Translation missing: en.Giuseppe Quintarelli + Pascal Cotat + Herve Souhaut: Giuseppe Quintarelli + Pascal Cotat + Herve Souhaut
Giuseppe Quintarelli
Giuseppe Quintarelli, or Il Maestro del Veneto, is easily one of the most mythical figures in the world of wine, certainly in Italy where he makes the best wines in Veneto. During a period when Veneto was still known for producing low-quality, high-volume wines, Giuseppe 'Bepi' Quintarelli did not compromise and made wines with painstakingly high level of work and detail in both the vineyard and the cellar. This paid off as he earned himself the reputation as the greatest producer of not only Amarone, but other red and white blends in Valpolicella.
Unfortunately, Giuseppe passed away in 2012; however, his daughter Fiorenza, his son-in-law Giampaolo, and his grandsons Francesco and Lorenzo are all keeping a close watch over the family’s legacy. Giuseppe took the upmost care in every single aspect of the winemaking process, from low-yields and multiple passes through the vineyard, to giving each wine the time it needs to develop and settle in barrel before release through to the highest quality cork and handwritten labels. These are wines that have moved people all around the world. These wines are in a completely different league in terms of both quality and style and really can't be compared to any other wines in the world. Quintarelli is one of a kind.
The last time we put out a Quintarelli offer, we didn't have any of the Amarone left and only had some of the more entry-level bottles available. Luckily this time we have you covered if you've been hunting down the illustrious Amarone. Before we get to the Amarone, we have the '23 'Bianco Secco' which is a unique blend of Garganega, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Trebbiano aged in steel and glass on its fine lees. A perfect white for the last month of summer. We also have the '22 'Primofiore Rosso' which is another interesting blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This is a silky, medium-bodied red with bright red fruits and floral undertones. Moving up the ladder we have the 2017 vintage of both the 'Valpolicella' and 'Ca' del Merlo'. With the Valpolicella, 50% of the grapes are fermented and pressed immediately after harvest, while the remaining 50% are dried for 2 months prior to fermentation. Maturation then occurs in large Slavonian oak for 7 years prior to bottling. The Ca del Merlo is an unique blend of 55% Corvina and Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese. Both of these wines are powerful yet elegant and can age for decades. Finally, the big boy 2017 'Amarone della Valpolicella' is the wine that best showcases Quintarelli's efforts. Each grape is positioned ideally on mats so that appassimento can occur naturally with noble rot starting in November and finishing in January followed by a 20 day maceration and fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The wine then spends 7 months in Slavonian oak barrels in which it is able to develop properly and complete fermentation to dryness. These are some of the most remarkable wines in the world. Do not hesitate to pick some of these iconic wines up!
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Pascal Cotat
Pascal Cotat is undoubtedly one of the greatest producers in Loire's Sancerre making some of the most compelling and unique expressions of Sauvignon Blanc in the world. This Domaine came to be after some French laws passed in the 90s prohibiting independent producers from bottling the same wine under two different labels. Consequently, Pascal’s father and uncle took this as a sign to retire and pass on the holdings to their respective children: Pascal and François who then split the holdings and started bottling under their own names. Pascal then went on to produce some of the most stellar, age-worthy wines Sancerre has ever seen.
Pascal is based in the most prestigious part of Sancerre in the village of Chavignol which is home to two of the best vineyards in the world for growing Sauvignon Blanc - Les Monts Damnés and La Grande Côte. Les Monts Damnés has been farmed by the Cotat family since the end of WWII and is very steep with thin clay and limestone topsoils and subsoils of pure chalk with vines averaging 30 years of age. La Grande Côte is home to Pascal’s oldest vines averaging 60 years old. These cousins are the only 2 owners of this small vineyard so in essence this is a kind of “family monopole”. This vineyard is north-facing with soils rich in clay.
In terms of the winemaking itself, Pascal’s signature is certainly tasteful ripeness, harvesting by hand very late to achieve this complexity. Although Pascal is not technically certified, he does not treat his vines with pesticides; uses only indigenous yeasts for fermentation; and follows the lunar cycle for racking. Wines are whole bunch pressed before being barrel-fermented in older demi-muids and aged in larger tonneaux. All wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
We’ve recently picked up these 2 extraordinary examples of Sancerre to share with you as we reach the tail-end of summer. We have both the ‘22 and ‘23 vintages of ‘Les Monts Damnés’ which is the perfect excuse to get both and compare the vintages. We have some of the ‘23 vintage and a single bottle left of the '22 of ‘La Grande Côte’ for those of you that are more interested in what the older vines have to say. These are some of the best examples of Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Pick these up before it’s too late to sip on this summer or put them away for a bit for some future summer.
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Hervé Souhaut
Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet was established by Hervé Souhaut (don't try to pronounce this) in 1993. The winery is located in Ardèche underneath a fortified farm from the 16th century, about a 30 minute drive through the winding hills of Saint-Joseph. Hervé has been able to craft a name for himself as one of the leading 'natural' winemakers in France with only 5 hectares of organically farmed vines.
Hervé has been blessed with being able to work with very old vines averaging 50-100 years old. Organic viticulture and hands-off vinification allow these ancient vines to properly express themselves. His goal is to extract a delicate balance of tannins from the grapes to produce wines with subtlety and finesse; opting for 100% whole bunches and semi-carbonic maceration to achieve this. This is a point of difference from many other producers in the area that use extractive methods to produce tough wines that are unforgiving in their youth. Hervé's wines are drinkable immediately but still have the capacity to improve with time.
We've picked up 4 of Hervé incredible wines: 1 white and 3 reds to share with you. We have the '23 'Romaneaux Destezet Blanc' is made almost entirely from Roussanne with a splash of Viognier and is floral, fresh and mineral. We also have the '22 'La Souteronne' which is 100% Gamay from old vines almost 80 years old and undergoes a long maceration at a low temperature. We also have the '23 'Syrah' which comes from vines averaging 40 years old from a couple of communes in Ardèche and is made similarly to the Gamay. The tannins here are light and work to frame the pristine fruit and earthiness of the wine. Finally, we have the '23 'Saint-Joseph Clos des Cessieux' from vines over 30 years old on granitic soils in the heart of the appellation. This is aged in secondhand Burgundy barrels for 8 months before bottling. All of these wines are bottled without filtration and with only a splash of sulphur. These are already on the map of hardcore natural wine lovers but you should also check these out if you want to try some lighter, fresh takes on classic grapes from well-farmed, little-known vineyards.
Wishing you a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.