2. Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 1996 Wairau Valley Vineyard, New Zealand
Gooseberry nose with some floral scents and wood. 10% oak aged. Apple on the palate, superb balance of fruit and oak. 13% alcohol. Excellent.
£10.

3. Lawson's Dry Hills Gewurtztraminer 1995 Single vineyard 100% Gewurtztraminer
Some china tea. Luscious rounded full, zingy with a floral background and a long aftertaste. Not as heavy as an Alsatian but heavier than Hungarian Tramini. Some residual sugar.
£10.

4. Feteasca Neagra Chevalier de Dyonis 1995 Societe Roumanie des Vins d'Exception
Fairly gruff on the nose. Pleasant and fruity on the palate, with a strange stewy taste. A little liquorice. Enough acid. A great barbeque wine. Feteasca is a native variety, and Roumanie has ideal conditions for growing grapes!
c. £5.

5. Maranges Premier Cru Les Clos Roussots 1993 Domaine Bernard Bachelet, Dezize-les-Maranges
Clear light red, with a strange nose: volatile acids? A bit unpleasant - fried onions. Raspberry, with a stalky or sappy mineral taste. Different. May get better with the years. This is a leeser known part of the Cotes de Beaune. Question was asked "why make a Burgundy that doesn't taste like a Burgundy?"
£13

6. Crozes Hermitage Les Launes 1994 Delas Freres, St.-Jean-de-Muzols, N. Rhone
100% Syrah. Nice deep ruby red. Very sweet nose - chocolate. Not at all sweet on the palate - slightly tart, with a peppery aftertaste. Very young yet. Good. The '91 got four stars in Decanter but is nowhere near ready yet.
£9.50

7. Vina Pedrosa Reserva 1992 Bodegas Perez Pascuas, Ribera del Duoro
Lovely dark red. A great nose - hot country, spicy. 90% tinto del paes (Tempranillo) and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.Oaked, and 10-18 months in the bottle before it's released. Silky, good acid, some tannin, good fruit. Bit thin on the end. Lovely now, will develop, but too expensive so no stars. The Gran Reserva is reputed to be wonderful.
c. £19

8. Fojaneghe Rosso 1993 Azienda Agricola Conti Bossi Fedrigotti
Merlot and Cabernet. A deep dark red but indeterminate nose. On the palate a rich fruit with good zing. Big, blackcurrant. Not the least bit Italian. Not enough tannin to last long. Very nice. Apparently pronounced "fohyanegy".
c. £11.55

9. Chateau Vray-Croix-de-Gay 1990 Baronne Guichard, Pomerol
Incredibly deep velvety red. What a nose! I've always been a fan of Pomerol and here we go again. Quite oaky, maybe a bit smoky. Still a bit tannic but with plenty of fruit. Mick McQuaid Ready-Rubbed, for those who know their pipe tobacco. Superb.
£27.75

10. Marano Amarone CLassico della Valpolicella DOC 1993 Boscaini Paolo & Figli
Rich red. Nose not as big as expected (but it's young yet). Full of fire and fruit. Not as dry as expected. Loads of fruit. Very good. Picked early for perfect grapes with high acidity, then laid out in shallow crates for air circulation. Left in an attic with windows open. Recioto is sweeter (dry dessert wine) stops 13-15 degrees - rich in alcohol but some residual sugar. If it's fermented out it's Amarone.
£15.50

Excellent selection of very unusual wines.
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