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Lay & Wheeler Spring 2005 Range - Part 1

Lay & Wheeler's 2005 Spring range features a broad spread of wines, from summer quaffers to fairly serious reds and aged Sauternes, and I recently had the opportunity to taste a representative sample. This was a solid selection, with very few real duffers, but equally only a handful of wines that really excited. Prices given are from the Lay & Wheeler 2005 wine list. Today I start with the sparkling and white wines, including sweet wines. Tomorrow I will move onto the red wines.

Prices from Lay & Wheeler are given in brackets, and I have also included wine-searcher links for transparency. (7/6/05)

Tasting Notes - Sparkling & White Wines

Tasted in May 2005. Click for stockists:

De Faveri Prosecco dei Colli Trevigniani Frizzantre NV: Very pale. Fresh and grapey nose. Clean, fresh mousse. Good acid. Sweet. Herbal. Somewhat harsh character on the palate. 13/20 (£8.45)

Sieur d'Arques Blanquette de Limoux Brut 1531 Grande Cuveeee d'Aimery NV: A good nose, oak influenced. Full, characterful, rounded palate. This has freshness despite the obvious oak. But slightly hard. 14.5/20 (£8.45)

Chateau Gaudrelle Vouvray Brut 2002: Aromatic, good Chenin character; a slightly honeyed nose. Warm, rounded, cotton wool mouthfeel. Fresh, with green apples and honey. Good character, slightly biting mousse, firm and with a nice finish. I like this. 16/20 (£10.25)

Bernard Remy Champagne Carte Blanche Brut NV: Good nose. Full-on, bready, crystalline fruit profile. Caramel edge. Simple, textured, slightly creamy palate. Soft mousse, which fades a little too quickly. Decent acidity though. Nice style. 15/20 (£16.95)

Pol Roger Brut Réserve Champagne NV: Finesse here. Light bready notes, with white fruits. A light bead. Quite sharp acidity, firm and persistent mousse, and a somewhat angular finish. I think this just needs a year or so in the cellar. 15.5+/20 (£25.75)

Gobillard Rosé Champagne NV: Slightly dirty nose. Otherwise rather muted. Simple palate, slightly foamy mousse. Dull, leafy palate, with some red fruit notes. Lacks impact. Simple. 13/20 (£17.75)

Chateau Gaudrelle Vouvray 2003: Muted nose. Some wet wool. Nice weight. Subtle honey and rock notes. Rounded, honeyed texture on the midpalate. Honeycomb finish, although it's all played down somewhat today; perhaps with time it will open up. Decent acidity - just a little on the low side. 15.5+/20 (£8.95)

Jean-Pierre Grossot Chablis La Part des Anges 2003: Simple nose. Some chalky, mineral notes. Opens out to reveal a twist of honey. Round, lean although with a honey note, unfocussed palate. No acidity. Soft, lacks balance. To be avoided. 12/20 (£11.65)

Domaine de Vauroux Chablis Premier Cru Montmains 2003: Good character here. Rocky, mineral nose. Plump palate, soft, with low acidity, although with good mineral and rock typicity. A little peppery spice provides a little backbone, but lacks grip, acidity and balance. 12.5/20 (£12.95)

Domaine Pinson Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu 2003: A little more intensity here. Honey and rocks. A little broader, more expressive. Nice, rounded, honeyed mineral character. The style I like, but again it is soft, unfocussed, lacking balance. 13/20 (£14.95)

Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Premier Cru Montée de Tonnerre 2003: More precision here. Fine, crushed rocks. Good texture. Broad, with depth, and good chaacter. But it is a soft, low acid style. Clearly this has been a difficult vintage for Chablis. 13.5/20 (£17.95)

Roger Belland Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Morgeot Clos Pitois 2002: Fine, toasty, expressive nose here. Precise, leafy white fruit. Fresh. Moderate weight. A little lean perhaps. Still very primary. Good, firm finish. Has very good potential though. Needs 3-5 years. 16+/20 (£27.95)

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) 2003: Youthful. Herbal. A little mineral and slate. Lovely, precise palate. Considerable level of sweetness and texture for this prädikat, reflecting vintage conditions. Chalky, mineral notes. Plush, rich. Needs cellar time, and even with just moderate acidity it should go ten years with ease. 15.5+/20 (£11.95)

Fattoria Coroncino Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Il Bacco 2003: Pleasing nose. Sweet, candied tropical fruit. Good acids on the palate. Fresh, slightly oily, herbal yet tropical fruit. Decent flavour here. A little persistence. This is pretty good. 15.5/20 (£7.95)

Pierpaolo Pecorari Friuli-Venezia Giulia Chardonnay 2003: Good fruit character. Smoky, candied edge. Sweet, slightly toasty fruit. Again that strange candied character on the palate. Sweet, cherry-herbal notes too. Unusual. Good acidity though. 14/20 (£10.75)

Lagar de Cervera Albariño (Rias Baixas, Spain) 2004: Fresh, aromatic, herbal, with slightly mineral, floral, lychee fruit. Simple, fresh, aromatic palate. Good peppery acidity through the midpalate. Some body, but lacks precision. Sherbetty finish. 15/20 (£11.95)

Lawson's Dry Hills Riesling (Marlborough, NZ) 2004: Precise nose, with some hints of honeycomb richness. Firm acidity, fresh style A little lacking in concentration. But the nuances found on the nose, with peppery fruit. Good. 15/20 (£8.95)

Staete Landt Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, NZ) 2004: Powerful, focussed nose. Tinned marrowfat peas, pungently grassy, with buttercream notes. Similar very green character on the palate, although with good body. Simple. Peppery acidity. Rather tarty in my opinion. 14.5/20 (£10.45)

Greenhough Hope Vineyard Chardonnay (Nelson, NZ) 2003: Fresh, toasty oak. Oak dominated palate also. A little astringent bitterness accompanies this. I struggle to find any sign of the Chardonnay fruit. Slightly oily (barrel influenced?) texture, very firm, with a little grip. Not my style of Chardonnay. 14/20 (£15.45)

Dominique Portet Sauvignon Blanc (Victoria, Australia) 2004: Very green and herbal. A smoky, mineral element too. This is good, although it is full of in your face grassy methoxypyrazine character. Fresh, mineral-laced, slightly plump grass and greengage palate. Good. 16/20 (£9.95)

Tamar Ridge Riesling (Northern Tasmania, Australia) 2003: Lime and steel; full-fruited, in your face. Round, creamy-edged palate. Great, precise character. Limes with a little toast. Firm acidity. Very nice effort. 16/20 (£9.95)

Chateau Guiraud (Sauternes) 1989: Brilliant nose; honey, oranges, marmalade, with a moderate presence of botrytis. Full, creamy palate, balanced with fresh acidity. Broad, stylish. Touch of opulent weight, but maintains a stylish character. Lovely finish with good length. Drink now and over the next ten years. 18.5/20 (£39.95)

Part 2: Red wines from the Lay & Wheeler Spring 2005 range.