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 - September 2021
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Luca Hodgkinson Anomalia 2020
Tasting notes:
Beautiful ruby colour that fills the glass out. Very enticing and unusual aromas of spice with some herbaceousness. The palate is lively and raspy with crunchy red fruits, like cranberry and raspberry. At first the mouthfeel is tight, restrained, dialled back, but with time opens up to show good breath and character. This wine has great personality, intensity and uniqueness.
Country
Chile
Region
Maule
Grape
Portugieser Blend
Market Price
£20.99
Angel Price
£17.99
Sorry, this wine is available exclusively to the Angels who helped make it happen. To find out more about becoming an Angel, click here.
Luca Hodgkinson Anomalia 2020
By Luca HodgkinsonTasting notes: Beautiful ruby colour that fills the glass out. Very enticing and unusual aromas of spice with some herbaceousness. The palate is lively and raspy with crunchy red fruits, like cranberry and raspberry. At first the mouthfeel is tight, restrained, dialled back, but with time opens up to show good breath and character. This wine has great personality, intensity and uniqueness.
Serving suggestions: This wine requires at least one hour to breathe. Watch it change its character and improve with air. Also very good the next day.
Food pairing: Strong meats like game or a strong hard cheese.
Drinking window: Drink now until 2028.
Luca Hodginkson’s thoughts on this truly international wine!
This is the most unusual and probably unique blend that I have ever done as a winemaker.
Blauer Portugieser is one of its main components alongside the Garnacha Negra. As you can see lots of colour comes into this varietal’s names! (Blauer as in Blue and Negra as in black). Names of varieties around the world often have some weird connections related to their story; for Blauer Portugieser it has quite a misleading one.
At some point in Chile, there was quite a push to establish new potential varieties and this was chosen as one of them. It was established by the University of Talca and later planted in different experimental vineyards. A grape growing friend of mine was encouraged by the relevant French natural winemaker in Chile, Louis Antoine Luyt, to plant a couple of hectares. He was the only one to do so before this variety was left behind for different reasons. So virtually there are 3 hectares of this variety in Chile and 2 belong to him!
I’ve been sourcing grapes from this producer for years now, but I never took this grape very seriously for a few reasons. It was very early ripening, which was overwhelming, as when we started testing for our Garnacha this variety was already overripe. We also did a few low scale winemaking trials and thought it was really flat and lacking acidity - which we usually LOVE. We also tried a couple of Blauer Portugieser from Austria, its country of origin, and they were frankly very disappointing...
So all this did slow us down to actually start a serious project with this grape. But then, and pretty much in parallel, we started experimenting with co-fermentations. Co-fermentations is a fancy word to simply say that you put two varieties together in the same tank and they ferment together. And we had great results with Pais & Garnacha, and also stunning results with Carignan and Cinsault.
And this is when we thought we would give another chance to this Austrian variety lost in Chile! The year before the vintage you will be tasting, we closely followed the ripening process of this variety and we observed a very early ripening bush vine Garnacha that was aligned with Blauer Portugieser. We harvested them the same day and they fermented together. We were very excited with how it evolved and invested in a few more barrels just to keep this batch separately.
The natural acidity of Garnacha Negra compensated magnificently with the subtlety of Blauer Portugieser, and the colour of both together was really encouraging. It evolved so well that we presented some samples to Ray and we agreed on making another run for the year after.
If you think about it, this is a blend from an Austrian Variety with a Spanish variety, produced in Chile and made by a French winemaker. You can’t make it more unusual than that! That is why we decided to call this wine ANOMALIA...(Anomaly)
We hope you enjoy it!! And more importantly, thank you for supporting independent winemakers!
Without you, this wine would not exist.
Vino Atlantico Txakoli 2019
Tasting notes:
Lifted fresh and complex aroma, showing a range of primary fruit (nectarines, yuzu, pineapples) over subtle floral and herbal notes.Vibrant acidity combined with a creamy mid-palate and long finish, sustained by a saline and mineral backbone.
Country
Spain
Region
Basque Country
Grape
Hondarrabi Zerratia
Market Price
£18.99
Angel Price
£17.99
Vino Atlantico Txakoli 2019
By Tao PlatonTasting notes: Lifted fresh and complex aroma, showing a range of primary fruit (nectarines, yuzu, pineapples) over subtle floral and herbal notes.Vibrant acidity combined with a creamy mid-palate and long finish, sustained by a saline and mineral backbone
Serving suggestions: We feel that people often tend to drink white wines too cold, which can restrain aroma and mouthfeel. Having said that, our Vino Atlántico is a seriously expressive and aromatic wine, so it can handle being served even ice cold. We would however recommend to chill it to normal fridge temperature (6-7°C). If it then warms up naturally in the glass to 8-10°C, that’s perfect. We prefer to keep it cool in ice water, not pure ice.
Food pairing: Vino Atlántico is a very versatile wine, because of its aromatic nature, fresh acidity and at the same time good weight on the palate. It is an excellent dry aperitif. It will obviously work wonderfully with all kinds of shellfish and seafood, especially fatty fish like tuna and salmon (sushi, sashimi!). However, it also has enough intensity to harmonize well with dishes that are traditionally considered to be difficult to match, like Asian stir-fries that include some sweetness or slightly spicy pasta dishes.
Drink by date: 2021 - 2027
Tao Platón talks about his love of Txakoli
Peninsula Vino Atlantico is produced from a 7ha single vineyard site called Saratsu, located in Amorebieta, Biscay. It is a steep, south facing parcel on marly, clay soils with excellent light exposure, allowing the grapes to achieve perfect ripeness in this cool, Maritime climate, influenced by the Cantabrian Sea, 30km away.
The wine is made from the single grape variety Hondarrabi Zerratia (Petit Corbu), which we consider the most interesting of white varieties in the Basque Country. Hondarrabi Zerratia tends to have smaller berries, lower yields and more aromatic complexity than the more widely planted Hondarrabi Zuri, from which the more simple, lighter examples of Txakoli are produced. The combination of a noble grape variety and a site with great soil and exposure produces a wine that combines depth of flavour, tension and minerality, showing the potential of the Basque Country and Biscay in particular to produce fine, terroir-driven and age worthy wines.
The grapes were handpicked and de-stemmed. 80% was fermented in stainless steel tanks and 20% in 300 litre French oak barrels, not looking for an overt oak character but for added breadth and texture of the palate. The wine stayed on its fine lees for 5 months before bottling.
The Península team did not have the intention to make a Txakoli, but we really fell in love with the vineyard parcel when we first visited it in late 2017. The parcel belongs to our partner Gorka Izagirre, whose family has been making Txakoli for generations. In contrast to other parts of Spain, where we try to locate and recover old vines for their quality potential, in Biscay there really were no quality old vines to be preserved, they were all lost during the industrialization of the Basque country in the 20th century. What is left are often odd mixes of grape varieties planted in the wrong places and without real quality perspective. Gorka therefore decided to plant this vineyard a little over 20 years ago, making sure to choose a perfect, steep and well exposed hillside. By also choosing the superior Hondarrabi Zerratia variety, he created a base for us to make this very singular, single-vineyard and single-variety wine, which is so different to what people normally expect from a Txakoli.
When it comes to winemaking our strength is the team. One by one we are good at our thing but together we are the best (allow me this license). In addition I am from Palencia, in the heart of Castilla. My personal vision is this: despite being from Castilla, I grew up 30 km from the Txakoli vineyard, on the Bizkaian coast. This vineyard and this wine are memories of my childhood: the landscape, the people, the language, the gastronomy. When we got to know this vineyard, it was clear to me that it was impossible for something good not to come out there. The vineyard is spectacular. I have the unscientific theory that pretty vineyards make pretty wines. Despite how difficult viticulture is in this part of Spain. It also had a personal component so marked in my memory that we could not miss the opportunity to put it in the bottle.
This wine for me is a reflection of a place and its people: it is aromatically austere but deep. It is not an exuberant wine that instantly captivates you. But if you give it a try, it beats you with its texture, its length and its mineral finish. It is in a way a lot like meeting Basque people. They don't seem like the friendliest in the world but if you give them a chance and a little time you have friends for life. And I think that’s beautiful.
Stepp Riesling vom Berg 2020
Tasting notes:
Delicate notes of autumn apples, yellow peach with fresh tangy lime on the nose. The palate has a great minerality combined with a lovely crisp acidity and a superb fruity and spicy finish with apple, peach, citrus and ripe pineapple. A wine with great length, texture and structure.
Country
Germany
Region
Pfalz
Grape
Riesling
Market Price
£20.99
Angel Price
£18.99
Sorry, this wine is available exclusively to the Angels who helped make it happen. To find out more about becoming an Angel, click here.
Stepp Riesling vom Berg 2020
By Gerd SteppTasting notes: Delicate notes of autumn apples, yellow peach with fresh tangy lime on the nose. The palate has a great minerality combined with a lovely crisp acidity and a superb fruity and spicy finish with apple, peach, citrus and ripe pineapple. A wine with great length, texture and structure.
Serving suggestions: Serve well chilled at 12°C.
Food pairing: Pan-fried or grilled fish, pumpkin ravioli, Thai lemongrass chicken, roasted vegetables, sushi & sashimi, crab cakes or soft cheeses.
Drinking window: Drink now until 2031.
Gerd Stepp takes us on a trip to the Rhine valley
Riesling is the signature grape of the Pfalz region – here it excels on the slopes along the Rhine Valley with its high sunshine hours and cooler climate.
For me Riesling is the perfect white grape variety to define and express a vineyard’s specific terroir characteristics and qualities. So when I was searching for vineyards that have the potential for growing world class Riesling I found this single vineyard called ‘Berg’ (mountain) in the nearby village of Herxheim am Berg. Here at this special site Riesling finds all that it loves; a southeastv facing slope overlooking the Rhine Valley with a higher elevation of 220m above sea level. Apart from the hill’s exposition with more sunshine intensity and cooler nights because of the altitude - perhaps the most interesting aspect is the soil composition of loess-loam with plenty of shell limestone (muschelkalk) - in fact so much so that there is a natural limestone cave beneath the site.
The grapes for the 2020 Riesling vom Berg were grown organically and picked at optimum ripeness in early October. As with all my single Crus (single vineyard sites) I take special care in everything from timing of harvest all the way through the winemaking process. So we did a triage (grape selection) at picking in the vineyard that was followed by a super soft juice extraction from the berries and slow fermentation at temperature controlled conditions for over two months. I allowed
the wine to fully complete the alcoholic fermentation to a dry style with less than 4 grams (per litre) of residual sugar. The wine then remained on its fine lees (sur lie) for 8 months to enrich its complexity and texture. This gentle and low intervention winemaking meant no fining treatment was needed and I bottled the wine with one filtration only in July 2021. After a couple of months in bottle it will be at its best for the next 10+ years!
This Riesling vom Berg with its lovely minerality, rich fruity flavour and lively freshness will superbly pair with a wide range of food dishes. It is also a wine to cellar for a few more years to enjoy the wonderful complex flavours of bottle aged Riesling. It will bring out the fabulous textural qualities of the limestone-rich vineyard and the well-balanced acidity will make sure it maintains its excellent vibrancy and focused style – and the typical Riesling petroleum notes will be coming to the fore as
well.
I hope you enjoy the wine as much as I have enjoyed making it.
Tom Puyaubert Vinas Antiguas 2019
Tasting notes:
A rich nose of mulberries, plums, dried herbs, cedar and chocolate. Full-bodied with firm, ripe tannins. Black fruits on the palate and well rounded.
Country
Spain
Region
Rioja
Grape
Graciano Blend
Market Price
£24.99
Angel Price
£18.99
Tom Puyaubert Vinas Antiguas 2019
By Tom PuyaubertTasting notes: A rich nose of mulberries, plums, dried herbs, cedar and chocolate. Full-bodied with firm, ripe tannins. Black fruits on the palate and well rounded.
Serving suggestions: Serve at 16°C
Food pairing: Perfect when served with lamb, grilled meats, game of all types, veal, duck and pork and beef.
Drinking window: Balanced and round enough to be enjoyed right now but will develop complexity within the next few years, with 2023 a really good moment.
Tom Puyaubert weighs in with his thoughts on the Graciano grape
This wine is a tribute to the Graciano grape, originally native from Rioja but almost disappeared after phylloxera. Nowadays Graciano only represents 2% of the total vineyard of Rioja (i.e. 1,200 hectares out of 60,000). Graciano is actually a winemaker’s grape more than a viticulturist’s grape. It is not a very productive variety and yields are rather low. This is why viticulturists wouldn’t see it as a profitable grape. Nevertheless it is characterized by its high acidity and dark colour... everything that winemakers like!
Most of the time, winemakers use it as a part of the blend with Tempranillo (Graciano being the minority) to adjust acidity and pH and give a dark colour to the wine. I wanted to give more protagonism to Graciano, this is why I decided to work on the following blend: 60% Graciano, 40% Tempranillo.
The Graciano part comes from southern Rioja (Rioja Oriental): very Mediterranean climate, warm temperature and river-rocks soils are the main components of this terroir. It allows a perfect ripening of this long cycle variety in order to avoid green characters and getting instead black fruit,
spices, Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, thyme).
I’ve been thinking many times about making a 100% Graciano... but my Bordeaux background always pushes me to work on blends and see how grapes can complement each other... In this case I’ve added Tempranillo from Northern Rioja to the blend (40%). It comes from a very old plot
(around 80 years old) in the village of Abalos with soils of limestone and clay, at around 500 metres altitude.
This part of Tempranillo is bringing freshness and elegance, the limestone brings a good length on the palate and the ripe tannins of these old vines add silkiness to the blend. We could say this wine is a “debate” between the Atlantic Rioja Alta and the Mediterranean Rioja Oriental!
Regarding the winemaking program, all the grapes are picked by hand in 12 kg cases and the alcoholic fermentation takes place in small 225 litre French oak barrels. No pump-overs, no punch down as we don’t want to “over extract”... we just roll the barrels 3 to 4 times a day, so the fermentation process is more like a very light infusion that confers grace and elegance to the wine. The ageing then takes place in big 600 litre barrels for 18 months (French oak). The reason why we use these large barrels is to control the oak impact. We want it to be very integrated and discrete. This wine is actually quite different from the classical standard of Rioja you might be used to (Tempranillo, American oak, Crianza, Reserva, etc), you’ll certainly find more fruit expression and freshness, more depth and concentration also.
This wine sometimes reminds me of some Northern Rhone Syrahs, which demonstrate the huge potential of Rioja, a fantastic region I fell in love with 20 years ago!
Pepper Street Syrah 2018
Tasting notes:
On the nose, aromas of wild heather and subtle oak notes, the palate offers dense layers of black fruit and savory spice all held together with fine tannins.
Country
South Africa
Region
Stellenbosch
Grape
Syrah | Shiraz
Market Price
£21.99
Angel Price
£17.99
Sorry, this wine is available exclusively to the Angels who helped make it happen. To find out more about becoming an Angel, click here.
Pepper Street Syrah 2018
By Rudi SchultzTasting notes: On the nose, aromas of wild heather and subtle oak notes, the palate offers dense layers of black fruit and savory spice all held together with fine tannins.
Serving suggestions: Best served at 17-18°C, decanting an hour before enjoying is recommended. The wine is currently drinking well but will reward cellaring anywhere between 2-10 years, showing its evolution as time passes.
Food pairing: Pairs well with roast beef or a leg of lamb surrounded by crispy fried potatoes!
Drinking window: Drink now but cellaring up to 2031 in optimum storage conditions (14 - 16°C) and in darkness (without strong light), will be rewarded!
An insight into the science behind the Syrah from Rudi Schultz
Syrah has a well-known history in the Rhone region of France where it is one of the main red varieties. There are few theories explaining its origins, Pliny the Elder, a Roman author, wrote about a “grape from Syria”, alluding to a possible origin for this grape.
In 1999, the well-known and long held theory that Syrah was the main red wine produced around the Iranian city of Shiraz was finally laid to rest when researchers, using DNA typing, concluded that Syrah was a natural crossing of two obscure grapes. Dureza , the father, thought to have originated in the Ardeche in the South West and the mother, Mondeuse Blanche, from the Savoie region.
Similar confusion reigns when attempting to date the arrival of the Syrah grape in South Africa. One theory is that the young cuttings were introduced in the late 1600’s by Governor van der Stel and another likely version being that the Scottish viticulturist James Busby offloaded some cuttings en-route to Australia in 1840.
The first records of it being planted in the Cape were from the farm Groot Constantia at the end of the 1890’s. Today Syrah is the 2nd largest planted red varietal in South Africa and the 4th largest plantings in the world.
Most of the vineyard regions in the greater Western Cape fall within the ‘Cape fold Belt’. This is a fold and thrust belt created between 510 million and 300 million years ago, essentially tectonic plates colliding and “folding” the surface crust/rock into huge mountain ranges
The single vineyard used to produce this wine lies within the sub-ward of Bottelary. It is a region 10km west of the town of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. This area enjoys a Mediterranean climate of warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. West of Stellenbosch runs a ridge of hills which are composed of an iron rich, deep ferricrete soil of decomposed granite, locally called ‘koffie klip’ or coffee stone. As one descends the hills you enter an area of rough gravel and coarse sand, very poor in nutrients. This is a ‘duplex’ soil form where this medium overlies a deeper laying, clay rich soil with good water holding ability.
The Syrah vineyard, curiously called the ‘Pontac’ block (planted to Pontac decades earlier) straddles a section of both the lower Duplex and slightly more elevated coffee stone soils.
Due to the low vigour soils, we have a vineyard which bears 4-6 ton/ha and bunches with tiny berries.
My philosophy on making this wine is fluid and changes with each vintage. What does not change is the knowledge that the picking date, flavour and composition of the grape is of primary importance. Syrah is one of the few grapes that can be picked when the berry has a slight ‘shrivel’ to its skin without producing porty or overripe flavours and aromas. Brown, lignified stalks are ideal if the vintage allows a nice long ‘hang time’. I pick the vineyard in three passes, one slightly early to get nice firm berries and good acidity, then again when the berries soften to the touch and finally a small portion of what is described in Afrikaans as “öu mens gesiggies”, directly translating to “old folks faces”, a little shriveled!
I generally add between 10–15% whole bunches to the bottom of the open fermenter, the balance of the grapes is then de-stalked but not crushed and pumped on top of the whole bunch component already lying at the bottom of the tank. This allows the whole bunch portion to remain in the juice zone of the tank.
Of late I have been allowing natural yeasts to perform the fermentation, 2–3 punch downs per day for extraction, the tank is left alone and allowed to ferment out the last 5 degrees of sugar.
Depending on the vintage, I allow extended post fermentation maceration of 2–7 days. The tank is pressed off with the free run and press fractions being blended, after a few days, allowing the heavy lees to settle. The wine is then racked (moved) to 2nd and 3rd use French oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation (which helps soften the acidity of the wine). Once the malolactic fermentation is completed the barrels are emptied, the wine is racked and returned to the same barrels. This is the only movement the wine receives in its 18 months maturation period.
Lay of the Land Dillons Point Chardonnay 2020
Tasting notes:
Definitely a textural wine rather than aromatic - as a Chardonnay should be. There is a medley of subtle citrus floral aromas but framed with a more dominant lees influenced (brioche and wet stone) one. There is abundant pure fruit anchoring the feel of this wine. Around this fruit texture builds; layers of secondary lees derived flavour including fresh baking and a touch of oyster, supported with a caressing lick of sleek acidity and gentle supportive oak.
Country
New Zealand
Region
Marlborough
Grape
Chardonnay
Market Price
£19.99
Angel Price
£14.99
Lay of the Land Dillons Point Chardonnay 2020
By Mike PatersonTasting notes: Definitely a textural wine rather than aromatic - as a Chardonnay should be. There is a medley of subtle citrus floral aromas but framed with a more dominant lees influenced (brioche and wet stone) one. There is abundant pure fruit anchoring the feel of this wine. Around this fruit texture builds; layers of secondary lees derived flavour including fresh baking and a touch of oyster, supported with a caressing lick of sleek acidity and gentle supportive oak.
Serving suggestions: Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Just not too cold!
Food pairing: Marlborough pan-roasted brined pork chops and fennel salad.
Drinking window: Drink now until 2030.
Mike Paterson explains why Chardonnay should be the focus of your attention
Chardonnay is revered and loved worldwide for its noble sensibility, neutral nature, and ability to grow and thrive in a diverse range of climates and soil types. From Burgundy to South America, Chardonnay provides the winemaker a canvas to showcase not only locality but also winemaking style. A textural rather than aromatic grape, Chardonnay’s magic is in the balance between these two variables: the vineyard and the winery signature.
New Zealand is largely known for its impact with Sauvignon Blanc upon the wine world and more recently its Pinot Noirs. Chardonnay also has held a constant presence in New Zealand’s vineyard landscape but, without the same focus from our winemakers bar a few notable exceptions.
Interestingly one of the world's most respected and considered wine commentators, Jancis Robinson MW, has long held the view that with more focus, New Zealand’s actual real opportunity to challenge the very top of the pyramid in the wine world is with Chardonnay. This has not fallen on deaf ears and over the past decade more and more New Zealand winemakers have re-focussed on Chardonnay from the vineyard through to the winery.
Our own focus with Chardonnay has become intense as we have honed in on sub regions, vineyards, sustainable/organic viticulture and improved and adjusted approach in the winery to suit the quality and diversity of the fruit. Dillons Point is a sub region closer to the coast than the main Wairau Valley – generally warmer and more vigorous farming here needs a considered approach to crop load/competition to control vine vigour. One way to do this is through plant density which is why we were attracted to our growers here as they have more vines per hectare in turn smaller canopies/less fruit per vine, and ultimately better balance of ripeness between flavour and sugar. Both growers' vineyards are in conversion or are farming organically where there is equal focus on farming below the ground (soil) as the vegetative cycle of the plant.
All fruit is hand harvested to ensure the integrity of whole bunches prior to pressing. Winery wise we focus on doing the very simple things very well. Whole cluster (bunch) pressing over 4-5 hours – gentle and long is our mantra here. We like to press and then transfer to barrel (mix of 500 litre puncheons and 225 litre barriques) with no settling, taking as much solid material to the barrel as possible. This creates a warm and rapid ferment which sometimes stinks due to heavy sediments, BUT in the long run provides the framework for which all the texture is built. Post ferment we don’t like to stir the lees too much, just let the wine sit and rest while going through a 100% malolactic fermentation (to soften the acidity). Once this is completed, and just before the next harvest, the young wine is removed from barrel, sulphur added before a light filtration and into the bottle. It’s a very simple process in the winery but hugely under pinned by the quality and integrity of the fruit we receive. Our aim with our Dillons Point Chardonnay is to showcase the deep core of purity it possesses and provide the structure around this for the wine to unfold and tell its story over a little time in bottle.
We really hope you enjoy a little slice of the wine world you probably don’t hear about too often. Thanks again for all your support and the chance to bring you something a little different, new and something we are very excited about!
