Translation missing: en.Ochota Barrels + Paul Pillot + Granjoux + Piemonte Wine Tasting Saturday 27th 3pm-6pm + Famile Paquet Special: Ochota Barrels + Paul Pillot + Granjoux + Piemonte Wine Tasting Saturday 27th 3pm-6pm + Famile Paquet Special
Ochota Barrels
Ochota Barrels is the resulting enterprise following Taras and Amber Ochota's surf trip along the west coast of Mexico in the late '00s, at which point they decided to make holistic wines back at home in South Australia. Taras played bass in a number of punk bands in his youth before graduating with a degree in oenology from Adelaide University, working at wineries around the world and finally settling with a nice steep slope in the Basket Range of Adelaide Hills.
Taras was understandably heavily influenced by the important people and characters that he met during his time working at wineries around the world, most of all from the small biodynamic producers he encountered in the south of France. Their approach of organic vineyards planted on soil with vitality, minimal intervention and picking decisions based on retaining natural acidity to produce wines with energy and tension are what resonated the most deeply with him. Ochota Barrels use low-yielding old vines with small berries, whole bunches when the stems are right, careful pigéage, as well as some skin contact and batonage to develop texture and complexity. They have also been experimenting with much lower sulphur levels based on the specific cuvee to produce pure wines that speak of their terroir.
We've just picked up the outstanding 2025 release of these wines to share with you. The '25 'Weird Berries in the Woods Gewurztraminer' is floral and fresh as a result of being picked 10 days earlier than the previous vintage. Try this with some spicy Asian food. The '25 'Surfer Rosa Garnacha' is made from Grenache from the Onkaparinga subregion of McLaren Vale and includes a welcome addition of 12% Gewurtz in the mix too. This has the perfect balance betwee fruity and savoury that you'd want from a rose. The '25 'Texture Like Sun Field Red' is a fun fruit salad blend of Pinot Noir, Grenache, Gewurztraminer, Gamay and Pinot Meunier and is the perfect light, chillable red. The '25 'Mark of Cain Pinot Meunier' has to be one of the best examples of this grape in the country. Sappy red fruits and oh so savoury and spicy. Finally, the '25 'Where's The Pope? Syrah' is a refreshingly savoury, elegant ad low-alc Syrah in a world of jammy SA monstrosities. This 2025 release shows some of the best wines Ochota Barrels has made and they never stay in stock long so don't pass these up!
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Paul Pillot
Domaine Paul Pillot are one of Beaune's finest estates, with a history dating back to the start of the 20th century when barrel-maker Jean-Baptiste Pillot decided to focus on his vines. After a few generations, Thierry Pillot has succeeded his father - Paul, after working there since 1999 and taking over in 2004 as the fourth generation of the Pillot dynasty. The estate owns a total of 13 hectares with holdings in prestigious vineyards across Chassagne-Montrachet and Saint-Aubin.
Thierry, like all the best vignerons in Burgundy, understands that the wine is made in the vineyard and invests the majority of his time in money into elevating the vineyard rather than the cellar. Thierry likes to pick early, and with his use of tressage and high canopies means that he retains freshness in the wines. He also uses little to no new oak at all so that the wines maintain their racy, terroir-driven edge. Most of the wines are aged in 300L-500L barrels. Conversely to what most Burgundian vignerons would do, Thierry uses the new oak for the Bourgogne, preferring 1 year old oak for his higher level wines. The resulting wines are detailed, fresh and incredibly complex.
These wines are hot property and we've already sold most of the whites but have some of the more approachable whites left and some of his underrated reds. The '23 'Bourgogne Aligote' comes from some vines in Chassagne-Montrachet and spends time on lees in both stainless steel and old oak. This wine is always great and the '23s are one of the better bottlings of this Aligote. The '23 'Bourgogne Blanc' is sourced from a small plot just outside of the Chassagne boundary with some fruit from Chassagne proper in the mix too. A great introduction to the Domaine's whites. The '23 'Bourgogne Rouge' comes from vines averaging 35 years and spends 12 months in a mix of steel vats and large, used barrels with roughly 50% whole-bunches in this wine for structure and perfume. The '23 'Santenay Vielle Vignes Rouge' comes from vines averaging 50 years old with about 20% whole bunches used and aged in larger format oak. Lots of brooding dark fruit and spice here. Finally, we have 3 consecutive vintages of the iconic 'Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Saint Jean 1er Rouge' from 2021, 2022 and 2023. This is one of the greatest Chassagne reds made with mainly whole bunches and worked only with feet for the first 10 days. This is an incredible opportunity to see a vertical lineup of a classic wine. These will not last long, try some of the Pillot wines and see what the fuss is all about for yourself!
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Granjoux
With the help of legendary viticulturist Mark Walpole, Granjoux was the passion project of Peter Bartholomew and Donna Pelka looking to reinvigorate this old site on the Beechworth Gorge. The vineyard was initially planted in the 1860s by Ambrose Granjoux who sold a range of wines from the site according to historical records but is now primarily dedicated to Northern Rhone varietals as well as the region's famous Chardonnay.
Mark Walpole saw similarities in this site and many of the famous sites of the Northern Rhone with its steep slope and soils of decomposing granite, clay and slate. This informed the vineyard planting decisions with a high planting density, staked vines and varieties such as Syrah and Viognier (and of course Chardonnay) being planted. The vineyard is run organically and involves permanent mid-row swards with native grasses and clover, under vine organic mulching for the Chardonnay and an experimental under vine project for the Shiraz to deal with weeds and moisture. They adhere to a no-till policy as Mark is of the belief that cultivation damages feeder roots affecting nutrient uptake, destroys certain symbiotic fungi and would cause erosion anyway on a steep site like this. The vineyard work is labour-intensive, involving removing the weeds by hand and picking bunches on hands and knees to work around the stakes. Mark makes the wines alongside fellow Beechworth legend Adrian Rodda and the result are some stunning small-batch expressions of an incredible site.
We have a dozen of each of these 3 wines for you. The '23 'Chardonnay' naturally ferments in one new 300L hogshead and a seasoned 500L puncheon with malo blocked. After 12 months, the component in new oak is stirred with its lees and then transferred to a third-use hogshead where the entire wine spends an additional 4 months on lees. This is a beautiful expression of Beechworth Chardonnay from a unique site. The '22 'Shiraz' is made from 2 parcels that receive different treatment - some is blended with Viognier, aged in oak, whole bunches and aged in amphora to come together to produce a complex wine. The '22 'Amphora Shiraz' is of course aged in amphora and is their most premium wine, producing a sensually savoury style of Syrah. These are some very high-quality and limited wines that should be on the radar of anyone that wants to drink the best Australian wines. Check out the hype for yourself!
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Piemonte Tasting
Saturday 27th
3pm-6pm
We have another exciting tasting lined up for this Saturday! This week, we'll be highlighting a couple of underrated producers from Piemonte that we think deserve more attention.
These are the wines that we'll be pouring on the day:
Rovellotti Colline Novaresi Morenico Rosso 2022
Rovellotti Colline Novaresi Valplazza Nebbiolo 2022
Rovellotti Ghemme Chioso dei Pomi Rosso 2019
Cascina Val del Prete Luet Arneis 2024
Cascina Val Del Prete Serra di Gatti Barbera d'Alba 2024
The wines of Rovellotti based in Ghemme, Alto Piemonte are stunningly complex, fresh and unique expressions of Nebbiolo. This producer works organically and uses no sulphur at all and you wouldn't be able to tell.
Cascina Val del Prete work with indigenous grapes farmed biodynamically and are fairly hands-off in the cellar. These wines a fresh and lively and renditions of their respective grape varieties.
Don't miss out on these exciting wines - see you there!
Wishing you a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.
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WEEKLY SPECIAL!
Famille Paquet
This week we have an excellent special on some great Chardonnay from Burgundy - Famille Paquet!
Famille Paquet Macon Villages Nos Cinq Terroir 2023 - Regularly $54 per bottle / NOW $40.50 per bottle*
This is a saving of 25%!
OFFER: BUY 6 BOTTLES OF FAMILLE PAQUET MACON VILLAGES NOS CINQ TERROIR BLANC AND RECEIVE $81 OFF!
Famille Paquet is a 30 hectare property located in the village of Davayé, in the Mâconnais. Established in 1980 by Jocelyne and Michel Paquet, it is now run by their three sons Jean-Baptiste, Mathieu and Camille. The new generation is working to continue the family history, acquiring new plots and developing a less interventionist approach to winemaking and according to the principles of organic farming. This is a wine that represents good value even at the full price, let alone at this special price. Time to stock up on some great Chardonnay!
*price per bottle when ordering 6 bottles of Famille Paquet Macon Villages Nos Cinq Terroirs Blanc 2023 in-store or online. Offer available while stocks last or until the end of the week - finishing at 11:59pm on Sunday 28th September.
Get in quick!