Fine Wine Club Archive
Explore your previous cases here in The Archive, with downloadable tasting notes from the winemakers behind your bottles. Plus catch up on live tastings.
Your case & tasting notes - April 2019
We buy our fine wines to order for club members so sometimes there's only enough for one bottle per person. Shop our in stock bottles here.
Giribaldi Barbera d'Alba Caj 2016
Country
Italy
Region
Piemonte
Grape
Barbera
Market Price
£23.99
Angel Price
£14.99
Giribaldi Barbera d'Alba Caj 2016
By Matteo GiribaldiMeet Barbera, the Eliza Doolittle of wine.
Like Eliza, Barbera can admittedly be rough around the edges, often producing below par wines which are instantly forgettable. The local legal regulations do little to help her climb the ladder of status and reform in her region, with high yielding, low alcohol and thin wines the norm. The more noble local variety, Nebbiolo, produces world class wines, as opposed to the cheap and (not so) cheerful standards of Barbera, echoing the ‘haves and have nots’ of society.
The Giribaldi family are the Henry Higgins of Piedmont, Italy. They have, through three generations, realised the potential for beauty in this variety when given time and investment. They have worked hard to sculp this otherwise ruffian into a vision of beauty. Reducing yields by removing bunches throughout the growing season, the Giribaldis have increased the concentration of fruit intensity in the grapes to stand up to the biting acidity that is synonymous with Barbera. As a result, it goes on to excel the standards expected of it and qualifies for Superiore quality level; lower yields, higher alcohol, min of 1 year ageing.
We have been more than aware of the omission of Barbera from our range for the past few years, but like Higgins, we’re a fussy bunch. We kissed a lot of frogs and passed on all of them. When Giribaldi’s Barbera Superiore ‘Caj’ walked into the room we were speechless. It was an instant home run, everything in its right place. So much vibrancy and fruit intensity to compliment the softened tannins and raspy acidity. It is layered with characteristics of freshly pressed raspberries and blackberry fruits, with a freshness that keeps the flavours flowing on and on. Genuinely, probably one of the finest examples of this variety we have ever tasted.
It could be the fact that this wine is made by a family who work closely together, farming organically, across multiple sites in the Langhe region, that makes one warm to it so much. Matteo is the winemaker, Alessandra takes care of the business side of things, while their father runs the vineyard operations. Mother and Uncle complete the unit, each one playing their part in orchestrating this mini masterpiece they have jointly created.
The winemaking approach is limited to the mere essentials. Grapes are cold soaked for 7-8 days prior to fermentation to extract as much colour and aroma before the solvent of alcohol is present, which would see the release of unwanted, harsh tannins from the skins. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, controlling the temperature so the focus is on retaining the vibrant and primary fruits. After a resting period of 3-4 month in tank, the wine is transferred to 3,000 Litre barrels. The size is relevant here, in that the greater ratio of wine to wood means that the subtle microoxygenation of the wine, which helps to round the tannins and stabilize/fix the colour, is achieved without being dominated by oak flavours. There it rests for 1 year, followed by a further 4 months of dormancy in bottle before release.
It’s ready to drink right now. The natural high acidity acts as its lifeline and will help it to live on for 8-10 years at least.
This wine is an exemplary example of how an unruly, street urchin of a variety can be trained and tamed into a fine Fair Lady.
Clarice Bolgheri 2016
Country
Italy
Region
Tuscany
Grape
Merlot Blend
Market Price
£21.99
Angel Price
£19.99
Clarice Bolgheri 2016
By Dario Di VairaDario di Varia is the thirty-something, third generation rising star who is turning the dial on the aspirations for quality at Azienda Agricola Eucaliptus, on the coastal region of Bolgheri in Tuscany, Italy.
His grandfather migrated to the region from Molise in 1950, empty handed, looking for an opportunity to work. With time, he managed to buy some fields and chose to cultivate grapes. Over the years, these grapes were sold to probably the most famous winemaking family in Italy, Antinori, to make what is arguably one of Italy’s finest wines; Ornellaia.
On returning from university where he studied viticulture and winemaking, Dario realised the potential which the 8ha of vineyards they now owned had to produce fine wine. He began by implementing what is known as sustainable viticulture, whereby the goal is for the vines to co-exist with their surroundings, rather than thrive by dominating through excessive chemical sprays. Instead, they pay special attention to the health of the soil, to reduce the need for herbicides. Equally, the distribute little capsules around the vineyard whose pheromones create sexual confusion for the male insects, preventing them from finding a mate and procreating more pests that damage the grapes. It’s harmful and healthy.
With the potential for the vineyard’s realised, Dario and his family had to take the large leap of faith of making their own wine. A task which started with telling Antinori that they would no longer be providing them with their grapes. But what was it that Antinori saw in these grapes, which ended up in bottles that sell for over £100?
It is surely the surrounding elements that ensures such high quality. This, after-all, is the same small patch of Italy where Sassicaia, the first Super-Tuscan and arguably Italy’s greatest wine, comes from. Dario’s own family vineyards are situated in a natural amphitheatre 8km to the sea not far away. The vineyard benefits from hills which surround the site which act as a natural barrier from the cold winds coming down from the north in winter. In addition, the fresh breeze coming off the sea keeps the vines cool in the hot summer as well as reducing disease pressure by blowing any dampness out of the canopy, all resulting in higher quality grapes. This is becoming increasingly important as the temperatures continue to rise and erratic weather patterns continue to threaten vineyards around the world.
Similar to Sassicaia and Ornellaia, and perhaps surprising to most, is that the grapes grown here are not indigenous, but rather what is more commonly known as ‘Bordeaux varietals’, that is to say Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Syrah of Rhône fame featuring also. It was Mario Incisa della Rocchetta of Tenuta San Guido winery in Bolgheri that first brought Cabernet and Merlot vines from Bordeaux to make his game-changing Sassicaia wine which, at the time, was sneered at and frowned upon. He had the understanding and vision to realise that the similarities of soils (sand and gravel) and climate (coastal) were more akin to Bordeaux varieties than that of Sangiovese, which was the grape of choice for Tuscany. With the advice of Antinori’s winemaker Giacomo Tachis, his project is now considered one of the greatest wines in the world.
This was unquestionably a brave but wise move by Dario and his family but it has undoubtedly paid off. This is an absolutely beautiful wine made from a blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah. It is the Merlot which brings the smoothness and ripe black fruits to the wine. The Cabernet lends structure and freshness to the wine, while the Syrah gives weight and depth. Dario describes the wine has having balsamic freshness with Mediterranean wooded plants such as rosemary. It’s a thing of beauty.
Dario has chosen to employ less and less harsh extraction in the winery, allowing for greater approachability to the wine as he witnessed people looking to enjoy the wine sooner. That said, these wines can easily age for a decade or two. If you’re looking for full intensity, generous, up-front fruit and vibrancy then you can crack a bottle open now. If on the other hand, you are seeking subtly and silkiness then 5 years of patience should reward you that.
As a side note, Dario and his family also run an agriturisimo, where guests can stay in the accommodation on their farm and enjoy fresh food all grown on their land. These are special people, doing special things in a special place.
Repetto Derthona Quadro Timorasso 2017
Country
Italy
Region
Piemonte
Grape
Timorasso
Market Price
£21.99
Angel Price
£17.99
Repetto Derthona Quadro Timorasso 2017
By Gian Paolo RepettoBefore you take another sip, and before I give you chapter and verse of where and how this wine was made, it is worth noting that this wine is very special.
It should be approached meekly and sensitively. Perhaps like a schoolchild that doesn’t follow the crowd, and doesn’t shout the loudest, but moves around alone in the playground, doing its own thing; eventually people realise that he/she is the coolest kid of all. Independent, self-assured, unique…
While the aromas are at best subtle, they are equally alluring. Slightly honeyed, some cantaloupe melon, but also original in itself.
On tasting, the first thing that strikes you is the simple purity of it. This wine is clean. So clean. Unadulterated. It is grape and soil and weather. In a glass. That’s all. And it’s magnificent.
What follows is a vibrancy and intensity that speaks of real quality. Length of flavour is often a good indicator of the quality of the wine, so assessing the perception of vibrancy at first, and then measuring how long that sensation lasts, can give a good reflection of just how fine a wine really is.
The other observation with this wine is the flavours (lychee, orange blossom) are seldom seen in other white wines. They are delicate and precise so deserve the time and space to look out for them. The Japanese concept of Jimi, beautiful simplicity of which silence is a vital quality, where you can really only appreciate the silence you are sitting in, and identify it truly as silence, when you can hear a single drop of water fall. Or a clock tick. Without the sound of the clock, you can’t enhance the quality of the silence. Without wishing to get too deep and philosophical around something like wine which is for pleasure, drinking bottles like this can coax you into the slowed down mode that is often missed by many of us today in our hectic lives. Consider this wine as ‘intoxicating meditation’. You can tell your doctor I said so.
The grape variety and wine region share the same name of Timorasso. Only 30-40 years previously it had almost entirely been removed from the vineyards of Piedmont, North West Italy, in favour of the cortese grapes to fulfil the growing demand for Gavi. Fortunately a visionary named Walter Massa worked hard to salvage the vines and today there are 30 producers across 150ha. Tiny in relation to many wine regions, but that’s no bad thing either. Derthona is the ancient name of the centre of the village of this area, Tortona.
The yields here are very low (around 6 tonnes per ha vs c.15ha in Marlborough) on an account of the compact bunches which would be prone to disease if over-cropped and without sufficient aeration.
The vines are grown on two separate hills, the differing soil type contributing to the overall balance of the wine. The grapes from the limestone and marl soils bring a saltiness and acidity, while the heavier clay soils contribute weight and texture.
Everything is hand picked at harvest then fermented in stainless steel tanks (hence the purity) and the lees (dead yeast after the fermentation) are stirred around in the wine for 9 months afterwards in a process called batonnage, which bring the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
The wine is only ever released minimum 1 year after the harvest, to enable the qualities mentioned above to be realised. It may be best drunk 3 years after vintage. From there, it can take on the characteristics of an aged riesling with a kind of honeyed, oily, petroleum like character; these are truly some of the finest whites in the world.
Enjoy your moment of peace and solitude appreciating this wine. And enjoy the silence
Namaste.
Klein Grauburgunder Kirchenstuck 2017
Country
Germany
Region
Pfalz
Grape
Pinot grigio | Pinot gris
Market Price
£22.99
Angel Price
£16.99
Klein Grauburgunder Kirchenstuck 2017
By Peter & Barbara KleinThe German wine region of Pfalz is also referred to by locals, and historians, as Palantinate. It’s a considerable sized area which has both Bavarian and Alsatian (Lorraine) influences due to it’s occupation and rule by Louis XIV. Migrating from Alsace to the Pfalz over 350 years ago, the Klein family, of which Peter is 15th generation winemaker, have put grape growing and winemaking at the core of their past, present and future skillset.
This particular wine comes from the Kirchenstuck (‘piece of the church’) vineyard that used to be owned by the Church. Indeed, monks held the greatest amount of information and detail about which were the best sites for soil, aspect and climate. In this instance, the soil type is loess; a poor medium for water accumulation which encourages the vine to drive its roots down deeper to the water table and picking up more and more nutrients in doing so. In addition, this hydric stress, results in smaller, more concentrated berries which in turn give fruiter characteristics. Furthermore, these are old vines, 85-88 years old, which, due to the nature of their age and yielding capacity, the smaller berries only produce 35 hectolitres per hectare (HL/Ha) – compared to around 55/60Hl/Ha for a regular Pinot Gris in this area.
The aforementioned variety used to be named Roulander until the style of wines it produced – traditional, sweet, lacking in interest – was deemed unfashionable 15 years ago, at which point the authorities changed the name of the variety to Grauburguner. Or Pinot Gris.
Work in the vineyard if a free form of organic, suggesting they are not certified but rather it is more of a philosophy and sympathetic approach to vineyard practices, which they believe contribute to the quality of the wine. Instead of using herbicides and pesticides, they spray the vines with teas which have been made from soaking seaweed in water. This makes the vines more naturally resistant to disease, giving thicker skins to the grapes, enabling longer ripening periods with greater flavour development.
Everything is hand harvested, with manual selection of the best bunches by humans rather than machines. The grapes are destemmed on arrival at the winery and kept on their skins for eight hours to capture the valuable aromatics. Longer than 8 hours on skins is not advisable with Pinot Gris as it has a pink pigmentation in the skin which would influence the colour of the juice, resulting in a more rosé style wine. The grapes are then pressed three times, with only the finest, purest juice from the second pressing qualifying for the Kirchenstuck quality. The first and third pressings, with slightly harsher phenolics, go towards their regular Pinot Gris. (Though still delicious!)
This fine juice is then transferred to 600 litre ‘halb stuck’ barrels (over twice the size of a regular Burgundian barrel) made from French oak but crafted by a German cooper. The barrels are not new, instead Peter favours 4-5 year old barrels for their focus on pure fruit expression rather than being dominated by new oak flavours. Here they rest from October to May the following year, with batonnage (lees stirring) taking place from December onwards to introduce a creamy texture and mouthfeel to the wine. This produces a wine not too dissimilar to great white Burgundies. Peter describes the flavours as showing pears and nuttiness, with some ripe apricots, the oak being merely in the background to give a backbone to the extra concentration of this wine over others. I would add white peach and a little bit of white pepper to those descriptors, suggesting the wine can stand up to some lightly grilled white meats or perhaps accompany a ratatouille. Certainly ready to drink now, and with time, this fruitiness mentioned above will evolve to a more herbal character, so it really is down to you when you you drink it, depending on the style of wine you like.
To conclude, I would draw your attention to the label. It depicts a scene in their winery, drawn from an original photo which shows Peter’s grandfather and great grandfather discussing the wine with a cellar hand. It is an homage to his ancestors, whereby he acknowledges that although the wine has been made in a more modern style today, his forefathers are firmly at the fore of his mind when continuing the family tradition.
Villion Henning Chenin Blanc 2017
Country
South Africa
Region
Western Cape
Grape
Chenin blanc
Market Price
£20.99
Angel Price
£16.99
Villion Henning Chenin Blanc 2017
By Naked MarketplaceKobie Viljoen has already being making wine for 20 years so he’s no newcomer to the scene. He oversees the winemaking at Klein Moerbei which Naked also sell. However, it is perhaps this new label that is the rising star, seeing as Kobie is already established. He kindly sent us the full Villion range to taste for this Fine Wine Club and we were genuinely spoilt for choice. The consistency of quality across the various wines (Pinot, Chardonnay, Chenin), confirmed to us that there is real pedigree behind this label. Kobie’s philosophy is to play to the strength of each of the wine regions where he makes wine from, all of which hail from the Cape South Coast, which is in the environs of the whale watching centre of Hermaus, east of Cape Town. His Chardonnay comes from the cool and wet Elgin region (where fellow Naked winemaker Richard Kershaw MW is based), while his Pinot Noir comes from the equally cool, though slightly higher altitude Hemel en Aarde. This Chenin is grown in nearby Bot River; one of the smallest wards (wine regions) in South Africa. Whilst it shares the cool climate of its neighbours, it receives less rain, which enables it to benefit from a longer ripening season and the grape varieties that benefit from this extension to the harvest. In this case, Chenin Blanc.
When apartheid ended in the early 1990’s, vineyards which were growing grapes especially for the large Co-operatives, were released for sale. This particular site has no paperwork to record the actual date of planting, but Kobie has roughly worked out through logic that it should be around 35 years old; one of the older few of its kind in South Africa. The vines are what you might describe as bush vines trained on trellis, which is a kind of oxymoron as bush vines are usually free standing. So in effect, they have been allowed to grow wild, without re-structuring from pruning and training, yet allowed a fence to lean on as they grow older. Seems fair.
Poor, sandy soil sends the roots digging deeper and deeper below the surface to find a clay based water table as this is an unirrigated vineyard; as are most bush vines.
Grapes are hand harvested and whole bunch pressed which means you get more murky, cloudy juice, so you have more wild and spontaneous yeasts in the liquid, which helps start a natural fermentation. This breadth of natural yeasts also affords a wider range of aromatics and flavours. More diverse and more characterful than commercial yeast which come in a packet and each with its own specific functions and tasks.
The fermentation takes place in 4/5 year old 400 litre barrels, larger than the traditional Burgundy barrel of 228 litres. This higher ratio of wine to barrel allows for more focus on fruit, rather than toasty characters from the oak. The temperature can rise quite quickly in barrel and as a result the fermentation can go quicker, which comes with its own risks. The yeast can run out of ‘food’ (nutrients such as nitrogen), so the only real intervention Kobie plays in this process is to keep them healthy and well fed. From there, the wine sits on its lees (left over yeast cells) for 11-12 months, “depending on cash flow at the time.” A rare honest reality check of wine production from Kobie.
I’ve enjoyed the pleasure of ‘researching’ this wine by tasting it a number of times and it really is one of the most impressive and indulgent bottles I’ve come across in years. It’s aromas shows notes of lemons and a little bit of cinnamon spice. The palate is rich and viscous, while being crisp and vibrant all at once. It is like one big party in your mouth. Kobie ambition to play to the strengths of the wine region is realised in this wine. It’s an excellent expression of the quality achievable with Chenin.
Drink/indulge now until 5-8 years from vintage.
Savoie Mondeuse 2017
Country
France
Region
Savoie
Grape
Mondeuse
Market Price
£16.99
Angel Price
£13.99
Savoie Mondeuse 2017
By Gilles PerrierOne hour from the towering majesty of Mont Blanc lies a patchwork of small vineyards, all of which are growing indigenous grape varieties that most people have never, and will never, taste. Except you, cause you’re in the know!
This is the wine region of Savoie, one of France’s smallest vineyard areas, nestled high up in the French Alps on the border with Switzerland and Italy. White wines are mainly made from the Jacquère and Altesse (aka Roussette) grapes, while Gamay and Pinot Noir (also grown in Burgundy), along with the local grape of Mondeuse, constitute the red offerings. It is the latter of these which your wine is made from. For a rare indulgence of grape variety origin and parentage, Mondeuse is thought to be a parent of Mondeuse Blanche, which in turn means it is a half sibling or grandparent of the much more famous Syrah/Shiraz.
The traits of this grape’s family relation percolates in to the wine. Red berries and rose petals are evident on the nose along with the hallmarks of pepper spice which makes Syrah so identifiable. (Actually, the black pepper compound, Rotundone, is only perceptible to 20% of the population, so if you don’t sense it, don’t sweat it.)
Situated at 1,400-1,500 metres above sea level, the Savoie wine region enjoys a continental climate, where the vines benefit from very cold winters (good for vine dormancy) and warm to hot summers which promotes healthy growth during the growing season.
The landscape of the area sees a myriad of steep slopes hosting small vineyard plots of a maximum of 2ha. As such, mechanical support in the form of winches (pulleys) are required to climb down to tend to, and harvest, the vines; mirroring the extreme sports of ice-climbing and off-piste skiing taking place over on the neighbouring Mont Blanc.
The winemaking brotherly duo, Phillipe and Christophe are the grandchildren of Jean Perrier, the first man to bottle and sell his own production in the region. Incidentally, this is the oldest winemaking family in Savoie. In the winery, their goal is to preserve all this lightness and freshness of the great outdoors in the wine. Fermentation takes place at a relatively cool temperature of 25 degrees Celsius for reds (vs 32C for bigger, bolder wines). This enables the winemaker to preserve the delicate fresh fruit aromas without the extraction of harsh tannins. Oak is avoided at all costs, favouring purity and brightness instead.
For something so fresh and light in appearance is has plenty of intensity and warmth on the palate. It has a smooth and warm mouthfeel but an underlying cracked black peppercorn spice. With time and air, the pepperiness blows off to reveal fresh, wild strawberries.
To include a wine like this in the Fine Wine Club is to celebrate its eclectic style. This wine proudly takes us off the beaten track, but is seriously delicious in doing so.
