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ACellars Newsletter 23rd March - Jauma Tasting this Saturday + Albino Rocca + Yann Bertrand March, 2023 -

by Annandale Cellars

Jauma

Tasting this Saturday

March 25th

3pm - 6pm

 

Many fans of natural wine have probably never heard of Natural Selection Theory. A collaboration and catalyst that helped start the now flourishing natural wine scene in Australia. James Erskine of Jauma and other winemakers such as Tom Shobbrook, Anton Van Klopper (Lucy M), and Sam Hughes set out to experiment with natural winemaking. Since its local inception, James has been a prominent figure in the natural wine movement and has always been thoughtful in his winemaking approach while maintaining precision. He is passionate and firm in his beliefs but not impractical.

With an extensive list of achievements and qualifications, James has studied to be a chef, worked as a sommelier in Germany and made wine in Austria. After returning to Australia, he completed an Agricultural Science degree and worked at top restaurants in Adelaide. James also furthered his studies at UC Davis in the USA and was awarded several accolades for his achievements in the wine industry.

James' passion for winemaking proved too strong, causing him to leave his sommelier career to start Jauma in 2010. The winery is 100% natural and organic, using no sulphur, additions, fining, or filtration. James works with five vineyards in McLaren Vale, each one meticulously and organically managed by Fiona Wood and David Gartlemann, two viticulturalists with whom James has worked for many years. They aim to preserve the vines for over 100 years, using every resource to ensure that the sites they work with are maintained for the long term. James' work in the winery is creative yet gentle producing wines that are light in weight and tannin but packed full of detail and delight. - Peta W

 

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Albino Rocca

 

 

The history of the Rocca family with Nebbiolo goes back a century with fruit being sold from the family's vineyards in Barbaresco in Northern Italy's Piedmont, but Albino Rocco was established in 1960s by Giacomo Rocco and his son Albino.

The tradition then continued when Albino's son, Angelo started helping out in the winery when he was a teenager. Time spent honing his craft in France saw him return to Barbaresco as a "free-thinker", moving away from conventional vineyard techniques and blending of multiple sites. Angelo implemented the reduction in chemicals used in the vineyard, and showcased more terroir-specific and stylistic wines by separating the winemaking and ageing to their individual sites.

Angelo's winemaking style, ageing in large-format neutral oak, and his working with the mature vines of the great sites across Barbaresco resulted in Nebbiolo that was plump, textural and easily approached in its youth, offering floral and savoury notes with seductive dark cherries.

Tragedy struck in 2012 with Angelo's untimely passing, however his legacy lives on through his three daughters Daniela, Monica and Paola, and his cellarmaster son-in-law Carlo, continuing to produce the seductive, approachable yet age-worthy Nebbiolo. - Peta W

 

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YANN BERTRAND

 



One of the youngest vignerons in Beaujolais, is the also one of the most exciting.

Yann grew up on his family's vineyards in Fleurie. But he never intended to be a winemaker. himself. In fact, after a brief flirtation with Commerce at the local university, Yann travelled through the Alps, working in caves and wine bars. Perhaps being the son of a winemaker opened a few doors for Yann, but after being surrounded by wine geeks, eager to hear of his experiences growing up on a vineyard, he caught the bug. Eventually deciding that winemaking could be a noble pursuit, he returned to Beaujolais and apprenticed himself to some of the greats - Jean Foillard, Yvon Metras, and Jacques Neauport (the right-hand-man to Jules Chauvet).

You couldn't ask for better mentorship, and under their teachings and guidance, Yann has flourished. The Bertrand family's holdings consist of 7.5 hectares along the Grand Pré - an area that straddles Fleurie and Morgon. Most of their vineyards sit on the Fleurie side, with vine age ranging from 30 years to over 100 years of age.

Yann took over in 2013, continuing his father's organic practices, whilst experimenting with his own Biodynamic ideas. He is currently in the process of converting the entire holding to Biodynamics - something he hopes to achieve in a few years.

All of the fruit is manually harvested and sorted, then placed as whole bunches into large concrete vats for the traditional carbonic maceration. Once pressed, nothing is added to the wines. Like his mentors, Yann takes a natural approach to his winemaking. Everything is racked via gravity into old barrels and demi-muids for maturation of 6-10 months, depending on the cuvée. In the Spring, the wines are bottled according to the lunar calendar, and all wines are unfined and unfiltered. Only a tiny amount of sulphur is used (less than 15ppm, if at all) to stabilise the wines come bottling. We get very little of these wines so don't miss out. - Peter L

 

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