Translation missing: en.Occhipinti + Vocoret + Domaine des Ardoisieres + Michael Gahier + Bondar tasting this Saturday 3-6PM!: Occhipinti + Vocoret + Domaine des Ardoisieres + Michael Gahier + Bondar tasting this Saturday 3-6PM!
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Occhipinti
Arianna Occhipinti is not just one of the greatest natural wine producers in Sicily, but in the world and has deservedly built a cult following for her wines.
Arianna says that the first thing that she learned from making wine was respect. Respect for the land and its equilibrium, respect for the vines and the wise gestures, respect for fermentation thanks to indigenous yeasts, respect for the wine as if it were a person that takes you behind a world, a history, a soul that knows the land from which it’s born.
This deep respect runs through everything she does from the vineyard to the cellar, encapsulating the spirit of time and place as closely as possible and transporting it to us in these bottles.
“Sicily embodies a myriad of facets, yet within it holds a Sicily that we hold dear; a tapestry woven from its streets, colours, and scents diffused in the air.” This Sicilian terroir finds it best expression in Arianna’s Contrada single-vineyard bottlings where the indigenous Nero D’Avola and Frappato reach their peak potential. The new 2021 vintage is hitting our shelves (and we still have some 2020s) and we want to share these glorious wines with you. For those that aren’t into so-called “natural wines”, I cannot recall how many times I’ve heard people say “I don’t like natural wines, but I love Occhipinti/COS” so if you’ve been on the fence about purchasing wines like this, now would be the best chance to try something new and exciting. - Aaron C.
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Vocoret
Established in 1870, Domaine Vocoret is one of the oldest Domaines of Chablis and is now being run by its fourth generation of family.
Fast-forward to 2013 - Edouard Vocoret and his wife Eleni wanted to start their own adventure and purchased 5 hectares from his father and grandfather. These were plots of land that Edouard had scouted while working for his father and wanted to snag for himself. Eleni has also been working with the legendary Vincent Dauvissat, who then mentored them in the early years of the Domaine.
In the same vein as Chablisienne legends Dauvissat and Raveneau, these wines are aged in larger format old oak to slightly soften the wines while retaining stoniness, saltiness and acidity. We’ve got 2 of their high-quality AC Chablis wines, from Le Boucheron and Le Bas de Chapelot Lieu-Dits as well as one of their Premier Cru wines: Les Butteaux. Eleni and Edouard have recently added some more Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines to their holdings which will come in later down track, but for now, don’t miss these brilliant bottles.
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Domaine des Ardoisieres
Nestled within the snow-covered Alps of the Savoie region, this estate is a hidden gem of unique biodynamic wines, primarily from indigenous varieties. From a region steeped with history; with records of planted vines going back to the Romans, this producer aims to rediscover and reinvigorate the terroir through Biodynamic with a deep respect for the land and its place within the world and greater universe.
The result? - “dazzling wines that display exceptional purity and minerality” according to Vin de France. The two extraordinary sites that have been reinvigorated by the Domaine are Le coteau de Cevin and Les couteaux de Saint Pierre de Soucy. Both sites are planted on steep slopes: Cevin is terraced with vines planted on stakes, whereas the vines of St. Pierre de Soucy are trellised - both site-specific decisions that aim to encapsulate the essence of the terroir.
“The objective in the cellar is for us to best express the purity and aromatic complexity acquired by the grapes at harvest. Wine is a reflection of the quality of the grapes.” All decisions relating to fermentation and elevage are made with the aim of highlighting the quality and terroir-specific characteristics of the grapes rather than masking them with heavy-handed winemaking.
We’ve secured an allocation of the exciting new 2022 vintage with a range of wines from their portfolio - blanc and rouge, from their more entry-level offerings to the top-of-the-line bottlings. We also have some remaining stock of the ‘17 and ‘18 vintages for those of you that will want to gauge how these wines will age. You can drink Chardonnay and Shiraz any other time, you don’t want to miss out on these unique and exciting wines while we’ve got them. - Aaron C.
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Michel Gahier
Michel Gahier - the legend from Arbois has produced some fantastic wines from the ‘22 vintage that have just hit our shelves. Michel makes wines from classic Jura grapes: Trousseau for the rouges, Chardonnay and Savagnin for the blancs, using the traditional winemaking methods of the region.
Gahier is based in Montigny which is considered to have the finest terroir in Jura for growing the red grape Trousseau. Trousseau is a grape that is pale and light-bodied, has depth with a firm tannic grip, yet remains weightless and ethereal with a chewy, pithy texture. Gahier’s reds are all aged in large foudre and are lively on the nose with deep flavours of cherry, raspberry, earth and forest floor. These are exceptional wines that have both the approachability for early drinking and the structure and intensity needed for cellaring.
Michel’s blancs are made in the typical Jura oxidative style from limestone and clay soils resulting in a wine with incredible complexity and depth. These wines are rich and seductive while retaining the hallmark minerality of quality Chardonnay and Savagnin.
The 2022 vintage has just arrived and we can’t wait to share these with you. We also have some back vintages still remaining too for those that may want to pickup some examples with more bottle age. Cheers to Gahier! - Aaron C.