Price: £14.50
From: Spirited Wines
Country: Australia
Region: McLaren Vale
ABV: 13.2%
This week's choice is really going to test the resolution of you who are detoxing, dieting, cutting down, eliminating or doing something that deprives you of something you like....that is, of course if you are still on the straight and narrow and haven't strayed already!
For those of you not bothering or yet to start, I have a real treat in store.
Last year's review of Roussanne opened my eyes to this truly wonderful grape and I have been in pursuit of other excellent examples ever since. The Money Spider has been suggested several times and people have been only too happy to provide a brief description which always had the sound, 'Mmmm' lodged somewhere in the conversation. General opinion certainly indicates the Money Spider is the archetypal example of Roussanne and even looking this grape up on Wikipedia will show you a picture of this bottle.
It wasn't until a recent chance encounter that I found this wine, however, I have come across other d'Arenberg wines which have been lovingly consumed. The Laughing Magpie, the Hermit Crab, the Custodian, the Dead Arm and the Galvo Garage to name but a few; each bottle with an intriguing name and displaying the distinctive diagonal red stripe which mirrors the d'Arenberg coat of arms.
The nose is intense with a nutty, buttery texture, followed by cream and Riesling type indications of petroleum. To taste, this wine has elegance and power and the intensity of the nose is perfectly matched on the palate. Subtle layers of honeysuckle and cooked apple are also detectable with a change to fresh pear in the long, clean aftertaste. This is a well pronounced, medium bodied wine that balances acidity with a richness of flavours. Surprisingly complex in one so relatively young but a truly awesome and memorable drink.
Spirited Wines have a number of stores around the UK and can also be found on line at www.spiritedwines.co.uk
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