Wine of the Week: La Jamais Contente Reserve Malbec 2020
£10.99 Virgin Wines, 3*
Belgian Camille Jenatzy’s World Land Speed Record electric car reached a speed of over 100kmph (66mph) in 1899 and is commemorated on the label of this French Malbec.
The cigar-shaped car was named La Jamais Contente (The Never Content, or The Never Satisfied) and gives its name to this savoury plum and fresh cherry tasting red made in the southern French region of Languedoc. Apparently, it also reflects the winemakers’ philosophy but why they chose the Belgian’s car rather than his close rival at the time, the very French Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat, is not clear.
Jenatzy (nicknamed the Red Devil on account of the colour of his beard) was confident his car was the best – being proved right after several attempts and maintaining a speed record for an electric car that stood for more than half a century. Whether this wine would also stand the test of time is debatable as its fruity flavours are designed for drinking now, rather than for keeping, and are best matched to meatballs in a tomato sauce where its sharper notes of almond kernel and green stem will cut through any richness in the food.
More Virgin Wine wines recommended by www.wineuncorked.co.uk
Penombre Blanc 2020
£11.99 Virgin Wines, 3*
This southern French white made in the Languedoc is a buttery mix of pear and melon fruitiness with apple and almond to follow. The taste is made fresh with a lemoniness. A nice wine made from a blend of five different grape varieties: Grenache Blanc, Terret Bourret (also known as Terret Gris with its grey pink colour), Vermentino (also known as Rolle and used in the Kylie Minogue Cotes de Provence rose), plus Roussanne and Marsanne which always seem to be added together like twins. The result is a wine that would be good for almost any occasion.
Lote 25 de Martino Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
£10.99 Virgin Wines, 3*
The most notable feature of this Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is the depth of the punt in the base of the glass bottle. Not usually something to write home about as the cone-shaped punt on a wine bottle has almost become irrelevant now thanks to wine making techniques that remove wine deposits and so you no longer need a device to keep them in check as you pour out wine. But the punt on this beastie was the depth of my thumb – so about five times deeper than it really needs to be and so is only there for show and using up more glass than is really necessary. The wine though is tasty with creamy cherry and blackcurrant flavours that soften with opening. Compare this 2019 vintage to the 2016 version also reviewed which came out at a four-star rating.
Blackfoot Daisy Rosé 2020
£8.99 Virgin Wines, 3*
This Australian rosé is made with the red grape variety Cabernet Sauvignon but the result is an extremely delicate pink coloured wine. Flavours of strawberry and apple pie make for a very pleasant quaff.
The wineuncorked.co.uk wine rating system uses a maximum of 5 stars:
5* outstanding – the top rating given by wineuncorked.co.uk
4* very good wine
3* good wine but over priced
2* a disappointing wine
1* little to offer
0* avoid – pour down the drain
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© Paula Goddard 2021 www.wineuncorked.co.uk
