Herewith 65 wines from the current range at Majestic in the UK. It's not a flawless offering, but does a pretty good job of combining mainstream varieties and regions with some esoterica. There's certainly an option for every palate – with the exception of natural wine fundamentalists, perhaps!
The notes are presented by style, colour and descending score.
SPARKLING
Proper apple fruit, fragrant floral top-notes. Just about acceptable for a standard NV. (RH)
12.5%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£25 (until 29/10) Majestic
Dull and uneventful. Puts the sham in champagne. (RH)
12.5%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£18 (until 29/10) Majestic
Pretty discreet. Apple and perhaps a hint of cherry, but their 2003 Blanc de Blancs is way better – and cheaper. (RH)
12%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£39.99 (until 29/10) Majestic
Impressively developed. Loads of crunchy green apple fruit – really brilliant. Benefits from the extra heat of the year, no doubt. At least as good as anything else at this price. (RH)
12%
Drink
2009
–
2015
£34.99 (until 29/10) Majestic
Bit of honey on the nose, but very neutral on the palate. White fruit. Soft fizz, but not much else going for it. (RH)
11.5%
Drink
2012
£8.49 (until 29/10) Majestic
Weird confected character. Banana. Deathly dull. Clearly made to a price. (RH)
11.5%
Drink
2012
£7.99 (until 29/10) Majestic
WHITE
Fantastic – if you want archetypal, balanced, sensitively made Gewürz, look no further. Explodes with aromatics. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£14.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £11.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Unoaked. Yellow fruit, full body – alcohol seems a bit noticeable to me. (RH)
13.5%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£10.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Lime fruit, light and all a bit forgettable. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£6.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £5.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Grassy, herbal nose. Pine-fresh. Commercially very appealling, but smacks of alcoholic cordial rather than wine. (RH)
13.5%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£9.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Broad, waxy, interesting palate with peach, pear and a sort of peppery seasoning. Proper wine. Full and interesting and worthy. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£17.49 (buy 2 save 20% = £13.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Creamy and a little bit oxidised. Lots of chewy extract, and a hint of honey too. Nice right now, but needs dispatching quickly. (RH)
14%
Drink
2010
–
2012
£13.74 (buy 2 save 20% = £9.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Mealy and rounded, bit of firework smokiness. Chardonnay by the numbers. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£9.99 (buy 2 save 20% = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Closed on the nose but abolutely singing on the palate with honey, creamy vanilla and the waxiness of Chenin holding the alcohol well. (RH)
14.5%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£11.99 (buy 2 save 20% = £9.59 until 29/10) Majestic
Going gold, and showing a smoky and slaty character plus loads of lime and floral character. Bit of honey seeping through. Very respctable for the price, and has lovely maturity. GV (RH)
12.5%
Drink
2008
–
2014
£9.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Well defined fruit. Compact, intense. Clearly premium – for its extra intensity rather than extra complexity. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£12.49 (buy 2 save £5 = £9.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Lots of ripe fruit and green beans. Playful reduction on the nose. Rounded, softened acidity. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£9.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Grassy, green, lots of gooseberries. Fair enough for the (lower) price, though it’s andante at best. (RH)
12.5%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£9.99 (buy 2 save £8 = £5.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Plain, flat. Austria doesn’t do cheap well, and Grüner has an unfortunate propensity to dullness. It's not a bad wine, just very routine. (RH)
12.5%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£9.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
They’ve squeezed some good flavour out of this – ripe and a little bit phenolic. Very fair for the price. Goes down very easily. VGV (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
£6.24 (buy 2 save 20% = £4.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Stone fruit, quite a bit of spritz, finishes quite abruptly and has a sort of soapy tone to the flavour. (RH)
11%
Drink
2012
£6.49 (buy 2 save £3 = £4.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Ooh, very fragrant and bright, actually. Lime, flowers, soft and drinkable. Not the steeliest example, but not neutral and flat either. GV for Gavi at the lower price. (RH)
12%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£8.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Nutty, dry, textural. Still fresh, but not really maturing – just ageing. Hints of bruised apple creeping in. Drink up. (RH)
13.5%
Drink
2010
–
2012
£9.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Not much to write about here, I’m afraid. A shadow of a Chablis. (RH)
12.5%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£11.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £9.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Sensitively oaked, and evokes modern Australia – rather than vice versa! Rather neutral fruit, as is Chardonnay’s wont. Some flinty character on the finish. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£12.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £10.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Flinty, rather attractive nose that leads to a modest palate. Not bad for the price, but lacks the nutty, peachy opulence that Marsanne can have. (RH)
13.5%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£8.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Made by an unidentified co-op. Very little varietal character beyond a vague sort of citrussy thing. Fair enough, it’s cheap. Watery. (RH)
12%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£5.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £4.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Spritzy, lemon-infused but all a bit run of the mill. Works well enough as a palate cleanser / glugger / aperitif sort of thing. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£7.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Sweaty, lemon drops, minerals. Knocks the socks off the Pinard Sancerre. Loads of length, loads of interest. Crisp acidity. (RH)
13.5%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£19.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £17.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Smoky, light and fragrant style. Not sure I like it much for £20. Seems a tad understated for that price. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£19.99 (buy 2 save £10 = £14.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Distinct yeastiness with the requisite lemon fruit. Good, classic stuff. Tasty if simple – but does what Muscadet should. (RH)
12%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£8.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
ROSÉ
Yuck. There are some sulphur compounds on the nose that are pretty gross here. Palate seems better, though it’s very dull. Faulty bottle? (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
£9.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
RED
Still youthful, lots of vibrant black fruit upfront. All exuberance. Very likeable – but doesn't seem to have the interest and depth at the price, which has gone up quite a bit recently. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£30 (buy 2 save 20% = £23.99 until 29/10) Majestic
The quality of the fruit is so evident here – clearly and reassuringly superior to cheaper Shirazes. Lovely meat and bacon on the nose, fragrantly spicy. Long finish enhanced by integrated oak. (RH)
14.5%
Drink
2012
–
2018
£22 (buy 2 save 20% = £17.59 until 29/10) Majestic
Smoky (but not rubbery) and firm on the nose, lots of bold black fruit. Dense. Needs time. Loads of potential. (RH)
14.5%
Drink
2012
–
2020
£11.24 (buy 2 save 20% = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Blackcurrant, blackcurrant leaf, lots of fruit but a good structural backbone – plenty of tannin and acid here. Dry and savoury to finish. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£10.99 (buy 2 save 20% = £8.79 until 29/10) Majestic
96% Syrah. Really excellent fresh black fruit, meat, perhaps a bit of floral lift. Long, textural, loads of bacon fat. Fearsomely impressive for this price. VGV (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£8.74 Majestic
American oak makes a big impression here, but the juicy, ripe black fruit holds up to it. A big, hearty, bruiser of a wine – but not as showy and complete as the 2009 and 2008 were. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£14.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £11.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Blackcurrant juice, a bit of herbaceous bitterness and a very chewy mouthfeel. Quite hard work – was expecting more lusciousness. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£13.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £10.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Black fruit mass in a really stonewalling sort of way. Hard work – undoubtedly impressive, but tiring. (RH)
14.5%
Drink
2012
–
2015
£11.99 (buy 2 save £6 = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Blackberry fruit, soft structure, pretty simple but enjoyable enough. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£8.99 Majestic
Forceful and impressive fruit definition. Bit of medicinal lift, but the attraction of this is the fruit bomb going off. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£9.99 (buy 2 save £5 = £7.49 until 29/10) Majestic
Ripe, juicy, but stinky and reductive too. Pale and light, rough around the edges. Pinot Noir does not belong in Maule. (RH)
13.5%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£7.99 (buy 2 save 4 = £5.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Very lovely on the nose, really spicy and open with a claret style of woodspice. Long and full without being weighty. (RH)
14.5%
Drink
2012
–
2018
£13.49 (buy 2 save £3 = £11.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Crude, slightly light body. Red fruit, basic. (RH)
13.5%
Drink
2012
–
2014
£8.49 Majestic
Baked summer fruit pudding, distinctively Portuguese and bold with a chunky, full body. (RH)
14.5%
Drink
2012
–
2018
£8.49 (buy 2 save £3 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Taut and firm, dense black fruit. Very powerful, almost cordial-esque. Spiced and a bit meaty. (RH)
14.5%
Drink
2012
–
2018
£25 (buy 2 save 20% = £20 until 29/10) Majestic
Lots of creamy oak, bramble fruit. Very charming. Long and modern and absolutely drenched in vanilla. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2015
£16.24 (buy 2 save 20% = £12.99 until 29/10) Majestic
There’s a reductive, pongy artifice to this that I don’t much like. Perhaps just too young? (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£8.74 (buy 2 save 20% = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Unobjectionable, but crude. Tastes like it costs a fiver. (RH)
14%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£6.24 (buy 2 save 20% = £4.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Lovely fragrant, lifted nose and plenty of firm, dark fruit. Very typical – the acidity, power and tannin is all in place – but there are better Chiantis at this price. (RH)
14.5%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£26 Majestic
Plenty of spicy, sappy oak. Tight, modern, furry. Bitter notes alongisde the black cherry fruit. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2018
£12.49 (buy 2 save £5 = £9.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Attractive blackcurrant and leather. A bit anti-climactic on the palate, but pleasant enough. Tuscan bitterness. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2015
£9.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Chocolate, black cherry fruit. Sweet spices on the palate, but a burning inferno on the finish. Charming on the nose but not quite the finished article on the palate – simply too much alcohol. (RH)
15%
Drink
2010
–
2015
£25 (buy 2 save £4 = £23 until 29/10) Majestic
Smoky, sophisticated, flinty nose – real complexity and class here. A drinker rather than a keeper, but very satisfying and classic. Grows on the length. (RH)
12.5%
Drink
2012
–
2017
£25 Majestic
Fabulous earthy, developed, fragrant nose. Good amount of grip, in a resolved, rounded way. This has the Margaux flair. (RH)
12.5%
Drink
2008
–
2015
£8.99 (375ml) Majestic
Classic pencil fragrance and fully ripe black fruit – no greenness – firm, grainy tannins. More St-Julien than Margaux, maybe? (RH)
Drink
2011
–
2017
£19.99 (buy 2 save £10 = £14.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Very good blackcurrant fruit, has the lightness of 2007 but that’s no bad thing. Served slightly cool at lunchtime, it would make you very happy. A tiny bit green, perhaps, but that’s forgiveable at this price. (RH)
12.5%
Drink
2010
–
2015
£9.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £7.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Ripe, rich, modern but recognisably Cahors-esque thanks to a firm finish and restrained fruit sweetness. (RH)
Drink
2012
–
2015
£8.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £6.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Plummy, baked fruit. Very decent, savoury structure. Rustic but sophisticated and well-made. (RH)
13.5%
Drink
2012
–
2015
£7.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £5.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Really earthy, savoury stuff here. Emphasises the non-fruit spectrum in a very convincing way. Toned, dark and with lovely lingering spice. (RH)
13.5%
Drink
2011
–
2018
£19.99 (buy 2 save £10 = £14.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Lovely redcurrant with a touch of bitterness that works well here. Juicy not jammy. Very youthful and primary yet – deserves a bit of time. (RH)
13%
Drink
2013
–
2020
£17.49 (buy 2 save £4 = £14.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Nice stalky and strawberry fruit here. Tangy acidity, fine lines and crisp fresh finish. As good as you could hope for red burgundy at the price. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2016
£14.99 (buy 2 save £4 = £12.99 until 29/10) Majestic
Conventional, safe, lovely bold acidity. Fresh, bright, correct, but not especially good value. There are better cru Beaujolais available at this level. (RH)
13%
Drink
2012
–
2013
£9.99 (buy 2 save £2 = £8.99 until 29/10) Majestic
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