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 The HTQI ratings points  
A wine to seek out and enjoy as much as you can superbly over 140
A fairly reasonable wine worth trying, certainly better than its price suggests
110  to 140
Sound commercial wine for the price – goodish but no surprises
 90 to 110
A wine you should probably be thankful you didn’t buy, just try to enjoy at a friend’s  place –
65 to  90 points
If someone gives you this wine as a present, use it in the salad dressing or to de-scour  the kettle, or both sadly less than 65
  The HTQI is simply calculated by taking assessed value of wine divided by the actual retail price, so a wine “worth” £7.99 but costing just £4.99, has a HTQI of 799/499 = 160.  A really good buy indeed. 
       
Special Reds Comments Outlet Price HTQI Date tasted
Catena Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 Argentina Simple label, simple well-made wine with tons of lovely flavours - grapey and woody.  Truly classy blackcurrant scents.  A little dull in the mouth but not too tannic, certainly a mouthful. Good stuff - don't keep it long tho. Sainsburys £9.99 145 25th October 2002
Maranges 1er Cru, Clos de la Fussiere, Domaine Rene Monnier 1999  Burgundy One always hope that by trying a Burgundy from a lesser area that a gem will emerge.  Not this time, even tho its from an excellent year.  Thin and insipid Waitrose £11.99 75 24th October 2002
Ktima Kir-Yianni Syrah Imathia, Greece  1999 Hats off to Oddbins for trying, but really this is no better than a half decent red from central Spain at much less ££.  Deeply concentrated hot fruit flavours of no distinction. Oddbins £9.99 70 18th October 2002
Campo Viejo Reserva, Bodegas Artesanas, Rioja Spain 1996 Lovely old fashioned and affordable Rioja that we thought they had stopped making. The colour is fading but who cares!  Delightful mature scents, soft tannins and now ripe to enjoy.  Oddbins £7.99 113 14th October 2002
Les Crouzels, Fitou, southern France 1999 Dense and intense, of no real breeding - possibly cos made from average grapes, but its not a shocker.  Well balanced with subtle hints of its oak ageing.  Shame that its not much better as it shatters our belief that wines in haevy bottles with big punts are usually better than average  Sainsburys £8.99 89 10th October 2002
Lindemans Pyrus Coonawara, South Australia.  1998 Cabernet franc & sauvignon and Merlot A massive wine, can only be drunk sitting down!!  Overpowering lanolin (new oak) and ripe grape flavours.  Still some tannin, so will keep but will it develop more interesting flavours - probably not.  A whopper. Sainsburys £16.99  

91

 

 8th October 2002
Canyon Road Zinfandel 2000 California Disappoints as the expectation of Californian zinfandel is enormous - so to be offered a light Valpolicella does not impress.  Balanced, fruity but dull Waitrose £8.99 67 23rd May 2002
Cote Rotie  Domaine Andre Francois 1998 France Fantastic plummy & gamey aromas - classy.  Given time once opened a classic.  Still slightly tannic/bitter certainly will improve but excellent now Majestic £17.99 111 20th May 2002
Yonder Hill 1999 Inanda Stellenbosch, South Africa A really big mouthful of new oak with enough fruit to back it up.  Will repay keeping 12 months or so, but is excellent now.  This is good value Sainsburys £7.99 125 3rd May 2002
Morellino di Scansano Riserva 1997  Casa Vinicola Cecchi, Italy Rich but tarry black cherry flavours, very well balanced in spite of warnings on back label about being "rich in tannins".  Ready to drink, a welcome relief from the austerity of claret or the wallop of Oz. Sainsburys £7.99 113 14th April 2002
Penfolds Bin 407, Cabernet sauvignon South Eastern Australia  1998   Massive deep juvenile colour, masculine minty, slightly baked, fruit nose with some oak.  In the mouth, all elbows - not for those who insist on cycling with a helmet.  A whopper, but totally devoid of finesse.  Were they trying to make grape jam!   Majestic £11.99 77 11th April 2002
Nuits-Saints-Georges, Faiveley, Burgundy (Pinot noir) 1998  Lightish hue, and clean pinot fruit.  Never a classic as a difficult year.  Some tannins remaining and disappointingly meagre in flavours.  May reward keeping a few years, just maybe   Nicolas £26.49. 55 11th April 2002

La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet, Haut Medoc, Bordeaux 1996  

A decent drop, but for an excellent year from a fabulously unheard of chateau, one would have hoped for more.  Drink over next 2 years.  Really only for those who adore claret. Sainsburys £19.99 75 11th April 2002
Jean Leon Reserva, Penedes Spain 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon A big serious mature red.  Attractive blackcurrant flavours with hint of mint.  Solid structure which would grace any Sunday roast.  Will keep a little longer.  Wimbledon Wines £11.99 125 24th March 2002
Pesquera, Ribera del Duero 1999, Spain Rich perfumed blend of new oak and warm fruit - attractive.  Excellent youthful balance with soft tannins.  Good now, but will improve over next 4 years. Maybe the hype is justified Majestic £9.99 100 24th March 2002
Alox-Corton Domaine Latour, Burgundy  1992, Louis Latour

 

 A very interesting drop, which is only a couple of years past its best.  Hints of classy pinot noir, but unfortunately just tired.  Soft, no tannin.  But, there's lots of worse Burgundy around at twice the price    Majestic £9.99 89 23rd March 2002
Coldstream Hills, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Oz.  Pinot noir  1999 Big and soft, verging on the flabby. Warm chocolately smell which strays a long way from classic Burgundian flavours - not unpleasant, but lacking distinction - too expensive.   Oddbins £10.99 64 7th March 2002
Perrin Vacqueyras, Southern Rhone 1999 An enormous wine, chock full of sunshine.  Not that tannic so already approachable with delightful, but hardly subtle, ripe fruit flavours.  This will be lovely in 2 years time, but an agreeable big mouthful of fun right now Tesco £8.99 111 2nd March 2002
Santenay-Gravieres Premier Cru. 1999 Roger Bolland. Burgundy Not inexpensive, but at least rewarding as laden with classic Pinot flavours.  Still a little rough in the mouth, but given time to breathe the class emerges.  Keep a couple of years if you're patient  Oddbins £14.29 132 3rd February 2002
Saint Joseph Cuvee Cote-Diane Caves de Saint-Desirat 1998 Northern Rhone France Not one to be enjoyed now, but to put away for a few years.  If you insist on gobbling it down now open it several hour before drinking as this helps the syrah grape to come out.  Tannic and serious - not for frail Aunt Mabel.  Much better value than half-decent 1998 clarets. Marks & Spencer £9.99 125 12th January 2002
Chateau La Caronne, Medoc Bordeaux 1997 France Classic but dull offering from ordinary vintage.  Drinkable now but so many other bottles are much more drinkable  at this price Oddbins £9.99 85 10th January 2002
Vacqueyras, Paul Jaboulet Southern Rhone 1998 Good shipper, good year, shame its a little dull.  Possibly going through a "closed" period in its development - maybe not.  Most probably worth the wait Majestic £8.99 100 7th January 2002
Pommard Les Horizons 1997 Jean-Luc Joillot Burgundy Yet another disappointment from reasonable vintage.  Neither finesse or depth of flavours.  How do they get away with it - give me 3 bottles of bulk standard pinot noir anytime. Oddbins £17.99 55 25th December 2001
Annies Lane, Copper Trail Shiraz 1998 Clare Valley South Australia  A massive jump-out-of-the-glass experience.  Put on your seatbelt and go for a numbing ride in a Grand Jeep Cherokee of a wine. So whooping it doesn't need the Stilton.  Is it nice - I'll tell you when I get up from the floor.   Oddbins £15.95 63 12th December 2001
Fetzer Vineyards Barrel Select Pinot noir, Sonoma County, California 2000 Rich and luscious from the land that invented sunshine, but luckily Fetzer have not fallen for over-cooking this delicate grape. Attractive raspberry flavour complemented by the oak, and round softness in the mouth - most folk will be impressed. Solid, reliable stuff, not spoilt by finesse! Tesco £9.99
128		 13th December 2002
Babich Winemakers Reserve, Hawkes Bay, NZ Syrah 2000 Mid-way between Oz and Northern Rhone in style, sadly without much character. Inoffensive and forgettable, the sort of wine the Bulgarians do so well Tesco £7.49 80 11th December 2002

Villa Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 1999 Italy

 Ready for drinking, attractive and typical morella cherry flavours and well structured, but the price is too high - not enough class for the ££. Sainsburys £9.99 85 8th December 2002
Cornas, northern Rhone, France.Jean Lionnet 1999 Usual unpleasant Rhone/syrah stink when first opened, but patience is repaid a little. Well made, gamey fruit flavours but still too young in spite of weak tannins. Unwins £14.99 63 3rd December 2002
Hermitage, northern Rhone, France
1999 Cave de Tain l'Hermitage		 As above, but even weaker. If drunk without knowing the famous appellation it would be dismissed quite rapidly as vin ordinaire Sainsburys £12.99 54 1st December 2002
Domaine de Chevalier Grand Cru Classe de Graves, Pessac Leognan, Bordeaux 1996 A chateau famous for full bodied and slow-to-mature wines, from a good year should be quite a mouthful. And it is, almost. Still closed in terms of flavour, but certainly firm in the mouth. Arguably sacrilege to drink so young, but nice to imagine how overpowering it will be one day. How much are we paying for the reputation? Lea & Sandeman £25.95 77 30th November 2002
Amoskuil Swartland, South Africa 1999 A barbeque in a bottle, massive cooked fruit flavours. Bit rough in the mouth, but after the aroma you'd never expect a ballet dancer - this wine plays serious rugby. Marks & Spencer £8.99 89 29th
November 2002
Imperial Gran Reserva, CVNE, Haro, Rioja 1994 A wine that refused to get out of the bottle. Depth of colour is its only obvious characteristic - still youthful looking for such an old senor. But, so reticent to release some flavour that we questioned whether it had been censored by the Spanish inquisition! Balanced in the mouth, but what's the point. Majestic £18.99 37 28th November
Reserva Campillo, Bodegas Campillo, Rioja, Spain 1995 Affordable and uncomplicated Rioja, which is not as common as it used to be. Possibly a little too light for today's market, but compared to most claret or burgundy at this price, this is good value. Longish woody flavours and soft as a baby's bottom. Try it. Tesco £8.99 111
28th November 2002
Canterbury, Central Valley, California 2000 Cabernet sauvignon A defensive NFL sort of wine - muscular, big and darkly coloured. A success in that the ripe fruit is well matched by the oak - it won't get any better, but for those who like to be reminded which wine they drank the night before by the colour of their teeth in the morning - this is for you. (Lets try some shorter sentences - Ed) Marks & Spencer £7.99 100 27th
November 2002