(2024) Barrel fermented and Barrel aged in new and older French, this Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay wears that lightly, a wine in a focused, lightly flint-touched style that is more about ripe golden delicious apple and peachy fruit. Certainly the palate continues the theme of citrus and stone fruit finesse and a certain 'un-showiness'. The palate has texture and very finely tuned oak, a little creaminess to fruit and texture hints at something more exotic, but the acidity of the finish is elegant. Price and stockist quoted are for an earlier vintage at time of review.
(2024) A blend of Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Syrah, Lebanese producer Ixsir's winemaker Gabriel Rivero spent eight years at Sociando-Malet and says “IXSIR is fundamentally about new world winemaking in an old world country." With vineyards at 1,800m metres, each variety comes from a plot matched for climate and soil type. Pale, if not quite as pale in colour as some, it has plenty of fragrance, with watercolour paintbox and floral aromas, cherry and rose-hip. Quite a heady aromatic profile. The palate is dry, with a peachy, nectarine fruit, a little strawberry and good balance with a peach skin bite of a little grip, citrus acidity and good length.
(2024) I'm a big fan of the Cru wines from this Beaujolais estate, this made from 60-year-old vines and seeing partial barrel aging, 30% spending 18 months in oak. It's a serious but still delicious rendition of Moulin-à-Vent, deep in colour with soaring aromatics of kirsch and violet, so charming and yet with real depth, gravel and light smokiness as well and firm damson fruit beneath. In the mouth it is a beautifully concentrated and balanced, with a gloss to the fruit and the polished oak treatment, but a vivid stripe of tannin and acid giving real vinosity. Pure and long, it's a terrific wine. Note that it can be had for as little as £21.00 if buying by the six bottle case. Use the wine-searcher link.
(2023) From a 53-year-old vineyard on terrarossa, this was made in a mix of open top and rotary fermenters (horizontal tanks that rotate to mix the cap, rather than using punch-down, etc. as in vertical tanks). It spent 18 months in 300-litre French barrels, new and second use. Meatier than the Balnaves, also an ashy, slightly eucalypt character touching the ripe black fruit. The sweetness on the mid-palate is apparent, a wine that's not too broad, instead there is a freshness here, real lip-smacking juiciness to the acidity. Tannins are firm in the finish, adding to the impression of freshness along with a little pepper and spice.
(2023) 70% Furmint, 20% Harslevelu, 10% Yellow Muscat with 145g/l residual sugar. The best botrytised grapes are always used for this label - sometimes it is 100% Furmint; in 2018, it was 100% Yellow Muscat. (GD)
(2023) RED: From rocky granite soils, this well regarded co-op's Pinot Noir has a medium density of colour and earthy, spicy aromas of plum and cherry. There's a bit of tannic grip and good acidity, a savoury, orange edge to that plummy fruit.
(2023) The blend here is predominantly Pinot Nor, with 25% Pinot Meunier. The base wine does not go through malolactic fermentation, so it is a sharply focused style, though a dosage of 12g/l softens the character in the mouth. An intitial citrus and apple brightness mellows into a red fruit character on the palate, the richness of the mousse also adding breadth. Tart berry acidity nips at the finish, and brings the wine to a crisp but elegant point. This can be had for as little as £33 if buying by the half dozen, but is generally priced in the high £30s, low £40s.
(2023) This was a tank sample - not a disgorged, finished wine, so had received no dosage. It has not been released at time of writing. It's a very different blend from the 2018, made from 98% Pinot Meunier and with 15% French oak barrel fermentation for the base wine. Very citrussy, with a tangerine brightness, and decisive acidity. A lovely line of saline acidity and the most subtle support from the barrel. Very promising. Note the 2018 is the vintage on sale at time of writing.
(2021) The name is a pun on 'sept', the French word for seven, as all seven of Champagne's permitted grape varieties are used: it's a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier, Pinot Gris, Arbanne and Pinot Meunier. Made in stainless steel, but with six months batonnage, it's one of those wines which you would swear had been barrel fermented and aged: the nose is creamy with buttery and almond tones, beneath citrus and golden apple, quite firm and not too showy. In the mouth the wine immediately tightens up, a flowing citrus zest character and more of that dry, crab apple bite of acidity. Stockist below has the wine for £33 if bought by the half dozen, others in the high £30s to low £40s.
(2021) Quite a full buttercup colour for a Riesling, and plenty of wax and nettle character on the nose, some fat lemony fruit notes beneath. Off-dry on the palate, there's a bit of slippery weight to the texture and plenty of juicy and ripe fruit here, but it is nicely constrained by the acidity. Quite a stony, salty dryness kicks in on the finish.
