Summer Time Pick N Mix

Cor blimey!

 

What a heat wave. What sensational weather – maybe a bit too hot for some, but I’m loving it.

 

One thing’s for sure, along with all the other new gadgets, fans, air-con etc. we need to start buying to keep us cool in our abodes, a simple purchase well worth the investment is a good, sturdy ice bucket! Never been without one, to be honest, I’ve always found them useful year-round for keeping fizz cool in front of the fire in winter to controlling a chill on a Red Burg or just keeping a bunch of pilsners cold on a hot day doing the garden. And of course, once you have a standard ice bucket, you then realize a magnum bucket is useful too and then you have a bunch of ice buckets. Hilarious…Madness… thought my friends, but who’s laughing now!?

 

Anyhow, enough bucket chat. The important message is the stuff to go in bucket and mouth. Wine of course! Today, I find myself wanting to muse on a few things rather than one producer, mainly wines I’ve (re)tasted of late and have enjoyed and thought could be made use of in this glorious weather and throughout the season.

 

Cristal 2016 £250 p/b

I got a bit of Cristal in at a sensible price (for Cristal) the 96-98+ point 2016 vintage. Yes, in many ways an infant, but in actual fact more than approachable now with a little bit of air and serving at the right temperature. I think since going biodynamic, with the first release of fully biodynamic fruit being the 2012, the Champagnes have an insane expression of fruit and something really quite exotic in their youth. The dosage, which now looks unusually high by todays standards, coming in at between 7-9g, really doesn’t feel very noticeable due to the precision to be found in the structure, acidity and mineral component of the Champagne. Pre 2012 releases were severe on release, chalky as anything and tightly bound. One had to be patient, but in not too long, rewarded for being so, with brioche opulence et al. I think the 2016, which of course will go on to be a masterpiece has a lot to like about it right now. Juicy orange and mandarin fruit explode upon entry, followed by extract that tap dances on your teeth and caresses around your gums and tongue like an electric conga line. A mousse that holds density like Everbuild Expanding Foam. You can almost chew the vinosity of the wine. Such a great wine to just enjoy moving around your palate and exploring its range. Within 30-40 mins, the wine relaxes, still with the juice and zip, popping with pink grapefruit, but it develops vanilla, buttered pastry and dairy notes, marzipan and gorgeous creamy brioche. Of all the prestige Champagnes I’ve drunk young, I found this to be an excellent example of one that is ever so enjoyable and very exciting to spend time with right now – unlike many I’ve loved later in life, which young were just foursquare and moody. This is a great vintage and one adored by growers and large houses alike. Scored 98+ Pts by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

 

Eleni & Edouard Vocoret Chablis Le Bas de Chapelot Chablis

I tried a selection of Chablis form this husband-and-wife producer and loved them. New wave in their approach, separating parcels rather than blending them together, even in their entry level wines, allowing the 3ha of fruit to express a sense of place. Using painstaking practices in the vineyard such as tressage, the braiding together of the vine canopy, utilised by the biggest and most progressive names in the Cote d’Or. Organic farming and natural yeast fermentation the norm here, all combining to make highly expressive Chablis, which has at its core a linear structure, but energy and purity and great intensity. Dictionary definition aromas and flavours as well as mineral character are easy to find and get seduced by in these fantastic wines. Eleni used to work for Vincent Dauvissat and the legend himself now offers advice to both Edouard and Eleni in terms of their wine making. Even the introductory wine, Le Bas de Chapelot is a parcel which lies just beneath the lauded Premier Cru vineyard of Montée de Tonnerre, making for exceptional value and excellent Chablis that drinks more akin to weightier Premier Cru than simple village. I have a mix of 2022 and 2020. The latter offering a really enjoyable, richly textured and weight Chablis with great freshness, structure, salinity and weight. Priced around the mid £50 mark.

 

Ridge - Posh BBQ wine SUMMER OFFER!

With the weather singing and the Summer in full swing, I thought I’d shout about the fantastic 2022 Ridge we have in and give clients the chance to buy at Summer Offer Prices. See below improved pricing specially for July and August only, in red. Originally offered on release, these are really starting to open up nicely and are perfect for sophisticated BBQ-ing. Whilst structured and with plenty of upside for cellaring, they make for fantastic wines to impress at long lunches and evenings with friends, sitting alongside steak, brisket, anything smoky and rich extremely nicely. Enough fruit to hold up against big smoky, crispy, garlicky bark on some short ribs, or just a good old, pan-fried Sirloin or Ribeye. The value of Ridge is undeniable. In a world full of fine wine that becomes unaffordable fast, these wines, although pricier than they once were, still offer incredible wine making for the money. We have left in stock some:

 

Ridge Three Valleys 2022 - £39.99 p/b (£453 per 12x75cl case/mixed case inc. 10% Discount)

The exception to the single vineyard rule is the Three Valleys Zinfandel blend. Made from 65% Zin, 16% Carignan, 14% Petit Sirah, 5% Mataro. First created in 2001 and in this vintage containing grapes from no less than 10 Vineyards. All hand harvested and fermented using indigenous yeasts. This is blended to perfection to produce an early drinking style of wine, but having said that, it will taste even better in two years’ time and will happily hold 10 years or more. Racy blackberries, black cherry, star anise, briar berries, earthy coffee and chocolate, almost a touch of red apple as it is young, but this flavour integrates quickly with air. Raspberries galore. Amazing purity of fruit. Linear focus. Juicy but lovely and creamy textured too. Scored 91-93 pts across pundits.

 

Ridge Lytton Estate Petit Sirah 2021 - £45.99 p/b (£529 per 12x75cl case/mixed case inc. 10% Discount)

Produced from Petit Sirah vines planted as far back as 1901, with younger vines planted as recently as 2008. First produced in 1972. This is a firm wine right now, but beautiful dark fruits, black currant and espresso notes on the nose. Dense and opulent on the palate, but with youthful grip and tannins which need a bit of time. If drinking now, decant a good bit before serving, like 4-6 hours. I opened a bottle in the morning to consume for dinner and drank the second half the following day and it was even better on day two. This ideally needs cellaring for another couple of years to give full enjoyment. But if you like the Cab from Ridge, then you really should try this. A different varietal of course but reminds me of the Cab Sauv they make, in feel. I’ve actually had the pleasure of drinking a few bottles of the 1979 York Creek Petit Sirah from Ridge, which were consistently amazing and still so dense with fruit and colour. These wines really can stand the test of time. A 93pt wine across the board.

 

Ridge Lytton Springs 2022 - £52.99 p/b (£605 per 12x75cl case/mixed case inc. 10% Discount)

This is the 50^th Anniversary bottling of Lytton Springs, made from 67% Zinfandel, 19% Petite Sirah, 11% Carignane, 3% Alicante Bouschet. It maybe my favourite Zin from Ridge. It does differ a bit in terms of vintage, Geyserville or Lytton, both are outstanding, but the easy-going nature and slight earlier drinking fruit of Lytton does seduce me, somewhat. Approachable now, but the patient among you will be rewarded for waiting a few years. This can go the distance; 15 years is easily achievable. Boysenberry really does sum this wines fruit profile up, with plum, blackberry, cedar, tobacco, and dusty cocoa. Full bodied and palate coating at this stage, but still with racy acidity which energises the wine and keeps it feeling fresh and focussed. A gorgeous wine that has quite deservedly scored from 94pts with Wine Advocate up to 97pts receiving 95pts from James Suckling and Decanter.

 

Ridge Geyserville 2022 - £52.99 p/b (£605 per 12x75cl case/mixed case inc. 10% Discount)

First produced in 1966, this is Ridge’s longest continuous Zinfandel production. Composed of 67% Zinfandel, 20% Carignane, 10% Petite Sirah, 3% Mataro and completely Organic like most of their wines. This is a sensational offering. The nose is almost floral or perfumed, violets and lavender come to mind, black cherry liqueur, cinnamon and warming spices, root beer and the signature Ridge toasted oak, pencil shavings. The tannins are fairly subtle, which is amazing given the wines youth. It is approachable with good aeration. The fruit is concentrated, reflecting the near drought season in Alexander Valley. Lower yields in 2022, but concentrated fruit. A high scoring wine 94-97pts across all the critics you could ask for.

 

That’s it for today folks. Short, sweet and hopefully something that suits.

 

Time for a glass of very chilled Vocoret 2020 Chablis in the garden me thinks.

 

Have lovely evenings all of you. I’m off to London tomorrow to taste the new vintage of German Riesling at The Masters of Riesling tasting, a mix of top producers. More on that in months to come.

 

Look forward to hearing from you soon and seeing you in he shop.

 

Best and chin-chin.

 

Jim