Translation missing: en.Tenuta delle Terre Nere + Joshua Cooper + Mas de Libian Tasting Saturday 28th September 3pm-6pm: Tenuta delle Terre Nere + Joshua Cooper + Mas de Libian Tasting Saturday 28th September 3pm-6pm
Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Tenuta delle Terre Nere are one of the greatest and most important producers working in Etna, producing distinctive wines from indigenous grapes on a range of terroirs. Being located in an extreme climate (the name literally translates to property of the black lands), extreme attention to detail in the vineyard is what sets them apart from their competitors. Strenuous organic viticulture affords them the ability to be hands-off in the cellar and express the distinctive volcanic terroir that makes Etna so special.
The estate is located on the northern slopes of Etna, within the hilly belt that extends between Solicchiata and Randazzo - the area historically known to be the best for red wine production. The climate of Etna - Europe's largest active volcano, is significantly different to the general climate of Sicily. The high altitudes dedicated to viticulture on Etna's slopes start at 400m above sea level and span up to over 1000m above sea level creating a large diurnal range, preserving natural acidity in the grapes and extending the growing season to what is one of the latest harvests in Europe. There is a patchwork of volcanic soils that have been formed and reformed by millions of years of lava flows. All of these factors create a range of unique micro-terroirs that this Tenuta aim to capture in their wines, particularly the Contrada offerings which winemaker Marco de Grazia refers to as "Burgundy of the Mediterranean". Marco draws analogies between Etna and Burgundy, not necessarily in taste (although there are similarities), but due to the fact that they both have extreme climates with differences in site that manifest themselves in the wine so well. Consequently, Tenuta delle Terre Nere are on the board of directors of the Consorzio di Tutela Etna D.O.C. to formalise the sub-areas of Etna so that they can write the crus on the labels and that customer will come to understand the difference between 'San Lorenzo' and 'Calderara Sottana' the same way that they would 'Romanée-Conti' and 'Montrachet'.
We have just picked up our allocation of these fantastic wines, from the more approachable entry-level wines to the top contrade. We have the '23 'Etna Bianco' which is a field blend of indigenous grapes: Carricante, Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico and Minnella as well as the '22 'Etna Rosso' which is a great introduction to this producer's house style. Moving up the hierarchy we have the '22 'Calderara Sottana Bellacolonna' then the '22 'Moganazzi', '22 'Santo Spirito' and '22 'Guardiola' which are considered "Premier Cru" according to the estate's own classification. From the estate's "Grand Cru" offerings, we have the '22 'San Lorenzo' coming from the northern slope of Etna between 700m-850m above sea level from volcanic soils and volcanic ash mixed with black pumice. The '22 'Calderara Sottana' comes from 600m-650m above sea level from stony volcanic soils with pumice, basalt and a little ash. Finally the king of the lineup - '22 'Prephylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino Calderara Sottana' comes from ungrafted vines planted before phylloxera hit Etna in 1881, making these vines planted by Don Peppino over 140 years old. This is a wine that needs some time in bottle to show its true colours but is an absolutely remarkable, distinctive wine and a valuable piece of history. Many people love the wines of Etna already, but any of you Burgundy lovers that haven't made the jump into Etna yet should definitely check these out.Joshua Cooper
Joshua Cooper's wines are one of those rare cultish wines that people have either never heard of or are utterly obsessed with and do everything in their power to seek out. Josh started in 2012 with a single barrel and works as a negociant system, sourcing from sensitive and conscientious growers with great vineyard sites in the Macedon Ranges and across Central and Western Victoria. These wines are meant to be a reflection of their time and place rather than of human input, with a focus on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from significant and historic sites.
The foundation of Joshua Cooper's winemaking is working with the highest quality vineyard sites possible. Joshua believes that sensitively-grown mature vines in distinctive and varied terroir produces grapes of the highest quality and character. All decisions regarding picking, fermentation and maturation are made intuitively letting each wine evolves as needed with only small additions of sulphur at bottling.
We’ve just received the recent release of Josh’s wines and they’re looking fantastic. The ‘23 ‘Pyren Sauvignon Blanc’ is sourced from a vineyard in the Pyrenees in a fume blanc style i.e. some oak influence. Pete reckons this is the best Aussie Sauvignon Blanc he’s ever had. The ‘23 ‘Doug’s Vineyard Pinot Noir’ comes from a vineyard in Macedon Ranges at 500m above sea level with north and northeast exposure on red, rocky volcanic basalt soil. The ‘23 ‘Blanche Barkley Shiraz’ from Bendigo is bright, spicy and herbal - what Josh calls a “Burgundy style Shiraz”. We also have the ‘23 ‘Dash Farms’ and ‘Pyren’ Cabernet Sauvignons which are both iconic old school 70s claret Bordeaux style. We also still have some ‘22 ‘Shay’s Flat’ and ‘Balgownie’ Cabernet Sauvignon left over too. This is your chance to try one of Australia’s most sought-after winemakers making fresh, exciting wines from unique sites!Mas de Libian Tasting Saturday 28th 3pm-6pm
Mas de Libian are one of the most exciting biodynamic producers from Ardeche in the Rhône Valley. With history dating back to 1670 when the Thibot family purchased the manor, Jean-Pierre Thibot and his wife Jacqueline have been at the reins of the estate since the early 70s when he decided that wine would be the focus of the property, farming everything organically since. Their 3 daughters: Hélène, Catherine, and Cécile have all chose wine as their career paths and are involved in the estate.
The Domaine has gradually expanded, now owning 25 hectares of vineyards and 8 hectares of “nourishing” land planted with olive trees, grains, hay, a vegetable garden and flower garden as well as a few beehives. Since the inception of the estate's viticultural activity, everything has been farmed organically, plowing the soils, hoed by hand in the spring and used copper and sulphur treatments on the vines. This eventually led to biodynamic certification in 2005. When the daughter Catherine joined the Domaine in 2006, she bought a workhorse named Nestor from Franche-Comté, with whom she plows 5 hectares of vines. In 2016, a blonde horse named Bambi joined Nestor's company to help Catherine plow the vineyards in this traditional manner.
"Our salvation resides above all in the work of our hands and the love of our hearts."
Their vineyards are primarily south and southwest facing with the soils of their Côte du Rhône parcels composed of clay and limestone with some rocks. For their wines that are classified as Côte du Rhône Villages, however, the terroir is uniquely that of large round river rocks and red clay. The average vine age is 30 years old as well. These are wines that are distinctive and quite fresh for Rhône wines and ridiculously well-priced. These are the wines that we'll be pouring on Saturday:
'23 Buve Zen Rose
'22 Cave Vinum Blanc
'23 Vin de Petanque Rouge
'22 Bout d'Zan Rouge
'21 La Calade Rouge
This is an exciting lineup that will be perfect to drink after these few rainy days of the week.