Wines of the week

Chewy rusticity

Chianti Riserva, Tuscany, Italy 2016. £5.99, Lidl, alc 13% This is a good-value, everyday drinking red. Chianti Riservas must be aged for a minimum of two years before release and this one is from 2016, so it’s mellow by now, with spicy and warm, almost exotic redberry fruit, a chewy rusticity and a little char character.

Honeyed mushrooms

Domaine des Forges, Vignoble Branchereau, Côteaux du Layon 1er Cru Chaume, Loire, France 2018. £10.78/50cl, Justerini & Brooks, alc 11.5% Although aromatically subtle, the palate is deliciously rich and pulsating with flavours of confit lemon, mango, melon and pineapple, enhanced by umami notes of honeyed mushrooms and soy sauce. Combining sweet, peachy richness with savoury intrigue, this shows how tantalising Chenin Blanc can be. Opulence and power at excellent value.

A generous mouthful

Paris Valley Road, Chardonnay, California, US 2018. £11.50, The Wine Society, alc 14%

A ripe, plush Chardonnay, for those who like a generous mouthful of melon, peach and lemon-meringue-pie ripeness, alongside vanilla notes. Almost pot pourri-like in its florality, with just enough acidity to balance. Well priced for California and sure to find fans.

Stewed cherry and bacon

Jean-jacques Girard, Savignylès-beaune, Burgundy, France 2017. £20, Co-op, alc 13% Opens with stewed cherry and bacon over a perfumed nose of red cherry and earthy hawthorn, seasoned by black pepper. Smoky cherry and strawberry on the palate, with fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Sweet spices follow to the long finish.