Wine
Wine
Julien Guillot 2018 Mégamix Vin de France
French Red
Red fruit appears with floral and herbal notes. The palate is young, fresh and light, with good acidity and a persistent finish. The grapes come from vines between twenty-five and eighty years old and are harvested by hand. A short carbonic maceration is followed by eighteen months in a conical wooden vat. The vineyard is farmed biodynamically, and the wine is classified as natural.
François Chidaine 2020 Les Argiles Vin de France
French White
Apricot, honey, citrus, pear and apple accompany a broad, dry profile with fresh acidity. The mid-palate is rich and rounded, and the finish is textural, with subtle apple-pie notes. Chenin grows in deep clay and white chalk above tuffeau. Indigenous yeasts ferment in six-hundred-litre demi-muids, where the wine also matures on its lees. The vineyard is farmed organically and biodynamically.
Donkey & Goat 2014 Stone Crusher Roussanne El Dorado
American White
Deep orange-gold in colour, this skin-contact Roussanne shows floral, apricot and nutty notes. The palate is dry and light-bodied, with chewy tannins and mineral character. Fermentation takes place on the skins for twelve days in an open-top wooden vat. Maturation lasts ten months, with sixty percent in neutral French oak. The finish is long, with stone fruit and spice.
Weingut Weninger 2018 Saybritz Blaufränkisch
Austrian Red
Blaufränkisch grows on a steep, south-facing Saybritz vineyard at Eisenberg. The vines are fifty years old, rooted in highly calcareous clay-loess above blue-green slate. Drainage through the stone brings freshness and bright fruit, while the clay brings fine sweetness and fullness. The wine has twelve and a half percent alcohol and is vegan. Farming follows biodynamic Demeter and Respekt guidelines.
Radikon 2015 Ribolla Gialla Venezia Giulia IGT 500 mL
Italian White
Orange blossom, honey, passion fruit and walnut accompany mineral character and light tannins. The wine is dry and fresh, with a long finish. Ribolla Gialla undergoes extended skin contact before thirty-six months in large casks. The bottled wine is unfiltered, unfined and made without added sulphur dioxide. The vines are farmed organically and biodynamically, and the wine is classified as natural.
Domaine des Marnes Blanches Macvin du Jura Blanc NV
French Fortified
Walnut, dried fruit, prune, spice and wood accompany a supple, rich profile with freshness. The finish is persistent, with caramel and walnut. The blend combines two parts Chardonnay and Savagnin juice with one part old marc. It spends thirty-six months in cask and has seventeen and a half percent alcohol. This is a white vin de liqueur from Jura.
La Stoppa 2010 Barbera della Stoppa Emilia Barbera IGT
Italian Red
Black fruit, sous bois, liquorice and coffee accompany an intense red colour with earthy reflections. The wine is long and full-bodied. Barbera is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and remains on the skins for forty days in stainless steel or concrete. Maturation uses seasoned French oak and larger wooden vats. It is bottled without filtration or clarification and may contain sediment.
Vigneti Massa 2020 Derthona Timorasso
Italian White
Yellow fruit and hydrocarbon notes accompany a structured profile with softness, freshness and savoury character. Timorasso grows near Tortona in clay soils rich in silt. The grapes are vinified cold for about forty-five hours in stainless steel. The wine remains on fine lees for twelve months with regular bâtonnage, followed by additional bottle rest. Alcohol is thirteen and a half percent.
Matsu 2020 La Jefa Malvasía Toro
Spanish White
The wine is made entirely from Malvasía. Vanilla and ripe stone fruit stand out, accompanied by creamy notes and light anise. The palate is mouth-filling and silky, with creaminess and good acidity. The finish is long and dry. Grapes come from scattered parcels of old, pre-phylloxera vines cultivated naturally in Toro, and this is the producer’s first white wine from the region.
Mixtura 2019 Blanco Vino de España
Spanish White
Treixadura from the Avia Valley accounts for fifty-five percent of the blend, with forty-five percent Albariño from Valeixe and Melgaço. Yellow apple, citrus, fresh herbs and white flowers define the profile. The palate has good acidity, and the finish is long, savoury and intense. The grapes grow in granitic soils with varying amounts of decomposed sand. Alcohol is thirteen and a half percent.
Trefethen 2021 Eshcol Red Oak Knoll District
American Red
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for fifty-one percent of the blend, with Malbec at twenty-three percent, Merlot and Petit Verdot at twelve percent each, and Cabernet Franc at two percent. Raspberry and Bing cherry appear with leather and liquorice. Dark fruit and black pepper are also present. The finish is balanced and smooth. Fruit comes entirely from the Main Ranch estate vineyard, and maturation lasts fourteen months.
Domaine Gérard Persenot 2023 Irancy
French Red
Pinot Noir forms this dry red from Irancy. The profile is fruit-led, with light spice, freshness and tannic structure. Limestone and clay characterize the terroir, and the colour is bright ruby. The wine is youthful. Serve it at about sixteen degrees; brief decanting can help the aromas open. It suits poultry, beef, veal and mushroom dishes.
Hope Estate 2012 Signature Semillon Hunter Valley
Australian White
Bright lemon to pale straw colour accompanies lemon, lime zest, herbs and floral notes. Toast and honey appear with bottle age. The palate is crisp and focused, with vibrant, refined acidity and a light to medium body. Citrus peel and savoury notes are also present. The finish is clean and persistent, and the profile maintains its freshness.
Wildman Wines 2022 Astro Bunny Pét-Nat 1.5 L
Australian Sparkling
Vermentino, Zibibbo, Grüner Veltliner, Nero d’Avola and Verdejo make up the blend. The wine is pale, hazy orange, with spice, white pepper and cut lime. Peach and nectarine appear with watermelon. The fruit comes from Adelaide Hills, Riverland and McLaren Vale sites. Zibibbo receives twenty-four hours of skin contact, and secondary fermentation takes place in bottle after frozen juice is added.
Mark Haisma 2020 Saint-Péray
French White
Equal parts Marsanne and Roussanne are vinified separately: Marsanne in tank and Roussanne in used oak. The wine is juicy, with clear mineral character. Its luminous yellow-green colour accompanies ripe white fruit, lees, chopped herbs, chamomile and red apple. A lemon-soap note is also present. The profile is rich and fruity, and the alcohol level is thirteen and a half percent.
Champagne Clos de la Chapelle Instinct Premier Cru Brut NV
French Sparkling
Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay form the blend. White fruit appears first, followed by white flowers. The initial impression is fine and delicate, while the palate is generous and precise, with mineral character. The mousse is soft, and bottle ageing contributes depth. The wine has good length and is suited to aperitifs, first courses and fish.
Ken Forrester 2018 The FMC Chenin Blanc
South African White
Chenin comes from low-yielding bush vines planted in nineteen seventy-four on Clovelly soil. The fruit is hand selected at full maturity. Fermentation and maturation take place over twelve months in new four-hundred-litre barrels, with time on the lees. Pear, lemon, peach and apricot appear with honeysuckle, dried apricot, vanilla and honey. The profile is fresh, and the finish is long and pithy.
Ogier 2020 Héritages Châteauneuf-du-Pape
French Red
Grenache accounts for seventy-five percent of the blend, with Mourvèdre at fifteen percent and Syrah at ten percent. Deep ruby colour has purple highlights. Cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant appear with black pepper, eucalyptus and leather. The wine is full on the palate, with pure fruit, tannins and a long sense of freshness. Stewed black fruit, mocha and a light animal note are also present.
Strekov 1075 2020 Frankovka
Slovak Red
Frankovka Modrá grows on a gently sloping site. Mud and loam cover the surface, while the soil is rich in calcium and contains limestone. Cherry and dark berries appear in the fruit-led profile. The wine is medium-bodied, with layered aromas, firm tannin structure and slightly angular acidity. The variety is also known as Blaufränkisch, and the alcohol level is thirteen percent.
Le Chiuse 2023 Rosso di Montalcino
Italian Red
Ruby colour with violet reflections accompanies cherry, violet and orange peel. Cardamom, wild herbs and spice appear with dried flowers, cinnamon and undergrowth. The fruit is crisp and persistent. The texture is dense and silky. Smooth tannins and ample acidity accompany a long finish. Fermentation takes place in cement with indigenous yeasts, and the vines grow in sandy clay soils.
Domaine Elian Da Ros 2021 Chante-Coucou Côtes du Marmandais
French Red
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah are vinified separately in open concrete vats with gentle extraction. Dark colour accompanies preserved black fruit, blueberry, ripe blackberry, cassis and prune. Peony and dried chrysanthemum appear with resinous, balsamic notes recalling pine and cypress. Ripe tomato, pink pepper and Espelette pepper are also present. The vines grow in clay-gravel soils over grey marl molasse, and the vineyard is farmed biodynamically.
Domaine des Pasquiers 2022 Gigondas
French Red
Equal parts Grenache and Syrah are vinified and aged for nine months in concrete tanks. Red and dark fruit appear with clove and wet tobacco. Dark cherry, garrigue, mulberry and spice accompany graphite, earth, mineral and meaty notes. The wine is medium- to full-bodied, with depth, velvety tannins and a long finish. The vineyards are certified organic.
Phantom Creek Estates 2020 Becker Vineyard Cuvée
Canadian Red
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc form the blend. Kirsch, plum and spiced blackberry appear with dried sage, dark chocolate, cedar and oak. The profile is full-bodied and balanced, with fruit weight and a long finish. The historic vineyard lies on the Black Sage Bench. Higher spring rainfall and mild temperatures were followed by hot, dry conditions through harvest. Smaller berries contributed concentrated flavours and elevated tannins.
Frank Cornelissen 2021 Munjebel Rosso
Italian Red
Nerello Mascalese grows on volcanic soils, with vines averaging sixty years of age. The grapes are harvested by hand, destemmed and gently pressed. Spontaneous fermentation lasts sixty days in epoxy tanks with indigenous yeasts. Maturation also takes place in epoxy. The wine is neither fined nor given added sulphur dioxide, and filtration uses five-micron cartridges. The vineyard is farmed organically.
Hillside Winery 2017 Mosaic Naramata Bench
Canadian Red
The blend is thirty-three percent Merlot, twenty-five percent Cabernet Franc, eighteen percent Malbec, seventeen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and seven percent Petit Verdot. It matures for eighteen months in French oak, forty-two percent new. The tannins are mostly dispersed, leaving a silky, dry texture. The fruit comes from vineyards on Naramata Bench in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.
Gérard Bertrand Château La Sauvageonne 2011 Grand Vin Rouge Terrasses du Larzac
French Red
Grenache is joined by Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan. Grapes are harvested by hand and sorted. Maceration lasts twenty to twenty-five days in temperature-controlled vats, while maturation lasts twelve to sixteen months in two-hundred-and-twenty-five-litre French oak. Deep ruby colour with brick-red highlights accompanies wild thyme, rosemary, ripe black fruit, jam, gingerbread and mineral notes. The palate is lively and balanced. Spice and tannins are present, and the finish is long.
Domaine Jean Bourdy 2020 Côtes du Jura Rouge
French Red
Trousseau, Poulsard and Pinot Noir are co-fermented. The wine spends two years in large French oak. Alpine bramble, dark cherry and red plum appear with Asian spice, damp earth, dried flowers and game. The profile is tangy, lightly oaked and medium-bodied, with high acidity, medium tannins and low sweetness. The finish is dry. Wild yeast is used.
Domaine Nicolas Rossignol 2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
French Red
Pinot Noir grows on poor, well-draining soils. The wine has medium-intensity cherry-red colour. Red fruit, sweet spice and undergrowth accompany silky tannins and lively acidity. The finish has a mineral character. The profile is structured and fruit-focused, and the texture is smooth. The vineyard is managed under a reasoned approach. Maturation uses sixty percent wood and forty percent tank.
Las Moradas de San Martín 2019 Senda Garnacha 1.5 L
Spanish Red
Old bush vines grow on granitic, sandy-loam soils. The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted on a table. Fermentation uses indigenous yeasts, and maturation lasts ten months in five-hundred-litre French oak. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration. Cherry colour accompanies floral notes, plum, scrubland and mineral character. The profile is fresh, lively and aromatic, with a long finish.
Domaine Sébastien Giroux 2021 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Raidillons
French White
Chardonnay grows in clay soils with little limestone at three hundred metres. The vines face east and average forty-five years of age. Grapes are harvested by hand and pressed slowly. Fermentation uses indigenous yeasts at low temperature. Half the wine matures in tank and half in four-hundred-litre barrels on fine lees for eleven months. The wine is lightly filtered before bottling.