area across the board, despite a reasonable price tag (for Burgundy!)  This was full of peach and pear with a slight nuttiness to it.  Given a big thumbs up by DNS Wineclub!

5. Viña Leyda Falaris Hill Chardonnay 2015 (14.0%, RRP €16.95)

leyda-falaris-chardonnay_1

For me this single vineyard Chardonnay represents even better value for money than its slightly less expensive counterpart, Leyda’s Reserva Chardonnay.  The fruit is ripe but still fresh, and sitting on a nice cushion of oak (25% new).  This isn’t the Chardonnay to convert haters, or even those sitting on the fence, but those who like it will love it.

4. Loosen Dr L Riesling 2015 (8.5%, RRP €14.00)

Dr L Mosel Riesling 2015

Riesling is perhaps the one grape that separates dabblers in wine from true wine lovers, though it’s rarely seen in supermarkets, so it’s at the multiples and independents where Riesling has a loving home.  The current fashion for Riesling is to be dry, which can mean austere when acidity is very high.  The Mosel tradition is to leave a fair bit of residual sugar to balance the acidity, for the entry level wines at least.  Dr Loosen makes the archetype, with the sugar and acidity combining to reinforce the zesty fruitiness.  Such a delicious wine that can be drunk at any time.

3. Vía Arxéntea Monterrei 2016 (14.0%, RRP €14.95)

Vía Arxéntea Treixadura Godello Monterrei

Treixadura and Godello share equal billing on this beauty from Galicia’s smallest DO, Monterrei.  It’s something of an enigma with tropical fruit, smokiness, minerality and freshness all rolled together.  You might enjoy dissecting its elements at your leisure, but the reality is that this delicious blend is a quaffer’s delight!

2. Mandrarossa “Ciaca Bianca” Fiano Sicilia 2016 (13.5%, RRP €15.95)

mandrarossa fiano ciaca bianca sicilia

Fiano is one of the newly rediscovered grapes that are starting to get a lot of notice.  Of course, they never went away – investment in modern winemaking equipment and a search for the new came together with some lovely clean, unoaked, well-crafted wines.  Compared to the other Fianos I have tried, however, this is something of an outlier – it just has so much flavour!  I got this as a present for my Marlborough Sauvignon-loving sister in law and she sang its praises.  This is a must-try wine.

1. Paul Ginglinger Alsace Pinot Blanc 2015 (13.0%, RRP €18.50)

Paul Ginglinger Pinot Blanc

And so it is.  What else could top my Top 10 value wines, if not a wine from my favourite white wine region of the world and one that is made with an undervalued grape: Alsace Pinot Blanc.  This is an unoaked example but is still pithy, with some nice texture.  It shows a nice array of fruit, from soft apple and pear through to refreshing citrus.  A remarkable wine for not that much money!.