If you placed a pin at a central point close to their winery in Le Pallet, you could take a 5 minute cycle from each one of the Complemen’Terre vineyards to the next. For the plots that yield La Croix Moriceau and Ker Ma you head five hundred metres to the north. For the plot that yields Tribute, just roll five hundred metres in the opposite direction: south towards the river. We spoke to Manu on Nouveau Day, to discuss the differences between each of the cuvees we recently received.
Read moreA Tasting Of JP Rietsch
Next Monday at Weino BIB, please join us and our friend Fernando of Otros Vinos in a joint-tasting of our winemakers who flex the highest cuvée count. In our corner; JP Rietsch of the Alsace with 10 wines in our cellar at the moment and in Fernando’s corner; Nuria Renom of Catalunya with 12 wines.
We’ll be pouring JP's wines from 10am until 6pm on Monday 7th December, and we're really looking forward to seeing you all there.
As per usual for these times; we will be operating tastings by appointment only so make sure not to miss out and book your spot now.
Every Grape Counts! 2Naturkinder 2020
2NATURKINDER
Michael & Melanie Voelker
Germany, Franconia, Kitzengen
Michael & Melanie Voelker suffered monumental losses to their crop when frost hit on the night of May 15th. Usually operating at yields of 35 hectolitres per hectare, this year Michael considers himself lucky to even have 15 hl/ha. The once-a-decade frost event means the 2020 releases from Kitzingen will be scarce. Nevertheless we have just received a brace of new wines from the Voelkers including two new cuvees, cause for celebration in the face of upcoming adversity.
We spoke to Michael in late October to discuss the new wines, and were surprised to find harvest was not quite finished:
Good afternoon Michael, how are you going?
I’m alright, it’s calming down slowly. It’s actually our last pick tomorrow. We’re picking second generation Riesling. The frost wiped out the first generation buds; but they do have a second generation - sometimes a third - as a backup. Normally we would have picked this vineyard in late September! The backup-buds broke after the night of frost, and some produced a serious amount of grapes. The Heimat Silvaner will just be enough for one barrique, the Pinots will be at least a few hundred litres. It will be interesting to see how these ferments go...
One more day, the end is in sight! Could you tell us about the two new wines we’ll be receiving this week?
2018 Weinschwärmer
It's a blend of two wines. The two varieties share one special vineyard: on Eselsberg, the hill where the Heimat Silvaner and the Fledermaus grow, there is a hectare with two thirds Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and one third Riesling. That was my Dad’s favourite vineyard, and was the last one that we were still making wine for his portfolio with, before he retired. I didn’t want to take this one off him until he was ready.
The two varieties ripen at different times, so we don’t pick them together. We fermented them separately. The Pinot Gris is skin fermented for 10 days, the Riesling is a direct press, to bring that razor sharp acidity. I've played with those two for a couple of years, trying to find the right blend; this was the blend Melanie approved of. It’s dedicated to the Weinschwärmer: the brightly coloured moths that live in the area; a delicacy for our bats!
2019 Vater & Sohn
Believe it or not it took me half a year to find the right blend for this one. This is a blend from 12 initial wines - I left a couple out that didn’t work well with the wine in the end- we have about 10 here. I get the wines on the table, try to find the best possible mix. From 10 wines; if you make a mix of 5 different ratios, you need to wait a week really until you can judge the result properly, the wines have to react to one another. Melanie will have a smell - shake her head- so then: we try the next version next weekend! For half a year until we find the right one!
Fortunately or not, that’s not a problem we’ll have this year, with such little wine everything has to work out. But, everything has worked out so far, given the small quantities. If we had this x3, 2020 would have been a breathtaking vintage.
So the frost was as bad as I’ve heard?
I was glad I got anything at all. One of the guys I regularly get grapes from was also completely destroyed too. Thankfully there’s a third guy who I infrequently get a small batch from, he co-runs Demeter in this region, teaches organic farming. I’ve helped him out with sheep in the past. As he’s a teacher he doesn’t need all of his grapes so I was able to have 10 of his vineyards to pick this year. That kind of saved our ass, otherwise it would’ve just been a few thousand litres which is… not enough.
My Dad was saying I have to expect a frost like this every 10 years, though it's certainly getting more dangerous with the vegetation season starting earlier and earlier with climate change- which is a clear pattern. If you have an earlier bud break then the period of time between bud break and the last night of frost that you can expect- mid May - that period gets longer and longer. And that makes it just more likely that you get an event of frost hitting the plants. So it won't have been the last time, but I'd be quite happy if it was the last time for the next couple of years. I'm happy to just deal with the drought for a while, because that's not going to go away, not in our lifetime.
That’s becoming a frequent occurrence?
It was the 3rd year of drought in a row. We’re getting used to it, that's our job as farmers- to adapt to that. 2018 was the first Europe-wide drought that we had, with quite a few producers having fermentation problems for the first time in their lives. Because we had a fairly humid - great, vegetation wise - Spring in 2018, we had a lot of fruit on the grapevines. Everybody was like “Yay, jackpot!” And then it just stopped raining. The result was that there was not enough nitrogen available for the plants, because when the soil is dry, roots don’t have the water they need to transport stuff. Ions won't move in a completely dry environment.
So then we ended up having not enough amino acids in some of the juice and that leads to fermentation problems. In 2019 we adapted to that. I just reduced the yields when I noticed it was going in a similar direction. And that worked out certainly, but this year there was so little left on the vines (after the frost) that for us it didn’t really make a difference: if you only have two bunches per plant, whatever water you get is gonna be enough.
Beyond the up-front losses; has 2020 put paid to any future plans for the time being?
The vineyard that used to produce Black Betty, we call our garden vineyard - we have a garden at the bottom that’s become a bit of a biotope- I’ve pulled up the Domina in 2017 and planted a traditional mix of about 20 varieties. Everything was a co-plantation back in the past; that was an insurance for the producer, if one variety didn't perform well one year, then maybe the others would. But every region has a unique composition of varieties. I planted the composition that is supposed to have been the typical one in this area. It was supposed to give us grapes for the first time this year but the frost saw to that. We went through though, picked two buckets. Literally. Every grape counts!
I planted another hectare this year, about half of the plot is planted with a mix of six different hybrids, so it’s supposed to become a field blend. The other half is now home to an once thought extinct member of the Pinot family. It ripens two weeks after Pinot Noir, with smaller berries and thicker skins. The German name is “Fränkischer Burgunder”. That plot and the garden vineyard will both take another four or five years before being bottled as a single vineyard expression.
NOW IN STOCK
WHITE
2019 - Vater & Sohn - Muller Thurgau, Silvaner, Bacchus
Bottled in August 2020.
2018 - Weinschwärmer - Pinot Gris, Riesling
The two batches were blended in April 2019 into two barrels and were bottled as Weinschwärmer in March 2020.
SKIN MACERATED
2017 - Wilde Heimat - Silvaner
40-year old Silvaner vineyard, grown on the steepest point of the hill on meager Keuper soil. Loads of sun, hard to farm. 2/3 of the grapes were fermented on the skins for a week, the rest was pressed after two nights of skin-contact. Aging in 60-year old oak. The wines came together in summer 2019 and remained in a tank until bottling in March 2020.
2016 - Wilde Heimat - Silvaner
In ‘16, about 50% of the grapes were fermented on the skins for ten days the rest was pressed after a night of skin-contact. Aged in 60-year old oak, the wines were blended in spring 2018,bottled in July 2018.
2018 Heimat Silvaner - Silvaner
35 year old vines, farmed organically for more than 20 years.
The destemmed grapes always ferment quickly. After pressing the wine went into a 600l barrel, a barrique and a tank before it got racked & blended into a relatively new 1200l barrel in summer 2019 (so it comes with a gentle kiss from Franconian oak).
RED
2018 - Spätburgunder - Pinot Noir
After two trickier vintages 2018 was very satisfying. Fantastic grapes and a higher quantity than the years before. Racked and blended into a bigger barrel in summer 2019 before being bottled in March 2020.
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OUR MARCOS AS HUMAN LADDER TO FETCH MIRABELLE PLUMS
Introducing Paul Old of Project 108
An interview with Paul Old on the birth of Project 108, his background as a dancer, and his philosophical insights from over twenty years of biodynamic winemaking.
Read moreA Primeur Primer
A PRIMEUR PRIMER
It's tricky to pin down the beginnings of a mostly undocumented harvest ritual when it has been eclipsed in modern memory by one of the longest-running marketing gimmicks of all time.
Georges Duboeuf was already a successful Beaujolais merchant in the 1970s when he decided to mass-market a local tradition of making primeur wines. With a thirst for the fresh drinkability of young Beaujolais already leading local merchants into a frenzied scramble to get their wines into Paris’ bars first, Georges seized an opportunity to turn his family business into something of a global powerhouse.
As authorities finally settled on a legal date for shipping new wines of the season, Duboeuf – through energetic and tireless promotion – is credited with transforming an arbitrary marker in the logistics calendar into a not-to-be-missed global race. Staging ever-wilder photo-ops for international television “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé” became a jubilant catchphrase.
And as the clock struck 12:01 on the third Thursday in November, news channels duly broadcast images, first of merchants racing their wines to Paris and latterly of trucks, boats, planes, and Formula1 drivers rushing to ship that year's Nouveau to destinations that had, in reality, received the wine weeks before.
Sadly, it almost goes without saying that much of the wine shipped was of an ever-diminishing quality, to the extent that the words Beaujolais Nouveau still leave curled lips among a certain generation who came of age putting away gallons of gut-rot red.
Beaujolais, however, could be considered the cradle of what we know as the natural wine movement with Jules Chauvet at its centre. A scientist and winemaker who began work on his wines in the 1980s without the addition of sulphur dioxide, Jules understood that healthy fruit and diligent, controlled winemaking with native yeasts could make far better wine, as it had done for centuries before the introduction of any chemical intervention in agriculture or the cellar.
So much work has been done in the years since – with Chauvet's ideas reverberating – to prove that Beaujolais is a region deserving of its own accolades far beyond some (pretty clever) marketing. And if Nouveau Day isn't going away, then the growers may as well continue promoting the notion that these properly made primeur wines really are a joy to drink as originally intended – in celebration of a year's work.
We’re unlikely to forget 2020. But it feels about right to celebrate the enormous effort our industry has put in over the last nine months by raising a glass – or an entire bottle – of the year’s first arrivals.
C’est Arrivé! (Almost)
With November ringing the bells of Nouveau Day in just three weeks’ time, we welcome Sylvere Trichard and the wines of Séléné into the fold.
Two of Sylvère's 2020 primeur wines will be available for pre-sale: a Domaine cuvée (available as both 750ml and magnum) and a Négoce cuvée.
The wines will be delivered through the week commencing November 9, but must not be sold until November 19. In the spirit of making a day of it, we'll also be receiving litre bottles of Muscadet Nouveau from Marion and Manu at Complemen'Terre.
Circus Melon 2020 uses fruit from the same parcel picked for Tribute; 1.5 hectares of south-west exposed vines grown over quartz and orthogneiss. They have picked from possibly the most complex terroir in the domaine, but they wanted to be sure they had a good balance between alcohol and acidity, needing enough structure to remain stable at such short notice without compromising their standards.
Marion told us we should all be drinking it on the day with some fresh seafood, oysters, or simply back-to-back with the Séléne Nouveau.
NOUVEAU: PRE-ORDER NOW
BEAUJOLAIS
Séléné | Beaujolais, Blacé
RED
NEW 2020 - Nouveau - Gamay
NEW 2020 - Nouveau Domaine - Gamay
NEW 2020 - Nouveau Domaine - Gamay
LOIRE
Complemen'Terre | Muscadet, Loire
WHITE
NEW 2020 - Circus Melon - Melon de Bourgogne - LITRE
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Right Place, Right Bank: Introducing Damien Lorteau
CHATEAU LES VIEUX MOULINS
FRANCE, BORDEAUX, BLAYE
Damien Lorteau returned home to his parent's estate in 2010; after a worldwide adventure discovering the idiosyncrasies of winemaking regions- one harvest at a time. Work began closer to home in Burgundy and the Rhône; before taking him further afield to Spain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand the US.
A return to winemaking in Bordeaux wasn't always on the cards for Damien despite spending a childhood in the vines; but as he travelled further, the passions of the growers he met fuelled an urge in him to make his way home and breathe new life into their small pocket of the right-bank.
The 20 hectare estate is a marriage of two distinct parcels of vines, originally owned individually by his maternal and paternal grandfathers. His parents joined the plots into one estate in 1997 following the retirement of their fathers; and helmed the operation together for 20 years.
Damien's first step in 2010 was to convince his parents to begin organic conversion on the property. He considers himself incredibly lucky that they afforded him the opportunity to change the processes. Bordeaux has been considerably slower on the uptake in the move towards organic agriculture and low-intervention practices; growers like Damien are still outliers in the region.
With Damien officially taking over in 2013 once they achieved organic certification, work since has been as low-intervention as possible, fermentations with native yeasts, no sulphur during vinification; minimal amounts at bottling.
We caught up with Damien this week:
Can you tell us a little about the Pirouette we've just received from you?
“It's a blend of our two parcels: my mother's family plots are planted on limestone slopes, close to the Gironde estuary, near the towns of Anglade & St Androny, and my father's are a little further inland east near Reignac, planted over gravelly soil.
“We have Merlot on both plots, though it expresses itself in very different ways. The limestone slopes provide the Cab-Franc, which is really one of my favourite varietals when grown on limestone. The gravel soils of my father's give the Cab-Sauvignon.
“The blend changes each year, depending on what the fruit gives. This year we have 45% Merlot, 30% Cab-Franc and 25% Cab-Sauv. Everything is destemmed, before a gentle maceration. We only ferment with the native yeasts, nothing is added.
“We do about 3 pump-overs in total at the beginning of the fermentation; but then I leave it alone: I really do not want to over-extract the wine. Once the wine has undergone malolactic we leave it to settle in the vats before racking it to concrete tanks; where it spends 12 months.
“I'm lucky to have two very expressive terroirs to draw from, so I'm really looking for a balance of the two vineyards.”
I saw your note that you bottled under the descending moon, does the lunar calendar play an important role for you?
“We work by the lunar calendar in the vineyards; we follow it for pruning, planting cover crop, and even for harvest if the rain allows. In the winery I follow it for many things; racking, bottling. It’s something I learnt at a number of wineries and saw the results to be really interesting.
“Bottling in the descending moon keeps the micro-organism populations lower in the wine, which means it’s more stable and I can be confident to use only minimal sulphur at bottling; about 20-30mg/l. I don’t want to use any other chemicals; I want the wine to be as pure as possible.”
I’ve heard there can be quite a problem in Bordeaux with neighbouring spray from more ‘conventional’ neighbours cross-contaminating into vines farmed organically. Is this something you’ve struggled with?
“It can be bad for other growers, yes- especially on a windy day. But we’re very fortunate to have good relationships with all our neighbours, even the ones working conventionally.
“We’ve agreed on a border of a few rows of vines that they will not spray, to avoid cross-contamination into ours. We’re very lucky, hopefully we can maintain those good relationships, and for now it has not been a problem. Yet!”
How has the harvest been for you this year, I imagine you felt the heatwave through July?
“Yes it was very hot, we decided to harvest much earlier than usual to retain freshness. But the yields have been really interesting and the fruit was really good quality. The fermentations were amazing actually, I'm really happy with how they went. Malolactic is underway at the moment, so I'm leaving the wines alone in tank- they'll probably move to barrel in 2 or 3 months. It was actually a very easy year for the winemaking process!”
What’s on the cards for the future there?
“I'm excited about the white we planted last year; hopefully it will yield the first vintage in 2021. We planted about a hectare of Sauvignon Blanc on my mother's side; on some interesting limestone slopes. It'll be a new challenge for us, making a white: I'm hoping to do something with good ripeness, a less typical varietal expression.
“As I travelled, drinking organic, biodynamic, natural wines at the wineries and wine bars; they had so much more depth, so much more purity of fruit. That depth and purity is what I’m aiming for. The 20 hectare estate is more than enough to work with; if we grew any bigger we’d be unable to do certain jobs by hand; which is important to me.
“Our yields are about 10 hectolitres lower on average than other estates in Bordeaux our size. I’m really just interested in quality; not quantity.”
Now in Stock
Red
NEW 2019 - PIROUETTE - MERLOT, CAB-FRANC, CAB-SAV
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An Autumnal arrival, a chat with Tenuta Foresto.
Tenuta Forresto
Italy, Piedmont, Nizza
Just in time for Autumn, we have received a fresh arrival of new wines from Francesco & Pauline, young winemakers located in Nizza Monferrato, a little south of Asti.
Skin-macerated whites, lightly sparkling Barbera and semi-carbonic Dolcetto: the wines of Piedmont are ideal drinking as the days shorten and the leaves drop.
Francesco & Pauline follow the Fukuoka method; a practice pioneered by Masunobu Fukuoka: a Japanese farmer and philosopher. He referred to his work as ‘do-nothing farming.’ His methodology promoted minimal interference in the agricultural process; creating conditions in which natural processes left to their own accord maximise outputs.
For Francesco, working with the land and having an interest in sustainable agriculture prior to winemaking led him to seek out Fukuoaka’s manifesto ‘The One Straw Revolution’ early on in the project.
“I found the book and it was mind blowing. I was honestly a bit sceptical at first; I didn’t believe this could be viable, it seemed crazy. But the results straight away were just so encouraging.”
They have a holistic approach in the vineyards, aiming to have as low an impact on the local ecosystem as possible. Their 10-70 year old South-West exposed vines are planted over 'tufa' (limestone), clay and chalk.
We caught up with Francesco on a day that found him finishing the planting of his cover crop,and getting ready to press his Barbera for the 2020 La IDEAle…
How’s the harvest been for you this year?
“Not the best… we got four big hail storms this year. It's been pretty devastating. We had to do a massive selection of all the clusters, to make sure they were clean to bring to the cellar. It was a very long process, everything was really damaged. But apart from that, I have to say: I’m really happy. The quality of what we’ve kept has been really good. The fermentations have been going really well; that’s a... silver lining.”
We’ve just received a few new releases from you, your macerated whites and your lighter reds. Could you tell us your process for those?
2019 - Favonio - Moscato Bianco
“You’ve received the 2019 so has a three-day maceration before pressing off the skins to continue fermentation in concrete tanks. After malolactic finishes a couple of months later, we do some racking, and transfer into 700L oak Tonneaux. Used wood obviously, not new.That stays there for nine, 10 months before bottling, no sulphur.”
2019 - Leuto - Cortese
“The Cortese ferments in concrete tanks, on the skins for 1 month. We do - how do you say in English, cracking the hat? Punch down! We do those 3 or 4 times a day, then press the skins after a month of fermentation. Then it goes into smaller barrels, a mixture of oak and acacia for about 8 months, before bottling with no added sulphur.”
2019 - La Comedie - Barbera
“So it’s the first grape we pick, because we want higher acidity, and less alcohol. We try not to do too many pump overs because we don’t want all the fermentation to go. It ferments until the cold weather starts to kick in, and stops at about 13g/l of sugar, and then we bottle it. This is the first time that the fermentation has slowed before bottling and I’ve not had to add any frozen must, so these are really good! Ancestral sort-of style.”
2019 - PauPau - Dolcetto
“The Dolcetto is picked slightly earlier than normal to have less alcohol volumes, around 12.5% or less.We do 10 days of carbonic maceration. After that we press it and allow it carry on with the fermentation that takes an extra two weeks. Then aged in concrete!Dolcetto in the area here can be so standardized, I’m not often a fan of them. I was really just trying to push the wine in a different direction, hoping for a much fruitier, less typical side to it.”
We’ve had your 18 Barbera cuvees in London for a little while over summer now, and they’re really starting to come into their own as the weather turns. Can you tell us about the process behind those?
“The main difference between the Acrú & La IDEAle is the vineyard, and fermentation. La IDEAle ferments in concrete tanks, and macerates for around 20 days. Then we move it into 2000l oak barrels. I tried to touch it as little as possible, because I want to bottle it with some very small amounts of residual sugar to remain.
“Before I started my own project, I would go to visit Lino Maga at Barbacarlo every other week, to try and learn from his process. He was repeatedly telling me to do this, bottle with a little residual, in late April, under a waning moon. His idea is that bottling with a hint of carbonation will preserve the freshness and fruitiness for years. So that’s what I’m trying to achieve. Not all the bottles will have the carbonation but, the ones that do; they’re the lucky bottles!
“The Acru is the oldest Barbera vineyard (we have a minimum of 45 years and the oldest is 70 years) and we ferment it in wood, for about 30 days with the skins. We do two to three punch downs a day, then it stays for a minimum 12 months in the barrels before bottling. I’ve always been fascinated by Barbara.
That's one of the main reasons I moved to Monferrato. I wanted to work with Barbera.”
How has your work with the Fukuoka method been going?
“I love to work in that style, fully observing nature and the natural processes, rather than intervening with any preparations. So we do a lot of cover crop work. We don't turn the soil. When the cover crop matures we cut it and spread it across the vineyard as a vegetation blanket. Even after one year of experimentation we saw great results, but the vegetation blanket really saved us this year.
“In July we had two weeks of 40 degree days, but when we lifted this layer of vegetation it was super humid underneath. The aim is to maintain that whole life-system of bacteria and microorganisms, by keeping things humid and damp. Once it’s dry, nothing thrives.
“The effects of climate change here on the weather patterns have been drastic. This is the thing we have to do; think about in advance each winter, to take a risk on the pruning style, take a risk on the way we plant a cover crop. Everything we are doing now is to make a decision on how we’ll have to fight the climate change in the coming year.
It’s a challenge. But, I’m loving it.”
Now in Stock
Sparkling
NEW 2018 - La Comedie - Barbera
Skin
NEW 2018 - Favonia - Moscato Bianco
NEW 2018 - Leuto - Cortese
Red
NEW 2019 - PauPau - Dolcetto
2018 - LA IDEAle - Barbera
2018 - Acrú - Barbera
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Waiting for the wasps... an interview with Mark at Black Mountain
Nestled down a Herefordshire country lane, in the shadow of the Brecon Beacons, Black Mountain Vineyard is an unexpected find. But this three-hectare labour of love - planted by Mark & Laura Smith in 2009- has been an evolution.
We had a chat with Mark to discuss this year’s season, how the vineyard has developed and why he’s worried about wasps.
Introducing...Andi Weigand!
Andi Weigand
Germany, Bavaria, Iphofen
Andi Weigand is part of the new wave of "college-escapee" winemakers sweeping Germany, overturning old expectations of his homeland's wine, but with a definite sense of place.
We were introduced by 2Naturkinder : being practically neighbours, they share ideas (and joint custody of Nick Hanel) in the vineyards. The second generation of his family to make wine, Andi was inspired by visits to natural winemakers with his college mates.
Vineyards are mostly on or around the Iphöfer Kronsberg, a hill which rises precipitously from the plain below. Unique Keuper soils give the wines power without high alcohol. Andi works on the sides or lower down the hill to achieve more subtlety in his wines compared to other area producers, whose steep south-facing slopes now receive much more sunshine – perhaps climate-change induced.
Mixing tradition with progress Andi uses an 80-year-old basket press and vinifies in large German oak. He also experiments with maceration in qvevri.
His cuvees have just landed - we've had a chat:
"My dad was the first in our family to start making wines, and I took over in 2015. We converted to organic winemaking with the first natural vintage coming out in 2018. I am really lucky to have parents who are open-minded enough and had confidence in the future of natural wines, as most people around here were still more inclined towards commercial wines. But they acknowledged my passion and drive and let me go ahead with it, and we are all pretty happy with the results.
"Today, my dad and I work together: I am the head behind the production and he works in the background and let’s me lead the way.
“I am happy to have good friends in the industry such as 2Naturkinder and the Brand Brothers - we all help and motivate each other. It's great to be part of this group as we all grow together.
"Right now, there is a clear natural winemaking trend happening in Germany. People are turning away from commercially made products full of pesticides. I am happy to have good friends in the industry such as 2Naturkinder and the Brand Brothers - we all help and motivate each other. It's great to be part of this group as we all grow together.
"Talking about the vintages you have received, 2019, just like 2018, have been really hot years for us. In 2019 the harvest was rather small due to little water reserves, but of incredibly good quality. Probably the best one we've ever had. I am happy with the alcohol percentage which is 12%. Less than that I find them too edgy, more than that too boozy.
“For the whites: The grapes went initially through our 100-year-old direct press (we've got a cellar which is dating back to the 1600's). The juice then goes into wooden barrels housed there for about nine months. Then we bottle them up. Maybe it doesn't sound very spectacular but it is just my way of making wines: I want them to be fresh, reviving and I want the process to be clean and errorless.
"As for the Skin 2019, this is a special one for us; skin-contact Silvaner from 40-year-old vines. We destemmed 50% of the grapes by hand to get totally healthy berries, and to keep the fruit intact. The other 50% we kept whole bunch, and added both whole-bunch clusters and destemmed berried to qvevri & amphora for 9 months. After, they were pressed, and bottled. It's fantastic to see how fresh & juicy a wine can still be even after 9 months on skins!
"At the moment I am quite happy with the development of our vineyard. We are paying great attention to the care of the old vines, which if maintained well, can flourish for another 60 years. The next future project would be making wines biodynamically - we have already started making first steps in this direction!"
Now in Stock
WHITE
NEW 2019 White - Muller Thurgau, Silvaner, Scheurebe, Bacchus
NEW 2019 MTH - Muller Thurgau
NEW 2019 Silvaner - Silvaner
SKIN
NEW 2019 Skin - Silvaner
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A Spontaneous 'Tasting' Fermentation!
A Spontaneous ‘Tasting’ Fermentation
Tuesday Sep 1, 10am - 4pm
We've received lots of exciting new vintages that we can't wait to share with you - please come and join us this coming Tuesday, the 1st September at Weino BIB for a taste!
For this very spontaneous and somewhat last minute tasting we're teaming up with good friends and usual suspects Otros Vinos and Wright's Wines.
By appointment only!
Click below to book your slot (we're taking bookings every half hour from between 10am and 3pm - tasting wraps up at 4pm)
Looking forward to tasting with you!
Tom & Al
Domaine Durrmann - Landing Party
Help Us Celebrate the Arrival of Our Favourite Summer Wines with an Evening Tasting & Wood-Grill out the back of Juliets Quality Foods.
The wines of Domaine Durrmann need no introduction. After a long and deeply felt absence, we have just received a huge shipment of wines from Yann and his family in Alsace and we cannot wait to celebrate their release with you all!
To mark the occasions we are throwing an Alsatian BBQ & impromtu Wine Tasting out the back of Juliets Quality foods on Sunday evening August 23rd from 18pm - 23pm.
There will be a staggering array of Durrmann's latest cuvees to taste along with hearty Alsatian plates of wood grilled sausages, new potato in fresh buttermilk & horseradish & fermented white asparagus.
Tastings are FREE for trade. Book your spot below!
Hardy's Easy-Drinking 2019
Xaviére Hardy
La Chapelle-Glain, Loire-Atlantique, France
Xavière hasn’t taken an easy path. There were no vines for miles around her village – La Chapelle-Glain, about 60km north of Nantes. In fact, planting vines there was officially forbidden. That wasn't about to stop Xavière, who refused to be deterred from her dream of a career change after 20 years running her own business. Enlisting the help of Ancenis grower Jacque Caroger, she lobbied the local council, who eventually relented and gave her permission to plant her vineyard. After analysing the terroir she chose Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Grolleau.
Connection to the plant is paramount, so Xavière tends her vines by hand. In the cellar she works very delicately, using no sulphur or filtration. She uses biodynamic treatments and herbal teas made from local flowers and honey instead of copper in the vineyard.
Her new 2019 vintages just landed! We've had a chat:
For the 2018 Vin du Pastre we've had a huge harvest, and the wine turned out very light and easy-drinking with 10% ABV, it was almost juice like. In 2019 the harvest was more controlled and I have renamed it to Ma Garance Voyageuse because the cuvée has changed a lot compared to last year: it is much more punchy, it has more tannins, and there is also more alcohol: 11.5%. Direct pressing, 8-10 day fermentation in vats then matured in barrels for eight months. I have chosen this name because I became grandmother last year to a little girl called Garance – so this is her cuvée!
The 2019 XH² is softer than the 2018 version, it is elegant and easy-drinking. Ten-day maceration in vats, pressed then matured in barrels for eight months. An elegant wine with subtle black cherry and blackcurrant aromas, slightly peppery. 2019 in general has been a bit of a tough year as we have lost a lot to frost, so this cuvée is of very limited quantity.
It is similar for the 2019 AWA: due to frost losses, I didn't produce big quantities. It is a beautiful cuvée, which is quite similar taste-wise to the 2018 version: dry, aromatic, round. 8-10 day fermentation in vats then matured in barrels for eight months.
None of the above cuvées have added sulfites.
The 2019 Osez Josephine is a brand new cuvée and has been created out of my own grapes, as well as grapes which I bought from a friend as I had to supplement due to frost losses. Direct pressing, 8-10 days fermentation in vats with indigenous yeasts then matured in barrels for eight months. A fresh white wine with complex aromas of yellow and dried fruits. I have added 35mg/l of sulfites. I really like the song 'Osez Josephine' by Alain Bashung, so that's where the name comes from.
Both of the whites are in general easy-drinking and aromatic, and with 14% of ABV each also quite powerful.
This year has been looking good so far, we didn't suffer any frost or mildew, nor heat waves. The only thing is that the grapes seem to be at different levels of maturity across the vineyard, so I am waiting to see if we will need to do a phased harvest to achieve optimal results.
As for future projects, I have planted an additional half-hectare of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir in order to have more wine of these two varieties because I have a very small estate [1.5 ha including this young plantation]. So we should be able to reap the results in about two years time!
Now in Stock
WHITE
NEW 2019 (VDF) AWA - Pinot Gris
NEW 2019 (VDF) Osez Joséphine - Chenin
RED
NEW 2019 (VDF) Ma Garance Voyageuse - Grolleau
NEW 2019 (VDF) XH² - Pinot Noir
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Our Rhône Again (Naturally)
La Roche Buissiere
France, Southern Rhône, Vaison-la-Romaine
Located northeast of Vaison-La-Romaine in the southern Côtes du Rhône, Antoine Joly and his wife Laurence work 18 hectares of organic vineyards planted with Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. They maintain a freshness and lightness in their wines by dedicating themselves to very intense vineyard work that allows to harvest earlier, resulting in less concentrated wines. They hand-harvest, don’t use synthetic yeasts, and don’t fine or filter.
Their new 2019 vintages just landed - as well as a refill of the 2018 Petit Jo! We've had a chat:
"After an awful year 2018 where we have lost big amounts to mildew, 2019 was better, but we did struggle with a long heat wave of four months without a single drop of rain. As a result of that we have harvested very early and very fast. We've had a total of 25 staff and have finished in 11 days.
"The 2019 Rosé is a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsault from 15-20 year old vines grown on clay-limestone and silt. We've used whole grapes, which were pressed straight away and then went directly into tanks. The fermentation took place for 15 days. The idea was to create a light and easy drinking rosé.
"The 2019 Premices is made of 90% Grenache and 10% Cinsault. We have added Cinsault this time in order to bring more freshness. As usual, it was the first cuvée we have released this year, as it was the first one to be harvested. For this cuvée we usually do very short macerations, which helps achieve a light colour and fresh juice. The maceration took place four days in total. After 72 hours, we started to take the juice out of the tank, one hectolitre per day, while leaving the whole grapes inside to keep fermenting further. Like this we had constant fresh juice being created. We have been doing this for four days in total until all the juice was out.
The fermentation was also very short: 12 days - which we call 'rosé style'.
"Both of these cuvées are fresh and easy wines, perfect for summer and are best served cold.
"The 2018 Petit Jo is made from a blend of 50% Syrah - 50% Grenache on a clay-limestone terroir (with a very varied texture: marl, sand or silt) situated between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. It's a wine perfect for sharing with friends and family: easy-drinking with notes of red fruits and spices.
"All three cuvées are aged in tanks, are unfined and unfiltered, and had a total of 10 mg/l of sulfites added at bottling.
"So far this year is looking good for us, we haven't had any frost or mildew this year. We are hoping for a comeback of our Petite Jeanne cuvée, named after our daughter, which we weren't able to make for the last two years due to grape shortages."
Now in Stock
ROSÉ
NEW 2019 (VDF) Rosé - Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault
RED
NEW 2019 (Côtes du Rhône) Premices - Grenache, Cinsault
2018 (VDF) Petit Jo - Grenache, Syrah
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Introducing Offbeat Wines
Offbeat Wines – Daniel Ham
Cloudy Pet Nats, sparkling reds and an amphora-fermented skin-contact wine. Not exactly what you would expect when you think of wine from the West Country.
It never even crossed our minds when we started Under the Bonnet that we would be working with wines actually made in the UK, it is really cool that we are now working with an English wine producer.
Offbeat – the project of young winemaker Daniel Ham – started in 2018, we first tasted the debut vintage during a lock-in/power cut at 161 towards the end of last year.
The project has a true garage feel to it. Small-scale, simple production, letting the grapes speak for themselves. Just a 2,000-bottle production, hybrid varieties, grapes sourced from unsprayed or practically wild vineyards, macerations, amphora and pet-nats. Wild yeast and sulphur only when he really has to.
Dan isn’t just making wines a-la-mode for the 2020 harvest. He has bought a 50-year-old, two-ton square Coquard basket press, shipped from Champagne, and is investing in old oak. The plan is to make the wine in the way that best suits the raw material he has to work with at the time the grapes are picked, the idea evolving on return from the vineyard to winery.
There is a clear identity that runs through the wines and we can’t wait to see this project develop. The fruit selection on these wines was rigorous which has led to great stability in the bottle.
Skinny Dip and the amphora
2019 Mind Over Matter – Siegerrebe, Solaris
Field blend of Siegerrebe (36%) and Solaris (64%). 10% of Siegerrebe hand-destemmed then foot-trodden in amphora. The rest was whole-bunch pressed, naturally settled then racked to the same amphora. Bottled via gravity after 15 days, lightly disgorged to remove the heaviest lees.
The fruit used for this wine was grown by Kathy Archer at her vineyard just outside of Ottery Saint Mary in Devon. Kathy is an organic grower (uncertified) and uses no pesticides or herbicides, relying on hard work and spending time amongst the vines to produce grapes of extraordinary quality.
2019 Wild Juice Chase – Triomphe
100% Triomphe d’Alsace, handpicked, carbonic maceration in stainless steel vat for five days. Gently pressed, left to ferment for a further eight days. Bottled via gravity, with a small amount of natural sugar remaining to finish fermentation. Hand-disgorged to remove the heaviest deposits.
Grapes come from a small plot of 35-year-old vines grown on clay over chalk in Hampshire’s Test Valley. A relaxed, lutte raisonée management approach is adopted and the vines grow with little human manipulation.
2018 Skinny Dip – Solaris
Ripe Solaris grapes from Kathy Archer’s vineyard were destemmed into an 800-litre amphora and left to naturally ferment. Three months of maceration, skins were pressed, and added back to the free run. Rested on full lees in stainless steel for a further ten months before bottling via gravity. In our eyes, a really accomplished wine considering it was Dan’s first vintage.
We have limited quantities of these wines so if you are interested please let us know ASAP so we can try to make sure we save some for you. NB: There will be no further discounts available on these wines.
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Sunshine, seafood.. sorted
Complemen'terre
France, Nantes, Muscadet
Both Marion and Manu were born in Muscadet and have been around vineyards their whole lives. After a long time away working for winemakers in New Zealand (Felton Road Winery) and Chile (Domaine Clos Ouvert), they settled in 2013 in the village of le Pallet and work now with three grape varieties: Melon de Bourgogne (eight hectares), Folle Blanche (0.68ha) at la Haye-Fouassière, and Gamay (0.60ha). The wines are all vinified by parcel with the aim of showing off the varied volcanic terroir of the region.
Marion and Manu work organically and in line with the lunar calendar, in total respect of the soils and the nature.
Their 2018 and 2019 whites have just landed - perfect with some sunshine and oysters!
We've had a quick chat:
"The 2019 68 Ares is 100% Folle Blanche, a really aromatic grape which matures late and a variety we've got very little of in the vineyard, exactly 68 ares (0.7ha) on orthogneiss. So being able to produce this cuvée is sort of revolutionary for us! We have replanted some of the vines recently as they were in a bad spot where they were really sensitive to frost. With this change we expect to be able to be a lot more productive in about three years time.
"Direct press, fermentation in tank. Racked once and unfiltered. It then finishes off in the bottle for about five to six months. The cuvée is perfect with seafood as it is citrusy with a hint of acidity, so gives a fresh punch to balance out the flavours.
"The 2019 La Croix Moriceau is 100% Melon de Bourgogne and is planted on deep soil of limon and sand and is also ripening rather slowly. This wine makes up a third of our whole production. As with all our other wines, this cuvée has been harvested by hand and directly pressed. Fermentation on lees for six to seven months. Unfiltered. Expect a fruity and round cuvée with a bit of gas, which will get rounder with time. Generally it is an easy-drinking wine with low acidity.
"As for the 2018 cuvées, it was a year when we've had a huge harvest. Crop of very good quality with barely any damage. The 2018 Le Breil is aged on lees for 17 months in stainless steel. The 2018 Nolem fermented in barrels for 10 months. Both are unfiltered.
"This year we are already looking at an earlier harvest, we will be starting around the 20th of August, so three weeks earlier than usual. Due to the warmer weather the crops are maturing more quickly. Flowering started end of March, which means harvest is 100 days later. Fingers crossed we will have good results!"
Now in Stock
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NEW 2019 (VDF) 68 Ares - Folle Blanche
NEW 2019 (AOC Muscadet) La Croix Moriceau - Melon B
2018 (AOC Muscadet ) Le Breil - Melon B
2018 (AOC Muscadet) Nolem - Melon B
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The Fresh Cognette-tion
Cognettes
France, Nantes, Muscadet, Clisson
Seventh-generation winemaker brothers, Stéphane and Vincent started working in their family vineyards in 1988, converted to organic in 2009, and produced their first certified vintage in 2013.
Their soil is volcanic in two terroirs; the first has a top soil of sand, gravel and clay with a subsoil soil of gabbro. The second; a topsoil quartz with a subsoil of granite.
Their new 2019 reds as well as refills of their 2018 whites have just landed - we've had a quick chat:
"In 2019 we have lost a big amount of grapes to frost, but we've still had great results for our reds. The grapes were of very good quality with loads of aroma and a good colour. The harvest has been easy as there weren't many rotten grapes.
"For the Le Pas Rouge 2019 we've had two types of macerations: one with destemmed grapes only and the other one whole bunch. The result is a Gamay with a great balance between aroma and acidity. It's a red wine which is really fresh and not heavy to drink. So we are hoping to have a similar result in 2020!
"For the Pinot Noir 2019 we were lucky as well when it comes to the quality of the grapes last year. The wine has been aged in tanks as these don't change the aroma of the wine, so we've got the real taste of the Pinot Noir shining through. This cuvee has an ABV of 14% which is exceptional for our wines which have usually a lower percentage. In France we call this sort of wine 'le vin des copains', which means a wine particularly good for sharing with friends.
"As for 2018, we have lost a good amount due to mildew. But what we were able to save was of good quality. Due to a hot summer which followed after a rainy spring, the 2018 whites are generally rich but still very fresh, with fermentations ranging between three to 13 months in order to achieve the right balance. The 2019 Chardonnay will be great but it is still fermenting. In general, natural wines have a longer fermentation than conventional wines. And the whites are fermenting even longer than reds.
"At the moment we've got a three-week advance in the vineyard due to the mild climate. We are very happy as so far the vines are looking very good, after the last couple of challenging years this will be a welcome change. But, the advance means no holidays for us this summer as we will now need to work quicker to catch up as well as have an earlier harvest than usual.
"Next year we will be trying out something new: we will do a Sauvignon Gris maceration. We're looking forward to seeing the results of that!"
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2018 (IGP) Gros Plant - Folle Blanche
2018 (IGP) Chardonnay - Chardonnay
2018 (AOC Muscadet) Muscadet les 2 Terres - Melon de B.
RED
NEW 2019 (IGP) Le Pas Rouge - Gamay
NEW 2019 (IGP) Pinot Noir - Pinot Noir
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(Donkey) KILLER WINES
Mataburro
Rivesaltes, Pyrénées-Orientales, France
Laurent Roger and Melissa Ingrand’s project is named for the railway line that runs just behind their vines. The first in the Perpignan region, on its opening day in 1910 two unfortunate donkeys were killed by trains. Mataburro means “donkey killer”.
They are farming three hectares in Rivesaltes. To have maximum soil life they do not plough, using green manure planting instead. Vineyards are worked organically with the only treatments used sulphur, copper and some essential oils. Winemaking uses native yeast with no fining or filtration.
Their 2019 cuvees have just landed - we've had a quick chat:
"For the 2019 cuvee of Otium we have used Grenache Noir, planted by my grandfather in 1949, as well as small amounts of Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Macabeo and Carignan. All were harvested at the same time. The idea was to have more diversity in the wine. Whole bunch infusion, without extracting too much tannins from the skins. A total of 7 days maceration. Aged in tank. The end result is delicate and floral, with just a little bit of tannins.
"The 2019 Idoine cuvee comes from the Merlot parcel right next to Otium, planted by my father 30 years ago. Last year it was a mix between Merlot and Grenache, but this year it's 100% Merlot. Pigeage, then 7 day maceration, aged in tank. I liked the Merlot juice which had cherry and grenadine flavours and I have decided to create a cuvee out of it.
"In general, our cuvees are very experimental. What I'm driven towards are fresh and light wines, which I like to evolve regularly. There are no set guidelines or winemaking techniques we follow. These don't matter to us, what matters is the end result. It is more led by what we feel like every year. We go out into the vineyards and we taste the grapes together. Every year the climate is different, the grapes are different. Everything is determined by feeling and intuition.
"Next year we might be bringing out our first white cuvee, so stay tuned!"
Now in Stock
RED
2019 Otium - Grenache, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Macabeo and Carignan
2019 Idoine - Merlot
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From Anjou with Love
Thomas Boutin
France, Loire, Anjou, Rochefort-sur-Loire, Angers
Now finally back in stock: 2018 Charabia, Celsiane and La Quillette. We've had a quick chat with Thomas:
"2018 has been difficult but with a good result. We've had loads of rain in June which caused mildew. It stopped in July and the heat allowed us to fight the mildew, which then resulted in a good harvest both quality and quantity wise."
"As for the 2018 cuvees, there were a couple of changes. For example for Charabia, which is normally 100% Chardonnay, I have added 15% of Chenin, to make the wine more round. For La Quillette I have upped the Grolleau percentage from 5% to 20%, to add more peppery and spicy notes. In general what happened was that my yield has generally doubled, it went from 13 hl/ha in 2017 to 30 hl/ha in 2018."
"Each wine has a name for a reason: La Quillette means 'la petite bouteille' - 'the small bottle'. This stands for a wine which is very easy to drink and quick to finish, it is overall a light and fruity wine.”
”La Charabia stands for a person who doesn't make sense when they talk: 'tu fait du Charabia' - 'you are talking nonsense'. As this is again a very easy drinking wine, so 'Charabia' is basically what happens as the end result.
Celsiane is a name of a rare tulip which grows near Coteaux du Layon, and I have chosen this name as a homage to my parents and grandparents who were all working in agriculture, same as me before I started making wines. This particular tulip is also often planted in between the vines of biologically farmed vineyards is order to help cultivate them."
"This year so far we were lucky and we haven't had any frost or mildew. It is looking rather hot already, so I'm planning to harvest around the 23rd/ 24th of August. Which means about 2 weeks earlier than last year. Let's see where this takes us!"
Now in Stock
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2018 Charabia - Chardonnay (85%), Chenin (15%)
Manual harvest. Direct pressing. Vinification with natural yeasts. Aged in vats, on the lees for 10 months. Unfiltered, racked before bottling.
2018 Celsiane - Chenin
Manual harvest. Direct pressing. Vinification with natural yeasts. Aged in vats, on the lees for 11 months. Unfiltered, racked before bottling.
RED
2018 La Quillette - Gamay (60%), Cab Franc (20%) & Grolleau (20%)
Manual harvest. Direct pressing. Vinification with natural yeasts. Whole bunch maceration for 8 days in vats. Separate maceration and vinification for all grape varieties. Aged in vats, on the lees for 9 months. Unfiltered, racked before bottling.
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Alsace... At Last!
Vins d'Alsace Rietsch
France, Alsace, Mittelbergheim
The long-awaited Blanc & Rouge au Litre 2019 have finally landed!
We've had a chat with Jean-Pierre:
"The Blanc au Litre 2019 consists of Auxerrois and Riesling. I have actually also added a good amount from the 2018 harvest, as we've had an abundance of wine that year, compared to 2019. Actually there is even more 2018 than 2019 juice in this wine, I would say about 2/3 of 2018 and 1/3 of 2019. As as a result the wine is more creamy and round. It was just bottled in April but I have the feeling it doesn't need much more time to mature, it is ready to drink now. This is an Edelzwicker cuvee, which is an Alsace appellation. Next year it will be Vin de France like the red one."
"The 2018 addition had long aging on lees. As it was a great harvest that year we didn't have to sort out much rotten grapes, they were pretty good quality already. They then went onto the pneumatic press. I have added a small amount of sulphur into the 2/3 of wine of 2018, but none into 2019. In general the sulphur amount is still very low.
"What is new for the Rouge au Litre 2019 is that it now has an addition of Pinot Gris, so the appellation changed to Vin de France. In Alsace, if you want to keep the Edelzwicker appellation for the reds, you are only allowed to put in Pinot Noir, no Pinot Gris. So that is the reason for the change.
The wine is made from a semi-carbonic fermentation and was macerated for 22 days. It was then aged in steel vats for six months. I have added 10mg of sulphur on bottling.
"This year the harvest is already looking quite good. We've had a good amount of rain over the winter months, which brought a good water reserve to the soil for dryer days. The vines are developing lovely so far, we are now at the end of the flowering phase, with the fruits starting to set very soon. Right now the cool temperatures in Alsace are helping to keep the growth spurts in control."
Now in Stock
WHITE
NEW 2019 Blanc au Litre - Riesling, Auxerrois
RED
NEW 2019 Rouge au Litre - Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris
SPARKLING
2016/17 Extra Brut - Non Dose - Auxerrois, Chardonnay
Natural fermentation from indigenous yeasts. Aged in the tank for one year. Bottling was done with an addition of fresh grape juice from the new crop in 2018.
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Crac is Back!
CHÂTEAU BAROUILLET
France, Bergerac & Monbazillac in Pomport
Vincent is an eighth-generation winemaker; joining his father in 2010, when he started the organic "project" at Barouillet - bottling their own wines rather than selling the grapes for bulk-blending. Organic conversion started with 6 hectares and since 2013 the entire estate has been organic.
The long awaited Bergecrac Blanc & Rouge 2019 have finally landed!
We've had a chat with Vincent:
"We have bottled both of the Bergecrac Blanc & Rouge about 2 months ago. Bergecrac Blanc is a blend, as usual, made up of locally grown grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Chenin, Semillon. All of them add something different: Sauvignon Blanc is aromatic, Sauvignon Gris adds the texture, Chenin adds the freshness that makes you want the second glass and Semillon is just great juice! What I was trying to achieve with this wine is having something quite round and opulent, and I think that with this vintage we've now found the right balance."
"Bergecrac Rouge is also a blend and is made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Merille. There is something new we've added to this vintage: Merille - which is a really local and sort of lost grape variety from Bergerac. It is light and aromatic and there is about 5% of it within this blend.
To make this wine we've had a really small extraction and a short maceration, of about 5-6 days max. It was aged in a tank. In general, the Bergecrac range is made for easy drinking!"
NOW IN STOCK
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NEW 2019 Bergecrac Blanc - Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Semillon, Chenin
RED
NEW 2019 Bergecrac Rouge - Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Merille
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