Monthly Archives: February 2012

Beaujolais is Back!

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Wines from Beaujolais are usually perceived as being popular and easy to drink. I have tried some interesting wines from the area in the past, but nothing really captivated me until I had a chance to visit the region and meet firsthand with local producers. This experience completely altered my mindset.

We visited some young and energetic winemakers who are really passionate about what they do and are trying to change the global view of Beaujolais wines for the better. I was amazed by some of the wines I tried in the short time I was there. Using a longer maceration period, they make a more Burgundian style of red. The Cuvée Marly 2009 from Château de Cercy, for example, simply blew me away with its deep, complex nose and a great palate structure, giving it potential to age very well over time. Others, like Christophe Lapierre’s Moulin à Vent 2010 and Aurélien Grillet’s Morgon Cote de Py 2009 from the Domaine de la Bonne Tonne, are making wines that are much richer in style, which to my taste, makes them more interesting than traditional Beaujolais.

I made two big discoveries in this underrated region. The first of which were the whites, which I have never previously encountered. They are competing with their Burgundian neighbours but are of a much better value for money. Secondly, the broad range of terroir was of huge interest to me. Of the wines we tasted, the vineyards were on average 60 years old with Beaujolais having some of oldest vineyards in France. The winemakers have realized the diversity and potential of their Domaine and are now offering different cuvées according to their “climat”, as in Burgundy. They demonstrated to us that Gamay can produce different styles of wines within the same Cru. Most of them are ready to reduce their yield, sometimes down to 10hl/ha, to produce these little treasures.

Moreover, producers like Paul-Henri Thillardon and Romain Jambon, are experimenting on their land and in the cellar to see how far the Beaujolais potential can go. They graciously offered us tastes of some of their trial wines. If not convincing, it was a great pleasure to see the passion behind it and to try their classic cuvées which are much more pleasant and promising. Finally, it was quite a relief to realize that the younger generation is taking care of their land. All the winemakers we visited are classified as either organic or biodynamic and if not, are following the move by understanding the real needs of their vines.

Overall it has been a great journey and I think Beaujolais is on the path to become a serious reference in the world of wine. With the last three vintages being very high quality, now is the time to invest in those gems while they are still affordable.

We will be receiving exclusive shipments of some of these wines in the coming months. In the mean time, why not have a look at our range of Beaujolais wines.

Three South African Stunners

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Matthew Jukes seemed to have trouble narrowing down his favourite South African winery last year. The respected critic and Daily Mail columnist recently released his list of “25 Hand-Picked South African Wineries of the Year”. In the article, published in South Africa’s Classic Wine magazine, he praises a raft of winemakers for their fresh approach to winemaking (and their surfer good looks), and selects the wines that are helping the Cape’s reputation soar.

Amongst the list are a couple of wines that we stock in-store:

2010 Original Chenin Blanc, Raats
“Bruwer’s 2010 Original Chenin Blanc is a model wine. Sleek, steely and not too fat or wearing too much sugary padding, like so many others, this is a crisp, lean, Chablis-shaped wine and it’s on loads of wine lists, too!”
2009 Cuvee Cinema Pinot Noir, Crystallum
“A new name for me, but one that I will never forget…2009 Cuvée Cinéma Pinot Noir was my highest scoring wine from this grape variety ever in South Africa. This young man is clearly onto something. Let’s hope that the 2010s continue this run – I have no doubt, having subsequently met P-A, that they will.”

In other South African wine news, we have recently got our hands on some back vintage bottles of the “Faithful Hound” Bordeaux-style blend from Stellenbosch stalwarts, Mulderbosch Vineyards. This wine scored an impressive 90 points from Wine Specator, a great achievement for a wine that comes in under £15! Here’s what WS had to say:

2006 Faithful Hound, Mulderbosch
“Ripe and tangy, with a mix of red currant, damson plum, Kenya AA coffee and iron notes that glide through the mouthwatering, tobaccotinged finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec.”

Why not grab a bottle for the next time you “Bring and Braai”?

Getting in the Spirit

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We have been in the process of refreshing our spirits selection, and the first batch of new bottles has hit our shelves. There are some great new whiskies and rums…the only problem is fitting them all on the shelves!

Paul engaged in an epic game of 'Bottle Tetris'

One of the most exciting products we have brought in is the Spice Tree, a Blended Scotch Malt Whisky from artisinal whiskymakers, Compass Box. Many Single Malt Whisky enthusiasts turn their nose up at blended whisky, which suffers from a bit of an image problem thanks to the cheap, poor quality ‘supermarket’ blends that bring down the reputation of the category. Fortunately, there are companies out there that are working hard to change this image. Whiskymakers, such as Compass Box, prove that by using only the best quality spirits and barrels in the blend, a whisky can be created that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

The leader of the operation is Compass Box’s founder, John Glaser, who has been described by Saveur Magazine as “an artist”. John, a former Global Marketing Director for Johnnie Walker, started the company in his kitchen, where he fine-tuned his first blends. As Compass Box has grown he has maintained a strict attention to detail – all the casks are bought individually and hand-selected, and the quality of the spirit is carefully monitored. The whiskies are never chill-filtered, nor do they contain any added colour. It is this artisinal approach that has earned them four ’Whisky Innovator of the Year’ awards in the last 9 years!

Compass Box ‘Spice Tree’ Blended Scotch Malt Whisky
Compass Box have worked their magic with this blend, produced with 100% malt whisky, with Clynelish spirit being the primary ingredient. Tawny gold in colour, it has a sweet and spicy nose, with complex aromas of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. The palate is stunningly rich, with vanilla, lime and lemongrass flavours embellished by plenty of spice and stewed fruit.

Tasting Barbaresco With Luisa Rocca

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Last week, we were lucky enough to have a visit from Luisa Rocca (daughter of the famous Bruno Rocca), who was in the country to present her fathers wines.

Bruno Rocca is a winery run from vine to glass by the Rocca family. Bruno and his son are in charge of the vineyard and winemaking, while Luisa looks after the PR and promotion. The Rocca family are actively campaigning the Ministry of Agriculture in Italy to help improve the promotion of Barbaresco wines and help them become as famous as their neighbour, Barolo.

The Roccas grow Nebbiolo, Barbera and Bordeaux varietals in their 15 hectares of vineyard, which is spread between regions of Barbaresco, Neive & Treiso. We focused on their 2008 vintage Barbaresco during Luisa’s visit.

The grapes for this are grown predominantly in Neive, a small town around 3km east of Barbaresco. They limit the yields to around 35hl/ha, which helps give excellent depth to the wine. Maturation is 50% new French oak, 50% used French oak for 17 months, plus a further 12 months bottle age before release.

2008 Barbaresco, Bruno Rocca, Piedmont
“Ruby red with intense aromas of black and red cherries, hints of rose petals, sweet spice and red pepper and a touch of cocoa. Beautifully balanced with great structure. This is definitely approachable now, but will lay down for 8-10 years.”