Klein Constantia

How Matt Day makes benchmark Sauvignon Blanc at Klein Constantia

While the new Vin de Constance 2021 will attract the most media coverage for iconic South African estate Klein Constantia, this historic stickie is only one wine in winemaker Matt Day’s extensive portfolio. With the influence of Sancerre’s Pascal Jolivet, Day has been pushing the envelope on making single vineyard Sauvignon Blancs that he believes could become seen as the benchmark in quality New World SBs. Geoffrey Dean reports and tastes both the new Klein Constantia wines and the reds of Anwilka

3rd September 2024 by Geoffrey Dean

Matt Day, the winemaker for South Africa’s greatest sweet wine, Vin de Constance, likes to challenge notions. For a start, despite its typical residual sugar levels of 155-170 g/l, he does not really think of it as a sweet wine.

“It tastes almost dry - that’s the key to Vin de Constance,” he mused, during a visit to London in mid-summer when he brought with him half a dozen different vintages, including samples of not just 2022 and 2023 but also 2003.

The latest release, the Vin de Constance 2021, is certainly beautifully delicate, as well as being charmingly refined.

“It’s not a sickly sweet wine - the residual sugar is there as a flavourant.,” Day added. “It’s all about the balance between sugar, alcohol and acidity. The goal is to figure out what that is and create a sweet wine that isn’t too sweet. The whole residual sugar discussion has got to the point where the level is so consistent, and that’s because of the blending during fermentation. You start with 25 batches, and you blend it, and you blend it again and you blend it again until you have a very homogenous kind of blend which has the right sugar, and right acid, and right amount of alcohol,” Day explains.

If 2021 is a favourite vintge of Day’s, he loves the 2016 no less. The latter is also the vintage to which Jancis Robinson has given her highest marks for those tasted in the last decade. Very intense, savoury and spicy, with dried pineapple notes, it was the first vintage to be made in a brand new cellar at Klein Constantia.

Matt Day in the winery: "242 is south-facing and only ten metres away from Block 241 but we’ll pick it six weeks later. That’s terroir."

“The tanks were specially designed for Vin de Constance,” Day revealed. “Ageing was in brand new foudres of 4,500 litres. It was a hot vintage with harvesting in three weeks of March when we made 23 passes. By contrast, we made 25 in 2021, when we finished in the first week of April. It was a weird year, but with fabulous flavour and concentration.”

The 2021 was the first vintage that saw elevage of 18 months in barrels (60% new) followed by another 18 months in the foudres that were installed in 2016. The purpose of the former is, Day says, to provide ‘a fast-track route’ from primary to secondary flavours though the influence of micro-oxygenation.

Primary flavours - aromatic fermentation characteristics such as lychee and Turkish delight notes - are attractively perfumed but ‘don’t taste a terrible lot’ in his words. “But I still want to create more complexity, so then it’s into foudres where it’s a time capsule, as it prevents any further oxidation, but you’re still getting integration of oak into the wine which becomes very interesting.”

The French influence on the estate’s Sauvignon Blanc

No less important to Klein Constantia than Vin de Constance are the estate’s 42 blocks of Sauvignon Blanc, which produce outstanding expressions of the varietal. The winery makes between 125-160,000 bottles of it each year, depending on yield, with several different small-production labels in addition to the estate Sauvignon, such as Metis, Clara and Perdeblokke. Rebranding, through new labelling and a new bottle shape, has been effected.

Day is not being immodest in declaring that “my goal as a winemaker is to make an iconic Sauvignon Blanc that is the New World reference of what Sauvignon Blanc is.” For Klein Constantia is blessed with perfect terroir, as acknowledged by one of Sancerre’s leading producers of Sauvignon.

“It was after I worked with Pascal Jolivet in Sancerre that I learnt that wine is made by terroir not the winemaker,” Day said. “His winemaker Jean-Luc Soty came to South Africa for the 2013 harvest with me, and said as we were walking through one of the blocks, ‘Matt this is perfect for my style of making wine: hyper-oxidised at crush, no settling, dirty fermentation on high soluble content, with wild yeasts and a long time on the lees.’”

“In those days we were making Sauvignon like we were taught at university - very clean, lots of sulphur, inoculated yeasts, cold fermentation, very short time on the lees, get it out of the cellar as quick as possible. But we made the Metis in his style, and learnt so much from that project that we started incorporating what worked in the Metis back into the estate Sauvignon Blanc. They were made in the same way, so we had to change the style of Metis quite a bit to differentiate it.”

This change in thinking did not end there.

“We started more of a micro-vinification approach,” Day continued. “We found the three best blocks with the grapes with the most personality, almost with salinity to them, and kept those separate for the Metis. Then the other big difference was we put it in neutral oak barrels and left it there for six to nine months depending on the vintage. It just created a different texture to the wine. The estate Sauvignon Blanc remained tank-fermented and tank-aged.”

Now every single one of the 42 Sauvignon blocks is made in its own tank, having its own personality and then being blended after six months on the lees. Then you have the perfect blending process, taking a bit from this tank and a bit from that one. Fortunately, I’ve been there for 16 years now, and understand the personality of the blocks.”

The French influence on Day has been profound.

“A lot of the blocks are made like Metis - high soluble content at fermentation, about 80% of it is hyper-oxidised at crush. When you’re hyper-oxidising, you’re doing everything you’re told not to with Sauvignon Blanc, but what we’re doing is oxidising away all those volatile thiols, getting rid of them before fermentation and creating a more solid textured structure when you go into the fermentation. You create a wine that is going to be robust and last for a very long time as opposed to Sauvignon Blanc that changes literally within six months of bottling and is terrible.”

The DNA of Klein Constantia

Klein Constantia’s terroir, or DNA as Day likes to call it, is worth detailing. The blocks are east-facing and south-facing, with the former a lot warmer, receiving the morning sun. The latter are much colder, and benefit from higher acidity and freshness, with more pyrazines in terms of flavours. Then, there is both low and high altitude, with a range of 70m to 340m at the top. As you ascend, it gets exponentially colder due to the influence of the cold Atlantic Ocean.

“A great example of how that affects the harvest is that Block 241 is first to be picked, usually on February 1 - that’s at 200m on an east-facing slope,” Day revealed. “242 is south-facing and only ten metres away but we’ll pick it six weeks later. That’s terroir. The alcohol will be 13.8-14% abv for both, with pH the same. In Sancerre, harvest lasts 2-3 weeks only, but here it’s over 3 months.”

Two different types of geology are found at Klein Constantia: decomposed granite and Table Mountain sandstone. “The sandstone is in the top-lying pocket, and affects the highest vineyards we have,” Day added, “and all the alluvial soil we have is sandstone eroded down. But the core of these two wines is granite. Sandstone brings out richness and texture, roundness to the mid-palate; granite brings out savoury, salty, umami characters. But with 42 blocks bringing all those contributing factors, you can have so much fun as a winemaker putting together a blend. You can have a little bit of that saltiness with the bright fruit, with the acidity, and you can create that perfect masterpiece, which is what we're trying to do.”

The Perdeblokke is what Day describes as “our rock star Sauvignon Blanc: single vineyard, barrel-fermented, barrel-aged, only five barrels of it. It has so many tiny little pockets of terroir….south-facing, east-facing and different altitudes from 70 to 340 metres. Very few vineyards in the world can have this different exposure to terroir.”

The reds of Anwilka

Finally, although white wines are his focus, Day is relishing the challenge of making the red wines of Anwilka, which is also owned by the proprietors of Klein Constantia. He took over at the Stellenbosch estate for the 2021 vintage when the winemaker there moved to Wales. Leafroll virus is a big issue, requiring constant replanting, but it is a premium location for Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

“It’s been fun as I love Syrah and took inspiration from Gramercy in Washington State with its white pepper notes,” Day reflected. “There is a lot of koffieklip, well-drained gravel, sandy loam and some granite. It’s in the foothills of the Helderberg, so you’ve got the benefits of the heat of Stellenbosch but also the cooling effect of the ocean seven kilometres away. The goal is to be organic but not certified with sustainability the watchword. I have had the owners’ backing all the way, and it’s been a great journey with them.”

We tasted the Anwilka 2020 (76% Cabernet, 24% Syrah) which has very fine, well-integrated tannins. Day modestly credits Klein Constantia co-owner Hubert de Boüard, the well-known Bordeaux vigneron, for them.

“Hubert has attention to detail like none other when it comes to tannin extraction,” he said. “He’s a master from whom I’m still learning. The focus is to have a great red wine in our portfolio.” In managing that, Day is presiding over a notable triumvirate of world-class wines.

Tasting the new Klein Constantia and Anwilka vintages

Klein Constantia Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Benchmark South African Sauvignon; grapefruit and lime on the nose, with seductive quince, orange zest and citrus blossom notes on the palate; refined, with delightful crisp freshness as well as texture from six months on the lees. (RSP £20)

Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc Clara 2021

Blackcurrant leaf herbaceousness with appealing note of nettliness. Fabulously intense with exceptional length. No new oak (compared to 50% new in both 2019 and 2020). One of the greatest vintages in the western Cape. A blend of the five best barrels from the best six vineyards. Racy acidity (pH 3.14) but in perfect balance (13.9% abv). (£31.50)

Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc Metis 2019

The flower pictured on the label is a hybrid of the South African protea and French iris to reflect the collaboration with Sancerre vigneron, Pascal Jolivet. Clear hints of salinity to accompany flinty minerality. Aromas of blackcurrant leaf, wet slate and lime give way to complex notes of kiwi fruit and lemon zest on the palate. Nine months on the lees gives texture and weight. Notably long finish to a wine that really sang. (£26)

Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc Perdeblokke 2021

High altitude block; very pronounced fruit intensity with pink grapefruit notes. Very perfumed and aromatic with great tension. Nine months on the lees. Really good oak integration (five barrels only made - none new, second, third or fourth fill). Very special wine from 24-year old vineyard. 14.3% abv but well-balanced thanks to thrilling acidity (pH 3.16). (£36)

Klein Constantia Estate Red 2020

69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot. Deep ruby red in colour, aromas of strawberries and red peppercorns; red fruit on the palate with very silky tannins. Full-bodied with plenty of structure from 40% new oak. (£26.50)

Anwilka 2020

76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Syrah. Refined, lighter style, yet complex and very concentrated black fruit with fine, well-integrated tannins. 18 months in 225-litre barrels (60% new). Syrah adds texture to backbone of Cabernet. A serious red wine with cellaring potential. (£35)

Anwilka Ugaba 2019

46% Syrah, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec. Well-priced second label, named after the Xhosa word for ‘distinguished warriors.’ Attractive red cherry fruit predominates in this fresh, medium-bodied wine with soft tannins and a satisfying finish. (£20)

Vin de Constance 2021

100% Muscat de Frontignan,168 g/l RS. So delicate, so refined. Honeyed floral perfume and aromatic spices on the nose. Pickled ginger and jasmine notes stand out on the palate. Explosion of flavours on a magnificently long finish with a waxy coating layer, yet delightfully fresh till the end. Beautiful balance. (£60)

The wines of Klein Constantia are imported and sold in the UK through Mentzendorff which is a commercial partner of The Buyer.

Ramon Bilbao & Mar de Frades tasting

How Ramón Bilbao and Mar de Frades are pioneering new styles

This October, coinciding with the centenary anniversary of iconic Spanish producer Ramón Bilbao, its Rueda winemaker Sara Bañuelos is launching a limited edition Verdejo that has been aged for four years in foudres and concrete to offer a new expression. It is just one of a series of new exciting wines from Bañuelos who travelled to London with Paula Fandiño of Rías Baixas producer Mar de Frades to demonstrate the marked effect of new viticultural, winemaking and maturation practices at their respective estates. For Fandiño’s part she also has a four-year aged Albariño, two sparkling cuvées plus a dessert Albariño. Geoffrey Dean reports from this ground-breaking tasting.

30th August 2024 by Geoffrey Dean

The ever-increasing popularity of Albariño and Verdejo shows no signs of abating, with plantings of both Spanish indigenous varietals up significantly in the last two decades. Indeed, Albariño has become so much in demand in its spiritual home, Rías Baixas, that it makes up 96% of vines in the DOP. Albariño is also grown in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay as well as France.

Meanwhile, Verdejo has done so well, not just in Castilla y Leon but also Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura, that Spanish plantings of it have gone up by over 400% between 2004 and 2020 to over 25,000 hectares.

Paula Fandiño of Rías Baixas producer Mar de Frades and Sara Bañuelos of Ramón Bilbao in Rueda (r-l) at the masterclass lunch, London, July 2024

Encouraged by this global embrace of the two varietals, two of Spain’s most talented winemakers, Paula Fandiño of Rías Baixas producer Mar de Frades, and Sara Bañuelos of Ramón Bilbao in Rueda, have united in their quest to push boundaries and extend still further the depth and complexity of both wines. The pair flew into London last month with a selection of samples, most yet to be bottled, to demonstrate the marked effect of new viticultural, winemaking and maturation practices at their respective estates.

Their first two wines, each from the 2022 vintage, have yet to be bottled, being still in tank, and are experimental as such. Bañuelos’ Ramon Bilbao Verdejo was aged on the fine lees for 18 months in 45-hectolitre old French foudres. Complex spicy notes came from the old wood, with creaminess from the time on lees. The wine retained its freshness surprisingly well, with citric and tropical fruit notes also preserved.

“I want this to be a gastronomic wine,” Bañuelos said. “I prevented any malolactic fermentation as Verdejo has less acidity than Albariño and I want to keep all the acidity we have. It doesn’t have the intensity of aromas that Albariño has.”

Fandiño’s Mar de Frades Albariño 2022, which spent as much as two years on the fine lees in stainless steel vats, also saw no malolactic fermentation. It showed particularly well, with white flowers on the nose and apricot notes on the palate. Brighter in appearance than the cloudy Verdejo, it was delightfully complex.

New styles possible in Rueda and Rías Baixas

The second Verdejo, a 2020 that has been bottled, underlined the varietal expression of a single vineyard site, namely Finca Las Amedias. The Verdejo came from the estates’ oldest vines, planted in 1999 on poorer sandier soil, while the 15% of Sauvignon Blanc blended in was from the youngest.

“It’s very special as it’s our terroir and represents a newer style that is possible in Rueda,” Bañuelos declared. “We used lees ageing in oak foudres for two years, and then transferred into concrete vats for 24 months more to add complexity and different aromas from the ageing process. I can notice oak and spicy, balsamic notes with herbs from the Sauvignon. I believe in the longevity of Verdejo. Our work with the lees is very soft as we focussed on trying to preserve the varietal profile. It’s very common to have fermentation in oak but not ageing in concrete.”

Fandiño’s Mar de Frades Albariño 2020, which came from a single vineyard site on granite soils named Finca Lobeira, was left on the lees for as much as four years.

“It’s a very special site as it is the main sub-region of Rías Baixas,” she said. “It is near the sea but the vineyard is protected by the highest mountain, which is very important for balsamic notes. This was a fantastic vintage, giving saltiness on the palate and fresh acidity and minerality.”

The next two wines, from 2023 and still unbottled, provided an illuminating insight into how concrete and granite maturation vessels affect wines. The Ramón Bilbao Verdejo has been in 41-hectolitre concrete vats.

“It has the same profile as a young Verdejo but something different,” Bañuelos mused. “More floral notes and stone fruit as well as more evolution. You get a stronger mouthfeel from concrete with a more creamy sensation.” Meanwhile, the Mar de Frades Albariño, which had spent two months on the lees in a 2,000-litre square granite vat with the prospect of two months more, exhibited very attractive pineapple and mango notes.

Next on the agenda: a really appealing orange wine, a 2023 Verdejo made by Bañuelos.

“I decided to do it as no one else has, and no orange wines are on Spanish wine lists,” she revealed, adding she prevented malolactic fermentation as acidity often drops out of orange wines. “For me the result is good. It had 30 days' skin contact - 10 fermenting and 20 after. It’s now in an old 2016 barrel. It’s not a very strong orange wine as I don't want to lose its varietal characteristics.” Very savoury, it had biscuit and almond notes, with well-integrated and quite soft tannins.

Bañuelos’ determination to experiment led her to make a 14.5% abv Verdejo in ‘sherry style’, although it was not fortified. “Since the end of 2020, it’s been under flor,” she said. “It’s not a sherry wine but a kind of sherry wine - a bit like a Fino. We have only two barrels, so not a solera.”

Fandiño, for her part, is also keen to pioneer new styles, producing a cracking pair of traditional method sparkling Albariños as well as a dessert wine from the same grape. “I want to express saltiness with bubbles,” she mused. “So I began to work the autolysis, and how bubbles can be smaller and smaller in the bottle. The first sample spent 36 months on lees and the second 61 months. No dosage in either. They are lovely wines.”

Her sweet wine, made from fruit harvested in 2019 but bottled in 2020, is effectively an ice wine (carbon dioxide pellets employed to freeze the grapes to -4C). With fermentation stopped at 9.5% abv with 120 g/l of residual sugar, it had alluring honey, salty notes, which is unusual in sweet wines.

With Ramón Bilbao in its centenary year, Bañuelos is hoping the company can increase its exports from its current level of 20% of production. “Lots of people outside Spain know nothing about Verdejo,” she said. “To celebrate our centenary, we will release in October the 2019, although there will be only 2,000 bottles. It will cost €40-50. We sell about one million bottles a year in Spain but want to change to find opportunities around the world. Colombia is our first market but UK is an opportunity for us. For Ramón Bilbao, Rueda is a special project.”

GH Mumm's RSRV wines

Why GH Mumm says 'touch' is key to understanding its RSRV gems

With triple Michelin star Japanese chef, Hideaki Sato, and Dijon-based author and lecturer Cyrille Tota by his side, GH Mumm’s new cellar master Yann Munier produced a lavish insight into the texture of its RSRV cuvées. With an open mind Geoffrey Dean hopped onto the Eurostar for this Parisian extravaganza, talked to the Mumm team and tasted through the new RSRV wines.

21st August 2024 by Geoffrey Dean

GH Mumm is one of the oldest Champagne houses, having been founded in 1827, but it is also among the most forward-thinking. It ticks many worthy boxes - such as its HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale), Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne and QSE (Quality Safety Environment) certifications - but at a dinner in Paris last month the company promoted some of its prestigious RSRV gems that have just been released into the British market, as well as introducing its new cellar master, Yann Munier.

Along with a posse of British wine and gastronomy writers and half a dozen French counterparts, the full marketing and sales team of GH Mumm and its owners, Pernod Ricard, was present at the dinner, prepared by triple Michelin star Japanese chef, Hideaki Sato. Pernod Ricard’s marketing director, Marie De Vries, said the aim was to increase RSRV sales to both the on-trade and high-end retail outlets in the UK, which currently occupies bottom spot in the ten-market league table where the labels are exported.

Aiming to increase RSRV sales to the on-trade: Pernod Ricard’s marketing director, Marie De Vries

Camille Paboudain, brand manager for GH Mumm globally, pointed to the mystique of RSRV wines.

“Through RSRV we want to uncover the singular personalities of our terroir,” she declared. “The experience tonight is to showcase how, with our human touch, we can express the best prophetic expressions of our terroir. Something we believe in that is very important - it’s the textures. Through texture we reveal the personality of terroir. The whole ‘Toucher du Vin’ experience tonight is around texture - how you can get to know this terroir through texture.”

Tasting RSRV while caressing different material

Talking through this 'Toucher du Vin' experience was the Dijon-based author and lecturer Cyrille Tota.

“I highlight the importance of the touch,” he announced. “The sensation we have at the end of our fingers is the same as for taste. Hold the fabrics between your fingers, and then taste the RSRVs and you will see.”

The fabrics supplied in a smart leather folder were akin to lace, velvet, silk, cotton and felt. Whether all five were apt descriptors of the wines was a moot point, and depended on individual palates, but Tota provoked plenty of debate.

Why the RSRV cuvées are so special

Some background on the RSRV labels may be useful. Since the early days of the house's foundation, a chosen few VIPs were the recipients of some of its finest bottles, which were marked in house records as RSRV or ‘reserved.’ These bottles were accompanied by a calling card with one corner folded over to denote they were for the chosen few.

Early this millennium, the house decided to release RSRV grand cru cuvées to the international market. In deference to the history of these ‘reserved’ Champagnes, one corner of the label is folded over to imitate the original calling cards.

Each bottle in the RSRV range is made from a blend of grapes from across GH Mumm’s grand cru vineyards, which total 160 of the 218 hectares it has under vine. As much as 78% of its plantings are Pinot Noir, the rest being Chardonnay.

Growers also contribute a significant amount of fruit, including Pinot Meunier, to GH Mumm which, like other bigger Champagne houses, chooses not to release annual production figures. Munier revealed that it has over 100 growers from ‘nearly everywhere’ in Champagne, with some of its families having had grower contracts with GH Mumm for 100 years or more.

“Regenerative viticulture is the key for us,” Munier, who joined GH Mumm in April, told The Buyer. “We try to develop a vineyard and leave some life in the soil. Global warming we cannot change but we have to adapt our production and try to keep freshness and adapt vigour. Our vinification process is changing, and one way is to stop malolactic fermentation, which is less than 20% now.”

Respect for the brand’s long and distinguished history is at the core of GH Mumm’s marketing philosophy.

“It’s a legacy thing - we have almost 200 years of history,” De Vries mused. “I like to listen to what has been done and I try to carry on and enhance and enrich. Our job is about repeating this consistency and relevance of the messages already there. It’s not to reinvent the messages. It’s about the power of repetition.”

With the highly capable Munier at the helm, expect many repeats of majestic RSRV wines .

How the wines tasted

RSRV Blanc de Blancs 2012

Made entirely from fruit in Cramant’s chalky soils in the Côte des Blancs appellation, from grand cru plots the house purchased in 1882. Three years on the lees; 6g/l dosage. Minerality and sparkling freshness accentuated by low pressure of 4.5 bars rather than the standard 6. Delicate aromas of white flowers and citrus, with notes of lemon meringue and grapefruit that dance on the palate. A very long finish. Excellent.

RSRV Blanc de Noirs 2009

Fruit from Verzenay, the highly reputed grand cru village north of Montagne de Reims where the house first purchased plots in 1840. Six years on lees; 6g/l dosage. Pinot Noir loves the calcareous soils which, together with altitude and north-east aspect, help give the wine precision, clarity and richness. Fine autolytic notes in a stunning Champagne with tension and considerable length.

RSRV 4.5

Name derived from four years on the lees and fruit from five grand cru sites: 60% Pinot Noir from Verzenay, Ay, Bouzy (giving power and structure); 40% Chardonnay from Cramant & Avize ( elegance, liveliness and citrus). 6g/l dosage. Grapes vinified separately before being blended with reserve wine. White and yellow fruit aromas with notes of marmalade, honey and nougat. A cracking NV.

RSRV Rosé Foujita

Named as a tribute to Leonard Foujita, the Japanese-born artist who created the frescoes in Mumm’s Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix chapel in Reims as well as the motif on the house’s rosé champagne (in 1958). A blend of Chardonnay from Cramant and Avize, with Pinot Noir coming from Ay, Boozy and Verzenay. All vinified separately and then blended before 30% reserve wines added. Finally, red wine from the grand cru vineyards of Ambonnay added to give extra roundness and minerality. Four years on lees; 6g/l dosage. Strawberry and cherry notes on this seductive rosé, which has notable length.

ZONIN1821 tasting

Geoffrey Dean picks the highlights from the ZONIN1821 London tasting

Italian wine group ZONIN1821 held a comprehensive tasting in London last month to show off the wines of its seven family-owned Italian estates and Spanish and South African cooperatives it imports into the UK. Geoffrey Dean met the winemakers, picks out and recommends some of the key wines and hears from the group’s vice president Michele Zonin about wine culture, technical innovation and sustainable development as it’s promoted by the group.

15th August 2024 by Geoffrey Dean

While ZONIN1821 is something of a behemoth in the wine industry, with an annual revenue of around €200 million, it still hopes to expand its distribution in the UK, which accounts for a quarter of its turnover. The importer, which also owns seven wine estates in Italy and one in the USA, exports to over 140 countries world-wide and put on an impressive annual portfolio tasting in London last month.

Good business practice

Founded in 1821 by the Zonin family in Veneto, the group has seventh generation descendant brothers who are its president and vice-president. Vice-president, Michele Zonin flew in from Italy, and talked about the company’s philosophy.

“We like to promote our three pillars” Zonin said. “These are ‘Made in Italy’, sustainability and Italian wine culture. Our Prosecco represents the essence of ‘La Dolce Vita’ on a global level. The group’s latest sustainability report - the first one- was published last year in accordance with the Equalitas* standard. We are super happy about that.”

(*The Equalitas certification covers environmental, social and economic sustainability).

“Now, more than ever, the world and consumers at large demand that companies take a stand on sustainability-related issues. For society as a whole the logic of unfettered profit without consequences, is no longer synonymous with good business practices."

"Companies are being tasked to demonstrate responsibility in their work and justify their choices: in the light of this, sustainability cannot be conceived as merely an ‘add-on’ in business but must be one of the foundations of a business model, its corporate culture and its strategic choices.”

Indeed, ZONIN1821 Group’s Tuscan estate, Castello di Albola, was one of the first in Italy to obtain this certification. Similarly, Rocca di Montemassi, also in Tuscany, is both organically and sustainably farmed with biological defence instead of pesticides; green manure; beehives; and 28 hectares maintained as forest to absorb CO2.

Biodiversity is also a priority at ZONIN1821 Group’s Friuli winery Ca’ Bolani, which recently adopted the ‘Carta del Mulino’ (Mill Charter) project, which promotes the spread of pollinating insects. And on the Sicilian estate, Principi di Butera, biodiversity comes from 50 hectares of arable land and 25 of olive trees. Masseria Altemura in Apulia likewise has 88 hectares of arable and 40 of olives.

Tasting the ZONIN1821 wines

“Our jewel in Chianti,” the charismatic winemaker Alessandro Gallo called Castello di Albola. One of the highest estates in Tuscany, with 125 hectares of vine planted up to 700 metres, it boasts a magisterial ‘Super Tuscan’ label, Acciaiolo, made from an old single vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Its Chardonnay Le Fagge 2022, another Toscana IGT label, showed particularly well as did its four different Chianti Classicos. Gallo also makes the wines at Rocca di Montemassi, whose Maremma Toscana DOC Sassabruna 2021, a blend of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Petit Verdot 30% Syrah and 10% Merlot was outstanding.

Another winemaker with overall responsibility for more than one ZONIN1821 Group’s estate was present in Paolo Tealdi. Based in Asti, his Piedmont brief is Poggio Le Coste, but he also crafts the wines at Lombardy producer Oltrenero and Principi di Butera in Sicily. All of Oltrenero's three super-premium wines were made from 100% Pinot Noir. “The area is beautiful for Pinot Noir on mostly clay soils with some sand at 200-300m,” Tealdi said, adding that a new product aged 96 months on the lees would be released (the current trio seeing 36-48 months).

Tealdi also produces two sparkling versions of Nero D’Avola at Principi di Butera - one by tank method and the other by traditional method. The latter, a Pas Dose (zero dosage) 2018, spent 36 months on the lees and was excellent, pairing very well with tiger prawns, avocado, fennel and dill at the food and wine masterclass. Matching well with curry was the same winery’s Insolia Sicilia DOC Carizza 2022, with its sapidity, fresh acidity and minerality.

Masseria Altemura’s Falanghina Salento IGT 2022 was a fine example of the varietal, and, as a specialist producer of Primitivo, it was no surprise their Salento IGT Sasseo 2021 showed impressive richness, structure and generosity of fruit. Aged in 25% new oak, its overt tannins need time to soften, and Antonio Cavallo, the estate's director and viticulturist, suggested it will be at its best at eight years of age.

Another southern Italian black grape renowned for its tannins, Magliocco, makes up 100% of Calabrian producer, Colacino Wines’ Savuto Rosso DOC Si. A mid-market wine with appealing cherry notes, this drew the following verdict from winemaker Mauro Colacino: “It is only grown in Calabria, where it originated. It is rustic but with softer tannins than the more mineral Aglianico.” The benefit of 500 metres of altitude was reflected in the wine’s freshness.

The similarly high vineyards (350-650m) of Tenuta del Meriggio, in Campania, tend to provide a very wide diurnal range of 15°C, allowing its impressive range of wines to show unusually high acidity levels, requiring 100% malolactic fermentation in the three whites - Greco di Tufo, Fiano and Falanghina. The owner’s son, Francesco Saverio, also the export manager, spoke eloquently of his family’s desire to increase on-trade sales to the UK, its third biggest export market after the US and Japan.

“The competitive window is shrinking and prices getting lower, with styles moving towards easy-to-drink wines," Saverio said. “Our wines are food-pairing wines…to be enjoyed the fullest they need food. Our oldest vines are 80-year-old Aglianico on mixed soils of volcanic and clay plus sand and gravel. Ten years ago it was impossible to reach 30°C in summer - now it gets to 35°C. But we are lucky the grapes are suited to the environment. Our Taurasi DOCG Aglianico is the Barolo of southern Italy.”

Giulia Cossetti

Talking of Piemonte, Cossetti’s Barolo DOCG Cinquantacinque 2019, is still quite young but with tremendous potential. Drinkable now, though, is Cossetti’s Barbaresco Cinquantotto 2019, whose fruit is enchanting and tannins approachable. With an abv of 14%, the wine is in perfect balance. “2019 was a very, very good year, although 2018 was the best,” co-owner Giulia Cossetti said. “We try to balance the tannins.”

Sancho Garces - the single Spanish producer

Mariola Varona

The one Spanish producer’s wines that ZONIN1821 Group imports is the co-operative Sancho Garces. Two hundred families who own 400 hectares in Rioja Alta send their grapes for vinification. These include not just Tempranillo and Viura but also Tempranillo Blanco.

“Adding 15% Tempranillo Blanco to the Viura is the best thing that ever happened to Rioja white wine,” Mariola Varona, the co-op’s export director, said. “It gives brightness, friskiness, acidity, fruit character and minerality, and combines so well with the backbone and structure of Viura. It's nicely balanced and very easy drinking.”

It was hard to disagree with Varona, who revealed the enticing Rioja DOC Crianza is ‘one of our best sellers’ (and value at £14.79 RRP).

From the Western Cape – Du Toitskloof

Also good value in the everyday drinking class was the range of another co-operative, Du Toitskloof. Founded in 1962 by six farmers in the Breedekloof district of the western Cape, it has expanded to 12 growers, who own 985 hectares of vines, including Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ed Beukus

“We are a bulk producer, working with supermarkets, but also sell our branded wines through Zonin," export manager Ed Beukus said. “We are Fair Trade accredited, and are selling well here to pubs, bars and restaurants as we have very good quality at a very good price. You have to in a saturated market. Chenin and Shiraz are best sellers, and because the brand has grown so well in South Africa, we have had to start buying in grapes, with a lot of red from Swartland.”

Finally, from across the Atlantic, ZONIN1821 Group is bringing in some high quality red and white wines from its US winery, Barboursville Vineyards. Viognier is a grape that has long flourished in this state, and its Viognier Virginia Appellation 2017, which spent 11 months on the lees, showed very well. So too did its Nebbiolo Reserve Virginia Appellation 2015, with its approachable tannins, and Cabernet Franc Reserve Virginia Appellation 2017.

Domaine Chanson

Vincent Avenel on how Domaine Chanson is thinking outside the box

It’s a year since Bollinger-owned Domaine Chanson acquired a 45-hectare estate in Côte Chalonnaise, allowing this 275 year-old Burgundy négociant to future-proof its business. Geoffrey Dean visited the estate and talks in-depth with managing director Vincent Avenel about how key this acquisition has been in terms of his plans to balance the business model, replant rootstock, receive organic certification and completely rethinking Chanson’s business strategy. Avenel is justified in his belief, writes Geoffrey Dean, as they have the fruit, they have a team that is as harmonious as their wines and they have a dynamic, experienced managing director who thinks outside the box.

13th August 2024 by Geoffrey Dean

“Incroyable….utopie,” beamed Vincent Avenel. The charismatic managing director of Domaine Chanson Père et Fils might have been revelling in the runaway success of the Olympics, when thousands of hitherto absent Parisians returned early to the city mid-Games, fearful of missing the biggest party there since France won the World Cup at the Stade de France in 1998.

But Avenel was in fact looking back on a major transformation in the fortunes of one of the most venerable Burgundy négociant houses, whose founding predates the French Revolution. “Thinking of buying 40 hectares in Burgundy is like a dream - utopia,” he reflected. “We told our shareholders it would take 15 years to build this up, but we had the opportunity in one go. Incredible.”

Thinking outside the box: Vincent Avenel, Domaine Chanson, July 2024

Some background is useful here. Notwithstanding the prestige of its imminent 275th anniversary - in 2025 - Chanson Père et Fils was worried about the future. A strategic rethink, ordered during Covid by Etienne Bizot, president of owners, Bollinger, led consultants to conclude that its négociant business was at risk.

“The competition of small growers has become very strong as they don’t really need to sell their fruit,” Avenel explained. “They can vinify, bottle and sell themselves. And demand is so strong that customers are going direct to them. The business model of négociants was we buy fruit or must from growers, and then we vinify, age and sell. But now the raw material is missing because the small growers keep it for themselves. So business is dangerous, and we thought it best to have a larger estate where we know what we are going to get off Mother Nature.”

The issue, though, was how to increase holdings of 43 hectares in a region where sales are either rare and/or expensive. In the summer of 2022, however, word reached Domaine Chanson that the owners of a 45-hectare estate in Côte Chalonnaise named Château D’Etroyes were open to selling. Negotiations began in secret in July of that year, with other rival négociants kept in the dark, and carried on for another eight months before a deal was signed in March 2023.

“A group of eight gentlemen who had been very successful in finance and banking in France, India and Singapore had bought the estate in 2018,” Avenel revealed. “They were seduced by the idea of being owners of land in Burgundy but were very unlucky with the weather and small vintages apart from 2019. The estate needed some investment, and they saw it was going to cost them too much and it was better to sell. But when I visited the wines were at a good level.”

Chanson's cellars at Beaune - the estate's founding predates the French Revolution

Avenel would not reveal the purchase price, only that Chanson Père et Fils was happy with it. “It is always over-priced in Burgundy but in Côte Chalonnaise it remains at a more reasonable level,” he declared. “Prior to this acquisition, our model was 25% of the business based on domaine wines and 75% on negociant wines. Now, with this acquisition, we should be at 50:50. We should now be in a model to help us go through any kind of situation.”

The plan is to renew the vineyards at Château D’Etroyes, mainly in Rully and Mercurey, over the next 15 years.“That will have a cost but we know that, and are ok with that,” Avenel continued. “Long-term is the right way, and we are going to change a few things. The main efforts we have to make are in the vineyards; so we are reinforcing the team looking after them from seven people to 15, and have cut the administrative staff. To reduce the average vine age from 50 years to a more desirable one of 35, they will replant two hectares per annum there for the first 5 years, and then one hectare each year.”

All vinification is being carried out in Beaune, where it is easier to control quality. “The winery in Mercurey was a bit dated, and we have better facilities,” Avenel explained. “It’s too complicated to have two different wineries. For the whites, we press in Mercurey and send the must to Beaune for fermentation.”

There, the vinification facility, which was updated in 2010, is on the edge of town towards Savigny, with the company headquarters and maturation cellars located in town at Bastion de l’Oratoire, a late medieval stone tower that was one of Beaune’s principal fortifications.

Organics and the 2024 season

Biodiversity drive: bee hives at Clos des Mouches

Farming organically is now one of Chanson Père et Fils’ most closely embraced tenets. It will receive organic certification for the entire Beaune harvest this year, and has just begun the process of organic certification at Château D’Etroyes.

“There’s no price premium in Burgundy for organic wines, but some people won’t consider buying if they are not,” Avenel said. “We haven’t done it because it’s a trend, or for marketing, but to take care of the vines with more respect for the environment. It’s better for our employees too but it doesn't make life easy. You have to spray the organic products more often.”

Overseeing a major replanting programme: Justine Savoye, vineyard manager

This vintage has proved particularly testing, with both types of mildew - downy and powdery - a major problem. Persistent rain in the first half this growing season has encouraged the deadly duo. According to Chanson’s vineyard manager, Justine Savoye, as much as 100mm of rain fell in Beaune in June (ten times the normal amount) and 200mm in the Côte de Nuits.

“Many people have lost their entire crop, depending on the plot and the strategy of the domaine,” she said, as we walked through her vines. “This year in Clos des Mouches we sprayed 10 copper and sulphur treatments by early July, more than other years.”Domaine

Chanson’s embrace of experimental viticultural practices include the trial use of a new biofungicide treatment named 'Taegro' that is permitted in organic systems to counter both downy and powdery mildew. Half a dozen new rootstocks are also being trialled by Chanson with a view to replacing 161/49C, which is not resistant to drought. Many vines planted on it since the 1990s are suffering badly.

In addition, a biodiversity drive by Chanson has seen the repair and maintenance of its three kilometres of drystone walls, important habitat for multiple species of insects, snails, slugs, small birds and small mammals. And fittingly, given that the Clos des Mouches vineyard was named after bees (‘mouche à miel’ being the French for honey-bee), bee hives at the top of Chanson’s parcel have been re-established. Meanwhile, several Chanson rows of around 500 vines on a steep incline in the Premier Cru Les Bressandes vineyard are being grubbed up to be replanted with fruit trees.

What though of the wines’ direction?

Lucy Auger, cellar master, presenting the latest vintages

Avenel is clear about making wine as authentic and as pure as possible.

“We are a young team,” he said. “Lucy [Auger], the cellar master, started in 2020, Justine in 2019, and I in 2017. It was time to shake off the dust and ask what are the fundamentals and where we can be good. We’re not wanting to replace Bouchard with four million bottles or Jadot with 12 million. It’s not our goal at all - we are between 600,000 and one million bottles per year depending on the vintage. If we can do more, we will do but the first goal is to produce the best wine in that category. We might be the second or third best, but if we are in the top three we are super happy. And we don’t want to invent a style. We want to produce wine that is authentic and pure as can be.”

A key technical change was made when Auger took over with the abandonment of 100% Pinot Noir whole-bunch fermentation, an unusual practice among Burgundy’s larger-scale producers. This has been reduced to between 25-50%.

“We don’t do things with a systematic approach - we try to adapt to each vintage, each plot,” Avenel continued. “We might be wrong sometimes but we learn and hopefully we improve. It’s something I’ve learnt working for different companies - there is not one magic recipe. I want to emphasise that it’s not a one-man decision at Chanson. Lucy, Justine and I taste wines together and other wines from the competition - blind - and ask ‘are we far from the best, what are the best?’ and try to be inspired by that. We try to build a shared view of where we should go.”

Above all, Avenel knows that shedding the sometimes negatively in-built view of négociants will require patience and time. “When you take decisions you know it’s going to take five, six perhaps ten years,” he sighed. “In terms of image, it takes a lot of time. People have very strong preconceptions. When you start with a négociant image, you really start with a handicap because people tend to think negociants are big and have average wines and are not consistent, which is totally wrong but that’s the preconception because it was based on something that happened 30 or 40 years ago. But nowadays the borders are not very clear because you have growers that become négociants, and négociants that become landowners.

“Our goal is to be among the best in the category and appellation where we are. That’s going to happen when the markets and opinion leaders say it’s happened. We want to show what we’ve been doing in the last six or seven years. We want to renew or change the mindset of people so it’s not a preconception but something based on fact and the things that are really happening. And hopefully, this will grow slowly but surely, and people will think Chanson is not at all what they thought initially. When I joined Faiveley in 2007, their image was terrible, with an undrinkable style of wines, but now if you read the magazines and journalists, Faiveley is quite high now, and it has been a huge change.”

Avenel modestly credits Bernard Hervet not himself for masterminding the turnaround at Faiveley, who doubled their turnover of €nine million between 2007 and 2016. Avenel thinks Chanson’s medium size is a big plus in its quest for greater recognition.

“We’re not small, not big - we have the best of both worlds,” he concluded. “Our focus is not on volume, it’s on quality, and we have a strength compared to smaller growers in that we have a team of specialists. We are right in between which gives us a great advantage.” He is justified in his belief - they have the fruit, they have a team that is harmonious as their wines and they have a dynamic, experienced managing director who thinks outside the box.

Four Chanson wines that caught the eye

Domaine Chanson Corton-Vergennes Grand Cru, 2022

From a 0.65 hectare plot adjacent to Corton-Charlemagne, this was the pick of the whites tasted. Smoky, spicy nose with aromas of white flowers; citrus lime, white peach, apple and earthy wet stone notes on the palate; powerfully structured, yet charming with elegant backbone and taut acidity. Tightly focused and very mineral, complex, long finish.

Domaine Chanson Beaune Premier Cru Clos des Mouches, 2022

From a parcel on a vineyard renowned for producing some of Beaune’s finest white wines. Aromas of pear, vanilla, clove and nutmeg; tight citrus freshness at its core with peach and exotic mango notes; beautiful, tension-filled intensity with linear precision and saline-infused, persistent finish, enhanced by subtle minerality. Grand Cru quality in all but name.

Domaine Chanson Beaune Premier Cru Les Grèves, 2022

From a steep 2-hectare plot with gravelly soils. Strawberry on the nose with herbal, smoky aromas. Bold, dark berry fruit, notably black cherry, on the palate with hints of game. Sensuous, very well-handled tannins provide shape. Plenty of freshness to partner terrific complexity and concentration. Impressive, mineral-inflected length. 20% new oak.

Domaine Chanson Beaune Premier Cru Clos des Fèves, 2022

From a 3.8 ha monopole that has been registered since 1307. Fabulous nose with lifted and perfumed aromas with hints of roses, strawberries and spice. Gorgeous red fruit, with classy black cherry also evident. Olive, chocolate, tobacco and earthy notes add complexity. Structure from 20% new oak. Alluringly textured mouthfeel with super-fine, silky tannins and magnificent concentration and length. If there was a reclassification, this would be a shoe-in Grand Cru. The makings of a great Burgundy.

The wines of Domaine Chanson are imported and sold in the UK by Mentzendorff which is a commercial partner of The Buyer.

Australian wines paired with Aussie cricketers

Australian wine, like their cricketers, will bowl you over

With the Aussies arriving for a T20 series this September, here's a selection of Laithwaites wines that match the players perfectly

Geoffrey Dean 6 August 2024 • 2:00pm

Travis Head's a premium player deserving of a premium wine like Coco Rotie, and there's plenty more perfect pairings to be found this summer Credit: Getty

Classic shotmakers

D’Arenberg Thunderstep Shiraz 2021 (£23): from one of South Australia’s best-known producers, D’Arenberg, this premium-quality Shiraz from McLaren Vale is rich, opulent and complex. Seductive notes of blackberries, boysenberries and plums along with silkily smooth tannins. Notable concentration and length.

MOST LIKE: Josh Inglis. The 29-year old Leeds-born wicketkeeper-batsman, whose parents emigrated to Australia when he was a boy, is as classy as the wine, being blessed with a top-notch attacking game (his strike-rate is a fearsome 152 in his 21 T20 internationals).

RedHeads Coco Rotie 2021 (£16.99): the brainchild of Tony Laithwaite, RedHeads was founded in South Australia to allow winemakers to produce small-batch premium wines with individuality, personality and character. This Syrah, with a dash of Viognier added, has all three in spades. Made from old-vine Barossa Valley fruit, it is deep purple in colour, with lifted vanilla and smoky aromas, as well as alluring blackberry and dark chocolate notes alongside some floral hints from the Viognier.

MOST LIKE: Travis Head. So many layers to this exciting wine, just like the South Australian with his multitude of different attacking shots. A premium wine for a top batsman.

Tscharke Shiraz Shiraz Shiraz 2021 (£19.99): so good they named it thrice. A sumptuous blend from three vineyards on some of the oldest soils in the Barossa Valley. Enticing red and black fruit, with soft tannins, some spicy undertones and a fresh, savoury and persistent finish.

MOST LIKE: Cameron Green. Its three quality sources of fruit mirror the West Australian all-rounder’s ability as a batsman, bowler and gully fielder.

Shiraz Shiraz Shiraz is a wine made from three vineyards and matches all-rounder Cameron Green Credit: Getty

Big hitters

The Great Bonza Reserve 2021 (£14.99): a lip-smacking blend of 75 per cent Shiraz and 25 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, made by John Quarisa from several vineyards in South Eastern Australia. It’s full-bodied and full-flavoured, with red cherry, plum and blackcurrant notes.

MOST LIKE: Mitchell Marsh. As powerful and full-bodied as the strapping Australian T20 captain, who hits the ball a country mile.

The Black Stump Durif/Shiraz 2022 (£12.99): another irresistible South Eastern Australian blend, made by Aussie winemaking legend Alan Kennett. Durif, the majority grape, has long flourished in Victoria, and gives off spicy, dark berry aromas. Notes on the palate of blackberry, liquorice and dark chocolate as well as black pepper. A really voluptuous wine with velvety tannins.

MOST LIKE: Marcus Stoinis. A spicy wine with the same power and length as the muscular New South Welshman.

A powerful wine, Black Stump brings to mind the muscular prowess of Marcus Stoinis Credit: Alamy

RedHeads Night of the Living Red 2022 (£24): another beauty from RedHeads made up of Durif, Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga from the Barossa Valley. A powerful and spicy blend with lovely fruit, ample freshness and firm but beautifully integrated tannins. And a label that takes your breath away.

MOST LIKE: Tim David. A powerful wine to match the dual Singaporean-Australian national’s full-throttled approach to batting.

No-nonsense all-rounders

Willy Willy Shiraz 2022: lots of structure in this medium to full-bodied single varietal, made by Bob Berton, with intensely flavoured red and black fruit. 

MOST LIKE: Aaron Hardie. Very approachable wine with great potential, just like the 25-year old all-rounder from Western Australia, who has played for Surrey and was a very popular figure at the Kia Oval. 

Gold Top Chardonnay Limestone Coast 2022 (13.99): from fruit grown near the idyllic coastal town of Robe, three hours’ drive south of Adelaide, this is a rich, buttery Chardonnay that went through partial malolactic fermentation, a process used to combine freshness with richness. Apricot notes, with hints of peaches and cream, are enhanced by fresh acidity.

MOST LIKE: Nathan Ellis. Lots of complex and subtle notes in this Chardonnay – not unlike the T20 specialist pace bowler with his skilful, well-concealed variations. Ellis, who celebrates his 30th birthday a week after the T20 series ends, also has a good economy rate of 7.77 per over in his 17 T20 international appearances from Ellis.

Trimboli Family Reserve Black Duck Durif 2023 (£15.49): an alluring wine from New South Wales, where Sam Trimboli made it from vines planted in the 1980s. A renowned fan of Durif, he describes it as “a stunning little powerhouse grape that develops astounding complexity.” Some time spent in American oak has given it hints of coconut and vanilla to complement its full body and layers of spicy fruit.

MOST LIKE: Ellyse Perry. A powerhouse of a wine to go with the superstar of the Australia women's team. And both come from the same state. The 33-year old all-rounder from Sydney, who has also represented her country at football 18 times, has so many dimensions to her game, just like the wine.

McPherson Full Fifteen Classic Red sparkling (£14.99): a left-field selection to finish with, in the form of Andrew ‘Big Mac’ McPherson’s sparkling Cabernet and Shiraz blend from Nagambie Lakes in Victoria. His still red wines have proved hugely popular over the years, and this lively carbonated bubbly, is clean and dry with ripe fruit flavours and hints of spice. It is 14% abv and goes well with charcuterie or gamey dishes.  

MOST LIKE: Alyssa Healy. A characterful bubbly to match the irrepressible wicketkeeper-batter, who is also current captain of the Australia women's team. Married to fast bowler Mitchell Starc, as well as being the niece of Test great Ian Healy, she has made 153 T20 international appearances.

Captain of the Australia women's team, Alyssa Healy is a character paired with Full Fifteen Credit: Getty

Wily bowlers

RedHeads Harmonie Rox Chardonnay 2022 (£15.99): RedHeads’ determination to search far and wide for quality fruit in South Australia took them to a Cabernet Sauvignon heartland, Coonawarra. Local grower, Jack Burston, showed how good Chardonnay can be in this region. Made from the Mendoza clone, it has delightful nectarine and lemon pith notes, with vibrant acidity and a subtle and well-judged oak influence.

MOST LIKE: Josh Hazlewood. A wine of quality that’s a match for the New South Wales fast bowler with his clever changes of pace. 

Josh Hazlewood's quality bowling is a match for the fruity notes found in Harmonie Rox Credit: Getty

V-on-Yay Viognier 2023 (£11.99): just like wrist-spinners, this is unconventional with its wacky brand name based on the French pronunciation of the Rhone grape, Viognier, that most Aussies struggle to get right. From fruit in the Riverina region of South Australia, this is a very drinkable example of this varietal, with bright tropical notes and hints of peach, apricot and spice. The grape can be high in alcohol and low in acidity, but this wine is well-balanced and a delight to drink.

MOST LIKE: Adam Zampa. As wacky and unconventional a wine as the cunning leggie, whose variation foxes so many batsmen.

Make your selection for the summer of cricket at laithwaites.co.uk

Borsa Vini Italiani tasting 2024

How diversity of Italian wine was championed at Borsa Vini Italiani

The breadth and depth of Italian wine was once again on show at the annual Borsa Vini Italiani event in London in early June. Aimed at allowing attendees a chance to gain further insights into Italy’s diverse wine production and terroir it had a particular focus, this year, on lesser known grape varieties with two of the three masterclasses centred around ‘obscure’ grapes – perfect for the sommelier or importer looking for niche wines. Geoffrey Dean reports.

23rd July 2024by Geoffrey Dean

As a well-established date in the trade’s tasting calendar, Borsa Vini Italiani (BVI) is invariably well-attended, and this year’s edition was no exception. Its organisers, the Italian Trade Agency, likes to rotate the venue to keep it fresh, and while this year’s choice was the solid but unspectacular Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster, you could hardly say that about the wines on show and the setup that ITA designed. Over 200 were on show from 41 producers (all but two seeking UK distribution) in 13 key regions - namely Abruzzo, Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Marche, Piedmont, Tuscany, Sardinia, Sicily, Umbria and Veneto.

The length and breadth of Italy, therefore, and a wonderfully diverse selection of labels to lure the many buyers, sommeliers, off-trade representatives et alia who pitched up. “New business partnerships”, as ITA London director Giovanni Sacchi puts it, is what BVI is all about, and while one can only speculate about the extent of those, those who attended were able to delve into many of the scores of indigenous grape varieties Italy has - the most of any country with 377 registered varieties to its name, a long way ahead of France in second place on 204.

Perhaps the more obscure varieties are the place to start, because two of the three masterclasses were ‘Family Estates: Unveiling lesser-known regions’ (by John Downes MW) and ‘Unknown Italy: white wines from the South’ (by Walter Speller, editor Italy for JancisRobinson.com). By way of contrast, the third was ‘International grapes in Italy’ (by Patrick Schmitt MW).

Lorenzo Pesolillo

Speller picked out a delightful Pecorino Superiore from the Pesolillo winery in Abruzzo DOC, whose joint owner Lorenzo Pesolillo I made a point of seeking out. This is precisely the sort of small family-owned set-up that BVI is designed to help when it comes to finding a UK importer. Three brothers are involved - Lorenzo (exports), Luca (winemaker) and Marco (admin) - with father Giuseppe the viticulturist (his father having founded the winery in 1961). Organically-farmed vines at 200 metres close to the Adriatic Sea have produced a fresh wine with aromas of white flowers and notes of peach and pear, with hints of salinity and minerality. Annual production of around 50,000 bottles (also featuring Montepulciano and Passerina) was taken up entirely by the Italian market until two years ago when the family ventured into export markets that now include Canada, Mexico, Switzerland and Germany. “Now we like to get into the UK,” Lorenzo told me.

Ciro Verde

Across the other side of Italy, just outside Naples, and only 12km from Mount Vesuvius, can be found another impressive family-owned winery - that of Il Quarto Miglio (or ‘Fourth Mile’ as per the Roman unit of measurement). Winemaker Ciro Verde has the pleasure of crafting his wines from vines on their own roots, on what is ‘super volcanic’ soil, as he describes it. His appetising Macchia Blanco Falanghina Riserva 2018, made from Campania’s signature white grape, saw six hours of skin contact to provide weight, and has aged beautifully, retaining its freshness and stone fruit notes. His single varietal Piedirosso 2022, the second most planted black grape in Campania after Aglianico, also showed well, with its medium body, red fruit and soft tannins. Delitalia import the wines.

Antonietta Luongo of Ocone

Fellow Campania producer, Ocone, unfurled a very drinkable 12% abv sparkling Aglianico, named Alalunga Vino Spumante di Qualita Sannio 2021. “We make 7,500 bottles of this by the Charmat method, but have a traditional method version with 36 months on the lees being released before Christmas,” export manager Antonietta Luongo said. “We export to North America, Asia, Europe and would like to add UK, where we were with Berkmann previously.” Just over a third of the company’s annual production, which is around 180,000 bottles, is exported, with its premium Vigna del Monaco 2021 label another fine Falanghina from the sought-after Taburno sub-region, where their vines are planted up to 600 metres.

Michele & Andrea Bruno of Boccafolle di Balbia

Another of Speller’s shrewd selections was Boccafolle di Balbia in the Calabria town of Mottafollone. This intriguing little winery with five hectares under vine only deals in ancient indigenous varietals such as Greco Nero & Bianco, the black grape Magliocco and, rarest of all, Vujno. The latter, used in their Donna Elena white blend, was ‘completely unknown’ until last year when it was finally permitted as a varietal, according to Michele Bruno, whose family owns the winery. Pear and quince are its principal descriptors, which complement the herb and lemon notes of the other grape in the blend, Pecorino.

Bruno and his first cousin, Andrea, who happens to be one of Real Madrid’s lawyers, were at BVI in the hope of establishing a market in the UK. How had they done, I asked at the end of the tasting? “We’ve made some good contacts with sommeliers, and some hotel chains and distributors are showing interest,” Michele declared. “We mostly export, with 80% going to the United States where I used to live.” The approachable Melara 2022 label (85% Magliocco from 65-year old vines) belied the varietal’s reputation for overt tannins, being only 12.5% abv.

Talking of lower alcohol wines, the Nebbiolo producer, Bosio Family Estates, attracted praise from Beans Boughton MW, buyer for Alliance Wine. “These guys are into low alcohol,” Boughton mused, although none of their low abv labels were available for tasting. “I think their red wines are the best I’ve tasted at 11%, because they’re using innovative techniques to get there, using specific yeasts. From my perspective, their Barbaresco and Barolo are the sort of wines that could work for us, and maybe the Barbera, but we already have a lot of producers who do these, but not so many with such good value-to-price ratio as here.”

Angelica Zorzettig of Il Roncal

Also offering excellent value for money was Friuli winery, Il Roncal, which has 20 hectares of terraced vineyards on Colle Montebello, close to the UNESCO world heritage site town of Cividale del Friuli. Refreshing Ribolla Gialla, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc labels were complemented by some enticing Schioppettino, the black grape indigenous to the region. Deeply-coloured yet medium-bodied, its violet-scented aromas gave way to black pepper and spicy notes on a long finish.

Barbara Ruppel of Castello del Trebbio

Another lesser-known red variety, Ciliejolo, whose spiritual home is Tuscany, made up a 50:50 split with Canaiolo in a very quaffable blend made by Chianti producer, Castello del Trebbio, which gained biodynamic certification last year. “It’s an easy-drinking, mid-market IGT Toscana wine with a very nice balance between acidity and fruit that you can try chilled,” export manager Barbara Ruppel said. “Ellis of Richmond imports our other two brands in Maremma and Sardinia, but we are looking for distribution here.” Ciliejolo means ‘cherry’ in Italian, notes of which were apparent.

Bernadetta Battistini of Empson

Reverting to mainstream varieties, Empson & Co, a leading exporter of fine Italian wines worldwide, is looking for UK distribution for two of their brands: Toscolo in Chianti and Jankara in Sardinia. The latter’s Vermentino di Gallura Superiore DOCG 2023 showed particularly well, with Empson’s export manager, Bernadetta Battistini, extolling its virtues.

“It is very good Vermentino,which retails in Italy for between €30-35,” she said. “It benefits from granitic soils and very fresh winds from the sea.” She revealed the muscular Jankara Cannonau di Sardegna DOC 2020, produced from vines at 700 metres and compared stylistically by Schmitt in his masterclass to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, had impressed Ed Fairfax of importer Waud Wines.

Barbara & Luca Cruciani of Casa Lucciola

Talking of Italian white varietals, one small winery that makes nothing but Verdicchio caught the eye - Casa Lucciola in the Marche region, longtime home of the grape. Owner-winemaker Luca Cruciani farms four hectares organically at 430m on clay and limestone soils in the Matelica Valley.

“He lost his mind 25 years ago and planted vines,” wife Barbara joked. The couple produce five Verdicchio labels with some very appealing fruit and notable freshness (RRP in Italy €13-21).” It is the grape of our territory and does very well in our terroir, with a continental climate.” Luca said. “We select the best grapes to produce approximately 12,000 bottles.”

By contrast, Muratori produces up to 500,000 bottles per annum of Franciacorta from 50 hectares, which is available through Boutique Brands. “It’s been selling well here, and is an emerging category, so very exciting,” Tommy Harrigan, one of the importer’s buyers, said. “Muratori has vines in each of the six areas of Franciacorta, so gets all different soil types. The Brut NV is the most popular style we have - very user-friendly.” Three other labels were on view, including an excellent zero dosage 100% Chardonnay.

Sebastian Vismara of Gloria

Finally, a quirky SKU to end with. A company named Gloria d’Italia, founded by Sebastian Vismara, is producing 25cl cans of carbonated spritzer made up of 55% Pinot Grigio (Trentino fruit), 35% water and 10% apple juice (5.5% abv). Vibrant acidity balances residual sugar of 12g/l.

“It’s been on the market for six months now - just in Australia where my co-founder Pierro lives and where it’s done well in bottle shops, pubs, hotels and cocktail bars,” Vismara said. “There is a huge trend for ready-to-drink products, and we’re looking for distribution in the US and UK. We’re aiming to sell 30,000 cans this year [RRP AU$8, or £4], and have done half that already, and can increase production to half a million a year . Sale price to distributors is £1.”

* (source: the ‘Wine Grapes’ bible by the prophets Harding, Robinson and Vouillamoz).

Wines for a summer of cricket

The wine you should be drinking at the cricket this summer

Our wine expert pairs Laithwaites’ firm favourites with a glorious summer of Tests, T20s and one-day cricket matches

Geoffrey Dean 17 July 2024 • 2:50pm

A wonderful season of international cricket in England and Wales is upon us, with three different formats to enjoy from 10 July to 29 September. 

For the men, six Test matches come first, with three against West Indies in July followed by three against Sri Lanka over the last 10 days of August and the beginning of September; then three T20s against Australia between 11-15 September; and five one-day internationals against the Aussies between 19-29 September. The women’s side have already completed a T20 series victory over New Zealand and have a one-day international series against Ireland in September.

And a wonderful summer of international cricket requires a wonderful summer of wine. And what better way to combine the two than to delve into Laithwaites’ extensive wine cellar to select the perfect trio of bottles for each form of cricket? The year’s cornucopia of cricketing action gives wine drinkers lots of opportunities to act as their own summer sommelier by matching different labels to each format. Here are some of our perfect pairings:

Wine pairings for Test cricket

The oldest international form of the game has been played for 147 years, and is in itself so complex, with all its subtle twists and turns, that it demands wines of similar depth and intrigue.

So we suggest the refined Domaine Dampt Petit Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2022 (£19.99) produced from old vines by a leading vintner in the region. The high-quality Chardonnay fruit comes from the Petit Chablis appellation, which was introduced in 1943 and consists of vineyards just outside the main Chablis appellation. This wine is such good value for money, being elegant and refined, with hints of minerality to accompany vibrantly fresh citrus notes. It is a delicious bottle to drink either as an aperitif or with lunch.

If it’s a glass of red wine you would like, a refined, classy label is the Clarendelle Bordeaux Inspired by Haut-Brion 2016 (£19.99). This is a wine for the traditionalist – a classic Bordeaux blend, being predominantly Merlot (84 per cent), with 10 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and six per cent Cabernet Franc. 2016 was one of the best recent vintages in Bordeaux, and the wine is already drinking well, its tannins velvety and the fruit generous, with blueberry and blackberry notes. Suave and polished like many top-order Test match batsmen.

If it’s Cabernet Sauvignon you prefer, a high-class red from Spain, which is predominantly made from that varietal (with a dash of old-vine Graciano thrown in), is the Señorio de Sarria Vendimia Seleccionada 2017 (£28). From Navarra, next door to Rioja in the north-east of Spain, this has been aged in barrel and bottle for six years before being released. What is a harmonious yet complex wine, with enticing red fruit and serious concentration and length, is very approachable now thanks to its fine, soft tannins.

Wine pairings for the one-day internationals (ODIs)

If Test cricket is better suited to wines for sipping over a four or five-day stretch, ODIs demand wines for the here and now.  One great offering is the Bees Knees Chenin Blanc Viognier 2024 (£10.99) from South Africa, which produces some of the best-value mid-market wines in the world. This one, with its zesty freshness and peach and lemon notes, is made by the Journey’s End winery near Somerset West, just east of Cape Town. Its British owners, the Gabb family, derive all their energy needs from solar panels and do a lot for the local disadvantaged, providing 30,000 meals a week to them. A swarm of bees on the label makes the bottle easy to pick out.

Another easy-drinker while enjoying the fours and sixes of a one-day match is the Mirlo Merlot 2023 (£11.99) from the Cariñena denomination to the south-east of Rioja. Ripe red cherry and summer berry fruit on the palate, along with beautifully integrated tannins, make this a delight to quaff, and a perfect ODI accompaniment on its own or with nearly any type of food. It doesn’t try to be complex but is suitably fun.

At 100 overs, if the match goes the distance, ODIs still require a bit of viewing stamina, so a quality white wine is called for. Limoux’s high, hilly vineyards in Roussillon are an area renowned for superb chardonnay, and La Voûte 2023 (£17.99) is one such. Intensely flavoured citrus and grapefruit notes are apparent, along with notable concentration and length, making the wine an apt choice for ODI fans with an appreciative palate.

Wine pairings for the Twenty20s

The target audience for T20s has long been younger people, parents and kids – along with escapees from the office keen to get some fresh air and fast excitement at the end of the day. 

Those in the audience of drinking age might like to kick off with some Britpop Brut NV (£25), an impressive English sparkling wine. Who should be behind it but the bass guitarist in one of Britain’s most successful pop groups – Alex James from Blur. Made by the traditional method – as is employed for Champagne production – this is a really good-quality bubbly with its biscuity notes as well as vibrancy and freshness. Perfect for the often explosive start to T20 matches.

As the match unfurls, and things quieten down a little after the big-hitting powerplay overs, a thirst-quenching New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is ideal for mid-match consumption. The Dry Lake Cricket Club Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (£16.99) takes its name, so the story goes, from a group of growers in the Awatere Valley at the northern end of the South Island who like a game of friendly, impromptu cricket, but rely on a dried-up riverbed for a pitch. There is lively gooseberry fruit and refreshing acidity in this pleasurable Sauvignon Blanc.

Finally, when later during a T20 match you need a full-bodied red to accompany some food, there is an Aussie blend with another cricketing name that fits the bill beautifully. The Black Stump Durif Shiraz (£12.99) is a deeply coloured red with velvety tannins and some gorgeous fruit from the Riverina region in south-east Australia. Durif, also known as Petite Sirah, notably in California where it is widely grown, is renowned for masses of intense dark fruit with flavour and concentration. Marrying well with the spice and pepper of Shiraz, it is a very appealing blend, and ideal for the razzmatazz of T20s.

Brugal's Maestro Ronero

How short maturation time is key to Brugal’s new Maestro Reserva rum

One year in Speyside equates to six in the Dominican Republic which is why Dominican Republic rum producer Brugal has concentrated on perfecting its double maturation process rather than ageing. With the launch of its hotly anticipated new super-premium Maestro Reserva rum, the team talks to Geoffrey Dean to explain how Brugal’s maestro ronero, Jasill Villanueva Quintana, has perfected the world’s first dark, aromatic cask toasting process to make the new rum one of a kind.

30th June 2024by Geoffrey Dean

posted in Tasting: Spirits,

Brugal, the leading Dominican Republic rum producer, has launched a new ultra premium brand named, Maestro Reserva, that is retailing at a princely £150. The company has released it in stages over the last six months in different markets, beginning with the Caribbean territory itself in November. Miami was next in February, followed by its second biggest overseas market, France, in February, now the UK. Italy will be next, later in June.

Brugal’s 1888 brand, named after the year it was founded, has been the principal one produced by the distiller since it made the decision to discontinue lower price SKUs. Retailing at around £40, it offers good value for what is a super premium product, but the Maestro Reserva lifts the bar to giddy heights aimed as it is at both on and off-trade.

The sweet and elegant aroma of Brugal rums therefore comes 85% from its maturation in exceptional barrels, in a warm tropical climate.

New toasting technique

Its maturation revolves around what Jamie Campbell, Brugal’s global brand education manager, hails as a new toasting technique that has been perfected by the company’s master distiller, or maestro ronero, Jasill Villanueva Quintana.

“Her understanding of cask maturation, and how she manipulates casks is the key,” Campbell said of Quintana, the great great grand-daughter of the founder and the youngest ever maestro ronero. She was just 24 when given the job in 2008.

“It’s truly unique what she’s developed - the world’s first dark, aromatic cask toasting process,” Campbell continued. “What that means is we end up with the ‘caramel pearl’, which is the third element of the trifecta of this process. What we have is classic molasses-based distillate, created from a double column distillation process. We distil off the second rectification column to 94.6% abv. As a result, we have a light, very elegant distillate which means we can draw the majority of our flavour, complexity and aroma from the casks we age in. We say about 85% of our flavour comes from the casks, some of the best in the world.”

The utilisation of casks and their toasting is all-important. First, the liquid is aged in used Bourbon casks before being transferred to former Sherry butts, also made from American oak. After a period in the latter, the rum is run off to a neutral vessel while the Sherry butts go through dark, aromatic toasting, during which time the temperature inside them is increased from 120°C to 360°C over 45 minutes. This is when the so-called caramel pearls are created.

“We must stop the process at exactly the right moment - precisely when caramel pearls form but no longer after that as they become bitter and astringent,” Campbell declared.

“The skill and technique of the maestro ronero is to recognise when that moment is. Then to re-integrate the rum into the American oak sherry barrel to absorb the sweetness and mouthfeel of the caramel pearls. Later, the rum is moved to a third toasted finished cask. Eventually, the rum is bottled at 41.2% abv specifically – the perfect amount to allow the liquid to sing through.Where Maestro Reserva is different from other rums of similar quality is the shorter maturation time in barrel. Traditionally, premium Caribbean and central American rums are aged for anything from 10 to 23 years or more in cask before bottling, but Brugal’s new brand spends under four years in oak before bottling.

“The total maturation across the three elements is three to three and a half years,” Campbell said. “One year in Speyside equates to six in the Dominican Republic. While 2% per year is the maximum they want to lose from their whisky to evaporation, it’s 8-12% from rum in the Caribbean. We could age for longer, but it doesn't mean it’s necessarily better. Putting an age on the bottle devalues the product as we focus on double maturation, which we have truly perfected.”

So how does Maestro Reserva taste?

And what a rum Brugal has created with its Maestro Reserva. Darkish honey in colour, the immediate aroma on the nose is vanilla, before honeysuckle and caramel assault the senses. On the palate, notes of orange peel and lemon zest transform into dates, raisins and creme brûlée with a hint of smoke. Seductively oily viscosity gives mouthfeel and texture, and on a second sip, tropical fruit notes of pineapple, mango and papaya are apparent. These special latter flavour profiles would appear to come from the dark, aromatic toasting process, and Brugal’s long history of cask mastery.

Perhaps the last word should go to Jassil Villanueva Quintana herself. “For me,” she says, “rum - Brugal specifically - is about fun.” She has certainly achieved that with Maestro Reserva.

Neil Ellis Jonkershoek Cabernet

Location, location – Neil Ellis and the importance of site in Stellenbosch

The wines of Neil Ellis are highly regarded by his peers and those buyers in the know. Jonkershoek Valley Cabernet is considered to be one of South Africa’s finest examples and the Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon and Whitehall Chardonnay continue to wow sommeliers and key wine buyers whenever they are shown the wines, writes Geoffrey Dean. Neil Ellis’ son Warren was in London to launch the new vintages and explained to Dean how the quality is driven almost entirely about where in Stellenbosch the vines sit.

26th June 2024 by Geoffrey Dean

Ask South African winemakers which wineries they think make the country’s best Cabernet Sauvignons, and one name keeps cropping up: Neil Ellis Wines. It is no surprise, for the Stellenbosch producer’s Jonkershoek Valley Cabernet is a South African classic - consistently excellent, if not outstanding. Neil Ellis, who turns 71 this year, set the standard some years ago, but his son Warren, who has taken over the winemaking reins, is maintaining the bar at a neck-craning height.

The latest release to the British market - through the winery’s UK importers González Byass - is the 2018 vintage and another superb wine. So too is the second label Neil Ellis Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, while the Neil Ellis Whitehall Chardonnay 2021, whose fruit comes from the cooler Elgin district, is a fine example of how good South African versions of the varietal can be.

Neil Ellis in Stellenbosch

First though, the Cabernet from the Jonkershoek Valley, which is one of eight wards, or sub-appellations, within the Stellenbosch district. As such, it is prime Cabernet territory, producing much sought-after fruit. And Neil Ellis has some of the very best sites.

“We have just over three hectares planted to Cabernet there,” Warren Ellis said, “although our shareholders also have another seven of Cab on their property. But we’re pulling all theirs up and replanting to get the row direction right.”

Warren Ellis in London

What makes the Jonkershoek so special?

“It’s difficult to explain as I’m thinking Afrikaans and I need to translate,” Ellis continued. “It’s a vineyard on a southern slope but it’s got a bit of a hill which also has a western aspect. We get very late morning sun, and actually that is the warmest. At the beginning of the day, the grapes get direct contact, and you get a lot of heat onto the berries, and as the day heats up, the temperature actually stays,” Ellis says.

“If you have the direct sunlight contact early in day, the berries will heat up to say 35 even 40° Celsius and then, as the sun moves over, that temperature stays at 35, but in a valley like Jonkershoek with the sun coming over the mountains quite late, you don't have that direct sunlight. So what we really have is that diffused sunlight. Then it goes over into the afternoon sun, and even then we have some other hills that also protect it from direct sunlight – the opposing Stellenbosch Mountain.”

Apart from protection from the hottest rays of the sun, the Jonkershoek also benefits from favourable winds and soil composition as well as the River Eerste, which has a positive impact. “We have the south-easter howling through the valley, which naturally contains the vigour,” Ellis said. “When it stops blowing, and the westerly winds come in, the vines are cooled. Also with the south-easter, especially during flowering, our advantage is that we get really nice loose, smaller berries. If you go down to the soil, we have a lot of Table Mountain sandstone and granite. With the granite, we have very good drainage and with that also comes the smaller berries and more intense flavours. It’s good for the tannin development too. And also what helps in that valley if the south-easter isn’t blowing is the Eerste River, which flows through there with a cooling effect coming up from the water into the vineyards.”

The majority of the fruit for the Neil Ellis Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 comes from another Stellenbosch ward - Bottelary (and its decomposed granite soils), and the balance from the Jonkershoek Valley sites. “2019 was a difficult vintage as we had rain towards the end of the season,” Ellis recalled. “We waited two weeks till after the rain before picking to get rid of that dilution. There were warm days but cool evenings….so good acid retention.” However tricky a vintage it was, Ellis has crafted a really expressive Cabernet, given colour and freshness by 12% Petit Verdot. After 80% new oak in the 2018, there is 25% in the 2019 - part of a deliberate ploy to cut back on it.

The Neil Ellis Whitehall Chardonnay 2021 is another impressive wine that, for me, sits comfortably in the premier league of South African labels for that varietal. “We’re aiming it at the on-trade generally as well as a few indies,” Melissa Draycott, managing director of Gonzalez Byass, said. “We work with a few 5-star hotels and will be showing this wine and other Neil Ellis labels such as Sauvignon, Syrah and Cab-Merlot to them. It’s still early days with them but we’re looking to increase volume. These are all premium level, and it’s a question of getting them in front of sommeliers. Once they see them, they're wowed by them. We’re still educating consumers what South Africa is capable of.”

Currently, the UK is not among Neil Ellis’ top five overseas markets, sitting behind the likes of the US, Germany, Belgium and Denmark. Draycott is keen to change that, however, for the volume is available with only around 50% of the winery’s production being exported. Warren Ellis confirmed there is also the potential for growth in output for one of South Africa’s most venerable producers. Though meant to have retired, Neil Ellis is still working, and ‘too hard’, according to Warren. “He’s still on it,” Draycott mused. Just like the wines.

How the wines tasted

Neil Ellis Jonkershoek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, 14.5% abv

Jonkershoek fruit is renowned for both power and elegance, and this has both. Cedary and herbal aromas, also typical of the valley, with cassis, blueberry and blackberry notes on the palate. Dense but fine-boned tannins with impressive structure from 100% new oak, which is effortlessly absorbed. Fresh acidity ensures harmonious balance. Tremendous fruit concentration with notable length. Clear cellaring potential, if you can resist it now.

Neil Ellis Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, 14% abv

86% Cabernet, 12% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec. 18 months in 25% new oak, with the balance second, third and fourth fill. Firm but well-integrated, approachable tannins provide structure. Bright acidity and very generous red and black fruit, with cedar and liquorice notes. Another wine that will age well, but a delight now.

Neil Ellis Whitehall Chardonnay 2021, 12.7% abv

Nectarine, pear and lime notes in this vibrantly fresh Chardonnay (pH3.28, TA6.8g/l) with some flinty minerality. 20-year old vines, partial malolactic fermentation (20%). Judicious oak use - fermentation in barrel, nine months in Burgundian 228-litre pièces (30% new, the rest second and third fill). Lovely concentration, yet graceful and refined with perfect balance and a long finish.

Neil Ellis wines are imported and sold in the UK by González Byass.