Translation missing: en.Alex Moreau + Domaine Tempier + Tanca Nica + Chateau Lafleur + Head Wines Tasting this Saturday 3-6PM: Alex Moreau + Domaine Tempier + Tanca Nica + Chateau Lafleur + Head Wines Tasting this Saturday 3-6PM
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Alex Moreau
The 2021 vintage marks the first release for Alex Moreau under his own label after running his father’s legendary Domaine Bernard Moreau based in Chassagne-Montrachet. Alex has decades of experience under his belt and has worked all over the world and brings this fresh winemaking to this new label.
In the vineyard, Alex uses organic fertilisers and no pesticides at all. To produce greater concentration in the juice produced by the grapes Alex prunes, debuds and employs green harvesting in August to ensure that the yield is low enough to produce high-quality grapes rather than a leafy canopy. There are also healthy cover crops to soak up the moisture and encourage competition in the vineyard.
For the Bourgogne and the Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes bottlings, Alex uses older oak barrels without stirring the lees to allow the wine to comfortably soften and develop before release. The pretigious Premier Cru “Les Grandes Ruchottes”; however, is barrel-fermented and aged in 10-30% new oak with some lees-stirring early on to provide some texture to these otherwise glacial wines.
“The spirit of our winemaking is to not touch the wine too often. For Chardonnay our aim is to produce very clean and precise wines which are not too austere. We like the minerality and purity.”
Burghound - the most respected Burgundy critic has said “2021 is a particularly good vintage for the domaine, and these are wines to seek out." We have about 10 of each of the Bourgogne and the VV Chassagne-Montrachet but only 1 bottle of the Premier Cru so if you want it, don’t hesitate because it’ll sell quickly. - Aaron C.
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Domaine Tempier
Domaine Tempier is the most iconic estate of the beautiful Bandol region in Provence, South West France on the Mediterranean. Tempier make red wines from the grape Mourvèdre (also known as Mataro here in Australia) which are seriously powerful yet elegant wines with decades of ageing potential.
This Domaine employ biodynamic principles in the vineyard: pruning and harvesting are undertaken in like with the cycles of the moon, weeding is done by sheep and home-made herbal teas are sprayed in homeopathic doses to strengthen the vines, regenerate the soil and keep parasites in check.
"Worms, springtails, ladybirds, all kinds of insects …there is no doubt that the soils of the domain show a full range of biodiversity."
Of course they treat the grapes with as much respect as possible in the cellar so as not to override the work they've put into the vineyard and let the grapes really sing with hand-sorting, fermentation with indigenous yeasts and élevage in large format oak.
The resulting wines are outstanding. We have most of their portfolio from the 2021 vintage starting with the 'Lulu & Lucien' Cuvée Classique - a blend of a few different vineyards with an average vine age of 35-40 years (we have 1 Magnum bottle as well). We also have a few of each of the 'Cabassaou', 'La Tourtine' and 'La Migoua': all single vineyard sites that I have no doubt can be aged comfortably into the 2040s to develop those meaty, leather and forest floor notes that make these wines so desirable. Not to mention their Bandol Blanc composed of Clairette (60%), Ugni blanc (30%) with Rolle, Bourboulenc, and Marsanne which is also hard to pass up considering how hard it is to find whites from this region in Australia.
These wines should be picked up by anyone with a love for age-worthy reds, or for those who want something hearty for the upcoming winter months. - Aaron C.
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Tanca Nica
Tanca Nica is a ridiculously intriguing project from the dynamic duo: Nicoletta Pecorelli and Francesco Ferreri, based on the tiny island of Pantelleria, sitting in the Mediterranean between Sicily and Tunisia. These 2 work on an extremely unique site of varied volcanic soils consisting of pumice and fragments of volcanic eruptions that provide the vines with the nutrients needed to create special wines erupting with character.
Their tiny plot of just 2 hectares is biodynamically farmed and produces only 4000 bottles a year making these extremely rare wines. Strong wind and water scarcity are the main challenges that the two face in the vineyard and they have some ancient, yet creative methods of addressing them which includes the use of ‘Alberello Pantesco’ which are essentially low-density bush vines planted in a dug out hollow in the ground known as a ‘conca’ which protects the bush vines from the harsh winds while functioning almost as a little bucket to retain water when it is scarce. Other vines are planted with a classic system of small Pantelleria saplings in-between alternating rows of green beans and wheat to protect the vines from strong winds. They also plant a small number of vines against terraced walls which provide sun exposure and again protect from intense winds.
Special wines are made when creative viticulture meets unique, interesting sites.
We’ve been lucky enough to secure quite a lot of the Tanca Nica range, but only a few bottles of each across the ‘21 and ‘22 vintages. The ‘21 Firri Firri (red) and Soki Soki (orange), apart from being fun to say out loud, are great introductions to this producer and and contrasts the 2 different types of soil they work with i.e. volcanic and pumice, respectively. Then we have the ‘21 Etichetta Gialla, ‘21 Etichetta Grigia and the ‘22 Etichetta Rossa which are a step up and offer unique expressions of the grape Zibibbo. I can’t forget the ‘22 Terra Forte which is another orange wine made in a viscous, age-worth style. Finally we have 2 special sparkling wines (how many people can say they’ve have Sicilian, sorry, Pantellerian sparkling wine?): ‘22 Ghirbi Rosato and ‘21 NB x TN - a collaboration between Nino Barraco and Tanca Nica. These are exceptionally unique and rare wines and we only have 2-3 of each bottle so snap some up before we sell out. - Aaron C.
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Chateau Lafleur
Chateau Lafleur is an estate that needs no introduction. Lafleur are not just one of the most sought after Chateaux in Pomerol, or Bordeaux, but in the whole world. This Pomerol powerhouse is located on the famous gravel-clay soils of the Pomerol plateau, hardly a 5 minute walk from Petrus.
This write up will be short and sweet as words cannot do justice to a wine of this pedigree. We've been lucky enough to secure a single bottle of the '13 Chateau Lafleur which is a mythical wine that seamlessly intertwines power and finesse. This wine can age for decades longer, but due to the nature of this cooler vintage can be drunk a bit earlier than most other vintages with a healthy decant. The aesthetic pleasure of simply saying Chateau Lafleur is almost justification in its own right to buy this wine.
We also have the '20 'Les Perrières' Bordeaux Superieur which is the 3rd wine from this Chateau and sits at a much better price for anyone tempted by the Lafleur that is unable to pull the trigger. At a much more approachable price than that one, we have some of the '19 and '20 Chateau Grand Village which is an outstanding value Bordeaux Superieur that I actually wanted to pick up myself but thought it would be best to let you all have a crack at them first. Finally we have the '20, '21 and '22 vintages of the 'Les Champs' Libre Blanc - a white wine made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grown on the right bank, an extremely rare and interesting expression of this variety in the hands of a prestigious chateau. We only have these in small quantities so be sure to get in quick to secure your share. - Aaron C.