Ham Street 2023 Pet Nat Arrives!

 

We are so pleased to release the 2023 vintage of Lucie & Jules' pet-nat!

It marks the first year in which they have reached biodynamic certification. From a cool, wet vintage in 2023, this year's pet nat is light on its feet, an energetic and bright expression of the spoils of a British summer.

A five-day carbonic maceration of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Bacchus, pressed to fibreglass, bottled shortly after to continue fermentation as a pet nat. No additions, and all movements according to the biodynamic calendar.

Their Pet Nat 23 is available now!

FOR WHOLESALE ENQUIRIES: HELLO@WINESUTB.COM

 

10 years of 2Naturkinder: New wines from Melanie & Michael

 

It's a true thrill to be able to release new wines from Melanie & Michael at 2Naturkinder. Among them are very special releases from their 10th vintage, resplendent in the new labels (and new names in some instances) that the wines will share moving forwards.

Watching Melanie, Michael and their development over the last decade (8 of those years working together) has been a huge privilege.

Spread across the Eselberg hill in Kitzingen, Franconia, the 2Naturkinder project unfolded from a hopeful experiment with one family parcel in 2013 (the Heimat Silvaner) to now farming all six hectares. They produce carefully considered expressions of their sloping vineyards on shell limestone.

Having worked no-till since 2016, and experimenting with biodynamic treatments in 2021, the organic approach has become even more holistic and locally-minded, swapping biodynamic preps for compost teas and "Effective Microorganisms" (to encourage a healthy rot in the cover crops) - dramatically increasing soil health and diversity.

An exciting development -and one we've kept a close eye on since they planted it in 2018 - is the first wine from the 'garden vineyard' - planted to the centuries-old field blend of nearly 20 varieties, known historically as 'Frentsch'. The wine, Siebenschläfer is a co-fermentation of the entire yield from this special vineyard: a kaleidoscope of aromatics and fruit.

We're also particularly pleased to have received the dazzling new vintage of Black Betty, the welcome return of a new Vater & Sohn, and 'Wilde Meute' - the new moniker for the longstanding skinsy favourite Drei Freunde.

All the wines are available now and detailed in full below:

NEW FROM MELANIE & MICHAEL

WHITE

NV - Vater & Sohn - Muller Thurgau, Silvaner, Riesling

"The Vater & Sohn is a multi-vineyard white blend (named in homage to the time when Michael and his dad still worked on blends together.) that now features the fruit from the vines once picked for Fledermaus Weiss: Müller-Thurgau is the main act here. Grapes all get stomped and pressed shortly after. Same happens to the grapes of one Silvaner vineyard. Fermentation and aging happens partly in big barrels, partly in steel. The wine stays on the lees until the following summer to be finally blended with a splash of Riesling and bottled after harvest, with no additions."

SKINS

2022 - Wilde Meute - Silvaner, Bacchus, Muller-Thurgau

A new name and label for Drei Freunde - the three birds here a nod to its original 'three friends' moniker, once named for the three most widely planted varieties in Franconia that the blend champions.

"Wilde Meute (“wild bunch”) is our skin-contact blend. The defining varieties are Bacchus and Silvaner with a splash of Müller-Thurgau. Bacchus, an aromatic crossing of Silvaner and Riesling, gets destemmed, stays on the skins for about a week and tends to finish fermentation in stainless steel where it stays on the full lees for the next ten months. Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau get vinified the same way but continue their journey after fermentation in Franconian oak. Bottled October 2023 with no additions."

2021 - Kleine Heimat - Silvaner

"The Kleine Heimat (“little home”) is a single vineyard Silvaner from one of our satellite vineyards next to the village of Rödelsee. Unlike the rest of our vineyards the bedrock soil is Keuper. Fruit is destemmed and macerated for 7 days before fermentation starts. Pressed after another week, fermentation continues in a big oak barrel. That’s where the wine also ages until being racked to a tank before the next harvest where it stays before it gets bottled about 18 months after being picked. No additions."

2021 - Weinschwärmer - Pinot Gris, Riesling

"The Weinschwärmer (the German name of the small elephant hawk-moth) is a blend of Pinot Gris and Riesling. The varieties grow next to each other on a stand-alone limestone hill close to the winery. To extract the beautiful Pinot Gris color and fruitiness we destem the bunches and let the crushed berries ferment on the skins for about 10 days. Our last picking day usually is our Riesling, which gets pressed directly. Both wines age in a big old oak barrel before they get racked and blended the following summer to stay in a tank for another six months before being bottled."

"The idea of the wine is to have a very ripe, rather low-acid Pinot Gris providing colour, texture, and fruit before 20-30% of direct-press Riesling jumps in that gap with razor-sharp acidity to add another layer of complexity."

2020 - Heimat Silvaner - Silvaner

"The Heimat (“home”) is the Silvaner parcel it all started with. 40 year old vines grow on a limestone hill close to the winery, a vineyard that has been farmed organically since the 1990s. Over time we leased two equally old Silvaner plots right next to it so we make versions of each parcel and take the best barrels for the final blend. The heart of the wine is a classic destemmed and crushed skin-fermentation for about two weeks, aged in old oak barrels. A small batch gets destemmed by hand for a carbonic maceration. The following summer all barrels get racked and the final blend goes in a tank for another six months before being bottled with no additions."

2021 - Siebenschläfer - "Frentsch" Ancient Field Blend

There is such a huge historical story to tell with the Frentsch field blend that makes up the Siebenschläfer - so we'll do a separate post digging deep into this very special vineyard, and wine. With just one barrel produced in 2021, we have tiny quantities available. A little more info below from Melanie & Michael:

"The Siebenschläfer (German for “edible dormouse”) comes from the first vineyard we planted ourselves. It’s a field-blend historically called 'Frentsch' - the way it’s been planted in our region for centuries until single varieties took over the show. Co-planted in the vineyard you find green, yellow and blue Silvaner, Bukettsilvaner, Heunisch, Gewürztraminer, red and yellow Muskateller, Riesling, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder, Vogelfränkisch, Adelfränkisch, Lagler, Kleinberger and Elbling. The mix was a traditional insurance policy against the weather: different varieties thrive in different conditions, so you could always guarantee some yield."

"The 2021 is the first vintage: everything was picked together, destemmed and fermented on the skins for about a week. The fermentation finishes in old oak where the wine stays until it gets racked the following summer to stay in a tank for another six months."

"All those varieties make for an incredibly unique and complex wine with a touch of color that comes from the red skinned varieties, muscatel flavors, a gentle red berry fruit and a mineral Silvaner backbone."

RED

2022 - Black Betty - Domina, Regent, Pinot Noir

"Black Betty is our light red. Named after the first sheep born in our vineyards, the blend has changed over time as Betty grew up and older. Domina – a crossing of Blauer Portugieser and Spätburgunder – and Regent – a hybrid crossing of Diana (Müller-Thurgau x Silvaner) and Chambourcin – define this blend. We press the Regent bunches directly and pour it over the Domina bunches picked shortly after for just a touch of color and tannin extraction before pressing a few days later. The wines age in big old oak barrels before they get racked the following summer and blended with a small but noticeable batch of carbonic Spätburgunder making an incredibly juicy, glou-glou-style wine."

2019 - Spätburgunder - Pinot Noir

"Our Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) comes from an old limestone vineyard next to the town of Volkach. With our first vintage in 2015 we drafted our new idea of German Pinot: high acid, light, neutral oak. So we pick relatively early (at least for our region), alcohol is not that important to us here. A layer of whole bunches gets covered by destemmed and crushed berries. When fermentation is finished we press and put the wine in an old, neutral barrel so the wine can breathe but doesn’t pick up oak flavors. The following summer the wine gets racked and moves to a tank where it stays for at least another 18 months before being bottled."

 

A Field (Trip) in England: Domaine Hugo & Offbeat, July 2024

 

A beautiful visit (on an otherwise drizzly July day) to see Hugo, Nicola, Daniel & Paris in Wiltshire on Monday!

It's always a privilege to take the teams from restaurants, shops and bars to visit growers & winemakers. Travelling less than 100 miles in a couple of rented minivans to bring passionate, like-minded people together to share ideas, stories, food, and wine remains quite the thrill.

It's a vital part of what we do: to offer the opportunity to learn about the commitment to soil health, biodiversity, and winemaking happening on our doorstep.

Monday was a chance to take a wander through the vines and see how the 2024 vintage is progressing (less rain, more sun, please); to taste the latest Domaine Hugo and Offbeat releases, and to enjoy lunch together in the shelter of the winery: salads from the garden, very good hummus, homemade bread, and the second biggest love on the farm: cheese!

A big thanks to the guys for having us down on Monday, and a huge thanks to the teams from Gnarly Vines, Ducksoup, Primeur, Westerns Laundry, Gladwells, Klose & Soan, Highbury Library, Joyce, Salthouse, Jolene, Carmel and Ploussard for joining us for the day!

WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING WINES AVAILABLE FROM EACH PROJECT NOW:

DOMAINE HUGO

SPARKLING

2020 - Hugo - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris

2021 - Botley's Col Fondo - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris

WHITE

2020 - Two Times A Half - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris

PIQUETTE

2023 - Loose Juice 2 - Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Honey

CIDER

2022 - Sunbeams and Rainbows - Orchard Nlend

WINE/CIDER HYBRID

2021 - Combo - Apples, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay

WHITE

2021 - Field Notes 3 - Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay

2020 - Many Moons - Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay

RED

NV Magic Number - Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc

FOR WHOLESALE ENQUIRIES: HELLO@WINESUTB.COM

 

Quatro Mustachios 2023 Release

 

We are very pleased to have available this week a new pet-nat from Sam & Dave at Quatro Mustachios!

Introducing s.l.u.g: a pithy, refreshing maceration of Solaris with a dash of direct-press Pinot Noir to lift its acidity, ideal summer drinking! The wine was disgorged a few weeks ago, and has seen no additions. More details below.

Alongside s.l.u.g we've also received a little top-up of their dancefloor refresher: Last Night A DJ Seyval'd My Life. Both wines featuring the wild illustration work of Ducksoup's own Marc Springhetti.

If you're unfamiliar with the story: Sam & Dave met whilst studying at Plumpton in 2017 (alongside Sophie Evans, Lucy Chilvers and Titch Hill's Alex Tristram) and started their 'international wine collective' Quatro Mustachios in 2020.

Working at vineyards across Europe, they produced their first collaborative wine (alongside their friends Teo Vitsas & Matthias Altmann) under the Quatro Mustachios tag in Austria, with further releases from Catalunya and Ribeira Sacra in 2021, before returning home to the UK, to focus on channelling their mutual love of hybrids/PIWI's into highly delicious wines from homegrown fruit in 2022.

Their wines are huge fun, a testament to their intuitive, experimental winemaking and the wild potential of PIWIs in the right hands.

AVAILABLE NOW

NEW 2023 - s.l.u.g - Solaris, Pinot Noir

Picked from a co-planted vineyard over loamy clay in Toppesfield, Essex: whole-bunch Solaris was foot crushed and macerated for 4 days, pressed to tank, topped up with 10% direct-press Pinot Noir and fermented for 3 weeks before bottling to continue fermentation as a pet-nat. The wine was disgorged a few weeks ago, and has seen no additions.

2022 - Last Night a DJ Seyval-ed My Life - Seyval Blanc

FOR WHOLESALE ENQUIRIES: HELLO@WINESUTB.COM

 

To The Moons and Back: New Offbeat Wines

 

We are so pleased to be able to finally release two very special wines - both years in the making - from Nicola & Daniel at Offbeat. 

Many Moons is a thrillingly elegant and mineral white, the result of perfect 2020 fruit and four years of age. Magic Number is a detailed, pretty red with complexity, length and substance - they are a testament to the rewards of patience.

These two wines are an important step in their journey: representative of the direction they have been guiding the project towards, in styles they love to drink and have become incredibly accomplished at.

Each is a proper labour of love, the beneficiary of delicate, considered winemaking and a watchful eye in the cellar during their lengthy gestation.  

We caught up with Dan to discuss the journey of the wines, where they fit into the project and the story of the new labels - one most of the wines will now feature. Scroll below to read more on the wines, and the story from Dan.

Both wines are available now, we truly hope you enjoy them.

2020 - Many Moons - Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay

MANY MOONS marks significant milestones in their journey. From the exceptional 2020 vintage, it was the first fruit into their winery and through their traditional Coquard press. We can still remember the joy in the winery as they received this Essex fruit.

It was also the first wine into their 1500-litre Stockinger foudre, a vessel perfect for the longer ageing methods they were eager to explore. As Offbeat transitioned from a side project to a full-time endeavour in 2020, Nic & Dan looked to the high-acid, long-aged wines of the Jura, reflecting on the possibilities open to them with similar varieties and growing conditions.

Tasting the foudre over its two years, they loved its direction. Honing its focus, Dan remembered a Pierre Overnoy quote - that a wine is best spending equal time in bottle as in wood - so the wine was bottled and tucked away for two years before release. Time well spent.

A field blend of Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay grown on the blue clay soils of the Crouch Valley, Essex. Slowly pressed through the Coquard, fermented and aged for two years in foudre. The wine was bottled directly from the vessel via gravity, to the lunar calendar and with no additions.

Loading up the Coquard for the first time, October 2020

NV - Magic Number - Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc

MAGIC NUMBER is emblematic of Nic & Dan's journey with red varieties - it's been a road of discovery, learning how best to develop their ideal characteristics with UK fruit. With Magic Number, they had tapped into a vein of possibility they are still following.

The wine is a one-off by nature: a masterful assembly of different barrels, where outliers from certain vinifications find balance in each other. Featuring three Pinots from the 2021 and 2022 vintages: grown by Lucie & Jules at Ham Street (2021 Pinot Noir) and in the Crouch Valley in Essex (2022 Pinots Meunier and Blanc).

The Pinot Noir had a two-month semi-carbonic maceration and aged in oak for 19 months. Essex fruit macerated together semi-carbonically, before pressing off to oak barrels. Roughly an even split of the two years and vineyards, the wine was assembled and bottled by gravity in July 2023, to the lunar calendar and with no additions.

First juice off the Coquard press, October 2020

LUNAR PHASE: A chat with Daniel Ham, July 2024

"It's really exciting for us to be releasing these two wines that show the direction we're aiming towards. Many Moons is a very momentous one, as it signifies so many firsts for us, and also feels like a real achievement, capturing that year. 2020 was one of the best UK vintages in a decade, we were fortunate to begin the journey in the new winery with that fruit."

"But it was also the year Nic & I started drinking more widely, looking at the wines we love from similarly cooler climate regions - particularly the Jura. With the white varieties, there are so many regions that translate and crossover when you compare with the UK. There's a wealth of inspiration that has helped guide us in where we'd like to go. Less so with the reds, there's certainly not as much crossover or variety, and it's been crucial for us to cut our own path a little more in that regard. We've utilised quite a few different methods in trying to find where we can push things, playing with VA, all sorts of different types of macerations and extraction and ageing."

"There were lots of different barrels that went to Magic Number, perhaps wines that weren't topped up, or were stylistic outliers, things that have been brought together to paint a clearer picture. It's really the story of our journey learning how we want to handle red fruit."

"With the two wines really being a marker of where we're at, and where we're going, we wanted to work on new labels for the whole project: something that represents us a little better, looking to simplify the visual so there's a clear theme through everything."

"For a long time we'd been following the work of Man In The Woods - an artist who used to live around Wiltshire, and has been doing six years of these 'Friday Walks' walking 18km into the countryside, having a pint of ale at the end, then catching the bus to that journeys end-point the following week and picking up the walk from there. He's interested in lots of the same things we are: rural history, ancient folk traditions, standing stones and pubs. I really like his connection to nature, his surroundings, and their history. Stonehenge, which is quite nearby, is of mutual importance to us. "

"We asked him if he would do some illustration ideas based on those shared interests and how they overlap with our winemaking. He brought a few round and there was one little one, on this two-inch square piece of paper. Together, we picked it as the one instantly! He asked if we wanted any revisions or a bigger version of the sketch - but it was perfect as it is."

"It's the 12 phases of the moon around the sun: which are crucial to what we do here. Obviously the sun for the vines, and the moon dictates everything we do in the cellar, it just felt very grounded and connected."

"So nearly all the wines going forward will feature this lovely drawing, with their name on the front. Many Moons is named for its long elevage, a wine that has seen many lunar cycles. Magic Number is three Pinots, and I'm a big De La Soul fan, so it felt right to give a nod to three being the magic number."

The original Man In The Woods sketch

 

New from JP Rietsch: 2023

 

JP RIETSCH
FRANCE, ALSACE, MITTELBERGHEIM

We are always thrilled to release a new vintage from Jean Pierre Rietsch in Alsace, and particularly so this year as 2023 has proven to be quite the bumper harvest in Mittelbergheim. Not one without its problems (high mildew pressure thanks to humidity and big clusters after heavy August rains) but a tremendous year for quality of fruit.

It's very special to have JP in London for the first time this week, a huge thanks to those of you who joined us at the wonderful Clarence Tavern to taste and learn more about the wines and their terroir. And an enormous thank you to the lovely team at Quality Wines for hosting the dinner with Jean Pierre last night! A truly wonderful evening.

We have a good brace of new arrivals from the vibrant 2023 vintage, alongside a couple of late arrivals to complete the 2022 set: all detailed in full below.

Jean-Pierre has been at the helm of his family vineyards in the historic village for over 37 years now. Diligently organic, but working above and beyond in the parcels to ensure the resulting wines channel their terroir with both complexity and drinkability in equal measure. The 2023 wines show particular balance and juiciness, still retaining great depth. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

AVAILABLE NOW

2023 - Blanc au Litre - Auxerrois, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Silvaner

The litre blend continues to be very well suited to the format, Auxerrois taking the lead, picked from mixed parcels over clay-limestone.

2023 - Entre Chien et Loup - Auxerrois

Auxerrois hand-harvested from both the clay-limestone of Mittelbergheim and grés soils of Mutzig. Designed to be so easy drinking that the label doubles as a warning: if you can't tell the difference between the dog and wolf, you've had one too many.

2023 - Vieille Vigne Sylvaner - Sylvaner

From parcels in the Brandluft and Berg vineyards, alongside some from the Zotzenberg, mostly on clay limestone, with some marl in Zotzenberg.

2023 - Murmure - Muscat

Muscat can always be a fragile grape for Jean-Pierre but it has fared well in 23, picked from the marl limestones around Mitterlbergheim. A 10-day whole-bunch maceration this year, proving very fine and delicate rather than overbearing, Rietsch long-since having understood the best way to work with his aromatic varieties.

2023 - Coquette - Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir

Coquette returns! A wine we haven't received in a long while, a successful experiment in teasing different elements from the Gewurz, aiming for drinkability and intrigue rather than its predictable big aromas. A blend of three separate tanks, picked mostly from the Zotzenberg, great balance!

2020/23 - Stein - Riesling

From vines besides the house that JP planted with his father 30 years ago, the Leu dit Stein grown on Grey Marl and Limestone. This is a true terroir Riesling expression, multi-dimensional, long and mineral.

2022 - Grand Cru Zotzenberg - Riesling

Zotzenberg is a south/south-east facing Grand Cru vineyard, planted over marl, limestone and compacted sandstone. 2022 was one of the hottest years on record, and whilst the wine still boasts Jean-Pierre's signature acidity and light touch, it is bolstered with a brilliant sun-kissed ripeness. Lovely salinity coming from the terroir, aged 12 months in foudre.

FOR WHOLESALE ENQUIRIES: HELLO@WINESUTB.COM

 

June 10: JP Rietsch at Quality Wines

 

We are thrilled to have the legendary Jean-Pierre Rietsch visiting from Alsace in June! To celebrate this rare treat, on June 10, our good friends at Quality Wines are hosting a dinner celebrating JP's wines, and some of our favourite dishes of the region.

Surely not one to be missed, the menu is listed below, perfect fare for the macerated, textural whites and bright-toned Pinots Jean-Pierre has produced for over 30 years from the family vines in Mittelbergheim.

Due to the nature of the menu, Quality Wines will be unable to accommodate any dietary requirements, allergies or intolerances on this occasion.

The menu is £50 per head, you can book now at qualitywinesfarringdon.com

Hope you’re all as excited as we are!

A Night In Alsace: JP Rietsch at Quality Wines! Monday, June 10

• Tarte à l'Oignon

• Truite à la Meunière

• Coq au Riesling

• Tarte aux Myrtilles

 

Sunshine & Salt: New Mataburro 2023

 

We are so pleased to have the invigorating, Mediterranean wines of Melissa & Laurent at @mataburro.vins ready in time for summer, from a very bright 2023 vintage.

Despite the third consecutive year of drought in Perpignan - they're averaging less than 250ml of rainfall in total each year - they were blessed with good rain at the crucial point before harvest, it's lent the wines real levity and freshness: just as Laurent & Melissa prefer!

As always, work in the vines is deeply committed, with no ploughing and prioritising green manure to help the soil temperature. The pair have a keen understanding that their soil health is the biggest tool in their arsenal to combat climate change, and are working incredibly hard in the vines to do the best they can, with very little water.

In the cellar, the processes are the same as usual. For the reds, short, whole-bunch macerations are pressed very gently and raised mainly in steel and fibreglass, all strictly no additions. For more details on the new releases, head to the blog via our bio. We are really thrilled with this special vintage and hope you enjoy it too. Vibrant with fruit, delightfully nimble and mineral, a true testament to their hard work and delicate touch.

AVAILABLE NOW

SKINS

NEW 2023 - Memo - Macabeu
Hand harvested from 70-year-old vines grown by the river on alluvial soils, once farmed by Laurent's grandfather. A whole bunch infusion in some press-juice for five days with very little extraction, pressed gently to tank for ageing for 6 months. 23 is a cracker: high-toned tropical fruit, fleshy, with a nice touch of grip and great saline minerality.

ROSE

NEW 2023 - Mura Mura - Grenache, Merlot, Muscat
Red varieties from the home vineyard on clay-limestone (80-year-old Grenache and 40 year old Merlot) macerated for 24 hours as whole bunches, assembled with Muscat whole-bunch macerated for 5 days. Pressed gently to stainless steel tank, bottled six months with no additions. Bright with sour cherry, fraises de bois, crushed violets and pithy grapefruit, long, direct and energised.

RED

NEW 2023 - Idoine - Merlot
Merlot from the home vineyard on clay-limestone, whole bunch macerated for 4 days with no extraction, pressed gently to tank, aged for 6 months, bottled with no additions. Dark-fruited but juicy, black cherry and cassis up front, framed with a lovely tart snap of tannin and thrilling chinotto bitterness to close.

NEW 2023 - Quartet - Grenache Noir, Syrah, Muscat
A 4-5 day whole bunch maceration of varieties grown in the hills on schist, a site they have worked for the last couple of years. No extraction, pressed gently, matured in concrete for 6 months. A new iteration of this cuvee, incredibly beautiful in 23, super pure-fruited and mineral, heady with dark berries and roses. Nimble, precise and joyful.

NEW 2020 - Otium Reserve - Grenache
A single-barrel of Otium from the 2020 vintage - aged 12 months in barrel on the lees with no topping up, bottled with no additions. Otium 2020 was macerated as a whole bunch infusion for 10 days, basket-pressed: this portion direct to barrel.

FOR WHOLESALE ENQUIRIES: HELLO@WINESUTB.COM

 

June 10: A Taste of Alsace - JP Rietsch at The Clarence Tavern

 

We have some hugely exciting news: for the first time in many years, we will be joined by Jean-Pierre Rietsch, visiting from Alsace on Monday, June 10th!

To mark the occasion, we've arranged a day of tasting out on the terrace at The Clarence Tavern: this will be a rare opportunity to taste with Jean-Pierre himself and learn about his trailblazing approach to viticulture and winemaking, one finessed over 37 years at the helm of his family's vines in Mittelbergheim.

We'll be tasting wines from both the '23 and '22 vintages. It promises to be quite special!

Rather than an all-day, crowded trade tasting, we're running the day as three intimate sessions for the trade with Jean-Pierre: at 10am, 12pm and 2pm.

If you work in the trade and would be interested to join: please RSVP letting us know which session you'd like to attend, and how many of you would like to come down.

RSVP - RIETSCH AT THE CLARENCE

 

A Field Day: New 2023 Pet-Nats from Titch Hill

 

Titch Hill - Alex Tristram & Sam Bunker
ENGLAND, SOUTH-EAST, WEST SUSSEX

Cause for celebration: new wines from Sam & Alex at Titch Hill!

Our UK growers continue to release wines to coax the sun back, and things are looking promising! Sam & Alex’s latest wines are brilliant examples of the fun you can have with UK fruit when worked properly, with no additions.

Among the arrivals - a trio of pet-nats - we have a top-up of their ‘22 Wild Combination; and from 2023, the new edition of Fieldwork (properly sparkling this year) and the introduction of Love Streams: a high energy pet-nat of Baccus, Auxerrois and Chardonnay - (up to you to decide if its a bottled-expression of Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Cassavetes, or Tim Hecker)

Due to prior commitments with their own fruit for the 2023 vintage, these releases are all negocé for Titch Hill this year, with fruit sourced from organic or responsible lutte raisonnée vineyards from across England's south.

Though the 2024 releases will be back to domaine fruit, it's a thrill to see nonetheless their house-style shining through so clearly in these wines: a testament to their keen-eyed vision and brilliant winemaking. Clean, fun, bright and beautiful.

AVAILABLE NOW

SPARKLING

2023 - Love Streams - Bacchus, Auxerrois, Chardonnay
They’ve done it again: summer in a bottle! Super-bright, fresh with citrus, someone’s been going heavy with the zester whilst prepping the picnic. Drinks like a good time in a meadow, heady with nearby elderflower.

2023 - Field Work - Pinot Noir, Reichensteiner, Ortega
A juicy, vibrant and immediately satisfying pet-nat of Pinot Noir, Reichensteiner and Ortega. Juicy, smoky fruit with a lovely amaro bitterness.

Ready to put the wines through their paces with Leeds’ formidable Thai Aroy Dee as selected by Wayward Wines own Steve Nuttall.

 

New Reds from Thierry Forestier!

 

The 2022 wines of Thierry Forestier are here! Among our favourite expressions of the Gard, Thierry manages to produce featherweight wines without losing any of the heady garrigue he loves.

In the village of Souvignargues on clay and limestone, Thierry farms 12 hectares of native Gard varieties, having traded in his career in IT for that of a vigneron back in 2004. A friendship with Eric Pfifferling was the catalyst for working as gently as possible, minimal intervention in every sense of the word.

Farming gnarled old vines organically in co-planted parcels surrounded by forest, prioritising soil health and diversity, Thierry has become something of a luminary in the area. Now nearly twenty years into his journey, he's a champion of zero-sulphur winemaking and careful farming, he's helped fledgling growers with vinifications, lends a hand in re-training their vines back to traditional goblet pruning, or helping sourcing grapes when growers hit hard vintages.

In the cellar, Thierry keeps macerations short, whole bunches rarely stay in tanks for more than 5 days, presses are gentle, ageing is simple. A light touch is the order of the day in the cellar, and it shows.

Available in small quantities, those who have been lucky enough to familiarise themselves with Thierry's wines are well versed in why we consider them so special!

The wines are detailed now below. With thanks to Bryan McComb for the Thierry portraits 📸

AVAILABLE NOW

REDS

2022 - Anathème Rouge - Carignan, Aramon

Thierry's park-drinking red, he picks four of his twelve hectares for this cuvee: a wine to be enjoyed with friends, he ensures there is enough of it to go round! Majority Carignan with a little of the prized Aramon, vines are planted over clay-limestone at 115m above sea level. Whole bunch maceration of both varieties together for 5 days, free-run and press-juices assembled together and aged 9 months in concrete tank. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, no additions.

2022 - Salve Ager - Grenache , Cinsault (MAGNUM AVAILABLE)

Delicate, detailed, with great tension in 2022, a lovely fine line of tannin and a saline black-olive lick. Majority Grenache, lifted with Cinsault. Vines are planted over clay-limestone at 115m above sea level. Whole bunch maceration of both varieties together for 5 days, free-run and press-juices assembled together and aged 9 months in concrete tank. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, no additions.

2022 - Aramonix - Aramon

Thierry makes tiny volumes of this cult-cuvee: picking less than a hectare parcel of 80 year old Aramon planted over clay-limestone. Just a 4 day whole-bunch maceration, free-run and press-juices assembled together and aged 9 months in an enamel tank. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, no additions.

2022 - Puech Coucou - Oeillade, Cinsault

Another micro-cuvee Thierry experimented with in '21, we're thrilled to see it becoming an annual release: picked from a beatiful, forested parcel of old-vine Cinsault and Oeillade that used to be blended into Salve Ager. Puech Coucou has real finesse, dense with fruit but nimble, elegant and long. Whole bunch maceration of both varieties together for 8 days, free-run and press-juices assembled together and aged 9 months in concrete tank. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, no additions.

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May 13: A Tasting at Little Duck

 

We're very pleased to be pouring new arrivals for the trade at Little Duck, Dalston on Monday, May 13!

We'll be there with Otros Vinos and Ferran from Bodega Clandestina, from 11am to 3.30pm - Ferran will be pouring his 2023 vintage as well as a couple back vintages.

Simple drop us an email if you work in the trade to RSVP.