Bloody Hill

This week as we look to celebrating our individual paternal links, we look to the the wines from Bloody Hill, where blood is thicker than water.

Here winemaker Rivar Ferguson-Mayer takes the lead, with the nurturing support and planted vineyard of his cult-winemaker father, Timo Mayer.

Timo's philosophy of "bring back the funk" has been inherited by his son, with the wines in the range all handpicked, spontaneously fermented, and spending six months in seasoned hogsheads where they undergo full malolactic fermentation. The fruit is sourced from the steep slopes of the "bloody" hill and from growers from selected sites around the Yarra Valley with whom the family have built relationships with over the years.

Rivar's Bloody Hill wines are a fantastic and delicious way to explore the differing subregions of the Yarra Valley. Explore them here.

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Daniel Bouland

There is nothing "nouveau" about this new release of Beaujolais: Daniel Bouland is old school.

Bouland might not have the superstar status of the likes of Lapierre or Foillard, but he certainly is a favourite of ours, and joins the elite as one of only five producers in Beaujolais to be classified as a "producteur des très grande qualité".

Bouland is a reclusive genius. He spends his time tending and hand-picking his 6 hectares of old vine Gamay, spread mainly throughout Morgon, one of the 10 Beaujolais crus.

The soils of Morgon range from sandy loams to heavier clays, and the ferrous richness is expressed by a deep, and Burgundian earthiness. Bouland's Morgon wines are certainly worthy of the verb "to morgonner", the term given to the distinct wines of Morgon that age to become silky in a Burgundian fashion. We are thrilled to present six wines from the site-specific pockets of Bouland's vineyards that really explore the subtleties of the cru.

“This tiny wine grower of the hamlet of Corcelette (note the first name as there are numerous Boulands in the area!) has seduced us for a few years now with his concentrated and textured Morgons. The fruit weight in no way masks the almost wild minerality of the soil. These wines have an intensity that can only come from old vines that are impeccably cultivated.” La Revue du Vin de France

Find the collection here.

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Clos du Tue-Bœuf

The literal translation of the name would suggest that at Clos du Tue-Bœuf, cows are not safe.

However no animals were harmed in the making of these wines. Unfined and unfiltered wines, the clos converted to organic farming in 1996, with some biodynamic sites.

Clos du Tue-Bœuf is run by brothers Jean-Marie and Thierry Puzelat, with plenty of help during the hand-harvesting season by the other five siblings. With the family vineyard in Cheverny and a rented site in Touraine, the brothers have revived the almost extinct grapes of the Loire that the individual AOCs may have accidently forgotten in the chase for commercial success.

This care for the rarer, underperformers has give the brothers a cult following, with a great representation on the blackboards of the wine bars of Paris. We are rather lucky to see some of their wines make it all the way to Annandale, seeing as the brothers strive to keep their small production at an affordable price.

The wines of Clos du Tue-Bœuf are vibrant and expressive of their home and history. No bull. Search the Clos here.