Celebrate National 🎄🌳🌲Tree Week with 17 Trees

An Old-School Big Aussie Red from De Bortoli for National Tree Week

De Bortoli is a family-owned Australian winery established almost a century ago; in 1924, Vittorio De Bortoli journeyed from Castelcucco in the Venetian hinterland to New South Wales where, after working hard and living under a rain water tank for some time, he is joined by his fiancée, Giuseppina in 1926.

In 1928, he purchased a 55 acre mixed fruit farm; that year there is a glut of shiraz grapes and many farmers see it cheaper to let them rot. So, Vittorio takes them for free and crushes 15 tonnes of shiraz grapes which local Italians and other European workers in the area offer to buy off him.

De Bortoli Wines is born.

Roll forward to the 21st century, and De Bortoli’s early sustainability project sees them planting 17 trees for each company vehicle to offset the carbon effects of the fleet.

Today 17 Trees is a brand that has a purpose; it is a collaboration with the company's suppliers, distributors, customers and consumers to plant trees for a sustainable future

The 17 Trees range now plants a tree for every six bottles sold and has hit the milestone of planting 50,000 globally since launch in 2020.

The 17 Trees website includes three fun facts about trees:

HOW MANY TREES ARE THERE IN THE WORLD?

Globally, there are estimated to be 3.04 trillion trees. Trees help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and provide habitat to over 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity. That's why with every 6 bottles of 17 TREES wine purchased, we pledge to plant 1 tree for a sustainable future.

Source: https://go.nature.com/3j21PvA

HOW MANY TREES ARE REQUIRED TO OFFSET THE AVERAGE PERSON’S CARBON FOOTPRINT?

Australia has an average per capita footprint of 17 tonnes per year. To work out your carbon footprint, multiply 17 tonnes with your age to get the ‘carbon dioxide equivalent’ value of tonnes CO2 (assuming also that your carbon footprint as a child was equal to that of an adult).

Source: https://bit.ly/3C4rXgN 

HOW MUCH CARBON DIOXIDE DOES A TREE ABSORB?

A mature tree can absorb more than 22kg of carbon dioxide each year, removing and storing the carbon while releasing the oxygen back into the air. Purchase 6 bottles of 17 TREES = 1 tree = Removing 22kg of carbon dioxide per year.

Source: https://bit.ly/3nCVgkG

17 TREES Shiraz (£9.99, Waitrose, Amazon)

Made from fruit grown sustainably in Heathcote, just north of Melbourne; sees some new oak and weighs in at almost 15% alcohol.

dark-fruited, tarry and spicy with a slightly grilled edge, scrubby herbs and violets; baked, pruney, blackberry and black cherry fruit with and black olives, oaky spice and dark chocolate. Warming and lifted  with rubbed sage and porty eucalyptus. Long, concentrated and inky with rounded, grippy and slightly drying tannins.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

A big wine, this will match with char-grilled red meats, barbecue foods or possibly even a red-meat curry such as rogan josh.

Postscript

I left this in the fridge overnight; pouring a glass and unable to wait until the chill had properly dissipated, I found it tasted of ripe, spicy, minty blackcurrant sorbet. In a very delicious way.

The CWB Aussie Red-Off

A five-way Australian Red-Off: three wines from Tesco, plus Yalumba and Vasse Felix

Once a byword for "sunshine in a glass", that became increasingly monolithic fruit bombs, Australia is discovering European-style fresh, savoury complexity.

Here are five Australian reds that have plenty of easy-to-enjoy fruit, but also enough complexity, and food-friendly freshness.

More a continent than a country, Australia is not only one of the few places that can successfully make varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, without the need for blending, but actually has two areas where Cab thrives - Coonawarra in South Australia's Limestone Coast and Western Australia.

These five wines are are a mix of:

- two varietal Cabernets

- two Cab-Shiraz blends and 

- one varietal Shiraz

Cab-Shiraz Blends

Penfolds Max's Shiraz Cabernet, 2019, South Australia (£20, Tesco)

Max's Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon displays the Penfold's 'stamp' inspired by Max Schubert, a winemaking legend in Penfold's history who was the company's chief winemaker from 1948-1975. 

Aged for 12 months in French and American oak.

dark fruits, green herbs, peppery spice and graphite with mushroomy sous bois; generous, supple and plush, with dark berries, plums bramble fruits and cherries, minty eucalyptus and oaky vanilla spice; rounded and firm, well-integrated tannins; long and savoury

Good.

Drinks well on first opening; opens up further with aeration and can be cellared.

Match with beefy dishes, such as casserole, ragù alla bolognese or burgers.

Yalumba The Signature 2016 (£35, Majestic, Waitrose Cellar, Fine & Rare Wines)

Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family-owned winery has been making Cabernet-Shiraz blends for over half a century. The Signature was first made back in 1962, taking inspiration from Bordeaux winemakers who added small amounts of ‘other’ grapes to bring out the best in their cabernet wines.

Yalumba’s winemaker Kevin Glastonbury, who has been making The Signature for more than 20 years, describes it as a “Yalumba icon”. Every vintage of The Signature is individual, each reflecting the influence of vineyard differences and vintage conditions while maintaining a high level of quality and bringing The Signature landmark style.

The Signature is made using the best fruit of the vintage. The Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up 53% of the blend, comes from four vineyards in the Barossa Valley and provides the rich, lifted Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and palate structure for which The Signature is renowned. The Shiraz components include plantings of varying vine age; the oldest were planted in 1925. 

tarry-plummy dark fruits, minty eucalyptus, florality and complex oaky spice and sous bois; fresh and inky with black olives, ripe black and bramble fruits, cassis, sage and scrubby garrigue herbs, graphite and supple, very fine, rounded and well-integrated tannins. Dense and concentrated, deft and nuanced with very fine detailing. Very long.

Very Good.

Drinks nicely on first opening, opens up with extensive aeration and can be cellared for up to fifteen years.

Suggested food match from Yalumba: ham with a sweet orange and mustard glaze, served warm with some crusty bread and a glass of Yalumba The Signature 2016.

Match the sweet and salty flavours with the balance and fruit sweetness of the wine; this is a perfect classic festive food and wine pairing. 

For festive glazed ham, in eight easy steps, see the recipe below and watch Robert Hill-Smith and Nick Waterman cook their version here:

Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon

Wynns The Siding Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019, Coonawarra (£15, Tesco)

From a winery built 1896 on Conawarra's terra rossa soils in South Australias limstone coast. 

founded by pioneer John Riddoch, The wine is named after the railway siding - a local landmark that played a defining role during Coonawarra's early settlement. Completed in 1898, 'The Siding' was responsible for transporting around 600 hogsheads of wine a year to Adelaide

ripe dark berries and bramble fruits, oaky spice and some florality; supple cassis, baked blueberry and black olives with minty green herbs and liquorice; ripe, rounded and very well-integrated tannins; savoury, fresh and elegant. Very harmonious and adept.

Good.

Drinks well on first opening; further improves with aeration and can be cellared.

Match with rare roast beef and horseradish, or rack of lamb.

Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (£30 Direct Wine, Harvey Nichols, Australian Wines Online, Bonafide Wines, Vinvm. Ltd, Wine Direct, Connolly’s Wine Merchant, Averys, Laithwaites, The Secret Cellar)

Vasse Felix made their first Cabernet Sauvignon in Margaret River in 1972, from the vines planted by regional pioneer Tom Cullity in 1967 when the winery was first founded, and this wine has been made every year since.

The blend also includes some Malbec and Petit Verdot.

tarry dark fruits, lifted blackcurrant, violets and complex, oaky vanilla spice with leathery, truffley sous bois; ripe, juicy cassis, bramble fruits, liquorice, tobacco leaf, balsamic and ripe, well-integrated tannins. Supple, adept and harmonious.

Very Good

Match the blackcurranty fruit to rosemary-and-garlic lamb shoulder or barbecue foods on first opening. 

 Alternatively, decant for serval hours and match with beef dishes or savoury pates.

Cellar for several years for something to drink with darker game, truffles or mushrooms.

Varietal Shiraz

Bird In Hand Two In The Bush Shiraz, Adelaide Hills (£14, Tesco)

Made by Master of Wine Kym Milne.

Aged in tight grain French oak for 16 months, our 'Two in the Bush' Shiraz has rich aromas of vanilla, blackberry and a hint of chocolate which resonates on the palate. This medium bodied Shiraz displays the elegance and complexity of cooler climate red winemaking.

This cool climate Shiraz was harvested early in April from a hot, dry summer followed by a particularly mild autumn. These conditions favoured more medium bodied, structural and aromatic red wines. Made using open fermentation vessels this Shiraz was then aged in new (20%) and older French oak barrels for 12 months. 

Situated in an area of the Adelaide Hills that was littered with goldmines in the 1800s, the Bird in Hand winery was purchased and planted in 1997 by Andrew Nugent. Andrew has kept the close historical links alive both in the naming of the winery and their wine ranges; Two in the Bush and Nest Egg were the names of mineshafts in the Bird in Hand goldmine. From vineyards in Woodside and Clare, Bird in Hand produce classic examples of cool climate Chardonnay and Shiraz that have won world acclaim.

The seaside influence of the Gulf of St. Vincent, the cloud-trapping rise of the Mount Lofty Ranges and plenty of Australian sun all combine to create a special diurnal temperature shift that the grapes love.

juicy black fruits, cassis, black cherry and blackcurrant with black olive, pepper and aromatic green herbs; juicy, fresh, pure and supple with very fine, well-integrated tannins.

Good.

Very closed up on first opening; benefits from extensive aeration and will repay some cellaring.

Match with roasted red meats, such as garlic-and-rosemary lamb shoulder.

New York State of Wine

A NY State vs the World Riesling-Off, hosted by Jamie Goode

New York

Isn't New York

Without You, Love

- New York, St Vincent (2017)

If, like me, you have barely tried New York state wines before, your main take away from this should be that they are high-end and at least as good as anything else from more illustrious regions.

The rest, in a sense, is just details - and whilst there are stories of regions, terroir and varieties, simply tasting a few (more) New York wines is the obvious next step.

This tasting, hosted by Jamie Goode, pitted three New York Rieslings from the Finger Lakes area against the same variety from around the world at similar price points.

Once you get into mid-teens pricing and beyond, it's not unreasonable to expect a wine to be competently made from good fruit; Big Name regions will always have a few duds trading on the general reputation, but emerging regions have to start with pioneers who overdeliver for the price and who will make a Name for the region on the back of great wines at relatively moderate prices.

Details on New York State wines from the Finger Lakes areas:

Finger Lakes is one of six major wine growing regions in New York State.

Vines have grown here for many hundreds of years, with the first record of plantings by the Dutch settlers in the late 17th century. For some years, the area was dominated solely by Native American varieties and hybrids, and it was only in the late 1950s that the Ukrainian Dr. Konstantin Frank began experimenting with high quality European vinifera, particularly in the Finger Lakes.

The Finger Lakes are eleven deep and narrow lakes, stretching south to north, moderating the climate by either warming or cooling the surrounding atmosphere, rendering viticulture possible; the two largest Finger Lakes, Seneca and Cayuga, almost never freeze.

This was recognized by German, Swiss and French settlers in the late 19th century who spotted the freshwater orchard potential. The Finger Lakes AVA is one part of a triangle that represents North America’s premier fresh- water lake viticulture areas.

Riesling Battle Royal - tasted in ascending price order

Hosted by wine writer, Jamie Goode and sommelier Caroline Furstoss with producers:

- Kelby Russell, Red Newt Cellars

- Nova Cadamatre MW, Trestle 31

- Oskar Bynke, Hermann J. Wiemer

Robert Oatley Signature Series Riesling 2020 , Western Australia (£13.95, Cambridge Wines, Solent Wine Cellar)

lemon blossom, passion fruit, some diesel; grapefruit, zingy lemon, and lime, sherbet, yellow stone fruit with sweet spices and fresh green apple and pea shoots; steely, pebbly, slatey minerality. 

Good.

Schatzel, Riesling 2018 QBA, Rheinhessen (£19.99, Master of Malt, 9 Elms, Vida, Whisky Exchange)

diesel, struck match, stone fruits and blossom; pure, focused and linear-mineral with sherbet, citrus, white stone fruits and refreshing green apple.

Good.

Trestle 31, 2019 Riesling, Finger Lakes (£21, not currently available in UK)

white flowers, white pepper and struck match; white stone fruits with cool mint and creamy brazil nut.; textured, broad and leesy-savoury.

Good.

Red Newt Cellars, The Knoll 2016, Finger Lakes (£30.50, The Wine Treasury)

complex late-harvest, yellow fruits and aged diesel; ripe, buttery, roasted peaches and apricots, honey and mango with sweet spices; mouthfilling, long and complex.

Very Good Indeed.

Hermann J. Wiemer, HJW Bio Riesling 2019, Finger Lakes (£32.50, Wanderlust Wines)

stone fruits, citrus, blossom and minerality; fresh sweet-and-sour citrus, yellow fruits, sherbet and honeysuckle; saline with a refreshing slatey-mineral backbone, complex and very long. Mosel-esque.

Very Good.

M. Chapoutier, Schieferkopf Lieu-Dit Fels Riesling 2018 Selection Parecellaire, Alsace (£36.50, Uncorked)

complex wild herbs, cidery bruised fruit and menthol; full, supple and leesy-savoury with creamy brazil nut, oatmeal, citrus, stone and orchard fruits and mintiness; very long, broad and adept.

Very Good.

Results

The final results here are of less importance than the fact that three wines from NY state can hold their own against wines from classic Riesling regions.

That said, my favourite was the Red Newt Cellars, The Knoll for its aged complexity and late-harvest richness whilst remaining fully dry.

Technically, the best wine was the Chapoutier, but it is 1) the most expensive and 2) somewhat atypical for a Riesling.

Main photo from Caroline Lin: Caroline on Instagram: "New York State of Wine - Riesling Battle Royal - a great educational virtual tasting session, organised by R&R Teamwork @randrdrinkers, and…"

Two Vasse Felix Wines

Two wines from Western Australia's Vasse Felix

Western Australia was, curiously, the region that first got me into Australia.

Back then, they were the most restrained, elegant and food-friendly wines I had tried from Australia, compared to the ubiquitous over-fruited pantechnicons of Bruce Juice.

Fast forward to today and there are plenty of cool-climate, elegant Aussie wines that you might think were European if you tasted blind.

But I still retain a special fondness for that corner of Australia wedged between two cooling oceans and a five-hour flight from anywhere.

Novice wine-drinking-me also avoided Chardonnay on the advice of no less a figure than Oz Clarke, who opined in the early New Millennium: Chardonnay's problem is that actually it's rather a neutral variety ... that's why Sauvignon Blanc is such a runaway success.

Given that I drank mainly Austrian wines at the time, avoiding Chardonnay was not exactly difficult, as I existed on a steady diet of Gruener, Riesling and Styrian Sauvignon.

So, imagine my surprise when, one evening at some soulless, identikit airport in Mittel Europa, having  managed to make my way into the Business Lounge, I poured myself a glass of Chardonnay and found that ... I rather liked it.

Decades later, I still have the distinct recollection of the delicious savoury, oaky buzz with ripe tropical fruit, all zipped up with a squeeze of lime. "Oz, you lied!" I wanted to shout.

Instead, I found myself a convenient corner with a view of the runway landing lights, opened the business pages and quietly poured myself another glass.

My relationship with Cab is somewhat different; I've rarely had it as a varietal wine, but if I had to pick a favourite red, it would be the Cab-dominated Left-Bank wines of Bordeaux.

The darker wines of Bordeaux and France's south west generally were pretty much the first reds I got into; on a driving holiday to France many years ago, we stopped at a supermarket and filled the boot with various, plentiful inexpensive reds, a pre-Brexit ritual we followed pretty much every year in the form of some holiday or other involving taking the car across the Channel.

Vasse Felix says of these wines:

Two wines from one of the most isolated wine regions in the world. Margaret River is a land that is pure, unique, remote, and distinct in every possible way with its pristine coastline, abundant forests, and ancient soils.

One of 34 global biodiversity hotspots, the region is home to flora and fauna not found anywhere else in the world. This is also home to the passionate winemakers of Vasse Felix who produce some of the world’s finest Chardonnays and Cabernets.

Supported by the region’s consistent ‘textbook’ climate and positioned on a cape, the Margaret River wine region experiences a Mediterranean warmth that is cooled by the ocean on three sides: ideal for growing top quality grapes. The region’s wines are respected for their unique quality of elegance and power.

Vasse Felix 2019 CHARDONNAY

Virginia Willcock has been winemaker at Vasse Felix since 2006 and believes the single most important influence is the breeze from the southern Indian Ocean that keeps the fruit cool, so the bunches ripen slower and with balanced flavour and retention of natural acidity and beautiful, vibrant intensity. But there’s something more than that.

The Gingin clone, which forms the backbone of this wine (with a little of the Bernard clone mixed in). Gingin is a unique, yet commonly planted vine, introduced to Western Australia in 1957 (yet it would be 20 years later before a Chardonnay was made from it).

Margaret River’s low yielding ‘heritage’ Chardonnay clone experiences millerandage (hen and chicken) berries that give intensity, wonderful acidity, and depth of flavour. Vasse Felix Chardonnay is produced from small parcels of this fruit, selected from carefully nurtured plots in Vasse Felix’s premier vineyards located in Wilyabrup and Wallcliffe areas of Margaret River.

Most of the grapes are hand-harvested and gently whole bunch pressed and transferred to French oak barriques as unclarified juice for wild fermentation. Each parcel is left on lees in the barrel, before allowing further time to rest and harmonise as the fruit flavours and solids intermingle. The result is a wine, made in a modern style, with elegance, power and restraint and a wild complexity which gives Vasse Felix Chardonnay a distinct house style.

Vasse Felix 2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Cabernet Sauvignon is what Margaret River is best known for, and this wine is a leading champion of the region. Almost every wine producer makes one, but the premier Cabernet Sauvignon of Vasse Felix has a distinctive house style that shines through.

Vasse Felix made their first Cabernet Sauvignon in Margaret River in 1972, from the vines planted by regional pioneer Tom Cullity in 1967 when the winery was first founded, and this wine has been made every year since.

Cabernet and Malbec vines arrived in Western Australia in 1854. Known locally as Houghton clone, Tom’s mass selection from the Houghton Vineyard in Swan Valley (Australia’s second oldest wine region) have been propagated in subsequent plantings at Vasse Felix and by other Margaret River wineries.

The grapes are grown in Vasse Felix’s Home Vineyard in Wilyabrup; a patchwork of tiny, premier vineyard plots of exceptional land and microclimates. Harsh and ancient well-drained, gravel-loam soils over clay ensure low yielding vines.

Their aspect ensures optimum access to the cooling ocean breeze for the perfect balance of flavour, concentration, and tannin ripeness. Each vineyard plot is individually fermented using indigenous yeasts with extended maceration and traditional oxidative handling. It is basket pressed and matured in small batches.

A small amount of Malbec is always blended into the wine, to complement and enhance the Cabernet profile, ensuring it remains true to the house estate style. A little Petit Verdot is added to bring a floral tone to the nose and a beautiful tail to the tannin.

The percentage of each variety in the blend varies, sensitive to the vintage. The wine’s distinctive style possesses all the hallmarks of the finest Wilyabrup Cabernet, that of elegance, structure, and age-ability. 

Vasse Felix has a place in Margaret River history as the region’s founding wine estate, and with these two wines, a Chardonnay, and a Cabernet Sauvignon, comes not just the quality but a true and pure expression of the region

Vasse Felix Premier Chardonnay 2019 (£25, Harvey Nichols, Australian Wines Online, Fareham Wine Cellar, Specialist Cellars, Vinvm, Lattitude Wines, The Soho Wine Supply, Frazier’s Wine Merchants, Wine Direct (Sussex) Ltd, Fortnum & Mason, Appellation Nation, Voyageurs du Vin, Fareham Wine Cellar)

white peach, citrus and orchard fruits, with oaky spice, wild herbs and lime zest; melon, citrus, pineapple and lime fruit with almond, ginger, struck match and toasty oak with savoury, brazil nut leesiness; complex, harmonious and long.

Drinks nicely on first opening, improves with aeration and will repay some cellaring.

Very Good.

Match with complex, spiced dishes, such as chili-and-ginger tuna carpaccio or Tom Yum Talay.

Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (£30 Direct Wine, Harvey Nichols, Australian Wines Online, Bonafide Wines, Vinvm. Ltd, Wine Direct, Connolly’s Wine Merchant, Averys, Laithwaites, The Secret Cellar)

tarry dark fruits, lifted blackcurrant, violets and complex, oaky vanilla spice with leathery, truffley sous bois; ripe, juicy cassis, bramble fruits, liquorice, tobacco leaf, balsamic and ripe, well-integrated tannins. Supple, adept and harmonious.

Very Good.

This is a wine that has much development to go through; match the blackcurranty fruit to rosemary-and-garlic lamb shoulder or barbecue foods on first opening.

Alternatively, decant for serval hours and match with beef dishes or savoury pates.

Cellar for several years for something to drink with darker game, truffles or mushrooms.

Two Leftfield Whites from The Co-op

Two delicious whites from the Co-op, from unusual grapes / locations

Name a classic, food-friendly white wine and Chablis, kiwi Sauvignon or Pinot Grigio may well be amongst the first  that spring to mind.

These two leftfield wines from the Co-op are classic grapes / wines that are a little bit less common and therefore  slightly leftfield.

This means that:

- they are slightly better value than well-known wines from Big Name Regions

- they are good enough to please anyone who just wants "a glass of something nice"

- they are unusual enough to be interesting, but also classic enough to command respect

Some dinner party facts:

- Viognier's spiritual home is the northern Rhône, where it make very expensive Condrieu

- it almost became extinct, but has seen a revival in fortunes and is now grown all around the world

- it like lots of sun and tastes of ripe peaches and apricots

- not all Rioja is red; white Rioja can be made from local indigenous varieties Viura (aka Macabeo), Malvasía and Garnacha blanca

- CVNE (COO-nay) is the Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España, a family winery founded in 1879 in Haro, La Rioja

Yalumba Y Series Viognier, 2020,  Australia (£9)

All Yalumba Viogniers are fermented using wild yeasts which add extra character and complexity to the wines.

white flowers, white pepper and stone fruit; waxy yet crisp with peach, apricot and pineapple fruit, some grapefruit and lemon pitch; honeysuckle and minerality with good, savoury underpinnings. 

Match with spicy and rich dishes such as a Sri Lankan vegetable or chicken curry.

Good

Cune White Rioja, 2019 Spain (£9.50)

A blend of Viura and Malvasia

golden sandy yellow. ripe, fresh citrus, orchard fruit and galia melon; fresh clean acidity; pure with long saline minerality. Elegant, substantial and deft.

Good.

A versatile food wine, match with roast white meat, pasta in creamy sauces or meaty white fish.

Both these wines are reduced by £1 from 10 November to 30 November 2021 inclusive.

Here's a recipe to match with the white Rioja: Spanish chicken supreme with spring vegetables recipe - BBC Food

Marimar Estate Tasting

Three new vintages from the Marimar Estate's Don Miguel Vineyard in California

Marimar Torres and her daughter Cristina are, respectively, the 4th and 5th generation of Spain's Torres family; Marimar moved from her native land and founded Marimar Estate Vineyards and Winery in California's Sonoma County in the 1980s at the behest of her father, Don Miguel Torres.

The Estate features a Catalan-style farmhouse from Marimar's homeland and she brings a European sensitivity to her wines; the vineyards are in some of California's coolest sites, vineyard management is based on European methods, adapted the the Californian climate, the oak used is French and the wines are made to be refreshing and food-friendly.

Marimar's destiny was set when, after much searching, she found an old apple orchard in California. Here, she planted the 56-acre Don Miguel Vineyard with high density planting in the Green Valley, the coolest and foggiest region of the Russian River Valley, only ten miles from the Pacific.

She made her first wine, a barrel-fermented Chardonnay, and took it back to Spain for the now elderly and bed-ridden Don Miguel to sample; with uncharacteristic enthusiasm, he declared it to be the best white wine he had tried and instructed Marimar to build a winery in California.

The second wine, an Albariño, was originally planted on the Sonoma Coast, but struggled to ripen, so was grafted onto vines in the slightly warmer Don Miguel Vineyard.

The final wine is named after Marimar's daughter Cristina and is a testament to the challenges of establishing a winery in a foreign country many thousands of miles from her homeland with a small child.

Timeline and climate

The vineyard was purchased in 1983 and planted in 1986 initially with Chardonnay (Cali Pinot and other reds had not yet become A Thing at that time); in those days, this was not wine country at all, it was all fruit orchards.

Named after Don Miguel Torres, father of Marima, the vineyard is in the Green Valley, just north of San Francisco, part of the Russian River Valley within Sonoma; morning fogs and cooling afternoon breezes support cool-climate varieties.

The fog blows in off the Pacific through the Petaluma Gap keeping the area much cooler than Napa, which is sheltered on the other side of the mountains and can grow warmer-climate varieties such as Cabernet and Zinfandel.

The soils are relatively young compared to Europe - 8 million years vs 60 - 100 million years. Historically underwater, the soils of this area are sandy with great drainage, with some clay in the subsoil of Don Miguel.

Background on the wines and tasting notes from Marimar Torres.

Marimar Estate, Albariño, 2019 (Vivino, £29.99)

Albariño has been known to produce outstanding wines in the cool, rainy climate of Galicia, in Northwest Spain. Marimar first planted the variety in her Sonoma Coast vineyard, but it proved too cold for ripening even a cool-climate variety like this. After four years, she gave up and grafted the budwood from those vines onto slightly warmer Russian River Valley estate and it is now thriving in the Don Miguel Vineyard.

white peach, tangerine and honeysuckle; luscious, ripe fruit with more fullness, lower acidity and slightly less salinity compared to a Galician Albariño from Rias Baixas; a crowd-pleaser and very popular at the cellar door

Match with raw or grilled seafood, smoked salmon, sushi or tapas.

Marimar Estate, La Masia Chardonnay, 2018 (VINMN, Vivino, Amazon, Fareham Wine Cellar, £34.99)

La Masía means The Farmhouse in Catalonia, Marimar’s home region, and her winery is designed to resemble a classic Catalan farmhouse. The vineyards 30 acres of Chardonnay are planted with three different clones with high density of over 2,000 vines/acre. The yields are low, and labour is intensive, but the vines live longer, and the grapes acquire better balance and greater concentration, as well as more elegance and finesse.

delicate and very focused, with aromas of jasmine and white peach, ripe-yet-taut apples, pineapple, well-integrated oak, acidity and minerality; rich and savoury yet crisp and mouthfilling, reminiscent of baked apple and lemon custard; long and perfectly balanced

Marimar Estate, Cristina Pinot Noir, 2017 (Vinimus, Farenham Wine Cellar, Amazon, Wine Direct, £49.99)

Named after Marimar’s daughter, Cristina, this wine is a barrel selection from a unique blend of different Pinot Noir clones that best represent the terroir and personality of the Don Miguel Vineyard and show the most potential for aging. The vineyard’s 30 acres of Pinot Noir are planted with several clones, which yield wines with complex layers of flavours.

black fruits, ripe cherries and a hint of pomegranate, with savoury notes of bay leaf and anise; red cherry and cranberry fruit, not too ripe, good acidity; great balance and silky tannins; the complexity and acidity, perfectly integrated oak and fruit augur a long life; still very youthful and primary, drinking nicely now but will gain complexity with age

Drinking nicely now, will age at least another 15-20 years.

Three Wines From Abbotts & Delaunay

Three wines from France's Abbotts & Delaunay

The Septembre wines are the entry-level for the Edouard Delaunay range and both have been made by Head Winemaker, Christophe Briotet who won IWC red winemaker of the year in 2020 and IWC white wine maker of the year in 2021.

Christmas isn’t complete without some Burgundy and these two elegant, well-made wines offer typical Burgundy character at exceptionally good value for money prices.

The Languedoc red would also be perfect with a Christmas roast.

Edouard Delaunay Septembre Chardonnay 2020, Burgundy (Majestic £14.99 or £10.99 mix six)

Edouard Delaunay 'Septembre' Chardonnay 2018, Burgundy - Majestic Wine

Made by Laurent Delaunay in Burgundy at his family's winemaking estate; barrel-aged and stirred on texture-building lees, resulting in a gloriously indulgent wine that stands with some of the finest oaked whites.

Grapes from the Côte d’Or are complemented by a selection from the heights of the Mâconnais adding roundness and fruitiness to the blend. 65% are vinified in the style of great white Burgundies and barrel aged, the rest from the Mâconnais in steel tanks.

Citrus, lemon, orange blossom and floral honeysuckle; elegant lemon barley sugar, melted butter, frangipane and hazelnut; saline-mineral with leesy complexity and breadth. Very adept, pure and elegant.

Drinks nicely on first pouring, opens up with aeration and will become more savoury with some cellaring.

Very Good.

Match with seafood starters or roasted white meats such as pork belly or chicken.

Edouard Delaunay Septembre Pinot Noir 2019,  Burgundy (12.5% Majestic £16.99 or £12.99 mix six)

Edouard Delaunay 'Septembre' Pinot Noir 2017/18, Burgundy - Majestic Wine

The Edouard Delaunay estate's history dates back to 1893; the wines were the choice of The Orient Express and the finest restaurants in France. A century later, it fell out of family hands, until Laurent Delaunay bought it back in 2017 and re-established his deep-rooted family connections with the best local grape-growers.

With the help of award-winning winemaker Christophe Briotet, he’s making a huge success story of what is now Burgundy’s fastest up-and-coming producer. This Pinot Noir is made mainly from grapes from Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits.

A contemporary, complex Pinot Noir. More than 80% of the mostly handpicked grapes come from the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits with half aged in oak barrels and half in stainless steel tanks. 

cherry and redcurrant fruit with raspberry leaf, blueberry tart and marzipan; fresh and vibrant with red and dark berry fruits, fresh green herbs, clove and cigar and some mushroomy sous bois; well-integrated oak and spices. 

Good.

Match with gamey dishes, such as venison or wild salmon, as well as mushroom-based foods.

Abbotts & Delaunay Cumulo Nimbus Minervois 2017, (The Oxford Wine Company £22.99)

Cumulo Nimbus, Clouds & Winds Minervois (oxfordwine.co.uk)

Also part of Badet Clément’s Abbotts & Delaunay Collection made in the Languedoc, this stylish Minervois is a blend of handpicked Syrah and Grenache grapes, the Syrah from vineyards by the Canal du Midi, the Grenache from cooler higher altitude vineyards in the Causses.

60% of the blend is aged for 9 months in oak resulting in elegant tannins, complexity and a long, silky finish.

dark fruits, spice, liquorice, herbal eucalyptus and sous bois; forest fruits, pepper and plummy juicy black cherry and acassis; fresh and harmonious with supple, very fine, well-integrated tannins. Elegant and complex.

Drinks nicely on first pouring; will also repay some cellaring.

Very Good.

Match with roasted red meats such as beef, lamb or venison.