Translation missing: en.ACellars Newsletter 23rd June, 2022 - Momento Mori + Fletcher Nebbiolo + The return of one of our favourite wines - this week's Staff Pick!: ACellars Newsletter 23rd June, 2022 - Momento Mori + Fletcher Nebbiolo + The return of one of our favourite wines - this week's Staff Pick!
Probably Latin for "Life's too short to drink bad wine".
Momento Mori and most recently, Nikau Farm were founded by Dane Johns, a native New Zealander who honed his craft working for Gippsland legend Bill Downie.
Bill is a legend in his own right and someone who definitely helped Dane forge his own path as he now follows a very similar ideology in his winemaking and viticulture.
Dane, under the art that is the Momento Mori label, focusses mainly on Italian varietals sourced from the Chalmers Vineyard; even his Syrah gets a splash of Nosiola!
And the "Rack and Ruin" Rosé certainly makes a splash! A happily happenstance blend of Ribolla Giallo and Nero d'Avola, the dark rosé and its artwork reflect on a discontented winter: the emptiness of Melbourne in lockdown.
The strength and the beauty however, of the return of life to the dormant city is celebrated by Dane in this blend, each varietal confined to his own tank, then finally together where the embracing whole is greater than the sum of its parts, stronger in unity.
All of Dane's wines are as hand made as it gets…. Small wild ferments, no new oak, no mechanical pumps, filtration, no additions other than the a very small dose of SO2 before bottling for some wines if needed. Given the nature of his operation there are only ever very small volumes of wine produced each year and for those fans of Momento Mori they get snapped up quickly.
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Fletcher Wines
Dave Fletcher is the under-the-radar Aussie winemaker, producing some of our favourite Nebbiolos from Australia and Piedmont. Not a bad achievement! Dave's love for Nebbiolo pushed him to seek a harvest gig at Ceretto, one of the top producers in the Barolo region of Piedmont. Years of hard work in the cellar paid off and now Dave is in charge of all red wine production at this famed estate, as well as creating his very own eponymous label.
His wines range from beautifully gentle, contemplative expressions of Nebbiolo, to more modern, vibrant wines such as his Barbera, made in a similar style to the wines of Beaujolais. He even makes a skin contact blend of Arneis and Moscato - a style rarely seen in the region.
We get modest amounts of his wines each year and have recently received his latest Italian Nebbiolo offering.
These wines are a perfect accompaniment to the shift in weather we are currently enjoying/hating, but they never hang around long, so don't wait!
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Staff Pick
On Tasting This Weekend!
Saturday, June 25th
3pm - 6pm
Domaine de la Reserve d'O Vin Blanc 2020
A wine that was previously featured in our Top 20 for 2018 has finally returned to our shores.
An incredible wine and one of our favourites!
It hails from the Terrazes de Larsac, an appelation in the Languedoc famed for its reds, but takes the Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert IGP due to the variety of whites in the blend. Made from Chenin Blanc (usually found in the Loire Valley), Roussanne (found in the Northern Rhone) and Grenache Blanc (found in Roussillon among other areas) from a single, co-planted vineyard. Pretty unique huh?! You'll find precision and focus from the Chenin Blanc, fruit weight from the Roussanne and body and texture from the Grenache Blanc. A stuningly complex wine that will evolve nicely with a decant.
Join us this Saturday to try it for yourself!
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