Translation missing: en.Clemens Busch + Elio Grasso + COS + Old vs New World Chenin Blanc Tasting Sat 21st September 3pm-6pm + MEET THE MAKER Spinifex Tasting Wed 25th 5:30pm - 7pm: Clemens Busch + Elio Grasso + COS + Old vs New World Chenin Blanc Tasting Sat 21st September 3pm-6pm + MEET THE MAKER Spinifex Tasting Wed 25th 5:30pm - 7pm
Clemens Busch
Clemens Busch is the fifth generation of the Busch men to farm vineyards in the Mosel. The property was erected in 1663, but Clemens and Rita Busch along with their son Johannes have built to estate in its current form, working 18 hectares which are almost entirely dedicated to Riesling. Clemens is an icon in the area for being one of the very first to transition to organic viticulture back in 1984.
"Our ultimate goal is to produce wines of the highest quality and individuality"
In practice, this means time-intensive and difficult work by hand on the steep Mosel slopes, alongside an uncompromising aversion to synthetic pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilisers. Nature repays them with healthy soil and lively, deep roots. A vital organism can resist adversity and disease better than a weak one which is why encouraging vitality and the immune system of the vines are one of the primary focuses of the estate. Clemens Busch use the biodynamic solutions of various teas and herbal mixtures to look after the vine's vigour and health. Everything in the vineyard is worked by hand (not that you can use machines on the Mosel slopes) and each vine is worked individually to ensure that each grape achieves optimal ripeness. Delicate vinification is required to deliver the fruits of all the work in the vineyard. Most wines are aged in Fuder-Fass (1000L barrels) as the wood allows the native yeasts the air they need to breathe for a more smooth fermentation than stainless steel. Additives are taboo, mechanical stress is kept to a minimum and necessary movement is determined by the phases of the moon. Clemens Busch are whole-heartedly committed to spontaneous fermentation, with most wines fermenting for 8-10 months and often longer. All of these factors come together to make some of the most distinctive Rieslings in the world.
We've managed to secure a good range of the Clemens Busch wines from their entry through to top-of-the-line bottles. We have the '22 'Trocken' Riesling which is an excellent introduction to this incredible producer's wines. Moving up the ladder now we have the '22 'Pundericher Nonnengarten' which is a great bridge between the first wine and the GGs. In the next tier of '22 GG Rieslings, we have: 'Marienburg Rothenpfad GG', 'Marienburg Falkenlay GG', 'Marienburg Fahrlay GG' and 'Marienburg Fahrlay-Terrassen GG'. The Marienburg vineyard is a south-southeast slope dominant in grey slate. Finally, we have the 2018 'Marienburg Felsterrasse GL' and the 2018 'Marienburg Raffe'. These, in addition to being 4 years older, comes from older vines, have more concentration and are fuller-bodied than the previous Rieslings. Anyone who loves German Riesling cannot miss Clemens Busch - a pioneer in biodynamic Riesling.Elio Grasso
Elio Grasso worked as a banker in Torino, tending to the family vines on weekends only. Elio's infatuation with the site and craft saw him calling into work sick just to work in the vineyards during the week. Eventually, his boss drove out to the estate and caught him in the vineyards at which point, Elio promptly handed in his resignation listening to his heart and taking up work on the family vineyards full time. Today the estate is located in the commune of Monforte d'Alba with 42 hectares - 24 of which are dedicated to forests and meadows and the other 18 planted under vine.
The Grasso family decided to return to their roots as grape-growers primarily, vinifying and bottling grapes from their own vineyards separately from 1978 onwards.
"Recognising the overriding need to respect and enhance the unique characteristics of the vineyards, we look on these terroir, as well-aspected hillsides are called around here, as magical places where we can rediscover our own roots."
Elio Grasso's vineyards are highlighted in a map of the finest vineyards made by the historian Lorenzo Fantini in the early twentieth century, showcasing the fact that these have been known as high-quality vineyards for some time now. The winery itself still has the essence of a small cellar, although they have equipped it to be able to work as smoothly as possible, with a 30 year commitment to vinifying all grapes separately, according to the vineyard of provenance. All wines are given the time that they need to ferment and mature without rush, spending years in barrel and some more time in bottle before being released, at which point they can be enjoyed young but of course have the capacity to age gracefully for decades.
We've had 3 different bottlings from this iconic estate land recently - 2 from the recent 2020 release and 1 from the iconic 2016 vintage. We have 3 bottles of the 2020 'Ginestra Casa Mate Barolo' coming from vines with an average age of 40 years. This wine spends 2 years in 25 hectolitre Slavonian oak botti, followed by another 8-10 months in bottles to settle before release. We also have 3 bottles of the 2020 'Chiniera Barolo' coming from vines with an average age of 35+ years and the same elevage treatment as the previous Barolo. Finally, we have half a dozen of the 2016 'Barolo Riserva Runcot' which is only made in exceptional vintages and spends 4 years in new barriques and another 18-24 months in bottle before release. These are some seriously sensational Barolo that can compete with the best in the region that sell for 2-3x the price.COS
COS is now a household name for many, being considered one of the best and most iconic 'natural' wine producers in the world. Three friends founded Azienda Agricola COS, in 1980: Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti and Cirino Strano. The acronym of their last names is where the name for the winery – COS – comes from. Since then, they have changed the landscape of Sicilian wine.
"Wine is our soul, our job, our rhythms, and our art."
The COS estate is located at the furthest tip of south-east Sicily, with heavy African influence in terms of both vegetation (olive, carob and almond trees) as well as the landscape of red, ochre and yellow hues. Here you can find the city of Vittoria, in the province of Ragusa, located between the Ippari and Dirillo rivers that flow from the Hyblaean Mountains to the the Mediterranean Sea. The COS vineyards are located at a higher altitude than most others in the region, providing a much needed cooling influence. COS work the vineyards biodynamically and vinify everything in terracotta amphora, a vessel that doesn't impart any flavours or aromas on the wine. In this sense, they were pioneers of reintroducing the age-old method of amphora vinification, now most producers that age their wines in this vessel are either directly or indirectly influenced by COS' work. COS are also responsible for the success of Cerasuolo di Vittoria as a region, being the first to bottle the first DOCG wine under this name in 2005 (the only DOCG in Sicily) and drawing international attention to this area.
Everyone keeps asking us about the reds which we haven't had in stock for some time, but now we're here to tell you that they're back alongside the orange wines. The 3 orange wines we carry from COS are the '22 'Rami Bianco', '22 'Pithos Bianco' and the '22 'Zibibbo in Pithos'. These are absolute classics of the orange wine movement and always have a place on our shelves. The reds which finally turned up are the '23 'Frappato' and the '21 'Cerasuolo di Vittoria'. These will most likely fly out the door so don't hesitate to snap these up!Chenin Blanc
Old vs New World Tasting Saturday 3pm-6pm
Join us this week as we pour two delicious Chenin Blancs, one from the old world and one from the new world. The old world Chenin will be Domaine Pichot's 'Coteau de la Biche Vouvay Sec' and the new world contender will be Millton's 'Te Arai Chenin Blanc' from Gisbourne, NZ.
MEET THE MAKER
Spinifex Tasting
Wednesday 25th September 5:30pm-7pm
Next Wednesday we'll be hosting the winemaker of Spinifex - Pete Schell as he pours and talks through the fantastic wines with you. Spinifex are based in the Barossa Valley, crafting wines that speak of their place and show some restraint and nuance that can be hard to find in Barossa. Pete Schell has been hailed as one of Australia's great winemakers and has been setting a great example for some of the others in the region. These are the wines he'll be pouring.
2023 Spinifex Rose
2021 Syrah
2022 Papillon (Cinsault/Grenache)
2022 La Maline
2022 Indigene
2022 Moppa
Those last 3 wines are his top flagship wines and will be one of the first times he's pouring them for customers as he is in Sydney to promote their release. Join us for a taste of a great flight of Barossa wines and a chat with the man himself. See you there!
Wishing you all a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.