Review Round-up (June-July ’19)
What's been said about our wines this month..
Fortunate to have been born in the great city of Liverpool and to fall into the world of wine. More than 20 years later I'm Boutinot's marketing manager for much of Europe (mostly Italy and Spain) and more than content with my compact family, including 3 cats (sadly just the 11 legs) and a 1969 'Dark Star' (no, not a wine!)
We truly believe our wines are fantastic, but you already knew that – we wouldn’t sell them if we didn’t! That said, it is always nice when someone else comes along and recognises the quality in our portfolio, even better when they write a lovely review in the press to tell everyone about it… Here’s a round-up of what they’ve been saying about us this last month!
PORTUGAL
Fantastic review of Aliança’s Foral dos Quatro Ventos 2017 in the July ’19 issue of Decanter. For the article ‘Good value Douro reds for under £20’, 76 wines were tasted, and only 3 were rated ‘outstanding’ – these included Foral, which came joint top with 95 points:
“Seductive, sweet red fruit augmented by touches of plum and graphite; there’s a welcome softness here, yet with some underlying tannin poking through” Sarah Ahmed.
“Shows a blue-fruited charm with svelte, creamy tannins mobilising to a lively finish; a really nice balance has been achieved here” Nick Oakley.
ITALY
Some recent reviews from the James Suckling website:
Villa Raiano Taurasi 2014: “Glazed dark cherries, volcanic ash, liquorice and forest floor. Full-bodied and nicely structured, rolling through sturdy tannins that envelop and give shape to generous dark fruit.” 93 points
Villa Raiano Greco di Tufo 2018: “Freshly squeezed nectarines, lemons and limes are what really make the nose here. The palate is structured and phenolic, drawing on layers of fleshy stone fruit that are married to zippy acidity.” 92 points
Villa Raiano Fiano di Avellino 2018: “Subtle aromas of stone, aniseed, lemons and kiwis. Full-bodied, Dense and layered.” 91 points
ROMANIA
Our new Romanian, Nachbil producer featured in the latest issue of The Wine Merchant:
Nachbil Feteasca Neagra 2017: “Boutinot is making some interesting finds in central and Eastern Europe and this natural wine from northwestern Transylvania is one it’s rightly excited about. The organic grapes are processed in a modern winery and fermented without cultured yeast. There’s a wildness to Nachbil’s wines and in this case a red-berry flavour and an authentic agricultural edge.”
FRANCE
Once again Château L’Ermitage Rosé ‘Auzan’, Costières de Nîmes 2018 has received blushing reviews; this time in a special Rosé edition of France’s Guide Hachette – Le Guide Hachette des Rosé 2019 / 2020. Vintage 2018 is currently available in 50cl, the perfect for picnics.
In the UK press Andy Cronshaw encourages ‘an adventure off the beaten track’ in his Manchester Evening News review of Domaine Francis Mabille Vouvray Demi-Sec, ‘La Croix Picaussée’ 2016. “This is a superb aperitif….This elegant example [of Vouvray] is a wonderful choice for an adventure off the beaten track. A style of wine, which like other off-dry whites from the Mosel and Alsace are tragically under-valued these days.” Andy Cronshaw, Manchester Evening News (CityLife) 21st June 2019
