Translation missing: en.WINE FAIR 16th of November 1-5PM! + Moreau-Naudet + Mount Mary + Domaine de la Grand Cour + Eperosa Tasting Saturday 2nd 3pm-6pm: WINE FAIR 16th of November 1-5PM! + Moreau-Naudet + Mount Mary + Domaine de la Grand Cour + Eperosa Tasting Saturday 2nd 3pm-6pm
It's that time of year again!
WINE FAIR TIME!
The festival of all things vinous is back and like always it's not to be missed!
We've handpicked a whole bunch of our favourite producers and selected a range of wines that show off the very best of this seasons drinking. We've got some of our favourite winemakers and importers here to show off a huge selection of wines. There will be something here for everyone.
We will be feauturing wines from:
Eleven Sons
Bubb + Pooley
Pooley
Ravensworth
Scintilla
Laherte Freres
Champagne Jacquart
Poppelvej
Frederick Stevenson
Nadeson Collis
and many more to be announced...Rain, hail or shine, it won't stop us from putting on a good time.
Tickets are just $40 and include a Riedel tasting glass, yours to take home.
Moreau-Naudet
Domaine Moreau-Naudet are one of the few exciting producers that aren't following the old Chablis formula of making tight, austere citrus-dominated wines. Stephane Moreau was a disciple of Chablis legend Vincent Dauvissat, the eccentric Didier Dagueneau of Pouilly-Fume (who played a part in the labels) and of Nadi Foucault of Loire's Clos Rougeard. Stephane unfortunately passed away in September of 2016 but his wife Virginie and Assistant Winemaker have taken over the reigns to continue making some exceptional distinctive wines from Chablis.
The Domaine achieves this point of difference from the bulk of wines from Chablis with low yields and riper fruit to create more concentrated and fleshy wines as opposed to the steely, acid-driven wines that come from the bulk of Chablis. In fact, these wines look a bit more like the wines of the Côte de Beaune than of Chablis which stems from winemaking techniques that are typical of the best wines from Chassagne or Puligny-Montrachet. Ploughing, organic viticulture, hand-harvesting, whole berry pressing, natural yeast fermentation, natural settling, long slow elevage in large oak as well as minimal sulphur use are all equally necessary components to producing these wines with distinctive personality and poise.We've stocked up both the Petit Chablis and Chablis and picked up some bits and pieces of their Premier Cru and Grand Cru offerings from the 2022 vintage which represent excellent value for those wanting to try some "atypical" Chablis without having to pay for Dauvissat or Raveneau. The Petit Chablis is so far above most other Petit Chablis that it almost doesn't seem right to call it such. The source of these grapes comes from a single 2.5 hectare site with SW aspect on Kimmeridgian soils and vines ageing 25-50 years. The Chablis proper comes from a blend of 30 different parcels, fermented with natural yeasts and spends 20 months on its lees which is rarely seen in Chablis. The resulting wine displays nice orchard and stone fruits, salinity, minerality and great texture on the palate. We also have the '22 'Pargues Vielles Vignes' which is sourced from a lieu-dit considered to be an honorary Premier Cru (in fact, it should be but the site was abandoned during WWII and it missed out on the official classification). Of the Domaine's Premier Crus, all from the 2022 vintage, we have: 'Beauregard 1er', 'Vaillons 1er', 'Montmains 1er', 'Forets 1er' and 'Montee de Tonnerre 1er'. Most of these sites need no introduction and these are actually all reasonably priced for these prestigious sites from a top producer like this. Finally, we have the '22 'Valmur Grand Cru' which is situated next to the vines of Raveneau, although Moreau’s plot is cooler with more shade. Combined with the steepness of the slope, this leads to the wine’s strong mineral, saline imprint, which shines through the depth and texture of this majestic wine. Moreau-Naudet is always on the horizons of somms and wine nerds alike, don't miss out on one of Chablis greatest and eccentric producers!
Mount Mary
Mount Mary is one of Australia's most iconic producers that I'm sure needs no introduction. Established in 1971 by John and Marli Middleton, Mount Mary is a family owned, single vineyard estate located in the heart of the Yarra Valley. Inspired by the great wines of France, they wanted to make elegant, low alcohol wine from French varieties. It occurred to John that Australia had not yet been able to produce a refined and elegant Cabernet (an idea suggested to him by Colin Preece, head winemaker at Seppelts Great Western), and he thereafter dedicated his efforts into doing so.
Although not officially certified organic or biodynamic, Mount Mary are heavily focused on sustainable viticulture - improving soil health and the environment around them. To help with this vision they adopt many viticultural practices including spreading compost in order to manipulate the soil microbiology and increase soil organic matter, along with spreading small amounts of organic fertilisers as well as mulching undervine with straw to increase soil water retention in some blocks. More than half of the land at the estate is not dedicated to viticulture with the long-term goal of being self-sufficient in both energy and water. The revegetation areas are already attracting more native birds and they are making great progress in collecting a variety of native seeds for propagation. They minimize the use of machinery in the vineyard in order to reduce the amount of soil compaction within the vine row. Cover crops are sown down every alternate row which helps to increase soil organic matter, improve soil structure and provide a home for the many beneficial insects which play an important role in pest management.
As for the wines that we have in stock, we bought in the 4 classic estate wines from the great 2022 vintage and have already sold all of the Pinot Noir. We have a few bottles of the '22 'Triolet' - a blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle inspired by the great whites of Graves, Bordeaux. It doesn't seem right to use the word underrated for a wine made by one of the most well-known and respected producers in the country, but this is considered by wine nerds like us to be one of the best white wines of the country with an absurd capacity to age. All grapes are picked at optimal ripeness and fermented separately in wood with some lees stirring and aged in barrel for about 11 months. We have the '22 'Chardonnay' (as well as a single bottle of the 2021 left) which easily deserves its spot as one of the best Chardonnays of the country. This is aged in 30% new oak and the remainder in old wood and larger casks for a total of 11 months. Finally, we have the '22 'Quintet' (and a single bottle of the 2021) so called because it is a symphony of 5 varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. This spends 22 months in barrel with 25% of the blend in large-format oak, 30% in new barriques and the remainder in 2-5 year old barriques. This is a wine reminiscent of the classic claret style of 70s Bordeaux and has a fantastic ability to improve with age. These are some of the most sought-after wines in the country for a reason, don't miss these as we only have a few bottles of each!Domaine de la Grand Cour
Domaine de la Grand Cour is an estate owned by the Dutraive family of 11.5 hectares in Fleurie, Beaujolais. This is one of the oldest estates in Fleurie and was purchased by Jean Dutraive in 1969 taking over 9 hectares of Fleurie on the Grand'Cour, Chapelle des Bois and Champagne terroirs. He also kept 1.60 hectares of Brouilly from the family property, five generations old, located in the village of Charentay in Vuril. His son Jean-Louis joined him in 1977 and succeeded him in 1989. Today the estate is in the hands of his children: Justin, Ophélie and Lucas who continue to produce spectacular wines that are as sought-after but even harder to find than the wines of Metras, Foillard and Lapierre.
All of the grapes are farmed organically, with minimal inputs in the cellar to remain as faithful to the respective terroirs as possible. Of course, all grapes are hand-harvested, then put into vats at a low temperature without adding sulphur. Fermentation takes place naturally without intervention (except in the event of a problem) until pressing. No oenological products are used and the indigenous yeasts provide site-specific character to the wines. These are then gravity-fed into the cellar and begin the ageing process dependent on the characteristics of the vintage.
We recently ordered in 4 different cuvées of this estate from the 2022 vintage but have already sold through one of them. We have the '22 'Brouilly Vielles Vignes' which comes from vines that are 60 years old and sit on an exposed south-facing vineyard, 250m above sea level on deep clay-limestone soils. This is fermented in concrete vats using carbonic maceration and native yeast before being moved to concrete vats (50%) and oak barrels (50%) for 7 months. Very little, if any, sulphur is used and wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. We also have the '22 'Fleurie Clos de la Grand'Cour' coming from 45 year old vines on a plateau about 300m above sea level on deep granitic soils. This receives the same élevage treatment as the first wine. Finally, we have the '22 'Fleurie La Chapelle des Bois' coming from 30 year-old vines on an exposed north-west vineyard at 250-300m above sea level on shallow sandy soil with a granite bedrock. These are some seriously expressive Beaujolais that are hard to track down so don't hesitate to snap these up of they'll disappear as one of them already has!Eperosa
In-Store Tasting
Saturday 2nd 3pm-6pm
Join us this Saturday to taste some exceptional small batch wines from Barossa Valley producer Eperosa. Some of you may be familiar with the Eperosa wines as we've sold them for many years and even featured their wines in our end of year "Top 20 of" lists as they so often wow us.
Winemaker Brett Grocke comes from a long line of grape growers and was one of the most sought after viticulturists in South Australia before he switched sides and under the guidance of Robert O'Callaghan of Rockford began his winemaking journey. He now works with incredibly old vineyards in the Barossa Valley, mainly in Vine Vale and Krondorf that he manages organically and crops at ridiculously low levels. His wines are packed with detail and depth whilst offering finesse and elegance typically seen in wines from the regions top producers.
We've wanted to feature these wines in a tasting for quite some time so we are very glad to be able to offer them again and to have them open for you to try. These are very special wines.
On tasting will be:
Magnolia 1941 Semillon 2022
Krondorf Shiraz 2021
Krondorf Grenache Mataro 2021
Magnolia Shiraz 2021
Wishing you a great week from the team: Chris, Pete and Aaron.