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 - January 2019
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Domaine Gille Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2015
Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Grape
Pinot noir
Market Price
£23.99
Angel Price
£16.99
Domaine Gille Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2015
By Matthieu GilleFor many, Burgundy is not only the origin of Pinot Noir, but it is its holistic home, suggesting few wines, if any, of the same variety can reach parity on quality and style. That discussion is a Pandora’s Box, not dissimilar to discussing religion or politics in public. What is fair to acknowledge is that while Burgundy does produce some of the finest wines in the world, it cannot be assumed that one hat fits all. Indeed, if one was to purely follow the appellation system where Bourgogne Pinot Noir is considered a lesser wine to Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, and it in turn a minor to, say, Gevery Chambertin, one would quite soon hit many a dead end as it is simply not as clear cut as that. It’s not complex either. A straight-forward approach to the region would be to follow the producer/winemaker first and foremost. Their approach to viticulture and winemaking will greatly determine what qualities can be achieved in any given vineyard; regardless where it sits in the pecking order. Domaine Gille Bourgogne Pinot Noir is the perfect example of this. This is an outstanding wine that outperforms its label or appellation and that can be attributed to both the vineyard sites and how Matthieu Gille manages them.
Burgundian vineyards are often divided up amongst many owners, often family or distant family relatives. This practice stems back to the law of equal inheritance amongst children as part of the Napoleonic Code. The result is a vineyard name that may be widely recognisable but there will be a multitude of different owners within that plot. Clos de Vougeot, for example, has over 80 owners within a 50ha site, some with only two rows of vines. Some practice organics with great care given to the vines, while its neighbour the next row over… does not.
There are many great sub regions for Pinot Noir in Burgundy but Vosne-Romanée is next level quality. It is home to Domaine de la Romanée Conti whose wines from the La Tâche
vineyard fetches thousands of pounds a bottle. Lutiniere is located in Vosne Romanée and Mathieu’s family own and manage vines from this vineyard which forms part of the blend of the wine. The balance coming from the Granmarchin vineyard closer to the estate. The vineyard is planted to high density, 10,000 vines per ha. This is a similar approach to Premier and Grand Cru vineyards in the region. High density planting such as this are found in areas of high quality and high rainfall, where the greater number of vines consume the excess amounts of water. For example, Charles and Ruth Simpson of Barham Court, Kent, had witnessed excess vigour in their fertile and wet climate in the U.K. and subsequently increased the vine density of their new plantings from 4,600 to 5,400 vines per ha. In contrast, in areas of drought, such as parts of Australia, low density planting is often found. Sparsely planted vines allows greater allocation of water to each vine. The famous Hill of Grace vineyard from Henschke has 964 vines per ha. Big difference! Furthermore, the region is regulated by the number of buds per vine – 8. What all this can tell us is that there is an enormous amount of manual labour required in the vineyard to tend to so many vines, only to achieve such low yield per vine. One simply has to invest the time, energy and passion as Mathieu Gille does in order to achieve such high standards. For example, they introduced Biodynamics in 2015 but have not being dogmatic about the practice, allowing themselves flexibility from vintage to vintage. (More can be understood on Biodynamics by reading the notes on Benjamin Darnault Maris Syrah 2015)
Mathieu takes an extremely hands-off approach to the winemaking in the winery. Only natural yeasts used (they can be unpredictable) and no temperature control. He doesn’t want to influence the yeast by pushing temperature. To achieve complexity in the wine, he believes, you need to leave space for each population of yeast to do its own thing. One lot at 15 degrees Celsius, one at 20 degrees Celsius etc, each bringing their own characteristics to the final wine. This is almost unheard of today, but beautiful and brilliant in its own right.
During fermentation the grapes are ‘punched-down’ (pigeage) to break the formation of skins at the top of the tank – the cap. It allows heat to escape and enables a greater distribution of colour and tannins from the skins. There’s also ‘pumping over’ (remontage) which introduces oxygen to the fermenting must, which the yeasts need to survive and thrive. Finally, the juice is drained from the tank, the skins are pressed separately and all the wine goes into 228 Litres barrels for 12-15 months. He sources his oak from a smaller cooperage (barrel maker), Ludovic Tremeaux, who comes and tastes the previous years wines from barrel with him and can identify what type of oak and what level of oak toasting is best suited to each individual wine. That is just an artform in itself. Something that probably does not get enough air time in the wine world than it should. The art of cooperage.
The end result is a beautifully layered and complex nose of fruits and subtle oak. The palate is supple and rich, with only some slightly grainy tannins holding the wine upright and compatible with lighter food. It can certainly be drunk now or will evolve to lose its fruitiness and gain more tertiary characteristics such as truffles over 5-8 years. Naked have been waiting a while to see a Burgundy as good as this at such an affordable price and we feel fortunate to be able to bring it to you loyal, wine-loving members of the Fine Wine Club. Enjoy.
Anna Espelt Sol i Vent 2017
Country
Spain
Region
Catalonia
Grape
Grenache Blend
Market Price
£16.99
Angel Price
£13.99
Anna Espelt Sol i Vent 2017
By Anna EspeltNorth of Barcelona and to the west of Girona, lies the very much off the beaten track wine region of Empordà. It’s history and culture is one of Spain’s, and indeed Europe’s, better kept secrets. It was here where wine first arrived into the Iberian Peninsula, brought through the Pyrenees by the Phoenicians. The plains provided a suitable base to grow vegetables and raise cattle, while the proximity to the coast brought an abundance of seafood to the people. These gastronomic influences have continued to infiltrate the region over millennia, through humble home cooking to Michelin starred restaurants, including El Celler de Con Roca and the now closed but infamous restaurant of Ferran Adrià, El Bulli.
It was the former sommelier of El Bulli, now Naked winemaker, David Seijas, who introduced us to the brilliant, creative and dynamic winemaker Anna Espelt. I met Anna at a wine fair which was very much business focussed but tasting alongside her I knew she had a certain ‘energy’ not seen anywhere else. I got the impression she was an artist first and a winemaker second. And that sat very nicely with me.
This would make sense as her native Emporda is home to Salvador Dalí, and was frequently visited by artists such as Picasso and Miró. When the Tramontane wind blows here the light is pure with vibrant blue skies. While it’s an artist’s paradise, the whistling wind can be testing on the nerves of the natives, though Anna attributes her creativity to it. This wind is also a major contributing factor to the region’s terroir* as it usually follows the deluge of rain that drops sporadically but seldomly, and in doing so aids in drying out the canopy preventing disease such as rot. Therefore, it enables the winemaker to practice organic viticulture as there is less need for fungicides. It is this striking sunlight and whistling wind that this wine pays homage to; Sol I Vent.
Anna created this project, alongside her grandfather Lluís, as part of her thesis while studying wine. Together, they set out to establish what could be grown on this granite soil looking out on the coast. The vines were planted on terraced slopes to prevent erosion from the heavy rails, which makes viticulture all the more challenging. Sadly, Anna’s grandfather passed away while they were in the process of planting, but this very much remains a ‘joint project’ with him.
He would be proud.
You will notice just how fresh and unadulterated this wine is when tasting it. The absence of oak allows the purity of Garnacha (Grenache), Syrah and Monastrell (Mourvèdre) to shine through. The grapes are cold soaked prior to fermentation in order to achieve colour and fruit aromatics and flavours, with supple tannins, in the absence of alcohol which extracts more bitter tannins later on. The wine is kept on its lees (dead yeast cells) for 3-4 months to give the rounded mouthfeel you’ll notice in this wine. This blend is similar to that which you would find in the southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape etc…Here, however, the is Garnacha especially is influenced by the garrigue (native herbs) characteristics of this wild and Mediterranean landscape. There is mainly a red fruit profile to the wine - redcurrants and cranberry. It has a kind of crunchy texture where the tannins sit on top of the fruit and need to be broken through to get to the juicy core like breaking through a meringue in an Eton Mess. One of the greatest pleasure about this wine is the persistence of flavours. The freshness (due to crisp acidity) and fruit style, go on and on. It’s best enjoyed in its youth, 3-4 years old, to appreciate the vibrancy of fruit, along with umami-style foods such as tomato-based dishes as well as goats cheese or barbequed lamb.
So as you proceed to indulge in this mini masterpiece, take time to consider the region’s artists, food, light, landscape, history and most of all, Anna’s collaborator, her grandfather, Lluís.
Negreiros Reserva 2015
by Mario and Catarina Negreiros
Country
Portugal
Region
Douro
Grape
Touriga Nacional Blend
Market Price
£27.99
Angel Price
£19.99
Negreiros Reserva 2015
By Mario and Catarina NegreirosOnly in exceptional years do we have the great fortune of having the opportunity to taste Mario Negreiros’s Reserva. He has previously only made two vintages of this wine; 2007 and 2013. The quality of the 2015 vintage enabled his to make a selection of the finest lots in the winery without detracting for the sublime quality of his two other wines, Negreiros and Nu.
Mario affords himself the artistic licence to adapt the blend of the wine according to the quality of each variety. In this year, and most years he says, Touriga National was the best and so it makes up 98% of the wine. The balance is comprised of ‘vinhas velhas’, meaning old vines, and is a smattering of Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) and Tinta Barroca. Mario says he’ll never know the percentage of the blend, but what is different about this approach is that the blend is made, by nature, in the vineyard, rather than in the winery, by a human.
It’s worth noting the environment in which these grapes are grown. Mario’s vineyards are located close to the river Douro, on the valley floor. This results in his site being four degrees warmer than those at a higher altitude on the slopes or terraces. It gives the wine a bit more weight and body but balanced at the same time. The climate here can also be a challenge at times with temperatures hitting 48 degrees Celsius at one point in 2018, resulting in a loss of 40% yield due to dehydrated berries. There is a waterfall nearby his vineyard that only flows in the winter, with the seasonal rainfall. Last year Mario only saw water from the falls in February, suggesting the soils are also lacking the replenishment of water they need in the winter to maintain healthy vines. Climate change, and in some regions labour, is the greatest threat to viticulture and therefore wine. We, the end user in the supply chain, have a role to play in this as well, so being mindful of the environment in our daily activities could help sustain the production of this and other great wines around the world.
At the optimum ripeness, all grapes are hand harvested into small boxes (so as to not add too much weight which may cause the berries to split and spoil) and transported to the winery where they are chilled in a cool room to 10C to preserve the freshness and aromatics. They are then transferred to large granite tanks and this is where the fun starts!
The grapes are crushed by human (clean) feet. In a bizarre equation, seven people should stomp the grapes for four hours to produce 2,500 Litres of wine. It’s important for the balanced extraction of the grapes that they synchronise their stomping for at least one hour. And so, arms linked, they sing in unison to jointly follow a rhythm that keeps them in sync. It’s an exhausting exercise so after 1 hour they just walk and talk and play games – such as identifying the personality of a famous character. Can wine get any better than this? The comradery. The collaboration. The fun!
The juice is then left in the tank for 2-3 days, when on the third day it is transferred to the fermentation vats with a high spec peristaltic pump which was funded by Angels through the first vintage of his NU wine, in 2013. This pump gently transports the grapes without aggressively ripping the skins, which would extract bitter tannins. Everything in the process is driven by aspirations of quality.
When tasting the wine, you’ll see very concentrated dark fruits as well as bramble fruits. There is both a subtlety and complexity to the wine which is complimented by clove spice which hails from the new French oak barrels it is aged in. This is crème de la crème stuff which can be drunk now but will really improve with a further 3-5 years of bottle age.
From Mario’s perspective the wine is very well balanced which can be attributed to the careful handling of the wine of the wine throughout the process. It has a freshness that you don’t expect from a 14.5% abv wine, which is nicely integrated. Furthermore, every year he recognises an uplift to quality as they get to know the vines and the winery better as they improve the process ever so slightly.
To summarise in Mario’s words, “The grapes had the treatment they deserve.”
Dominic Hentall Chablis Premier Cru Fourneaux 2014
Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Grape
Chardonnay
Market Price
£25.99
Angel Price
£18.99
Dominic Hentall Chablis Premier Cru Fourneaux 2014
By Dominic HentallChablis can often be identified by its white almond notes. With age, those almonds take on a toasted character and a lightly smoky touch. The real indicator of quality, in my opinion, is the intensity of fruit that clings to those nutty notes through evolution. This is, I believe, a true reflection of terroir.
So let’s stop and talk about terroir for a moment. It’s a beautiful concept. It relates to a sense of place. It is the result of the sum of all parts, which is comprised of of soil, climate, aspect (of the vineyard) and can even include human intervention. Therefore, each terroir will be ever so slightly different as even the soil will differ from site to site.
The greatest terroir in Chablis come from south west facing slopes, so they get enough, but not too much, warmth from the sun during the day, with the added benefit of catching the late sunlight which benefits photosynthesis – to ripen the chardonnay grapes.
Chablis is part of Burgundy, sitting in the top left, out on its own, and this whole region is the home of chardonnay. One of the many positive attributes of this grape is its propensity to adapt a chameleon-like approach to soil. If allowed to, it will positively reflect the virtues of each soil and site. In the case of Chablis, this is Kimmeridgean soil (named after the Dorset town which touches the other side of this Paris basin from the Upper Jurassic age). The higher quality vineyards lie on this soil while the lesser vineyards of Petit Chablis sit on Portlandian soil, which lack the delicacy of its superior neighbour. The region is broken down to four quality levels with seven specifically named Grand Cru at the top. This is followed by forty individual Premier Crus, of which Les Fourneaux is one, and then the wider, generic Chablis and finally Petit Chablis which sits on the outskirts. A site is deemed to be worthy of Premier or Grand Cru status if there is a distinguishable difference between it and that of its neighbour. Then, based on the quality (intensity, purity, complexity, length) it will either be Premier or Grand Cru quality. Incidentally all seven Grand Crus lie on the same slope, supporting the concept of terroir.
The Premier Crus differ from one to another, such as Montmains (soft and rounded) Vaillons (opulent) Côte de Léchet (restrained) and this wine, Les Fourneaux. This is silky, nutty and complex. There is a fantastically wide breadth of flavours including lemon curd, marzipan, and citrus fruits. If you don’t like any of the above flavours don’t over think it. They are simply suggestive flavours to plant a seed of thought in your mind as you taste.
The other key point to note with Chablis, and the chardonnay which is produced here, is that it is seldomly oaked. Those that are, are often associated as coming from sites which produces deeply concentred and intense wines, like those of the Grand Cru sites. It could be said that the objective of the winemaker is to transmit the pure and mineral properties of the vineyards soil (and soul) into the bottle without the added ‘noise’ of oak.
This wine is definitely ready to drink note but the tension on the palate, the vibrancy of fruit and the ‘not yet fully toasted’ character of the almond notes suggest there is another four to five years to go in this wine. Drink now – 2023/2024.
Tornesi Rosso di Montalcino 2016
Country
Italy
Region
Tuscany
Grape
Sangiovese
Market Price
£23.99
Angel Price
£17.99
Tornesi Rosso di Montalcino 2016
By Maurizio TornesiThe history of the Tornesi family in Montalcino dates back to 1865. Since its foundation, every member of the Tornesi family were born on the Benducce site and so wine is very much a part of their heritage, and today’s generation continue to fly the flag with gusto. This region, in the province of Siena, Tuscany, is known for two types of wines, specifically; Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino.
Brunello di Montalcino is the ‘grand’ wine of the area and arguably one of the Italy’s finest, along with perhaps Barolo, Amarone and the Super Tuscans. For all its quality and charm, it is laden with regulations. The grapes must come from within its delineated zone, always 100% Sangiovese (the Grosso clone, rather than the Prugnolo Gentile clone) and must be aged for a minimum of 5 years, including 2 years in barrel and 4 months in bottle. It is released on January 1st of the 5th year from harvest, ie 2013 was released in January 2018. The Riserva’s require 6 years of ageing. If I haven’t lost you quite yet, I’ll add that the Rosso di Montalcino is released sooner. It requires only 1 year of ageing, which provides the winemakers of the region with some cash flow while the Brunellos lie sleeping in the cellars.
Typically, a Rosso di Montalcino would come from the younger vines which produce less complex fruit. A sort of declassification of the more superior Brunello. However, in the case of Tornesi, the only difference between the two wines is age. That is to say, this Rosso di Montalcino comes from the same quality vineyards as the much more expensive Brunello, but simply released earlier. And it is all the better for it as the 2016 vintage was an exceptional one producing wines rich in fruit from an early age. The Consorzio di Brunello di Montalcino (the regional governing body for winemakers) declared the vintage as five stars.
The vineyard work can be regarded by two aspects; location and picking dates. They are naturally intertwined. The Benducce site sits at 578 metres above sea level and produces grapes with more acidity, elegance, freshness and balance. Grapes from the lower vineyards lie at 300m where more heat accumulates resulting in wines with greater structure, tannins, body and concentration. They ripen faster and are therefore picked in early September, while grapes for the higher site, where it is cooler, ripen more slowly and are picked in October.
The grapes from each site are grown organically and are hand harvested before being vinified and aged separately, finally being blended together for an optimum balance between power and elegance. Slavonian oak is commonly used in this part of Italy. It hails from the north-eastern forests of Croatia and is mainly produced in large format casks known as botti. Tornesi, for example, age the their Sangiovese in sizes varying between 700 litres and 5,000 litres. For context, French oak barrels, used in Bordeaux and Burgundy come in sizes of 225L and 228L respectively. The reason why producers of Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino choose Slavonian over French oak is the fact that there is less oak flavour and oak tannin influence from the larger Croatian source. Rather, its objective is to simply allow very very small amounts of oxygen to permeate the wood and help soften the tannins (of which there are many) and develop the wine. This process, for reference, is known as micro-oxygenation. Nice.
The resulting wine is beautifully perfumed with a mix of violets, red berries and truffles. The palate is well structured, meaning the tannins are present, and evident but not intrusive but rather they are really well managed and sit the wine up on a throne to be admired and enjoyed. This Rosso di Montalcino is a real gem for any Italianophile.
Domaine Des Deux Vallees Savennieres Clos du Petit Beaupreau 2017
Country
France
Region
Loire Valley
Grape
Chenin blanc
Market Price
£23.99
Angel Price
£16.99
Domaine Des Deux Vallees Savennieres Clos du Petit Beaupreau 2017
By Philippe SocheleauEverything about this wine screams Old World, high end, quality French wine. By Old World I mean from within Europe, versus New World which would include the rest of the world. The relevance of this statement is the centuries of continuous site selection to identify and plant on the best plots of land for the best results. This involved decades of losses and learnings before identifying the perfect orientation of the vineyard, the ideal levels of drainage from the soil, as well as achieving minimal risk of frost and disease that would inhibit the yield and quality potential of the annual crop. What the New World have at their disposal is all of these learning that winemakers in the Loire uncovered, the hard way, over the years and so that they can make informed decisions when choosing to plant a new vineyard in, say, New Zealand.
So how does that make the wine taste any better? Well firstly, as always, it’s about the soil, and while that may not sound like the most appealing topic of discussion it very much determines the profile of a wine. In parts of Beaujolais, for example, where there is even the slightest shift between granite and schist in a vineyard, the difference in the resulting wine from those opposing rows of vines, from the same grape variety, is astounding. Completely different profile.
Chenin Blanc is largely grown through the middle of the Loire Valley, with Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet) covering the coast to the West and Sauvignon Blanc closes the brackets on the region in Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé. The appellation of Savennières is made from Chenin Blanc and has two primary soil types; schist and sandstone. Clos de Petit Beaupreau is a Lieu Dit in Savennières which lies on schist soil. (A Lieu Dit translates as ‘named site’. That is to say, it is not a Premier Cru vineyard within an appellation, but it has nevertheless been recognised for its unique qualities). It is this schist soil that gives the wine such defined minerality and vibrancy. It gives the wine an energy and persistence that is ever present on the palate when you taste it; like a lightning strike zipping through the fruit. It’s fantastic.
Above ground, the site is located at the top of a village, on a South/South-West facing slope. This exposes the site to lots of wind, which is beneficial in reducing the disease that can form within the canopy of the vine from rainfall so the grapes tend to be healthier here. In addition, it manages to, largely, avoid the risk of frost which has plagued the whole of the Loire Valley, and other parts of Europe, in recent years, as the cold air is drained down the mountain to frost pockets down below. Others in the region lost as much as 70% in 2018, while Philippe at Domaine des Deux Vallees escaped largely unscathed. With this altitude the vines tend to ripen the grapes at a more gradual pace, allowing Philippe to push the maturity of the grapes a little further, giving greater flavour development and aromatics. Everything is picked by hand – by law in the appellation – but there are two triages (pickings), which are typically 7-10 days apart. The first captures the crisp acidity and freshness in the grapes, the latter is seeking greater levels of ripeness and flavours.
The grapes are held at 3 degrees Celsius for 6 days for obtain the maximum amount of aromatics from the skins – this is known as cold maceration. They are then transferred to 350 L (relatively medium sized) oak barrels where they are fermented and matured. The objective of fermenting white grapes in barrel differs to stainless steel tanks, where the latter is largely focussed on preserving primary fruit flavours – think Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. Chenin Blanc is less of an aromatic variety, favouring more savoury, restrained but complex citrus characters. When fermented in oak, it adapts greater complexity and texture/mouthfeel and the herbal notes of wet hay start to emerge. As the wine is already quite mineral, the perceived acidity can be high, therefore Philippe practices batonnage, whereby he stirs the lees (dead yeast) in the wine, to enhance the richness of the palate. This underlying acidity means the wine has the backbone and lifeline to age, beautifully for the next 5-7 years, at least, where it will start to take on a more honeyed character, whilst remaining dry. Magic stuff!
Overall, when tasting this wine, to best appreciate its qualities, it is useful to look at it through a different set of eyes than many of the Chenin Blancs one might have tasted before and indeed lots of other fresh and fruity wines. This is a restrained, yet vibrant white wine made in a classic Old World style which seeks to reflect the attributes of the Lieu Dit it hails from; Clos de Petit Beaupreau.
