Translation missing: en.LAST CALL FOR WINE FAIR 16th of November 1-5PM! + Bindi + Terroir al Limit + Massolino: LAST CALL FOR WINE FAIR 16th of November 1-5PM! + Bindi + Terroir al Limit + Massolino
It's that time of year again!
WINE FAIR TIME!
The festival of all things vinous is back and like always it's not to be missed!
We've handpicked a whole bunch of our favourite producers and selected a range of wines that show off the very best of this seasons drinking. We've got some of our favourite winemakers and importers here to show off a huge selection of wines. There will be something here for everyone.
We will be feauturing wines from:
Eleven Sons
Bubb + Pooley
Pooley
Ravensworth
Scintilla
Laherte Freres
Champagne Jacquart
Poppelvej
Frederick Stevenson
Nadeson Collis
and we've just confirmed we will have Will Gilbert from Gilbert Family Wines joining us plus we will be showing the new releases from Somos, Lucy M and a selection of imports from Melbourne based importer Foreign Fruits!
Rain, hail or shine, it won't stop us from putting on a good time.Tickets are just $40 and include a Riedel tasting glass, yours to take home.
Bindi
Bindi is a producer that I'm sure doesn't need an introduction to most of you. Although, as this estate is small and elusive, it's possible you haven't heard too much about them. The Bindi farm is located in the Macedon Ranges, roughly 50km NW of Melbourne. It is here that they have built a name for themselves as one of, if not the greatest producer of Pinot and Chardonnay in the country in a very 'Burgundian' style. There is a reason why they have so many wines listed in both tiers of the Langton's classification.
The estate vineyard is roughly 500m above sea level with soils that are predominantly shattered quartz over siltstone, sandstone and clay with some eroded volcanic topsoil over clay. Yields are kept small to ensure high quality, with 1.5-2 tonnes per acre producing approximately 1,800-3,000 bottles depending on the vintage. Everything is worked with the fastidious care of hand in the vineyard with hand-pruning, multiple passes (at least 10 per vine), vertical shoot positioned canopies and hand-harvesting. Since 2005 they have been implementing organic procedures in the vineyard with the aim of promoting soil life and balance which involves compost, undervine cultivation and aerating the soil.
All fermentations occur without any additions of yeast, nutrients or enzymes. Unsettled Chardonnay juice goes straight to barrel, reds are gently worked, delicate pressing, long lees ageing in French barrels and minimal racking. There is absolutely no fining or filtration at all.
We’ve just received our second lot of Bindi allocation for the year, as well as some more wines of the fantastically-priced Dhillon label. The ‘24 ‘Dhillon Glenhope Riesling’ comes from granite soils in the northern end of Macedon Ranges and is fermented with wild yeasts in old French oak and spends 6 months on its lees. The ‘24 ‘Dhillon Col Mountain Rose’ is made from Heathcote Grenache and also undergoes wild fermentation in old French oak and spends 5 months on its lees. The ‘24 ‘Dhillon Glenhope Accidental Red’ is made from Merlot fermented with pressed-out Shiraz juice and the addition of 5% Malbec as well to produce an easy-drinking wine from premium Macedon fruit. The last of the wines from the Dhillon line is the ‘18 ‘Dhillon Col Mountain Shiraz’ produced from experimenting with 4 different clones and giving them time to settle from deep red soils with shattered rock - an incredibly rich and complex Shiraz. From the Bindi line itself, we have some of the ‘23 ‘Quartz Chardonnay’ which spends 10 months on its lees in French barrels, of which 25% were new. This is one of Australia’s best Chardonnays and shows beautiful purity and subtlety that will only develop with age but still brings great pleasure when drunk young. We also have some of the ‘23 ‘Kaye Pinot Noir’ but have already sold through the ‘23 ‘Original Vineyard Pinot Noir’. The ‘Kaye’ comes from their most elevated vineyard with lots of quartz, mudstone and and eroded volcanic soils. These wines always sell quickly as you can see by the 'Original Vineyard' being snapped up so quickly so don’t hesitate to try some of the best wines in the country.Terroir al Limit
PRE-ARRIVAL OFFER
Terroir al Limit are one of the greatest and most sought-after producers from Catalonia’s Priorat region. The winemaker Dominik developed a passion for food and wine at an early age and made friends with Eben Sadie of South Africa’s iconic Sadie Family. They established Terroir al Limit in 2001, initially buying fruit from the Perez family before eventually buying their own little wine cellar a couple years later.
Terroir al Limit is inspired by the Burgundian approach to terroir. Their aim is to identify unique places in Priorat and do everything possible to allow them to reveal and express themselves authentically in the bottle. Terroir al Limit see themselves in their Mediterranean context, conditioned, of course by the Mediterranean climate as well as by the gastronomy - dishes that are pure and authentic in flavour that must be accompanied by wines that are light and transparent. As such, they believe that nothing should mask the character of the soils including oak, over-extraction or over-ripeness. Farming is strictly organic and manual. The unique soils of Priorat combined with the dry, high-altitude climate allows the grapes to enjoy a long, slow ripening process, maintaining the important fresh natural acidity and developing important flavour compounds.
We recently had the privilege of meeting Dominik and tasting through the full range of wines which were extremely impressive, detailed and elegant. The 2 whites we tasted were the ‘22 ‘Terra de Cuques’ and ‘21 ‘Pedra de Guix’ - the former a 60/40 blend of Grenache Blanc and Pedro Ximenez from 25 year old vines on slate clay in La Morera del Montsant, the latter a blend of Grenache Blanc from schist in Poboleda, Macabeo from alluvial soils in Torroja and Pedro Ximenez from chalky/gypsum soils in El Lloar. These are from vines ranging 50-80 years old and produced a ridiculously unique wine with pleasant stone fruits, honey, chamomile, flinty reduction and salinity. The “entry-level” red we tried was the ‘21 ‘Terra de Cuques Negre’ which is a fantastic introduction to their style and made from a roughly 50/50 blend of Grenache and Carignan from old vines in a few different villages. There are 2 “Premier Cru” bottlings: the ‘21 ‘Arbossar’ and ‘21 ‘Dits del Terra’. ‘Arbossar’ is from a steep north-facing site of 100+ year old Carignan vines on schist and granite made with 100% whole bunch vinification with wild yeasts and matured for 16 months in concrete. The ‘Dits del Terra’ is the south-facing sibling of ‘Arbossar’ comprised of 3 schist-rich sites of 80+ year old Carignan vines, also aged in concrete. The 2 “Grand Cru” wines are the ‘21 ‘Les Manyes’ and ‘21 ‘Les Tosses’. The former comes from the highest site in Priorat at 800m above sea level, north-facing with 55 year old Grenache vines on clay with elements of quartz and limestone. This is actually a special mutation of Grenache that produces higher acidity with less alcohol. This is fermented with 100% whole bunches, indigenous yeasts and no wood. ‘Les Tosses’ sits on a stony ridge of deep, black slate soils at 650m above sea level with 80 year old Carignan vines and a touch of Grenache. This is also fermented with 100% whole bunches and indigenous yeasts and spends 8 months in concrete vessels.
These are some of the most poised and detailed wines in all of Spain. Please reply directly to this email (see prices below) outlining what you are interested into to secure your allocation before anyone else does!
Terroir al Limit Priorat Terra de Cuques Blanc 2022 $122/$103.70 (in any six)
Terroir al Limit Priorat Pedra de Guix 2021 $232/$197.20 (in any six)
Terroir al Limit Priorat Terra de Cuques Negre 2021 $122/$103.70 (in any six)
Terroir al Limit Priorat Arbossar 2021 $232/$197.20 (in any six)
Terroir al Limit Priorat Dits del Terra 2021 $232/$197.20 (in any six)
Terroir al Limit Priorat Les Manyes 2021 $751/$638.35 (in any six)
Terroir al Limit Priorat Les Tosses 2021 $751/$638.35 (in any six)Massolino
Massolino are one of the great historic estates of Barolo, tracing their history in the region back to 1896 when Giovanni founded the estate as a traditional farm of the area - producing fruits and vegetables, raising livestock and making wine. Based in the commune of Serralunga d'Alba, Massolino own what is considered to be the highest and most pure expression of the commune: Vigna Rionda. They also own many other choice parcels and produce traditional, austere, age-worthy expressions of Nebbiolo.
"We believe that only one strategy pays off: not adding but elevating."
Massolino's primary goal is to safeguard the highest and purest expressions of the grape to produce complex and harmonious wines. Nebbiolo is extraordinarily sensitive to human intervention and the area of origin. Often, even within the same vineyard, between one vine and another, slight differences in the soil can result in significant differences in the aroma, flavour and colour of the wine. Massolino aims to interpret these differences and give them life. The standard "Barolo" and "Barbaresco" bottlings are choral expressions of Nebbiolo performing in different soils, achieved by vinifying grapes from different vineyards. However, they believe that the highest expression of their terroir are in the single-vineyard offerings which they consider "solo voices": Vigna Rionda, Margheria, Parafada, Parussi and, last but not least, Albesani. Fortunately we have most of these wines and across a few vintages too to paint a larger picture of Massolino's work and vision.
Firstly, we have the '21 'Moscato d'Asti' a fruity sweet white with some herbal characteristics too. We have a dozen of the '20 'Barolo' - that choral expression I mentioned earlier aged in large old Slavonian oak for 30 months. This wine is always great value for money within the context of Barolo and gives a good picture of what Massolino are capable of producing. We have the 'Barbaresco Albesani' in both the '19 and '20 vintages produced with a long maceration, aged in large old Slavonian oak for 18 months and then in bottle for another 12 from vines with an average age of 50. We also have the 'Barolo Margheria' and 'Barolo Parafada' from the legendary 2019 vintage - the former coming from 40 year old vines on calcareous soil with a small component of sand, the latter from 60 year old vines at a higher altitude. Both wines spend 30 months in large old Slavonian oak before spending another year in bottle before release. Finally, the flagship 'Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva' we have in both the 2017 and the legendary 2016 vintage, too. These are 50 year old vines on calcareous marly soils and spends 42 months in large old Slavonian barrels before resting for another 2 years in bottle. These are some absolutely extraordinary expressions of Nebbiolo that have the capacity to age for decades. There is a reason this is one of the most iconic Barolo estates and the prices are actually fairly reasonable compared to many other producers of comparable or even lesser quality. Pick some of these up and you will not be disappointed!