Domaine Trapet Pere & Fils, Marsannay AOC 2001, Gevrey-Chambertin Cote d'Or,2001, Burgundy, France

Intense dirty ruby red colour with a small amount of sediment. A Beautiful medium intensity aromas of manure, freshly dug vegetables, wet leather and subtle strawberry. Extremely soft light tannins with good acidity, and flavours of stewed strawberries, raspberry, and smoke, with a soft silky long finish. This is a dusty bottle that has been cellared for about 4 years. I think it was a bottle that my brother left me when he moved back to Australia so to buy this now would cost about £90. But everything about this wine shows why Burgundy is still king of Pinot Noir.

Rating: 9/10

Santa Julia Viognier, Mendoza, Argentina

Clear pale lemon in colour with a very slight aroma of lemon and limes. Medium intensity tropical fruits, medium acidity, medium bodied and with a short finish. Not a great example of new world viognier, but ok for only £5.99.

The White Viognier, 2006 Burton Vineyards, High Eden, Australia £8.49

Lemon straw colour with a medium intensity aromas of toasted oak, vanilla and lemon. The palate has intense apricot nector, lemon, and green grass. Full bodied with high acidity and a long lingering floral finish. A great high altitude Viognier made by on of the most inspirational winemakers in Australia.

The Black Shiraz, Berton Vineyards, High eden, Australia 2006 £8.49

The Black Shiraz certainly lives up to its name with an inky black colour that is opaque and shows long legs due to the high alcohol content and body.
Abundant intense aromas of black cherries, dark chocolate, liquorice, white pepper and freshly sawn pine combine to give a sweet refreshing nose.
The palate shows flavours of plums, black cherries, figs and a slight hint of smoke and spice, combined with medium body and fairly high acidity to give a nice enjoyable finish that leaves your taste buds waiting for that next sip.

Vistamar Sepia Pinot Noir, 2006, Casablanca Valley, Chile £5.99

Vibrant ruby red colour with aromas of smoke, chocolate and wild flowers. The palate has intense strawberry flavours with a medium length smokey finish. The high acidity and light bodied nature of this wine make it extremely easy to drink and at this price I dare anyone to find a better value Pinot Noir from anywhere in the world.
Rating: 8/10

Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir 2005, Central Coast, California, Usa £6.99

Tawny red in colour with a pale rim. This wine exhibits aromas of cigar box, cloves and black cherries with a palate of under-ripe plums. This wine has high acidity and a short finish, but has no tannin which makes me think that it was produced using Carbonic Maceration. (This is the process of placing whole bunches of grapes in a vat under a blanket of carbon dioxide. The fermentation begins and in the absence of yeast the grapes own enzymes cause the fermentation, the result is good colour extraction from the skins, but no tannin, and a soft fruity palate.)
Rating: 5/10

Lycee Viticole Beaune Premiere Cru, Cote d'Or 2002, Burgundy, France £18.95

This wine is at the other end of the burgundy spectrum, being made from Premiere Cru grapes at the wine school in Beaune. This is actually one of the wines I sell in my current job and have customers selling this wine for about £120 a bottle in restaurants in Knightsbridge, London. This is the kind of Burgundy that can age for a considerable length of time and will continue to develop smooth round flavours.

Rich ruby red colours with aromas of subtle ripe raspberry. The palate exhibits typical Cru Burgundy flavours of strawberry and cherry and a smokey herbaceous finish that goes on forever. The high levels of acidity and soft round tannins make this a wine that brings out the wow factor in any drinker and at this price will never disappoint.
Rating: 9/10

Blason de Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Cote Chalonnaise 2006, Burgundy, France £7.99

Deep dark ruby colour with subtle aromas of smoke and wet leaves. This wine displays aromas of orange blossom which is not an aroma traditionally found in red wine but it is definitely present.

The palate is slightly disappointing with a small amount of red fruits, medium tannins, medium body and a short finish. This is not a great example of a cheap Burgundy but I purchased it from a supermarket so did not expect a great deal.
Rating: 5/10

Weingut Dahmen Riesling 2005, Mosel, Saar, Germany

Clear pale lemon with a watery rim, and slight petulance. Clean light floral aroma with hints or honey dew. Medium-dry palate with slight flavours of Lemon and Honeycomb, with a short finish.
Score: 4/10

Knappstein Hand Picked Riesling, 2006 Clare Valley, Australia

Clear pale lemon in colour with a developing aroma of petrol and cedar. Dry with loads of acidity and a medium bodied lemony finish. A well balanced fruity style Riesling.
Score: 6/10

Fairleigh Estate Single Vineyard Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand

Clear pale lemon colour with a clean light aroma of petrol, toasted almonds and ripe pineapple. The palate is dry with loads of zesty acidity and flavours of lemon and lime with a medium finish. Could age for a few years and develop into a real treat.
Score: 6/10