Translation missing: en.Trimbach + Yann Bertrand + Bell Hill + ANZAC Weekend Trading Hours: Trimbach + Yann Bertrand + Bell Hill + ANZAC Weekend Trading Hours
Trimbach
Trimbach are easily the greatest estate in Alsace and produce some of the best wines, not only in France, but in the whole world. With winemaking history in the region dating as far back as 1626, the Trimbach family own about 60 hectares near the villages of Ribeauvillé and Hunawihr where Grand Cru sites makes up 30% of their production compared to the 4% average of the region - this is how you know they are a benchmark for quality in the region.
Since 1972, Trimbach have eschewed the use of chemicals in the vineyard and winery and have received official organic certification for everything in 2023; although, the Grand Crus have been organic since 2008. Jean Trimbach aims to craft wines that are: ‘harmonious wines that are concentrated, not heavy; fruity, not sweet; bracing rather than fat; polite rather than voluptuous.’ To create these harmonious wines, fermentations are cool and slow, malolactic fermentation is prevented and the wines are bottled relatively early to retain freshness and forgo the heavier autolytic notes that may result from too much time in contact with lees. Although the wines are bottled early, they are often held back as long as 5 years for the top wines to ensure that they are ready for business upon release (although they can of course age for a very long time). These Rieslings are dry and rarely contain more than 5g/L of residual sugar unlike the Rieslings of Mosel just across the mountain range.
Just over a month ago now I had the privilege of tasting through Trimbach's great wines with the great Jean Trimbach in town to present them. He is exactly what you would imagine an Alsatian to be if you've never met one - the German dry sense of humour and witticism with some French mannerisms sprinkled in. His son and future winemaker of the estate - Julien, on the other hand apparently "doesn't like to see customers, he just wants to spend time with his 12 sheep". On to the more important Rieslings, we've picked up quite a few different Grand Crus for you to take your pick. We have the '20 'Brand GC' which comes from a small parcel of 70+ year-old vines on granite and mica soil over marl-limestone terroir of the sunny ‘land of fire’ that is the Grand Cru Brand in Turckheim (Brand is ‘fire’ in German). There is also the '21 'Schlossberg GC' which comes from south-facing granite soils and enjoys some cooling breezes that come down from the forest creating a wine of immense purity and freshness. The '18 'Geisberg GC' is a powerful Riesling hailing from south-facing terraces on limestone and sandstone subsoils with immense ageing capacity (but it wouldn't be a waste to drink it now). Now, the two most recognisable Trimbach wines and some of the most collected Rieslings in the world - the '17 'Cuvee Frederic Emile' is a blend of 2 Grand Crus of Geisberg and Osterberg from vines averaging 55 years in age. This has a beautiful Alsatian Riesling nose of stone fruit, beeswax and white and pink flowers and then picks up a gear on the palate with intense acid verve and minerality. Finally, the '19 'Clos St. Hune' marks the 100th anniversary of the most sought-after dry Riesling in the world from the Grand Cru of Rosacker. This is definitely a wine that would benefit with some more time in bottle so drink the other Rieslings first. These are some of the most iconic Rieslings for a reason - snap these up as we only have a few bottles of each!
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Yann Bertrand
Yann Bertrand is a young gun from a family of wine-making history situated in the great site of Grand-Pré in Fleurie, Beaujolais. Yann took over the estate since joining in 2012 and has been experimenting with biodynamics in the vineyard (the estate was already certified organic) and perpetuates a family wine tradition passed down for three generations.
Similar to Nicolas Joly, Yann creates biodynamic preparations involving plant extracts and horse dung in addition to compost to promote the vitality of the soil and its symbiosis with the micro-organisms of plants and animals - to allow "wild nature" to regain its rights. "Our wine is thus the fruit of artisanal and family know-how acquired over time and through contact with a terroir where we evolve every day."
Le vin est un produit « vivant »
Wine is a living product, and Yann's oenological practices are as respectful as possible to this fact. There are no heavy-handed wine-making techniques; no sulfur additions at all, fermentation with native yeasts, aversion to high-extraction cap-management techniques like pumping over and absolutely no new oak. The objective here is to create wines with greater freshness and length, in a word, more "vibrant" wines.
We have 6 different wines from this superstar producer and have already sold through some. We have the '23 'Beaujolais OH...' from 2 parcels from vines averaging 40-80 years old on granitic soils as well as the '23 'Lantignie Beaujolais Village' from younger vines at 500m above sea level at the edge of the Régnié appellation which is aged in a combination of old oak and concrete vats. We have 3 different Fleurie bottlings starting with the '23 'Fleurie Mon Petite Cherie' - a new addition to the range from 40 year old vines in a small site on loamy soils and aged in concrete vats with a touch of sulphur at bottling. The '23 'Fleurie Folie' comes from a 1.2 hectare parcel with vines up to 50 years old on sandy granitic soils and aged in a third old oak and two thirds concrete vats for 8 months. The '22 'Fleurie Cuvee de Chaos' comes from vines ranging from 45-75 years old on sandy granitic soils and aged in 80% old barriques and 20% demi-muds of at least 6+ years of age followed by 10 months aging in bottle prior to release. Finally, the '22 'Morgon Dynamite' comes from 60+ year old vines planted on sandy granite and schist soils rich in iron oxide with elevage in a mix of old barriques and demi-muds (of at least 6+ years of age) for 10 months, followed by an additional 11 months in bottle prior to release. These are some seriously expressive wines from Beaujolais that have wine nerds around the world excited. Pick up your allotment today!
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Bell Hill
Bell Hill have been quietly crafting some of the best Pinots this side of Europe from New Zealand’s north island in the region of Canterbury. Bell Hill is based on an old limestone quarrying operation (much like Burgundy) which led them to explore the history and geology of the site in more detail. The name “Bell Hill” comes from a bell-shaped curve on the south side which is the first thing travelers saw as they came in to Waikari Valley. The first Bell Hill wines were released in 2003 and have since helped build the reputation of the region for one of the best Pinot sites outside of the Côte d'Or.
"We seek to reflect the characteristic expression of our site and soil in the wines we make, looking for consistent quality, fruit concentration and expression of terroir."
Marcel Giesen and Sherwyn Veldhuizen have adopted a very Burgundian approach to vineyard management on their fabled site in the Weka Pass, North Canterbury with limestone soils on north-facing slopes. Vines are planted low to the ground - only 40cm above the soil and all vines are densely planted to reduce yields and encourage the roots to explore the soil to soak up all the water, nutrients and any other elements it can get. All vines planted between 1997-2009 were planted at a density of 9,090 to12,500 vines/ha, then vines planted from 2005-2009 at 11,363 vines/ha and vines planted from 2020-2022 up to as high as 18,181 vines/ha. These are some very serious wines that have been picking up awards for these hard-working vignerons and have been garnering much-deserved international acclaim.
We've already sold through the Chardonnay and 'Old Weka' Pinot but we still have some of their flagship 2020 'Bell Hill Pinot Noir'. This wine is made from a blend of a few different parcels with some whole-bunch experimentation on certain blocks only making up a small portion of the whole wine. This wine also undergoes a lengthy cold soak pre-fermentation and then a warmer one post-fermentation. This ages in 100% new French oak for 12 months and 8 months in tank before bottling. When Pete tried the '19 last year he even said it was the best New World Pinot he's had - strong words! Jump on one of the best Pinots of New Zealand and one of the few from the New World to rival Burgundy!
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ANZAC Weekend Opening Hours
There will unfortunately not be a Saturday tasting this weekend, although, we are making up for it by being open this Friday on ANZAC Day. These are our trading hours over the weekend:
Friday 25th: 10:00 - 20:00
Saturday 26th: 10:00 - 21:00
Sunday 27th: 10:00 - 20:00
We are open as usual over the weekend, just closing an hour earlier on ANZAC Day. Stock up on some wine for the weekend!