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Phil Howard-Knight

Archangel • Joined: 19 January 2013

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Wow, what a great wine, by far the nicest Pinot Gris I have ever tasted. Can a wine sing? Well this one did to me and it sang like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in her prime; beautiful, soaring and full of complexity. I shared this with my wife and a couple of friends, paired with a pancetta and poached egg salad with my trademark dressing; Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper. Quite a strong flavoured dish and I was unsure that a PG would stand up to it but this absolutely did. A lovely bright straw colour it has a wonderful streak of exotic fruit running right though it, from lychees and pear on the nose through pineapple chunks and maybe peach in the mouth. A long tasty finish with just enough acidity and minerality to keep it interesting. I don't give 5 hearts often and maybe I have flattered this slightly, but we all loved it so much I had no choice. Update December 2017: Based on last night I think I would only give this 4.5 hearts. I still really enjoyed it but I detected a slight touch of pear-drops both in the nose and also in the finish, which is something I don't especially like. I'm not sure if this is because of the extra age, which maybe has dulled the attractive acidity I found last time, or maybe because of the food, salmon with salsa verde. Maybe the acidity of the salad dressing had supressed that aspect last time. Who knows but it's still a very very good wine and still my favourite Pinot Gris of all time I think.

Price:

£13.99

Angels:

£9.99

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Loved the 2012, just loved the 2013, looking forward to loving the 2014, though I have a couple more 2013 to drink first. This has to be my all time favourite Sauvignon Blanc and at the money it's an absolute steal (but that doesn't mean you should put the price up Bill and Claudia!).

Price:

£13.99

Angels:

£10.49

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Fabulous wine in a modern Rioja style. Deep red colour with plenty of fruit and spice and a thread of acidity and tannin which made it excellent with food (aged rump steak in this case), but not too much so it's still a joy to drink without. Definitely worth 5 hearts!

Price:

£16.99

Angels:

£11.99

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Manley Estate Shiraz 2015

£16.99

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Wow, what a great wine; drinking it too young but it’s still absolutely gorgeous with a bit of decanting and even better 24 hours later. I had heard good things about this wine but it surpassed my expectations. Not like a normal hot climate (e.g Ozzie) shiraz at all I thought and for that matter nothing like a southern French syrah either, something quite of its own style. Not a hint for me of leather or sweaty saddles and not really brambly fruit; I tasted lightly bitter cherries and chocolate with maybe just a hint of cigar box, no hint of tartness, kicking off with a powerful sweet fruity nose and then a lingering slightly bitter finish; yum! It is still young and so the tannin is still quite to the fore, but it is a lovely soft tannin which leaves the wine still very approachable. Also it is quite alcoholic and in its barely adolescent state that comes through a little bit strongly, in fact I suspect helps lead to the cherry like flavours. It’s not unpleasant though and the whole package is delightfully moreish. Gone into my basket for my next order and I shall put a couple of them away and expect it to be even better in 3 or 4 years!

Price:

£16.99

Angels:

£11.99

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David Akiyoshi Chardonnay Lodi 2015

£11.99

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A gorgeous bottle of creamy yumminess at a really excellent price. Not much more to be said really. But I will anyway for those who like a bit of detail. Lightly oaked this has the tropical fruit freshness of an unoaked Chardonnay but as it is lightly oaked it also has that lovely buttery creaminess. Not especially complex but quite a nice satisfying finish with a hint of bitterness making it good with food. As I think I may have said, YUM!

Price:

£11.99

Angels:

£8.99

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Rod Easthope Hawke's Bay Pinot Gris 2016

£13.99

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Wow, what a great wine, by far the nicest Pinot Gris I have ever tasted. Can a wine sing? Well this one did to me and it sang like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in her prime; beautiful, soaring and full of complexity. I shared this with my wife and a couple of friends, paired with a pancetta and poached egg salad with my trademark dressing; Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper. Quite a strong flavoured dish and I was unsure that a PG would stand up to it but this absolutely did. A lovely bright straw colour it has a wonderful streak of exotic fruit running right though it, from lychees and pear on the nose through pineapple chunks and maybe peach in the mouth. A long tasty finish with just enough acidity and minerality to keep it interesting. I don't give 5 hearts often and maybe I have flattered this slightly, but we all loved it so much I had no choice. Update December 2017: Based on last night I think I would only give this 4.5 hearts. I still really enjoyed it but I detected a slight touch of pear-drops both in the nose and also in the finish, which is something I don't especially like. I'm not sure if this is because of the extra age, which maybe has dulled the attractive acidity I found last time, or maybe because of the food, salmon with salsa verde. Maybe the acidity of the salad dressing had supressed that aspect last time. Who knows but it's still a very very good wine and still my favourite Pinot Gris of all time I think.

Price:

£13.99

Angels:

£9.99

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Alvarinho Terras de Monção 2015

£14.99

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A gorgeous wine this. With the little bit of age it has added colour and weight and turned into a thing of beauty. I enjoyed the 2014 a lot when we first had it but this if anything outshines it. A lovely golden colour in the glass it has a rich quite fruity nose, hints of apricot and peach, almost Viognier like. The richness continues in the taste with a peach and apricot jamminess that is really mouth-filling, a tiny hint of peach kernel bitterness coming out in a fairly long finish. Yummy!!! Because of Vin Chin I had drunk the 2017 before the 2015 and had been slightly disappointed after my memory of the 2014. This has definitely put that right! One bottle left ... drink it soon I think and possibly, like this one, not with friends but on my own! Update May 2019: I drank my last bottle over the weekend. Wow, it was fantastic, if anything even better than before and probably more 5 hearts than 4.5. What's happened to it, it doesn't seem to be on the site any more, when I search for it I get no hits? I assume the 2017 is all gone but when will the 2018 be coming?

Price:

£14.99

Angels:

£10.99

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Back Door Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015

£13.49

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This is a really beautiful sauvignon blanc in a lovely, fruit forward style. Lacking a touch of acidity and minerality for absolute perfection in my book but gorgeously mellow and drinkable. An attractive straw yellow colour it has an enticing nose of ripe melon with a hint of gooseberry and no cat's pee at all! In the mouth the melon is to the fore with perhaps lychees underneath, the gooseberry not really there. Quite rich and a long finish, really scrummy and eminently moreish. Definitely one for my next purchase though I have a feeling it may fly off the virtual shelves. Update August 1st 2018. Still a cracking good wine. I git a bit more pineapple at the start now but still a yummy, mouth-filling lusciousness to follow. One bottle left but I think I should drink it soon, it's so good it would be sad if it went past its best!

Price:

£13.49

Angels:

£9.99

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Carlos Rodriguez Albarino 2015

£13.49

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This is a delightful wine, probably my favourite Albarino of all time, and I have enjoyed Albarino since the early 90s. I had previously tried the '13 which was amazing, though it sadly didn't keep well, and the 17 which I thought was more restrained but still lovely. A pleasant nose, similar to the '17 but more powerful; still with that hint of something I couldn't quite place but I came up with butterscotch and rhubarb. In the mouth delicious, a nice balance of lemony acidity and fruit with more mineral than the '17 but the same creamy feel to the finish and that lovely lemony zing up front. A shame I have drunk them all now so I must remember to buy more!

Price:

£13.49

Angels:

£9.99

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Richard's Elgin Chardonnay 2014

£24.99

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One of my two top picks from the Naked winter 2014 tour, albeit the 2013 which sold out very quickly. This is the first time I’ve tried it since. An elegant chardonnay with a lovely balance between acidity, fruit and smokiness from the oak. A really complex wine on both the nose and to taste, with all the classic chardonnay flavours of peach, apricot, butter and oak but none of them overpowering the others and with that balancing acidity which made it excellent with food (crab and prawn cakes in this case). Cracking wine at a fair price (if you are an Angel, a bit expensive if not!). Update January 2018. Still absolutely gorgeous. Just 2 bottles left now :-(, but I have some 2015 too :-)

Price:

£24.99

Angels:

£13.99

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Carlos Rodriguez Albarino 2013

£12.99

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Really a very pleasant wine indeed but quite hard to describe it's flavours. Pale golden a with a nice viscous oiliness in the glass, the nose is pleasant but quite restrained, perhaps a hint of honey but nothing easily identifiable I thought. In your mouth it's quite light, with a lemony zing and quite a creamy texture but again nothing else obvious ... I didn't really get apples although I suppose the lemony acidity could be thought of that way. Liked it a lot though, although I found it quite gentle, certainly not a blockbuster. That said I think it would fight back against strong flavoured food because of that lovely balanced acidity. I have loved Albarino from Rias Baixas since discovering Martin Codax in the early 90s. Wisdom at the time was that it aged well and added extra weight and complexity, so I kept a few bottles for 4 or 5 years and it definitely did change, less zing and more richness. It would be interesting to see if Carlos's lovely wine will too. Update March 2017: I wish I had read Carlos's comments abut the plastic cork earlier. I had kept two bottles of this to see how they aged and the answer is not well. One was almost undrinkable, quite maderised. The other was OK but hadn't added anything except a darker colour and a slight bitterness, but had certainly lost the acidity and edge I enjoyed so much before. Not unpleasant though and still drinkable. I have some of the 2015 too so hopefully the introduction of natural cork will enable that to age better, however I think I may just drink it now!

Price:

£12.99

Angels:

£9.49

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Lay of the Land Ben Morven Farm Pinot Noir 2013

£18.99

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My first bottle of the 2013 having greatly enjoyed the 2012 before and I was not let down. My favourite in a tasting of three NZ pinots noir from the site on this occasion. It is a little dumb on the nose and quite subtle to start but then with a lovely depth of flavour, almost verging into Tempranillo territory. A full round flavour of ripe plums with a slight oiliness to the texture and a hint of lavender. Quite tannic but not unpleasantly so, could last a year or three more. Very nice!

Price:

£18.99

Angels:

£10.99

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Christian Patat Appassimento 2013

£13.99

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Was expecting great things of this and was not disappointed. A beautiful deep ruby almost inky colour leads to an enticing nose of ripe plums with a hint of spice. Once in your mouth it hits you with a burst of raisin sweetness that isn't sweet and finishes with a lush dark chocolate dryness that isn't dry. Really interesting. In between there is that lovely dark plum jam flavour with a hint of nutmeg and cloves adding extra richness. Reading that back I might find it hard to imagine why I didn't give it 4.5 or 5, but for me it did lack a little complexity of flavour, a little too appealing and easy drinking, not quite "winey" enough and lacking in underlying acidity. But don't get me wrong, much as I love all that I am very very happy with this and will certainly be buying more (and I bought 6 already). Update August 2016. This wine just keep on getting better. I had another one last night and it was gorgeous. I still feel it lacks a little acidity but it is so lovely I have to upgrade my score to 4.5 hearts. Even though it doesn't get 5 I would say it is one of my top 6 picks from Naked. Sadly I only have 2 left now .. could be time to buy the 2015!

Price:

£13.99

Angels:

£9.99

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Small and Small Sylvia Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013

£13.99

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Loved the 2012, just loved the 2013, looking forward to loving the 2014, though I have a couple more 2013 to drink first. This has to be my all time favourite Sauvignon Blanc and at the money it's an absolute steal (but that doesn't mean you should put the price up Bill and Claudia!).

Price:

£13.99

Angels:

£10.49

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Hacienda Don Hernan Rioja Gran Reserva 2005

£16.99

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Fabulous wine in a modern Rioja style. Deep red colour with plenty of fruit and spice and a thread of acidity and tannin which made it excellent with food (aged rump steak in this case), but not too much so it's still a joy to drink without. Definitely worth 5 hearts!

Price:

£16.99

Angels:

£11.99

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