Translation missing: en.ArPePe + Beaujolais Packs + Domenica Tasting this Saturday: ArPePe + Beaujolais Packs + Domenica Tasting this Saturday
Domenica
Tasting Saturday 22nd
3pm - 6pm
Join Ed this Saturday in-store at Annandale Cellars as he takes you through the new releases from Peter Graham's Domenica.
Peter Graham is a respected member of a group known as the Beechworth Vignerons. Like the other proud and passionate vigneron members of the North East Victorian group, the wines he makes come from fruit harvested from the vines he tends himself. And with 13 years working as assistant winemaker under fellow Beechworth Vigneron, Rick Kinzbrunner of the famed Giaconda, there is no mistaking where his passion for the GI and the respect he has earnt as a winemaker both come from. Peter flew the Giaconda coop in 2012 with an opportunity arising to buy the project vineyard shared by Rick and Rhône Royalty, Michel Chapoutier.
Since then, Peter has been tending his vines on the slopes of the foothills of Victoria's high county, including of course, Beechworth's golden varietals, Chardonnay and Shiraz.
Peter's Rhône white varietals Roussanne and Marsanne thrive on the gentle slopes with their northern aspect and take a mineral drive from their granitic soils. Patient vinification with extended lees ageing results in his whites and rosé all showing off voluptuous texture.
And we are very excited by Peter's first release of his Gamay (read on below for our new packs if, like us you are also excited by Gamay). The granitic soils of Beechworth are reminiscent of Gamay's spiritual home in the grand cru sites of Beaujolais, and Peter has found his Gamay, grafted to vines already established in the granite, thriving in the Beechworth climate. - Peta W
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Beaujolais -
Time to Up Your Gam-ay!
Gamay is yet another wine variety that, mistakenly considered inferior across history, has emerged as a universally enjoyed varietal.
Like many wines with similar histories, Gamay is an earlier ripening, abundantly producing grape. While this relative ease of cultivation may have resulted in its reputation as a ‘simple’ wine, further understanding has allowed certain Gamays to take their place as wines of true distinction.
Originating in France’s storied Burgundy region, the abundantly growing Gamay would easily overtake the more delicate Pinot Noir when there was competition for growth. With Gamay’s high acidity and Pinot Noir's reputation for elegance and esteem in the region, two separate Dukes made edicts that Gamay be banned in favour of the Pinot.
However, later horticultural understanding revealed that growing Gamay in more acidic soil would, paradoxically, lessen the grapes' acidity. Carbonic maceration (whole-grape fermentation in a carbon dioxide rich environment) also solved this problem, creating a wonderfully fruity, light-bodied wine with lively rather than overpowering acidity and soft tannins.
This unique varietal and fermentation process creates a wine suitable for drinking incredibly rapidly – in fact, the world-famous Beaujolais Nouveau Day celebrates the release of these wines as little as six weeks after cultivation. However terroir in the grand cru sites of Beaujolais, along with considered winemaking and the search for new world sites that replicate the soils and climate of Gamay's spiritual home result in wines of incredible structure and age-worthiness.
This week, we offer two packs to explore the old and new worlds of Gamay, or you can explore the full collection.
The Gamay Pack is the perfect introduction to Gamay, exploring the varietal as it undergoes whole bunch fermentions and carbonic macerations in both Australia and France.
The pack (valued at over $260) is only $219 and includes:
- Timo Mayer Gamay 2022
- Thick as Thieves Gamay 2021
- Château de Pizay Beaujolais 2022
- Sentio Gamay 2022
- Château Cambon Beaujolais 2021
- Metrat Fleurie La Roilette VV 2020
The Beaujolais Pack explores the Cru sites of Beaujolais with the subtle differences in weight, structure and perfume, from Juliénas in the north to Brouilly in the south, and of course, the infamous Morgon.
The pack (valued at over $580) is only $479 and includes:
- Marcel Lapierre Morgon Cuvée MMXVIII
- Bonnet Cotton Bonnege Brouilly 2020
- Jean Foillard Morgon Corcelette 2020
- Thivin La Chapelle Côte de Brouilly 2021
- La Sœur Cadette Juliénas 2021
- Justin Dutraive La Madone Fleurie 2018
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ArPePe
The Valtellina Valley in Italy's northern region of Lombardy:
famous for curing Bresaola and Chiavennasca. The latter is the local name for Nebbiolo, and grown here at the foothills of the mountainous border with Switzerland in an interesting microclimate where alpine influences meet the Mediterranean, it results in bright cherry-scented wines, all hand-harvested due to the perilously steep slopes that hinder access to any machine aid.
Valtellina producer, ArPePe was founded in 1984 by Arturo
Pellizzatti Perego, but his family have been making Nebbiolo
delle Alpi (of the Alps) for 5 generations. This expansive
family history, not to mention the necessity to do everything a mano (by hand) has given rise to the family philosophy of patience. Il giusto tempo di attesa translates to "the right waiting time" and ArPePe use this in all they do, from the 1500 hours they clock to cultivate a single hectare, to the time spent aging the wines in old barrels, cherry casks and concrete: they say everything takes "as long as it takes".
So take il giusto tempo to look through the collection of graceful and charming alpine Nebbiolo from the
Valtellina Superiore DOCG, with the family-owned patiently tended vineyards spread across Sassella, Grumello and Inferno and see what time will tell.
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