A Fascinating Journey Through The Volcanic Wines of Italy

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Back in May I attended an insightful master class hosted by Decanter and presented by Monty Waldin. It’s been 2 months since then – quite scary how fast this year is whizzing by.

I have been fascinated with volcanic wines ever since my trip to Sicily where I discovered the wonderful wines of Mount Etna. It was thus a no brainer really,  for me to sit in and explore a selection of wines from wineries running along an invisible thread, the length of the Italian Peninsula, from Soave down to Mount Etna passing through the Phlegraen Fields and Ischia. While these areas differ in terms of latitude and microclimate they all share a common trait – soils of volcanic origin.

 

 

Italy is home to over 60 volcanoes, both active and non-active, putting it at the top of the list for the country with the most volcanoes in the world. Not all volcanic rock is the same. Soave in the north east of Italy for example has decomposed volcanic rock in the eastern part of the commune, which is responsible for the “steely” character of wine, high in acidity, while in the west the soils have a higher percentage of chalk and limestone which produce a more fruit forward style of wine offering white flower aromas.

In the Naples area, Mount Vesuvius, the only active volcano in Europe,  lends itself to fertile soils, rich in minerals making it ideal for agriculture.

Mount Etna located on the island of Sicily is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is almost in a constant state of activity. As is the case with Mount Vesuvius, the soils are incredibly rich and support extensive agriculture. Soils vary and are known in Sicily as regosols. These soils, due to volcanic eruptions don’t have distinct layers. They range from deep rock and crumbling lava to ash and sandy soils. Soil colour varies too from black to much lighter alluvial soils. On the northern slopes many of the terraced high altitude vines are pre-phylloxera as the volcanic sandy soils proved to be inhabitable by the aphid that wiped out most of Europe’s vineyards in the mid to late 1800’s.

Volcanic soils rich in potassium tend to produce wines with a “pithy” finish – almost almond like and savoury.

In short the whites produced from the volcanic soils of Italy all have a wonderful freshness to them, mineral in character with high acidities and should be enjoyed young. Black volcanic rock lends itself to citrus, peach and apricot aromas, red based soils typically peach characters and chalk/limestone based soil, white flower aromas such as elderflower and hawthorn.

While summers here I urge you to branch out and try a few Italian indigenous grape varieties grown on volcanic soils.

Some of my highlights on the day…

D’Ambra, Ischia DOC Biancolella 2012

Cottanera Etna DOC Bianco 2012

Marcato, Soave Superiore DOCG classic ‘ll Tirso 2010

A Comtes Lafon and René Engel go down a treat at Zucca

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Domaine Comtes Lafon needs no introduction. While the estate produces both red and white wines it’s their Meursault that has become the pinnacle of white Burgundy and for which they are most internationally recognized. Collectors around the world seek out these beautifully balanced, complex and mesmerizing white wines.

Dominique Lafon took over from René Lafon in the mid 1980’s when most of the vineyards were leased on a share-cropping basis. By the end of the 1980’s, as these share-cropping contracts were coming to an end, he managed to reclaim all the vineyards. With full responsibility over the vines he has worked tirelessly introducing organic and then biodynamic practices.

Meursault 1er Cru Goutte d’Or 2009, Domaine des Comtes Lafon

Wonderfully open, accessible, oozing orchard fruit and white blossoms! While there is a pure, mineral thread gliding through this wine, the palate finishes on a richer, nuttier note. A textured wine,  simply delicious and a great kick start to lunch.

Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Les Brulées 2001, Domaine René Engel.

I had last tasted and written about this wine in 2011 . Colour wise it has developed somewhat in 2 years and aromatically, had we tasted it blind, those at the table would have guessed it to be a ’96. Still drinking beautifully, this Vosne Romanée started off quite restrained, but evolved graciously over the course of lunch. Attractive, pure, morello cherry, touching on some savoury, earthy notes. Soft silky tannins and light to medium bodied. At it’s peak with another 2 years or so drinking life ahead of it. In short a beautiful Burgundy.

 

If you find yourself in the Bermondsey area, do try out Zucca – a great open, airy modern Italian lunch spot. You won’t be sorry!

 

A Most Enjoyable Lunch at Medlar

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A Friday lunch at Medlar – it’s a great way to end the work week!

You should try it 🙂

 

Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 2004, Raveneau

Decanted an hour before lunch. Textbook Chablis – steely, focused, mineral and reserved – all the hallmarks of the cool 2004 vintage. I was hoping for some of the ripe aromas I had so enjoyed in the past, in back vintages of Butteaux, but instead this 2004 was characterised by limes, minerals and a hint of white blossom. Enjoyable and well made, but not a show stopper.

 

 

Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2006, Domaine Frederic-Mugnier

Decanted 3 hours before lunch. Lovely perfumed notes; pure berry aromas which lead to an elegant and smooth finish. Given it’s a Grand Cru from a fairly young vintage I was expecting some grippy tannins, but was surprised that this was not the case – I have no doubt that the 3 hours exposed to air played an important role in this. Wonderful to drink now, but it clearly has an underlying power that is yet to reveal itself.

 

Hermitage 1995, Chave

Wow – for me this was the wine of the day. I have been fortunate to try several vintages of this wine, but to date the 1995 has been the most memorable. Often referred to as the “Musigny” of Hermitage this 100% Syrah exudes aromas of olive tapenade, spice and earth.  Lovey concentrated flavours that finish harmoniously.

Exquisite White Burgundy

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There is no better feeling than tasting a range of wines that leave you speechless. At a recent tasting I found myself swirling my glass constantly, trying to take in as many of the exquisite dancing aromas as possible and forming a mental note of that feeling then and there. Enough said – the producer in question is none other than Monsieur Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey.

My first encounter with this producer’s wines was at a Chassagne Montrachet Master class lead by Charles Taylor, a Master of Wine and guru on Burgundy. I was very kindly invited along by one of my clients. As we tasted through the range of Chassagne this producer stood out head and shoulders above the rest… and so the hunt began.

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey is the eldest son of Marc Colin and is married to Caroline Morey (daughter of Jean Marc Morey).

While working for his father between 1995 and 2005 Pierre-Yves started a micro-negociant business. In 2005 he left the family business and went out on his own. Together with a few holdings which he acquired from his father and his micro negociant business (which by the way he treats as domaine wines, and it’s  no surprise given he been working with the same growers and parcels since 2001),  he producers a range which spans from Bourgogne Blanc, St Aubin, Meursault, Puligny, Chassagne all the way through to the Grand Cru’s of Corton, Bienvenues,  Batard and Chevalier.

 

 

His wines are quite something – truly remarkable and memorable for their fruit intensity, finesse and crystalline minerality. The wines are treated as naturally as possible allowing the terroir to shine through. While  the wine is  left on the lees (adding complexity), it is not stirred. They are aged in large demi-muid barrels so the oak influence is kept to a minimum.

I was fortunate on this occasion to taste a vertical of the highly acclaimed Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Caillerets; vintages 2008 through to 2011. All had a similar aroma profile – a mixture of citric fruits, like grape fruit, yellow stone fruits and wet stone minerality. The 2011 had explosive, ripe stone fruit aromas and was showing brilliantly. The 2010 was slightly more reserved and focused while the 2009 and 2008 were beautiful perfumed; blossom notes coupled with a crystalline finish and mouthwatering acidity.

It’s clear that these wines have excellent purity of fruit and fruit density, coupled with an elegant mineral finish. The finish just went on and on.

The Meursault Les Perrieres 2008 was excellent too with more stone fruit aromas than citric fruits and had a slight leesy finish, giving it a lovely texture – really delicious!

The Bienvenues-Batard Montrachet 2008 was one of the best I had tried – up there with Leflaive! It was slightly more reserved, focused, feminine in character and had a wonderful saline, powerful mineral finish.

These wines deserve a place in any white Burgundy lover’s cellar. They are truly magical!

A Lunch @ Dabbous

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I guess with anything that costs a fortune or where the wait is several months, there is a certain level of expectation. I tried to get a reservation at Dabbous last year and was told that there was a 6 month wait for lunch or a year for dinner….so I booked for lunch, diarized and waited for the new year to kick in.

Dabbous is the brainchild of Ollie Dabbous, who has worked stints at Noma, Texture, Fat Duck and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and within 9 months of opening, earned its first Michelin star. Of course I was eager to see what all the hype was about – who wouldn’t be?

The menu is well priced. We were presented with a choice between  Al a Carte (dishes ranging from £4- £18) or a 7 course Tasting Menu for £59. They were extremely accommodating by allowing us to add an additional dish to the tasting menu – we weren’t going to miss the coddled egg, which we had heard so much about.

 

 

The Menu:

  • An avocado wedge with roasted pistachio nuts served in a light lemon dressing with lemon grass twirls.
  • Speckled endive leaves dressed with gingerbread, bergamot and mint.
  • Codded free range egg served in its shell with woodland mushrooms and smoked butter
  • Mash and gravy, which consisted of a bowl of silken mash potato topped with black truffle shavings and dressed in mushroom gravy.
  • Barbequed halibut with mustard and molasses cream and dill pickle.
  • Iberico pork belly with fennel and mango salsa.
  • Blood orange segments in a red jelly-like liquid with marjoram and olive oil.
  • Barley flour sponge soaked in red tea served with Tahitian vanilla cream.

While the staff were friendly and pretty good looking, if I may add – the service didn’t quite meet Michelin Star standards. Our waiter forgot what he was serving when our first course arrived and one of the other courses was accidentally dropped on the floor.  The food was tasty with some courses far more creative than others.

 

 

The coddled egg and “mash and gravy” were to die for and hands down my favourite dishes. I thought the presentation of the avocado wedge was great – while simple, it was fresh and inviting. The blood orange dish was refreshing and served as an excellent palate cleanser.

On paying the bill we were presented with three canelé – a delicious combination of moist caramelized sponge topped with a glazed macerated dark cherry….simply divine!

To accompany the tasting menu we drank a Riesling Scharzhofberger Spätlese 1995, Egon Müller, Richebourg 1997, Domaine Anne Gros and  Hermitage 1988, Domaine Chave.

 

 

Riesling Scharzhofberger Spätlese 1995, Egon Müller

We kicked off the lunch with this delicious Riesling from world renowned Egon Müller. Golden yellow in colour; this spätelse oozed ripe tropical tones with a faint hint of honeyed botrytis fruit. Wax notes swirled from the glass. While the nose was rich and pronounced, the palate was clean and elegant. There was no lack of extract and ripeness; the minerality and soft acidity created a beautifully balanced wine.

Richebourg 1997, Domaine Anne Gros

The Richebourg was soft and silky with delicate, but ripe, red and back berry fruits.  As the lunch progressed a slight savoury undertone could be picked up.  I thought it lacked the density and power of a Grand Cru, but loved its femininity and charm!

Hermitage 1988, Domaine Chave

1988 was an excellent vintage in the Rhône Valley, producing wines of density and structure. There was a very distinct earthy and farmyard character to this wine, which seemed almost over powering. I was told that previous bottles had a touch more freshness and energy to them ,so this was probably not showing at its best and in fact suffering from Brett.

All in all a great lunch, fantastic company and delicious wines!  I’d go back for sure as I liked Dabbous’ edginess and New York industrial feel, but I’ll wait for the hype to die down. If you are in the area though, the downstairs bar serves great cocktails.

 

A Regular Tuesday Night – Not!

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On Tuesday night I met up with a couple of friends who share my love and interest in wine. At a local restaurant, over a delicious meal, we chatted, pondered and savoured these delightful wines…

 

 

Meursault 1er Cru Santenots 2006, d’Angerville

While Domaine Marquis d’Angerville is most well know for his focused, pure and precise Volnays, which age beautifully and are sought after by collectors, he also produces one white wine, namely a Meursault 1er Cru Santenots. This 0.5 ha Santenot vineyard is situated on the southerly border of Volnay, just outside Meursault.

I bought a case of this wine after tasting it personally in d’Angerville’s cellars back in 2007. I was fortunate to be visiting Burgundy at the time and tasting a range of 2006’s for their upcoming en-primeur release. I fell in love immediately!

While this Meursault offers wonderful lime infused citrus characters coupled with hazelnuts and a gorgeous textural mouthfeel, it isn’t particularly rich and dense. It is mineral driven with a fresh and lively finish.

 

Barolo Riserva Villero 1985, Vietti

The striking and unusual label caught my eye at first as I battled to find the vintage. The wine, vineyard and producer name are impossible to miss, but when you look closely the number of bottles, magnums and double magnums produced are also stated.

Intrigued by the label I did some reading and discovered that 1974 saw the introduction of certain Vietti wines being labeled by specially designed works inspired by the wine of that particular vintage. The print run is the same as the number of bottles produced, with the first 100 labels signed by the commissioned artist. Since the launch of the 1982 Barolo Villero Riserva these labels have been dedicated exclusively to this cuvée.

The freshness and youth of this 1985 blew me away! Alfredo Currado and Angelo Gaja were some of the first to bottle their wines as single vineyards. Villero is Vietti’s top single vineyard.  Wonderfully perfumed with floral tones and the classic hallmark characters of tar and herbs. While the nose is elegant and feminine the palate gives in to a more structured serious wine that still has a good life ahead of it. An absolute treat and true testament to the quality of this top Piedmont producer.

 

Mount Edelstone 2001, Henschke

I’d be lying if I said that Henschke wasn’t one of my all time favourite Auzzie producers. I have tried several cuvées of this estate’s wines and they never fail to disappoint.

The Mount Edelstone is a single vineyard bottling sourced from estate grown pre-phylloxera vines  (100% shiraz) located in Keyneton, Eden Valley.

While the nose is showy, its intensity is in check and the wine exudes class! Its gorgeous inner perfume is most striking and recognisable and is coupled with black concentrated fruits, caramel and menthol. A complex and seductive wine with so much to give!

 

Tignanello 2004 – A wine in its prime!

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If you have some of this Super Tuscan in your cellar I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the cork and enjoy it now. It still has a life ahead of it so no real rush, but why wait? If these cold winter days are getting you down, pop the cork and let the warm Mediterranean sunshine fruit, sundried tomatoes and sweet spices warm your cockles.

This Super Tuscan is beautifully refined, perfumed and silky smooth. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Waterkloof Wine Estate– breathtaking views, biodynamic wines, impressive design

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My first introduction to this estate’s wines was at a South Africa Fine Wine Extravaganza hosted in London last year. Waterkloof’s Circle of Life White 2010 stood out in an impressive line-up… and so I flagged it as an estate to visit on my next trip to South Africa.

 

 

Perched on a hill surrounded by the majestic Schaapenberg Mountains and turquoise waters of False Bay and located in Somerset West, Waterkloof Wine Estate is a must visit. Just 4km from the sea the vineyards benefit from the cold Atlantic sea breezes or gail winds should I say, which aid a long ripening period, good fresh acidity and concentration.

 

 

Waterkloof is the dream of UK wine merchant, Paul Boutinot, who purchased the estate in 2003. It’s clear that their goal of producing biodynamic hand crafted wines, where wine-making intervention is kept to a minimum in order to produce wines with a real sense of place, has been taken to heart. This philosophy of transparency and openness in fact follows through to the restaurant and design of the tasting room, which is glass encased and open plan. Activities in the vineyards, cellar and kitchen can be observed at any given point.

 

 

The vines are ploughed and sprayed by Percheron horses, keeping Carbon emissions to a minimum. The compacting of the spoil is less detrimental than would be the case if a tractor were used. Lastly while working they provide compost for the vines. Chickens roam the lands and help reduce pests while their free-range eggs are used in the wonderful fine dining restaurant. An earthworm farm has been created to provide compost rich in nutrients and antibiotics secreted by the worms.

 

 

There are three main ranges: The Waterkloof Range (currently consists of one wine being a Sauvignon Blanc which is their flagship wine and is produced from the highest vineyards only in exceptional years), Circumstance  (a range of single varietal wines made from fruit grown on the middle slopes which best depict that particular circumstance ie terroir) and lastly Circle of Life (consists of a red blend and a white blend where fruit is sourced from various terroirs within the estate. This label depicts their commitment to biodynasim – the label has been well thought out and is striking).

 

 

Rather than bore you with a lengthy list of tasting notes, which can be found on their website, I wanted to highlight a few of the wines which really stood out for me.  It’s important to note that the wines are elegant in style, so aromatics are subtle and focused. The Circumstance Chardonnay 2010 was a particular favourite with delicious fresh citrus notes and a lovely wet stone underlying minerality.  The 10 months spent in 2nd fill French oak was perfect giving the wine a slight nuttiness, but no toasted oak notes could be picked up.

The Circle of Life Red 2009, a blend dominated by Shiraz (75%) with the rest made up of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc offered delicate bright red fruits coupled with herbs. I absolutely love the thought that has been put into this label. Click here to see the full circle of life depicted on this label.

Lastly the Circumstance Syrah 2009 was outstanding with its vibrant red fruits, white pepper and beautifully refined tannins. Given the elegant style of the vintage, more Rhône in character, they felt the term “Syrah” more appropriate. In vintages were the fruit is more upfront and forward the term “Shiraz” is used – a nice touch, but it may have the consumer thinking you have two different wines.

 

Wine Maker: Werner Engelbrecht

Viticulturist: Christiaan Loots

Special thanks to Sonja du Plessis for guiding us so informatively through the wines.

A South African West Coast Sauvignon Blanc

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I had previously visited Darling years ago while spending a weekend on a friend’s farm in the area, but this was long before its acclaim as a wine-growing region.

I headed off to Darling for the day intrigued to see how the area had changed and to taste some of the wines.

Darling is situated an hours drive north of Cape Town and has become a popular weekend getaway offering a rustic country setting with a handful of quirky restaurants, antique stores, a local brewery and one of it’s biggest draws being Evita se Peron, the theatre of Pieter Dirk Uys, a South African satirist.

After enjoying a delightful lunch at the Marmalade Cat and a quick spin through Evita se Peron we headed off to Groote Post Wine Estate.

 

 

The Darling District, which includes the Groenekloof Ward, is one of the coolest districts, given its close proximity to the cold Atlantic Ocean. Many farmers source cool climate fruit from this area, with Sauvignon Blanc being the most popular.

Groote Post is located just 6km from the sea. It’s rural country setting, with vast open lands and roaming Springbok marks quite a change to Stellenbosch, Constantia or Franschhoek. In the distance the contrasting landscape of green vineyards and yellow wheat fields is quite beautiful.  The farm has a long-standing history that dates back to the early 1800’s. Today Peter and Nick Pentz own the farm with their small, dedicated winemaking team guided by Lukas Wentzel.

 

 

I tasted through a range of wines starting with a lovely, salmon pink, reserved style of Cap-Classique rosé, made using the traditional French champagne method, where secondary fermentation takes place in bottle. The elegant notes of wild strawberries coupled with an underlying herbaceousness and crisp acidity got the taste buds buzzing.

 

 

The Riesling 2012, semi-sweet in style, was fragrant offering hints of rose petal and peach. None of the waxy, mineral and slightly diesel characters which I so love in Riesling. The acidity was in check and finished nice and rounded.

It’s really the Sauvignon’s that caught my attention and are synonymous to this area. It’s no surprise that both the Sauvignon Blanc and the Reserve have seen a string of awards in the last few years. South Africa offers a range of styles and flavour profiles of Sauvignon Blanc, from the more crisp, grassy characters to the ripe, tropical and fruit forward notes. I even tasted a barrel fermented Sauvignon during my holiday, produced in an old world style which was excellent, but less common. There is a definite trend towards producing Bordeaux styled Sauvignon’s where a small percentage of Semillon is added to the Sauvignon Blanc, softening the acidity, adding complexity and giving the wine a lovely a textural mouthfeel.

If you love crisp styled Sauvignon’s with grassy, herbaceous characters you will love this Groote Post Sauvignon 2012. For those who prefer a slightly more reserved style, which offers gooseberries and a touch of minerality then the Reserve 2012, is one or you!

Ben Rye, Donnafugata 2010

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Made from 100% Zibibbo, otherwise known as Moscato d’Alessandria, this sweet wine made on the island of Pantelleria exudes exotic sunshine. The producer is Donnafugata, one of Sicily’s most iconic producers.

 

 

I tasted this wine for the first time at the Great Winemakers of Italy Tasting and it left me speechless. I had tasted nothing quite like it before.

Made in the Passito method (drying of grapes) it offers intensely concentrated notes of apricots with a hint of tangerine peel.