A new wine tasting club has sprung up in Clarkston, on the outskirts of Glasgow. It is the brainchild of Matthew and Shane, both from Oddbins Clarkston. The principle is simple. Get a maximum of 16 interested people together in the local 'Beanscene' and open 8 bottles of wine. The tasting was informal, aimed at the beginning enthusiast, but the wines were certainly diverse enough to please the more serious wine drinker. With Oddbins supplying all the wines, the cost could be kept low as well, which certainly meant value for money. Just what you need on a Sunday evening.

As this was the first one, the guys were very open to suggestions for follow up tastings, some of which could be more focussed on one area or grape variety, along the lines of our own panel tastings. I enjoyed this one because of its diversity though.

My top wine for the evening is the Murdoch James Pinot Noir from New Zealand. A great example of a very well made and balanced Pinot Noir, it puts many Burgundies to shame.

The Wines:
 

Cave de Lugny
Cremant de Bourgogne
Blanc des Blancs NV

Burgundy, France
£7.99 - Oddbins

Very light both in colour and nose. Mainly almonds on the nose. Quite light, fruity and elegant, but no great depth. Made from 100% Chardonnay. Don't expect the complexity of Champagne. As shown in the recent Panel Tasting Sparkling I'm not greatly impressed with the sparkling Burgundies. They just don't manage to deliver at this price point. Probably because they keep their best grapes for the still wines.

Le Fredis
Pinot Grigio 2004
Friuli, Italy
£7.99 - Oddbins

Pinot Grigio, how boring I hear you say. And often I would agree with that, but not this time. This is a more opulent style, grown in a small northern Italian region, producing some great quality wines.

A nice floral nose, very fresh. Relatively full bodied, serious, a hint of liquorice. Great balance. Well worth the extra couple of pounds.
 

Chateau Charron
Acacia 2001
Bordeaux, France
£9.49 - Oddbins

Deep straw coloured. The nose indicates a barrel fermented wine. Rich, some pineapple and the vanilla from the oak. Serious and old-fashioned. It is medium bodied, rich and full flavoured with malolactic characters, rather than the fresh fruitiness you might normally expect from a wine containing 30% Sauvignon Blanc. The other 70% is Semillon, which gives the wine its more full bodied character. This needs food to be appreciated properly.

Joubert-Tradauw
Chardonnay 2003
Klein Karou, South Africa
£8.99 - Oddbins

Not sure about this one, I'm afraid. It's Chardonnay, what can I say. Mainly vanilla and lemon, a bit of acidity on the palate, but I'm not greatly impressed. The previous wine has bags more character than this. And why on earth the massive 14.5% alcohol? Not worth the money for me.
 

Murdoch James
Pinot Noir 2004
Martinborough, New Zealand
£10.99 - Oddbins

Now we're talking. This is seriously good Pinot Noir. Coming from a relative newcomer on New Zealand's North Island, close to Wellington. Very light colour with a big pink rim. Beautiful, truffle nose, very fragrant. Good juicy acidity. Mainly cherries on the palate. Great length, I'm impressed. Decent price as well.
 

Finca Valpiedra
Rioja Reserva 1997
Rioja, Spain
£16.99 - Oddbins

Pretty hefty price tag for a reserva, but it's nice. A bit vegetal, I immediately pick up roast parsnips, reminding me of Christmas dinner. Lovely and warm. Jammy strawberry on the smooth palate. This would please most people with a nice roast dinner.

De Bortoli
Shiraz - Viognier 2004
Yarra Valley, Australia
£13.99 - Oddbins

A classis Cote Rotie (Northern Rhone Valley) blend of 95% Shiraz (Syrah) and a dollop of Viognier. The story goes that Viognier (a white grape) as a plant looks a lot like Syrah, and that the vines ended up mixed up in the vineyard. As they were picked and fermented at the same time, the winemakers found out that the Viognier added a lovely fruitiness to an otherwise hefty, spicy wine.

This one has a deep, spicy nose. Full bodied, hot black fruit and spice. Good length. A very popular wine this evening.

Masi
Corbec 2002
Mendoza, Argentina
£18.99 - Oddbins

Made from a blend of Corvina and Malbec in the style of an Italian Amarone. Masi is one of the classic Italian Amarone producers and makes this wine in very similar fashion. Picking late and then letting the grapes dry out to concentrate the flavours.

The wine is still very tannic and young. On the nose it doesn't yet give much away, orange peel and almonds and some alcohol. The palate is rich and strong, with spicy, candied fruit, but again still quite closed. The great length and the powerful tannins do indicate this could turn into something beautiful if you can wait. But with the Clarkston store only getting an allocation of 3 bottles, and we've just drunk one, supplies are bound to run out soon. Keep for a few years and drink with a nice stew.

Oddbins Tasting May 2005