O'Briens Wine Blog

 

 

Our Ultimate Christmas Case containes our fail-safe suggestions for Christmas day wines but what about the rest of the holidays.  Here are some ideas on what should be nestling in our wine racks and fridges over the festivities -  easy drinking styles at very accessable prices.

Fizz First

Every time for parties, aperitifs and unexpected guests La Pieve Prosecco should be kept in the fridge at all times. Its delicate sparkle and off dry style appeals to all and adds to the occasion. Its great with nibbles and tapas but also with desserts and fruit.

The Banker White
This Christmas it is without doubt Domaine Duffour from Gascony in France. Zingy on the nose and palate with a ripe but dry flavour its perfect alone or with pasta, white meats, fish and cheese and amazing value if you have a crowd to cater for.

Red Red Wine
Stay close to Chateau Reumary - it not only looks classy but it punches above its price in terms of quality. From the Languedoc in France its has plenty of ripe red berry fruits but critically it has supple soft tannins that add structure but dont dominate the wine. Great with any pasta, meat dishes and cheeses may even convert some people who dont like red wine.

Sweet Surrender
For a sweet treat over the holidays the Longview Epitome Late Harvest Riesling is the clear winner. Its also perfect with blue cheeses such as Roquefort or Cashel Blue for a food match to impress foodie friends.

The O’Briens Annual Fine Wine Sale starts this Thursday 17th November and runs until Sunday 20th. With up to 43% off specially selected Bordeaux, Burgundy, Amarone & more, this is a unique opportunity to pick up some exceptional gifts and treats for the festive season!

This offer is not currently available online due to limited stocks, but please contact our sales team on 1850 269777  who will be happy to facilitate your order.

Ascheri Barolo Coste & Bricco 2006 Was €44.99 Now €26.99 Save 40%

4**** Decanter Magazine,  Aug 2011 - “Coffee, chocolate, spice, sage, cedar and cherry    fruit bouquet. Bright and uplifting palate with chewy tannins. A seamless traditional style and lovely dark berried fruit quality. Elegant and inviting.”

Château Cordeillan-Bages 1997 Was €39.99 Now €22.99 Save 43%

Owned and run by the Cazes family of Château Lynch-Bages, this is a beautiful, fragrant, truffley Pauillac that is drinking perfectly right now. Everything about this shows that it is at ideal maturity, decant and enjoy over Christmas.

Château Lynch Moussas 2008 Was €35 Now €24.99 Save 29%

 “A dark plum/ruby garnet colour is accompanied by aromas of damp earth, forest floor and sweet red and black currant fruit, ripe tannin and medium body. This well-made effort can be enjoyed now and over the next 7-10 years.” - Robert Parker’s  Wine Advocate, May 2011.

Château Giscours 2008 Was €49.00 Now €34.99 Save 29%

Rated ‘Outstanding’ 90 Points Robert Parker - “Dark plum/garnet, this elegant, medium to full-bodied, beguiling, seductive 2008 is a sleeper of the vintage. Round and silky-smooth with lovely black cherry and black currant fruit imbued with touches of smoke, herbs and earth, this relatively evolved effort is best consumed over the next 15-17 years.” RP

Château Lynch Bages 2008 Was €115 Now €65 Save 43%

Rated ‘Outstanding’ 94 Points Robert Parker - “A sensational effort for the vintage, this textured, opulent, superb Lynch Bages is already strutting its stuff and should easily last for 20 years. Medium to full-bodied with an opaque dense purple colour, notes of flowers and cassis, a layered texture that builds incrementally in the mouth and tremendous purity and depth, it can be drunk now or cellared for two decades or more. Bravo!” RP

Musella Amarone Riserva 2006 Was €48.99 Now €28.99 Save 41%

Rated ‘Outstanding’ 94 Points Wine Spectator - “A lovely wine, displaying overall style and elegance, as well as a core of intriguing spice flavours that are wrapped in layers of cherry compote, damson plum preserves, dark chocolate shavings and spicy tobacco notes. There’s fine integration here, with an overall vibrancy. The long, spicy finish shows just a hint of tannins” AN

Sierra Cantabria Coleccion Privada 2007 Was €36.99 Now €23.99 Save 35%

Rated ‘Outstanding’ 94 Parker Points - “…exceptionally perfumed nose of sandalwood, incense, violets, truffle, and wild black berries. Opulent and succulently-fruited on the palate, this already complex wine will blossom over the next 5-6 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2015 to 2027 if not longer.” JM

Campogiovanni Brunello 2006 Was €34.99 Now €24.99 Save 29%

Rated ‘Extraordinary’ 96 Points Wine Spectator – “Liquorice, sweet spices, toast, smoke and sanguine aromas and flavours envelop a kernel of raspberry in this intense, extroverted red, which is complex, focused and structured, with an expansive finish. There’s fine potential, but needs time. Best from 2014 through 2027″

Antinori Tignanello 2008 Was €80 Now €55 Save 31%

Rated ‘Outstanding’ 94 Parker Points - “The 2008 Tignanello is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. The 2008 isn’t a huge or obvious Tignanello, rather it is a wine that impresses for its sublime elegance and precision. …. In 2008 the Tignanello has more energy, focus and length than the Solaia. It is a fabulous achievement!” BS

Torres Mas la Plana 2007 Was €44.99 Now €32.00 Save 29%

Rated ‘Outstanding’ 93 Parker Points - “It opens in the glass to reveal a smooth texture, elegant personality, and enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years. Nicely proportioned and with excellent volume, it has a drinking window that extends from 2014 to 2027″ JM

Smith Woodhouse Vintage 2007 Was €59.99 Now €34.99 Save 42%

Rated ‘Outstanding’ 91 Parker Points - “An alluring bouquet of mineral, pencil lead, espresso, violets, black currant, and fruitcake. Dense and structured on the palate, it has an excellent integration of alcohol, acidity, and tannin. It should be one of the longer lived wines of the vintage with 12-15+ years of aging potential and a drinking window extending through 2037″ JM

 And many more fine wines available instore!

Promotion ends Sunday 20th November. Shop stocks only. Quotas apply. Instore Only.

Ranked No.2 in the World!

Ranked No.2 in the Top 100 Best Buys in the World by  influential magazine Wine Enthusiast. 

“One of the best deals in Spanish red wine you’re likely to find. Protocolo has always delivered value but this vintage sets a new high standard”

“It’s deep, ripe and minty on the nose, with berry power foretelling a pure, lush palate that’s packed with berry flavors and light herbal shadings. Impressive and super tasty, especially given the price.”

A long term favourite with staff and customers alike, Protocolo is celebrated winemaker Marcus Eguren’s tribute to great, everyday wine. Made from 100% Tempranillo and aged 6 months in oak the 2009 vintage is in store now or order on line here.

Dreadnought has done it again, following up on the extraordinary success of the 2008 vintage* the 2009 vintage has gone one step further. Not only did it pick up gold at the International Wine Challenge 2011 but it has gone on to win two Trophies -Best Waiheke Island  Wine and Best New Zealand Syrah.

Our 110 case allocation of this cult wine will sell out pretty quickly so if you want to taste one of the best new wines from the southern hemisphere then grab it while you can: Dreadnought Syrah 2009

Man O’War Vineyards Dreadnought Syrah 2009

Our judges said:

Opaque, vinous and meaty on the nose, ripe fruit with violet, floral intensity on the palate. Delightful purity of fruit with juicy flavours, the tannins are fine and quite fresh on the finish.

(*Gold Medal in the 2010 International Wine Challenge and Decanter World Wine Awards)

Bordeaux Vintage: 2010 –  the Low-down

 Well another En Primeur marathon tasting was completed last week. The guts of 300 wines  passed over our palates and for few days turned our teeth liquorice black. The major and minor classified growths were covered and a host of St. Emilions, Pomerols and some of the other admittedly less fashionable but hugely impressive right bank wines and left bank Cru Bourgeois

Superstar Pauillac.Pontet-Canet

 Below I hope to answer the pressing questions of the vintage.

What impressed you most?  St.Julien, Pauillac, St. Estèphe and Pomerol.

 Are the wines better than 2009?         For the most part not quite; although there are many extraordinary wines in this vintage it lacks the overall consistent brilliance of 2009. These were much tougher wines to taste with high levels of tannin, extract and acidity but when managed correctly there was incredible fruit too. Perhaps only St. Estèphe as a commune surpassed the ‘09s with Pauillac and St.Julian about level with ’09.

How are these wines likely to be priced? Unfortunately the high release price of the 2009s has set a new bar in Bordeaux. The fact that these wine not only sold but have already risen hugely in value means that many of the top wines will release at prices that are as high if not a little higher than 2009. No one doubts however that pricess for the first gowths and the top Right Bankers will be through the roof.

Less prestigious wines will hopefully be a little more sensible. Fingers crossed.

Wine Geese. Lynch-Bages

How were the Irish Favourites?  The so called Irish Wine Geese Château have had a great year of it, as already mentioned St. Estèphe flourished and Château Phélan Ségur has reached new heights and we are tipping it strongly as a solid buy. The 2010 was the star Phélan in a vertical tasting going back as far as 2001 – which incidentally was tasting beautifully.

Anthony Barton

Lynch-Bages is on form at the moment and  has followed up the excellent 2009 with wine that is as good if potentially not better!

Luck would have it that Anthony Barton himself was there on hand to discuss the merits of a vintage in which Leoville-Barton was not far behind the extraordinary and very  fairly priced 2009 – Langoa-Barton, I would argue, is the best I have tasted and just about eclipses the 2009!”

What is your Top Tip?     See below for the wines that impressed us the most relative to value but pay particular attention this year to sumptuous Pomerols and ultra reliable St. Juliens – even the small family of St. Julien Cru Bourgeois were irresistible and should offer great value. Once again there is a terrific value/quality ratio to be found in a collection of modern, forward looking Cru Bourgeois such as Clément-Pichon, de Pez, Ormes de Pez, Siran and many others. 

Dessert Island picks from the Left Bank?   6 bottles of Poyferré and 6 bottles of Lalande please

 Dessert Island Pick from the Right Bank? 12 bottles of Pavie-Macquin thank you very much.

Taking into account last years prices and perceived value for money – Which Châteaux  were the stars of their appellations – excluding the perfect scoring /sure to be stratospherically priced 1^st Growths?

Left Bank                                                     

St. Estèphe: 1. Phélan Ségur 2. Lafon-Rochet   3. Ormes de Pez               

Pauillac:  1. Pichon-Lalande    2. Pichon Baron.  3. Pontet-Canet 

St. Julien:     1. Léoville Poyferré 2. Léoville Barton 3. Gruaud Larose  

Margaux:      1. Rauzan-Ségla  2. Giscours 3. Kirwan

Listrac /Moulis/ Medoc: 1. Sociando- Mallet 2. Cantemerle 3. Poujeaux

Graves/Pessac Reds 1.Pape Clement 2. Domaine de Chevalier 3. Haut-Bergey 

Left Bank   

St.Emilion   1. Pavie-Macquin   2.Figeac   3. Troplong Mondot 

Pomerol      1. La Conseillante    2. Clinet   3. Petit Village   

Other Right Bank   1. Château Gaby  2. Chât. de Chambrun 3. La Sergue

What is En primeur:  Many of these wines will be released for sale over the next few months as “Futures”. They are sold whilst still in barrel and will not land in Ireland until Spring 2013. The big advantage of this early buying is that customers have the opportunity to buy top class Bordeaux at the lowest possible price. This will be a pricey vintage but if the last two vintages are anything to go by the value of the wine can only go up, so buying early can be a good investment…but it is not gauranteed.

 At least when buying fine  wine it is one of the few investments you can physicallly enjoy if you decide not to sell up your lots!

We will begin our En Primeur sales in a couple of weeks if you are not already on our current list and would like to be contacted on the offers please fill out the form below.

PRE DINNER DRINKS :  Beaumont des Crayers Champagne France
“ a real class act “ Ernie Whalley – Evening Herald

FOR STATERS : Bethany Semillon Barossa Australia
“ soft and mature Semillon” Thomas Clancy – Sunday Business Post

FOR TURKEY & OTHER BIRDS : Ecco Balance Pinot Noir Chile “This has attractive cherry and strawberry fruit flavours with, crucially, a smooth low tannin texture. It’s just the thing to wash down turkey, ham or stuffing and its organic to boot” Martin Moran- Movies & Booze Newstalk Radio

 Chablis Domaine Sainte Claire Jean Marc Brocard France : “ this beauty is classic Chablis, bone dry with layers of delicious lemony and flinty green crisp apple fruit”   Liam Campbell – The Dubliner

 
FOR DESSERT: Royal Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos “honey rasins with a touch of orange rind and tinned apricots “ Thomas Clancy – Sunday Business Post

FOR THE WINE RACK :-   Joel Delauny Sauvignon Blanc France “  Fresh, forward, and enticingly aromatic, this Sauvignon is brimming with delicious crisp green fruits and a snappy dry finish. Worth considering as a party wine too.” John Wilson – Irish Times Magazine

Vieux Chateau des Combes Saint Emilion “ excellent Bordeaux at a great price based on merlot – red berry fruit flavours it is easy drinking with ripe soft tannins”  Mathew Nugent – Irish Mail On Sunday

Protocolo, Spain : “ unbelievable elegance for €7.99”
Ernie Whalley – Evening Herald

Seguin-Manuel Savigny-les-Beaune Goudelettes 2008

” – do Christmas is style with this delightful new arrival that gives a hint of the greatness of white Burgundy in its unfolding layers. Concentrated, firm and well balanced, with trademark Burgundian nuttiness, creamy fruit and gingery spice, with a long fresh finish.”

CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE BURGUNDY OFFER

We set off to Beaune last February to secure our allocation of tiny production white and red burgundy 2008. The idea was to concentrate our energy on small family producers who we knew to be excellent but did not export to Ireland.

Sticking to our philosophy we have imported this selection directly in order to offer our customers good value for money. We made the decision to ship after the summer but still used refrigerated transport to protect our precious cargo from temperature variation.

Being totally wedded to the concept of terroir our producers make wine in the vineyard. Terroir does not just translate as soil it encompasses micro climate, site exposure, grape variety, soil, geology, the flora and fauna and of course the hand of man.

Burgundy is where terroir was created by the Cistercian monks who actually tasted the individual soils in order to classify the vineyards. The size of the plots some smaller than a hectare were defined in this way whether limestone, marl or clay and the main classifications are still in place today.

The 2008 vintage was a challenge as it rained during August but it was saved in September by a Northerly wind which dried the vineyards and allowed the sun to ripen the grapes. Good producers also sorted the grapes by hand before pressing to ensure the quality.

The Christmas Boutique Burgundy wines are available in tiny quantities so please order early to secure your stock.

Peter Saturno – Owner – Longview Adelaide Hills, Australia
“The flight from Adelaide to Dublin includes 3 stops and is one of the most difficult legs any traveller will have to endure. Once arriving in Dublin and catching up with the O’Briens team the flight all seems worth it, the jetlag doesn’t seem to affect you when Kevin O’Brien is cracking jokes. “
There is an air of excitement in Dublin not only because it has been given more money from the European Union but “Taste of Christmas” Dublin is occurring this weekend – so pop along and say hello.
The team have got me visiting most of the stores before the big weekend event and although I am flat out busy I can’t wait to sink my teeth in to a pint or two of Guinness. This is my first trip to Ireland since O’Briens took Longview on an Exclusive brand. The wines have all been received with excellent response and people seem to love the funky new labelling.
I guess the first things to mention when describing Longview is Family Owned, Estate Grown and Cool Climate. These things are all important in the world of wine as being Family owned and operated we control everything from start to finish. This can also be said for our wines, every drop of Longview comes from our Family estate and thus we control the quality. Even when we have a difficult vintage we control how much we make of a wine or if we decide not to make one at all. Finally we are based in the premium cool climate region named the Adelaide Hills and this is important for balance and structure but more importantly wines that work perfectly with food.

Peter Saturno

Guests received a glass of Vina Esmerelda on arrival before a short film. Miguel then outlined his personal insight into the climatic influences of the mountains and sea surrounding Chile and how they impact on the wines. These geological and climatic influences along with vines which have not been grafted gives Chiles a unique growing regions with extensive plantings of healthy vines above fifty years of age still common.

The wines tasted are available through our stores or web site:

We started with the Cordillera Chardonnay Viognier (Chile) – elegant with exotic undertones, ripe fruit with good balancing acidity.

Next came the Ibericos Rioja ( Spain ) – Rich black fruits of blueberries and blackberries with the vanilla tones of new French oak.

The Celeste Ribera del Duero ( Spain ) was spicy, intense and ripe along with notable ripe tannins.

Cordillera ( Chile ) – this was very well received silky tannins, blueberry fruit with clove tobacco and pepper character.

Manso de Valesco (Chile ) – stunning well everyones star of the nights – violet colour, ripe red fruits with spicy undertones powerful but elegant.

The tasting showed not only the diversity of wine styles produced not just by the different grapes but also the individual, careful and specific approach Torres takes to each wine within each region and country.