David Crossley's Wide World of Wine

Recent Wines June 2024 (Part 3) #theglouthatbindsus

Posted on 23/07/2024 by dccrossley

The bumper June edition of my Recent Wines of 2024 runs to a third part this year. The final half-dozen wines here start with a Bugey (yawn, but you’ll thank me one day). Then we stay off-piste with Lagrein Rosé, a Moravian rendition of the well-known André grape, a rare sighting (too rare in this case) of both region and variety with a Luxembourg Moselle Elbling, a slightly more mainstream wine in a not so mainstream version (Amontillado), and finally something slightly more normal…a Jura Chardonnay. I can tell you, I loved every one of them (that’s why they’re here).

Bugey-Cerdon NV, Philippe Balivet (Bugey, France)

I swear to you, we are seeing a noticeable increase in the availability of Bugey wines in the UK. Well, I’m doing my bit. I’ve seen pink and red Mondeuse, and a couple of Chardonnays this year, and even a Poulsard, but Cerdon seems to be awakening a few wine geeks to its charms. Actually, this very old méthode ancestrale sparkling wine from the region on paper should have a lot of appeal, but of course production is too limited for it to become commercial.

Philippe Balivet’s children, Cécile and Vincent, now run this domaine at Mérignat, in the appellation’s northern sector. Up here, off the old main road to Geneva, long since relegated to almost a country lane by the Lyon-to-Geneva Autoroute, the wines make a nod towards Jura, whereas in the southern sector the wines most often resemble Savoie.

This cuvée is 100% Gamay, although you will find a few farmers who still grow and include some Poulsard in their Cerdon. Not here. The beauty of Bugey-Cerdon is that it is a grapey, fresh, Rosé with only around 7% alcohol, which can be drunk at any time of day or night. It’s like drinking strawberry-scented fruit juice. Lightly sparkling and frothy, the residual sugar is balanced by acidity. It doesn’t taste acidic but it does taste clean and pure alongside the sweetness, which the acids diminish on the palate.

I have now seen three different Cerdons in the UK in the past year, and all are good, although it should be noted that Philippe Balivet did more than almost anyone to promote Cerdon in France. I’ve bought this from Cork & Cask and Smith & Gertrude since I’ve been living in Scotland. Guess what, I still have more in my cellar (so let’s hope summer arrives soon, or at all). It costs around £24. The UK importer is Vine Trail.

As I know a number of readers travel to the Jura periodically, look out for this and other Balivet wines at Épicurea/Fromagerie Vagne in Poligny (and maybe in their Arbois store just off the Place de la Liberté). This is where I bought them regularly before they appeared in the UK.

Lagrein Rosé 2023, Cantina Terlano (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy)

If you’ve tried Lagrein without having been born in its region of production, then you are already in a small minority of grape hunters. If you have tried it, chances are it was in its most usual form, an autochthonous red grape variety of Italy’s mountainous Northeast, making a red wine of some density and a little weight. In the past, certainly when I first ventured there, it was only just beginning to be taken seriously, and as a red wine from a good producer it is well worth the proverbial detour to seek out. But here, we have a pink version.

The Cantina Terlano (Terlan in the local Austrian dialect) is the oldest co-operative wine cellar in Alto-Adige/Südtirol. They farm, among their members, a massive 150-hectares of vines. They are based right in the north of Alto-Adige, just before the Adige itself reaches the town of Bolzano, a little to the south, above which is the Brenner Pass and Austria, a little over an hour away by car.

In the past there were two versions of Lagrein Rosé made here, Lagrein Kretzer and Lagrein Dunkel. The latter was darker and maybe less fruity, but both could age, even if they were looked down upon by the old school wine writers. This excellent version is made with whole clusters undergoing a slow fermentation in stainless steel, followed by ageing on lees for seven months. As far as I can see, it is labelled as neither Kretzer nor Dunkel, just “Tradition”.

It certainly is a fruity wine. Red fruit sweetness on the bouquet (it’s a dry wine, but I’m sure you know what I mean), with soft red fruits on the palate. There’s freshness and a velvet texture, so that it refreshes the palate with fruitiness rather than acidity as such. It may not be a natural wine but with all its strawberry/raspberry/cherry concentration I’d defy anyone not to like it. Okay, it’s a Rosé for summer, yet it has the weight to go with quite flavoursome dishes and, as the weather has proved this year, sunshine is not essential to accompany it. For me, it just hit the spot that evening.

From Solent Cellar (£24), imported by Astrum Wines.

André 2017, Syfany Winery (Moravia, Czechia)

I have shown an interest in the André grape variety in these pages before, but most often I have encountered it in blends, not just in Moravia but also, notably, in Northern Burgenland as well. It is a late-ripening crossing between Blaufränkisch and Saint Laurent from the 1990s, developed in Moravia. People have said that it bears a closer resemblance to Zweigelt than either of its parents, and trying it as a single varietal wine, I can kind of see that.

Syfany is run by Jakub Zborovsky and his wife, Káya, who make natural wines together in Southeast Moravia, close to Vrbice. Not only do they make natural wines but they also try to source their wood locally, so this André is aged in Acacia. Acacia has become a popular alternative to oak in many parts of Moravia. It grows in the region and so it is very much part of tradition here.

This is a very easy-to-drink wine. The top note is cranberry on the nose, the palate starting with cherries but cranberry comes in on a slightly more bitter finish, along with a good lick of acidity. It has a lovely garnet colour and just a little tannic structure to hold it together. Just a little sulphur is added, but nothing else.

Two things worth noting. First, it tastes light and fresh yet it does pack a hidden 13% abv. This makes it more versatile than you might think. Secondly, you might have noticed the vintage, 2017. It may seem “easy-drinking” right now, but it has aged well.

Syfany were new last year (I think) to the Basket Press Wines range, and they make a number of quite exciting wines, especially as they are also one of the best value producers Basket Press imports from the region. This was just £20. I enjoyed their Ryzlink Vlašký last year (see Recent Wines September 2023 (Part 1) published 2 October 2023). I have a petnat to try as well, perhaps if the sunshine returns.

Elbling “Roche Liquide” 2022, Racines Rebelles (Moselle, Luxembourg)

This is a new natural wine producer based on the Moselle in Luxembourg. Kaja Kohv is originally from Estonia, but her winemaking journey began in Beechworth, Australia, working at one of the greats of Victorian wine, Giaconda. Her Luxembourg experience began with Abi Duhr, who has long been at the forefront of quality Luxembourg wine from his base at Gravenmacher.

It is at Gravenmacher that Kaja farms a small holding of vines which are over forty years old, directly over the river from her friend, Jonas Dostert. In fact, I was going to buy some of Jonas’s Elbling but I was nudged to try Kaja’s and I’m glad I did.

Elbling has long been a variety hated by the wine writers on the basis that it was an over-cropped grape which, apparently before the 1970s was Germany’s most widely planted variety. It is still planted widely in Luxembourg with around 123 hectares. I just read that it is now so unloved it has slipped to Number 23 in the German Grape Charts. Still, I doubt I have seen a grape variety with quite so many synonyms!

The key to Roche Liquide is low cropping of old vines, the trick that miraculously manages to turn any once-derided ugly duckling grape variety into a tasty swan. To extract flavour this gets a whole bunch press then eight months on lees, half in acacia and half in stainless steel. But the key is in the vineyard, where these mature vines sit on clay over limestone (remember, Dostert unusually has vines on limestone just over the river), and undergo serious regenerative farming.

No one would argue this is a complex wine by any means, but it has a lovely soft, appley, bouquet and a nice apple freshness on the palate, matched with a flavour that reminded me of pineapple chunks. Just 990 bottles were produced.

So, I’m just putting in a word for the Elbling revival on this stretch of the Mosel/Moselle. 24€ from Feral Art et Vins in Bordeaux old town. No known UK importer, currently.

Amontillado “I Think”, Equipo Navazos (Montilla-Moriles, Spain)

The Sierra de Montilla and Montilla Altos both possess white chalky soils, but unlike the Jerez region, 200km to the southwest, here, way north of Malaga, in the Province of Cordoba, the grape of choice is Pedro-Ximenez (PX).

This is a rare wine, around 1,000 half-bottles only. The idea behind “I Think” came from Equipo Navazos’s UK importer, Alliance Wine. I’ve only seen the Manzanilla “I Think” before, but this Amontillado is a saca of June 2023, taken from a single cask at the bodega of Pérez Barquero in Montilla. The average age of the wines in the cask would be fifteen years. Although you will note the abv on the bottle to be 16.5%, the wine is unfortified and the alcohol is natural. Well, it is sunny here.

We start with very intense aromatics in a dark-coloured wine. Walnut and fresh lemon citrus combine with a very noticeable spice element. There’s also a hint of the broth you get from adding water to dried mushrooms, it’s uncannily the same. But it’s just a hint, not overpowering. It’s a unique wine in many ways, and dry, whereas PX is better known for its sweet wines. Very distinctive, very “gourmand”.

It retails for £22 at Solent Cellar, but despite its rarity it is available in a few other independent wine stores as well. £20 or more might not be cheap for a half-bottle but this is fantastic, and a very good way to sample the Equipo Navazos magic for less money than the “Botas” will cost you. As I mentioned above, Alliance Wine is the importer.

Chardonnay “Le Glanon” 2020, Fruitière Vinicole de Pupillin (Jura, France)

I’m all in favour of checking out the wines they sell in cheese shops, whether in France or the UK. You never know what you might find. This was a bit of a find on several levels. I won’t deny that what drew my eye to it on the shelf was its label. It turns out that this Chardonnay is from the Pupillin co-operative, Juravinum, thirty members farming 60 hectares of vines around the village. This is also a zero-intervention wine with no added sulphur. At least one co-op in the region has woken up and smelt the coffee.

The 25-year-old Chardonnay vines are grown at 250 masl on iridescent marls. The fruit is harvested by hand, destemmed and pressed after a few hours on skins into wooden vats. It ages for twelve months in foudres. There’s a fragrant bouquet of lifted white flowers and the palate has creamy pear with apple acidity. The acids on the finish show lemon and lime citrus.

It’s not a complex wine, not in the sense of some of the Chardonnays now coming out of the region. Yet this bottle was pure, satisfying, very tasty and for sure I would drink it again with pleasure. It’s nice to see a hundred-and-fifteen-year-old wine co-op doing something a bit innovative and different, taking note of what the wider region is making a success of, and indeed sticking a nice, eye-catching label on it (especially as I have a wild swimmer in the family).

I found this in IJ Mellis Cheesemongers (St Andrews Branch, also in Edinburgh and Glasgow) and it cost around £27. It is available at a few indies, and you can also try Sip Wines online.

Recent Wines June 2024 (Part 2) #theglouthatbindsus

Posted on 18/07/2024 by dccrossley

Recent Wines, June Part 2, is a little different to Part 1. No spectacularly old and expensive wines I can no longer afford, but plenty of quality and interest, inspiration and pleasure, in this second half-dozen wines. We begin with a Manzanilla with a difference, followed by a great value Champagne in magnum, a Langhe Nebbiolo that makes no pretence at being a Barolo and an easy-going Swiss red which is actually affordable. Then we head down south in Italy, to Sicily, before finishing on a high note with another new Mosel name working his family’s centuries-old estate on the Mosel (think Jonas Dostert levels of star quality but even less well known in the UK).

Manzanilla “Florpower” Bota 101, Equipo Navajos (Sanlúcar, Spain)

What is different about this Manzanilla? It is bottled under Equipo Navazos’s “Florpower” label, in an ordinary wine bottle. It is in fact a proper vintage Manzanilla (2016), yet fully fortified to 15% abv. So, unlike the regular Florpower wines, it is not an unfortified table wine.

We have here what has become a standard EN route of 100% Palomino Fino grapes harvested from the chalky white soils of Pago Miraflores La Baja at Sanlúcar. It was fermented and aged as a table wine (to 12% alcohol), having the same origin as their Florpower Bota 84, but some lots were reserved to be fortified and saw an extra three years ageing in butts. It is intended as a vintage expression of the vineyard, but equally as the traditional fortified product of that vineyard of a given year.

This is a magical and complex Manzanilla. If you are looking for a simple wine to slake a thirst before dinner this is not it. It is certainly salty, delicate, racy, flor-influenced, but it also has much more than a mere streak of vinosity. Whatever the complex background to this wine, what they did worked. It’s magnificent, and a little different, both in concept and flavour.

A wine from my last direct import from Equipo Navazos, before post-brexit shipping became uneconomical. The UK agent is Alliance Wine.

Champagne Gallimard Cuvée de Réserve Blanc de Noirs NV (Champagne, France)

This was the main number for our anniversary party, poured from magnums, though I think the backup 75cl also got opened…of course. Gallimard is based in Les Riceys, a village (well, more an amalgamation of three Hamlets) in the Côte des Bar (formerly The Aube in Champagne parlance), which is very close to the northernmost border with Burgundy.

Although the closest significant wine region to the south (and it is pretty close) is Chablis, it is not Chardonnay for which Les Riceys has become famous, but Pinot Noir, grown on mostly kimmeridgian limestone terroir. Pinot Noir appears, of course, in that hidden secret, Rosé des Riceys, a hauntingly ethereal pink wine that ages remarkably well. However, Pinot Noir for Champagne has always been a feature here, and I remember at least a decade ago reading that Krug, among other houses, sought Pinot Noir here (in the days when I could afford to wonder what went into Krug Grande Cuvée).

Being a very rural location, there were very few “names” in the game, but in recent decades that has changed. Some of the most “cult” Growers are down here. The twin sub-regions of the Côte des Bar are now among the most dynamic vineyards in Champagne.

Didier and Arnaud Gallimard run this sixth-generation domaine. They have ten hectares, mostly Pinot Noir from mature vines, plus Chardonnay. This multi-vintage is 100% Pinot Noir and has 30% reserve wines, and 10% wines from a perpetual reserve (or a solera as some, like the Gallimards, call it).

The colour has a very faint pink tinge from the gentle pressing of that 100% Pinot Noir fruit. The bouquet is richly fruity, all red summer fruit pudding with some tropical notes. The palate, from magnum, shows some age, with elegance and poise (I don’t know when it was disgorged, I’m afraid).

This seems to have a common role as a House Champagne, both here and in the US. I can see why because it is remarkably good value. The price was £70/magnum and £32/bottle from The Solent Cellar (via mail order/online). In a world where a bottle of Champagne in the UK has to cost pretty much £50 to be worth buying, quality-wise, over other better value traditional method wines, this is a nice alternative if you want “Champagne” on the label. I would add that magnum is always the way to go, if you can. There is a difference. Well, I mean, it’s not Krug but I think it’s pretty good.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2021, Az Ag Schiavenza di Pira Luciano (Piemonte, Italy)

I do love Barolo, but the opportunity to drink a properly aged bottle, or of Barbaresco for that matter, gets more infrequent as the cellar depletes of them. Now, I know that Langhe Nebbiolo is nothing like those wines, but in the same way that we used to look for a tasty Bourgogne Rouge back in the days when finding a good one was rare, a well made Nebbiolo from Piemonte can be worth the search. Langhe Nebbiolo is not always as good a bet as Nebbiolo from Piemonte’s outer sub-zones, because it has the suspicion of young vines or of “Barolo reject”, but not always.

Operating from Serralunga d’Alba since 1956, this estate is now managed by Luciano Pira, the son-in-law of one of the two founding brothers of this ten-hectare property, Vittorio and Ugo Alessandria. Schiavenza, the estate name, refers to the sharecroppers who once worked it. I see that the estate also appears to have an agriturismo you can stay at, right in the heart of the Barolo vineyards.

For this wine, the grapes macerate in concrete tanks for twenty days, with a couple of pumpovers per day. The wine matures in Slavonian oak, then in bottle before release. So, all very traditional. The bouquet is floral, a scent of roses, with a lightness there, the wine not revealing the full force of its 14.5% alcohol on the nose. The palate mixes dark cherries with a balsamic richness, and I would say just a hint (a pleasing one) of rustic earthiness.

We are not talking fine wine here, although their Barolo itself is said to age very well and seems to have a following, but getting back to the so-called lesser appellation here, it is indeed tasty and satisfying. Pretty much what I was hoping for, and for just £15 from Smith & Gertrude’s Portobello (Edinburgh) wine bar/shop.

Gamaret-Garanoir “Expression” 2021, Cave de La Côte (Vaud, Switzerland)

I’m pretty sure I’ve posted this wine before but I can’t find it in any of my Recent Wines articles. The Cave de la Côte harvests grapes from the largest appellation in the Vaud Canton in Western Switzerland, running from the eastern outskirts of Geneva to Lausanne, its gentle slope running down to the north shore of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). These are not dramatic, steep, terraced vineyards like those of Lavaux to Lausanne’s east, and in past decades the wines have been largely somewhat more prosaic than those of their more lauded neighbours.

This well known, large, co-operative has looked to improve both quality and interest here and has begun making some more experimental wines. To this end, we have a pair of interesting crossings in this blend. Gamaret is Gamay x Reichensteiner X (1970), and its sibling Garanoir comes from the same parents. Both were bred for their rot-resistance.

The profile of this wine is very much based around black fruits, mostly blueberry and blackcurrant coming through on both the nose and palate. With the bouquet we can add in some nutmeg tickling the back of the nasal passage. There is a hint, but only a hint, of tannin. It holds the wine together without creating real structure.

Definitely easy going, quite versatile. I’m mentioning this again because it is relatively easily available, and is a rare example of a wine that is inexpensive, at least from Switzerland: £26 from The Solent Cellar, £28 from importer Alpine Wines online. I’d probably not be quite so tempted at £30, if you know what I mean, but definitely worth the twenty-six quid I paid for it. If you want a decent red from Switzerland and don’t want to try one of the expensive cult offerings that periodically hit the shelves here, this could brighten up your Tuesday or Wednesday evening.

Catarratto 2021 Terre Siciliane IGP, Fabrizio Vella (Sicily, Italy)

Catarratto is said to be the most widely planted white variety in Sicily, but it can make interesting wines when treated with respect, as is almost always the case with so-called lesser grape varieties. Fabrizio Vella farms his fruit both organically and biodynamically up at an altitude between 350-450 masl near Marsala.

All hand-harvested, the fruit goes through a gentle press and into 50hl acacia casks for 24 hours on skins. It then sees stainless steel, where it continues to ferment for two weeks without the skins. The altitude of the vineyards helps the grapes retain their freshness through the colder nights. This is very much a natural wine, if you accept a tiny addition of sulphur. The result some might call an orange wine, though it’s not overtly so in flavour terms.

The bouquet is a rather attractive sweet apple. The palate is textured with apple, lemon and lime, along with some herbal notes. The importer says “lemon drizzle cake” if I’m remembering correctly. Anyway, if so, they are spot on. The darker colour and texture, and the fact that it is allowed to go through malo, make this in some ways a quite serious white, but one to enjoy rather than think too much about.

Especially as this isn’t very expensive, for a “natural wine”, only £17.50 from Cornelius Beer and Wine in Edinburgh, as part of a very well chosen present (especially as people never usually buy me wine). Alliance Wine is the UK importer. Cork & Cask lists a couple of Fabrizio’s other wines, less expensive still. A Catarratto without skin contact and a Nero d’Avola at around £11. Not tried those, but this blue-label is very tasty.

Wintricher Ohligsberg Riesling Kabinett 2022, Max Kilburg (Mosel, Germany)

Having brought you Jonas Dostert, with the added bonus that his wines are now partially available in the UK (Newcomer Wines), I now bring you another undoubted rising star of the Mosel Region, Max Kilburg. Max, who is good friends with Julian Haart from whom he has taken much inspiration, farms his family’s vines at Weingut Geierslay. The Kilburg family has been making wine on the slopes above Wintrich since 1465, and Max is, I think, the nineteenth generation to do so. The estate is unusual for the Mosel in that alongside Riesling, they have Pinots Noir, Blanc and Gris, and Merlot.

Despite the unusual varieties, this is a traditional estate. The Riesling vines for this Kabinett are on steep slopes, supported by a single pole. Where Max differs from the historical norm is in making low intervention, natural, wines. This Kabinett is light and fresh and in 2022 comes in at just 7.5% abv. It has a wonderful delicacy, but I understand 2022 here was a “more classical vintage after the racier 2021s” (Russell at Feral).

Alongside concentrated but generous grapefruit and lime, I got some yellow plum and apricot, all as pure as you could imagine. This ‘22 has lovely depth. There’s no hurry to drink this now, but I wish I had a half-case for drinking through the summer. It was yet another brilliant recommendation from the man I trust most on Mosel Kabinett (see source below).

It makes me cross that I have allowed myself to run down my bottles of this style in the cellar. In fact, I’m running short on flute bottles in general where once I had so many, but that does attest to how often I grab them to drink. Wines like this are harder to find because the style is unfashionable, yet are there any better summer wines? This cost 18€ at Feral Art et Vin (Bordeaux). I don’t see a UK importer. I hope that is “yet”!

Posted in Artisan Wines, German Wine, Mosel, Natural Wine, Piemonte, Sherry, Sicily, Swiss Wine, Wine | Tagged #theglouthatbindsus, Catarratto Fabrizio Vella Sicily, Champagne Gallimard Les Riceys, Equipo Navazos, Fabrizio Vella, Gallimard Reserve Blanc de Noirs, Gamaret-Garanoir Cave de la Côte, Langhe Nebbiolo Schiavenza, Manzanilla Florpower Bota 101, Max Kilburg Mosel, Max Kilburg Wintricher Ohligsberg Kabinett 2022, Mosel Wine, Recent Wines June 2024 (Pt2), Schiavenza di Pira Luciano Serralunga, Sicilian White Wine, Skin Contact Catarratto, Swiss experimental grapes, Swiss Red Wine, Vaud Wine, Vintage Manzanilla, Weingut Geierslay Mosel, Wines of Jerez and Sanlucar, Wintricher Ohligsberg | 2 Comments

Recent Wines June 2024 (Part 1) #theglouthatbindsus

Posted on 15/07/2024 by dccrossley

In contrast to May, which if you have just read my “Recent Wines” for that month contained a mere six bottles, we drank quite a lot during June. It was a month of celebration, of moving into our new home and of a significant anniversary. I certainly won’t be giving notes on more than one or two of the seventeen bottles and magnums we drank at an anniversary party, but there are a few from the meals with friends and family that surrounded it. For the month of June as a whole there will be eighteen wines, so expect three parts, six wines in each.

The first part will showcase an old Champagne, an old Morgon, a Cornas, an Austrian Furmint, a South African red blend and a red petnat from Hungary.

Champagne Dom Pérignon 2004 (Champagne, France)

I had a few bottles of the 2004 DP, but this is my last. The vintage reflects the occasion of a previous significant year for us, and I had sort of kept this back for that reason. I do have one or two older Champagnes, and I’ve always had a taste for mature Champagne, but I don’t really see the need to hang onto many bottles for more than twenty years, save possibly the odd Clos des Goisses and Péters Chétillons.

I don’t need to tell you about this Moët-produced prestige cuvée. Although the myths about the Dom inventing Champagne are clearly just that, he was of course a significant individual, both in its journey to fame and in polishing the lustre of that fame in the modern age. Of course, there is a rather nice statue of him outside the Moët production facility at the town end of the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, and I would not be in the slightest bit critical of anyone moved to take a photograph of it.

The production numbers for Dom Pérignon are perhaps a poorly kept secret. I know well-regarded “growers” whose non-vintage cuvée is produced as a fraction of the number of bottles of Dom. But that patently isn’t the point. It is surely a great achievement by Moët & Chandon that they can make so many bottles of Dom Pérignon and retain exceptional quality. I will add that 2004 was a rather good vintage for the Dom, at least on the basis of the bottles I’ve consumed.

The bubbles now are very fine but gentler than in youth. They coat the palate with a soft minerality. I say soft, but that is the texture. It is still intense. There’s a gorgeous, rich, brioche note. It really is an expressive wine with a sublime bouquet. It is always hard to express one’s experience with prose when drinking a twenty-year-old Champagne is really more poetic. That said, it may well be around its peak. A quick dip into the market shows this could be had today for not significantly more than the £200 Waitrose supermarkets list the current vintage (remember Waitrose has regular “25% off Wine and Champagne” offers, which is what I used to wait for if I was after this particular Prestige Cuvée).

Morgon “Cuvée Corcelette” 2010, Jean Foillard (Beaujolais, France)

I have been a long-time fan of Foillard. I’m sure that many readers, like me, will have been convinced of the true potential of Beaujolais wine through his Côte du Py. If that cuvée is undoubtedly the best-known wine he created, there are others. I’ve always had a very soft spot for the Fleurie from this domaine. Then there is the Corcelette. For me, this is no less fine than the Py.

This is a single site growing, of course, very old vine Gamay on, unusually for the Beaujolais Crus, sandstone soils (at the time of this vintage the vines were over 65 years of age, today they claim 80+). The grapes are hand harvested and fermented as whole clusters. Ageing takes place in the mixed media of old oak barrels and one large foudre.

In youth Corcelette can be quite a structured wine, but always shows vibrant and pure Gamay cherry fruit. This 2010, from an exceptional year for the cuvée, is now mellow. Another wine at its peak, perhaps? The cherry core has overlying fresh raspberry with deeper notes of nutmeg and cinnamon. The overall impression is of a fine wine with a degree of seriousness, but it also has a kind of lifted lightness, and elegance and delicacy perhaps. This is what remains after the tannic structure of younger versions has disappeared.

One thing I noticed, having quite recently drunk a Côte du Py of a quite similar age, is that the Py tasted much more Pinot Noir-like. That can happen with Gamay as it ages. This Corcelette was definitely shouting Gamay through its sea of complexity.

This is not a wine I’d necessarily call “intense”, yet it is unquestionably profound, at least for myself, being open to its charm. Is it a fine wine? Yes, I’d say so. Certainly, a rewarding experience and a pleasure to drink. I’m not sure you’ll find a 2010 now. The current vintage hovers around £40 depending on where you source it. This one either came from The Sampler, or perhaps The Solent Cellar. I’ve bought it from both in the past.

Cornas “Les Combes” 2011, Mark Haisma (Northern Rhône, France)

Cornas always used to be the Northern Rhône appellation which everyone forgot about. With literally two or three magnificent exceptions, Cornas made hard-boned wines that took many decades to come around, so long perhaps that if they didn’t, then no one would be around to take the complaints. But as the other Northern Rhône appellations became both much improved and more expensive, so did Cornas. Mark Haisma was lucky enough to begin sourcing fruit in Cornas as this transformation of its fortunes was in mid-flow.

Mark’s credentials were impeccable. He was making wine in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, working for Dr Bailey Carrodus at Yarra Yerring. I think I have one of Mark’s YY wines left in my cellar. They were always special wines for those prepared to dive deep into the Yarra. I think it was around 2009 that Mark decided, like Andrew and Emma Nielsen of Le Grappin, to make wine in France. This 2011 must be from one of his earliest vintages. I certainly recall his Cornas was more easily affordable back then.

Whilst his Burgundy wines have proved to be very fine over the years, Mark’s Cornas was a new, even potentially risky, venture. Cornas just didn’t quite have the same recognition back in the day. However, working as a micro-negociant, he was able to source his Syrah from vines over 65 years old, from “Les Combes”, a parcel up at 1,100 masl, making for a good start, great grapes for a star winemaker to handle.

Mark made this wine in the cellars of Vincent Paris, one of the newer names, at the time, who brought Cornas to greater promise and fame, especially via his “Granit” cuvées. Today this wine still has some underlying structure, but there is that classic meaty note on the nose, suggesting a degree of maturity. The palate shows nice red fruits on a velvet-smooth palate, with just a little peppery spice to finish. It’s a very fine wine. It’s worth noting that this bottle had shed the relative austerity I noted when I last drank this, four or five years ago.

I don’t know where I bought this. Today expect to pay around £50 for a recent vintage. I’m guessing I paid no more than £30 for this, on release.

Furmint 2019, Heidi Schröck & Söhne (Burgenland, Austria)

Heidi is one of the very talented women winemakers who seem so plentiful around Austria’s Neusiedlersee. She is based in Rust, a town for which I have a very deep affection, and I might add that with her winery located off the town’s large main square, she makes for an easy visit among the many pleasures Rust offers.

Furmint may be a variety associated more with Hungary than Austria, but Rust was once part of Hungary in the days of the Empire, and Furmint has a strong tradition here. Also, as I have recently noted, Hungary is little more than a stone’s throw south of Rust, just beyond the next village down, Morbisch.

We have moved now, from three sublime older wines to more simple pleasures, although this bottle still has just under five years of age. It is, for sure, a beautifully mineral wine, but it is softened at the edges by a kind of peachy flavour. There’s a lot of interest and value here. The tasting note might be short but the price, £19 from Lockett Brothers (North Berwick) is very good. I wish it wasn’t the only one of Heidi’s wines they sold.

The importer of this cuvée is Liberty Wines, though Alpine Wines usually has some of Heidi’s other wines. She makes truly exceptional Ruster sweet wines. The label says “from Rust with love” and I can assure you that she means it.

“A Rare Moment” 2019, Blank Bottle Winery (Western Cape, South Africa)

This is one of the exclusive cuvées Pieter Walser made for his friends Henry and Cassie at Butlers Wine Cellar in Brighton, the label containing a cartoon depiction of Henry that my photo sadly does not feature. It’s a blend of Syrah and Pinotage from sites in the Western Cape.

This is a wine with a warm climate glow, and indeed a warm 14% abv, but it is remarkably balanced and leans towards elegance, rare in a wine of 14%. This is so like Pieter, wines which you can drink easily but getting up from the table, not as easily. He included stems and this gives the wine a little structure, but it majors on dark fruits, spice and black pepper. It would age further, even though this is already five years old. That said, it is drinking brilliantly now.

I think Butlers is getting through their stock but I’m pretty sure they do have some left. Pieter’s wines have always been a bargain, given their artisan nature, but prices have crept up thanks to forces we are all aware of operating UK-side. But this is only £22.50, which makes it especially worth trying. Blank Bottle’s importer is Swig.

Gothus is the partner to A Rare Moment, being the cuvée inspired by Henry’s partner and wife, Cassie. I think that has all gone. A shame as I have just started to read Season of the Witch, Cathi Unsworth’s Times Book of the Year on Goth. Shame. Would have made a good pairing in a “wines to read with” article that Hannah C might write.

Liner Notes 2022, Annamária Réka-Koncz (Barabás, Eastern Hungary)

This is a new, certainly to the UK, cuvée from Annamária. It’s a red petnat, a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Kékfrankos. The grapes come from a vineyard at Mátra in the Nagyréde district, a good two-and-a-half-hour drive west of her Barabás vines and winery.

It’s an unusual blend, although of course Kékfrankos is the Hungarian name for Blaufränkisch, which I’m sure you know by now. The vineyard is on volcanic soils which have an andesite base with clay topsoil. Andesite is a dark, fine-grained, soil which comes from the erosion of lava flows.

It’s worth describing how Annamária makes it. She does a gentle crush of whole bunches, followed by a five-day fermentation in closed tank. Then it is moved to fibreglass. Ageing is then in stainless steel. Bottled with only 1.5 bar of pressure. It undergoes no fining, nor filtration, and it is bottled with minimal addition of sulphur.

Like any petnet, it isn’t a complex wine. Its charm lies in its fruit and refreshing quality. It certainly is darkly fruity, and spicy too. More than anything, in a field of diverse petnats this is still distinctive. The blend helps, as does the lower pressure which produces gentle, tiny, bubbles. Only 1,000 bottles were made.

I can’t find this any more on the web site of UK importer, Basket Press Wines. It must be frustrating for them that by the time I get to write about pretty much most Réka Koncz wines, they have sold out, so sought after have they become. I can see that Prost Wine still has some for £32 though.

Posted in Artisan Wines, Austrian Wine, Beaujolais, Champagne, Fine Wine, Hungarian Wine, Natural Wine, Rhone, Rust, South African Wines, Wine, Wine Agencies | Tagged #theglouthatbindsus, Aged Beaujolais, Annamaria Reka-Koncz Barabas Hungary, Austrian Furmint, Blank Bottle for Butlers Brighton, Blank Bottle Winery A Rare Moment, Burgenland Furmint, Champagne Dom Pérignon 2004, Cornas Les Combes Mark Haisma 2011, Cru Beaujolais Morgon, Foillard Morgon Corcelette 2010, Heidi Schröck & Söhne, Heidi Schröck Furmint, Heidi Schröck Rust, Hungarian Petnat, Jean Foillard Morgon, Mark Haisma Winemaker, Northern Rhône Cornas, Pieter Walser Blank Bottle Winery, Réka Koncz Liner Notes, Recent Wines June 2024 Pt 1, Wine of Eastern Hungary | 2 Comments

Recent Wines May 2024 #theglouthatbindsus

Posted on 10/07/2024 by dccrossley

After a couple of very recent tastings, I need to take you all the way back to May. We moved house in May and we were consumed by decorating, unpacking, and actually a week of enforced eating out because we were in for a week before the kitchen was up and running. It was that kind of move, but now, two months later, at least there is only one small job we have to persuade the builder to come back and do.

The result is that I have to short-change you (metaphorically speaking, of course), because you are just going to get one part containing five wines and a cider from May. To make it worth the wait, I have here a Swiss speciality, two English offerings (one cider and one still wine), a German Chardonnay from an exceptional new producer, a red blend from Piemonte and a lovely Portuguese white wine from Lisbon.

Oeil-de-Perdrix 2020, Domaine de Montmollin (Neuchâtel, Switzerland)

This is a very old (from the 17^th century) family domaine whose wines I try to buy regularly. They are based in the village of Auvernier which lies on the western side of the Lac de Neuchâtel. Despite the great antiquity of the domaine, they make modern wines with modern labels, and there are none I enjoy more at this time of year than the pale pink “partridge eye”, a designation that the region has taken as its own (to the disappointment of some Geneva producers I know, but that’s another story).

Oeil-de-Perdrix is similar to the “Ramato” style you see in Northeastern Italy, a pale pink with often a very slight coppery hue. Here they take Pinot Noir and create a wine in stainless steel which tastes clean, fresh and fruity, yet it boasts 13% abv, which makes it food-friendly and assists with its ageability.

The bouquet has haunting red fruit scents, but the palate is dry with a bit of texture. It’s a Rosé but with the citrus-led attributes of a white wine. It is also, though you’d not know from a distance because the label is quite modern yet conservative, a low intervention organic wine. It’s also described as “vegan”, not something you see a lot on Swiss wine labels.

Close to four years old might seem a bit ancient for a Rosé, especially such a pale one. The producers themselves recommend ageing for 2-3 years. This had a nice richness but I wouldn’t say it had lost its freshness. Importer Alpine Wines has the 2020 and 2022 for £33, along with a decent selection of other Montmollin cuvées. The Solent Cellar (where I sourced my bottle) has the 2022 Oeil de Perdrix for £32.

Perfect Strangers Artisan Cider 2021, Charlie Herring Wines (Hampshire, England)

Tim Phillips has an orchard adjacent to his walled vineyard near Lymington. The sprawling old trees have a majestic beauty about them, but Tim has cleared most of the scrub that surrounded them (revealing the former estate’s old tennis court) and at the same time he has planted a few more apple trees.

Tim does make a fantastic cider from the apples, and as his wine production is so small, the odd bottle of cider is a welcome addition to the odd bottle of wine that may or may not be available to purchase on a visit.

Much of the cider Tim has made in the past has been sparkling, but this version of Perfect Strangers is still. Tim here has made something quite different, a cider that seems to have taken on a wine-like complexity in bottle. It’s interesting because I think Tim kept some older cider back and plans to release a 2018 vintage, unless I dreamt this. It’s cider with the kind of depth and complexity I’ve never had before, so even knowing Tim’s wines as I do, it still shocked me a little. Amazing!

This cider came as a direct purchase. Retail you may find some occasionally at The Solent Cellar (who only seem to have a couple of Tim’s wines at the moment, including his new multi-vintage Chardonnay called Legion), or equally rarely, at Les Caves de Pyrene, who have been great supporters of Tim’s talent.

Chardonnay 2021, Jonas Dostert (Mosel, Germany)

Many adventurous boundary-pushing talents are beginning to made very good Chardonnay in Germany, but the one I’d urge people to try is that made by this young man. He is without doubt one of a handful of the next wave of star winemakers in Germany. His first vintage was 2018.

Based at Nittel, he is right up on the Luxembourg border, which here is the Mosel, or Moselle as the Luxembourgeois call it. Instead of slate his vines are on limestone, which is potentially more suited to Chardonnay than the more usual slate through which most of the river flows. Jonas is farming old parcels which have been organic for more than a decade. However, Jonas is currently tasting these early wines and learning, because his longer-term aim is to make different cuvées from each parcel. Doubtless they will become more expensive, so get in quick.

You get almost zero intervention because Jonas says that the less you do in the cellar, the more you taste the vineyard, but he will add a tiny amount of sulphur if deemed essential. Aged in large wood, this really is delicious. Best of all perhaps is its poise and balance, just perfect amounts of freshness and fatness (by which I definitely don’t mean flab). The fruit and acids are very bright.

My bottle came from Feral Art et Vins in Bordeaux and cost 28€. Newcomer Wines has begun importing Jonas Dostert. They don’t have this gorgeous Chardonnay but they do have an Elbling (£29), and a blend of Elbling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made on skins, called Karambolage (£30). You may recall that I drank an Elbling made by Jonas’s friend on the opposite bank of the river, Kaja Kohv (Racines Rebelles), a few weeks ago. A good example of a derided variety which, in the right hands, is capable of ugly duckling to swan treatment.

Bacchus 2023, Lyme Bay Winery (Devon, England)

Lyme Bay Winery began producing grapes in 1993 in East Devon. Their current winemaker is the talented Sarah Massey (she’s in good company with Phillips and Dostert). In fact, Sarah makes some very fine Pinot Noir, although of course sourcing fruit in Essex, from the wonderful vineyards of the Crouch Valley. This Bacchus is a multi-regional blend, made from fruit sourced in Essex and Kent as well as Devon, and this particular cuvée is made exclusively for UK supermarket Marks & Spencer.

Bacchus is a crossing between Müller-Thurgau and an unknown Riesling x Silvaner cross, which somehow seems to produce wines which, so long as they are not over-done, taste quintessentially of English summer. Elderflower with hints of lime and grapefruit appear here. Unfortunately, after we chilled it down we had (I noted) the first rain in two weeks, but this will make a nice summer wine and grabbing a bottle or two (only £15 from Marks & Spencer) would be an act of optimism.

I had rather hoped that M&S might have doubled up and given us a Lyme Bay Winery Pinot Noir as well, but sadly not. Either they were not clever enough, or the winery had none to give them (most likely the latter). They do seem to have this Bacchus in all the branches I’ve been in though. A nice wine at a very nice price.

“Rosso Noah” 2022, Coste della Sesia Rosso DOC, Noah (Alto Piemonte, Italy)

This is a refreshing (in more than one way) blend from the Noah winery at Brusnengo in Alto Piemonte. This is east of the slightly better known Lessona. The grapes comprise 50% young vine Nebbiolo with older Croatina (40%) and Vespolina (the remaining 10%). The winery is run by a young couple who have taken on the task of reviving around four hectares of vines in the old Bramaterra sub-region.

As far as Piemonte goes I’d describe this young wine as an early drinker. It’s made in stainless steel, seeing no wood. You get very nice strawberry and cherry fruit with a lick of liquorice spice on the finish. There’s also some stony texture underneath the fruit. It kind of combines a bit of structure with overt drinkability, but I’d not call it tannic as such. It will probably develop in bottle for a couple of years but it’s basically good to go now with food.

Alto Piemonte is definitely “up and coming” as a place to find quite exciting wines, and there are wines there which are undoubtedly very fine. This comes more in the “enjoyable” category, but I’m not putting it down. This only cost £16.50 from Butlers Wine Cellar (Brighton), and as Astrum is the importer, I’m sure you will find it in a number of other indies. Very good value, nice packaging too.

“Falatório” Sercial Reserva 2020, Cas’ Amaro (Lisbon, Portugal)

Designated a Vinho Regional Lisboa, this lovely gem is made from a grape variety much better known on the island of Madeira. Hand harvested, this is another wine made in stainless steel, where it is aged six months, but it then goes into used French oak for a further six. Only 999 bottles were produced in 2020.

It’s a Reserva, and I’d not call it exactly fruity, more dry, with lemon rind and herbal notes, but also grapey too (for want of finding a better word). It also has a decent bit of texture, though it isn’t harsh.

The winemaker at this 4.5-hectare estate on the coast north of the capital is Jorge Páscoa. He makes a range of wines from autochthonous varieties but just one hectare is planted to Sercial. I would not be able to certify this is a “natural wine”, though it does state that it is made through “sustainable agricultural practices in harmony with the ecosystem” (whatever that means).

What I can certify is that this is a wine with character and personality and I enjoyed it very much. Certainly, enough to drink again, or to try Jorge’s other wines from the same vineyards. There’s a Bastardo, and a “Palhete” (a traditional blend of red and white grapes making a pale wine) that I know of. There’s also a Cas’ Amaro Madame Pió Reserva (their top white, Arinto with some Sercial).

The Sercial cost £21.50 from Butlers Wine Cellar (still available). The Pió is £24.50. As Butlers stocks Breaky Bottom, Sugrue and Westwell, not to mention Pieter Walser’s Blank Bottle (and the Noah featured above), you wouldn’t have any probs putting together a mixed selection.

Posted in Artisan Wines, Cider, English Cider, English Wine, German Wine, Italian Wine, Mosel, Natural Wine, Piemonte, Portuguese wine, Swiss Wine, Wine, Wine Agencies | Tagged #theglouthatbindsus, Alto Piemonte, Cas' Amaro Lisbon, Charlie Herring Cider, Domaine Montmollin Neuchâtel, English Bacchus, English Wine, Falatorio Sercial Reserva 2020, Good Value Piemontese Red Wine, Jonas Dostert Chardonnay 2021, Jonas Dostert Mosel, Jorge Pascoa Winemaker, Lisbon Wine, Lyme Bay Bacchus 2023, Lyme Bay Winery at Marks & Spencer, Lyme Bay Winery Devon, Montmollin Oeil de Perdrix, Mosel Chardonnay, Oeil de Perdrix Neuchâtel, Old Vines in Bramaterra, Perfect Strangers Artisan Cider, Perfect Strangers Still Cider, Portuguese wine, Recent Wines May 2024, Rosso Noah Coste della Sesia Rosso DOC, Swiss Wine, Tim Phillips, Vinho Regional Lisboa | 2 Comments

Newcomer Wines at Montrose, Edinburgh (3 July ’24)

Posted on 08/07/2024 by dccrossley

I have yet to dine at Timberyard’s new outpost in Edinburgh, Montrose, doubtless the cause being all our house moving escapades, but I did get to visit on Wednesday for a tasting with Peter Honegger from Newcomer Wines. I’ve known Peter for a long time, and in fact you might have seen me mention Newcomer’s early days in a recent article.

Back in the days when Newcomer’s shop was in a shipping container in Shoreditch Box Park, I was a monthly visitor. I initially wanted to try the wines of this new Austrian guy called Claus Preisinger. I never really stopped to think what a crazy idea opening a shop selling just Austrian Wines, even in East London, might be. I think half their customers in the early days misread the sign and thought they could buy Australian stuff (Peter’s joke, but probably true). For me, it served as an intro to Austrian Natural Wine, which had quite a profound effect, leading to many visits to the country and discovering a number of my all-time favourite producers. Thank you Newcomer.

Newcomer’s range has grown and widened since those days, as has their shop and bar, which is now at Dalston Junction, on Dalston Lane. This range is now not only confined to Austria, and that was mirrored in the wines Peter poured for the Montrose/Timberyard teams. I was a very lucky and happy interloper. The wines are still all effectively “natural wines”, but Peter isn’t really keen to use that term any more. He prefers to stick to “high quality wines”, arguing that this is what we should focus on. Fair point.

I should add, on this subject, that the people attending the tasting had some excellent insights on a wide range of hospitality-related subjects (Edinburgh is always a reality check for those of us used to seeing folks splash fifty quid on a bottle as a matter of course down in Metroland). One of those points was that people are still scared of the phrase “natural wine”. In fact, as inexplicable as it might sound, especially among the tourists, even “organic” can cause some worried looks.

I tasted nine wines from the Newcomer range, only one being made in Austria (though another was made just over the Hungarian border by an Austrian producer). I shall give you a note on each. Many more of Peter’s wines featured in a takeover in the evening, where one or two Austrians I love were going to be featured. But one can’t have everything.

Orthogneiss Muscadet, Domaine de L’Ecu (Loire, France)

Fred and Claire Niger are based in Le Landrau, in the Sèvre et Maine zone, and are considered now among the very top producers in Muscadet. They coax flavours almost unknown before from the Melon de Bourgogne variety, and they also grow Folle Blanche and Cabernet Franc on their own domaine. Biodynamic since the 1990s, the couple also follow a philosophy they call Cosmoculture (which they learnt from Philippe Viret).

Orthogneiss (one of the two major types of bedrock in the region, the other being granite) is very much a terroir wine and one not to serve over-chilled. The bouquet is expressively floral, citrus and spicy, especially ginger. The palate mixes lemon/lime citrus, salinity, a chalky texture and a very long finish. I didn’t get the vintage but this cuvée is an exceptional Muscadet which like the best from this region will be perfectly capable of long ageing.

Circa £30.

Manzoni Bianco “Fontanasanta” 2022, Foradori (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy)

As the next generation have taken over at this wonderful estate in Northeastern Italy, it has undergone a transformation from standout natural wine producer to a wider farm based on permaculture, with cattle for their own cheese and market gardening getting equal emphasis with biodynamic viticulture.

Manzoni is a white Riesling/Pinot Blanc crossing from the early 1900s. It is grown closer to the city of Trento than the farm itself, on the same site as Foradori’s Nosiola. The soils here are limestone-based and the wine is floral, pure, clean tasting and vibrant, with nose and palate showing a wide range of experiences from floral to spice. I would say that it is very approachable and you will be hard pushed to hang onto any. The main reason, that purity. Thrilling. £34. That’s good value for the quality, for sure.

See blow for photo

Grüner Veltliner Federspiel 2022, Nikolaihof (Wachau, Austria)

It’s fascinating that Newcomer has finally ventured into Austria’s most traditional and conservative wine region, but obvious that when they eventually did it had to be for the wines of Nikolaihof. This ancient estate (the cellars could be Roman) sits at the eastern end of the Wachau Region, on the Danube, its vines around Mautern being just over the river from Krems.

Apparently, the refusal to use chemicals in the vineyard in the modern age came from a refusal to spend the money rather than principles, yet biodynamic conversion took place as long ago as 1971. For many years I was lucky enough to be able to source some very old wines from this estate, which were unadulterated gems of chemical-free winemaking.

This Grüner Veltliner is designated “Federspiel”. Traditionally in Wachau (the only Austrian Region to use the term) Federspiel wines are less rich and ripe than the “Smaragd” wines, and traditionalists have considered them inferior. However, with modern ripeness levels within this river valley reaching ridiculous levels for white wines, Federspiel is now the way to go for you and me. 11.5% abv here. This is achieved even at low yields.

Another wine of great purity, it has a crisp palate with a nice, direct, spine of acid freshness. A hint of spice enlivens the palate further. Physiological ripeness at low alcohol is still possible here with thoughtful viticulture.

As an aside, I know many readers wouldn’t necessarily consider visiting the Wachau, but the Danube Valley here, going west from Krems, is spectacularly beautiful. There’s a brilliant Wachau Cycle Trail, well-marked and pretty flat. You can hire bikes for the day in Krems, very close to the station, which is a relatively short train ride from Vienna. Maybe cycle to Spitz for lunch. It has a great wine shop by the ferry jetty, on the river, and one of Wachau’s great castle ruins, from where the views are worth the short hike uphill.

Cuvée Marguerite 2023, Matassa (Roussillon, France)

For wine administration purposes Roussillon is these days lumped in with Languedoc, which is a shame because this region, on the Spanish/Catalan border and in the foothills of the Pyrenees, has its own distinct personality and culture.

Matassa is run by Tom Lubbe, the South African winemaker for whom the Rennersistas were usually “waiting”. The vines are in the rough scrub of the Agly Valley, a unique terrain making some spectacular wines, and they are sandwiched more or less between the old vineyards of Domaine Gauby and Roc des Anges.

Of all the wines tasted on Wednesday, this is perhaps the one most easily identifiable as a “natural wine”, but only because it is so obviously a skin contact cuvée. The colour for starters is very much amber. The scents are predominantly stone fruits, but there’s a floral element, especially on the bouquet, because the skin-macerated variety here is Muscat.

The purity of the nose combined with the textured depth of the palate is what makes this wine so interesting. You begin to notice plums, apricots and a lot going on. The skin contact helps complete a clean fermentation when not using sulphur in a warm climate. This wine is undoubtedly stable, with no volatility. Impressive. £43.

Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2022, Le Grappin (Burgundy, France)

Andrew and Emma recently moved from the cellars they rented within the old walls of Beaune and took over an old building in Meloisey in the Hautes Côtes. As Andrew said, after moving up into the hills they thought they ought to make a wine from there.

The hills above the two Côtes in Burgundy are wooded in part and have always been very much on the fringes of viticulture at Burgundy’s heart. But even in the 1990s a few names cropped up as more than solid. As overall climate has got warmer (putting aside frost and hail), the vineyards here are more viable (ie ripening is more reliable), and the vine stock is often old too.

This Chardonnay, grown near Baubigny I think, is pristinely clean on both its bouquet and attack on the palate, but it finishes with roundness and weight. Its body grows in the glass. In parallel there’s a lovely minerality so often the trademark of Le Grappin. It sees twelve months in used oak.

For me, this is beautiful already. Balance is just perfect. The vines are over forty years old so you get complexity not usually associated with this appellation, but whether to keep it…it really is drinking so well now. Le Grappin, and the Nielsens’ Du Grappin label, are both new to Newcomer and I can’t find a price. I know this is available up here in Scotland for £47 at one retailer. That’s quite steep, more than I’d hoped, but it is rather good. I don’t see it listed on Le Grappin’s own online shop.

Du Grappin Côte de Brouilly 2022 (Beaujolais, France)

Emma and Andrew source this wine, for their Du Grappin label, which features wines from outside the Côte d’Or, from a farmer on the lower slopes of the hill at the southern end of the Beaujolais Crus known as Mont Brouilly. It’s a lovely garnet and cherry red, fruity yet with a stony texture like the best wines from this mini-appellation within the somewhat larger Brouilly. They make very high-quality wines from Beaujolais and this is no exception.

The parcel is small, and the Nielsens pay more for the grapes to be grown organically and with minimal intervention. I understand in this case that the grape grower has been so impressed with the results that he is converting all of his 16 hectares to organics. As Peter commented as we tasted, this is a real and genuine impact of what the Nielsens are doing, leading by example and results. A lovely approachable wine but far from a simple one. I can’t see a price but the similar Saint-Amour retails around £27.

Pinot Noir “Nature” 2020, Lucas Rieffel (Alsace, France)

Lucas is the third generation to run this key estate in Mittelbergheim, the village which has in many ways become natural wine central in the north of the Alsace region. Peter made much of Lucas’s time at Domaine Ostertag, but today Lucas is part of a group of winemakers in and around the village, including Jean-Pierre Rietsch and Cathérine Riss, who by tasting together regularly have helped each other make some of the best natural wines in France.

Lucas farms (he considers himself first a farmer and only second a winemaker) ten hectares, but this Pinot Noir comes of two individual parcels. Winemaking is very simple, including ageing in large oak and, in this “Nature” cuvée, zero added sulphur.

You get astonishingly balanced zippy fruit from the carbonic maceration, very pure without the cloud that sulphur can add to such bright sunshine in the glass. It is the wine here most deserving of the Jamie Goode patented term, “smashable”. Delicious. Although the price has crept up since Brexit/Liz Truss, it’s still good value at £31.

Teroldego Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2021, Foradori (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy)

The second offering from Foradori is made from a grape worth getting to know. Teroldego is a relation of the French mountain variety, Mondeuse. Grown semi-industrially on the flat Campo Rotaliano it can produce nondescript wines, but treated properly, like any variety, it can shine.

Sustainable, biodynamic, farming creates healthy grapes. It has a deep darkness within it, but a vibrancy too, almost visible to the eye, and certainly perceptible on nose and palate. Red and dark grippy fruit (plenty of plum) combines with a little pencil lead texture and a savoury finish that makes this both easy to guzzle, but also a wine with an individual personality. £32.

Steiner 2017, Weninger (Sopron, Hungary)

Weninger is an Austrian producer, but Franz Weninger makes this wine from Kékfrankos fruit (aka Blaufränkisch) grown over the border from Burgenland in the Hungarian region of Sopron, close enough to reach quickly by bicycle from Burgenland’s southern village, Morbisch, just south of Rust. The Steiner vineyard lies at the very southern tip of the Neusiedlersee, rising to 185 masl on weathered gneiss and mica schist. The stony soils are good at absorbing heat during the day, and the vines here exceed 50 years old.

The bouquet of this dark-hued wine is classic “Blaufränkisch”, with dark fruits and a perceptible mineral note even on the nose. The palate is still tightly wound, but the tannins are supple and the palate overall has a velvet texture. Like all cracking Kékfrankos/Frankovka/Blaufränkisch, it has a freshness which elevates the fruit. That said, the savoury undertones which lie beneath make it a fabulous gastronomic wine, suitable for any fine dish deserving of a serious red.

Steiner used to be one of the most famous single sites in Hungary before the post-war border cut off Hungary’s western vineyards from those on the western side of the lake to the north (remember, Rust was once Hungarian in the days of Empire). Franz Weninger has been instrumental in helping to revive this and other Sopron sites, and this is, make no mistake, a fine wine which will age well for several years. It hasn’t peaked but it is ready to go today if paired with demanding dishes, perhaps with paprika or cayenne. £34-35.

Perhaps this last wine demonstrates best why Peter Honneger feels we should call these quality wines rather than natural wines. This is simply a well-priced, ageworthy, fine wine with no sense of volatility, no funky side, nothing to scare anyone. Indeed, it tastes like a classic Blaufränkisch, a variety I think is very much under-rated on several levels. It was nice to get back to the Newcomer heartland, so to speak, the wines which made their name. Yet it was equally good to see how far Newcomer Wines has come since those distant Box Park days. They have unquestionably evolved into one of a handful of London and the United Kingdom’s most innovative and important wine import businesses.

Below are a selection of wines that were available last Wednesday evening…

Montrose Restaurant is at 1 Montrose Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5DJ, around 20-25 minutes’ walk from Waverley Station.

Tel 0131 605 008; eat@montroserestaurant.co

See it perhaps as a less formal version of sister restaurant Timberyard.

Check web site opening hours, closed Monday & Tuesday.

Posted in Alsace, Artisan Wines, Austria, Austrian Wine, Beaujolais, biodynamic wine, Burgundy, Hungarian Wine, Languedoc-Roussillon, Loire, Natural Wine, Wachau, Wine, Wine Agencies, Wine Merchants, Wine Tastings | Tagged Agly Valley, Andrew and Emma Nielsen, Austrian Wine, Domaine Rieffel Pinot Noir Nature, Du Grappin Côte de Brouilly, Edinburgh Wine Tasting, Foradori, Franz Weninger Soprón, Hungarian Wine, Kékfrankos from Sopron Hungary, Le Grappin Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Loire Wine, Lucas Rieffel Mittelbergheim, Manzoni Grape Variety, Matassa Cuvée Marguerite, Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine, Natural Wine, Newcomer Wines at Montrose, Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner, Nikolaihof Wachau, Northeast Italian Wine, Orthogneiss Domaine L'Ecu, Roussillon Wine, Trentino Alto-Adige Wine, Weninger Steiner 2017 | 2 Comments

Bergerac and Maison Wessman – Edinburgh Lunch at Tipo

Posted on 04/07/2024 by dccrossley

Let me tell you a little story. A long, long, time ago (“I can still remember how that music used to make me smile…” etc) I went on my first adult trip to the vineyards of France. And where did I go? Yes, Bergerac, or to be even more exact, I stayed not far the small town of Issigeac. Back then a lot of my fellow Brits knew vaguely of Bergerac.

For a decade from 1981 to 1991 a UK tv series (set on the island of Jersey) featured a detective of that name. Perhaps it was chosen by the series creator because at this time “The Dordogne”, the name most commonly used in the UK to describe the Périgord Region of France, was a phenomenally popular holiday destination, and was fast becoming the centre for British second home owners.

Bergerac lies about an hour and a half drive east of Bordeaux, along the River Dordogne. It has a strong tradition of viticulture to match the wider region’s gastronomy. Among the many specialities to be enjoyed in Périgord are ceps, truffles, ducks and walnuts, and it’s a region which once grew much of France’s tobacco. Like all of the wines of the interior of Southwest France, for centuries their only way to market was via Bordeaux, and we all know what happened to them. Either used to beef up the weedy wines of the Atlantic coast, or banned from entering the city until the Bordelais’s own wines were sold, they were at a big disadvantage. Yet they happily sit, even today, within their own gastronomic culture and tradition.

Very few Bergerac producers have gained any renown on export markets. Château Tiregand was always on the radar. In the district of Pécharment, with its own appellation, east of the town, it has been, since 1830, in the ownership of the famous St-Exupéry family. Today, keen explorers of the wines of Regional France may know Château Tirecul-la-Gravière, Château Tour des Gendres, Clos D’Yvigne, and perhaps Château des Eyssards.

Potentially, the finest wine of the region is (though perhaps rarely living up to that potential) Monbazillac. A sweet wine similar to Sauternes, but with several points of difference, it is vastly underrated, largely because producers have struggled to sell this wine for a price needed to focus solely on quality. One or two do succeed, but cheap Monbazillac is no better than cheap Sauternes. The co-operative, certainly an under-performer back when I visited, does curate a very fine fourteenth century château.

Undisputedly, the most famous producer in Bergerac for us in back in the 1990s would have been Château de la Jaubertie. Nick Ryman (of high street stationery fame) took over this estate in the 1970s. The wines took off when his son, Hugh, who had spent time working with Brian Croser at Petaluma in South Australia (and “flying winemaker” fame, anyone remember those?), came back to make the wine. Making what were effectively back then wines in a “New World” style (as they used to call it) in a French setting, and with a connection to the popular Majestic Wine Warehouse chain, they managed to become one of the most talked about French wine estates in Britain. Sadly, it didn’t really rub off on Bergerac as a whole.

So, what of Bergerac today? Well, Bordeaux no longer has a stranglehold on Bergerac’s wines, but there has been such a dearth of producers with a market presence that the wines haven’t really gained any reputation at all on our export market. However, with the nostalgia of that first visit on my mind I went to taste the wines of one of the larger family-run domaines, Maison Wessman.

Wessman is an interesting operation. Róbert Wessman purchased the twelfth-century Château de Saint-Cernin in 2016, along with its vineyard parcels near Issigeac. In 2021 he added the 58-hectare estate of Les Verdots at Conne-de-Labarde, and with more vineyards in Limoux, the family now farms 100 hectares. This may seem a lot, but the key of course is to examine the intentions and commitment of the team there, and to this end I was pleased to be seated at lunch next to Maison Wessman’s head winemaker, Lise Sadirac.

Lise is almost a Bergerac native, growing up just to the southwest, but she came to her current role after making organic wines in Corbières. One of her first decisions was to end herbicide use. The vine rows now have grass between them and it is rolled, not cut. The Wessman mission statement declares a commitment to “an innovative approach to eco-responsible and sustainable viticulture”. One aspect of this is what they describe as an ambitious viti-foresty project which goes hand-in-hand with increasing micro-biodiversity in the vineyards. In other words, we won’t pretend we are dealing with “natural wines” here, but we are at a large estate which is moving inexorably in the right direction ecologically.

The Wessman vignoble as a whole grows mostly the varieties traditional to their respective regions. That means Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec for red wines, with, in Bergerac Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle for white wines, plus, in Limoux, Chardonnay, Chenin, and Mauzac (plus Pinot Noir vinified en blanc in Limoux for the just released Petit Cernin Bubbles, a new Crémant de Limoux traditional method sparkling wine).

Overall, the greatest asset they have are their old vineyards. This allows them to make ageworthy wines of quality, but also to produce distinctive wines. There is a move to get Issigeac its own appellation, largely because of its distinctive limestone terroir.

It would take a long time to give a note on every single wine I tasted (both pre- and during lunch), so I shall describe the range and comment on one or two wines generally. The Vignoble des Verdots range produces a full selection of red, white and rosé wines from Bergerac terroirs, including white wines from the calcareous soils of Issigeac. The wines from Château Saint-Cernin are split: red wines from Issigeac and whites from Limoux, most notably in the Haute-Vallée sub-region where exceptional Chardonnay has been grown for a number of decades.

All of the wines tasted were very good, and depending on price ought to gain a following on the UK market (they are already making inroads in Scandinavia and Asia). Even the entry level “Odyssée” label wines are attractive.

The Château Les Tours des Verdots Blanc is a traditional rendition of white Bergerac. It blends Sauvignons Blanc and Gris for freshness, and Sémillon for roundness, with just under 10% Muscadelle. Out of favour in Bordeaux, where the damp Atlantic climate doesn’t really suit it, Muscadelle is a gem of a variety for seasoning purposes. It is harvested late and adds perfume to the finished wine.

One style which was once very common in Bergerac white wines, but fell out of favour, was “Moelleux”. The Verdots moelleux wine isn’t as sweet as the description suggests, but made from selected parcels of Sémillon and Muscadelle, it gives out gentle stewed yellow fruit compote and honey on a rounded palate. A yellow-gold colour makes it a lovely wine for a summer evening, though it does pack 13% abv, so it might be less suitable for lunch time. I know my tastes aren’t mainstream but I like this style and it has its place. Give it a try. It was once very much a part of the wider Aquitaine tradition. I guess we just stopped having cake at 4pm, more’s the pity.

One of the reds I liked most was called Imprévu (2023). I’d definitely buy multiple bottles. It’s a red for chilling (I mean in the fridge, but for relaxing too, of course). This is actually a wine with 14% abv, but the reason to try it is because you would never guess that, more like 12%. Very fruity and fun.

There are some impressive red wines from both ranges. Maybe they could stop putting the top wines in such heavy bottles? It would do wonders for their eco-credentials. A wine like the Grand Vin Les Verdots is an old vine selection which sees new oak, with around 3,000 bottles produced. This is impressive, even in a crowded field. I imagine it will provide good value on price too.

If you want something to drink now, the contrasting Petit Cernin Rouge 2019 seems fresh and fruity. It comes from younger vines at Issigeac and despite being assembled by Michel Rolland it is very “supple, tasty and focused on fruit” as the marketing says.

Lise told us she is hoping that in the future there will be a separate appellation for Issigeac, perhaps like Pécharment (to the east of Bergerac town and once seen as the source for the best Bergerac wines). The requirement is to show that the wines from this elevated terroir are demonstrably different to those from the rest of the region. That is something I could not answer, but Lise is convinced those differences are there. She is especially happy with the depth and balance the Issigeac fruit brings to the wines.

The red wines are very much excellent renditions of a blend which rather went out of fashion, largely due to perceptions about Red Bordeaux (elitist attitudes, trading for too long on a name alone, collector’s wines, Parkerisation and points) but I think the traditional “Bordeaux blend” is definitely coming back. What I’m talking about really is Cabernet/Merlot, or in this case Merlot/Cabernet because I’d say 60:40 is a typical blend here.

However, Cabernet Franc is perceived as very much a variety for the future because it is now achieving phenolic ripeness without difficulty, and perhaps one day Merlot will have problems with over-ripeness. Lise is very pleased with the performance of Cabernet Franc and sees a greater role for the variety here. She is also planting other varieties in experimental plots, trying to secure the future by finding grapes which will thrive as the region gets warmer.

It’s telling that at one time the Côtes de Bergerac AOC only asked for a minimum ripeness of 10% alcohol. Of course, this meant the wines were chaptalized, as indeed they were in most well-known French Appellations. Now, adding the sugar is no longer practised, at least at quality producers, as the grapes now ripen fully. This is a massive aid to quality in the resulting wines, and is one fewer expense, along with ditching the chemicals, for the producers and their bottom line.

When we talk about sugar that leads us on nicely to one of the gems of the wider region, Monbazillac. Whilst we shouldn’t totally ignore Saussignac, because there are one or two very good sweet wines made in that tiny AOP, Monbazillac has a “fame” stretching back to the Middle Ages. Apparently Monbazillac makes thirty times more wine than Saussignac (Source = The World Atlas of Wine, 8^th edn). It’s an appellation changed beyond recognition since the 1990s when machine harvesting was banned and sulphur additions, the bane of generic Sauternes it should be said, were dramatically lowered.

The Gardonette, a tributary of The Dordogne, is the source for the mists which allow for the creation of botrytis here, performing much the same role as The Ciron where it flows into the Garonne in Sauternes. But Monbazillac isn’t a copy of Sauternes. The terroir is hillier, but more importantly the Muscadelle grape plays a very significant role in Monbazillac (it’s a variety which has become very minor at most in Sauternes and Barsac).

The over-riding difference on the palate between the two wines is freshness. Monbazillac may lack the deep concentration of the finest Sauternes but, especially when young, it has a freshness that Sauternes normally lacks. I’m not saying that makes it qualitatively the better wine, but it is certainly an attractive quality for anyone considering drinking sweet wines today.

We finished our lunch with a delicious food pairing, Château Les Tours des Verdots Monbazillac 2020 SGN (Sélection de Grains Nobles), sipped with Muscovado tart with blood orange. From a half-hectare plot at Monbazillac, this is botrytis-affected wine, so it can’t be made every year. The grapes are harvested in a minimum of three tries through the vineyard for optimum noble rot. It spent two years in barrel and was bottled (1,000x50cl) with 150g/l residual sugar.

This particular cuvée is 100% Semillon. It is rich, but is balanced by fresh acids. There’s a hint of apricot and marmalade. It is frankly delicious. I drink so little dessert wine nowadays, but I’m a sucker for it when I do.

Lunch was at Tipo on Central Edinburgh’s Hannover Street. I’d not been before and the food, eaten over three hours, was excellent (see menu photo below). The veal chop was pretty special, and the tart mentioned above was pretty excellent too. But even the focaccia was spectacularly fresh and the plate of salumi was locally farm-sourced. I’ve included some photos below.

There is one “typo” on the menu…the Crémant didn’t arrive, hence no note on it. We were instead served a Maison Wessmann Champagne as out apéritif, but this blend of Pinot Noir from Ay and Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs is made for, not by, Maison Wessman.

Moving back to the wines, I imagine some readers who are used, like me, to drinking the wines of mostly small artisan producers might be slightly sceptical about trying the wines of a producer which farms 100 hectares. However, as the owner of a wine importing business who I was tasting with yesterday pointed out to those present, when things are done on a larger scale it can have a greater impact.

Maison Wessman, through Head Winemaker Lise Sadirac, is doing more and more on a large scale to eradicate the use of synthetic herbicides and pesticides, to regenerate the viticultural environment and to lessen the impact of their winemaking operations. But at the end of the day the wines have to speak for themselves and I found them to be quality wines, enjoyable at every level. I hope they manage to find a UK importer.

As for Bergerac, it was very interesting to see the vast amount of progress made in the region, at least by one producer. Call me nostalgic, but it did make me happy. What used to be called “French Country Wines” by the old-time wine writers have by-and-large all come of age now, but Bergerac certainly has plenty of potential, more perhaps than most, which owners like the Wessman family are beginning to tap.

The event was organised by Wine PR firm Westbury Communications, who I would like to thank for doing an excellent job here, once again.

Posted in Dining, Wine, Wine Tastings, Wines of Southwest France, | Tagged Bergerac Moelleux Styles, Bergerac Wine, Château de Saint-Cernin, Château Les Tours des Verdots Monbazillac SGN 2020, Domaine des Verdots Imprévu red wine, Grand Vin de Verdot, Issigeac Future AOC, Issigeac Wine, Lise Sadirac Winemaker, Maison Wessman, Monbazillac Wine, Petit Cernin Rouge 2019, Robert Wessmann, Tipo Restaurant Edinburgh, Vignoble des Verdots, Westbury Communications Wine PR, Wine Lunch at Tipo, Wine of Southwest France | 2 Comments

Natural Wine, No Drama by Honey Spencer (Book Review)

Posted on 28/06/2024 by dccrossley

I’m usually quite swift off the mark when it comes to reviewing new wine books relevant to my readership, but as you may know, with house moving etc I’ve slipped behind with the writing. It’s a shame in this case because I’ve been dying to tell you about this book since it arrived. By now, I’m guessing that a lot of you will have read it and enjoyed it just as much as I have, as much now, reminding myself of its contents as when I read it cover to cover many weeks ago.

I don’t know Honey personally, and in fact I only met her for the first time at the Real Wine Fair at the end of April, but we do have a number of acquaintances in common, all people I admire for their passion for natural wines, regenerative agriculture and vineyard biodiversity. Honey sits easily within that group.

Honey studied languages in London, with a stint at Paris Dauphine before starting a career as a sommelier. A year and a half working in marketing for Jamie Oliver’s company was a minor diversion before returning to wine service proper. She has worked at Den Vedrette (Copenhagen), 10 William Street (Sydney) and three months at Noma in Mexico, as well as General Manager at Sager + Wilde in London.

People often forget that Honey founded Bastarda in 2018, and she also works with another passionate wine consultant, Ania Smelskaya, via Spencer and Smelskaya Consulting. Always considering herself first and foremost a sommelier, Honey continues as Wine Director for the Palomar Group (Paskin & Associates), alongside perhaps her most adventurous project to date. Along with her husband and partner Charlie Sims, whose CV includes managing Noma in Copenhagen, she opened Restaurant Sune (pronounced “sooner”) in Hackney, close to Broadway Market, in autumn 2023.

It’s hard to think of a more highly praised restaurant in the whole of London right now. I could have filled this review with glowing praise for Sune, but this is about Honey’s book so I will simply quote James Manning in Time Out:

“The level of depth, detail, thought and skill in some of these dishes is honestly staggering, and they’re picture-pretty”.

I think a fair question must be to ask how on earth Honey manages to juggle all of these commitments, and a young family, with writing a book, but she has and we are grateful for her energy. The book is called Natural Wine No Drama, and is subtitled “an unpretentious guide”. Both statements are true. I imagine Honey manages to achieve so much because she doesn’t make a drama out of everything. Likewise, you could not read a more unpretentious guide to natural wine, and the key is that this book has no hint of “me, me, me” from its author. This is remarkable because Honey Spencer was there at the start, so to speak. I recognise her journey in my own in many respects, but she has been a sensationally successful advocate for natural wine over the past decade plus.

First, I should say that the book itself is very attractively, and sensitively, produced by her publisher, Pavilion (a Harper Collins imprint). Great work from Laura Russell, Alice Kennedy-Owen and their teams. A nice selection of photos is supplemented by illustrations created by Max Ososki. They help tell Honey’s story, which began much like mine when it comes to natural wine. As her opening words describe, “I can still remember the first time I tried a natural wine; I recall it with a shudder”.

Actually, my shudder was from an unsulphured red wine bought from one of Paris’ pioneering natural wine stores, but I had unknowingly drunk several natural wines previous to this 1990s experience. I just didn’t know it. Back then, natural wine could be unstable and volatile, and no-one was more volatile when it came to the sharp tongues of its sternest critics. Back then, if you appreciated natural wine and were prepared to say so, one did feel somewhat under attack from certain wine critics, and indeed the more conservative users of a popular wine forum I used to frequent.

But as tiny minorities usually find each other, so did I find likeminded individuals. Wines shared at lunches, especially those I organised with a friend at Rochelle Canteen, slowly saw more natural wines among them. Those lunches were usually preceded, in my case, by a visit to Austrian natural wine pioneers Newcomer Wines, then occupying a shipping container in Shoreditch Box Park, and increasingly ended with a visit to Sager + Wilde. Natural wine has so many outlets now, so it is hard to imagine how important S+W was back in its early days. I had previously worshipped at The Ledbury. S+W was fundamental in shaping my tastes and wine philosophy over the past twelve years.

Honey begins by relating, briefly, her own story, before a very plain-speaking introduction and explanation of different winemaking styles and methods, all leading to natural wine. It sets the scene for the first core part of the book, illustrating the natural wine philosophy through the people who have helped shape it.

We begin with natural wine’s supreme philosopher, Doug Wregg. As a director of UK natural wine pioneer Les Caves de Pyrene, Doug was selling these wines to UK restaurants and consumers (including myself) long before such wines had a hint of fashionabilty about them. They were a hard sell. If Jancis Robinson is sometimes known as “HRH”, “Sir Doug” as almost everyone calls him, could not be held in higher esteem, nor greater affection, among that part of the UK wine scene that appreciates wine’s boundary pushers and innovators.

Honey goes on to profile a rich array of other movers and shakers on the natural wine scene, most of whom I either know or have met a number of times. Meli Ligas is one face of Ktima Ligas, one of two fabulous Greek natural wine pioneers. Christina Rasmussen, I have already profiled on my site (3 August 2022). She is yet to be fully recognised for her contribution to natural wine. Monique Millton and Tim Webber (Manon Farm) are profiled, as are fellow winemakers Fleur Godart and Sophie Evans, along with several more.

They are all astute choices, chosen both for what they have achieved, and for the passion which they have brought to their own spheres. None more so, perhaps, than Stephanie and Eduard Tscheppe of Gut Oggau, whose wines I now rate more highly than those which the critics would tell me are the world’s finest. This is because natural wine has redefined my view of what great wine is, and what it can be.

The key to these people portraits is that Honey allows their words to speak for natural wine, rather than pontificating herself. We have had rather too much pontification from those bearing an astonishing, at times, degree of antipathy towards natural wine. I used to think that wine people are nice people. Now I prefer to say that “natural wine” people are nice people, though although broadly true, sadly that would itself be a gross exaggeration. What you can be sure of is that the folks profiled by Honey here are certainly among the good guys.

The final chapters of the book include a section called “how to enjoy natural wine”. We have here, inter alia, a clutch of recipes and wine pairings. The author knows rather a lot about food, yet she gives over twenty of her pages to some very interesting chefs, who provide exciting recipes which are “natural wine-friendly”. Each recipe has wine to match it, wine that is on the whole accessible and affordable.

At the end of the book do not miss the small piece called “Convincing a Critic”. The critic in question is Jay Rayner. I’m quite a fan of Jay’s writing, but I must say that he has…well let me use Honey’s own thoughts as she saw him enter the restaurant:

”With this critic, there was another pretty gargantuan problem. Jay Rayner hated natural wine. In fact, his loathing of it was so deeply entrenched that should a restaurant he visited feature natural wine, the entire subsequent column would be dedicated to ensuring the poor sommelier in question would rue the day they ever so much as looked at a grape.”

Honey lived to pour again, but more importantly what Jay said in his review points very much to why Honey Spencer has been so successful as a sommelier, wine consultant, and now a restaurateur.

We finish, well almost, with “What Happens Now?”. It’s the question we, that is the natural wine community, all ask. Natural wine’s success has been based on many factors. Lighter, and perhaps purer, flavours, ethics etc, but undoubtedly because Doug Wregg, and those who followed his example, understood that people didn’t necessarily want a tasting note full of fruits and further pretentions. Natural wine always has a story to tell, and that story is first and foremost about a landscape, and the people and culture which inhabit that landscape. People are hungry for the story. They can almost live vicariously, until they are able to visit the vines themselves and walk in nature among the bucolic green of vine-clad hills. Wine is culture and culture runs deep, for all those who seek what is not superficial.

The book actually ends with a kind of directory, of natural wine fairs and events around the world, of online resources and courses, and of key books on the subject. All very useful, most being essential. I would just like to add to the events list “Autentikfest Moravia”, which takes place in August and showcases (though not exclusively) the wines of Europe’s most exciting but hardly known emerging natural wine culture.

Natural wine is, perhaps more than anything, about open minds and a willingness to experiment. This is something Honey talks about elsewhere in the book. The Covid pandemic ironically seemed to foster a sense of greater adventure among a population stuck in their houses and locales for months on end. Equally, as Honey says (in a paragraph I’d love to quote in full, but it is too long), “…there is something deeply romantic about natural wine. In a world of identikit international varieties, it is a revolt.” Natural wine has both these aspects.

Who exactly is it who is drawn to natural wine? Who will be drawn to this book? It is so often the passionate, deeply thoughtful, individuals who question the given, who rebel against the doctrine of the mass-market, who are drawn to the artisan, who believe humankind is crazy to destroy our planet. Honey Spencer, through her work in food and wine, and through this book, continues to be at the vanguard of those waking us up. Wine is, as Honey says, not the greatest of life’s priorities, compared to the big issues facing humanity. But that doesn’t make it irrelevant.

Well then, end of my sermon. It’s a fabulous book, not so much as a reference work of factual material, more as something which will make you feel warm inside when you’ve read it. What comes through above all is not just passion, but compassion. Honey is undoubtedly a compassionate individual, whose friends are compassionate individuals, and who has written here about compassion – compassionate individuals in wine, compassionate farming and a compassionate philosophy. If, like me, you are one of those romantics Honey Spencer mentions above, you will love this book.

Natural Wine, No Drama by Honey Spencer is published by Pavilion/Harper Collins (hard cover, 2024). The RRP is £25. Some sites sell it at a small discount, but as always beware those which do not properly remunerate the author.

Posted in Natural Wine, Wine, Wine and Food, Wine Books, Wine Writing, Women in Wine | Tagged Book on Natural Wine, Doug Wregg, Honey Spencer, Natural Wine No Drama book review, New Wine Books 2024, Sune Restaurant, Wine Books, Wine writing | 2 Comments

Recent Wines April 2024 (Part 2) #theglouthatbindsus

Posted on 26/06/2024 by dccrossley

Part 2 for April is, somewhat similarly to Part 1, made up of a mix of the wines I usually drink and a bottle which doesn’t feature very often these days. We begin in Jerez, zip around Europe via Côte-Rôtie, Alto Douro and Hungary’s Great Plain, before a long-distance flight to Gippsland in Australia.

La Bota de Fino 68, Equipo Navazos (Jerez, Spain)

This is a bottling of June 2016 (6,500 bottles to be precise) from a solera at Valdespino. The grapes all came from the single site of Macharnudo Alto. The average age of the wines on release was between ten and eleven years old, the casks selected from criaderas 1-3. It was, of course, bottled unfiltered and without additives.

This is an old EN Fino, as those familiar with their Bota numbers will be aware, and it has had eight years in bottle resting in…I’d like to say my cellar but this was introduced into my Brighton cellar and it has now spent the past two years in three others, finally settling here in our new house. All I can say is that although I sadly don’t have any Vintage Port, nor very much Bordeaux these days, perhaps it’s for the best.

For all the old fuddy duddy folks who say the Fino is not for ageing, I say drink this. They are simply wrong! The yeast influence does feel strong here, making for a pungent, spicy, wine of enormous complexity and some considerable intensity, though it’s a very different intensity than that of its youth. “Muted” would definitely convey the wrong impression, although the restrained beauty of the sound made by a muted trumpet might be an apt analogy. In fact, I see that EN themselves suggest “connoisseurs may age [it] for many years”.

This sensational wine would be hard to track down now, I presume. This came directly from the producer on release, but Alliance Wine is the UK agent for Equipo Navazos. You could take any current release Fino and age it like this.

Côte-Rôtie 2005, Michel & Stéphane Ogier (Rhône, France)

I used to be a big drinker of the wines of the Northern Rhône. I remember my first visit to the vineyards of Hermitage, Condrieu, Château-Grillet, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie with great affection, as I remember those wonderful bottles of Georges Vernay, Auguste Clape, and especially Gérard (at that time) Chave. The wines of Michel Ogier sort of became a Chave substitute. I began buying them as I had to stop buying Chave. It helped that his wines used to be sold by Waitrose, at least at their key London locations. A fair few were purchased during their “25% off all wine” promos back in the day (along with the odd Prestige Cuvée Champagne).

This 2005 harks back to the days when Michel was still pretty much at the helm of the domaine, albeit with his son, Stéphane, effectively making the wine. The Syrah fruit is a blend from the two larger sites of Côtes Brune and Blonde. To this is added a splash of Viognier, and the Ogier Viognier has always been quite special in my view. Not one of the naysayers, I am convinced that the seasoning with this white variety does make a difference, whether here in the Northern Rhône or at one or two special producers in Australia.

At nineteen years old this is, I think, fully mature, but magnificently in its prime. The colour is purest translucent ruby, the fruit on bouquet and palate ranges from raspberry high notes to a plummy base. If there is any hint of bacon then the fruit smothers it, perhaps unexpectedly. It’s smooth and clean, the tannins having given way to a soft, velvet, texture. Splendid sounds a good word to describe it. It was my last of their 2005s, and despite some critics giving this a drinking window up to 2020, this is the best 2005 I’ve drunk from this father and son team. Indeed, I think it was my best Ogier wine so far.

My sources for Ogier were the Waitrose food hall in the basement of John Lewis on Oxford Street, but their web site no longer lists Ogier (the overall range has changed considerably from those halcyon days), but also Berry Brothers & Rudd. They continue to stock much of Stéphane’s now expanded range of cuvées.

Uivo Rabigato Branco 2022, Folias de Baco (Alto Douro, Portugal)

What a contrast to the previous wine, you might think. True, but make no mistake, this is a cracking wine and one that offers remarkable value. Despite the undoubted quality of the Côte-Rôtie above, you couldn’t really say that about it. Like the red version of this I drank back in March (Renegado), this hits well above its weight/price.

Tiagio Sampaio makes these wines in the Alto Douro’s Cima Corgo. It’s fascinating that even though the Douro is now much better known for unfortified wines (mostly red, it must be said) than it once was, the steep slopes of the Cima Corgo do grow some of the best fruit for Port, the region’s more famous wine.

This white wine is a field blend, but the dominant variety is the autochthonous Rabigato. The soils are schist-based. The wine was fermented in stainless steel and then aged four months on lees, then a further four months off the lees. It’s a natural wine and was bottled unfiltered.

Now, I can’t say I can pinpoint the exact location for these grapes, but I know Cima Corgo is pretty hot. This white, however, is super fresh, cleanly mineral, with citrus zip. The bouquet seems to blend an array of garrigue-type herbs with a wafting note of violet. Unusual but pleasant. Just a tiny addition of sulphur here.

Not only does Tiagio follow biodynamic practices, the vineyards of Folias de Baco are part of a wider project for biodiversity and wildlife restoration in the Upper Douro.

This was purchased from Cork & Cask, Edinburgh (£22). The importer is Modal Wines.

Kékfrankos Diófás 2019, Sziegl Pince (Hajós Baja, Hungary)

As Blaufränkisch, its name in Austria, this variety is just beginning to gain justified wider recognition as a producer of fine red wines. Kékfrankos, its name in Hungary, has always been a mainstay of that country’s red wine scene, arguably producing its finest red wines too.

This wine comes from Hungary’s Great Plain, a region with sandy soils, once best known for supplying the country’s urban workforce with high volume, cheap wine. Things are obviously changing. The couple synonymous with Sziegl Pince began grape farming when, as postgraduates in their very early twenties, they were given a parcel of old vines as a gift in 2012. They have since increased their holding to 8.5 hectares.

A profound love of their home and its nature means that no synthetic chemicals are used to make the wine, and the vines never saw the industrial farming of the Soviet era because the sandy soils weren’t suitable for mechanised farming. Diófás is a single site, one of the best plots they have. The fruit ripens without loss of acidity, which needs to be retained in the best wines made from this variety. Fermented via a mix of crushed fruit and whole clusters in open vats, ageing is 18 months in used oak. The wine then rests in bottle a further 18 months before release.

The bouquet is lovely, nice peppery, crushed cherry. The palate has good juicy fruit, but there’s also a bit of grippy tannin. It makes for a nice food wine, but equally it will age further. I think this is a very impressive wine, especially for the price. £25 from Basket Press Wines.

I tasted this late last year and it really impressed then, even more so as a whole bottle drunk at home in late April, after a little more time resting. I think it has now sold out, and I can’t find it at any of the retailers who stock the Sziegl Pince wines. However, more may arrive in the UK. This is very highly recommended, and would surely cost more if it was an Austrian Blaufränkisch with a louder label.

Tonimbuk Amphora Granite 2020, Nikau Farm (Victoria, Australia)

New Zealand native Dane Johns continues to plough his own very special Australian artisan furrow at his family’s farm, where he lives with wife Hannah, in Gippsland, SE Victoria. The farm totals 95 acres, but there are just two hectares of vines right now.

Dane started out in wine, after a decade working as a Melbourne barista, working with William Downie, and first became known individually for his Momento Mori label, mostly using Italian varieties. From the start Dane followed a zero-zero approach to additives, including a no-sulphur regime. It perfectly reflects Dane’s approach to his first career as a musician, making electronic music but using analog equipment.

Tonimbuk is the district, amphora is the vessel and granite is one of the soil types, among several, in the vineyards. The wine is a blend of Pinots Grigio and Gris (listed as separate varieties, I’m not sure why), Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The result is an amber wine of some complexity, a wine you’d probably guess spent time in amphora. That said, it isn’t too overtly textured. Adjectives which come to mind are alive, generous, vibrant, with hits of orange and ginger. Ironically, this is an easier drink than the 2019 “Tolone” Riesling, my last Nikau Farm wine. I loved that wine’s individuality, but with 10% abv it was quite lean and bony, probably not for the uninitiated.

However, all of Dane’s wines are thought-provoking, and perhaps deliberately challenging. This is almost certainly why I would place him in a clutch of Australia’s most exciting winemakers, pushing boundaries with wines of genuine personality. UK prices are somewhat steeper than back in Australia (I can tell you from having bought Dane’s wines there as well). I was lucky as The Solent Cellar had this discounted from £45 down to £35 (perhaps a tough sell), though I think I got the last bottle. I’ve seen Tonimbuk for £60 in other stores here.

The abovementioned Tolone Riesling is still available (the web site says two bottles) at The Solent Cellar. £48, but that is reduced from £65. If you want something really different…

All of Dane Johns’s wines, including Momento Mori as well as Nikau Farm, are imported by Les Caves de Pyrene.

Posted in Artisan Wines, Australian Wine, Hungarian Wine, Natural Wine, Portuguese wine, Rhone, Sherry, Wine | Tagged #theglouthatbindsus, Alto Douro White Wine, Côte-Rôtie, Dane Johns Gippsland, Equipo Navazos, Gippsland Wine, Hajos Baja Hungary, Jerez, Kékfrankos, La Bota de Fino 68, Macharnudo Alto, Michel et Stéphane Ogier, Nikau Farm, Nikau Farm Amphora Granite 2020, Ogier Côte-Rôtie 2005, Portuguese wine, Recent Wines April 2024 (Pt 2), Sherry, Sziegl Pince Hajos-Baja Hungary, Sziegl Pince Kekfrankos Diofas 2019, Tonimbuk Amphora Granite 2020, Uivo Rabigato Folias de Baco, White Wine from Cima Corgo, Wine of Hungary's Great Plain | Leave a comment

Recent Wines April 2024 (Part 1) #theglouthatbindsus

Posted on 25/06/2024 by dccrossley

The catchup continues. We are right back in April for my “Recent Wines”. Two parts, the first showing wines from Franken, Hampshire, Burgundy, Burgenland and Jura.

Silvaner Thüngersheim Rothlauf GG 2019, Weingut Rudolf May (Franken, Germany)

I seem to be unusual in that I do quite like Silvaner. Of course, it has changed rather a lot over the decades, from the afterthought of the 1980s and 90s, where under-ripe fruit so often gave us shrieking acidity. Now we have Silvaner with a Grosses Gewächs, or Grand Cru, designation if you like. How do such wines stack up against the similarly designated Rieslings?

Weingut Rudolf May is based at Retzstadt, about 20km north of Würzburg. The estate was originally founded on just 2-hectares in 1998, but it has grown to 17 ha. This expansion hasn’t been at the expense of quality, in fact just the oppostite. Most would recognise them as a top domaine. They make some of the very finest Silvaner in Germany (some argue the finest).

The key may well be the soils here. If Silvaner can’t match Riesling on a world stage, Franken’s fossil-rich soils reveal themselves in the wines through a deep minerality. The regime is organic with sulphur additions kept to a bare minimum, but otherwise the wine is simply made with low intervention.

The bouquet is pear and apple fruit, with a more floral note rising above, the palate has weight (and 13% abv) but is nicely poised and balanced. That mineral texture comes through as pebbly and chalky. The acidity is tempered. This is fine and majestic. It will age further but to me it has that tension right now that is thrilling. Surely a wine that should convert the unbelievers?

Imported by Howard Ripley, my bottle came from The Solent Cellar (£46).

Promised Land Riesling Brut Nature 2017, Charlie Herring Wines (Hampshire, England)

Tim Phillips is (I think) unique as a pioneer of Riesling in the UK. The books will tell you it can’t be done, but Tim’s Clos du Paradis vineyard combines heat-retention and wind protection of the brick walls of a large Victorian kitchen garden with a unique location, just inland from The Solent with the protection of the Isle of Wight. The island itself is famous for its horticulture, and the stretch of coastline to its immediate north might be a “race” to make sailors careful, but it is protected from the wind, and indeed provides a notable bird sanctuary.

This is sparkling Riesling, bottle fermented by the traditional method. Farming is organic and “natural”, Tim being a long-time follower of Masonobu Fukuoka’s regenerative ideas. In fact, Tim is probably the most deeply thoughtful vine grower I know when it comes to how to farm grapes in such a sometimes trying climate.

The wine spent four years on lees and was bottled with minimal added sulphur. The first thing you might notice is rapier-like acidity. Yet this is a fine spine of acid, delicate, like frost. Add in white flowers, lemon citrus and a textured mineral base, and although you would still call this “young”, it is amazingly refreshing.

Yes, this will age, and I kind of wish I’d given it longer. Not that it wasn’t brilliant now, merely that there are never too many bottles of these to stock up on. It is undoubtedly a real achievement to have created this.

Although this bottle came from Tim direct, it will, when available, appear locally at The Solent Cellar, and also via Les Caves de Pyrene, who continue to support Tim’s work. Otherwise get in on Tim’s open days, although you will have just missed one.

Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes 2006, Domaine Bachelet (Burgundy, France)

I was an early purchaser of the wines of Domaine Bachelet. This was back in the days before natural wine, and when Burgundy was more or less affordable, at least for the best “village” wines. I’m pretty sure I picked up on this producer from a wine tv show Jancis Robinson had back then, which featured the famous American importer/agent Becky Wasserman, who worked with Denis Bachelet, in his twenties at that time and very much seen as a rising star.

The Vieilles Vignes was always seen as a special wine and also something of a bargain. Genuinely old vines made up for a lack of Premier Cru designation. It must be said that 2006 was not what one might describe as a top vintage, certainly lacking the caché of the preceding 2005, but a good number of very good wines came out of it, especially from top names. I bought a good spread of Fourrier 2006, and Lafon if I recall, which have thus far proved delicious.

I would say that this didn’t match the Fourriers, perhaps being slightly tired. But the cellar is cold and as it warmed the fruit that was there did assert itself. Yet it was still enjoyable. You learn so much from a wine like this, even though it may have already peaked. It’s still getting 90+ from the points merchants but it probably isn’t one to keep in the unlikely event you have some. The thrill of this comes from the fact that so few of us, assuming I know my readers, can afford wines like these too often now.

I’m not totally sure where this came from but I think Domaine Bachelet can be had from Berry Brothers.

Maskerade Rosé 2021, Gut Oggau (Burgenland, Austria)

Another rarely drunk domaine, rarely only because of increasing prices. Gut Oggau makes some of my favourite wines, definitely in my favourite half-dozen producers. Oggau is a small village just up the road from Rust, on the western shore of the Neusiedlersee. Stephanie and Eduard Tscheppe-Eselböck run perhaps one of the most advanced estates in Europe when it comes to thinking about natural wine, regenerative farming and eco-system creation. Although they have not adopted every aspect of these methodologies, the biodiversity here is telling, as is the kindness to both humans and nature which oozes out of this wonderful couple.

What of this wine? The Maskerade cuvées are field blends, from sites which they had recently taken over at the time of this vintage. Although organic, the plots were undergoing conversion to the full Gut Oggau way of working. Stephanie and Eduard said that the vineyards were “holding a tiny bit of their beautiful personalities back”, hence the idea of the masks on the labels. Time will indeed reveal their true personalities and vineyards and wines.

This is a delicate, quite pale, Rosé. Both bouquet and palate reveal exquisite, gentle, raspberry fruit with strawberry following on the finish. You will certainly also identify a touch of cranberry which adds the smallest hint of bite to the finish. It’s a natural wine and there is the merest hint of funk, that adds personality. But this itself is enveloped in an elegant exterior. Refreshing yet also ephemeral.

Bottled in a useful litre size, this cost around £40 from Dynamic Vines in Bermondsey. Also try Antidote Wine Bar’s shop in Central London and Feral Art et Vin in Bordeaux.

Arbois Vin Jaune 2006, Domaine de la Pinte (Jura, France)

I’ve often said that Domaine de la Pinte is one of the unsung producers in the Jura Region. The estate was established in the early 1950s and became the first fully organic producer (other than the small farmers who couldn’t afford chemical inputs) in Arbois. Bruno Cofi took over (from the famous Philippe Chatillon) as estate manager/director in 2009 and began conversion to biodynamics. Bruno moved to Anjou in 2016, but he was in charge for the making of this wine.

La Pinte makes a range of mostly good value wines with some real stars. If I’m in Arbois I will never fail to get some of their Melon à Queue Rouge and the L’Ami Karl Poulsard. They also began some very interesting skin contact experiments in the later 2010s.

I’m also a fan of the Vin Jaune here. In fact, if you visit the domaine, or their shop in Arbois (just opposite Maison Jeunet), you can usually pick up some old bottles. I have some from the 1980s, and have even seen (but can’t afford) my birth year. But current releases are definitely worth grabbing and laying down, and I would suggest they age very well.

This has, with time, become an elegant Vin Jaune which I would suggest is drinking well right now. Off classic Marnes Bleues soils (Cretaceous blue marls), yielding a mere 20hl/h. Aged sous voile in a very special underground cellar (which you can visit), it is nutty and full of ginger and curry spice when young. Over time this 2006 has become very smooth, almost velvet-textured for a Vin Jaune. However, it has all that classic VJ intensity you’d wish for.

I’m always happy to point people towards Domaine de la Pinte for great quality-to-price value, although it’s fair to say that Vin Jaune prices have risen a lot, a mix of increased costs, frost and hail, plus of course the inexorable rise in the fashionability and cult status of all things Jura. That said, this bottle was purchased at the domaine and current vintages (for example, the 2016) there will cost around €60. You can do a lot worse.

Posted in Arbois, Artisan Wines, Austrian Wine, Burgundy, English Wine, German Wine, Jura, Natural Wine, Wine, Wine Agencies | Tagged #theglouthatbindsus, Arbois Vin Jaune 2006 Dom de la Pinte, Charlie Herring Wines Hampshire, Denis Bachelet, Domaine Bachelet Gevrey Chambertin VV 2006, Domaine de la Pinte Arbois, English Sparkling Riesling, Franken Silvaner, Gevrey VV Bachelet, Gut Oggau Burgenland, Gut Oggau Field Blend, Hampshire Sparkling Wine, Maskerade Cuvées Gut Oggau, Maskerade Rosé 2021, Recent Wines April 2024 (Pt 1), Stephanie and Eduard Tscheppe-Eselbock, Thungersheim Rothlauf GG, Tim Phillips winemaker, Vin Jaune, Weingut Rudolf May Franken | Leave a comment

Noble Rot and the Poulet

Posted on 20/06/2024 by dccrossley

Four of us decamped to Noble Rot Soho for, if perhaps not a wild Real Wine after party, certainly a brilliant evening of food and wine. It was actually my first time at the Soho location, despite being almost a regular of sorts at Lambs Conduit Street when we lived in England. There they had, and still have, surely the best value lunch menu in London, and the same is available at Soho.

All four of us are avid Jura fans and I won’t lie, we were there for the Roast Chicken, Morels and Vin Jaune, the Noble Rot rendition of Poulet aux Morilles et Vin Jaune, that has to pass my lips at least twice on any visit to The Jura.

The Soho venue, at 2 Greek Street, occupying the former site of the famous Gay Hussar, is somewhat smaller than the original Noble Rot, and it is worth noting that the largest table seats only six (though the private dining room upstairs can accommodate ten), and booking is essential. However, the cooking here is of a very high order. Head Chef is Alex Jackson, though Stephen Harris’s executive eye ensures that the most fastidious critic is thrilled (as they have been).

We chose to select something “interesting” from the list as our aperitif, so we went for a Greek sparkling wine, Domaine Karanika Extra Cuvée de Réserve 2017. This is a bottle fermented Xinomavro sparkler (so a blanc de noirs) made by Laurens and Annette Hartman-Van Kampen. It was bottled in January 2018 and disgorged December 2022 with zero dosage. The estate is in Amyndeon in Macedonia, Northern Greece. It’s a small biodynamic domaine making boutique wines of high quality. This was zippy, with lovely red summer fruits, apple-fresh acids, crisp but easy to drink. No additives are used and sulphuring is very low. Not having had a lot of ageing post-disgorgement, it is very much in an aperitif style, but definitely delicious and certainly showing some developed complexity, and Xinomavro seems to work exceptionally well in a sparkling wine here.

De L’Avant, Maison Maenad, Côtes du Jura 2021 is something of a find on the list. I had managed to locate some in France, from my friend Russell at Feral Art & Vin in Bordeaux, but the chaps at Noble Rot have applied their fingers to the pulse once more. Irresistible, seeing it on the list here. Tutto Wines have begun to import it.

For this cuvée we have forty-year-old Chardonnay vines planted in “Les Varrons”, a site made famous by the Labet family, of course. The soils here are red clay. The lady behind this wine is Canadian native, Katie Worobeck, who had worked five years with the Ganevats previous to starting her own small label. I say small. There’s a plot of Chardonnay with a little Gamay in Les Varrons, plus now three more hectares in “Au Carre” in the forested hills above Grusse, both of course in the Jura’s Southern Revermont. Her winery is beneath her home in Orbagna.

I strongly advocate trying Katie’s wines. This is up there with the best Jura Chardonnays that money can buy (although there are a handful of better ones which on the whole you need more than just money to get hold of them). I’m increasingly frustrated by the unicorn nature of so many Jura wines now, but it’s possible that Tutto might have some of Katie’s wines left. Expect to pay 50€/bottle at Feral, who have several cuvées.

That said, I have to tell you, this restaurant has a truly exceptional dedicated Jura section on the wine list.

The food should not be forgotten here. We chose a number of small starter plates, but the Choux Bun, with chicken liver parfait, Tokaji jelly and walnut is definitely not to be missed. But what of the main event. I count myself a connoisseur of this dish, so many different versions have I partaken of over the decades. I’ve even made it myself, although I‘m always let down by the quality of the chicken in the UK. It should be noted that, like any chef in France, the chicken is cooked in a Savagnin table wine, Vin Jaune being way too expensive. However, finishing the dish with a decent glug of Vin Jaune is essential in my view. Maison Rolet in Arbois sells Vin Jaune in a half-Clavelin, which I always used to find an ideal size and quality for the purpose, enough for the dish and for a “cooks share” whilst it is in the oven.

This version is way above the quality of any attempt I’ve tried before in the UK, and certainly far better than anything I’ve made. In France, it isn’t always the Michelin-starred chefs who make the best versions. This is partly because the dish needs a hearty quality, and a generosity. I always remember the variation we used to eat at the now closed La Balance in Arbois, where a very generous quantity of rice helped soak up the rich sauce and alcohol, and where chunks of chicken came on the bone. There was a nod to that style here.

Time to confess that my favourite three foods, context being all, are Nepalese Momos, a plate-hanger of a schnitzel in Vienna or Burgenland, and Poulet aux Morilles et Vin Jaune in Arbois. So, I was a happy man and I can’t wait for another opportunity to eat this again. If I can make one comment of a less than glowing nature, it didn’t quite have the concentrated Savagnin essence as the best French versions, which could be to do with a decent glug of VJ to finish? But I am not complaining.

As for Vin Jaune, a friend had arranged a byob of something rather special. Marius Perron Château-Chalon 1983. It’s a small, 3-hectare, domaine which was taken over a little over a decade ago by Marius’s son-in-law, and the wines have become somewhat invisible. The only source for Marius’s now legendary wines is at occasional auction. So, this was a treat. It did not disappoint. Words are superfluous. If you like “Vin Jaune” this would thrill your tastebuds.

A good stroll back the Fleet Street was well in order after a very rich dinner (finished with cheese, of course), although it was more a stroll than the staggers home I may have managed from time to time in Arbois. I can’t recommend both Noble Rot Soho, and this particular main course highly enough, although many readers will be well ahead of my game on this. In many ways the ultimate wine geek’s restaurant.

Posted in Artisan Wines, Dining, Jura, Natural Wine, Restaurants, Wine, Wine and Food | Tagged Chateau-Chalon, Dining in London, Domaine Karanika Amyndeon Macedonia, Greek Sparkling Wine, Jura Wine, Jura Wines in London, Katie Worobeck Vigneronne, Laurens and Annette Hartman-Van Kampen, Maison Maenad De L'Avant 2021, Maison Maenad Orbagna, Marius Perron Chateau-Chalon 1983, Natural Wine, Noble Rot Soho, Poulet aux Morilles et Vin Jaune in London, Roast Chicken Morels and Vin Jaune, Vin Jaune, Wine of Jura's Revermont, Xinomavro Sparkling Wine | Leave a comment

David Crossley's Wide World of Wine

Recent Wines June 2024 (Part 3) #theglouthatbindsus

Recent Wines June 2024 (Part 2) #theglouthatbindsus

Recent Wines June 2024 (Part 1) #theglouthatbindsus

Recent Wines May 2024 #theglouthatbindsus

Newcomer Wines at Montrose, Edinburgh (3 July ’24)

Bergerac and Maison Wessman – Edinburgh Lunch at Tipo

Natural Wine, No Drama by Honey Spencer (Book Review)

Recent Wines April 2024 (Part 2) #theglouthatbindsus

Recent Wines April 2024 (Part 1) #theglouthatbindsus

Noble Rot and the Poulet

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