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.

Light & Elegant Wines from North-West Spain with Tim Atkin

Three wines from North West Spain with Tim Atkin MW of Three Wine Men

Tim Atkin MW talks through three outstanding wines from Castilla y León, one of Spain’s most diverse wine-producing regions - and increasingly one of its most exciting.

Castilla y León is Spain's north west is the largest autonomous region in the country; north west of Madrid and formerly the northern part Old Castille, it is on the central Spanish plateau, known as the meseta, whose limestone soils suggest it was once a sea or lake.

The region has 9 DOs and 4 DOPs, is home to old vines and indigenous grape varieties and is defined by its geography and climate:

- altitude, some of the highest vineyards in Europe on a high plateau

- continental climate, cold winters and hot summers with large diurnal variation

- castles dominate the landscape, big skies and wide vistas, beautiful piercing light

- the Duero river runs through the region

- the main grape varieties are Tempranillo and Verdejo

Tim says: “After tasting through an appealingly diverse set of wines from Castilla y León, I’m delighted to have the chance to show three of my favourites from this extensive and extremely varied region.

Tim's picks are a new wave Ribera del Duero red, a Ruedo Verdejo from 100-year-old vines and a rare Albillo Real from Cebreros.

Tim introduced the wines along with the winemakers and provided tasting notes.

Cuatro Rayas Viñedos Centenarios 2020, Rueda

Rueda is a successful and growing region, specialising in Verdejo; it has changed dramatically since creation as an appellation in 1980, previously growing Palomino made a sherry-style wine

Verdejo has the aromatic acidity of kiwi-style Sauvignon, but the fruit is more peachy.

The winery was founded 1935 as a co-op with over 300 members; it has some of the oldest vines in the region, some over 100 years; 100% Verdejo, 15% in French oak, 85% in stainless steel, matured in stainless steel with battonage; 

white flowers with fennel aromas, crisp and elegant, fresh and silky

Arrayan Albillo Real Granito 2020 Cebreros

750m altitude, sandy and granitic soils, formerly a bulk wine area; the Albillo Real grape is local to the area, producing small berries with golden skin, low acidity, early maturing, hand harvested; thin skins but with low rainfall and early harvesting, there is no risk of rot 

Grown on sandy-pebbly soil, they tread the grapes by foot, 3 days' skin contact, spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel, aged in waxed tinajas for seven months with no malolatic fermentation in order to preserve acidity

fresh and mineral with honey flavours and the textural grip of an amber wine; flinty saline-minerality with sweet vanilla

Páramos de Legaris 2017, Ribera del Duero

The region is all red wines, all from Tempranillo, but with very varied soil types including clay, sandy and pebbly with altitudes from 50m to 1,000m. Historically, it was considered too cold for making wines, but early-ripening Tempranillo is suited to the climate.

The winery aims to show the freshness of the wine, aged in old oak for 11 months, unusually high 15% alcohol; late frosts in April reduced yields, giving very high concentration, followed by very hot summer with harvesting a month earlier than usual; they sought to harvest as late as possible for flavour, leading to the high alcohol levels.

red and black summer berries, with dried prunes and soft, well-integrated tannins.

This was the popular favourite of the tasting.

Prosecco - A Deeper Dive into Conegliano Valdobbiadene

A deeper dive into the "rive" of Conegliano Valdobbiadene

The story of Prosecco is, to some extent, that of a country wine that suddenly found itself in the world's spotlight.

The rise and rise of Prosecco has been pretty much universally A Good Thing; consumers have taken to it and increasing demand has allowed the winemakers of the area to experiment, take risks and generally show what the wine can do.

After last year's introduction to Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG, this masterclass looked in more detail at the terroir and the rive, the slopes that make some of the top Prosecco wines in the area.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene is a mountainous area of "hogsbacks" in the pre-Alps / Dolomites; the hills run, unusually, east-west giving a north-south aspect. Distinctive, beautiful and ancient, they are a patchwork of bio-cultural heritage that has been recognised by UNESCO.

The UK buys mostly DOC Prosecco, with sales of DOCG making up under 10% by volume; however, that amount is also the top 10% by quality.

Rive wines are an even smaller proportion, meaning that this is a specialist and limited area. However, with export markets growing, and wines that were historically consumed locally finding new audiences abroad, the UK is a key market.

Located in the Veneto region of Italy, between Venice and the Dolomites, this is a rich land where the aristocrats of the Venetian republic lived, bringing the wealth and power of La Serenissima. It is a land rich in history and culture as well as natural wealth.

The rive are the slopes of the region, rising sharply from around 50m to 500m above sea level; there are 43 named rive which vary in size and have stricture regulations, including lower yields. They are cool, bright and breezy with steep terrain.

The constant breezes with cool nights and mornings moderate the temperature, resulting in higher acidity and lower alcohol and endless geological variation.

The wines of Conegliano are from clay soils, giving structure and fruity aromas.

Valdobbiadene's ancient mixed soils give finesse, fruit and florality.

With high rain comes high vigour, so natural growth and plantings are used to maintain the ciglione terraces which are grassed rather than stony, requiring hand-harvesting and needing around 10 times the amount of labour to maintain vs the lower-lying, flatter DOC vineyards where large estates are able to use mechanised processes.

The UNESCO protection of Conegliano Valdobbiadene's hogsback terraces helps to preserve the artisan, small-producer approach against the incursion of Big Money from outside; this will always be a high-cost areas, so the wines are moving away from cellar-door sales to tourists from Austria and northern Italy to competing on a larger stage on quality, rather than on price.

The wines must be minimum 85% Glera, with up to 15% of other varieties allowed; local varieties are increasing, with international varieties declining.

Glyphosate was banned in 2019 further adding to the region's sustainable and artisan credentials..

This being Italy, Dry is in fact the sweetest style. Next comes Extra Dry which is the most common style, with the drier styles of Brut and Extra Brut growing the fastest.

Unlike dosage for Champagne, sweetness levels for Prosecco are set prior to secondary fermentation; the drier styles undergo a longer Charmat-method fermentation and are more food friendly as a result.

Drier styles also require, and are therefore reserved for, top-quality fruit to give more concentration, extract, balance and complexity.

Within the "quality pyramid" of  Prosecco, Cartizze sits at the very top and is Grand Cru-level; the oldest sites date back to the 1600s and it forms a beautiful natural amphitheatre with stony soils, high acidity and higher ripeness.

The wines were presented in flights and the tasting notes are from Sarah Abbott MW.

Flight #1 - steely rive wines: all extra Brut

These wines had more precision; Glera is an aromatic variety and expresses its terroir when handled carefully with high levels of attention to the base wine, using site selection, natural yeasts and clarification methods and lees aging after initial fermentation for extra complexity. In some cases, this aging can be for up to a year after fermentation; this gives texture to the wine rather than the biscuity autolytic character.

BORGO COL Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut Rive di Follina 2020 (Looking for importer)

very small producer, just 9ha, gentle with delicate fruit

ADAMI Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut Rive di Farra di Soligo “Col Credas” 2019 (Astrum Wine Cellars)

bracing with striking acidity, family producer, tangy and uncompromising from a stony, breezy area with delicate stony freshness

BORTOLOTTI Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut Rive di Santo Stefano “Vigna Montagnole” 2019 (Ellis of Richmond)

aged on the fine lees for 4 months, then a very slow, 7-month secondary fermentation; from a steep, tiny vineyard of extreme, rugged slopes; racy and crisp with green apple, a gentle saltiness and pumice minerality

CANEVEL Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut “Terre Del Faè” 2020 (Berkmann Wine Cellars)

from Refrontolo, nicknamed "a postcard from God" for its outstanding beauty; a larger 26ha site where sheep graze in the vineyards for vegetation management and the wines can be served throughout the meal, not just as an aperitif; a long 2nd fermentation with lots of work on the base wine to create texture, reduced clarification to maintain proteins, use of natural yeasts, lower sulphites and higher natural anti-oxidants

All these wines were very elegant, but there was a feeling that their subtlety could prove to be the greatest market challenge, as it could prove too easy simply to overlook their delicacy.

All these Extra Brut wines will match with local foods such as risotto; they open up and gain complexity even as the fizz decreases, and prove popular in the local upmarket on-trade as a food-friendly, fine-dining wine.

Flight #2 - cuvees: all Brut

These wines are all non-rive assemblages with a soft broadness 

CARPENÉ MALVOLTI Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut Rive di San Pietro di Barbozza 2020

delicate, floral, herbal and fresh; subtle and sensitive with a gentle mousse and acidity

MALIBRAN Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut “Ruio” 2020 (Vinhuset Nofra)

from gentle, rolling hills, a single-vineyard wine, even if not from the rive; broader with an almost exotic fruit character, almost peachy roundedness, salty; a classic Conegliano style, plumper and more mouthfilling

SOMMARIVA Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut 2020 (Symposium Wines)

complex, from a lower altitude and drier area; spends just 30 days on the lees for second fermentation; again has Conegliano's characteristic rounder, plusher richness

IL COLLE Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut Millesimato 2020 (Looking for importer)

family company dating back to Venetian traders, organically-farmed and uses a cut-the-cordon method for on-the-vine passito character; peachy and aromatic, floral and tropical with pear fruit; 

LE COLTURE Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut “Fagher” 2020 (Corney & Barrow) 

from 45yo vines; archetypal Valdobbiadene; vibrant, floral, aromatic with fine mousse, pretty and juicy with alluring fruit; overall, more refined

Flight #3 - cuvees with higher RS levels

These wines are not from the rive, but are cuvees sourced from within Valdobbiadene; their higher residual sugar content gives them a floral, cherry-blossom / Gardenia character; perfumed and aromatic, they are classy fun

BORTOLIN FRATELLI Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry “Rù” Millesimato 2020

18g/l  of residual sugar with fruit from both Conegliano and Valdobbiadene

RICCARDO Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Dry Millesimato (Looking for importer)

21.5 g/l with fruit only from Valdobbiadene

California's Central Coast: J Lohr and Oz Clarke

A Three Wine Men tasting of J. Lohr wines with Oz Clarke

J. Lohr's story

Founded five decades ago and still family-owned and operated today, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines has established itself as one of the industry’s most respected wine brands.

At the time, the California Central Coast had not yet emerged as one of North America’s world-class winegrowing regions. With little history or viticultural precedent, planting on the Central Coast was a gamble.

One of a handful of early pioneers, Jerry Lohr was among the first to realize the inherent potential of Monterey and Paso Robles for producing high quality grapes and superb wines.

The Central Coast’s emergence as a world class winegrowing region runs parallel with the establishment and growth of J. Lohr Vineyards & Winery.

Founder Jerry Lohr is one of the region’s pioneers and has played a larger-than-life role in bringing the area to prominence.

Jerry’s instincts led him to two regions located about 75 miles apart. In the early 1970s, he chose Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco district for its cool, windy climate and rocky soils as ideal for Chardonnay.

In the 1980s, he recognized the potential of Paso Robles for growing Bordeaux varietals, especially Cabernet Sauvignon – given the area’s rich soils and dramatic diurnal temperature swings between warm days and cool nights.

Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco appellation has proved ideal for growing layered, complex Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Brisk winds and fog off Monterey Bay, stony, well-drained soils, and a lack of damaging fall rains all combine to produce grapes with trademark fruit intensity and balancing acidity. In 1974, Jerry unveiled the first J. Lohr winery in San Jose.

In the early 1980s, Jerry Lohr saw the potential for great Cabernet Sauvignon further south. Borrowing a lesson from the French—that great Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon excel in very different growing conditions—Jerry began planting Cabernet Sauvignon and other red varieties in San Luis Obispo County’s little-known Paso Robles region in 1986.

With the hands-on devotion of an artisan farmer, Jerry tended to the vines while diligently working toward the creation and development of an adjacent winery and barreling cellars; J. Lohr’s Paso Robles production facility was opened in 1988.

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines now includes more than 1,400 acres of cool-climate estate vineyards in the Arroyo Seco and Santa Lucia Highlands regions of Monterey County, with an emphasis on Chardonnay, Riesling, Valdiguié and Pinot Noir.

J. Lohr farms over 2,700 acres of vineyards in Paso Robles, now recognized as one of the world’s best spots for Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux and Rhone varietals. Nearly all the red wines in the J. Lohr portfolio come from here, affirming the foresight of Jerry’s original vision.

The winery also owns over 30 acres in Napa Valley at Carol’s Vineyard, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

An MW's Assessment

For more on California generally, this post by Nicolas Quillé, MW provides an excellent overview: Post | Feed | LinkedIn

My take

My own take is that I have historically often thought of Californian wines as warm-climate, over-extracted, Parker-esque points-chasers.

This tasting showed that California does cool-climate elegance, moderate climate plushness and warm-climate monsters, so there's something for everyone.

The Wines

2019 J. Lohr Riverstone Chardonnay 

very cool-climate wine; 7-9 months in American Hungarian and French oak, from new to fifth-fill oak, weekly battonage; oatmealy like Meursault, but the fruit is more vibrant

Food match from Lohr: www.jlohr.com

pear and apple fruit with honeysuckle and sweet vanilla; stone fruits, tropical melon and pineapple; 

creamy-oatmealy toastiness with some gentle oak on the finish; very elegant, sleek and harmonious, very clean and pure

Good.

2018 J. Lohr Estates South Ridge Syrah

Syrah is not as well liked in America as in Europe, but Paso Robles is Rhone Central.

fresh, elegant, harmonious - dark fruits, blackberry, black plum, dark chocolate with herbaceous eucalyptus and some toasty-oaky spice

Good.

2018 J. Lohr Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles

Hilltop is their reserve wine; French oak is used with 5% PV for lifted florality; this wine is over 15% alcohol.

Blackberry, cassis, oaky spice, warming and slightly porty; concentrated and alcoholic. Technically impressive but quite hard work and, stylistically, not my thing at all.

Good.

Posh Fizz and Gamey Red for Autumn-Winter

A traditional-method fizz and sophisticated red for autumn

I've said it before, Crisp White and Big Red is a benchmark combination for wines with dinner.

You can go as smart or basic as you like.

These two wines most definitely fit into the smart category and are perfectly suited to autumnal dining and into winter.

Gosset is one of the oldest Champagne houses and pre-dates the invention of secondary fermentation: Champagne Day ! 🍾🎊 – 22 Octobre 2021 - Champagne Gosset (champagne-gosset.com)

Banfi in Montalcino dates back to 1978 when it was founded by the Italian-American Mariani family who saw great potential in the sleepy Tuscan region. The estate is now the largest contiguous vineyard in Italy and includes land in Tuscany and Piedmont. The estate is planted one third to vines, one third to olive groves, fruit trees and other crops and the remaining third is woodland. Banfi - Wines

On arrival / aperitif

Gosset Grand Blanc de Blancs Brut (£55-65 from Petersham Cellars, Plus de Bulles, The Imperial Wine Company, Bon Coeur Fine Wines, Noble Green Wines, The Champagne Company, Weavers of Nottingham, Davy’s Wine Merchants, Champagne One, The Huntsworth Wine Co, Sandhams Wine Merchants, The Whisky Exchange, Wadebridge Wines, The Vineking, Flagship Wines, Harvey Nichols)

Made from 100 percent Chardonnay grapes grown in fifteen villages of the Côte des Blancs (for finesse) and Côte des Noirs (for structure). Each village and terroir brings its own character, complexities and aromas to the wine, resulting in this exceptional cuvée; the minerality comes from chalk soil that was once an ancient seabed containing millions of small-fossilised creatures.

The grapes are hand-picked; the wines are vinified and aged on the lees for a minimum of three years in bottles stored in their deep chalk cellars.

The clear glass bottles, which are still used today for the Blanc de Blancs, were pioneered by Suzanne Gosset (1885-1970) who ran the house following her husband’s death in the 1950s. The glass underlines the purity and brilliance of the wine’s colour but also evokes the mineral quality found on the palate and the wine’s origins in the region’s chalk soil. The box in which the bottle comes as standard, is to avoid lightstrike affecting the flavour of the delicate champagne.

mineral and floral, with white flowers, white pepper, stone fruits and almond; fresh, citrussy and leesy-complex with bruised orchard fruits, white peach and delicate biscuity brioche; savoury and broad, mineral-saline and elegant.

Very Good; improves with some aeration and will age.

Serve as an aperitif or match with smoked salmon canapes, seafood and fish, such as prawns, scallops, dressed crab, oyster. Alternatively, a simple risotto with parmesan shavings, white meat or a young, fruity Comté cheese

With (gamey) mains

Banfi Rosso di Montalcino 2019 (Sangiovese) (Majestic, £19.99 / £16.99 mix six)

A delicious autumnal Tuscan red from the southern slopes of Montalcino, best known for Italy’s finest world-famous Brunello wines.

Rosso di Montalcino is made from the same 100% Sangiovese grapes, but is an earlier release of the wine, thus retaining the varietal characters and flavours of the Sangiovese grape, but usually with softer tannins.

This is a style that is approachable at a younger age, but still has all the hallmarks of a remarkable Sangiovese wine. This exemplary Rosso is perfect when pheasant and game birds are on the menu (from 1st October) and served with a simple roast or a rich casserole dish. It’s also good with medium aged cheeses. 

Vinified in stainless-steel tanks, resulting in a wine that is less astringent and softer in character. It is then aged for 10-12 months in French oak barriques and casks, followed by a further six months in bottle.

Banfi’s winemaker comments that ‘this is a complex wine characterised by great varietal expression. 

blackberry and raspberry fruit with violets, leathery sous bois, aromatic green herbs and sweet vanilla spice; fresh cherries and red fruits with mocha-coffee grounds, tobacco and spice; very fresh, precise, complex and harmonious. 

Improves with aeration, several hours in the decanter is ideal, and demands food.

Good.

Match with darker game such as venison, pheasant or duck.