by Rose Murray Brown MW   Published in The Scotsman 31 October 2015

Since Rowan Gormley of Naked Wines took over the mantle of CEO at Majestic Wine last year, the wine trade have been waiting with bated breath to see how he plans to revitalise this large long-established wine warehouse chain, which currently has 14 outlets across Scotland. 

First – it was a ‘text and collect service’ for Naked Wine customers in Majestic’s stores – and now he has introduced a new exclusive own label range for Majestic Wine – and has scraped the minimum 6 bts purchase rule.

The new Definition wine range is the first time that Majestic Wine have dipped their toes into the ‘own label’ market.  Own label is a popular way for their competitors to make money, so it is an obvious route for them to take. 

The good news is that Majestic have not fallen for the lowest possible denominator to compete with the supermarkets.  The new range focuses on wines priced from £7.49 to £13.49 per bottle, so it looks more in line with its online wine merchant competitors like The Wine Society, Laithwaites or Berry Bros & Rudd.

If Majestic already have 1,100 wines in store, why add yet another raft of wines?  “Newcomers find it difficult to get to grips with our big range, so we created a brand to illustrate what the most famous styles taste like”, says Emma Baumann of Majestic Wine.   Clearly expecting big volume sales, the smallest batch of one of their Definition labels is of 12,600 bottles.

Within the 12-strong new wine range, you find mainly European classics from Sancerre, Chablis to Rioja – with the New World only represented by New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir as well as Argentine Malbec.  Labels are very clear and distinctive, but it’s what is in the bottle that really counts to get customers coming back for more. 

Our verdict is that the new Definition range is all very acceptable and we would happily drink any of them, but none are really outstanding.  The Limoux Chardonnay, Cotes du Rhone red and Claret offer the best value deals.  In fact, overall the reds achieved higher scores than the whites from our tasters.

 

SPARKLING

DEFINITION PROSECCO BRUT NV Val D’Oca
(£9.74 Majestic Scotland: £12.99 Majestic England)
Alcohol: 11%
Origin: Veneto, Italy
Grape: Glera
Very popular with tasters who liked its freshness, delicacy, touch of minerality and good dry finish.  Not too sweet as so many Proseccos tend to be.

WHITE

DEFINITION PINOT GRIGIO 2014 Giovanni Puiatti
(£7.49 Majestic Scotland; £9.99 Majestic England)
Alcohol 12%
Origin: Fruili, NE Italy
Grape: Pinot Gris
Acceptable – but not outstanding was our verdict here.  Initially smells sweet and ripe, palate has a lemony flavour with a vibrant steely core but slightly bitter finish.

DEFINITION SANCERRE 2014 Jean Max Roger
(£13.49 Majestic Scotland; £17.99 Majestic England)
Alcohol 12.5%
Origin: Loire, France          
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Pretty much what you expect from Sancerre, but our tasters felt it was a bit expensive.  Zingy and limey, but lacks the grassy aromas, flinty flavours and length I would prefer at this price level.

DEFINITION CHARDONNAY 2014 Domaine Paul Mas
(£9.74 Majestic Scotland; £12.99 Majestic England)
Alcohol 13.5%       
Origin: Limoux, Languedoc, S France
Grape: Chardonnay
Delicious example of a rich creamy Limoux Chardonnay.  Rich honey and mealy aromas, lovely toasty rich flavours, ripe citric fruit – with good length for the price.  STAR BUY WHITE

DEFINITION CHABLIS 2014 Louis Moreau
(£11.99 Majestic Scotland; £15.99 Majestic England)
Alcohol 12.5%
Origin: Burgundy, France
Grape: Chardonnay            
Floral, citric, vibrant example of Chablis – a popular white with our tasters who placed it in second place in the range (behind the Limoux Chardonnay).

ROSE

DEFINITION PROVENCE ROSE 2014 Chateau Minuty
(£9.74 Majestic Scotland; £12.99 Majestic England)
Alcohol 13%
Origin: Provence, France
Grapes: Grenache, Cinsault & Syrah
Typically pale Provencal rose colour, light red fruit aromas, dry sleek but some tasters thought it lacked vibrancy and length.

RED

DEFINITION PINOT NOIR 2014 St Clair
(£11.99 Majestic Scotland: £15.99 Majestic England)
Alcohol 13.5%
Origin: Marlborough, New Zealand
Grape: Pinot Noir
Exactly what you would expect of a Marlborough Pinot Noir, with lots of rich dark cherry fruits, soft juicy zingy and zesty – but for the price at nearly £12 tasters felt they expected a little more complexity.

DEFINITION ‘CLARET’ BORDEAUX MONTAGNE ST EMILION 2010 Francois Janoueix
(£9.74 Majestic Scotland; £12.99 Majestic England)
Alcohol 14%
Origin: Bordeaux, France
Grapes: 80% Merlot. 20% Cabernet Franc
Very popular with tasters.  Fruitcake and plum aromas, cedary undertones, hint of mellow maturity, rich voluptous fruits and well rounded tannins.  STAR BUY RED

DEFINITION COTES DU RHONE 2014 Domaine Durieu
(£8.99 Majestic Scotland; £11.99 Majestic England)
Alcohol 14%
Origin: Cotes du Rhone, France
Grapes: Grenache, Syrah & Carignan
Very popular with tasters.  Loved the spice and pepper aromas, rich ripe blackcurrant fruits and well structured palate.

N.B. You can now purchase a single bottle in Majestic Wine stores

Join Rose’s wine tastings in Glasgow, Edinburgh and St Andrews www.rosemurraybrown.com