tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43414835990670696502024-03-13T12:03:15.694+00:00The Wine TwitAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-42359579282470346872017-09-05T14:20:00.001+01:002017-09-05T15:43:59.934+01:00A Little bit of Luxury from Northern Italy - Valtellina DOCG<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/red/nebbiolo" target="_blank">Nebbiolo</a> is one of my favourite grapes; hardly surprising
when you think that it produces two of Italy’s most famous and prestigious
wines - Barolo and Barbaresco. If you move further north in Piedmont you find
the wines of Carema and Gattinara, however, if you move eastwards and into the
Lombardy region, just along the border with Switzerland to the shores of Lake
Como, you find the wine <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valtellina" target="_blank">Valtellina</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Produced from Nebbiolo, or as it’s locally known
Chiavennasca, the Wine Makers are also allowed to blend in another local
variety, Rossola Nera, with up to 20% for the DOC or 10% for the DOCG wines. However,
restrictions on harvest yields, minimum levels of alcohol, and as the wines
must also be aged for two years prior to being released, unless they are
Riserva which necessitates three years, means it is far from a quick process in
getting the Wine to meet these specific requirements. Within the region there
are several villages who are considered higher quality; Grumello, Sassella, Inferno,
Valgella and Maroggia- these are, of course, indicated on the label. They also
produce an Amarone style DOCG wine called Sforzato.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of my favourite producers of these wines is <a href="http://www.rivettielauro.it/index.php/en/" target="_blank">Rivetti& Lauro</a>. They produce several wines, including the really quite unique wine
‘Calis’, a white made from Pignola (another name for Nebbiolo) and Sauvignon.
They also have wines from the villages of Sasella and Inferno, and produce the
amazing Sforzato.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The 2012 Inferno DOCG Valtellina is produced in small
quantities; only 3,300 bottles, and is 100% Nebbiolo. Grape selection is done
by hand and they are destemmed before being crushed and subsequently fermented
in Stainless Steel tanks. After the fermentation process, the wine is aged for
two years in French oak barrels.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the glass, the wine has a bright ruby red/purple colour
to it, with pronounced aromas of Cherry, Vanilla and Clove. These come through
on the palate beautifully and combines with the tannins and acidity perfectly.
It drinks beautifully now and will continue to age and develop for the next ten
years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The 2011 Sforzato DOCG Valtellina goes through a very
similar process as the other Valtellina DOCG wines, however there is one big
difference; the grapes are dried on big wooden racks for three/ four months
before crushing, in a similar way to Amarone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The drying of the grapes first adds a real concentration to
the wine, with aromas of red berry fruit, Tobacco and Truffle. On the palate,
the fruit translates to significantly more wild berries with hints of Violets
and Tobacco. Combine this with the fine but grippy tannins, and you have a remarkable
wine that’s big, powerful and rich.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These wines really are incredible. Although certainly
a little harder to find, if you manage it I can assure you, you will not be
disappointed. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-74267987384503682362017-07-19T14:58:00.000+01:002017-07-19T19:21:40.538+01:00A Legend from Chablis - Samuel BillaudNo sooner than we'd finished with the 2015 Burgundy En Primeur, than I got an invite to a 2016 vintage tasting for Samuel Billaud, who's wines I've been a fan of for a number of years.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mp1PsouF_hM/WW9fI_FmQSI/AAAAAAAABxc/Q6if8f3-04oIejRd5RIhc-k135VCnl3lgCLcBGAs/s1600/Samuel%2BBillaud%2BLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="94" data-original-width="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mp1PsouF_hM/WW9fI_FmQSI/AAAAAAAABxc/Q6if8f3-04oIejRd5RIhc-k135VCnl3lgCLcBGAs/s1600/Samuel%2BBillaud%2BLogo.png" /></a></div>
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For those who don't know, Samuel was originally the head winemaker at the family domain, Billaud-Simon. with Samuel at the helm, the domain quickly become one of the top producer in Chablis with an enviable reputation. A few years ago, Samuel decided to go out on his own purchasing fruit from friends in the region and under his own name. With the sale of Billaud-Simon in 2014 to Domaine Faveley, Samuel managed to gain back control of 1/6th of the domaine that was his and was able to use the fruit to expand his range and buy less from other farmers.<br />
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2016 has been another exceptionally trying vintage for Burgundy, rain, hail and frosts have decimated there crops with some farmers reportedly losing up to 70% of there crop, this has come on the back of several already small vintages. While yields have been small, the quality of the fruit has again been exception, helping to give the winemakers a good start. The wines are showing great poise and depth of flavour from the fruit that has then been balanced perfectly with the minerality and soft but bountiful acidity. These all helped to create an amazing glass of wine, that as you moved up through his range from the village Chablis to the 1er Cru then the Grand Cru showed a greater depth and complexity each time.<br />
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These wines I have to say were absolutely stunning, you just couldn't find a fault in any of them, and these were only the tank samples, bottling won't begin till August and will continue in waves till probably the end of the year. If your a fan of Chablis then these are ones you definitively do not want to miss out on, view our offer <a href="http://mailchi.mp/3720ed8206a1/probably_the_best_chablis_i_ve_ever_tasted" target="_blank">here</a>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-4093240490981638622017-02-22T15:39:00.000+00:002017-02-22T15:39:52.378+00:00A Tasting with Man 'O War from Wahieke Island New ZealandYesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Sara Fogarty from Man 'O War wines, and taste through there current releases and a couple of library samples, so we could gauge how they will age. Now as the title suggests Man 'O War are based on Wahieke Island, New Zealand, in the Hauraki Gulf, east of Auckland on the North island.<br />
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The estate was originally 4 farms that were all purchased in the early 80's and combined to create a massive 4,500 acre estate in the north eastern corner of the island. Only 150 acres across 76 sites are under vine, and this is still a working farm with sheep, olives, fruit and your even able to get married at the chapel on the estate. Each of the vineyard sites has been selected due to it's facing, soil and microclimate for specific varieties, the one grape they don't grow though is Pinot Noir as they are too far north for it, they concentrate on the varieties from Bordeaux and the Northern Rhone for their reds. They also have a very interesting take on naming vineyard sites, with names such as Lunatics, Madmans, Asylum and Bitch just to give you an idea, and their wines as you'll see below.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5cDftpbH1Ow/WK2qQoXfH4I/AAAAAAAAA_0/B0LG5DoeQF8gOaPjIFkiibv7k3yuXvIfgCLcB/s1600/Cliffs%2BVineyard%2BRED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5cDftpbH1Ow/WK2qQoXfH4I/AAAAAAAAA_0/B0LG5DoeQF8gOaPjIFkiibv7k3yuXvIfgCLcB/s200/Cliffs%2BVineyard%2BRED.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cliff's Vineyard</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7X0tb4IhKW0/WK2qQnVWbFI/AAAAAAAAA_4/hUEanQKrndUSKytAPIY2TvbVGAb6o31QgCLcB/s1600/Ponui%2BIsland%2B2%2BRED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7X0tb4IhKW0/WK2qQnVWbFI/AAAAAAAAA_4/hUEanQKrndUSKytAPIY2TvbVGAb6o31QgCLcB/s200/Ponui%2BIsland%2B2%2BRED.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ponui Island</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KMIaHr09jp8/WK2qQj4d1jI/AAAAAAAAA_8/wmCinp0-W58vkAjUdLNaLdphRIjD6FyVACLcB/s1600/Madmans%2BVineyard%2BRED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KMIaHr09jp8/WK2qQj4d1jI/AAAAAAAAA_8/wmCinp0-W58vkAjUdLNaLdphRIjD6FyVACLcB/s200/Madmans%2BVineyard%2BRED.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madmans Vineyard</td></tr>
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The vineyards started to be planted in 1992 by Matt Allen who is still Vineyard Manager today, the first vintage was produced 1996 and they didn't release any wine till 2006! Then in 2008 Duncan McTavish came on board as Winemaker having previously worked for Waipara Springs and before that Pegasus Bay (one of my favourite vineyards). The one thing that struck me the most during the introduction to the vineyard was the ethos of 'for the future', they are all about taking there time getting it right and making sure everything is in place for the future generations to continue and develop.<br />
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On to the tasting, we started with;<br />
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<b>2013 Gravestone</b><br />
This is a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon, a classic Bordeaux blend, not usually one of my favourites but this one I really enjoyed. 20% of the Sauvignon and all of the Semillon go into pucheons to give the wine a touch more richness and some gentle spice while retaining the fruit and refreshing minerality perfectly balanced with the acidity.<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c1u24AiZYF0/WK2uYVRjNnI/AAAAAAAABAY/qAoy_qSXzU8ri-pawokTBxkEoB4pqxMGwCLcB/s1600/Valhalla%2Br.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c1u24AiZYF0/WK2uYVRjNnI/AAAAAAAABAY/qAoy_qSXzU8ri-pawokTBxkEoB4pqxMGwCLcB/s200/Valhalla%2Br.jpg" width="65" /></a><br />
<b>2014 Valhalla</b><br />
100% oaked Chardonnay, with 25% new oak, 5% Acacia and 70% old oak. This is a wonderfully big rich wine, with a lovely buttery texture that's cut through beautifully by the acidity as this wine does not go through maololactic fermentation. On the nose and palate you lovely hints of sweet spices, green apples and grapefruit folowed up with the touch of minerality.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UiJ6wQLsZLQ/WK2vdtAdHeI/AAAAAAAABAo/dCNzbBBFh7oy8mFFVdgygkecjXLN7FvGACLcB/s1600/bellerophon%2Br.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UiJ6wQLsZLQ/WK2vdtAdHeI/AAAAAAAABAo/dCNzbBBFh7oy8mFFVdgygkecjXLN7FvGACLcB/s200/bellerophon%2Br.png" width="67" /></a><br />
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<b>2014 Bellerophon</b><br />
This is Duncan's hommage to Cote Rotie, and is a cofermented Syrah (97%) and Viognier (3%), they ferment 30% in whole clusters and age it for 18 mths, 25% in new oak and the remaining 75% in ols seasoned oak. This is a pretty yet powerful wine, with lovely dark fruit, and hints of raspberry, violets and white pepper which all combined beautifully with the acidity and the tannins.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_XpYawzVRcg/WK2uXgDqV1I/AAAAAAAABAQ/T9L_iljKgjonZicC_cVPngQY9SX6gJiQQCLcB/s1600/Dreadnought%2Br.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_XpYawzVRcg/WK2uXgDqV1I/AAAAAAAABAQ/T9L_iljKgjonZicC_cVPngQY9SX6gJiQQCLcB/s200/Dreadnought%2Br.jpg" width="65" /></a><b>2009 Dreadnought </b>(no longer available)<br />
100% Syrah which 100% see's oak, 12% new for 11 months, giving you big rich dark fruit and lashings of white pepper,a lovely acidity and silky fine tannins. As all these combine it gives the wine a real savoury character which is lovely and lingers around on your palate for what seems like forever.<br />
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<b>2013 Dreadnought</b> (current vintage)<br />
For this year 50% went into new oak and the other 50% went into old seasoned oak. This wine shows all the same characteristics as the 2009, it does have slightly more youthful character to the fruit and spice, the tannins while still fine are far more present and acidity has softened out as much as the 2009 but it's drinking fantastically now and will continue to develop over the coming years.<br />
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<b>2014 Dreadnought </b>(not released yet)<br />
The only way to really describe this is that it's a slightly more youthful version of the 2013, needs time to integrate and soften out, but when it does, it will be pretty magnificent.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h-wifEMZWBg/WK2uYLk0eSI/AAAAAAAABAU/C4O4mxKsF-oVRFR4Bv3o5q-mTrUIuHjlACLcB/s1600/Ironclad%2Br.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h-wifEMZWBg/WK2uYLk0eSI/AAAAAAAABAU/C4O4mxKsF-oVRFR4Bv3o5q-mTrUIuHjlACLcB/s200/Ironclad%2Br.jpg" width="65" /></a><b>2010 Ironclad </b>(current vintage)<br />
This is their red Bordeaux blend, 39% Cab Franc, 30% Merlot, 18% Cab Sauv, 7% Malbec and 6% Petit Verdot, Yes this is a big old blend, but a pretty stunning one at that. With lovely fruit, spice and hints of minerality to it. Combined with soft and silky tannins contributing an almost cocoa texture to the wine, this is definitely a favourite of mine.<br />
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<b>2012 Ironclad</b><br />
45% Cab Franc, 20% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot, 13% Malbec and 8% Cab Sauv, you can really tell the reduction of Cab Sauv and increase in Petit Verdot on the nose of this wine. It has much more brighter fruit to it and the spice is very subtle in the background, but these will develop over the next couple of years, it has plenty of tannins so needs that little bit of time to help it soften out a touch.<br />
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I have to say these wines are delicious, not being a big fruit bomb style or full of dark sweet fruit, they have much more depth and complexity to them, which just helps to make them even more enjoyable and even better as they age, even just a little.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-17151220015997997152017-01-14T10:12:00.000+00:002017-02-24T18:47:09.777+00:00A Great Vintage - Burgundy 2015So this week has seen pretty much the whole of Burgundy descend on London for there 2015 En Primeur tastings, and what tastings they have been.<br />
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2015 was yet another trying vintage in Burgundy, the harvest was down on the 20 year average, which after the last few small vintages has been on a downward trend. July and August proved to be challenging, with the hot dry weather they had accelerating the ripening process and thickening the skins. This brought forward the harvest for the white grapes two weeks earlier than they had originally planned for, Chablis also had it's issues with hailstorms devastating large swathes of vineyards, but with the early harvesting this has made Chablis some of the best from this vintage.<br />
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Overall the 2015 vintage has been quite spectacular, the reds are showing all the best characteristics of the 2005 and 2009 vintages having both freshness and opulence. The whites have been a bit of a mixed bag, with some being overblown and lacking acidity, from harvesting too late. While the people who harvested early really got the benefit from this with beautifully poised and balanced wines that will age well.<br />
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I have to say it has been difficult to find a bad wine this week, the quality has been at the highest level, with wines showing great ageing potential. The whites will need a little more time to hit there sweet spot, the reds however will need a little longer, the tannins are fine, but bountiful so will need a little time to soften and become silky.<br />
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The only downside has been the price, while these wines are amazing they are not cheap, 2016 has been an even smaller harvest so prices for the 2015 have had to shoulder some of that burden, then the falling euro exchange rate has put even more pressure on the prices.<br />
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A couple of producers to keep an eye out for;<br />
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Samuel Billaud - with the sale of the family domaine, Billaud-Simon to Domaine Faiveley, Samuel has managed to gain control of all his vineyard sites and now has several new Grand Cru wines in his range. His wines showed great depth and complexity, the unoaked whites had lovely fruit, a steely minerality and a beautifully zippy acidity, while the wines that have seen some oak have a rich toasty character that will age beautifully. Samuel is definitely one of the stars of Chablis and the price reflects that, they are not the cheapest of wines, but they certainly won't disappoint and should be everyone's cellar.<br />
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Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur - These guys produce some stunning Meursault, from single vineyard sites and a couple of 1er Cru. They all have lovely fruit, almost baked apple with hints of spice and a rich toasty oak finish. These wines will need a little time to integrate all those flavours and deliver a stunning wine.<br />
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Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils - These have been a favourite of mine for a couple of years now, and again the have not failed to deliver. The wines have such a depth of fruit with hints of spice and oak, a touch of acidity and loaded with soft, fine tannins. Give these wines a couple of years and they will be absolutely glorious.<br />
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Domaine Heresztyn-Mazzini - This was a new domaine for me, Florence Heresztyn has taken over her share of the family domaine and with her husband Simon Mazzini have transformed the quality of these wines. They produce some wonderful Gevrey-Chambertin and an amazing Clos-Saint-Denis, but the star for me was their Bourgogne Pinot Noir, which had loads of bright juicy fruit, little hints of spice and soft tannins and is almost ready to drink now, also shows a rarity in this vintage, good value.<br />
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Domaine Edmond Cornu & Fils - Again another new domaine to me, who produce some lovely whites from Chorey-les-Beaune and Ladoix, but the reds were even better. They produce a stunning Ladoix Vieilles Vignes and Aloxe-Corton Vieilles Vignes both loaded with dark fruit, spice and soft tannins, give this a little time to integrate and again they will be fantastic and show great value.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-56421450235432495552016-10-26T16:06:00.001+01:002016-10-26T16:28:45.404+01:00Battle of the Italians - Friday 28th October<div class="MsoNormal">
Italy for me has to be one of the most fascinating wine
producing countries, with so many indigenous grape varieties, and such
differences in the wines that are produced from the north to right down in the
heel, and then you get the islands surrounding its coast. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Vistorta, is a 500 acre estate in the western Friuli-Venezia
Giulia region and has been owned since the 1980 by Count Brandino Brandolini d’Adda,
on discovering the similarities between the estate and Bordeaux took the
decision to almost exclusively plant Merlot, with the aim to produce the
greatest Merlot’s from Italy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The 2011 Merlot Vistorta is the estates top wine and shows
such great depth and complexity, giving you lovely forest fruit aromas and
flavours, hints of spices and rich coffee beans, combined with beautifully
silky tannin creates a wine to rival most of the wines produced on Bordeaux’s
right bank.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Moving into central Italy and on its east coast you come to the
Marche region and you find Umani Ronchi, who since 1959 have focused solely on
the regions indigenous varieties of Verdicchio and Montepulciano. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The 2014 Verdicchio Classico Superior Casal di Serra shows
all the classic traits of wild flowers, Peaches and Apricots, combined with a
lovely refreshingly soft acidity, showing how great and delicious these wines
can be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then down to Puglia in the heel of Italy you find Botromagno
who produce many of the classic wines from this region, Primitivo, Salice Salentino
and many more, they are also the only producer of the historic wine Gravina
Bianco.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The 2015 Gravina Bianca is produced using 100% organic
grapes and is a blend of Greco and Malvasia. You get lovely aromatics of
Apples, Peaches, Apricots and hints of Pineapple, combine this with a crisp and
bountiful acidity and you get a stunning and beautifully refreshing wines that
you don’t find from anywhere else.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This Friday the 28<sup>th</sup>, we will have the pleasure
of hosting Beniamino and Alberto D’Agostino from Botromagno, Alessandra Fadda
from Vistorta and Giorgio Pasanisi from Umani Ronchi for a fantastic tasting, where you will be able to taste the wines above and many more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sEH5cPpavvA/WBDGMaV210I/AAAAAAAAA10/8caBLQ-3_JIVNFg_Foz1d57d9OA4dzrAQCLcB/s1600/Friday%2B28th%2BOctober%2BTasting%2BWines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sEH5cPpavvA/WBDGMaV210I/AAAAAAAAA10/8caBLQ-3_JIVNFg_Foz1d57d9OA4dzrAQCLcB/s400/Friday%2B28th%2BOctober%2BTasting%2BWines.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A selection of the wines on tasting this Friday</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-7922142888286025322016-10-08T10:05:00.000+01:002016-10-08T10:05:20.173+01:00A Weekend of Antipodean Wines on TastingThis weekend we're going to have quite the selection of wines on tasting from Australia and a great new Pinot Noir from New Zealand.<br />
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The Pinot Noir we're going to have on tasting is the 2014 Ward Valley Estate from Marlborough, this wine is produced by the same guys who produce the <a href="http://www.snapperrockwine.co.nz/#snapperrock" target="_blank">Snapper Rock</a> wines that we stock, James Leary and winemaker David Coulston and is produced in tiny quantities, only 250 cases!<br />
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I first came across this at last years London International Wine Fair, and I've managed to grab a couple of cases of this stunning vintage before they move on to the 2015.<br />
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This has that lovely pale bright cherry red colour to it, with amazing aromas of red berry and red currant fruit. On the palate these come through wonderfully with a real savoury character it that combine perfectly with a touch of acidity and very soft elegant tannin's, that just produce a stunning glass of wine and even more so when you find out how much it costs. For this weekend there will also be a special introductory offer, so don't miss out!<br />
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We'll also have a selection of Australian wines imported by the guys at Aussie Rules on tasting, with the <a href="https://www.vinaceous.com.au/right-reverend-v/" target="_blank">Reverend V</a> wines, <a href="http://www.leconfieldwines.com/products/richard-hamilton" target="_blank">Richard Hamilton</a>, <a href="http://www.timknappstein.com.au/" target="_blank">Riposte</a> and the one I'm really excited about, the Mornington Peninsular Chardonnay from <a href="http://www.dexterwines.com.au/" target="_blank">Dexter</a>. These wines unfortunately won't be in stock for this weekend but we will be taking pre-orders and again there will be a special offer on them as well.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-88751033739609541102016-09-30T13:23:00.000+01:002016-09-30T13:23:06.412+01:00A Look At Whats On Tasting This WeekendFor this weekend I've decided to put on tasting a wonderful big, rich and spicy red from northern Italy, and lovely crisp and fruity white from Burgundy.<br />
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For the red we've got the 2011 Travaglini Gattinara from Piedmont open this weekend, apart from having a really cool and interesting bottle this is an amazing wine. Produced from 100% Nebbiolo, the same grape that produces the wonderful wines from Barbaresco and Barolo, The commune of Gattinara was granted it's DOC status in 1967 and DOCG 1990, it's situated in the northern part Piedmont about 50 miles north east of Turin, with the Alps as it's back drop to the north.<br />
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The design of the bottle, apart from standing out on the shelf and looking really different from anything else, has been designed to help catch the sediment that this wine sheds as it ages. The wine is fermented in Stainless Steel tanks and then transferred to various size of oak barrels for 36 months, and then a further 2 years in bottle, which gives the wine time to take on extra dimensions from the oak and for it then to have a chance to integrate together beautifully.<br />
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The wine itself is wonderfully complex, with aromas and flavours of red berries, blackberries and plums, combined with the sweet spice spices of liquorice and vanilla followed by hints of leather. These all combine beautifully in the glass creating a wonderfully complex, rich full bodied wine for you to enjoy, but just take my word for it, pop in the shop this weekend for a taste.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lmREMNVzLBk/V-5YuM5ZgbI/AAAAAAAAA0A/Ztwa2WORQcA2SmJRH88iZUxHv5VzJRE-ACLcB/s1600/2015%2BChateau%2Bde%2BChemilly%2BPetit%2BChablis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lmREMNVzLBk/V-5YuM5ZgbI/AAAAAAAAA0A/Ztwa2WORQcA2SmJRH88iZUxHv5VzJRE-ACLcB/s1600/2015%2BChateau%2Bde%2BChemilly%2BPetit%2BChablis.jpg" /></a>On the white front we have a very classy 2015 Petit Chablis from Chateau de Chemilly. The main <a href="http://www.wineguy.co.nz/index.php/81-all-about-wine/732-kimmeridgian-soil" target="_blank">Kimmeridgean</a> clay, where as in the Petit Chablis vineyards the soil is more Portlandian soil types.<br />
difference between Chablis and the extended area Petit Chablis is the soil type, the soil in Chablis is predominantly <br />
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The estate is now managed by brothers Loic and Yannick Vilain who are breathing new life into this 50 year old domaine in the south eastern corner of Chablis. They take considerable care with the vines to help the fruit to generate that mineral character you'd expect from this region.<br />
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Thi wine has all the classic characteristics that you'd expect, lovely fruit ranging from green apples to hints of white peaches, a crisp minerality and beautifully balanced acidity just combine to create a beautiful glass of wine. Definitely worth popping in this weekend for a taste.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0Nightingale Ln, London SW12 8NX, UK51.4502165 -0.1573809000000210351.4489795 -0.15990240000002104 51.451453500000007 -0.15485940000002102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-59578243992396258382016-09-12T17:11:00.005+01:002016-09-12T17:11:57.894+01:00Launch Weekend <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-3404764839521743192016-09-07T11:19:00.003+01:002016-09-07T11:19:49.776+01:00A Home To Call My Own - We Are OPEN!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, as you can see from my last couple of posts, I've been a little busy over the last couple of weeks with the refurb, but we've finally made it and we're OPEN! There is no way, that I would have been able to get this project turned around so quickly if it wasn't for the huge amount of help and support I've had from family and friends over the last couple of weeks, so to them I say a massive thank you!<br />
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The wine, beer and spirits have steadily been arriving with more to come in over the next couple weeks, so keep popping in to see what we've got new in. I'm, also busy planning our opening weekend which is going to be pretty fun day, with plenty of interesting things on tasting<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com1Nightingale Ln, London SW12 8NX, UK51.4502165 -0.1573809000000210351.4489795 -0.15990240000002104 51.451453500000007 -0.15485940000002102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-4113116361023786292016-08-25T14:53:00.000+01:002016-08-25T14:53:10.482+01:00A Home To Call My Own Pt 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yFkouHGSj-g/V771l9YXqJI/AAAAAAAAAvI/MzKZc9s0ys8bQnj5Sybi9ORBMav48prMwCLcB/s1600/IMAG1496%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yFkouHGSj-g/V771l9YXqJI/AAAAAAAAAvI/MzKZc9s0ys8bQnj5Sybi9ORBMav48prMwCLcB/s320/IMAG1496%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, we've been in the shop for nearly two weeks now, and we've been working round the clock to get us open as quickly as possible. The inside and outside of the shop has all been painted, the shelving has been built, although one of the units still needs to fixed into place. The Sofa and other furniture has been collected and is in the shop, The joys of painting our own sign has been done, it looks great but don't want to do that again, when it needs re-doing, I think I'll get a professional in to that one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DavIItj0KKw/V772snaKXeI/AAAAAAAAAvY/qvS98lpR4BI3AOJAOt94UPJ-1_u5KVdVQCLcB/s1600/IMAG1467%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DavIItj0KKw/V772snaKXeI/AAAAAAAAAvY/qvS98lpR4BI3AOJAOt94UPJ-1_u5KVdVQCLcB/s320/IMAG1467%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From This</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To this</td></tr>
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Speaking of stock, suppliers have been contacted and accounts setup, orders are being placed, with stock hopefully arriving this Friday, so I'm going to be having a busy weekend filling the shelves and labelling them all up, ready to open from next week!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0jxomeLfxg0/V771rZBPVYI/AAAAAAAAAvM/qfDNv7UzdsMr7xQVMdeClL9AhZvz1IM3gCLcB/s1600/IMAG1497%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0jxomeLfxg0/V771rZBPVYI/AAAAAAAAAvM/qfDNv7UzdsMr7xQVMdeClL9AhZvz1IM3gCLcB/s320/IMAG1497%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside is nearly finished</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We may have had a little too much fun ocasionally</td></tr>
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Just wanted to say a massive thank you to everybody over the last two weeks days who helped me clean, sand, clean, paint, clean, build furniture and clean some more, without your help I would not be anywhere ready to open!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com5Nightingale Ln, London SW12 8NX, UK51.4502165 -0.1573809000000210351.4489795 -0.15990240000002104 51.451453500000007 -0.15485940000002102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-13216156876502047252016-08-16T16:13:00.001+01:002016-08-16T16:13:46.922+01:00A Home To Call My Own!After much procrastination I've finally done it, and by 'it', I mean open my own shop (well nearly) and finally put my money where my mouth is.<br />
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I've spent the last five years working for a great independent merchant based down Surrey, where I've learnt a huge amount and been introduced to so many great wines and now I'm hoping to bring to the residents of SW12.<br />
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At the moment in between decorating, contacting suppliers, choosing wines and hundreds of other jobs that will crop up over the coming weeks, I'll attempt to update the blog with my progress over the coming weeks.<br />
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Don't forget, if your passing 85 Nightingale Lane, stick your head in and say hello!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com1Nightingale Ln, London SW12 8NX, UK51.4502165 -0.1573809000000210351.4489795 -0.15990240000002104 51.451453500000007 -0.15485940000002102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-395405966255575312015-10-17T00:32:00.000+01:002015-10-17T16:34:41.211+01:00A Blast from the Past - 2003 Hardy's Crest Cabernet Sauvignon<div dir="ltr">
The other night we had some friends round for dinner to celebrate their recent engagement, and I'd been conducting a little experiment and this presented me with the perfect opportunity to see how it had turned out, as I knew everyone around the table would appreciate it, if it had worked that is.</div>
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When I first got into wine I was working for Sainsbury's as an off licence manager, they paid for me to complete WSET qualifications which was very much appreciated. The one thing that really got me was how wine would age, and what to look for in young wines that will allow them to age and develop.</div>
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I continued to think about this for some time and enjoying drinking lots of new world wine, when I came across the 2003 Hardy's Crest Cabernet Sauvignon from south eastern Australia, nothing special or fancy about it, half price at £4.99. When I tried it, it had loads of really bright, dark jammy fruit, so much tannin you almost had to chew your way through it. It also had still maintained a good level of acidity to it, and it made me think that these had all the signs of a wine that could and should age well.</div>
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So I decided to buy a 6 pack and see what happened, I have to admit I never really looked after them, they were kept in the wine rack which was usually in the living room, not in a temperature controlled fridge, they moved around all the time, stood up then laid down then stood up again, so not the best of care taken. I preceded to try one every two years, and they just got better and better, so much so that after 6 years when I should have had 3 left left I only had 1, which I was determined to keep till it was at least 10 years old. I actually managed to save it till it was 13 years old, I was a little worried that I may have left it too long, but there was nothing I could do about it now.</div>
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On opening the cork was in very good condition, and you could smell any fault with the wine at all. Once poured into the glass it had an orange/brick colour to it, it really had lost it's bright, deep inky purple colour. On the nose it was baked dark fruit, leather, spice and a very slight hint of oxidation, these all came through on the palate integrating together beautifully and combining with the soft an velvety tannins. It was a pretty amazing glass of wine, if I was honest I think I opened it possibly a year or two too late, but it was still stunning and just goes to show that you can find wines that will age without having to spend a fortune!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-76522952821561468652015-09-25T17:08:00.000+01:002015-09-25T17:08:05.073+01:00A True English Gem - Stopham Estate Pinot GrisI think I'm pretty certain on this, when I say that this is the first English wine to make it on here, which has to say something about it! Based down in Pulborough, East Sussex on the south downs, <a href="http://www.stophamvineyard.co.uk/" target="_blank">Stopham Estate</a> is the brainchild Simon Woodhead, who swapped is previous career designing parts for McLaren F1 cars to studying winemaking at Plumpton and then planting his own vineyard in 2007.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2igeoyJxmg/VgVwpvC6pbI/AAAAAAAAAo4/PRUiZt64ykQ/s1600/Stopham_Estate_Pinot_Gris%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2igeoyJxmg/VgVwpvC6pbI/AAAAAAAAAo4/PRUiZt64ykQ/s320/Stopham_Estate_Pinot_Gris%255B1%255D.jpg" width="181" /></a>They grow several different varieties, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinot_gris" target="_blank">Pinot Gris</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinot_blanc" target="_blank">Pinot Blanc</a> with a little <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacchus_(grape)" target="_blank">Bacchus</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxerrois_blanc" target="_blank">Auxerrois</a>, to blend with in producing their still whites. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for their sparkling and some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornfelder" target="_blank">Dornfelder</a> which they use to produce their rose. They have also invested heavily in the vineyard using laser tracking to ensure all the vines are spaced equally, to installing all the latest fermentation equipment into the winery and bottling all under inert gases to help preserve the freshness of their wines.<br />
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In the glass it had this lovely bright lemon colour to it, with pronounced aromas of sweet stone fruit, peaches and nectarines, with hints of elderflower coming through from the background. On the palate, there is a tiny hint of sweetness, with the delicious flavours of stone fruit, elderflower and citrus, it has a lovely soft acidity that developed a little tartness on the finish, which kind of awakens your palate and makes your mouth water. Combine this with the fruit and floral characters and you end up with an extremely enjoyable glass of wine, even better when it comes from one of our own vineyards!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-75992252810534535902015-09-19T11:55:00.000+01:002015-09-19T11:55:07.184+01:00A Hoppy Brew - Andwell BreweryI've been drinking a lot of beer recently, not sure how good a thing that is, I'm not very good on beer for some reason, but I came across these guys, <a href="http://www.andwells.com/" target="_blank">Andwells Brewery</a> through work. We'd got their full range in, which include several different style of ales and seasonal ones, but one that really caught mine and a few of the other guys eye's, apart from the very inspired packaging, was the Dry Hopped Pilsner.<br />
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Now <a href="http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/05/21/dry-hopping-enhanced-hops-aroma/" target="_blank">dry hopping</a> is when the brewer, after the fermentation process and the beer is maturing throws in a handful of dry hops, at Andwells they use the Japanese hop, Sorachi Ace, in doing this they get none of the bitterness from the hops just extra pungent aromas of citrus to the Pilsner;<br />
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<b><i><u>Andwell Dry Hopped Pilsner</u></i></b><br />
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It has an amber/golden colour to it, as well as being slightly cloudy, it has extremely pungent aromas of citrus from the dry hopping process. You then get the lovely bitterness of the Pilsner come through and combine to create an extremely drinkable and delicious beer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b2lZhwlLZ-k/Vf09GE4m6OI/AAAAAAAAAoY/yUqeR8zj3iw/s1600/PilsnerBottleMockup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b2lZhwlLZ-k/Vf09GE4m6OI/AAAAAAAAAoY/yUqeR8zj3iw/s320/PilsnerBottleMockup.jpg" width="105" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Picture courtesy of Andwell Brewery</span><br /> </td></tr>
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Again through work, they sent me a sample of the normal Pilsner;<br />
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<b><i><u>Andwell Pilsner</u></i></b><br />
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This is a cracking little Pilsner style lager, brewed using English barley with the noble Czech Saaz hop for that classic Pilsner style, with some German Tettnang added to give it a slightly spicy aroma. It was lovely and crisp, with a touch of richness to it, combined with a perfect bitter character to boot, very drinkable cracking little beer.<br />
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I have to say I pretty much enjoyed all the beers in there range, but the star for me was definitely the dry hopped Pilsner.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-34258670044192534902015-09-03T12:54:00.000+01:002015-09-03T12:54:12.672+01:00A Little Star from North Western Italy - Livon Friulano<a href="http://www.livon.it/eng/storia.htm" target="_blank">Livon</a> are a family run winery situated in the North Eastern part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friuli-Venezia_Giulia_wine" target="_blank">Friuli Venezia Guilia</a> region in Northern Italy on the borders with Slovenia and Austria. Dorino Livon purchased his first vineyards in the region in 1964, and has continued to grow the estate over the years, while he has also built a state of the art winery. In 1980 Dorino's two sons Valneo and Tonino joined the company and started to create different ranges from the vineyards that they owned, with some being very small production from a selection of there best sites. They have continued to grow and the family now own another four wineries, two of which Tenuta Roncaldo and Villa Chiopris are also in Friuli, Borgo Salcetino is in Tuscany and Fattoria Col Santo are from Umbria. They grow a wide selection of both Indigenous and International grape varieties, producing an equally as wide range of wines across their entire portfolio.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2S-xa4cVK8/Vegz_H3ZOEI/AAAAAAAAAn8/FCLH2-1D0Q4/s1600/2013%2BLivon%2BFriulano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2S-xa4cVK8/Vegz_H3ZOEI/AAAAAAAAAn8/FCLH2-1D0Q4/s320/2013%2BLivon%2BFriulano.jpg" width="181" /></a>The wine I want to talk about though is the 2013 Livon Friulano, the Friulano grape is also known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauvignon_vert" target="_blank">Sauvignon Vert</a>, which many people actually get confused with, and refer to it as Sauvignon Blanc, which despite the similarities in their names, are of no relation.<br />
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The grapes are all harvested by hand and then fermented in stainless steel tanks, where they spend a further 5 months before being bottled, spending a little bit more time before being released.<br />
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In the glass, the wine had a lovely bright straw colour to it with some delicate greens hints. On the nose it was very aromatic, with some lovely fruit, hints of spice and Almonds. These all came through on the palate, the wine itself had quite a rich mouth feel to it which was perfectly balanced to the acidity, that cut straight through it and stopping it from being too rich and over the top. All the components came together perfectly with this wine, producing something that had a great depth and complexity while maintaining a freshness to it that made it extremely enjoyable.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-52717832865562510122015-07-17T16:39:00.002+01:002015-07-17T16:39:39.980+01:00A Ranch of Many Rabbits - 2011 Rabbit Ranch Pinot Noir<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qPAYOWbP1GY/VakhBKpTd7I/AAAAAAAAAnY/peF-pIGT9vQ/s1600/2011%2BRabbit%2BRanch%2BPinot%2BNoir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qPAYOWbP1GY/VakhBKpTd7I/AAAAAAAAAnY/peF-pIGT9vQ/s320/2011%2BRabbit%2BRanch%2BPinot%2BNoir.jpg" width="181" /></a>New Zealand Pinot's, if you hadn't already guessed produce some of my favourites wines, and these guys are no exception. The Rabbit Ranch are based in Central Otago, where they grow some of the best Pinot Noir grapes in the world (in my opinion) due to it's cool climate and similar terroir to the mighty Burgundy, the home of the Pinot Noir grape.<br />
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The vineyards which had been planted at the turn of the 1900's was the last attempt to get rid of all the Rabbits that had taken over the estate. After the second world war, the vineyard had fallen into disrepair, until Warren and Betty McGreagor decided to replant the vineyard and breath a new life into the estate. Today apparently the Rabbits still run wild throughout the vineyard, in the fields of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc vines that they grow.<br />
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The 2011 Pinot Noir has a very pale ruby red colour, with some tiny hints of brick around it's rim, on the nose there is that lovely red berry fruit you expect to get from a NZ Pinot Noir, but then you start getting little hints of spice and smoke, and you start to see a much more complex wine. All of these came through on the palate with the spice and a savoury character dominating the almost sour cherry fruit, which when combined with a lovely refreshing acidity and a tiny amount of very soft tannins, it created a really enjoyable glass of wine. The other really nice thing about this wine, is that it is a red you chill. Put it in the fridge for half an hour or so and as it warms it in your glass it becomes very perfumed and aromatic, and dare I say it, even more enjoyable!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-23935004285296066232015-07-07T14:42:00.000+01:002015-07-07T14:42:46.974+01:00A Visitor from Italy - Jeffrey Chilcott from Marchesi di GresyAt the beginning of last month I had the pleasure of meeting Jeffrey Chilcott, the cellarmaster for <a href="http://marchesidigresy.com/index-eng.asp" target="_blank">Marchesi di Gresy</a>, who are based in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. The winery is based in <a href="http://www.marchesidigresy.com/page/eng/vigneti/martinenga.asp" target="_blank">Martinenga</a>, Barbaresco which for me is an area that produce some of Italy's greatest and aromatic wines, predominantly from the red grape <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebbiolo" target="_blank">Nebbiolo</a>, but have added Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay in to there repertoire.<br />
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Marchesi di Gresy is made up of four estates, the estate in Martinenga became the property of the Marchesi di Gresy family in 1797, adding to their property in Monte Aribaldo that they had acquired in 1635. They also have properties in Monferrato, La Serra south of Asti and close to it Monte Colombo. <a href="http://marchesidigresy.com/page/eng/azienda/alberto-di-gresy.asp" target="_blank">Alberto di Gresy</a> in 1973 decided to stop selling his grapes to other merchants which were used to set the benchmark price in the markets of Alba and start to produce his own wines. Included in the property in Martinenga, is the only Barbaresco Cru Monopole which only Marchesi de Gresy can mention on their labels.<br />
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Jeffrey had bought a selection of his wines for us to taste covering the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langhe" target="_blank">Langhe</a>, <a href="http://www.monferrato.org/eng/" target="_blank">Monferrato</a> his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbaresco" target="_blank">Barbaresco</a> Cru and single vineyard, there were two wines that really stood out for me, but here are the others. The <b>2013 Langhe Sauvignon Blanc</b> had some lovely green fruit flavours with a slightly richer texture from the lees stirring, and the perfect touch of acidity. <b>2012 Villa Martis Langhe Rosso</b>, this is a blend of 60% Nebbiolo and 40% Barbera with french oak and large neutral oak barrels used. It was delicate and aromatic on the nose with some lovely fruit and a well balanced structure from the tannins and acidity.<br />
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The last two I tasted were two wines from the Martinenga Monopole, the <b>2008 Barbaresco Martinenga</b>, this wine was everything you'd expect it to be and possibly even more. With a very pale red colour and a garnet rim showing signs of it's age, it had some lovely dark fruit, smoke, leather and spice aromas, with them all coming through on the palate giving it a meaty character. It still had plenty of soft and silky tannins with just enough acidity to clean them from your palate, making it a very stunning glass of wine. We then tasted the <b>2005 Barbaresco Camp Gros Martinenga</b>, this single vineyard site is the pride of the estate and has been produced since 1978, only in exceptional vintages though. Considering this was three years older than the previous wine, in the glass it looked and smelt richer and with more depth, it had all the characters of the first Barbaresco but you could be mistaken for it to be a lot younger. This again was a stunning glass of wine and you could see what an exceptional wine this vineyard site can produce, this will last for another 10 years without any problem. Both of these wines were exactly as they should be, but they aren't cheap, ranging from £47 - £54 for the 2008 and £69 - £77 for the 2005.<br />
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The first of the two that really caught my eye was the;<br />
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<b>2012 Langhe Chardonnay,</b><br />
I'm not usually the biggest fan of oaked Chardonnay, but this one was stunning, produced from fruit grown on the Martinenga, Monte Aribaldo and La Serra estates it had this lovely bright golden colour to it. The wine starts it's fermentation in Stainless Steel tanks for the first couple of days before then being transferred into oak for further fermentation and maturation. This gave the wine a wonderfully rich and creamy texture with hints of baked green apples, nuts and lanolin, the nutty characters really started to shine over the fruit on the palate with a balanced acidity that stopped it from being over the top and making it a very enjoyable glass of wine.<br />
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The second was the;<br />
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<b>2007 Monferrato Rosso,</b><br />
This wine is produced from 100% Merlot which is grown on the La Serra and Monte Colombo estates and was not starting to show any signs of it's age yet. It spends around 30 months in French barriques before spending a further 22 months in bottle the wine is also allowed to go through malolactic fermentation. With all this you get a deep red colour with aromas of macerated dark berry fruits with some hints of spice and smoking coming through, lovely fine and silky tannins and just enough acidity to make them all combine perfectly and produce another stunning glass of wine.<br />
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It is hard to find a bad wine in what we tasted, the Barbaresco's were, as I had expected them to be, stunning, but when you compared them by price to the other wines, the Langhe Chardonnay (£25 - £29) and the Monferrato Rosso (£16 - £18) were the real stars that shone out for me. I'd like to say a massive thank you to Jeffrey for taking the time to come and show me his wines.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-63787252190198957452015-03-12T18:05:00.001+00:002015-03-12T18:05:14.772+00:00A Red From the South of France - Saint Chinian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rSbtp3GtlTY/VQHVDi-K7RI/AAAAAAAAAlg/jxzlwWEXx4g/s1600/2013%2BCours%2Bla%2BReine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rSbtp3GtlTY/VQHVDi-K7RI/AAAAAAAAAlg/jxzlwWEXx4g/s1600/2013%2BCours%2Bla%2BReine.jpg" height="320" width="237" /></a></div>
I was sent bottle a bottle of the <a href="http://www.robersonwine.com/buy-wines/saint-chinian-2013-cours-la-reine-75-01L13CLR/" target="_blank">2013 Cours la Reine</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Chinian_AOC" target="_blank">Saint Chinian</a> the other week, this is not an appellation that I know much about at all, other than it's from the south of France. It is apparently considered to be the oldest winemaking region within the Languedoc, and is split into two distinct sides, the northern part consists of mainly schist soil while to the south they are much more clay/chalky soil types. Around 70% of the vines grown are Syrah, Mouvedre and Grenache, they also grow Carignan, Cinsault and Lledoner Pelut.<br />
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This bottle is a blend of Syrah and Grenache and has lovely ruby/purple colour in the glass, on the nose it loads of red fruit with some hints of peppery spice coming through gently from the background. On the palate, the fruit came through as juicy dark berries with the spice coming through as pepper and clove. The tannins were soft, juicy and elegant, combined with just a touch of acidity that produced a really well balanced and extremely enjoyable wine.<br />
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The big question though is, would I recommend this wine? Yes I would absolutely, it's was lovely to drink on it's own and will go with food perfectly, and when it's priced at £9.95 a bottle, how can you go wrong!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-20713489290907884062015-02-11T17:07:00.001+00:002015-02-11T17:07:44.353+00:00A Carema from Produttori del CaremaOver the last few months I've been learning about and tasting a lot wines from Italy, who have to produce the broadest range of wines than anywhere else, which is hardly surprising when you think about the fact that they have over a 1,000 indigenous grape varieties.<br />
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I've always found Italian wines a little difficult, the reds always tend to have a slightly sour edge to them, which without food can make them difficult to really appreciate, but there was one that really stuck in my mind. That was the 2011 Carema Classico from <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.caremadoc.it/template.php?pag=9080" target="_blank">Produttori del Carema</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;">, this is a cooperative that was formed in the 1960's by a </span></span><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px;">handful</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;"> of producers, to today where they now have 81 producers working together to produce this fantastic from 100% </span></span>Nebbiolo<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;">. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Carema<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;">, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carema" target="_blank">region</a> in Northern Italy which gives it's name to this wine, is located 60 miles north of Turin in the </span></span>Piemonte<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;"> region, which is probably better for producing </span></span>Barolo<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;"> and </span></span>Barbaresco<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;"> also from the </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebbiolo" target="_blank">Nebbiolo</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;"> grape.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;">They ferment the wine in 100% stainless steel vats, leaving the skins in contact with the wine for around 12 days, once complete they then age the wine for 2 years in Oak and then for a further year in bottle.When you pour this wine into your glass the first thing that strikes you is it's very pale ruby red colour, which is starting to develop hints of brick around it's edge. On the nose you get hit by a barrage of spice, nutmeg and cinnamon, then red berries that have been preserved in alcohol, These all come through in your mouth, with the red berries being very obviously sour cherry, with just a little more elegance and subtlety than i'd seen so far, but you also had some Raspberry coming through as well. Combine this with the spice and the plentiful silky tannins and all the </span></span><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px;">components</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2;"> come together and produce an absolutely stunning wine that rivals anything for twice it's price from Barolo and Barbaresco for me.</span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-26846250923666555702015-01-16T17:32:00.002+00:002015-01-16T17:32:34.589+00:00A Trip To The Not So Distant Past - Burgundy 2013 Part 2In part one I looked at the whites, so I guess we should have a look at the red's. These were much more of a mixed bag, the entry wines had loads of red berry fruit with plenty of fine tannins, these will settle down in a few months and leave you with a very enjoyable glass of wine but not particularly complex.<br />
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The mid range again had red berry fruit but much more tannins with hints of spice and smoke coming through, the winemakers of obviously over compensated with lots of oak for the lack of depth from the fruit, again these will take some time to integrate. Some winemakers had done a better job than others so I'd definitely recommend you take care when making your purchases to avoid d<br />
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isappointment.<br />
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Moving on to the Premier (1er) and Grand cru wines, these showed great depth of flavour, with good use of oak to help add complexity you got some really interesting wines. These however, were not cheap or had been produced in any great quantity, they will also require a couple of years for everything to integrate and the tannins to soften out, which should leave you with some stunning wines, if you can get your hands on any of them.<br />
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There were two producers who really stood out for me, they were Domaine Henri Gouge and Domaine Hudelot-Noellat;<br />
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<b><u>Domaine Henri Gouge</u></b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wWRyQ9UOwWk/VLlK7T4SnCI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/g65oBc5cDyE/s1600/Domaine%2BHenri%2BGouges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wWRyQ9UOwWk/VLlK7T4SnCI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/g65oBc5cDyE/s1600/Domaine%2BHenri%2BGouges.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a>Now under stewardship of Gregory Gouge, who took over in 2007 coinciding with the completion of the new state of the art cuverie, this domaine has gone from strength to strength in recent years. There has been a concerted effort to produce more elegant tannins which results in more aromatics in the wines.<br />
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His Nuits-St-Georges had some lovely red red fruit combined with some spice and a touch of smoke, it had a touch of acidity with plenty of soft and silky tannins. This over the next couple of years is going to age beautifully. I then moved onto the 1er Cru Clos des Porrets St Georges and the 1er Cru Les Pruliers, these each moved up a notch respectively as you would expect, they showed great depth of flavour and complexity with this lovely perfumed character them, they are not cheap but they were stunning and will only get better with age.<br />
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They also produce a white Nuits-St-Georges, the 1er Cru La Perriere which is produced from a mutated Pinot Noir vine that was discovered by Henri before the war, this had some lovely fruit to it with hints of vanilla and a full, rich mouthfeel. I would definitely recommend you try this if you ever get the opportunity it was stunning and will develop over the coming years into an amazing wine.<br />
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<u><b>Domaine Hudelot-Noellat</b></u><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a1kZ5wgHQL4/VLlK7YXSllI/AAAAAAAAAkU/7tf-pnACDjs/s1600/Domaine%2BHudelot-Noellat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a1kZ5wgHQL4/VLlK7YXSllI/AAAAAAAAAkU/7tf-pnACDjs/s1600/Domaine%2BHudelot-Noellat.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a>This was the first time I'd had the chance to taste the wines from this Domaine, Charles Van Canneyt has consistently produced great wines vintage after vintage resulting in them being one of the most sought after domaines, which unfortunately reflects very much in the price of his wines.<br />
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He produces a Vosne-Romanee, Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaumonts, Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers and a Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. When you pour these wines the first thing you notice is how pale they are, however lacking in colour they may be they certainly are not lacking in flavour, depth and complexity. These wines all have lovely red berry fruit with smoke and spice intertwined in there, a touch of acidity and plenty of beautifully silky tannins, they also have a savoury/meaty character to them which works magnificently. They truly are magnificent wines, which over the coming decade are going to age beautifully<br />
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<u><br /></u>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-55699378091670778012015-01-09T18:03:00.000+00:002015-01-09T18:03:04.602+00:00A Trip To The Not So Distant Past - Burgundy 2013 Part 1<div>
I've been involved with Burgundy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_primeur" target="_blank">En Primeur</a> campaigns for the last couple of years now, and have seen the difficulties the vignerons and wine makers have had to face, with poor harvests due to some absolutely devastating weather conditions. With the tiny harvest of 2012 I spoke to several vignerons with regard to 2013 to see what their expectations were, and many said that they were concerned that while the harvest was again going to be small due the hail storms, the large deluge of rain they had had, meant they were also very concerned for the quality, as the grapes were fat with water. Not many people were expecting 2013 to deliver much if anything at all, many were expecting to be putting the vast majority of their fruit into making their most basic village wines, not their Premier or Grand Cru wines.</div>
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So for the first tasting of 2015 I headed into central London and dropped into <a href="http://www.flintwines.com/home.php" target="_blank">Flint Wines</a> 2013 Burgundy En Primeur tasting at <a href="http://bottaccio.co.uk/" target="_blank">Il Bottaccio</a>, this is the first opportunity that most of the UK trade and press have had to taste these wines, so I was really looking forward to seeing what they had managed to produce from the 2013 vintage.</div>
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The whites were difficult, many of the entry wines had plenty of green apple fruit but not much else flavour wise, they did have a real steely minerality to them that made them very austere, most had quite a soft acidity which helped to soften out the minerality a little, but not much. In the middle you had a lot of good wine with a little more depth of fruit, the wines that had spent some time in oak were starting show small signs of development and complexity in them, but their was nothing that really bowled you over, of course many of them need a little more time before they will fulfil their potential, but from what I tasted this is going to a small window and I don't think you'd be particularly bowled over by them.</div>
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Moving on to the Premier and Grand Cru wines, these were pleasantly surprising, there was some lovely green fruit that was starting to signs of development and going towards more baked than fresh in character. The oak was starting to integrate beautifully with one or two showing a real toasty side, with this you also got hints of the sweet spice Vanilla, combine these with a bountiful but soft acidity, due to the Malolactic fermentation they had gone through, and you were starting to see the signs of where these wines were going.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ppagmAXES_w/VLAMVoUjNYI/AAAAAAAAAj8/jTn178MRk9w/s1600/Domaine%2BBallot-Millot%2BMeursault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ppagmAXES_w/VLAMVoUjNYI/AAAAAAAAAj8/jTn178MRk9w/s1600/Domaine%2BBallot-Millot%2BMeursault.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>There was one producer who really stood out for me on the whites, and that was <a href="http://www.ballotmillot.com/#/en/content/domain" target="_blank">Domaine Ballot-Millot</a>, this is a family estate based just outside the village of Meursault,they were showing 4 wines, a Bourgogne Blanc, a single vineyard and two Premier Cru Meursault. It was these three Meursault's that really stood out from the rest for me. The 'Les Narvaux' had a lovely yellow/gold colour to it, with some lovely fruit to it that was starting to head towards baked, it had a lovely minerality to it with hints of vanilla coming through very gently and a wonderfully soft acidity just brought it all together. The two Premier Cru, 'Charmes' and 'Perrieres' both really took this up a notch with much greater depth and richness, while they were lovely today they are only going to get better and better with age, for me there wasn't much between these, but I did prefer the 'Charmes' though.</div>
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Red's to follow next week....</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-85257356279295465182014-11-26T18:12:00.000+00:002014-11-26T18:12:12.298+00:00A Dinner with TerraVin from New ZealandA few weeks ago I had an invite to meet several of the investors in <a href="http://terravin.co.nz/" target="_blank">TerraVin</a>, a boutique New Zealand winery from Marlborough, for dinner at the newly opened Four to Eight restaurant in Covent Garden. I remember meeting <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mike-eaton/14/619/657" target="_blank">Mike Eaton</a> the former wine maker and tasting their wines a few years back at a <a href="http://www.thewinetwit.com/2011/09/terravin-tasting-with-jascots-part-2.html" target="_blank">Jascot's tasting</a>, there was one particular wine that really stuck in mind, and that was the Te Ahu an oaked Sauvignon, which shouldn't be, but was stunning. Since the last time I encountered there wines, they have handed the wine making reigns over to <a href="http://terravin.co.nz/about/people/" target="_blank">Gordon Ritchie</a>, who had previously been a winemaker at <a href="http://www.seresin.co.nz/" target="_blank">Seresin</a>.<br />
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On arrival we were served a glass of the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, which had all those typical New Zealand characteristics of Gooseberry, Green Pepper and Citrus, but with a much more rounded/softer acidity to it. We then moved on to the 2011 Chardonnay, now this wine is wild fermented and then aged in oak for 18 months, it is then all blended together and spends another three months in tank before being bottled. It had a lovely creamy texture with touches of butterscotch and vanilla, there was a hint of baked apple in the background, combining with a soft but plentiful acidity.<br />
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Next came the wine that I really wanted to taste again, the Te Ahu, it was also served with a cream of celeriac soup, which was just beautiful, and had an earthy character that worked so well with the flavours of this wine. You had apricots with some citrus, you also had in there some kind of almond/nuttiness which worked with the fruit perfectly and you had this soft and silky acidity which just brought it all together perfectly. The wine has this earthy character to it that worked with the soup perfectly.<br />
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With the main course we were served two of there Pinot Noir's, the 2011 and the Eaton Family Vineyard 2010. The 2011 was delicious, very typical New Zealand Pinot, lovely red cherry fruit, with a touch of smoke and spice mingled in with it, and a lovely acidity that's not to tart, but just enough. The 2010 Eaton Family however was another notch up, more depth in each of the flavours wonderfully soft and silky tannins, I have to say this was my second favourite wine of the night behind the Te Ahu.<br />
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And finally for desert we had the 2012 Late Harvest Pinot Gris, which the 3 bottles apparently had been flown over especially just for this dinner as it's not available in the UK. This was lusciously sweet as you would expect, but it had this wonderful acidity that just cut through the sweetness perfectly to show flavours of white peach, citrus and honeysuckle which were just stunning, only a shame that we won't be able to get it over here!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-59919348039753910092014-11-10T17:26:00.000+00:002014-11-11T10:57:41.058+00:00A Middle Eastern Delight - Chateau MusarI had another boutique New Zealand winery for this post, which will now be my next post, but I had the opportunity to taste the 2001 <a href="http://www.chateaumusar.com/uk/index.aspx?pageid=120" target="_blank">Chateau Musar</a>, which was just absolutely stunning and had to get it on here.<br />
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Chateau Musar are based in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beqaa_Valley" target="_blank">Bekaa Valley</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon" target="_blank">Lebanon</a>, the first vines were planted in 1930 by Gaston Hocheron on his return from a trip to Bordeaux. In 1959 Gaston's son Serge became winemaker after completing his winemaking studies at the University of Oenology in Bordeaux. Throughout the conflict that ravaged the region, they only failed to produce a vintage only a hand full of times, which when you consider it is pretty amazing.<br />
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Chateau Musar Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan from vineyard sites near the villages of Aana and Kefraya, the vines are an average age of 40 years old with low yields and planted in gravelly soil over limestone. Each individual component is fermented separately in concrete vats, then after 6 months they are transferred in French oak for a further year. They are then blended together to create the iconic taste that is Musar and placed for another 12 months in the concrete vats, when it is then bottled. After bottling it is then paced in there cellars for a further 4 maturation before they release it for sale, so by the time it hits our shelves it's already seven years old!<br />
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The 2001 had this lovely, mature brick red colour in the glass, with wonderfully pronounced aromas of dark fruit, leather, spice and cigar box. On the palate the fruit came over as much more mature, with figs and prunes, then all that lovely spice and cigar box combined together beautifully, there was a little touch of acidity and soft silky tannins. I've tasted quite a few vintages over the years even going back to one from the 60's, but this has to be one of my favourite vintages, Musar is definitely a wine that I would recommend, but make sure it's nice and mature, as it gets so much better with age.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-87815080152871541302014-10-23T15:10:00.000+01:002014-10-23T15:11:35.070+01:00A Little Beauty from New Zealand - A range of Single Vineyard WinesThe other week I called into the SITT (Specialist Importers Trade Tasting) at the Royal Horticultural Society, and I had the pleasure of meeting Fleur McCree who is the owner of the boutique New Zealand winery <a href="http://www.littlebeauty.co.nz/" target="_blank">Little Beauty</a>. They are based down in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waihopai_Valley" target="_blank">Waihopai Valley</a>, Marlborough, and produce a range of single vineyard varietal wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Reisling And Pinot Noir.<br />
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Fleur has bought in Eveline Fraser, who used to be head winemaker at Cloudy Bay to make her wine, and she really has done a fantastic job with them. Throughout the vineyard they employ sustainable growing techniques, have installed a sophisticated irrigation system and an advanced climate monitoring system to ensure they get the very best fruit possible. In the wine making process they use wild ferments and mature there wines using French oak from Fleur's favourite Burgundian coopers, all of these wines are produced in very limited quantities<br />
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Now for the wines;<br />
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<b>2010 Single Vineyard Dry Reisling - </b>had some lovely aromas of citrus, lemon and lime with a touch of floral honey suckle, a nice and refreshing acidity which just combined stunningly.<br />
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<b>2013 Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc - </b>grapefruit with a touch of gooseberry coming through and a hint of basil which surprised me, plenty of acidity but not overly tart and very enjoyable.<br />
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<b>2012 Single Vineyard Pinot Gris - </b>this was light and delicate with some lovely floral characters and a touch of citrus, a hint a vanilla spice and again a perfectly balanced acidity.<br />
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<b>2010 Single Vineyard Gewurztraminer - </b>this wine had aromas of sweet oranges, rose and clove, a soft elegant acidity which all worked together beautifully.<br />
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<b>2013 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir - </b>lashings of dark berry fruit, raspberry, and smoke, it had a savoury character to it as well with soft and silky tannin, only one word that can describe it, stunning.<br />
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They also produce a small range under the Black Edition label from Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir which are produced in even smaller quantities and are really a notch above there Single Vineyard range and are absolutely glorious, but think I'll save these for another post.<br />
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These wines really do match up to there name of Little Beauty, if you get the chance to buy or order a bottle in a restaurant then I would definitely recommend that you do, I really was bowled over by how good they all were.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17884427567006693976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341483599067069650.post-55513992961469942852014-09-29T17:45:00.000+01:002014-09-29T17:45:07.010+01:00An Italian in Bulgaria - Eduardo MiroglioI called into the Emerging regions tasting in London the other week, they had wines from all corners of the world such as Croatia, Lebanon, Greece, Romania, China and even Brazil, but there was one producer from Bulgaria that really caught my eye, <a href="http://www.emiroglio-wine.com/en/" target="_blank">Edoardo Miroglio</a>.<br />
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Edoardo an Italian textile and wine producer, on a trip to Bulgaria in 2002 discovered in the <a href="http://www.emiroglio-wine.com/en/estate/thrace" target="_blank">Thracian</a> region, the perfect soil and climate conditions for the production of quality wines. After extensive soil and climate analysis, they found that the terrior of Elenovo was unique in Bulgaria and equally as good for growing red and white grapes. After combining his Italian know-how in the development of vineyards and oenology with the terrior they had found, they produced there first vintage in October 2005, the overall process in the production of the wine is led by the world famous oneologist, Marco Monchiero.<br />
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Over the 220 hectare estate they grow both French and indigenous Bulgarian varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pinot Noir with others such as Mavrud, Rubin, Melnik 55 to name just a few. They produce in the region of 1 million litres annually, which they use only French oak for the maturation process of there wines.<br />
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I had the pleasure of tasting few of there range which were excellent, but what really caught my eye was the mini vertical of Pinot Noir, they age the wine for 12 - 15 months in French oak then another three - six months in bottle before release, to help it soften and allow all the flavours to integrate perfectly.<br />
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<b>2012 Pinot Noir</b><br />
<b><br /></b>This had a pale ruby red colour with quite pronounced aromas of red fruit with a touch of spice coming through from the background. These all came through on the palate with the fruit being more strawberry with some lovely red sour cherry. You got some smoke and spice coming through with it, all combining with the tannins perfectly, lovely now and only going to get better with age.<br />
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<b>2011 Pinot Noir</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Very similar to the 2012, however the acidity had softened out a little and the fruit was starting to get richer and the spice was coming through with much more vigour giving it a more savoury character, again was beautiful and a good insight as to how the 2012 will mature.<br />
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<b>2008 Pinot Noir</b><br />
<b><br /></b>The colour now is starting fade a little giving the wine an almost brick coloured edge, the fruit was again full of Strawberries, Cherries and Raspberries but now they are more cooked, jammy in the there style and the spice of Clove, Cinnamon and Vanilla are really starting to shine through.This was absolutely stunning, and really showed how the wine developed after a few more years in the bottle, soft silky tannins and such a great depth of flavours.<br />
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<b>2006 Pinot Noir</b><br />
<b><br /></b>As the 2008 just showing more development in the fruit and spice flavours and aromas, the tannins were almost non existent now, just a touch in the background so you knew that they were still there and a soft, juicy acidity which just worked so well together.<br />
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I have to say these wines really were truly stunning and definitely worth trying, they've aged beautifully and for me really rival some of the wines coming out of Burgundy, especially when your looking at a retail price of between £16 - £19.<br />
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