Orsi San Vito Posca Bianca NV
The ‘NV’ in the description stands for ‘non-vintage’, meaning that the wine is made from the product of more than one single year. Federico has made what he calls his ‘perpetual cuvée’ – a wine that slowly changes and evolves over time. The idea is a little like a simplified version of the Solera system used in Spanish sherry-making. Each year wine is added to a tank that already contains wine from up to ten previous vintages; wine is then bottled from that tank roughly every six weeks throughout the year with wine taken from all the available vessels in the cellar to top it up again. Next vintage more new wine is added to the tank, and so the process continues. This results in fresh, zesty notes from the young Pignoletto, and savoury, nutty notes from the Pignoletto that has had more time to mature in the tank. The wine will also display subtle differences depending on which bottling it comes from – check the back of the label to see when yours is dated. Always different, always the same, a bit like the Fall.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL / NO SO2 ADDED
ORSI Vigneto San Vito Sui Lieviti
Skin fermented bubbles!
It is fermented in clay amphora on skins, with a little of the must from the same harvest added to the bottle for the second fermentation. It is aged on its lees and never disgorged. A simple, yet extremely refreshing wine with texture and citrus in spades.
Paltrinieri Radice Lambrusco di Sorbara 2019
“Made by carrying out the second fermentation in the bottle, this radiant, lightly sparkling wine opens with heady aromas of citrus, violet and a yeasty whiff of bread dough. Bone-dry and delicious, the energized palate delivers tart sour cherry, juicy pomegranate, pink grapefruit and white pepper alongside crisp acidity and a savory hint of saline. One bottle probably won’t be enough.” Wine Enthusiast
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Paolo Bea ARBOREUS 2012
This enchanting wine’s nose bursts with sappy orchard and stone fruits, orange zest, white wildflowers, warm baking spices, honey, bitter almonds, and whiffs of green tea, oxidation, and earth. The surprisingly muscular palate is saturated with dry extract, but lively acidity, silky-fine tannins, and a core of savory minerals keep it supple into its resonant, complex finish. A fantastic complement to a wide range of foods from white meats to hearty seafood to pungent cheeses, Bea’s Arboreus Bianco gets its name from pre-phylloxera old-vine Trebbiano Spoletino rootstock whose vines are trained into tree-like shapes. The wine’s intense flavor comes from its grapes’ fermenting on the skins for 23 days and the wine aging in stainless steel, sitting on its lees, for more than two years before bottling.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL
Pask Chardonnay 2020
Vibrant, rich Chardonnay with intense citrus fruits and pure acidity. Rich and mouthfilling, generously textured.
Pauillac de Chateau Latour 2016
‘Lots of mineral, crushed stone, iodine and graphite with blackcurrants and blackberries that follow through to a medium body with ultra fine tannins that are ever so polished and give length and energy to the wine. Drinkable now, but even better in 2023’ James Suckling
‘2016 Pauillac is the vintage to own. More than just quality, what makes these wines so memorable is their character. To start with, all the wines show a beautiful, almost, inky, dark color. They have complex aromatics, even at this young stage. 2016 Pauillac wines are intense, concentrated, powerful, tannic and fresh. There is a beautiful purity of fruit here. The wines coat your palate with hedonistic pleasure. Clearly, there is a lot of tannin in the wines, but the tannins are so velvety, these wines feel like pure silk.’ The Wine Cellar Insider
ORGANIC
Pegasus Bay Gewürztraminer 2019
Skin contact and fermenting with solids provide increased structure and a subtle hint of struck match, while the oak aging and lees contact adds mouth feel. On the palate it is rich and unctuous, with ripe phenolics and a lingering aftertaste of fresh ginger that complement the wine’s off-dry finish.
Petane Station Pinot Gris 2018
Selectively hand-picked, phenologically ripe berries are gently whole bunch pressed and, post ferment, the wine is left on its yeast lees for 8 months to evolve. A further four months of bottle maturation, prior to release, allows the wine to rest and achieve its full potential. The result is a Gris that’s deliciously rich and flavoursome with an off-dry finish. As Philip puts it, “This is a serious Pinot Gris that tips a hat toward Alsace with cellaring potential of 7+ years.”
Pluma Vinho Verde 2018
Perfect combination of the aromas of the four best-known varieties of the region. The result is a fresh wine, fruity and with a refreshing acidity.
Ponsot Rully en Bas de Vauvry Blanc 2020
Jean-Baptiste farms 8.5 hectares all located in the AOP Rully and sustainably farmed with organic practices: no insecticide, no weed-killer, no anti-rot and no chemicals at all. Jean-Baptiste doesn’t care to be certified but is as respectful of his land as many certified organic producers.
This wine was able to adopt its lieu-dit when fruit from a second plot was discarded and everything came from this excellent site that sits just below the 1er Crus. Aged in a both stainless steel and oak, though very little new, this is full of lively, floral fruit with some spice and good drive.
Punset Barbera d’Alba 2019
An intense and complex nose, with fruity notes of cherry and blueberries. The wine is round, pleasant, with well-balanced acidity and a clean finish. Aged in cement tanks.
ORGANIC
Quartz Reef Méthode Traditionnelle Rose
100% Pinot Noir was hand-picked. Bottle fermented and aged on lees for a minimum of 18 months.
A romantic bouquet of strawberry sherbet and rose petal with a hint of shortbread. Enhanced by lush pinot notes, a creamy acidity and a touch of nutmeg in the finish. Vibrant with an alluring length, focus and clarity.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC
Quinta das Amoras Branco 2018
Portugal flies under the radar when it comes to dry white wines but this wine over delivers with its fresh succulent flavours and complex notes from the five different grape varieties used in the blend. These grapes are all indigenous to Portugal; Arinto, Fernao Pires, Vital, Rabo de Ovelha and Moscatel. Together, they provide fresh acidity with beautiful aromatic notes from the Moscatel. It’s a characterful white with freshness, a tangy finish and a medium body.
Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2018
Individually crafted from unique vineyard parcels, Dolomite wines express great purity of fruit and balanced elegance. Displays succulent red fruits coupled with a beautifully smoky, mineral quality. Supple, extremely moreish and a great example of this much under-rated variety.
Blend: 95% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec
Ramon Jané “Tinc Set”
Tinc Set is Ramon’s pet nat made from a blend of Xarelo and Parellada. It’s zippy and lively with green apple and pear aromas backed up by grapefruit acidity and toasty notes from the second fermentation in bottle.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL / NO SO2 ADDED
Ramon Jane “Cap de Pardals”
A slightly off dry sparkling rose with super fluffy little bubbles that carry beautiful notes of lavender, watermelon and cola cubes. About as natural as they come and one of those sparkling wines that sip tooooo easy!
Ramon Jane Ovella Negra 2019
From biodynamic estate vineyards of calcareous clay soils. Hand-harvested in small lug bins, sorting in the vineyard, grapes are chilled and pressed. Single fermentation in the bottle with indigenous yeasts and no additions. No SO2 added.
Garnacha Blanca and Malvasia de Sitges. An unusual blend makes this wine stand out, there’s very little of either grape in Penedès. Two weeks of skin contact maceration give an orange appearance, lots of fruit and texture.
ORGANIC / BIODYNAMIC / NATURAL / NO SO2 ADDED
Raúl Pérez Ultreia St-Jacques 2018
“80% whole cluster fermentation in large oak vats. Macerations of between two and five months. Aging in various vessels: 225L, 500L, foudre and cement. Bottled without fining or filtration. Mostly Mencía with Bastardo (Trousseau), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet). The wine is clean, precise and fresh, and the oak is oh so subtle, practically unnoticeable. Floral, spicy aromas with hints of underbrush. Juicy, well-structured red fruit with great vibrancy and length on the palate. A long finish is marked by hints of herbs, coffee bean and tomato leaf”
San Lorenzo Verdicchio Classico Di Gino 2018
Extraordinary depth and layers of exotic stone fruit, melon, citrus, ground nuts, spice with more-ish texture balanced by refreshing line of acidity. If you are knew to Verdicchio it reminds me of a fine Pinot Grigio meets a Chardonnay with an exotic twist.
Savage Follow the Line 2019
Fleshy, silky soft and almost imperceptible with the harmonious finesse of the sublime palate texture grabbing all the drinker’s attention. Superbly balanced, subtly piquant and saline, this wine has such a dreamy, creamy finish. 89% Cinsault from 39 year old dry farmed Darling bush vines together with 11% Syrah from the same property.
Savage Thief In The Night 2019
This wine is soft and sensual, combining the best of both Grenache and Cinsault to form an impressively harmonious, silky soft sappy red blend. The wine seems to grow exponentially in the glass, unfurling and unravelling to reveal layers of strawberry jam, raspberry compote and Turkish delight all framed with bright crystalline acids that really amplify the wines purity, minerality and sense of place.
Savage White Blend 2015
As the wine slowly opens it releases pretty aromas of lemon zest and white peach followed by dusty minerals, honeysuckle and white floral. On the palate this has a gorgeous texture which is beautifully balanced with remarkable focus. Overall, this is a gorgeous wine which should continue to evolve and gain complexities with just a bit of bottle age.
Secco-Bertani Vintage Edition 2015
Lovely red and dark fruits, including raspberry, cherry, and blueberry, are framed by a vanilla overlay and accented by hints of tobacco and cedar. The wine’s lively acidity persists on the long finish.
Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Blended from several parcels of Sauvignon Blanc from across our three different vineyard sites, as well as a small volume of Semillon, this is a true reflection of Seresin Estate in a bottle. Subtle on the nose with warm notes of ripe yellow stone-fruit, soft passion fruit and a chalky-mineral complexity. The palate is layered and finely-textured, with ripe gooseberry, tropical and citrus notes, framed by a mouth-watering acidity, which creates a persistent finish.