Drinks of the Month

Domaine Joel Delaunay L’Esprit des Dames Touraine Chenonceaux 2014

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on January 5 2018 at 16:18

This was recommended by the manager at my local Oddbins in Bristol and I really love it.

It’s a blend of 50% Malbec and 50% Cabernet Franc from the Loire - more robust than many Loire reds (although still only 13%) with lovely dark ripe cherry fruit. It tastes quite like a natural (though not scarily so) wine.

It’s one of a number of offers that Oddbins has got on its range right now and is reduced from an admittedly slightly toppy £16 down to £13.60 which is a very fair price to pay for an artisanal wine.

I’d happily drink it with duck or simply grilled red meat like steak or lamb but it would also be great with pulses like braised lentils or with a bean dish like cassoulet.

Don’t bother with the Cattin Alsace pinot though despite the good reduction - down from £14.25 to £9.98. Pinot noir can take a while to come round but it's still a bit wimpy.

If I find any other good bargains in the sale I’ll let you know.

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