Translation missing: en.Domaine Rougeot + Cascina delle Rose + Jessica Litaud + Italian Natural Wine Tasting Sat 3pm-6pm: Domaine Rougeot + Cascina delle Rose + Jessica Litaud + Italian Natural Wine Tasting Sat 3pm-6pm
Domaine Rougeot
Domaine Rougeot have been producing stunning wines for 5 generations: Marc Rougeot is now working alongside his son Pierre-Henri and produces wines in the villages of: Meursault, Monthélie, St Romain, Pommard and Volnay.
Domaine Rougeot have been working organically some time now and have received certification in 2020 for their efforts. Marc's vision and approach to making wine is one that has been shaped by his travels around France, with friends making wine in places such as Saumur and Cahors which has ultimately led to a natural minimal-intervention approach along with traditional Burgundian techniques. In short, tradition draped in modernity.
All of the 13 hectares of Rougeot's vines are located in or around the prestigious village of Meursault - known for producing robust and textural Chardonnay. All of their wines are vinified sans soufre (without sulphur), although each barrel is tasted throughout élevage to determine if small amounts are needed for certain barrels. Any barrels that make it through this process without sulphur (and they try their best to make this happen) are then bottles with the aesthetic diagonal label. These are very limited in production and hard to get, luckily we have them.
Each terroir gets its chance to shine within their portfolio as every bottling they do is bottled as a single-vineyard designation, even under the regional 'Bourgogne' appellation. We have a great range of wines from this producer in whites and reds and across a spectrum of prices; something for everyone. From the whites we have: 'Les Plumes' Aligote, 'Les Grandes Gouttes' and 'La Monatine' Bourgogne Blancs as well as the 'Sous le Charmes' under the Pierre-Henri Rougeot label. I can't forget the flagship 'Sous la Velle' Meursault of which we only have one bottle left. In the way of reds, we have: 'Les Vercherres' Passetoutgrain (Pinot and Gamay blend) as well as the 'Mon Plaisir' Passetoutgrain under the Pierre-Henri Rougeot label. Under this label we also have the 'Plantes du Bois' Cote-de-Nuits Rouge. Back to the Domaine Rougeot label, we have 'Les Lameroses' and 'Les Vaux' Bourgone Rouges and finally the stellar 'Volnay-Santenay' Premier Cru. These are some incredible wines from a Burgundy producer that has flown under the radar for too long. We want to get them out there so be sure to snap up some of these bottles and show some support for this organic Burg Domaine! - Aaron C.Cascina delle Rose
Cascina delle Rose is perhaps one of the best producers from Barbaresco that you probably haven't heard of. The estate began just after WWII, when Giovanna's grandparents fell in love with the house set against the backdrop of rolling hills and the Alps. In 1974, Giovanna moved to the house permanently with the intent of carrying on the tradition of her grandparents' farm and to find peace and tranquility. Giovanna is now joined by Italo and their two sons: Riccardo and Davide and continue to craft exceptional wines and honour her grandparents' legacy.
"Tradition, respect for nature, elegance: three words to never forget and closely linked to each other."
Based in those gorgeous rolling hills covered in fog that Barbaresco is famous for (a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site), this estate is working with some of the best sites in Barbaresco and farms organically with the intent of sustaining the biodiversity of the area. The soil here is of marine origin, with a compact stratification – the subsoil composed mainly of silt, clay and sand. Gray, bluish and calcareous marl with a notable presence of underground spring water. All of these aspects translate into wines of elegance and finesse. The control of vegetation on the ground is done rigorously with inter-row hoeing, shredding and winter ripening and all treatments based on copper or mine sulphur are kept to a minimum.
We are excited to get this producer out there amongst the Australian audience as they are already highly-respected in Italy. We've secured two wines from the 2022 vintage: the Dolcetto d'Alba and Langhe Nebbiolo. These wines are an excellent introduction to this producer as they are much more ready for drinking young and pair well with a range of dishes. From their Barbaresco range, we have the 'Tre Stelle' and 'Rio Sordo' from the 2020 vintage. This was the Covid vintage which allowed them more time to work in the vineyard tan usual to ensure everything was in check. The 'Tre Stelle' vineyard faces south-southwest at an altitude of 250m-310m above sea level, whereas the 'Rio Sordo' vineyard faces southwest at an altitude of 310m above sea level. These are both extraordinary wines that will bloom like a rose in your cellars over the next couple of decades, but could also be drunk younger with a generous decant. This is an exciting producer that comes in at a reasonable price for this appellation so be sure to pick up a few bottles and try them for yourselves. - Aaron C.Jessica Litaud
Jessica Litaud is one of the most exciting winemakers coming from the painfully underrated Pouilly Fuissé and Saint Veran areas of southern Burgundy. Jessica brings experience and insight from her training and mentorship under such cult figures such as Jean-Francois Ganevat in Jura and Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen in Mâconais which translates into subtle nuances of salinity and minerality in her wines.
Jessica works on a tiny plot of just 5 hectares which allows her to invest more of her time an energy into understanding the minute differences in terroir and in working the fields meticulously by hand. All of these vineyards are organically farmed and produce only a small output, making these some seriously special and rare bottles. Jessica's incredible eye for detail has her hand-harvesting all of the grapes into small 7kg boxes which is then chilled in a refrigerated room for 12 hours down to 4 degrees, at which point they are lightly pressed to coax out all the minute secrets that the grapes have to tell. Then follows a 10 month élevage on lees in older oak barrels to buff polish out the mouth-watering texture of the wine and finally a small rest in bottle to settle before being sent across the world to us. The result are wines of incredible, finesse, poise and detail.
We've been fortunate enough to secure an allocation of a large range of her wines with something for everyone who is interested in this fantastic producer. Anyone whose interest was piqued by this elusive producer may want to dip their toes into her portfolio with either: 'Macon-Vergisson La Roche', 'Macon-Fuisse', 'Saint Veran Les Pommards', 'Cir'Rose', 'Macon-Salutre-Pouilly' or the 'Pouilly-Fuisse A Francois'. For those of you wanting to jump into the heavy-hitting Premier Cru wines (and I don't blame you), we have: 'Pouilly-Fuisse La Maréchaude 1er', 'Pouilly-Fuisse Sur La Roche 1er' in both the '21 and '22 vintages and finally the 'Pouilly-Fuisse Les Crays 1er' which is maybe the best wine I've tasted from this region. These bottles are difficult to source so if you are thinking about picking up some top-notch unique Chardonnay, look no further. - Aaron C.Italian Natural Wine Tasting
3pm-6pm
Don't forget, this Saturday we will be showcasing 2 great natural wine producers with 3 wines from each: Podere San Biagio and Valli Unite. San Biagio is located between the border of Marche and Abruzzo, while Valli Unite are a cooperative based in Piemonte. Both of these producers would be considered natural wine producers with organic farming, minimal intervention in the cellar and minimal/no sulphites where possible. This is the lineup we'll be pouring for you on Saturday:
Valli Unite Ciape
Valli Terragno
Valli Unite Rosate
Fiore San Biagio Sgarzella
Fiore San Biagio Briscola
Fiore San Biagio Vino Cotto NV