Went into Aldi the other day, largely on impulse. I was actually en route to Sainsbury's but frankly the vegetables (and other produce) have been so poor quality in Sainsbury's of late the swerve on impulse into Aldi offered the prospect of better quality veg, and somewhat cheaper. But you can't go into Aldi without perusing the wine shelves - an ever-changing selection of interesting bottles from all over the wine producing world. Canadian Riesling, Swiss Pinot Noir etc. Have you tried them? To be fair, there is increasing coverage of the Aldi wine offer in the wine press and, if I have any complaint, it is that the best recommendations have invariably sold out when I go in store and try and buy them. On this occasion, not looking for anything specific, I still left the store carrying 3 bottles that piqued my interest and £20+ lighter. One of them was Aldi's Chassaux et Fils, Specially Selected, Pézenas, Languedoc-Roussillon 2019 at £9.99.
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| Aldi's Pézenas, Langedoc-Roussillon 2019 |
This was a wine that was already on my radar having read some encouraging reviews when it was first launched at an Aldi trade tasting in autumn last year. Tina Gellie writing for Decanter noted "it exudes fruited power with wafts of garrigue and black pepper" and went on to recommend its brisk acidity and firm tannins should see it age well and drink well up to 2028. Rose Murray Brown in The Scotsman described it as having "a deliciously soft robust fruit character, plenty of ripe fruit and warming pepper and spice on the palate". Having now tried it (with a hearty Lamb, tomato, aubergine and anchovy casserole on a cold January evening), both descriptions capture the essence of this new-to-me appellation and with the addition of 'aromas of cinnamon and figs' pretty much reflect the description on the bottle's back label. The wine is a blend of 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 20% Mourvèdre - in other words the classic GSM combination typical of Côtes du Rhône reds although in this case led by Syrah (aka Shiraz) rather than Grenache. And yet it comes from the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the South West of France and the area around Pézenas inland from the Med between Montpellier and Béziers. This is an area that traditionally produced bulk wine but has turned to quality over quantity in the past 25 years or so and offers real value for money. (Another of my favourites the similarly priced and award-winning Paul Mas Reserve Single Vineyard Languedoc Rouge at Waitrose comes from the same area, although it's a slightly different blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan).
Having unpacked the wine, it is in fact the wine's bottle that makes the real statement. It is very distinctive in shape, finish AND weight. I suppose the best way to describe it is something like a juggling club in that it narrows from the shoulders to the bottom. The addition of embossed glass on the neck is a nice touch, but wait till you pick it up. The weight of the average bottle when empty is reported variously as 'between 350g and 450g' or 'around 500g'. This Pézanas bottle weighs in at 970g!! It's a weighty wine in a weighty bottle. It's an intriguing wine worth seeking out, although how much longer can they justify packaging it in that much glass?
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| 970 grams, and it's empty! |
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