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 - March 2021
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.
Katie Jones Les Vignes Cachees 2020
Country
France
Region
Languedoc-Roussillon
Grape
Grenache Blanc Blend
Market Price
£18.99
Angel Price
£15.99
Katie Jones Les Vignes Cachees 2020
By Katie JonesKatie Jones shares a background to the origins of Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc blend; Les Vignes Cachées.
Serving suggestions: Around 16 degrees Celsius. Remove from the fridge 30 mins prior.
Food pairing: Oven roasted or fresh fennel. Ripe creamy brie or camembert.
Drink by date: 2021 - 2024
Many vineyards with white grapes have been ripped up here in this remote area of southern France. Those that remain are often hidden away high on a hillside or in the middle of the wild garrigue. Thanks to your support I have been lucky enough to save some of these very old vineyards and I give the vines the retirement they deserve. They reward me with small quantities of exquisite grapes which I am proud to be able to share with you in this bottle
Five of my small vineyards went into this tank – Les Crouzels, Fortalaise, Donneuve, Colombier and St Roch. All of these vineyards are a mixture of red and white grapes so we will pick the white grapes first and then the reds a couple of weeks later. In the Colombier and St Roch vineyards we only get a couple of crates of white with the majority being red and in Donneuve there are also a couple of Carignan Gris vines that are picked with the whites but the vast majority is Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris.
My vines are such a mixture of grape varieties as they were all planted over 60 years ago. They are all post phylloxera (a nasty bug that wipes out lots of the worlds vineyards) and at the time the owners would have planted them with the American rootstock, let that root for a year and then graft on the shoots taken from another one of the their vineyards or from a particularly prized vineyard of their neighbours. As they took the cuttings in winter and they didn’t identify the vine when it had grapes on it they would take cuttings randomly and therefore end up with the occasional white vine in a red vineyard or vice versa.
The soils in each of the 5 vineyards is a different mix of clay and limestone and sometimes with alluvial and sand if the vineyard is in the valley like Fourtalaise and Crouzels. The grapes were hand picked between the 26th and the 28th of August 2020.
La Grande Pièce is the name of another of my vineyards, this one more unusual, as it covers a hectare making it one of my biggest and is surprisingly 99% Grenache Gris. There are a couple of muscat vines in the vineyard too.
The vineyard would have been planted with Grenache Gris during the heyday of Vin Doux Naturel, the sweet fortified wine of the area known as Rivesaltes. This was very popular in the 60s and local farmers planted lots of grenache so they could benefit from the high prices of Rivesaltes. The grapes were meant to come from low yielding vines on the slopes with a high alcohol potential so growers would register these vines and then fill up the quota with a higher yielding vine on the plain. The grapes were picked on the 7th September and cold fermented in a small stainless steel vat.
The vinification is the same for all of our whites. The grapes are hand picked into small crates which are then chilled overnight in our cold room.
The grapes are then pressed and the pressed juice separated from the free run juice. The juice is left to settle overnight before yeasting and cold temperature fermentation for 10 days or until all the sugar has been fermented out.
Ferment temperatures are kept at 15°C until the end when they are allowed to rise.
A portion of the wines were then transferred to oak barrels. We would normally keep our varietals separate but this blend brings out the fruit of the Grenache Blanc, the freshness and herbs of the Grenache Gris and the complexity of the barrel aged press.
It is really important not to serve the wine too cold. Do not serve straight from the fridge or you will totally miss the complexity of the wine. It needs to be served just slightly chilled so if it has been in the fridge let it warm up to just below room temperature. And the wine needs air too so no worries to open the bottle a couple of hours before serving.
With regards to food pairings, fennel will pick out the herbal side of the wine so oven roasted, fresh raw, or a fennel sauce with fish. Scallops, pan seared with a squeeze of lime or avocado and salmon salad works well. And also herb coated chicken, pork chops and ham. But best of all with cheese especially ripe creamy brie or camembert.
I would keep this wine a couple of months and drink over the next 3 years. It has lots of structure so will age for probably more.
Dom Maxwell Valley Riesling 2020
Tasting notes:
Dom Maxwell is proud to share his passion for Riesling with the Fine Wine Club...
Country
New Zealand
Region
Waipara
Grape
Riesling
Market Price
£18.99
Angel Price
£15.99
Dom Maxwell Valley Riesling 2020
By Dom MaxwellDom Maxwell is proud to share his passion for Riesling with the Fine Wine Club
Serving suggestions: Serve chilled, 12 degrees Celsius
Food pairing: Olive oil linguine
Drinking window: 2021 - 2030 +
Riesling has long been dubbed the true champion white wine of our little wine region. The earliest vines to be planted back in the late 1970’s were aromatic varieties; Gewurztraminer and Riesling, before flooding took them away….with a decade passing until more Riesling was planted. Since then every single local winery had continued to grow and make Riesling – owing to the unique late season weather we experience. The long dry, yet slightly cool Autumn allows the growers to leave the fruit ripening very slowly, leading to added flavour.
I’ve been working with Riesling for 16 years and experienced many different seasons, leading to considerable experience dealing with this variety and how best to nurture the fruit into beautiful wine.
I’ve been wanting to lift the stakes a little while and offer a high end Riesling for those who dare to dive deep with their Riesling. It is one of the noble grape varieties of the world, performing well in cooler grape growing regions such as Germany, Central Europe, Canada, Washington State USA and New Zealand. All have a cool edge with their climate, however New Zealand maintains a true maritime climate, providing fresh winds and clear skies. It’s these conditions that allow New Zealand to make some of the most pure wines found anywhere, offering clarity and finesse when young, and subtle complexities as they age.
This 2020 Valley Riesling is predominantly off dense clay soils, bringing texture to the wine. Picked late in the season, this small batch of carefully tended Riesling fermented without the use of added yeast – therefore a long slow fermentation ensued, bringing layers and depth to the wine. Made in our traditional style with just a lick of fruit sweetness to temper the phenolic structure and natural acidity of the wine, it’ll pair up wonderfully well to quite a range of foods. This wine has an ability to present different flavours the longer it’s open – offering up tempting options such as Olive oil Linguine with basic tossed vege or clams. I’d pop some garlic in and some green herbs and parmesan to serve. Or if you’re a cheese lover then try this with a decadent mix of Leek and Ricotta Tart. Search for a good recipe that fits you’re pantry ingredient. This is a rather rich dish with eggs, butter, cream and cheeses. Wonderful with this Valley Riesling chilled to show the structure and acidity needed to counter the fullness in this meal.
Riesling not only pairs well with a range of foods, but it also has the ability to age tremendously. Fine natural acidity and concentration are two key elements in this Valley Riesling that point towards a long future for this wine. When stored in cool and dark conditions this wine will comfortably rest for a decade, allowing the young wine to develop towards honeycomb characters on the nose. The palate will maintain the fruit profile whilst the acidity softens through time in the bottle.
Please enjoy the fruits of the many people involved with this bottle, cheers!
Dom
Waipara Valley, South Island, New Zealand
Chalk Hill Shiraz 2018
Country
Australia
Region
McLaren Vale
Grape
Syrah | Shiraz
Market Price
£22.99
Angel Price
£15.99
Chalk Hill Shiraz 2018
By Jock HarveyJock Harvey on the Mclaren Vale wine region and his 2018 Chalk Hill Shiraz
Serving suggestions: 18-20 degrees Celsius. Decant for one hour to open up.
Food pairing: Beef ragu with fresh egg noodle pasta.
Drinking window: 2021 - 2031
This wine is one that has been made since 1973. This is our 45th vintage and a wine that we are very proud of. McLaren Vale is renowned for Shiraz and this is a modern take on this classic McLaren Vale wine. Our focus is on making wines with purity and balance, that reflect the vineyards and heritage they come from.
My father John Harvey established the family business back in 1964. He identified McLaren Vale as the ideal place to grow grapes with its close proximity to the sea, providing natural cooling ocean breezes in the summer to offset the warm and dry Australian conditions. The family now has 6 vineyards spread across the region, with the oldest planted vines dating back to 1897.
The 2018 is a cracking blend of 3 vineyards, our organic Chalk Hill vineyard, Hickinbotham in Clarendon and our Lanark Vineyard in Blewitt Springs. All three regions bring totally different flavours that complement each other. The Chalk Hill brings deep colour, minerals and weight, the Clarendon vineyard brings perfume and finesse and the Blewitt Springs vineyard brings vibrancy and sandy tannins. The fruit was picked 15 days apart and were handled separately throughout. Fermentation lasted for 10-12 days prior to transferring to a combination of new, 2nd and 3rd use oak. We use 300 and 500 ltr French oak barrels which impart less oak character, whilst still allowing the wine to soften.
The combination of these vineyards provides a complex and balanced wine with wonderful fruit flavours on a textured palate with a long fine finish. Fruit flavours of plum and blueberry combine with spice, minerals, dark chocolate and roasted nuts. When I have this in winter I love doing a slow cooked beef ragu with fresh egg noodle pasta. I know they say to use chuck steak for this, but I love a good eye fillet in the slow cooker, it breaks down beautifully and lifts the dish. If that is too hard after a day in the vineyards, I always have a block of Bellavitano Espresso Cheddar-Parmesan in the fridge. The sweet and slightly smoky characters of this pair perfectly with the Chalk Hill Shiraz.
McLaren Vale Shiraz can age for many years. I love the fruit characters that the younger wines possess so like to crack a bottle when they are 5-8 years of age. They turn silky smooth and slide down the palate. If you are drinking in the first 5 years, I always throw them in a decanter to speed up the process and help soften the wine. A big glass is a must!
Hope you enjoy,
Cheers Jock
Pago de los Balagueses Organic Syrah 2017
Country
Spain
Region
Valencia
Grape
Syrah | Shiraz
Market Price
£24.99
Angel Price
£19.99
Pago de los Balagueses Organic Syrah 2017
By Rodolfo ValientePago Balagueses Syrah 2017, a rare Spanish gem
Serving suggestions: 18-20 degrees Celsius. Decant for one hour to open up.
Food pairing: Poultry and meats, especially duck, lamb and veal (eg. roast beef) and strong fish such as baked cod and fatty fish such as salmon, tuna etc. Also, strong cheeses such as cured manchego, stilton, comet.
Drinking window: 2021- 2032 (optimal time: 2027)
My family has always known that it had a special estate to make wine, that the best grapes, the best balance was in Los Balagueses; it was as if the vineyards showed appreciation for the place where they lived. No surprise Balagueses has been named as the highest terroir reference in Spain - Vino de Pago- because of its difference from other surrounding areas due to the composition of the soil, the microclimate, edaphic characteristics and most importantly for its history.
Vineyard soil environment comes from a great limestone bedrock where millions of years ago there was a sea and even now marine fossils can be found such as shells, turtles, conches ... There is also the proximity to the Iberian wineries of the 5th century BC , just below the slope of Los Balagueses. To think that the first Iberian winegrowers picked the grapes from the vineyards of Los Balagueses and went down the mountain to make wine, makes this place even more special.
It is also a place where I grew up when I was little and ran around the pine forests, aromatic herbs, olive trees, almonds and of course the vineyard. My childhood is the memories of going to the “rambla” of the river to bathe in its waters, eat with friends and family and we used to put the food on the hollow stones where the Iberians made wine, without knowing it at that time.
That is why Vegalfaro´s philosophy is based on organic and biodynamic viticulture and on not intervening too much in the production process. We want to transmit the place through the wine by using indigenous yeast, typical of the place, the microfauna that expresses nature immersed in the environment, fertilizing soil only with compost fermented on the farm itself with goat and sheep excrement, pruning remains and grape skins.
When my father started replanting in Los Balagueses and was changing the varieties, we had a French viticulture consultant and he brought him a bottle of Syrah from Hermitage. My father thought it was marvellous because he was more familiar with Burgundy and saw that it could adapt here very well because of the similar altitude (700 m above sea level), the limestone soil, the slope, the winds. He decided to plant with graft wood brought from the Rhone and then realized the potential these planted grapes had. The first time I tried Pago de los Balagueses Syrah, it was already in the barrel, I knew we had a jewel …The soft tannins and moderate acidity as well as the aromas of ripe black fruit and currants are guaranteed in the wines of this variety
Our philosophy is not to add anything in the elaboration, since all the components of a wine for the development of indigenous yeasts are in the grape itself. Only a small dose of sulfur is added as an antioxidant. After preparation in stainless steel tanks to carry out alcoholic fermentation with gentle but continuous pumping over. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in the barrels with the wine's own bacteria. We believe that everything has to run its course spontaneously and with this method we achieve softness in the wines and even greater protection working with the lees, the natural mannoproteins of the wine, which together with the acidity creates a very interesting tension on the palate. Then the wines spend between 10-12 months in French oak barrels (from the forest of Allier, 30% medium toast, 25% heavy toast and 45% light toast) for the tannins to polymerize before bottling. The wine is released at least 6-8 months after bottling.
Chateau Cote de Montpezat Cuvee Compostelle 2008
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Grape
Merlot Blend
Market Price
£19.99
Angel Price
£16.99
Chateau Cote de Montpezat Cuvee Compostelle 2008
By Naked MarketplaceDominique Bessineau tells you the story and winemaking process of Château Côte Montpezat which is exclusive to the Fine Wine Club
Serving suggestions: 18-20 degrees Celsius. Decant for one hour to open up.
Food pairing: Duck breast grilled on the barbecue with mashed potatoes
Drinking window: Drinking well now (2021). Can keep for 3-5 more years.
In 1989, I realized a dream when I came from northern France, settled in Saint-Emilion and acquired Château Côte Montpezat.
When I first walked in the vineyard, I knew I was in the right place. The richness of the terroir, its complexity, its history, I believe in all that. Every day, I’m working to preserve its authenticity and its seduction. I like to think that people will have delightful and friendly moments while tasting Château Côte Montpezat.
Just imagine for a second, we are 40 kilometers from Bordeaux, and very close to the historical village of Saint-Emilion. 27 hectares in the appellation Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux. Thousands of vines are directly exposed to the sun and winds, some of them are 40 years old! Exposition is crucial, I have a majority of Merlot and they are just fine during summer, enjoying direct exposition to the sun.
Trust me, it’s a real pleasure walking in vine rows. During spring or summer, everything is blooming, leaves, grapes are growing day by day. Birds, insects, all kinds of animals are enjoying the area as well. We are proud to take care of the wildlife, the Bee Friendly European label that we adopted has helped us take the right choice to protect those animals that make the difference. But that’s not it, the HVE label helps us minimize our footprints and improve our activity to a more sustainable way of winemaking.
Speaking of making wine, my cuvee Compostelle is a true mirror of traditional Bordeaux-style. A genuine blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and the silky touch of wood. While we do many things in one year, the Côte Montpezat just rests quietly in French oak barrels, giving it complexity and structure. Bordeaux in all is beauty!
Climate, Soil, Grapes, Tradition... That’s the secret of life, or at least mine!
Cuvée Compostelle has a shiny red garnet robe with coppery glints. Spectacular nose,with fresh blackcurrant aromas, strawberry jam and spices like liquorice.
The mouth shows great complexity with intense red fruits and spices.
With a medium body and soft tannins, the wine shows a great persistence.
Château Côte Montpezat – Cuvée Compostelle 2008 is drinkable now.
I recommend pouring it in a decanter an hour before.
Just get as many friends as you can, around a good meal, and everything will be fine!
Valdaya Autor 2018
Tasting notes:
RIBERA DEL DUERO. THE LANDSCAPE, THE AREA, THE HISTORY, THE STYLE OF WINES...
Country
Spain
Region
Ribera del Duero
Grape
Tempranillo
Market Price
£22.99
Angel Price
£16.99
Valdaya Autor 2018
By Marta Ramas & Miguel FisacRIBERA DEL DUERO. THE LANDSCAPE, THE AREA, THE HISTORY, THE STYLE OF WINES.
Serving suggestions: 18-20 degrees Celsius. Decant for one hour to open up.
Food pairing: Grill meats, steaks, roast lamb
Drinking window: 2021 - 2028
The Ribera del Duero is characterized by being a wine-growing area with a great diversity of soils, but also of climate, presenting two aspects in terms of wine profiles: a warmer area at an altitude of 600-800 meters, which produces riper and a more continental style of wine, and another area, the Burgalesa, from which our vineyards come, with altitudes oscillating around 900. The cooler climate results in generally less alcoholic, more complex and harmonious wines, where not only the red fruit is present but also balsamic mountain aromas and a softer and mineral palate.
Our vineyards are located in an area where minifundistas (small vineyard plot owners) predominate. We find ancient clones planted as traditional bush vines that can often be up to 120 years old. This is due to the remoteness that this area has with regards to large cities, but it should also be noted that it is an area with more abrupt terrain which is difficult to cultivate, and where mechanization is more complicated, so a more traditional and manual viticulture is maintained.
TEMPRANILLO, OUR CULTIVATED VARIETY.
The wines we produce in Valdaya are 100% Tempranillo single varietals. This variety, also called Tinto Fino, has the peculiarity of producing grapes with a balanced phenolic profile that can give us soft and velvety tannins. However, this character manifests itself in a very different way depending on the type of soil. Our vineyards sit on varied soil profiles, such as clay and sand, as well as fragmented limestone and stone. Each of these soils gives us a different aromatic profile, which allows us to adapt the vinification to each type of soil, and to be able to express our terroir in our wines.
WHY THE VALDAYA PROJECT IS SPECIAL.
Our Valdaya project is special in many ways. Firstly, because we maintain a unique genetic heritage in the area, respecting and taking full care of our ancient clones, which are at risk of disappearing. On the other hand, the area where our vineyards reside has a serious problem of depopulation, with an aging demographic where young people migrate to cities in search of new job opportunities. By maintaining our vineyards, we allow young winegrowers to continue the work that their grandparents started when they planted the vineyards years ago. This allows them to live in these villages which are at risk of abandonment, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the area.
On the other hand, as far as winemaking is concerned, the diversity of our soils, and the small size of our plots, allows us to every year realize a study of each plot through the micro-vinifications in small formats, such as open 500 litre barrels as well as small tanks, both oak and concrete. At the end of the harvest we find ourselves with more than 30 different wines quietly fermenting in the cellar. These are the ingredients from which we select carefully to assemble our unique blends.
VALDAYA AUTOR
Our Autor wine comes from a painstakingly studied blend of various soil profiles to obtain a silky, fruity wine with freshness and minerality. It comes mainly from vineyards between the ages of 50 and 70 years old with calcareous and clay soils. The limestone soil gives it minerality and concentration in the mouth, and the clay soil lends freshness and elegance.
At harvest time, the grapes from the farms with calcareous soil are destemmed and subsequently undergo alcoholic fermentation in concrete tanks; since the calcium of the concrete softens the wine and highlights its minerality. During the alcoholic fermentation, we do not seek excessive extraction, but adapt to the grapes we have, infusing the must in its skins, and thus obtaining a soft and pleasant tannic concentration.
Clay soils are quite the opposite insofar as we seek to extract more mouthfeel and fruit from the skins and pips by employing pump-overs, since oxygen, during the intermediate fermentation phase, reveals varietal aromas that, together with the acidity provided by this type of soil, results in wines that are more pleasant and clean.
Subsequently, each wine is transferred to 500 L barrels where it remains for approximately 15 months in the same barrel, until the final moment of assemblage and pre-bottling filtering.
Just as Valdaya and Mirum come from a single type of soil, Valdaya Autor emerges from the soil mix, seeking to find the synergy between calcareous and clay, to obtain a very expressive and elegant wine.
