Translation missing: en.Piemonte Releases + Rene Bouvier + Sato + MADA Wines Tasting Saturday 30th 3pm-6pm + Foradori Promo: Piemonte Releases + Rene Bouvier + Sato + MADA Wines Tasting Saturday 30th 3pm-6pm + Foradori Promo
Piemonte
After a series of outstanding vintages, it's easy to see why Piemonte is considered to be Italy's greatest wine-producing region and one of the best in the world. Its cool climate, long growing season, steep slopes and trademark fog all combine to produce hauntingly ethereal and gastronomic wines of distinct character and ageability.
We always have place for the wines of Piemonte in our store, even as trends change as the general hype of the region varies. These wines are like nothing else and with the recent run of great vintages, we've been picking up some great stuff to share with you.
Massolino is a producer that hardly needs much introduction. Their traditionalist approach to great plots in Serralunga d'Alba produce wines of immense finesse and detail. The 2021 release of their Barolo is fantastic; showcasing the lighter, pretty and ethereal character of the vintage. This is one of the best value entry Barolos out there.
Giovanni Canonica is a severely underrated producer in the region who produces wine in a traditionalist manner - no herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers, only sulfur and copper treatments, destemming maceration for 30-40 days using only indigenous yeasts, vertical hand press, then into cement and slavonian oak for aging. A small number of bottles are made, mostly sold at the cellar. The Langhe Nebbiolo below consists of grapes from his 2 prized sites: Paiagallo and Grinzane Cavour.
Olek Bondonio is an ex-professional snowboarder who is making some of the most exciting wines in Barbaresco at the moment. He has some of the best plots in the region which have been in his family for centuries and farms them organically and takes a traditionalist, hands-off approach in the cellar. These wines are pure and speak to their site of origin.
Finally, Cappellano is one of the most sought-after producers in all of Barolo, producing concentrated and ageworthy expressions of Nebbiolo that can compete with the likes of Conterno and Giacosa. The 2020 Barolo is a great example of their style from some great vines in Serralunga d'Alba. Cappellano never lasts long in the store so jump on this one quick!
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Rene Bouvier
Rene Bouvier established the family Domaine in 1910 in the village of Marsannay in the Côte de Nuits. Rene's son, Bernard has been at the helm of the Domaine since 1992 and has helped to slowly expand their holdings in prime plots mainly in the villages of Marsannay, Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny. A new winery was established in 2006 in Gevrey-Chambertin which makes it possible to experiment (longer ageing period, demi-muids, and concrete egg-shaped tanks), for even more quality and purity in the wines.
Even though careful soil management has always been a priority at the Domaine, 2009 saw the formal beginnings of 100% sustainable organic wine-making (with certification from the 2013 vintage onwards). The major levers for their philosophy are respect for both microbial life and auxiliary fauna, while obtaining quality vines through sélection massale (visual selection of the most robust vine plants). The picking date is of vital importance to the end style of the wine and its ability to translate terroir into the bottle - Bernard seeks to pick ripe grapes to produce silky and delicate tannins. Bernard doesn't force extraction, rather, he focuses on infusion to gently encourage balance and vibrancy, coaxing the texture of the terroir through long elevage in vats. The grape sorting is meticulous and often involves selecting some full bunches of around 50% depending on the cuvee and vintage that will be used in fermentation to bring freshness, structure, tension, complexity, and beautiful aromatic persistence. Fermentation is undertaken with native yeasts, everything is fed by gravity and maceration is long and gentle to achieve the aforementioned infusion. New oak is gradually being reduced, nowadays only making up 15-30% depending on the cuvee.
We've recently picked up a suite of these excellent wines after tasting some the other week. The '22 'Bourgogne Rouge' is an excellent introduction to the Bouvier style and is sourced from the main villages that they work in. Then we have their 2 iconic Marsannay bottlings: '22 'Les Longeroies' and '22 'Clos du Roy'. The former is a southeast-facing plot of 70 year old vines on predominantly clay soils while the latter comes from some 80 year old vines on soils with a thick layer of limestone scree on a marly substrate. Both see about 20% new oak for 12 months and roughly 50% whole bunch vinification. The '22 'Vosne-Romanee' comes from a southern slope in the appellation on soils that combine clay and stony colluvium and ages in 20% new oak for 18 months. The '22 'Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuees 1er' comes from a plot just to the left of the famous Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares and has all of the depth of that GC with a finer texture. These 45 year-old vines see 50% of their whole bunches in the fermentation and also ages in barrel for 18 months. Finally, the monolithic '22 'Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru' comes from 60 year old vines in the Mazoyères-Chambertin climat, just on the edge of Latricières-Chambertin. The soil consists of fine gravel on the surface mixed with clay on a substrate of firm limestone, providing power and persistence. This is aged in 30% new oak barrels for 18 months and sees about 50% whole bunches used. These are some seriously sensual and savoury Pinots from one of the most underrated producers in the Côte de Nuits - secure your share today!
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Sato
Sato started as a small project in 2009 by Yoshiaki Sato and his wife Kyoko Sato starting with a measly 190 cases in their inaugural vintage. The two met while working at a bank in Tokyo in 1998 and moved to New Zealand in 2006, enrolling in a course of Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University. They quickly found work for Blair Walter of Felton Road for 2 and a half years before moving on to make wine for Mount Edward for 4 years and eventually resigning to focus solely on Sato wines.
The couple purchased a vineyard for themselves in 2016 from which they were able to produce their first vintage in 2019, all while still working with those local producers and some big names around the world such as: Bernard Huber in Baden, Matassa in Roussillon, Jean-Yves Bizot in Vosne-Romanee and Jean-Pierre Frick in Alsace. Working with these producers, they have been advocates of biodynamics and of handling the grapes in a natural way so as not to let human hand, chemicals or additives get in the way of terroir-expression. By increasing the microbial diversity and balance of the vineyard with biodynamic farming, they are able to ensure that the grapes coming into the winery are a unique product of the site and therefore don't need to make any adjustments anyway in the cellar.
We've picked up 2 of Sato's great Central Otago Pinots. The '21'Northburn Pinot Noir' is sourced from a vineyard on a lakeside terrace facing west with sandy, stony loam over river gravel with mineral rich schist and quartz and spends 15 months in French oak barrels, 26% of which are new. The '21 'L'Insolite Pinot Noir' is sourced from the same vineyard and vinified with 100% whole bunches and aged 15 months in oak, none of which is new. These are some of the most exciting Pinots coming out of Central Otago, try some of these for yourself!
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MADA Wines Tasting
Saturday 30th
3pm-6pm
Join us this Saturday as we taste through one of the most underrated produces in NSW - MADA Wines!
Hamish Young - founder and chief winemaker, is the guiding force behind Mada. A devoted advocate for the Canberra, Hilltops, and Tumbarumba regions, Hamish is unwavering in his pursuit of elevating these landscapes within Australia’s fine wine narrative. His winemaking journey has taken him across the globe, shaping a personal style defined by depth, precision, and quiet confidence. Each Mada wine reflects years of hands-on experience, Hamish’s experimental spirit, and his enduring commitment to authenticity and excellence. Hamish holds one principle above all others, which is that good wine is born from good people and therefore works with like-minded growers across these regions that he loves and knows so well.
These are the wines that we'll be pouring for you on the day:
Mada Wines Mountain View Chardonnay 2024
Mada Wines Hilltops Syrah 2024
Mada Wines Poachers Vineyard Shiraz 2024
Mada Wines Bit of Heaven Sangiovese 2023
These are some fresh and exciting wines that don't break the bank - come down to the store this Saturday and support NSW wines!
Wishing you a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.
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WEEKLY SPECIAL!
FORADORI
We have another incredible special lined up this week!
We are offering a deal across 2 wines from one of the most iconic producers in Veneto - Foradori!
Foradori Fontanasanta Manzoni Bianco 2023 (Orange) - Regularly $63 per bottle / NOW $50.40 per bottle*
Foradori Lezer Teroldego 2023 - Regularly
$63 per bottle / NOW $50.40 per bottle*
This is a saving of 20%!
OFFER: BUY ANY MIXED 6 BOTTLES OF FORADORI MANZONI BIANCO OR LEZER TEROLDEGO
AND RECEIVE 20% OFF
You can mix the 6 pack between these 2 wines as you like and still receive the discounted prices which are calculated at checkout.
Foradori are one of the most iconic estates of the Dolomites region of northeast Italy, nestled amongst the mountains and valleys. Foradori have been farming biodynamically since 2002 (certified by Demeter in '09) and champion the local varieties of the region: Terodelgo, Pinot Grigio, Nosiola and Manzoni Bianco to make wines of authenticity and place. Today Foradori is run by the family's fourth generation of winemakers: Emilio manages wine production, while Theo oversees the winery’s business and commerce; Myrtha takes care of Foradori’s farming and gradual expansion and the mother Elisabetta Foradori is still a supporting act behind the scenes.
"Our daily farming gestures are elevated to creative impulses: it is our duty and privilege to wake up every morning and to be free to work according to the message that the earth conveys to us in that moment."
*price per bottle when ordering 6 straight or mixed bottles of Foradori Manzoni Bianco or Lezer Teroldego in-store or online. Offer available while stocks last or until the end of the week - finishing at 11:59pm on Sunday 31st August.
Get in quick!