Dear All
New arrivals
Three new arrivals from the South of France…
Domaine de Malavieille Charmille Blanc 2008 £5.95
The wine is a blend of
chardonnay, sauvignon, carignan blanc and viognier, and yields
are low at 18 hl / ha. It’s vinified in stainless steel and left
on the lees to extract maximum fruit flavours. It has a
mouthwatering fresh floral nose, while on the palate it is
vibrantly fruity with good concentration, with honeyed lemon
zest flavours and lovely mineral acidity.
Domaine de Malavieille “Les Petits Dragons” NV £8.35
This wine strays so far
from the rules of the local appellation that it cannot even be
classified as a vin de pay nor even advertise a vintage! Eric,
the domaine’s new winemaker, uses a blend of 60% Petit Manseng
(often found in the Jurançon area) and 40% Chenin Blanc (the
great white grape of the Loire, along with Sauvignon Blanc). The
Chenin Blanc comes from two sites, one to produce maximum
ripeness and the other to add minerality. It is a blend of 2007
and 2008 vintages and parts of it are barrel-fermented. There is
some subtle use of oak. The nose is very ripe, with apricot and
honey, and this carries through onto the palate, where there is
great concentration, flavours of honey and apricots and great
mineral acidity. It has a long finish. A marvellous wine with
real individuality and character, which can easily be drunk on
its own but goes beautifully with many dishes, including spicy
ones.
Domaine de Malavieille
Rosé 2008
This lovely rosé uses
four grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache and
Syrah, and has a delicate, pale
rosé colour, with a beguiling nose of strawberries and cassis.
On the palate there is fantastic strawberry fruit and great
length. Perfect as an aperitif or with picnics, barbecues,
salads and pasta, we’re delighted to have found this rosé and to
share it with you.
Producer profile
Close to Lac Salagou not far from Clermont – Hérault lie the
vineyards of Domaine Malavieille owned
and run by Mireille and André BERTRAND. The vineyard is entirely
organic and has been in the Bertrand family since 1881.
Mireille’s great grandmother, Cécile, had to cope with the great
phylloxera crisis of 1881 and rebuild the vineyard from scratch
in the years that followed. They believe firmly in the old
methods, training the vines in the traditional manner and even
using a horse drawn plough!
They grow a total of 17 grape varieties (eight white and nine
red) and the wines mentioned above come from vines situated
along the steep slopes which lead up to the base of the old 14th
century château.
Mix your own case
We’ve taken the hard work out of choosing and ordering.
If
you visit our website and click
here you’ll find our case mixer. You simply enter your
budget (from £60 upwards) how many bottles (12, 18 or 24) how
many bottles of each wine you want and the type (see example)
and it will generate you a suggested order – which of course you
can change and amend if you want! There’s even an option for the
Francophiles out there to specify French wines only….
Langa
Reyes de Aragon 1998 Reserva
This has been our
best selling wine over the last few years and you’ve bought
thousands of bottles between you. But all good things come to an
end and we’re down to our last few cases – so if you’re a fan
now is the time to stock up. The good news is that we have taken
delivery of its younger brother, the 2000 Reserva, which is also
shaping up nicely.
Food and wine matching
We often get asked about what food to match our wines with. We
do put some recommendations on the website, but have also
produced a guide that splits whites and reds down into four
styles each, categorises the wines you’ve bought into the
relevant group, and talks about what food matches work well with
each style. Do ask for a personalised version with your next
order if you’d find this useful.
H C Wines Christmas tasting
Our sixth annual Christmas tasting will be held in the usual
venue of Heworth Community Centre on Saturday 28 November
starting at 7.45pm. This is an informal “trade style”
tasting with a chance to sample some of the 30 odd wines we’ll
have open on the night. Tickets remain at £7 each with a 5%
discount on any wine purchased or ordered on the night. Do email
or phone if you’d like a ticket: for groups of 6 or more get one
free ticket with every 5 purchased.
Summer 2009 Newsletter
