Translation missing: en.Sailor Seeks Horse + Forjas del Salnés Pre-Arrival Offer + Radikon + Wines by KT Tasting Saturday 22nd 3pm-6pm: Sailor Seeks Horse + Forjas del Salnés Pre-Arrival Offer + Radikon + Wines by KT Tasting Saturday 22nd 3pm-6pm
Sailor Seeks Horse
Sailor Seeks Horse is the ambitious project of Paul and Gilli who met in London and decided to start start their own winery and vineyard after being explicitly advised against it by one of U.K.'s most respected wine writers. They chose a career in wine after ruling out Spanish dancing and cricket as they wanted to work for themselves and do something that was both physically and intellectually challenging but most importantly, fulfilling. After a few years of experience in France, NZ and U.S.A. as well as degrees in winemaking and viticulture, they settled on a dilapidated vineyard in Tasmania's Huon Valley and after much hard work, have been able to produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that has arrested the attention of the Australian wine industry.
"Located in the Huon Valley, Australia’s southernmost municipality and coolest wine region, our vineyard sits right on the edge of viticultural possibility. Our belief is that great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are made on that edge, where the risks are high but the rewards even higher."
We recently had the privilege of attending a masterclass hosted by Paul and Gilli which shed some great insight into the work they do in the vineyard, their approach to winemaking and most importantly, drinking over 20 wines across multiple vintages which provided extremely valuable context to these wines. After initially liking Tasmanian Chardonnay and Pinot, to then finding them overrated and simple - these wines have reignited interest in what is possible in the region. One thing that stood out the most tasting vintages as far back as 2015 for the Chardonnay and 2012 for the Pinot was how much more harmonious the recent vintages are. Paul and Gilli prefer not to put the Chardonnay through malolactic fermentation as a region such as theirs produces wines with such high acid and malic acid that to put them through the fermentation would convert it all and the wines would end up flabby and would not allow the pristine fruit and minerality to shine through. The oldest Chardonnay that we tasted was a 2015 which was actually the most acidic out of all of them, even more than the 2023. To see how they've learned to manage that balance with many more vintages under their belt is definitely a treat to see. As with the Pinot Noir too, some of the older vintages still showed quite a bit of fruit (albeit, semi-dried), whereas the more recent vintages has a perfect balance of fruit, oak spice and some tertiary development with well-managed tannins.
As for the details of the site itself, the vineyard has an ideal NE slope to catch the morning sun rays with well drained sandy-loam soil over clay. The 700mm of average yearly rainfall is the perfect amount for the roots to be self-sufficient and to encourage them to dig deep into the clay without the need for irrigation. Not irrigating plus the organic viticulture allows the site to truthfully express itself, even if it means accepting lower yields in some vintages. Grapes are usually picked in the latter half of April which is late even by Tassie standards but the long mild Autumn days and cool nights allow the grapes to achieve flavour ripeness at lower alcohol levels with ideal natural acidity.
Off the back of tasting these exceptional wines, we picked up their Chardonnay and 3 different Pinots to share with you. The '23 'Chardonnay' is the real hidden gem of this line up as they chose not to bottle the top 'Huldofolk' this year, instead blending those grapes into the estate Chardonnay to beef it up with some more complexity. This is an absolute steal at this price and we only have half a dozen of these so don't hesitate. The '23 'Pinot Noir' is excellent and more closely resembles a Tassie Pinot than the other 2, although this is definitely more complex than most others you would find at this price point. The '23 'Dijon Pinot Noir' is a step up and approaching a more Burgundian style with ample fruit but also well-integrated oak spiciness and classic foresty Pinot notes. Finally, '23 'Huldofolk Pinot Noir' is understandably their top offering - Burgundian in style, fruit is more of a background anchor here while forest floor, herbs and oak spices dance in the foreground. Great tannic structure and acid will ensure this ages like a Burgundy although this is already drinking incredibly now. If you didn't pickup any Sailor Seeks Horse wines last year, this is your chance to see what the hype is - those that did I'm sure will be back for more!
-----------------
Forjas del Salnés
Forjas del Salnés is the project of Rodrigo 'Rodri' Mendez - the son of Francisco Mendez who was the founder of the Rias Baixas Denominación de Origen and owner of the iconic Albariño bodega of the 1980’s and 1990’s; Do Ferreiro. Francisco was responsible for developing the textbook model of Albariño - produced in stainless steel with very short elevage and made in a fresh and fruity style. Reliable but rarely captivating wines. Rodri, on the other hand, inherited a plot of forgotten about native red varieties at a time when oaky Tempranillo was all the rage and only came to produce Albariño when his mother's side of the family offered to sell him a plot named 'Leirana'. He would later be joined by Raul Perez - one of the leading Spanish winemakers in the 2000s alongside Telmo Rodrigues and Alvaro Palacios who saw potential in single-site expressions of Albariño in the area. They helped each other out with their operations and the Spanish wine scene took note of the new incredible wines being produced here, from both white and red varieties.
We had the pleasure of tasting through a full lineup of these wines last week. At the time, we didn't know too much about them apart from that Forjas del Salnés was considered one of the leading producers in the region and made some single-site wines which seemed interesting as Albariño is usually produced in a particular commercial style rather than as a terroir-driven expression. These wines completely blew our minds and threw out everything we knew (or thought we knew) about Albariño. Their entry 'Leirana' more closely resembles what comes to mind when you think of Albariño, albeit, a very well-crafted version of that. However, the rest of the lineup (Rodri uses an unofficial Burgundian hierarchical classification) were, deliciously oxidative, concentrated, elegant with an incredible capacity to age. These wines looked more like the lovechild of Jura and Loire than a typical Albariño. All of these wines spoke to the specificity of their place and some even came from vines that are over 200 years old!
I'll start the lineup of wines here with their "orange" wine - the '22 '‘Cos Pés’ Albariño' ($71/$60.35) which comes from a site that always had potential but Rodri was unable to get enough fruit weight or balance in the glass. After some experimentation, Rodri realised that untouched maceration encouraged tannin polymerisation and increased complexity and so this wine was born. A delicious wine that would be even better with some nice seafood, this drinks somewhat similarly to the skin-contact wines of Friuli. Now into the mainline of Rodri's masterpieces - the so-called "Premier Cru" bottlings. The '22 ‘A Telleira’ ($107/$90.95) comes from old vines which have dug through the layer of sand into the soft white clay littered with old shell fragments beneath and aged in 1,500L foudres. The '22 ‘Finca Genoveva’ ($116/$98.60) is the original Cru of Forjas on decomposed granitic soils and 200 year old Albariño vines. These wines were delectfully salty and oxidative, mineral, fine and had ample fruit for balance. These wines are astonishing for the price and would blow most other whites in the same price bracket out of the park. The "Grand Cru" bottlings include the 2019 ‘Madame Luisa Larazo’ ($160/$136) which is only produced in certain years (only previously produced in 2005 and 2013) and matured in oak foudre and stainless steel, 50% each, for one year, then one year in stainless and one year in concrete (in fact concrete foudres!) This wine was powerful yet refined, still insanely fresh for a 6 year old wine and could easily age another decade or so. The 2021 ‘O Pradino’ ($178/$151.30) comes from a site of decomposed gneiss solids with a very fine sandy texture. and is fermented and matured in a 600L barrel. Oak and Albariño is not something you would generally associate with each other, but here it works. Only 750 bottles of this wine are produced. Finally, the 2 reds which are also definitely worth try as well: the '21 'Goliardo Tintos del Mar' ($50/$42.50) is a fresh, saline and savoury blend of native varietals, mainly Caino and the 2020 ‘Goliardo Caino' ($98/$83.30) comes from the 2 original Caino plots that helped start this Bodega from a coastal zone on soft, white granitic sand. Only 2000 bottles of this were produced.
We haven't been excited and surprised by wines like this in a long time. The 2 prices quoted above represent the single bottle price and the case price for 6+ bottles of 15% off. Although these might be pricey as far as Albariño goes, it is better to not think of it as "paying $X for Albariño" - rather, paying for an extraordinary and unique wine that punches well above its weight. If people are willing to pay much more for Jura and Loire Valley whites, then why not for sensational Rias Baixas?
Everybody that is interested in these wines, please reply directly to this email with which bottles and the quantities and we will get back to you to lock those in. Don't miss out!
2022 '‘Cos Pés’ Albariño' ($71/$60.35)
2022 ‘A Telleira’ ($107/$90.95)
2022 ‘Finca Genoveva’ ($116/$98.60)
2019 ‘Madame Luisa Larazo’ ($160/$136)
2021 ‘O Pradino’ ($178/$151.30)
2021 'Goliardo Tintos del Mar' ($50/$42.50)
2020 ‘Goliardo Caino' ($98/$83.30)
-----------------
Radikon
Radikon, tucked away in the far northeast corner of Italy, right by the border with Slovenia, have set the standard that the world is chasing for orange/skin contact wines. Stanko Radikon revitalised his wines and started a worldwide movement by wanting to replicate the feeling he got from eating one of the grapes from his vines. To achieve this, he looked back to the winemaking techniques of the period of his grandfather before him. Keeping the skins in contact with the grape juice of white wines was this key that unlocked the potential of his sites and has seen producers all around the world use similar techniques in attempts to replicate the success of Radikon.
Stanko's son - Sasa holds the reigns at the legendary estate now since his passing, although he continues to upkeep and develop the tradition laid before him by his father. In short, this entails organically grown grapes on the estate, long maceration periods with the skins for up to as long as a few months, long elevage in old oak as well as little to no sulphur use. The close-planted vineyard includes Ribolla Gialla (a grape that Radikon famously reinvigorated), Merlot, Tocai Friulano and Pinot Grigio. Yields are also extremely low so that the grapes show more concentration and site-specific personality. Radikon also advocates different bottle sizes, notably the standard Radikon bottle size is 500ml due to the belief that this is the perfect size for two people to share over dinner - a 500ml bottle each of white and red. It's also worth mentioning the longer neck shape too, which affects how the oxygen interacts with the wine and creating a different ageing curve for the better.
These are wines that excite, entrance and challenge preconceived notions of wine. They are textural and structured, can age for decades and display a unique blend of white and red wine characteristics. In short, these wines are bursting with personality and are always memorable - everything that we want from wine. From the recently releases 2019 vintage - we picked up the 'Jakot', 'Oslavje' and 'Ribolla Gialla'. All of these spend 2-3 months on their skins, 3 years in barrel and another 1-2 years in bottle. 'Jakot', or 'Tokaj' backwards is made from Tocai Friulano, 'Oslavje' from a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and the 'Ribolla Gialla' from the selfsame grape that Radikon helped to put in the spotlight. These are a core of the Radikon range and perhaps the most reflective of their work. We also have the '22 'Sivi Pinot Grigio' and '22 'Slatnik', the latter a blend of Tocai Friulano and Chardonnay. Both of these spend about 2 weeks on their skins, 1 year in barrel and at least 4 months in bottle before release and are in traditional 750ml bottles instead. We have some irregular size bottles as well as the most premium release in the collection too - the 'Ribolla Gialla Riserva 3781', the 2007 vintage in a 1L bottle and the 2008 vintage in 500ml and 1L bottles. We have the 2020 'RS Rosso' in 1500ml which is a unique and powerful blend of Merlot and Pignoli. Finally, we have the '09 'Modri Pinot Noir' in a 1L bottle as well. These are some of the most unique and wild wines in the world - there is a reason why so many producers around the world are trying to copy them. Don't miss out on these cult wines!
-----------------
Wines by KT Tasting
Saturday 22nd
3pm-6pm
Join us this Saturday for a tasting of the excellent Wines by KT. Based in the Watervale district of the Clare Valley, Kerri Thompson is focused on creating wines that express spirit of place. Kerri's first love with wine was Riesling, which is what she specialises in working with carefully-grown, sustainably farmed grapes that express the soul of the region. Kerri is also able to produce some fun and exciting wines from other varieties as well such as Cabernet and Shiraz. These are the wines we'll be showing:
2021 KT Riesling Pazza
2024 KT Riesling 5452
2022 KT Riesling Melva
2023 KT Riesling Peglidis
2024 KT Rosa
2021 KT Pazzo
Don't miss out on one of Clare Valley's most exciting winemakers!
Wishing you a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.