Postcards From Here and There

Buon Vino Virtual Tasting

So what could be better on a cold night in February in the depths of a third national lockdown than a virtual wine tasting? Well its no substitute for the real things but in current times it’s better than nothing and turned out to be a very enjoyable experience indeed. Hosted by North Yorkshire natural wine merchants Buon Vino you chose the wines that interested you from a list of around eight available for the evening. Ours arrived very quickly indeed and they were followed on the evening of the tasting by a Zoom code to enable us to join the virtual tasting.

Roc’ Ambulle. Chateau Le Roc. Pet Nat. NV

This is a delightful Pet Nat made from Negrette and Mauzac grapes grown in Fronton in South West France, just north of the city of Toulouse. It’s low in alcohol at 9.5% making it an ideal drink for a warm summer afternoon in the garden. A delicate pink colour from a short skin contact it has lovely strawberry fruit and some delicate floral notes. A fine mousse gives it a gentle creaminess on the palate. There is a hint of sweetness but it is by no means sweet. A very drinkable wine with a very pleasant character. What’s not to like?

Ottavio Rube. Vino Bianco. Cooperative Valli Unite 2019.

A biodynamically produced wine from the Valli Unite cooperative in the Piemonte region of Italy. A blend of Cortese and Timorasso it has hints of pear, peach and lime in a wine that is crisp and fresh. It has a nice texture and is well balanced. Good value for money.

Chardonnay. Judith Beck. 2019

Organically grown grapes from the Burgenland in Austria were hand harvested and whole bunch pressed into old barriques where they were allowed to undergo a wild fermentation. The wine was aged for 6-7 months on the lees before bottling. This really is very good with nice weight and balance. Lovely lemon citrus together with a wonderful creamy texture from the ageing on the lees. The wine has seen no oak at all. A really nice Chardonnay and excellent value for money at £15.95

Tragolargo. Bodegas Vinessens. 2020

An orange wine that is a blend of Moscatel and Malvasia grown in the Alicante region of Spain. The wine has had minimum intervention and is certified organic. A short period of skin contact has produced a golden/light orange colour, the wine is aromatic, grapey with a gentle burnt orange flavour and a delicate floral perfume. There are some dry, grippy tannins here. All in all an orange wine for those who are new to this style of wine and want to explore.

L’Hurluberlu. St. Nicolas de Bourgueil. Sebastien David. 2019

Byodynamically produced Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley north of Chinon.This is a pure expression of Cabernet Franc with bags of cherry and red berry fruit. It is delicately floral but without that green edge that Loire Cabernet Franc can sometimes have. It is fresh, juicy, exceptionally fruity and very drinkable. Chill it down in the fridge for an hour or so and it would be perfect for drinking in the garden when the warmer weather arrives.

Tempranillo. Rioja. Bodegas Moraza. 2019

This is Rioja for those that want the purity of the fruit and not the use of oak. A wild fermentation in concrete it is unfixed and un filtered to retain purity of flavour. Fresh and vibrant, a really drinkable wine like so many at this tasting have been. It gets better and better as it opens out and breathes a little in the glass and develops an ethereal quality more usually associated with Pinot Noir.

Masieri Rosso. La Biancara. Angiolino Maule. 2019.

A blend of Merlot and Tai Rosso from the Gambellara region of Northeastern Italy. A minimum intervention wine with some lovely sweet, plummy fruit, a touch of spice, lovely texture and soft tannins.

McHenry Hohnen Visit

McHenry and Hohnen was founded in 2004 by brothers in law Murray McHenry and David Hohnen. Murray’s back ground had been in hotels and fine wine before he purchased land in the the Margaret River and started growing grapes which he initially sold to Cape Mentelle. David Hohnen had established Cape Mentelle in the mid 1970s and in 1985 he founded Cloudy Bay in the Marlborough region of New Zealand’s South Island. It seemed inevitable that they would conduct a joint venture and McHenry Hohnen was founded.

The winery is in an elevated position overlooking Hazels vineyard just south of Witchcliffe. The view of the vines from the offices is breathtaking. It must renew the soul everyday morning you come into work. The head winemaker is Jacopo Dalli Cani who hails from the Soave region in north eastern Italy. He speaks passionately about his role in producing wines that have character and a real sense of place. The viticulturalist is Mike Sleegers who has over twenty years experience of growing grapes in Western Australia. Together with their teams they have worked to introduce organic farming and biodynamic practices. The hard work was rewarded in July this year with biodynamic certification for the winery and hazel’s vineyard.

The state has three main vineyard sites. Hazel’s, where the winery is located, is 35ha and is currently the only vineyard with biodynamic certification though all all biodynamically farmed. It is the most southerly site and has significant plantings of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Grenache, Mataro, Zinfandel and Merlot. Burnside is one of the regions older vineyards dating back to 1981. Some of the estates oldest Chardonnay vines are grown here on gravel loam. The cellar door is located at the Burnside site. Calgardup Brook vineyard was planted in 1998 on sandy, schist like soils.

Innovation is also important in the winery and chardonnay grapes from the Apiary block of Hazel’s vineyard are wild fermented in a concrete egg to produced a “natural” wine. The wine is aged on the lees and is then bottled with fining, filtration or the addition of sulphur.

Wines tasted at the cellar door.

Rocky Road

Rocky Road Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc 2018. A delightful wine with gentle lime, gooseberry and a touch of tropical fruit. A nice texture and lovely balance.

Rocky Road Chardonnay 2018. Made with fruit from three vineyards this is light, fruit forward, crisp and clean with a nice balance. A good easy drinking style of Chardonnay. Very nice.

Rocky Road Rosé Tempranillo 2019. Lovely salmon pink in colour. A subtle floral perfume and casings of raspberry fruit. a characterful wine for a summers day.

Rocky Road Cabernet/Merlot 2016. A very approachable wine, soft plummy, cherry fruit with a touch of savoury spice. Very drinkable.

Rocky Road Shiraz 2016. Raspberry bruit with lovely peppery spice and a delicate velvety texture.

Rocky Road Shiraz/Grenache/Mataro 2017. This is delightful, youthful juicy cherry and plum and quite delicate on the palate. Tannins are softening to produce a great everyday wine.

McHenry Hohnen

McHenry Hohnen Laterite Hills Chardonnay 2019. Lovely stone fruit, pineapple and vanilla. A Nice texture. Serious stuff, excellent.

McHenry Hohnen Tempranillo 2015. Mature in appearance with soft, savoury dark fruits and a delicate perfume.

McHenry Hohnen GSM 2018. A lovely expression of red berry fruits cherry and raspberry. A wine with real character which needs a bit of time to fully soften out but is still very good now.

McHenry Hohnen BDX 2018. A blend of Malbec (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (46%) and Petit Verdot (4%) all from the Hazels vineyard. The Malbec has seen 15 months in new French oak, the Cabernet and Petit Verdot spent 15 months in second year oak. Deeply concentrated with cassis, plummy fruit and a gentle perfume. The palate is rich and complex with nice balance and a good finish.

Single vineyard

Hazel’s Chardonnay 2016. Aromas of apricot and peach give way to a palate which has a gentle creamy texture and flavours of lemon, stone fruit, a warming ginger spice and creme brulé.

Hazel’s Chardonnay 2017. A little lighter but with wonderful stone fruits, lemon citrus and vanilla. Creamy and elegant. A lovely finish of vanilla and lemon peel.

Calgardup Chardonnay 2017. Light and delicate with a profound saline minerality. A lovely elegant Chardonnay.

Burnside Chardonnay 2017. Long and powerful with great balance and texture. A complex wine with peach, almond, butterscotch and a subtle floral note. Very good

Hazel’s Shiraz 2017. An element of carbonic maceration in the production. A delightful style of Shiraz , lighter than some, perfumed, spicey and very approachable. Very nice indeed.

Hazels’s Zinfandel 2017. A lighter style of Zinfandel and all the better for it. Medium bodied with nice plummy fruit, warming sweet spice and well balanced.

Hazel’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2014. Showing maturity in appearance. Black fruits, tobacco, dried herbs and a gentle touch of cooling mint. There is real elegance here. Delightful.

Rolling Stone 2015. Only made in the best years this wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot which has seen 18 months in French oak. the wine is unfined and unfiltered. Deep and brooding, it is still youthful in appearance. Blackcurrant, mint, tobacco and a savoury complexity. Full bodied, a wine to be taken seriously. A long, long finish. Exceptional.

Mammoth Cave

The Leeuwin – Naturaliste Ridge is a limestone ridge formed one million years ago and runs between Cape Leeuwin in the south and Cape Naturaliste in the north in the Margaret River region of Western Australia. The ridge now falls within the Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park.

Cave systems are commonly found in limestone areas. Acidic rainwater and underground streams can dissolve away the limestone creating cavities in the rock. Over time these cavities are gradually expanded into the caves we see today. The caves often contain structures such as stalactites and stalagmites formed from min real rich water dripping through the roof of a cave. These structures develop very slowly, over thousands of years, to form the wonderful displays we marvel at in cave systems.

The Leeuwin-Naturaliste ridge is dotted with caves systems along its length, many of which are open to the public. We chose to visit Mammoth Cave as it is only a short drive from the town of Margaret River which was our base for our stay in the region. The cave is open daily from 9am to 5pm with the last entry to the cave being at 4pm. It is a self guided audio tour and this is available in several languages, the guide was easy to use and very informative, sound quality was good. Caves systems are much cooler than the outside air temperature so it is a good idea to dress in layers for your visit.

The walk through the cave system is circular and involves a series of boardwalks and platforms. There are some steps to climb but it is possible to visit the first chamber without any steps. The exit from the cave leaves you with a short walk through the trees of the Marri forest back to the visitor centre and car park. The tour takes around an hour if you ever a gentle stroll through the system and stop frequently to admire the rock formations and take plenty of photographs.

There some wonderful, breath taking formations and lighting is used to ensure you see them at their best. The cave contains a fossilised jawbone of Zygomaturus, a giant plant marsupial similar in appearance to the modern day wombat. It has been dated by scientists as being around 50,000 years old, giving a unique glimpse in to what some of the wildlife was like in the area in prehistoric times.

It is difficult with a simple photograph to capture the enormity and beauty of the caverns and formations on view. if you are fortunate enough to be in the Margaret River region go and take a look, you won’t be disappointed.