DETRITUS?

This post should have gone under The Wine Guy but, since I changed the settings on the lap-top it's difficult jumping through to other tabs. The Old Girl has been working in the study (her office) all weekend (and, at 7pm tonight is still working) so, as is often the case, I'm typing this at the dining table.

One of the pleasures of keeping a reasonably decent wine cellar over the years has been discovering bottles of wine that, for one reason or another have gone unnoticed for a long time.

Now, not that I have anything remotely resembling the collection I used to have, I do have a few bottles of good wine (and spirits) that I haven't consumed or sold. I did think though that, a few months ago, I'd relocated the rest of the cellar from the basement to the kitchen at the rear of the house. I haven't been buying 'keeping' wines for some time preferring to buy good wines on special at our supermarkets.

A couple of days ago, as part of the decluttering we are doing I started to empty out the basement in order to take rubbish, and the other stuff there (detritus) that I hadn't before identified as rubbish, to the tip. When moving a couple of empty wooden boxes I found underneath them an unopened case (of 6) of Novum Pinot Noir 2019.

This outstanding boutique Marlborough winery makes beautiful Burgundian-style pinot noir and we've followed it for a few years now. For the life of me I thought that we'd consumed all of the wines that we ordered on-line - happily not so. Yesterday I opened one of the bottles and, not surprisingly as it's only 5 years old, the wine is alive, bright, and very delicious.

Hey! Don't just trust me:

"A rich and robust style that speaks of the soil and the place the grapes were grown. Abundant generous fruit greets the palate with flavours of raspberries overlaid with subtle meat and hints of leather and spice. Wonderful tannins coat the inside of the cheeks bringing harmony, balance and length to the palate. Very stylish from whoa to go.

          - Vine on-line

"A complex and very captivating bouquet with scents of sweet oak and baking spices, a core of myriad red berry fruits, heirloom roses, soils and minerals. On the palate - equally complex, layered and captivating with fruit, barrel, floral and mineral flavours that reflect the bouquet. Fine tannins with a chalk dust texture, medium+ acidity and lengthy finish. A delicious wine. Drinkable from today and through 2028+. 96 Points. Outstanding."

                    - Cameron Douglas (wine writer).

OK, I could find lots of other reviews that support my opinion but trust me, this wine has French (Burgundian) savoury characters counterbalanced with lovely fruit flavours and flower and herb aromas. Delicious. Did I say that earlier?

So, you've no doubt heard that expression: 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' - believe me, it can be true.