A couple of wines usually associated with summer for you to relish as we say farewell to that season and attention switches to the more substantial wines of autumn.
First a red
2024 Best Chinon Cabernet Franc (£8.50 – down from £9.25 until 22 September – with a Morrisons Loyalty Card and 12% abv):
Cabernet Franc leads something of a double life. In Bordeaux it is usually the supporting act, adding backbone and that telltale green-pepper edge to cabernet sauvignon and merlot blends.
Similarly, New World producers often push it toward fuller, riper, more muscular expressions in its own right.
Along the Loire, though – and especially where Chinon’s riverside soils turn to light, sandy gravel rather than firmer tuffeau chalk – the same grape shows an altogether gentler side.
There it is fragrant, lifted and built for easy drinking (rather than for the cellar) and this bottle – from a genuinely tricky 2024 harvest – sits comfortably in that lighter tradition.
Delightfully aromatic, it brings us cherry and raspberry flavours with hints of cocoa, backed by lively acidity, gentle herbal notes, green pepper (of course) and a touch of cola.
NB:- The hyperlinked web page may not show this price reduction.
Moving to rosé
2026 Oyster Bay Rosé (£8.50 at Asda “rolled back” to £8 until 22 September and also with 12% abv):
The other wine featured today is this outrider for the 2026 southern hemisphere vintage which, in its Marlborough homeland, kicked off earlier than for any season in the past two decades.
Not only that, but pinot noir (the variety used for this rosé) seems to have found the whole growing season to its liking. Consistent ripening conditions gave its grapes an excellent colour but, better still, made their flavours nicely concentrated.
Lots of good news all round, then, for a variety more frequently associated with sophisticated reds than for a pale, straight forward rosé like this.
Pale, pretty and easy to enjoy, it is a soft wine with ripe cherry, red currant and rhubarb flavours at its core.
Its mild but effective acidity is partnered by delicate touches of orange and rose hip which are joined by a trace of the earthiness that gives good pinot noir its character.
BUSY SHOPPER SUMMARY
For readers short on time, here’s the verdict at a glance:
Which wine should I buy? 2024 Best Chinon Cabernet Franc
Where, how much and what abv? £8.50 – down from £9.25 until 22 September – with a Morrisons Loyalty Card and 12% abv:
Why should I buy it? It is a typical and well-priced example of the lighter side of cabernet franc at which France’s Loire Valley excels.
What does it taste like? Aromatic with freshness enlivening its cherry and raspberry flavours
***
Which wine should I buy? 2026 Oyster Bay Rosé
Where, how much and what abv? £8.50 at Asda currently “rolled back” to £8 and also 12% abv:
Why should I buy it? This is new season NZ rosé underlining how well pinot noir seems to have done in this vintage.
What does it taste like? Soft, ripe cherry, red currant and rhubarb flavours form its base with delicate touches of orange and rose hip in support.
Pop by next Monday when I am expecting to take a more traditional look at pinot noir and to consider a slightly unusual white from Austria (unless something else catches my eye before then). See you then.
13 responses
Never fear Brian. For the Chinon at Morrisons the website is now showing a 30% discount with More loyalty card for multiples of 3 bottles until 22 September. (Haven’t checked yet what other wines are included)
I make that just less than £6.50 a bottle
Unless your in Scotland where no multiple deals are allowed due to the licensing laws..
Writing for the Scottish press as I do (including a long spell on the Scotsman’s Sunday edition), I understand – and sympathise. Not a lot I can say to help though but Majestic do seem to use the “mix six price” for single bottles in Scotland as a small consolation. In addition, Waitrose extend their promotion for an extra week in Scottish outlets when there is a “Buy Six” promotion in other parts of the UK. Little comfort I know, Tim.
I think it shows up Majestic pricing policy Brian in that the true market value of any of their wines is the reduced price – which I never pay. I wait for special offers and at least Majestic has a decent customer review system.
Good news (with Tim’s caveat in this Comments Section), but I have a few doubts whether the 2024 vintage is for keeping – so break into your three bottles reasonably quickly I suggest (not actually a hardship!). One senses a vintage change is due shortly so grab any outriders for the 2025 vintage on the shelf – they will have a longer life.
This is the time of the year when we start removing yellowed foliage from our tomato plants in the greenhouse. The smell that lingers is so reminiscent of Cab Franc. So the “tomato leaf” descriptor resonates with me! I have much enjoyed that Morrisons Chinon, which I think has just the right amount of this leafy character. I also think the label is very attractive – simple and classy.
Good analogy Richard and one that resonates immediately. Is there not a theory that removing foliage gives green tomatoes low down on the plant access to the ripening power of the sun before it enters is post equinox trajectory?
Unannounced, even to the staff Sainsbury’s, have 25% off 6 + bottles at this very moment. Not a sign or poster outside out local branch to let you know !.
Thanks for the tip, David, and one I am sure MidWeekers will want to exploit.
Brian
Have just been to Morrisons and purchased Chinon
Along with a rather nice fillet steak
I’ll let you know 🍷
Hope they both hit the spot, Aline
Hi Brian
It’s been a while since I checked in in your pages and straight away I found a wine to look out for – The Chinon from Morrison’s.
I’m a huge fan of Loire Cabernet Franc. From the lighter weight, crunchy red fruited wine, from the riverside gravel and sand described here, to the fuller bodied bruisers grown on the valley sides and tuffeau plateaus, Cabernet Franc produces excellent, if underrated, red wines for most palates.
Good to hear from you Alistair and nice to know that I am not alone in having a weakness for Loire reds. Probably stems in my case from my days on the South Coast of England coinciding with Channel ferries having a Thursday to Monday deal where, if four people and a car travelled, the car went free. In those days, before extensive auto-routes, the Loire was just in range. Remember, too, that signing up as a (free) subscriber should mean that you get an early shout about wines like that.