Albert Mann Cremant d’Alsace Brut 2018
Since 1989, the brothers Maurice and Jacky Bartholome have been running Domaine Albert Mann, making exceptional wines every vintage! They started biodynamic winemaking in 1997 in three Grands Crus plots and since 2000, their wines have been certified organic farming by Ecocert. They are at the forefront of quality wine production in Alsace.
Bubbles’ are fine and delicate. The nose is endowed with a great impression of freshness and liveliness. The aromas are fruity and intense, on pear and apple. Attack in mouth is underlined by a beautiful acidity. We note a good length with apricot and peach.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC
Alberto Nani Organic Prosecco
Alberto Nani has a complex bouquet characterized by notes of flowers and jam. The full bodied wine showcases a fine perlage with a mineral finish. It’s ideal as an aperitif with traditional Italian dishes, to live every day as a celebration.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Alzinger Mühlpoint Grüner Veltliner 2015
The 2015 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Mühlpoint comes from loess soils and opens with a more spicy Veltliner bouquet that displays ripe pip fruit aromas. Round and juicy on the palate, with a stimulating salinity and a very nice grip this is a pretty juicy yet expressive and aromatic Veltliner.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC
Amoise Gris 2020
100% certified organic fruit, macerated and spending almost a month on skins. This is from the Mangatahi Terraces, of higher elevation and a bit cooler and more marginal than the other Hawke’s Bay appellations. The wine is light and fragrant this year, a blood orange colour with the usual hints of pear and ginger spice.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL / NO SO2 ADDED
Ampeleia Unlitro Toscana Rosso 2020 (1L)
Azienda Ampeleia is a domaine on the Costa Toscana founded in 2002, and is the result of a fortuitous encounter between Elisabetta Foradori (one of the greatest Italian winegrowers), Thomas Widmann, and Giovanni Podini, who found a perfect place to express their vision in Ampeleia. In 2009, the domaine began to make the transition to biodynamic management and now produces wines which perfectly reflect their very complex and diverse terroirs. This wine is a blend of varieties originating from the Mediterranean Basin— 40% Alicante Nero (aka Grenache), 25% Mourvedre, 15% Carignano, 15% Sangiovese, 5% Alicante Bouschet—sourced from vineyards at 180-250 meters above sea level. In accordance with its principles of respect for the land, the vineyard is biodynamically certified and the wine is fermented using native yeasts. This wine for keeping is lively, fresh and juicy on the palate, dominated by red and black berries and enhanced by a few spicy notes.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Ansgar Clusserath Riesling 2019
This is Mosel Riesling with a difference, Feinherb is neither dry or sweet but (transliterated) featherweight. I describe these wines as “just sweet enough” and this one is rich and creamy with tropical fruit, citrus and acid for days.
ORGANIC
Antoine Sanzay Cuvee du Domaine Rouge 2018
Sanzay’s “Cuvée Domaine” sourced from 35-year-old vines and both vinified and aged in concrete vats. In the glass it’s a deep ruby with magenta highlights at the rim, with aromas of black cherry, cranberry, black raspberry, damp violets, tobacco, and a hint of black pepper. The palate is fresh and full of acid-driven energy. One can mistake this for cru Beaujolais, as the overall effect is similar, but the hints of sage and mint intermingling with the lush, juicy fruit are a key indicator of Cabernet Franc. This is another one of those wines that would disappear first if plopped down on a table of sommeliers.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Antoine Sanzay La Haye Dampierre 2018
100% Cabernet Franc. Appellation Saumur-Champigny Rouge. From Antoine’s vineyard in Varrains, a 1.1 hectare parcel planted in 1975 on mostly sand on limestone bedrock. Organically farmed, hand harvested, sorted, destemmed then fermented in stainless steel for 3 weeks before being pressed into a combination of concrete eggs and aged French oak barriques for 9 months. Unfiltered, unfined, SO2 added at bottling (31mg/L). Intense red fruit, leather, violets, crushed herbs, firm tannins, good acidity.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Arianna Occhipinti IL Frappato 2018
Fresh and elegant red wine. The nose presents notes reminiscent of violets, cherries and certain citrus fruit. On the palate it is a light wine, full of fruit. It is persistent and with an acidity that brings freshness.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Arianna Occhipinti Siccagno 2017
Warm and enveloping, rich and elegant, velvety and very fresh. Nero d’Avola “Siccagno”, another masterpiece of Arianna Occhipinti…
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Arianna Occhipinti SP68 2019
Full of wild cherries, plum and mulberry with just a touch of raspberry lift. There are hints of flowers, leather, smoke, spice and herbs with wafts of liquorice, quite a lot you can pick out of this wine.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Bianco 2019
It’s a deeply aromatic wine that is surprisingly light on the palate. There’s some maceration on the skins, so you’ll get a bit of tannin on the finish along with an intriguing olive-y note.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Artesano Vintners Benjamina 2019
Slightly bubbly, medium aciditiy, green, earthy. Pet nat made from Xarello & Parellada. Low intervention, unfiltered, without any additives, sugars or sulphites. Created from grapes cultivated using organic or biodynamic farming.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL / NO SO2 ADDED
Astrolabe Chenin Blanc Sec 2021
Grown on the sunny clay slopes of Marlborough, this fresh Chenin reveals soft apple and honeysuckle flavours to enjoy year-round. Medium-bodied, with good acidity and a light spritziness, giving flavours of red apple, nectarine and honeysuckle. Delicious when youthful but has strong maturation potential.
ORGANIC
Aurum Dry Riesling 2018
This southern star smashes through the palate with green apple and quartz-powder, mineral-driven mouthfeel that lingers long and will send your saliva glands into overload. The citrus intensity is one thing, but the honeysuckle and hints of biscuit really add to the complexity of this wine in the mouth.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Aurum Libera Pinot Noir 2019
Vibrant and rich, with dark raspberry fruit expressed with vibrancy and freshness. certified BioGro organic, with no sulphur additions. 12 months in seasoned oak.
ORGANIC / NATURAL / NO SO2 ADDED
Barouillet Bergerac Blanc Sec 2019
This wine with an atypical nose is not very marked by the aromas of the Sauvignon. It reveals notes toasted or even grilled. It also has floral notes, followed by fruits such as peach and citrus. The mouthfeel has a refreshing vivacity, reminding grapefruits and floral aromas such as honeysuckle and wisteria. The Bergerac Blanc Sec is a surprising union between freshness, fullness and aromas.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Bianco di Ampeleia 2019
“For the Bianco di Ampeleia, we have recovered an old vineyard near the winery and grafted it with indigenous varieties of the Mediterranean Basin. A field-blend, as according to tradition, mostly of Trebbiano grapes together with some Ansonica and Malvasia. On average the wine spends 7 days fermenting on skins, adding complexity and texture Shining lemony rose gold in colour, notes of apple and Bartlett pear, nutty quality on the finish, alongside pure – fresh acidity.” Producer Notes
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Bink Wines Meisje Alicante Bouschet 2020
Very inky dark ruby red in colour with a palate of dried cranberries and crushed plums. Bright and juicy this medium bodied wine will have you salivating. This acidic, low alcohol wine would be perfect alongside a juicy cut venison.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL / NO SO2 ADDED
BK Wines Pet Nat Chardonnay 2021
Pet Nat – or rustic, farmhouse sparkling wine created by producing a fermentation in the bottle – is to sunshine as gumboots are to muddy puddles… you don’t have to have either of them to enjoy the other but you’re a whole lot happier if you do. 100% Basket Range Chardonnay. Whole-bunch pressed to concrete ‘egg’ fermenter. Fermented until nearly dry. Light, white pear flavours and enticing frizz. You’ll find yourself praying for summer sunshine or just sitting under a warm, bright light with your glass and pretending it’s here.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
BK Wines Pet Nat Pinot Noir 2021
This season’s Pét Nat Pinot Noir, in addition to all the joy it brings to drink, can be almost as pleasurable just to open up and sit and watch… a veritable lava lamp of lees. Unmistakably and purely Pinot Noir on the nose, just-ripe raspberries on the palate. So many processes of control go into making a Champagne, while Pét Nat is permitted to largely create itself. Where last vintage resulted in a sort of wild, messy, walk-of-shame debauchery, this vintage is tidy and compartmentalised, with a glittery bead and velveteen mousse. Good, clean, bubbly fun. 100% Lenswood Pinot Noir. Whole-bunch pressed to concrete ‘egg’ fermenter. Fermented until nearly dry.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Black Estate French Farm Pinot Gris 2020
“Lovingly grown on a hillside vineyard in French Farm, overlooking Akaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula. The vines here are grown on basalt soils formed from an extinct vocano. The fruit in this bottle has ample texture, vibrant acidity and balance. Whole bunch pressed and fermented in small stainless steel tanks and 500l barrels. Unfiltered and unfined.”
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Black Estate Home Pinot Noir 2019
Fire brick hue. Compelling fresh and vibrant aromas of wild forest berry’s, wild rose petal, and humid earth. Dense mouth coating tannins that are tightly wound and gradually melt to reveal rich berry fruits, red current , and humus. The balance gives a clear impression of the highly mineralised sedimentary clay soils of the Home Vineyard. Drink now to 2028.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Bodega Chacra Barda Pinot Noir 2018
Pure, minerally and powerful, with concentrated flavors of red plum and dried raspberry, loaded with powerful meaty notes. Sandalwood accents linger on the finish, showing caressing tannins.