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    April/May 2010 Newsletter    

Dear All

New arrivals.

We’ve recently taken delivery of three new whites, two from Alsace and one from Languedoc:

Domaine Fonne-Meyer Gentil d’Alsace 2009 £8.75

Within few years, Felix Meyer has built a solid reputation in Alsace. Working extremely hard in the small (11 hectare) vineyard, keeping yields ridiculously low, and making the most of the great soil quality, he is now making some outstanding wines. Vinification takes place in traditional large “foudres”, with wines being aged on the lees. This classic blend is a mix of Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. This vintage is very aromatic. It is a dry and well structured wine to enjoy now or in a year or two’s time.

Domaine Fonne-Meyer Riesling Reserve 2008    £9.95

Not widely grown (it’s the 20th most grown variety in the world) but with a huge reputation, Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. Riesling is a variety which is highly "terroir-expressive", meaning that the character of Riesling wines is clearly influenced by the wine's place of origin. This example has a pure, elegant nose, with mineral notes of aniseed and citrus. As a dry, mineral wine it is ideal for serving with fish, seafood and shellfish, as well as dishes typical of Alsace (such as choucroute, or coq au Riesling)

The influential Wine Advocate says that “Felix Meyer is one of the more ambitious and successful young vignerons of Alsace. Furthermore, his prices are very reasonable.”

Dom Girard Chardonnay 2008 Côtes de la Malepère Vin de Pays d’Oc      £6.15

The region of Malepère has had a VDQS classification for many years but the consistent high quality of the wines resulted in its elevation to full appellation status just two years ago. Vine growing had been in the family for several generations with the grapes being sold to the local cooperative.  More recently Philippe, one of two brothers of the new generation has started to vinify and sell his wine separately.  Every year the quality seems to improve and this year we have shipped this lovely, unoaked, pure Chardonnay. It makes a wonderful aperitif, and is the perfect partner for fish dishes. Growing the grapes at 200 metres of altitude allows them to maintain their acidity, avoiding the frequently overblown, blowsy style of some Languedoc Chardonnays.  It has a vibrant green apple nose with hints of summer hedgerows, while on the palate there is good concentration with great purity of fruit, and steely acidity. Delicious! 


Producer profile – Domaine de Miselle

Situated in the extreme south west of France between Bayonne and Toulouse, Domaine de Miselle is a small (28ha) property producing some outstandingly good value wines. Miselle is one of those estates which seem to have been built to last for centuries and whose vineyards have been built slowly with patience and a lot of passion. This ancient Gascon property, dating from the 18th century, has been for a long time dedicated to wine-growing, Armagnac having been produced here since the 19th century. After several successive owners, Miselle was acquired in 1974 by Luis Ocaña, the 1973 Tour de France winner. More recently, in 1998, the Chevallier family, originally from the north of France, decided to revive this typical Gascony area winery. A modern winemaking facility was inaugurated and the first Estate-bottled wine range was launched the following year. Today, Julian Chevallier’s aim is to produce great wines that give full expression to the terroir of the Gascony region. We bring in two wines from this producer – Soleil de Automne, a great dessert wine made from late picked Petit Manseng grapes, and a more traditional Cotes de Gascogne white.


Vinitaly

Earlier this month John spent a day visiting Vinitaly, the world’s biggest wine fair, held this year in Verona. Once past the huge scrum at the entrance this was a great day sampling vibrant verdicchios, brilliant bardolinos, supple soaves and amazing amarones [enough – Ed]. Set in over 80,000 square metres, with 4,200 producers and with over 29,000 wines available to sample one can only achieve so much, but two producers in particular caught our interest, so watch this space!


Tastings

With recent outings to Leeds, Hull and York, and forthcoming events booked in Bingley, Derby, Whitby, Leeds and Beverley we’re always happy to discuss tastings in all kinds of formats for a variety of groups including private parties, wine tasting societies, charity fund raisers and corporate events. Do get in touch if you’d like to know more.


Domaine Treloar

Those of you who have enjoyed Domaine Treloar’s Three Peaks and One Block Muscat, made by Yorkshireman Jonathan Hesford, may be interested in the profile in the latest issue of Grapestalk. We’ve recently taken delivery of a further shipment of Three Peaks and it continues to get better and better!

Grapestalk is an online magazine written principally by UK independent wine merchants, and can be found here:

 http://www.asdw.co.uk/Grapestalk.10%20%202009.pdf,


Best wishes

John & Andy
01904 421345
07785 531080