Staff Favourites - Wines We Enjoy

Staff Favourites Sometimes, we pick the wines for wine of the week with a particular theme or upcoming event in mind. Often, we’ll choose wines from a region that’s a little bit out of the way. Other times we want to draw attention to a producer who does something a little unusual in how they make their wines. But sometimes, we just want to show off the wines that we enjoy ourselves – sometimes, you don’t need a particular reason to share awesome wines. This is one of those weeks; Château Thieuley Bordeaux Blanc and San Simone Rondover Rosso are firm favourites with all team at Wines Direct, and it’s easy to see why. Château Thieuley Bordeaux Blanc Sylvie and Marie Courselle are two sisters from Bordeaux. Both are oenologists, and together they run Château Thieuley, their family estate near La Sauve in Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux. They’re third generation winemakers, brought up on vineyards and wineries, constantly soaking up the atmosphere of winemaking. They inherited their family’s passion for wine. It was their father, Francis Courselle, who first established Château Thieuley’s reputation by making white wines that rival the “great French whites”. Having taken responsibility for Château Thieuley and cemented their reputation, Sylvie and Marie Courselle continue that tradition with their Bordeaux Blanc. The wine has a full and fragrant nose, with rich and round greengage flavours followed by a long, dry finish. Agreeing that it’s good enough to unsettle incumbent French classics, Tom Doorley called it “a very grown-up wine that puts many a Sancerre to shame.” We’re inclined to agree. Château Thieuley Bordeaux Blanc would be fantastic with smoked salmon, or younger hard cheese. It makes a great aperitif too! San Simone Rondover Rosso Located in Friuli, just a short drive from Venice in the northeast of Italy, San Simone is in the heart of Prosecco country. And like most Friuliano wineries, they make prosecco. Their prosecco frizzante is soft, snappy and aromatic with pear and apple flavours and enduring effervescence. It makes sense that San Simone is best known for their prosecco. But San Simone has produced some of their most interesting wines by defying expectations and making serious, still wines. The San Simone Rondover Rosso is a dynamic, bitter-sweet and complex wine. San Simone’s Rondover Rosso is made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Refosco, a local grape variety. This blend gives the wine an intense ruby colour, fruit of the forest flavours and an intriguing hint of bitterness that balances out the fruit. This tension between fruitiness and astringency makes the Rondover Rosso a great compliment to the natural sweetness of tomato-based dishes, like an aubergine parmigiana, or anything with a marinara sauce. At Wines Direct, we love Château Thieuley Bordeaux Blanc and San Simone Rondover Rosso. They’re engaging wines with broad appeal that deliver quality well above what their price would lead you to expect. If you want to see for yourself why they’re so popular with the staff at Wines Direct, both Château Thieuley Bordeaux Blanc and San Simone Rondover Rosso will be open for you to taste in Arnotts and Mullingar from Monday 20^th of November.