Translation missing: en.Kusuda + Mas Jullien + Te Mata + Daniel Bouland Beaujolais Tasting Saturday 15th 3pm-6pm: Kusuda + Mas Jullien + Te Mata + Daniel Bouland Beaujolais Tasting Saturday 15th 3pm-6pm
Kusuda
Kusuda is the tiny-scale project of Hiroyuki Kusuda who found potential in New Zealand's Martinborough region for producing exceptional Pinot Noir among other grapes. Hiroyuki had a passion for wine as a teenager and travelled Europe visiting all the greatest châteaux while studying law in Japan. While working in Sydney's CBD he travelled to New Zealand a few times where he tasted Pinot that rivalled Burgundy and went on to study Oenology and Viticulture in Germany. Hiroyuki eventually migrated to New Zealand in 2001 to pursue his dream of making Pinot Noir that would be acknowledged at the highest level.
As is quite common with Japanese winemakers, their diligence, rigorous work ethic and high standards result in some truly outstanding wines. Each vintage, 20-30 of Hiroyuki's Japanese friends fly over at their own expense to help with picking the berries and work in the cellar. 1 tonne of Pinot Noir grapes will usually take 2 day to handpick, each bunch selected at optimal ripeness, after which each individual berry is inspected after being run through a destemmer. Only the best of the best (of already high quality grapes) make the cut for his wine. Some wine writers have called this the most extreme berry-sorting they've ever seen. Despite Hiro falling in love and moving to Martinborough primarily for Pinot Noir, he also produces some of the best Riesling and Syrah in New Zealand. Both of these grapes have enormous potential in the region with Hiro setting the blueprint.
We've got all 3 of these sensational wines in stock. There are only about 1000 cases in total produced each year and 70% of that goes to Japan with the remainder being split between Australia, U.S. and U.K. making these wines extremely rare. The '23 'Riesling' comes from the Boulders Vineyard in Martinborough Terrace and undergoes fermentation in stainless steel tanks for 3 weeks with only 1.6g/L of residual sugar. This is an extremely elegant and detailed Riesling. The '22 'Pinot Noir' comes from a high-density block and undergoes a maceration for a total of 25 days then rests in French oak for 15 months and bottled without filtration. This is Hiro's Magnum Opus. Finally, the '21 'Syrah' sees almost a month of maceration then 22 months in French oak of which 20% is new. These are some seriously limited and ridiculously good wines that we're honoured to be able to stock and share with you. Don't hesitate to snap these rare bottles up!
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Mas Jullien
Olivier Jullien is a legend and pioneer in the region of Languedoc who took over his family Domaine in 1985 and was one of the few believers in the potential of the Terrasses du Larzac (large terraces on the edge of the Cevennes plateau, north of Montpellier) to produce great wines. 25 years on and Olivier is running 18 hectares of unique vineyards with biodynamic principles.
Olivier is able to get the most out of his vineyards that he saw so much potential in when no one else did with biodynamics - soil cultivation or cropping, natural grass in the alleys and the use of compost in the vineyards. Yields are kept low at 30hL/ha to ensure high quality grapes by pruning down to 8 buds per vine and removing lateral shoots. Olivier experimented heavily in the early days before settling on his current routine which included using only whole bunches in the 1985 vintage, no sulphur in 1989, scaling back the 100% new oak in 1993 to nothing in 1994 and then to new large oak since then. Nowadays, Olivier makes his whites by crushing, pressing and débourbage overnight, followed by a fermentation of each variety separately in demi-muids. The reds are de-stemmed, sorted and fermented with indigenous yeasts in 40hL tanks for roughly 3 weeks. The wines are racked to demi-muids at the end of Autumn and stay there for a year, and then spend 2 years in big oak foudres.
We've got a great selection of Olivier's wines from rose to white and reds. The '23 'Languedoc Rose' is an exceptional blend of Cinsault, Carignan and Mourvèdre and one of the best in the whole region. This is a whole step up from the average Provençal rose. The '22 'Herault Blanc' is a blend of 70% Carignan Blanc and 30% Chenin Blanc and is by far one of the best whites in the region. This should be on the radar on anyone into interesting whites (which should be all of you). The '20 'Autour de Jonquieres Terrases du Larzac Rouge' is 40% Carignan, 40% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah from 10 different lieux-dits aged in large oak foudre for 24 months. The '21 'Lous Rougeos Terrases du Larzac Rouge' is 60% Carignan, 40% Syrah from vines 400m-500m in altitude aged in demi-muids for 12 months. Finally, the '21 'Carlan Terrases du Larzac Rouge' is 55% Grenache, 30% Carignan, 10% Cinsault, 5% Syrah from a single vineyard of limestone and schist soils aged in demi-muids for 12 months. These are some seriously, fresh, unique and distinctive wines that make for excellent drinking now or cellaring for your grateful future self!
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Te Mata
Te Mata Estate was originally part of Te Mata Station, a large pastoral land-holding established by English immigrant, John Chambers, in 1854. Three parcels of vines were planted in 1892 on hillside land above the homestead which are still used by Te Mata to this day. Today they have been responsible for putting the region of Hawke's Bay on the international wine map - showcasing that NZ can produce more that just Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot and have found widespread international acclaim for their success.
All of Te Mata's wines are produced from their estate-owned vineyards in Hawke's Bay which has a temperate maritime climate with low rainfall, due to the rain shadow from mountains to the west. First planted in 1892, Te Mata has five sites on these free draining, north-facing slopes. Soils to the east are mostly sandy loam over a sandstone base, and towards the west are sandy loam over a thin layer of clay and a silica pan. The Havelock Hills vineyards were the first legally-protected vineyards in NZ and are renowned for producing wines with great balance, power and elegance. The Awatea, Elston and Coleraine vineyards are located here as well as the winery, with some grapes only having to travel a couple hundred metres from vine to bottle. Te Mata are also a member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) which aims to minimize any impact on the environment in the vineyard and winery and to continually monitor and reduce the use of power, water and fuel resources. Organic and biodynamic techniques are used alongside traditional winemaking and they have even helped with planting hundreds of native trees in the surrounding area.
We've picked up a nice spread of wines from Te Mata that we are keen for you all to try. The '23 'Estate Sauvignon Blanc' is a big step away from the generic, mass-produced Savvy Bs of Marlborough. This is tastefully ripe with texture and minerality and at this price, absolutely smokes all other NZ Sauvignon Blancs. The '19 'Awatea Cabernet/Merlot' is probably one of the best reds in the store at this price. At over 5 years old, this Hawke's Bay Bordeaux Blend is a no-brainer. Finally, we have both the '21 and '22 vintages of the iconic 'Coleraine' considered by many to be NZ's best red wine. These drink like something between a Clare Valley red and Saint-Julien. These are spectacular wines at spectacular prices and even the more expensive Coleraine is reasonable considering how much you have to pay for Bordeaux of similar quality. Be sure to jump on these and try something from the underrated region of Hawke's Bay!
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Daniel Bouland Beaujolais Tasting
Saturday 15th
3pm-6pm
Join us this Saturday as we welcome back our Saturday in store tastings with an excellent lineup of the 2023 vintage from Beaujolais’ Daniel Bouland. Daniel has been making some exceptional wines at a great price that can compete with the very best of the region that sell for twice as much. The 2023 vintage is plush and generous while still maintaining freshness and minerality in the wines. We will also open a bottle of the Place of Changing Winds Tradition Red from Macedon Ranges as a little bonus as well. These are the wines we’ll be pouring on the day:
Daniel Bouland Morgon Bellevue Sables 2023
Daniel Bouland Morgon Bellevue Cailloux 2023
Daniel Morgon Chiroubles Chatenay 2023
Daniel Bouland Cote de Brouilly Cuvee Melanie 2023
Place of Changing Winds Tradition Red 2022
These are some sensational wines that all Beaujolais lovers go nuts for. Bouland’s wines are fantastically priced and still refreshing to drink in summer. Don’t miss out this exciting first tasting of the year!
Wishing you a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.