Wine | 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.

Wine Round Up Summer 19

I haven’t written a wine round up for some considerable time despite enjoying some very nice wines. I have no excuse except that sometimes life and travels get in the way. I have been fortunate to try some different wines in recent weeks so it seems appropriate to officially record some of them. Despite the fact that its summer here in the UK there is no summery theme to the wines I have been drinking. The variability of our weather means while you might be drinking a light, summery rosé one day the next may see a heavier red do help deal with the wet and damp. The wines are in no particular order but all were very good and thoroughly enjoyable.

Pittnauer. Perfect Day. Burgenland. Austria. 2017. With 15 hectares of vines Pittnauer has been certified as biodynamic since 2009. Minimum intervention, wild ferments and no additions except perhaps for a little sulphur these are wines which have a purity and a true expression of terroir. Perfect Day is a blend of Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel, Gruner Veltliner and Traminer. All are vinified and aged separately in barriques for six months prior to blending. Crisp and fresh with citrus and some peachy stone fruit, nice structure and balance.

Etna Rosso. Fondo Filaria. Nicosia. Sicily. 2016. A blend of Nerello Mascalese (80%) and Nerello Cappuccio (20%) from an organic vineyard at an altitude of 650m on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. The altitude gives a cooler climate producing a vibrant and fresh wine with delightful red berry fruits, cherry and warming spice. Medium bodied and with lovely balance.

Villa Barthenau. Vigna S Michele. Pinot Bianco. Hofstätter. Alto Adige. 2016. From a gentle sloping vineyard at an altitude of 450m in the Adige valley. Vigna means single vineyard and the estate has been making this particular wine since 1987. A short maceration before grapes are pressed and the juice put into large oak casks for fermentation. Maturation occurs on lees in oak for 15 months followed by 6 months ageing in bottle before release. This is a delightful wine, the nose is complex with stone fruit, citrus, almond and a hint of floral. The palate is medium with great balance and structure. A refreshing wine which is to be taken seriously. Great stuff.

Barolo Cannubi. GB Burlotto. Piemonte. 2014. Wines have been made here since the middle of the eighteenth century and wine making is very traditional. Much of the estates holdings are in the commune of Verduno but they do have around 2.5 hectares in Barolo of which 1.5 hectares are in the famous Cannubi vineyard. This is a seductive, ethereal wine with red fruit, cherry and savoury mushroom. Lovely structure and great depth with a great long finish. There is much to admire here, a truly great wine.

Verve Chardonnay. Oceans Eight. Mornington Peninsula. Victoria. 2015. Cool climate chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula just 60 miles south of the city of Melbourne. A sublime nose of citrus with hints of tropical fruit and green apple. The palate has lovely balance and a dry marzipan finish that lasts and lasts.

Bernoota. Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon. Lake Breeze. Langhorne C reek. South Australia. 2016. Growing grapes for over 130 years and producing wine since 1987 Lake Breeze is an award winning winery about an hours drive from Adelaide. Bernoota is an Aboriginal word which means ‘camp among the gum trees’ and it was the original name for the house built on the property. This wine is a blend of Shiraz (60%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) from the Follett family vineyard. It has been matures for twenty months in a mixture of French and American oak. Black fruits with a touch of cooling eucalyptus and some warming peppery spice. It is soft and round and is a lovely drink now but it is youthful and can only get better.

Chateau La Canorgue. Luberon. 2011. I don’t think I have ever had a bad bottle of this wine and it drinks very well either young or with a bit of age. Furthermore it is always such excellent value for money. The property produces red, white and rosé wines from a 35 hectare estate which is farmed organically near the Provencal town of Bonnieux. The red is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and old vine Carignan and has dark berry fruits, a gentle touch of dried herbs and lovely savouriness on the nose. The palate is medium bodied, well balanced and soft. There is a long gamey, spicey finish.

Garrigae. Domaine Ollier Taillefer. Faugères. 2014. A family owned property of 36 hectares in the appellation of Faugères in the Languedoc region of southern France. Vineyards are managed organically. I know very little about this wine, which I came across in a supermarket on a recent visit to the area, but I did enjoy it very much. The nose is wonderful with red berry fruits, dried herbs and wild flowers. The palate is medium bodied with soft red fruit and a gentle savouriness that supports but doesn’t dominate. The finish is long.

Rosso di Sera. Poggiopiano. Toscana. 2013. Nine hectares of vines owned and managed by the Bartoli family since 1993 and located just south of Florence in the Val di Pesa. This supertuscan is a blend of Sangiovese and 10% Colorino and is rich, dark and seductive. Dark cherry, chocolate and the lightest touch of mint. It is generous, with lovely balance and finish of lingering dark cherry.

Mas de Daumas Gassac. Vin de Laurence. 2011. Only made in exceptional vintages, this is only the fourth since 1997. Produced by a double fermentation, firstly with Serial grapes and then with late harvested Muscat Petit Grains. The blended wine is then aged for between 8 and 10 years in oak barrels. Sherry like with masses of sweet peach, apricot, honey and orange marmalade. The Serial gives it a lovely freshness. Complex and very drinkable .Excellent.

Classic Muscat NV. Stanton & Killeen. Rutherglen. New South Wales. Making wines for seven generations, they produce a range of wines that are well worth investigating, if like me, you enjoy this particular style of sweet wine. There are toffee, figs and raisins a plenty here but it is clean, fresh, well balanced and not at all cloying. A very long finish of dried figs with a feint touch of cinnamon.