Translation missing: en.Joh. Jos. Prüm + Domaines Leflaive + Chateau de Bonnezeaux + Gambit Wines Tasting Saturday 3rd 3pm-6pm + MEET THE MAKER La Violetta In-Store Friday 9th 5:30pm-7:30pm: Joh. Jos. Prüm + Domaines Leflaive + Chateau de Bonnezeaux + Gambit Wines Tasting Saturday 3rd 3pm-6pm + MEET THE MAKER La Violetta In-Store Friday 9th 5:30pm-7:30pm
Joh. Jos. Prüm
Joh. Jos. Prüm are without a doubt the most recognisable producer of Mosel Riesling out there. If someone was to ask me to name a German Riesling producer, the first one that comes to mind is always Prüm. The Prüm family history in the Mosel dates back as early as 1156, though it was Johann Josef Prüm who founded the estate in 1911. Today the estate is run by Katharina Prüm overlooking the 13.5 hectares of vines on those famous steep slopes overlooking the Mosel River.
Prüm have remained at the summit of the Mosel Riesling scene for decades, thanks not only to special sites, but also to ideal picking at optimal ripeness (and many, many passes through the vineyard), low yields, ungrafted vines and harvesting only the best grapes. All these factors contribute to the signature Prüm style of ripe fruits and a beautiful body that seems to have presence and be weightless at the same time. It is worth noting that 90% of the Estate’s vines are ungrafted with an average age exceeding 60 years and there are a number of key parcels with an average vine age of 70-100+ years. All of Prüm’s key vineyards share the same soils - grey and blue Devonian slate, and south to south-westerly aspects. The major differences between the sites have to do with the variation in the aspect (from south to southwest), the steepness and the depth of the soil. These subtle differences in site manifest themselves in the wines (it is said that Riesling is the best white grape at translating terroir to wine, after all) in a distinctive manner, which I can attest to having had the privilege of tasting through them last week.
In the winery, the winemaking is as natural as possible with as little intervention as possible: natural yeast, unrushed fermentation and patient aging on lees with wines only being put into bottle when they are ready. This extended elevage on lees means the wines absorb everything the lees have to give and helps to produce that famous Prüm texture.
We've just received our allocation that we're excited to share with you. There are a lot of different bottles across the Pradikat spectrum that I won't have the space here to go into detail on all of them unfortunately (although they are all available in the link below). From the 'Kabinett' side of the Pradikat spectrum, we have the 'Bernkasteler Badstube', 'Wehlener Sonnenuhr' and 'Graacher Himmelreich' from the '22 vintage. I tasted these last week and can confirm that they are drinking incredibly now, but have the potential to last over a decade in the cellar. The Bernkasteler was the most generously fruited and pithiest, the Wehlener was the flintiest and the Graacher seemed to have both these characteristics with great concentration. The Spätlese and Auslese offerings provide much more concentrated ripe fruit and body without losing detail or nuance. The 'GoldKapsel' and 'LONGGoldKapsel' range represent the best of the best at Prüm, offering an even bigger jump up in concentration and fleshiness from wines that are already concentrated and fleshy. These are some of the best Rieslings in the world. We also have 3 magnums available: 1 bottle of the 'Graacher' Kabinett and a bottle each of the 'Wehlener' Kabinett and Spätlese. This is one of the most famous Riesling producers for a reason. I expect these to sell out quick so don't hesitate to pick some up!Domaines Leflaive
Domaine Leflaive are easily one of Burgundy's greatest and most sought-after producers. You've probably seen people trying to show off photos of them drinking 'Les Pucelles' or 'Chevalier-Montrachet' online. Having conquered the Cote d'Or, Leflaive set their sights south to the Mâconnais region, following the footsteps of Comte-Lafon who had recognised the potential for Chardonnay in these otherwise neglected sites.
The terroirs of the Mâconnais region are geologically very close to those of Puligny and are often unfairly underestimated. The Leflaive team are working with a variety of different parcels within this region and have singled out certain little plots within villages that they believe deserve their own bottling. In the Village Mâcon-Verzé appellation, the Leflaive team isolated Les Chênes, a parcel facing due west, and Le Monté, due north but adapted to the new conditions of global warming. These wines can compete with those of Pouilly-Fuissé, the most prestigious appellation of the Mâconnais region that Leflaive also works in. Both the vines and the wines in the cellar are cultivated by the same team that works on the wines at the main Domaine in Puligny-Montrachet. All 25 hectares of vineyards will be certified biodynamic from the 2023 vintage and have been farmed biodynamically since 2014. The wines are aged for 18 months, compared to barely 10 months average of the appellation. This is to keep with the principle at Leflaive of two winters in the cellar so the wines stabilize naturally.
We have a range of 5 different wines from Leflaive's Mâconnais adventure to offer you. As mentioned above, we have the village level 'Mâcon-Verzé' as well as the single vineyard 'Les Chênes' and 'Le Monté' from the same village from the '22 vintage. We also have the '22 'Auxey-Duresses' and the even more prestigious '22 'Pouilly-Fuissé'. These are some seriously well-crafted wines that speak to their terroir, made by one of the greatest winemaking teams in the world. These are barely a fraction of the price of their Puligny offerings so it would be foolish to let these slip by!Chateau de Bonnezeaux
This will mark the third week in a row of showcasing an underrated Loire producer, for good reason. The Loire seems to be a minefield of hidden gems, producers that barely see the light of day in the export market that are producing some of the best and interesting white wines in the world. Chateau de Bonnezeaux are one of those elusive Loire producers based in Anjou that seem to slip the sights of even the Anjou enthusiasts. Now we are here to put them in front of you.
The estate itself had been abandoned for decades, until Guyonne Saclier de la Bâtie saw the potential of the site and decided to take over and reinvigorate the vineyards. The vineyards have been biodynamically farmed since his takeover in 2012. The vineyards are incredibly biodiverse, with wild grass growing between the vines; yields are low and everything is done by hand. Château de Bonnezeaux sits in a privileged position on the slopes of Bonnezeaux, which in terms of soils are no less blessed than those of the Quarts de Chaume, albeit, with less steep slopes. It is clear that we are dealing with some serious wines that have already garnered a cult following, although production is still quite small so you'll only ever find them (if you're lucky) at specialty stores like ours.
We have quite a few different cuvees of this special estate to go around, but only tiny quantities of each. From the 2022 vintage, we have 'Les Plantes', 'La Montagne', 'Prieurs de Noues' and 'La Minee Haute'. From the '21 and '20 vintage we have 'La Minee Basse' and finally, we have the multi-vintage blend 'Inter-Val'. These are some seriously powerful, yet detailed and balanced expressions of Chenin Blanc. Any Chenin lovers that haven't heard of this producer or haven't had the chance to try these cult wines should snap these up before we sell out!Gambit Wines Tasting Saturday 3rd August 3pm-6pm
This Saturday we'll be hosting a tasting of some fantastic great value South Australian wines for you all. We've had these in store for a couple months and they've been flying out the door so some of you may have already tasted these, but for those that want some warm winter reds that don't break the bank, this is the tasting for you. These are the wines we'll be pouring:
Gretchen Shiraz
Jaya Riesling
Jaya SGM
Jaya Grenache
Samuel Joseph Cowham Shiraz
Samuel Joseph Grenache
We've taken a break from the expensive Burgs so that you can actually afford to walk out with the bottles that you enjoy this tasting. See you there!
MEET THE MAKER
In-Store Tasting
Friday 9th 5:30pm-7:30pm
On Friday next week, we have the pleasure of hosting the winemaker from the Great Southern region's gem - La Violetta.
The winemaker Andrew Hoadley makes a whole range of wines across a variety of grapes and styles to showcase how much potential there is in the Great Southern of WA. These wines range from fun and funky pet-nats to more classic renditions of Riesling. There's something here for everyone and these wines are surprisingly affordable so you can actually buy what you liked.
It's on a Friday night so walk on down to the store for some fun and great wine. See you there!
Wishing you all a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.