Round up of recent arrivals

“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
Through The Looking Glass

To adapt the Red Queen’s observation it is not good enough to maintain a great list one must constantly improve and raise the bar. Each grower, each new wine, is another piece in a never-ending jigsaw.

Domaine de Menard, Cotes de Gascogne
Situated in Bretagne d’Armagnac Domaine de Ménard is one of the new wave of estates making highly reckonable Gascon white, a far cry from the majority of confected versions one might taste.  The terroir for the Cuvée Marime is special with a subsoil comprising decomposed seashells (similar to that of Chablis) with a clay/calcareous topsoil, which allows the Ugni Blanc and Gros Manseng to express fully their minerality and purity. This is a marvellous white wine, steely, zesty with a hint of chalkiness. The baby Gascogne is a blend of Colombard and Sauvignon with immediate tangy richness and grapey freshness. Subtle hints of spice and pear mingle with peachiness on the finish.

2008 COTES DE GASCOGNE SAUVIGNON-COLOMBARD
2008 COTES DE GASCOGNE CUVEE MARIME

Dard et Ribo, Crozes-Hermitage
Rene Jean Dard and Francois Ribo have acquired a cult following amongst those who frequent the natural wine bars of France and they are also revered in Japan, the second home of great low sulphur wines. Their 7.5 vineyard holding is split around seven villages on a variety of terroirs comprising different soil types. The winery is located near Mercurol (a short distance east of Tain l’Hermitage). They use two types of pruning, goblet and tie-up, depending of the slope and other terrain conditions and practise organic viticulture. We are taking two whites, a Crozes and Saint-Joseph, both Roussanne, both golden, honeyed and spicy, and two reds from the same appellations which share a common purity of fruit. The Crozes is almost salty with notes of olives, anchovies and leather, whilst the Saint-Joseph is round and smoky.

2008 CROZES-HERMITAGE BLANC
2007 SAINT-JOSEPH BLANC
2007 CROZES-HERMITAGE ROUGE
2007 SAINT-JOSEPH ROUGE

Maxime Francois Laurent, Cotes du Rhone
Maxime François Laurent, son of Michèle Aubery-Laurent, makes two red Cotes du Rhone wines; Il fait soif and Pourpre. He purchases the grapes from his uncle, keeping a close eye on the vineyard with particular attention to the yields (never more than 35hl/a) and the treatments (which are organic). Both the wines are 100% Grenache with the Soif from youngish vines (20-25 years) and the Pourpre from gnarly specimens between 50 and 80 years old.  Limestone soils confer freshness and delicacy one would normally not expect from the southern Rhone. Fermentation is by wild yeasts only at 25 degrees with regular pigeage and only 1g/litre sulphur added after the malo. The Soif dallies only a little while in tank, whereas the Pourpre spends six months in previously used barrels. The former possesses a lively violet colour and dancing aromatics — lots of sour cherry, pepper, wet leather and herbs. Candied fruit dominated by notes of cherry and raspberry, loaded with pepper and a smear of grape jam, some graphite and pencil shavings. Its irresistible juiciness will get you plunging this into the nearest ice bucket but there’s enough grunt for a grilled steak. Gather ye round the barbecue. The Pourpre is a shade more purple (yes, it does what it says on the label) and is more textural; there is the flavour of red grape juice but also the skins beautifully combined with ripe tannins. These natural wines won’t frighten the horses and those cynical gainsayers who believe that wild yeast ferments and minimal sulphur inevitably leads to death-by-funk.

2008 COTES DU RHONE “IL FAIT SOIF”
2008 COTES DU RHONE “POURPRE”

Abouriou, Elian da Ros, Marmande
Ah, Abouriou. Whassallabout? Well, o best beloved, this is an ancient grape variety very rarely found at all, but even more rarely found unblended as it is here.  It is also confusingly known as ‘ Beaujolais’ in the Marmandais region, elsewhere as Gamay du Rhone, or Précoce Augé, or Précoce Noir It is still used in the South-West of France, and very occasionally in parts of the Loire valley and Burgundy. ‘Abouriou’ means ‘early or precocious’ in the local patois, because it is always in advance throughout its growing cycle, the main disadvantage being that it buds early leaving it open to frost damage in spring.  The thick skins of its grapes make it resistant to grey rot; it is also resistant to oidium and mildew. It gives a wine of intense colour and good astringency and tannins.

Elian da Ros, who has put Marmandais on the wine map in terms of quality, worked with Olivier Humbrecht in Alsace before starting his own domaine in south west France in the 1990s. He works his 16 ha with fanatical dedication, replanting rootstocks, working without chemicals (8 hectares are in biodynamie). Harvest is always manual, grapes are destemmed. He vinifies parcel by parcel. Vinification is in open tank with pigeage à la bourguigononne, that is to say according to observation rather than by predetermined method.

Elian has been experimenting with ways of taming the tannic ferocity of the Abouriou grape. This wine undergoes 17 days of carbonic maceration in concrete tanks. There is no filtration, fining or sulphur and the wine bristles with natural intent. It has mid red colour with blueish tints. Hint of reduction on the nose, then aromas of violets and black cherry kicks in, whilst the palate is lean and crisp, moving towards juicy fruit. It’s more pepper than tannin, more savoury than sweet, and there’s a very agreeable prickle combined with earthy minerality that carries the wine easily over the tongue. It reminds me of the Pinot Noir from Puzelat, being tart, almost unassuming and refreshing, a veritable thirst-quenching Margarita of light red wines and a master of duck rillettes.

2008 ABOURIOU

Domaine Laureau, Savennieres
Wine has been made in the fields that Domaine Laureau currently occupy, on the edge of the city of Angers, since the middle ages. To the west of Angers, on the north bank of the Loire river, it is possible to create probably the most intellectually engaging, ageworthy Chenin Blanc in the world. Les Genets is picked from some of the highest elevation vineyard parcels in this part of the Savennières AOC. The soils under these vines are a mix of volcanic material and schist, key to the drainage and eventual mineral character of wine farmed here. The Chenin is harvested via successive sorting, pressed directly, allowed to settle for 12 hours and then left to ferment (indigenous yeasts for up to a year in vats or barrels depending on the “terroir”.

They are matured on the lees for 18 months, and some vats undergo malolactic fermentation. All of this allows the wine to acquire fullness, complexity and charm. The character of the Chenin and the terroir are maintained through gentle, non-interventionist maturing. The wines are matured in slight reduction to preserve all their aromatic potential. Damien Laureau avoids chemical vine treatments, favouring the use of fruit extracts, non-synthetic vine treatments, and the cohabitation of symbiotic, indigenous plant species in his fields to create a healthy vine-growing environment. Fruit is picked relatively late to assure sufficient texture in the wine, but before the onset of widespread botrytis which would fundamentally alter the aromatic qualities of Les Genets.

Les Genets is intriguing with rich aromas of apple bakewell, papaya, oatmeal and honey, sherry and old musk, secondary development veering towards roast mushroom. Typical Chenin that, as it ages, the honey notes become drier and it acquires a bruised fruit mingled with soft nutty character.

1999 SAVENNIERES LES GENETS

Sylvain Martinez, Anjou
Sylvain Martinez is a young vigneron passionate about working the vines in harmony with nature. He is following in the steps of his grandfather, a peasant farmer who instilled in him a respect for the soil. After ten year’s experience working with Mark Angeli and René Mosse he then worked alongside Olivier Cousin where he learned how to work with animals. His vines, average age 80 years, on schist soils over a bedrock of volcanic sandstone, are from a small parcel situated in the heart of Coteaux du Layon. This is dirt-under-the-fingernails artisan viticulture. Ploughing is by horse, no chemicals are used and only natural, organic solutions are sought. Yields are a minuscule 10 hectolitres/ha and a manual harvest with strict selection is carried out in small cagettes. Vinification is very slow with light pressure using an ancestral press. Fermentation and maturation is in old barrels for fourteen months before the wine is bottled on the lees without filtration or added sulphur. A beautiful wine rippling with tension, possessing an exceptional, precise minerality, unveils subtle aromas of poire william and shaved quince, dried fruits and herbs. Goutte d’O is an oblique reference to purity of the endeavour.  Only 500 bottles made – be one of the lucky few who taste this wine.

2007 VIN DE TABLE “GOUTTE D’O”

Domaine Jean-Francois Ganevat, Cotes du Jura
Superb Chardonnays and playful reds from a grower who worked with Jean-Marc Morey in Burgundy. Jean-François Ganevat vinifies all of his scattered parcels separately respecting the primacy of terroir. Jean-François has moved towards biodynamic methods in the vineyards and works without sulphur for his reds and only a tiny amount for the whites. His Chardonnays would get the stoniest of burghounds whiffling appreciatively. Florine Ganevat, from vines planted sixty years ago, is beautifully composed. From the delicate nose of acacia to a mouth filled with yellow apricot to a fine, persistent finish seasoned by dry spice, this is an effortless Chardonnay. Les Grandes Teppes (ninety year old vines, twenty four months sur lie, aged in demi-muids) initially hides its plasures under a reductive veil. Some rough decanting and assiduous swooshing will disperse some of these aromas. The wine itself is thicker and creamier than the Florine with phenomenal mouthfeel, length and mineral presence. Unlike most critics I am a big fan of Jura reds which may come from Pinot Noir, Trousseau or Poulsard/Ploussard. The wines are pale, light in alcohol, see no new wood and have no sulphur.

The Trousseau comes from a terroir which consists of marne with big stones. It is apparently not necessary to do a green harvest on this cuvee because the vines are from a selection of old vines that only give small yields (selection massale). The vines face due south - a tremendous exposition but are on a 50% incline! It has cherry red colour, aromas of red fruits and blackcurrants and is lively and fresh on the palate with pronounced acidity and just a hint of musk and sous-bois. The Pinot, from even tinier yields, has brilliant red fruit aromas and flavours. It is pared down, stiletto sharp, with a dimension of purity that I love. Weighing in at an unburly 11.5% the Poulsard is sui generis, rose-hued, slithering hither and thither across the palate with the slicing angularity of a razor blade dipped in pomegranate juice or cracking whip flavoured with raspberry liquorice.

The Vin de Paille is so wonderful, but made in such tiny quantity, there’s no point telling you about it.

Lucien Aviet, Caveau de Bacchus, Arbois
From a man who styles himself Bacchus a Trousseau Cuvée des Géologues that drinks well young but also ages rather wonderfully. In its youthful incarnation it tastes of strawberry, red apple and shows fine tannin and a good structure. The Savagnin is complex and fascinating, exhibiting trademark fenugreek and roast mustard seeds aromas, and a still unresolved yeasty-spiciness on the palate. The trademark lemon acidity grips and cuts. Lucien’s Vin Jaune has very good fruit with typical aromas of walnut, apple and straw. It still is closed at the moment and one only can imagine how it will develop.

2007 ARBOIS TROUSSEAU CUVEE DES GEOLOGUES
2005 ARBOIS SAVAGNIN
2001 ARBOIS VIN JAUNE

Clos Fantine, Famille Andrieu, Faugeres
The estate is in the commune of Cabrerolles in Faugeres. Two sisters and one brother run this vineyard, following the death of their parents. Whilst not holding a certificate for either organic or biodynamic farming, the vineyard is run with the utmost respect for nature.  As Corinne Andrieu states: “We have always worked to respect what nature has to offer… Our pleasure is to listen to nature, to watch nature, and to allow her to have the energy and strength to express herself.  For this reason their vines “grow like any other local plant, in a state that verges on the wild.”

The blend is 40% Mourvedre with approximately 25% Carignan, 10% Syrah, and 25% Grenache. The Carignan is from 50-80 years old, whilst the Mourvedre and Syrah are from 30 year old vines. Terroir is poor schist, harvests are manual. Fermentation (with wild yeasts) and maceration last for thirty days with no temperature control. There is no oak, no filtration, no fining and no sulphur.

Drinking this Faugeres will make you feel close, or even closer, to nature. This is a crawl on the wild side; the fruit is meaty with game-and-gravy flavours and lots of garrigue notes of bay and roasted thyme and there is pronounced bonfire smokiness on the finish.

2006 FAUGERES TRADITION

Bodega Emilio Hildago, Jerez
This bodega was founded in the mid nineteenth century by Emilio Hidalgo Hidalgo.  The company is owned and operated by the fifth generation of his descendants.  The winery has been located, since its inception, in the old part of the city of Jerez de la Frontera; the buildings being of classical Andalucian construction with thick walls, enormous windows, and high, open beamed ceilings are ideal for the ageing and blending of wine.

By the beginning of the 20th century, Don Emilio Hidalgo e Hidalgo had a thriving business with an office in London and a presence in many countries.

The company was incorporated in 1970 and began to expand its export business in the English, Dutch, German and Austrian markets, as well as expand into the United States, Japan, Denmark, Italy, France and Belgium.

Currently the winery houses casks of the original wine used to found the company, which is carefully renewed and enriched by the fifth generation of the founding family dedicated to the wine industry.

We are listing five wines which demonstrate the wonderful complexity that comes with the ageing process. Even if you don’t know your soleras from your criaderas you will appreciate the amazing richness yet subtle balance of these great sherries.

Fino Panesa is a generous dry wine, pale yellow in colour with a distinctive and sharp bouquet, acquired during its development in oak casks under the ‘flor.’ Full-flavoured with a satisfying aftertaste it should be served chilled with an array of tapas such as shrimp, white fish, cured ham, smoked ham, cheese…

Gobernador Oloroso is an aromatic, full-bodied sherry. It is mahogany in colour with a tawny hue (like a deep burnished brown) and has a fresh and elegant bouquet, as a result of its long maturation in oak casks and the harmonious passage of time. The elegance of this wine is due partly to the fact that it developed under flor before its oxidative development. Excellent with red meats, game birds, cured cheeses, stews, roast pork…

Marques de Rodil is a very special Palo Cortado, the fruit of a long and extraordinary process of selection and a skilled combination of mixing in the traditional system of criaderas and soleras.
Bright mahogany, with an almond aroma, dry on the palate, balanced, elegant and very persistent it is also soft, delicate and sharp and at the same time with tremendous body.  This wine is perfect served should be served at room temperature with pork dishes, chicken, cheese, salted meats…

This house has “soleras” of Palo Cortado dating back to 1860, a legendary and mythic category of “vino de Jerez.”

All kneel before the El Tresillo Amontillado that comes from an 1874 solera blended and refreshed with Amontillados with a younger character. A long oxidative development in the bodega in American oak barrels confers this old amontillado with supreme viscosity and extraordinary length on the palate. Imagine notes of cooked walnuts, toffee cream and warm wood and spice (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and clove). Vibrant attack, dry with tones of orange peel and dried figs. Endless finish.

The Pedro Ximenez is very sweet wine that takes its name from the variety of grape. After the grapes are picked, they are dried in the sun for several days to concentrate their level of sugar. This wine has a very dark, almost opaque colour; the aroma is of toasted nuts from old solera and hints of raisins and flavours reminiscent of dates, sweet figs and molasses. Long and complex and very pure.

LE PANESA FINO
GOBERNADOR OLOROSO
RODIL PALO CORTADO
TRESILLO 1874 AMONTILLADO VIEJO
PEDRO XIMENEZ

Elgin Ridge 282 Sauvignon, South Africa
Marion and Brian Smith sold their business in the UK and after scouring the wine regions of Europe for the perfect place to buy a property, ended up finding it here in Elgin. Their small farm is planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir… and some apples. Their intention is to keep things small and focused at Elgin Ridge, using no chemicals and letting the ducks (which they hatch on the farm, and hence feature in their label) play a prominent role in pest control. Organic certification is on the cards later this year too.

Elgin Valley is one of South Africa’s ideal wine-growing reasons- for many reasons:  the unique confluence of microclimates with close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, cooling wind cover and high altitude, cold winters and adequate rainfall, and its complex ancient soils.  grapes in Elgin Valley take a long time to ripen on the vines, this means low PH and good natural acidity, and perfectly balanced ripe flavours. The Sauvignon is bone-dry, all apple-pith and the shadow of the shaving of the zest of a grapefruit.

2009 282 SAUVIGNON BLANC