Two quite different options for you to relish today.
On the one hand is an example from a gifted producer showing how Languedoc can create tasty pinot noir but, here, in a version with an extra layer of substance.
This is joined by a fizz that might help to shine a helpful light on cava – which has been pushed aside somewhat by the prosecco revolution.
Unlike prosecco, cava is – of course – made in the same way as champagne and this version’s yeasty finish underlines that point.
I hope that both selections bring a little cheer to these increasingly dark, and long, nights.
Once again, pictures and hyperlinks are included where possible to make it easier to track down the wine in question.
Starting with Bubbles
Casa Luis Cava Brut (£5.78 at Asda and 11% abv):
I hesitated about including this Cava because, to me, it starts off a little on the saline and austere side – which contrasts sharply with today’s prosecco driven trends.
However, that opening impression rapidly mellows and showcasing the wine has two advantages; it is incredible value for money and cava is overdue a day in the sun.
Riding beyond those initial impressions does pay off, I contend gentle reader, because the wine’s expressive orange, apple and pear flavours emerge relatively quickly.
They are joined by sherbet imbued bubbles, accompanying gentle lemon acidity and a mildly yeasty finish.
And then to the Table Wine
2024 Paul Mas Reserve Pinot Noir (£8.50 – down from £9.75 until mid-November – with a Morrisons Loyalty Card and 13%):
This Languedoc pinot noir, from an accomplished winemaker, displays a density that differs appreciably from lighter interpretations of the variety.
Here, you have attractive floral and berry aromas to sit alongside the wine’s relatively intense raspberry, cherry and chocolate truffle flavours.
Subtle traces of allspice and vanilla underpin that flavour range, as does supporting acidity and balanced tannin.
At this discounted price, it brings a well-crafted example of pinot noir with considerable appeal to those seeking substance and value.
NB:- Check carefully in store on this one, as there is some confusion whether this discount is still in force in all stores.
Join me again on Thursday when I take a look at the benefits of half bottles.
12 responses
Finally got around to opening a bottle of Waitrose Blueprint Cava Brut NV 11% £8.50, a previous discounted recommendation by Brian.
Everyone enjoyed it at the family clan gathering.
When on 25% off six or the recent 4 for the price of 3, well worth considering.
I do think some Cavas and Crémants offer affordable,enjoyable fizz and better quality than many cheap end champagnes.
PS Asda had more awards than any other supermarket at a recent Decanter round up.
Is the lure of the freshness and extra residual sugar of much prosecco beginning to fade? Is the savouriness of cava and cremant due for a return to the sunny side of the street?
Hi Brian,
I haven’t tries the Pinot Noir, but you generally can’t go wrong with Paul Mas!
Am a fan of Cava, great value. I think your description of the Casa Luis gives an excellent steer to whether it is likely to appeal. If your style, worth getting some in to celebrate the minor successes in this complicated world. E.g. car passes an MOT, a reboot fixes your laptop, the cat stops being sick on the kitchen floor …
But Morrisons seem (from their website) to have replaced the discount on that bottle with a more general 25% off 6 offer, which runs until 18th November.
Note that this offer is for MULTIPLES of 6! I.e. if you buy 8 bottles you only get the discount on 6 of them! M&S did a similar thing some time back. But I thought stores had given up on this rather annoying small print restriction.
In the store they may still be offering the discount as you mentioned – they aren’t the most reliable about these things.
A few, purely personal, suggestions if you want to make up 6 bottles …
2024 Morrisons The Best Organic Montepulciano D’Abruzzo @ £8. This is from the Citra co-op, and is a step up from their basic version (£5.75 and excluded from the offer) it is 0.5% lower! Great nose and real character.
2023 Laurent Delaunay Les Grappillages Fleurie @ £12, with discount excellent value.
2024 Antonin Rodet Pinot Noir 13%. @ £9.50. Pale, earthy & fresh. At discount, great value.
2024 The Best Chinon 12% @ £9.25. If you like Cab Franc this is a good example. Probably still a bit “lean & leafy” if you aren’t a fan of that grape!
2024 The Best Touraine rosé @ £8.50. interesting mix of 50% Gamay, 35% Cab Franc, 15% Pineau d’Aunis. Must be worth a try to experience – can you pick out the different grape influences?
Note The 2023 Ebat Royal Côtes du Rhône @ £5.85, an excellent candidate for a house red, and recommended in Saturday’s Times by Jane MacQuitty, is excluded from the 25% deal.
A great selection Richard and a recommendation for that Fleurie from a Beaujolais lover like you is well worth listening to.
Hi Brian although not mad keen on sparkling wine the Cava sounds good and at that price is an absolute bargain that won’t break the bank. Also interested in the Pinot Noir as I tend to like the more substantial versions.
In the week I received an email from Majestic advertising some reductions which included The Guv’nor Red at £7.50 mix six price. This coincided with a a £10 off voucher and a visit to a family members house which is close to a Majestic store my partner and I grasped the opportunity to top up our supply. Whilst in the store I remembered one of your earlier posts and grabbed a bottle of Alain Grignon Carignan and the Reserve (one to compare and contrast) plus a new one on me The Guv’nor Merlot. Add a couple of bottles of Emma Marris Sauvignon Blanc and we walked out with ten bottles at an average price of £7 per bottle, bargain!!!
Never to miss a chance visited the tasting table and they still had some Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from their recent tasting and although nice I didn’t feel I could justify paying over £20 a bottle. Much preferred the Definition Chablis which was fruity and smooth with a lovely lasting finish.
Smart shopping expedition, Barry, and a good shout for the Majestic tasting bench. Staff there tell me that customers are still a bit wary of it but it is something not only useful but also a feature supermarkets can never replicate.
David Williams’ piece for the Observer this week had the title ‘The formerly unfashionable carignan grape is having a moment’ and he recommends both the Alain Grignon Vielles Vignes 2024 and the Alain Grignon Grande Réserve Carignan at Majestic. You can easily access the article with a ‘David Williams Carignan’ Google search. This opens up a whole new area of investigation (at least for me) and he also recommends Domaine Mandeville Carignan, IGP Pays d’Oc (£9, M&S) and from the New World Undurraga Cauquenes Estate Carignan 2022 from Chile (£10.95, The Wine Soc).
Hello Keith,
David Williams is a wine critic I really rate.Did you see last week’s Observer when he wrote a three page spread on the life of a wine critic?Some good tips on tasting like the professionals.
Have not had the Mandeville Carignan, but I can heartily endorse the other three and I was lucky enough to sample the Grande Réserve Carignan at a recent Majestic tasting and can confirm that even at £16 it is worth every penny.
Many thanks for that Cava recommendation Brian. Not normally on my list of bottles to buy, it features in my forward planning for wines to accompany the 2026 Tour de France which – confusingly – spends the first three days in and around Barcelona. At just £5.78 it’ll possibly enable me to splash out on a treat from the Côte Chalonnais for stage 12 and perhaps even a Condrieu for stage 17! The extra seven months in bottle should do it no harm.
Interestingly, at our house we’ve returned to Cava lately alongside working round most of the French Crémants under a policy of ‘anything but prosecco’. But even in relation to the latter, The Spanish fizz remains remarkably good value (and apparently in the light of today’s recommendation below my assumed minimum of £8). Pretty impressive given it’s a bottle-fermented wine.
Of course the north of Italy has many sparkling wines beside Prosecco and Lombardy’s well-respected traditional method Franciacorta challenges Champagne for quality, tradition and price. However, back in the MWW price range, I was out for Sunday lunch yesterday and impressed to find Prosecco replaced by a glass of Durello as the entry-level choice of 3 sparkling aperitifs. IMO that’s a decent alternative to Prosecco that comes from the Lessini Hills between Verona and Vincenza. A few UK independents sell it around £10 a bottle. And Sainsbury’s seem to have done pretty well for a number of years selling sparkling Pignoletto from Emilia-Romagna (currently £8). Any other suggestions?
Brian than you for the cava recommendation. I started drinking cava again on a recent golf trip to Spain and forgotten how much I used to enjoy it with my wife on a Saturday night watching Strictly before the children came along. The Baron Amarillo Cava Brut from Aldi at £5.75 has also received some decent reviews. And on the subject of the 25% discount deals readers should be aware of the money saving central 25% off wine website which is generally accurate on providing predicted dates for the next supermarket round of deals.
Thank you Andy for your thoughts and in particular for the tip about upcoming promotions.