Translation missing: en.Hubert Lamy + Christophe et Fils + Sandrone + French Tasting Saturday 5th 3pm-6pm: Hubert Lamy + Christophe et Fils + Sandrone + French Tasting Saturday 5th 3pm-6pm
Hubert Lamy
Olivier Lamy (son of Hubert) is making some of the most pure, mineral whites in the Côte de Beaune as well as some of the more interesting reds in the region as well. Olivier took over his family Domaine from his father Hubert in 1995 and immediately stopped selling to negociants and sold off the underperforming vineyards, only keeping the best of the best for the Domaine. Olivier worked with Burgundy legends Henri Jayer and Meo Camuzet in the 90s and brought with him local expertise to the Domaine.
Olivier is based in Saint-Aubin in the Côte de Beaune which is essentially across from Montrachet, where he produces wines of extraordinary minerality, raciness and floral finesse as opposed to the more broader styles of the village. These are wines that showcase the very best aspects of Saint-Aubin’s rocky, bony, chalky soils - as the French would say “l’eau de Roche”. Following his training under Henri Jayer and Meo Camuzet, Olivier was one of the forerunners of ardent quality control and standards, being one of the first to introduce sorting tables in the Côte de Beaune in the early 90s on top of being a pioneer of high-density planting and Poussard pruning. Olivier is also delicate in the cellar to ensure that his high quality grapes receive the respect they deserve and that his efforts in the vineyard flow through to the end product. Currently, most of his barrel inventory is 600-litre demi-muids, including some Stockinger. Olivier has been recently working with foulage (where grapes are crushed before they are pressed) and longer press cycles, “in order to obtain the right texture” and bring more dry extract and structure to the wines.
We've sold some of the Hubert Lamy wines already but have small amounts of most of his cuvees on offer. The '22 'Les Chataigners Bourgogne Blanc' which comes from his coolest and highest site is always in the running for the best Bourgogne Blanc out there. The '22 'Saint Aubin La Princee Blanc' which comes from a blend of 10 small village parcels with one third of the vines being over 60 years old. This is also a frontrunner for one of the best village whites on the market. The '22 'Saint Aubin Les Frionnes 1er' comes from a southeast-facing site with old, decomposed limestone/clay soils and a plethora of small rocks in the topsoil with vines planted in 1935, 1960 and 1985. The '22 'Saint Aubin Clos du Meix 1er' is a tiny parcel of just 0.7 hectares with vines planted between 1985-1995 and being entirely surrounded by a wall, is well-protected from the cold northern winds. The '22 'Santenay Clos des Gravieres 1er Blanc' comes from a tiny 0.38 hectare plot in a historically revered vineyard on a 30° slope of predominantly limestone. We also have the '21 and '22 vintages of the 'Santenay Clos des Gravieres Vieilles Vignes Rouge' from the same vineyard from 50+ year old vines planted at a density of 20,000/hectare. This is a wonderfully perfumed Pinot with about 80% whole bunches and severely punches above its weight compared to the Pinots of the Côte de Nuits. These are some extraordinary wines from one of Burgundy's most respected winemaker and are reasonably priced as far as Burgundy goes too. Don't hesitate to snap some up as we only have small amounts left!
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Christophe et Fils
Sebastien Christophe is a man that burst onto the scene out of nowhere with a humble half-hectare of a Petit Chablis vineyard that he inherited from his family. Sebastien vinified this parcel shortly after finishing winemaking school and slowly built up his holding of choice Chablis vineyards. With some exceptional bottlings of these vineyards, Sebastien quickly earned himself the reputation of one of Chablis' rising stars.
Despite the relative youth of the estate, the word of mouth that had started to spread meant that he was quickly selling out of everything despite almost no media coverage. Both Sebastien's approach to viticulture and vinification are extremely considered, measure and precise as it needs to be when working with such great vineyards! Sebastien uses stainless steel for both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation and then ages the wine in steel with some older barrels worked into the mix for the Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines. He strives for the hallmarks of a well-made Chablis that speaks to its place - elegance, purity and fine-boned minerality with nuances that can be half-drunkenly discussed over a meal for hours.
We have a great range of Sebastien's wines as they represent excellent quality for the money and always have a place on our shelves. The '23 'Chablis Vieilles Vignes' is a classic staple of the store and a great option for anyone that loves classic Chablis. We have two Premier Cru offerings as well: the '22 'Mont de Milieu 1er' and '22 'Montee de Tonnerre 1er' which are both highly sought-after sites - it would be difficult to find many wines from these sites any cheaper. Finally, we have two Grand Cru wines as well: the '22 'Blanchot Grand Cru' and '22 'Les Preuses Grand Cru'. Both of these are highly respected sites that are also difficult to encounter at better prices. Christophe's wines represent excellent value and reliability and are a must-have for all fans of the classic Chablis we all know and love.
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Sandrone
Luciano Sandrone is one of the best producers in Barolo with humble origins; starting out as a 'garagiste', making wine from their garage in the 70s and has flourished into the 21st century with heart, commitment and presence of mind. The Sandrone family were born and raised in Langhe and now work a total of 27 hectares spread between Langa and Roero.
"We love intense, yet fragrant and harmonic wines, which can converse on equal terms with those who love them, not from a position of dominance."
This is the guiding principle behind all work in the vineyard and in the cellar - to produce wines that are unique to their time and place and enter a dialectical relationship with the drinker. Sandrone works with some of the best vineyards in Barolo and have learned the details of every individual vine in these sites having worked with them over the decades. All work in the vineyard is conducted sparingly and with specific purpose understanding that the vines do not like too much excess - over-fed land, exaggerated work, excessive winds and exuberant moisture. These are challenges that they have mastered working with over the years and give expression to the wines. To Sandrone, the cellar is the "household" of the wine. They believe that each vineyard has its own path and form of expression that it needs to realise, the job in the cellar is to accompany it with sensitivity towards this end result. Time is the king here, only time can bring harmony to these wines - there are no shortcuts in the winery that will help each wine reach its potential.
We have 4 different wines from this incredible Barolo producer, all of which we had the pleasure of tasting with the winemaker Barbara last year. The '21 Barbera d'Alba is an exceptional easy-drinking wine that does not sacrifice complexity for drinkability. A great combination of red and darker fruits and a juicy body make this the perfect table wine for the upcoming cooler months. The '22 'Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d'Alba' is also an exceptional wine that really stood out as a genuinely unique expression of Nebbiolo, with a glacial red fruit character with some herbal and earthy elements and was not trying to simply be a "baby Barolo" as many try to be. The two Barolo bottlings that we have are from the exceptional - possibly even vintage of this century so far, 2019. 'Le Vigne' is a blend of 4 different parcels within Barolo: the vineyards of Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba, Villero in Castiglione Falletto, Vignane in Barolo and Merli in Novello draw a perfect diagonal through the area, each of which includes different terrains: light and sandy, more compact and deep, at various altitudes and exposures. Finally 'Aleste' which is the flagship wine and a personal favourite which is sourced from the famous Cannubi hill in Barolo - perhaps the most prized terroir in world for Nebbiolo. This is a wine of exceptional finesse, detail and perfume with a fantastic underlying earthiness to it that will develop more with cellaring. These are extraordinary wines that should be sought after by anyone that loves age-worthy reds, Nebbiolo or just great wine generally.
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French Tasting
Saturday 5th
3pm-6pm
Join us this Saturday as we taste through a range of some great-value French wines!
Value is usually not a word that you would usually find in the same sentence as French wine but there is still plenty to be found if you know where to look. These are the wines we'll be pouring as we take you on a quick journey around France:
Bailly Lapierre Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Reserve
Chateau de la Ragotiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie
Clos Roussely Sauvignon Blanc
Domaine Fevre Chablis
Font-Sane Gigondas Tradition
Domaine de la Merize Moulin-a-Vent
Domaine Delagrange Hautes-Cotes de Beaune Rouge
These are some exceptional wines that don't break the bank. Come down for a taste this Saturday!
Wishing you a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.