Great wines coming soon - a preview
A tasting at Terroir. The ultimate antidote to a very bad day. By Kate
Freaky Friday. Trying to concentrate on a splendid tasting at one of my favourite places in London (Terroir)
Just in time for our World Cup/South Africa promotion! This is the first vintage of this wine, made at the Iona winery with the involvement of Neils Verburg who makes our ever popular Luddite Shiraz. This brand new project is owned by an English person who moved out to South Africa and bought a house with a few vines in the Elgin Valley, at 282 metres above sea-level (hence the name of the wine).
Everything is small scale and organically farmed with, apparently, flocks of happy ducks bustling through the vineyard. Elgin is increasingly being hailed as one of the top regions for both Sauvignon and Pinot in South Africa
2008 Domaine Berhoumieu Pacherenc Vielles Vignes, Madiran , France
The region of Madiran is best known for producing structured, powerful reds with plenty of tannic grip and the tiny amount of white wine, although not obviously tannic, has – in its own much fresher, gentler way - a similar racy acidity and power. The Petit Manseng gives a very faintly aromatic edge, the Gros a lovely balancing fatness and the Courbu the aforementioned bracing acidity, all from vines which are up to 50 years old. This acidity is more to the fore in 2008 than usual as it was a particularly cool vintage.
This is no bad thing. The vinosity may be less than it often is but the edge is thrilling and very conducive to encouraging a second sip.
2007 San Lorenzo Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Superiore, Marche, Italy
San Lorenzo is a biodynamic estate in theMarche
The real jewels in their crown are a collection of wines which are aged for up to 20 years, with extraordinary and delicious results.
2008 Rene Mosse Anjou Blanc, Loire, France
Rene Mosse is one of theLoire wine makers who is part of the Renaissance movement. This is a relatively loose collection of young and young-ish growers who are doing things differently, working as naturally as possible in the vineyard and winery. Amazingly, given the tricksy climate, the Loire is now the heartland of the natural wine movement in France
Which is why, having tasted this, we feel that we have to have not one, but two whites from Anjou
This has bruised red apple and very delicately spiced honey flavours with just a hint of fresh nuts. There is something very slightly cidery about it but overall, the impression is one of incredible delicacy.
This is one I go back to again and again over the course of the tasting and while we have some food. It is brilliant every time.
2005 Bodegas Pirineos Moristel, Somado, Spain
This is a real slurper. Not the most chic description, but then it is clearly not a wine to get too precious about. Lovely, fresh aromatics – hay, pencil lead, juicy red fruit and a delicate spice mutate into a cranberry and coffee finish.
All of this at under £10 a bottle on the shelf. We are terribly happy with that.
2008 Lard des Choix Rouge, Les Champes Libres Ardeche, France
We immediately love this wine the moment we see the bottle. The label is a riot of brightly coloured pink pigs flying about and the name (which means ‘lard of choice’) is a play on words, supposed to sound like ‘Ardeche’. I spent a few minutes trying to grasp that, my already cold befuddled head not really getting how they are similar but no matter. Any completely biodynamic wine from an already favourite grower which has been named ‘lard of choice’ (and yet does not have the long term health implications associated with that) is ok by me.
Northern Ardeche , where this hails from, is just next door and climatically almost identical to Hermitage etc. This wine is the result of a collaboration between “two guys who love each other very much” says Florian solemnly.
We don’t think he means that they are actually in a romantic relationship as Herve Souhaut who makes the sensational ‘Souteronne’ in our lighter section is married. To a woman.
This, a blend of 80% Gamay and 10% Syrah, is delicious. That raw purity of fruit that characterizes truly natural wines. There are flavours of crisp, sweet red apples but also red berries and savoury spice. A complete pleasure to drink and so we do, sipping it at compulsively when the food arrives.
Added bonus – only 11.8% alcohol! God bless you, Herve Souhaut; and your beloved friend!
2008 Domaine Le Briseau Patapon, Loire , France
Another wine from a Loire producer we are huge fans of. Domaine Le Briseau is owned and worked by Christian Chaussard and Nathalie Gaubisher. He used to teach viticulture and wine making; she was an actress and sommelier in her native Switzerland
This is their blend of 90% : Pineau D’Aunis (HOW is it possible that more people don’t know about this incredibly delicious variety?) and 10% Cot. The flavours are gently herbal and box fresh. Unusually (strange, but true), I taste ripe grapes flavoured with peppered, slightly aromatic honey and a finish of red fruit and fresh straw. This wine is extraordinarily, beautifully limpid.
Despite a trying phone call which comes just before it, I can’t feel tense for too long with this in the glass.
That is an idea – tiny vials of natural wine as a cure for corporate stress.
2006 Clos Fantine, Faugueres , France
A new domaine to us, run by two sisters and one brother who are, apparently, very wild.
I think this is a reference to the farm and not to them personally but you never know. They make honey as well as wines and thanks to their sterling biodynamic efforts, indigenous wild flowers, absent for decades, are starting to return to the farm.
Their incredibly good value for money wine is the last word in pure concentration with a wonderfully brisk rusticity. Delicious juicy, intense, meaty fruis are balanced by hints of bloody spice and a rich chocolate finish.
2007 Monte de Grazia Rosso, Campania, Italy
Incredibly interesting winery but then, at a tasting with these two, I would not expect anything less.
Monte de Grazia work their very old, ungrafted vineyards completely organically. These are still planted in the tendone shape, on pergolas. A very traditional method, this has largely been abandoned by most forward thinking producers as being old fashioned and not as good for the vine. The fact that some of their vineyards survived phylloxera would tend to utterly discredit that argument!
Dr Alfonso Arpino, the owner, farms a mere 2.7 hectares and makes only 3 wines. This is his blend of Tintore di Tramonte and Pedirosso, the former from 125 year old vines. These are two very local varieties mainly used in blends. The Tintore is one of those rare red grapes that actually has coloured juice (instead of all the colour being in the skin), but despite this, its popularity is declining. It is believed that the Campania region used to have over 400 grape varieties but that they are now down to a mere 40.
This is not a good situation and so for reasons of conservation, we urge you to support the good doctor. Gladly, this won’t be a totally selfless act as the wine is completely delicious as well. Italy I still often xpect these southerners to have a rough and ready, rich rusticity but in all my favourites, nothing could be further from the truth.
Fabulous wine. We can’t wait to stock it.
2008 Panevino Tankadeddu Rosso, Sardinia , Italy
And just when I thought, despite colds and drama, it couldn’t get any better, Doug had saved the best for last.
This extraordinary wine is made by a baker who is apparently very inspired by both Bob Dylan and Jesus and is constantly quoting one or other of them. He bought a bakery (he was already a baker – this wasn’t some mad, hippy whim) that had some very old vines attached to it and before he knew it, was making both bread and wine.
How very biblical.
He has always been passionate about baking and felt that this same passion for transforming yeast and flour into bread translated seamlessly into making grapes into wine. He is also a passionate naturalist, with an apparently deep aversion to any artificial chemicals, being very allergic to S02. This then is as natural as they come- unfined and unfiltered it splashes thickly into the glasses where the colour is a dusky garnet.
The life affirming properties of this leap out and even my sickly senses can’t fail to pick up the intense perfume. Sweet red fruit, orange blossom and zest, cardamom and cloves. It vibrates with vitality and this intensity on the nose is there on the palate as well, soft and plump with a bracing edge.
Apparently, he believes that bread and wine is life. I would tend to completely agree, particularly when the wine is this good. Truly, a drink to banish care and colds and so far, my wine of the year.
Tasting over, plate after plate of extraordinary food starts to appear. Lardo di Colonnata from Tuscany
Just in time for our World Cup/South Africa promotion!
Everything is small scale and organically farmed with, apparently, flocks of happy ducks bustling through the vineyard.
The region of Madiran is best known for producing structured, powerful reds with plenty of tannic grip and the tiny amount of white wine, although not obviously tannic, has – in its own much fresher, gentler way - a similar racy acidity and power. The Petit Manseng gives a very faintly aromatic edge, the Gros a lovely balancing fatness and the Courbu the aforementioned bracing acidity, all from vines which are up to 50 years old. This acidity is more to the fore in 2008 than usual as it was a particularly cool vintage.
This is no bad thing. The vinosity may be less than it often is but the edge is thrilling and very conducive to encouraging a second sip.
San Lorenzo is a biodynamic estate in the
The real jewels in their crown are a collection of wines which are aged for up to 20 years, with extraordinary and delicious results.
Rene Mosse is one of the
This is one I go back to again and again over the course of the tasting and while we have some food. It is brilliant every time.
2005 Bodegas Pirineos Moristel, Somado, Spain
This is their blend of 90% : Pineau D’Aunis (HOW is it possible that more people don’t know about this incredibly delicious variety?) and 10% Cot.
Despite a trying phone call which comes just before it, I can’t feel tense for too long with this in the glass.
I think this is a reference to the farm and not to them personally but you never know. They make honey as well as wines and thanks to their sterling biodynamic efforts, indigenous wild flowers, absent for decades, are starting to return to the farm.
2007 Monte de Grazia Rosso, Campania, Italy
Monte de Grazia work their very old, ungrafted vineyards completely organically. These are still planted in the tendone shape, on pergolas. A very traditional method, this has largely been abandoned by most forward thinking producers as being old fashioned and not as good for the vine.
Dr Alfonso Arpino, the owner, farms a mere 2.7 hectares and makes only 3 wines.
How very biblical.
