Year: 2016
The wines we shall be tasting tomorrow night! Looking forward to seeing you there!
The Autumn! A host of new wines here in the UK from Whirly wines….
As I have just hinted at on the new Wine of the Month page, with the Autumn setting in and the change of season comes a host of new wines and an abundance of grapes are being picked across the Northern hemisphere, from Mendocino to Slovenia and Barolo to New York state! So its a fabulous time to tell you about new wines that Mr Whirly has found in the last six months and imported from Wagram and Niederosterreich in Austria, Limeray on the Loire, Limoux, Bandol and Corbiere in the South of France, Macon and Bordeaux! Phew, there’s a lot of wine to look at in the shop here in SW17 so please do pop in soon!
(from left the Sparkling wines from Robert in Limoux, 2015 Mehofer Gruner and “Late Harvest” Gruner from Bayer and the amazing Bandol Rose from Chateau D’Azur)
Do you know we are now serving our ” Post Referendum ” wines here in the shop. Come on in and have a look and taste the Corbiere wines from La Bouysse that I am serving out of the barrel. The wines are red and white, Carignan and Viognier based from a very small producer that I visited when I was down in Corbiere on the 27th June. They really are stand out wines and perfect for that relaxed mid week meal when you don’t want to spend a fortune on wine but need something great for £7.00. And thats what its costs! ONLY £9.50 for a 1 litre bottle! The wines really are very well made, the Carignan energetic and full of summer berry fruits, really juicy and the Viognier wine is again exciting and savoury with some hints of green herb too. So I urge you to pop in soon and see how Whirly wines is revolutionising the choice of wines that you can find in Tooting and Balham.
These PR wines aside, its a problem where to start since there are so many wonders just in! Like a little boy in sweet shop I am indeed. I think we have to start with Limoux! What and where I hear you say! Limoux is a town and wine region just east of Corbiere, which is just south of Carcasonne. Limoux makes sensational and individual sparkling wines and yet no one know’s about them which is a terrible shame. So its time to taste and get a feel for Limoux. I have imported two wines from Robert the ” Blanquette de Limoux” Domaine de Fourn” Brut and the ” Carte Ivoire” which is a little demi sec but both are quite delicious and a lovely intermediate wine between Procecco and Champagne at around £15 here in the shop.
Also from “Domaine La Bouysse ” we have their savoury and slightly minty Viognier 2015, very fresh and easy to drink at £12.95 here in the shop and straight out of the tank. Their Carignan 2015, pictured below with the Viognier is juicy, energetic and full of summer fruits with a really clean nature and is priced at £13.35 in the shop.
Also just arrived from Austria are new vintages of the ever exciting and fresh ” Organic” wines of Stefan Mehofer in Wagram. His wines have been so well received in the last few years and their Gruner veltliner in particular, has a very passionate following around the UK now from my restaurant clients. Their Gruner 2015 sings fresh apple and pear and is also only 11.0% alc vol. Price: £12.75. Also in are new vintages of his smokey red Zweigelt and Cabernet 2013, top billing for a light juicy Autumnal red at £14.50. New vintages of his Riesling 2014 ( £15.25) and Roter Veltliner, fuller and richer than the Gruner, 2014 at £14.95. From Bayer in Niederosterriech I have their “Envoy” 2015 Gruner. I thought this wine was so clean and fresh when I tasted it and its in such contrast to the Gruner from Mehofer. Picked a month or so later, I imagine in late October 2015, you can really see the difference when the grape is ” Late Harvested”, with a little more sugar inside, this wine would match some spicy Thai or Vietnamese food perfectly. Rich ripe pear on the nose and palate with some ripe plum too, price is £16.95 here in SW17.
More to follow…the perfect rose, Chateau D’Azur 2015 ” Le Jardin de Soleil” and why rose should be drunk not just in the summer months. October offerings too with some new Chenin and Malbec from Prevote in the Loire. Its not Vouvray I know, but I tell you what, in terms of mouthfeel these wines wrap you up and they are wonderful value compared to more famous Chenin neighbours like Vouvray and Savenniere.
Mr Whirly
Whirly wine tasting: Thursday 22nd September
Wine of the month for September 2016: Meloso Joven, 2015, Tempranillo, Ribera del Duero
Its now September and the wines are beginning to flow, in more ways than one. All over the Northern Hemisphere the grapes are beginning to be picked and the year of hard toil in the vineyard culminates into the anxiety and relief of the next few weeks, one hopes. Its an exciting time for the winemaker but also a worrying one. Last minute storms and rain are not in anyway a desire.
For me as the importer its also a really exciting time since there are so many new wines to look at with the change in season from summer to Autumn. Its the major change on wine lists throughout the country and whereas the focus for the last five months has been on rose and white suddenly the focus now changes to reds with the already the wonders of Grouse on the menus of top restaurants around the UK and soon in October with the shooting season the added joys of duck, pigeon, partridge and pheasant. With such delights I long to match the succulence with a juicy, honest red and this wine performs this job admirably. Its a young Tempranillo, no oak and its full of energy and delight, with plums and Autumn blackberry prevalent yet velvety soft tannins. Ribera de Duero is fast becoming one of the most exciting red wine regions of Spain and with this wine you can see exactly why. It oozes class and value at £12.45 per bottle, available here in the Whirly shop on Ritherdon road, SW17 8QD so do pop in soon and give it a whirl!
October: new wines! So many to choose from but has to be the Post referendum wines out of the barrel from Corbiere! So two wines but heh they are both a real joy!
Mr Whirly
Tuscany and Piedmont Tour, July 10-13th 2016
Recently, following a failed attemp
t to get there in May, I visited the home of the two great red varietals of Italy, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, Brunello de Montalcino and Barolo. Despite the miles in between the two towns and the crazy late night driving along the Mediterranean curve near Genoa, I had a fabulous time visiting both towns. They are held in so much admiration in the wine world of Italy and indeed the whole world and this reputation is growing every day.
After the most delightful night in Siena watching the people in the main square and not going un-noticed was the lovely sight of young people not looking at their i-phones but talking to each other enthusiastically! Wow it would be lovely to see a bit more of this in London. But what a city and Square this place is: I love the way it is hidden up and above the town so that if you did not know there was a beautiful city with the most amazing panoramic square that is beyond belief in terms of atmosphere and feel. Do go if you have never been.
( Manzone Single Vineyard wines above the highlight of which is “Il Castelletto 2011”, the small vineyard around the Castle)
I skipped Chianti the next morning and headed to the smaller yet to me, far more individual grower of the best the Sangiovese can offer in Italy, Montalcino, which received its DOCG status in the 1970’s. Another beautiful little hillside town, as many wine towns are, Montalcino is located about 20 miles south of Siena on the small road to Rome! It took be about 2 hours to find ” Terralsole” and the vineyard of Mario Bollag and his lovely wife Athena, since the signs are very difficult to follow and no one knows the vineyard when asking! Its not surprising since when I eventually do get on the right road its down the end of a gravel track of about 3 miles, as seems to be nearly always the case!
( The view from Monforte D’Alba across to Serralunga D’Alba and below the cellar at Manzone)
As Athena shows me around the house and cellar ( Mario is tasting 2012 vintages before blending with some of his consultants or friends) she explains to me that Mario was the black sheep of a prominent Basle family in Switzerland and he was an artist who studied at ” Ballata” in Florence in the 70’s. He fell in love with wine as well as art and worked his first vintage in Montalcino in 1990. However ” he wanted a bigger palate” so he bought the land we were walking on in 1993 as well as some land called ” Fonte Latta”, meaning “milk fountain”, since legend has it that if you were short of breast milk for your baby you drank the water from this fountain and the milk would flow. In 1995 he started planting the vines up here and built the house I stood in which was built from scratch.
Mario uses 600 litre barrels of French oak from Alier,for his wines and somehting about 220 litre wines and they are nowin the second year of conversion into Organic status. They also have higher elevation vineyards here in Montalcino which means the grapes are far more expressive and these vineyards are called ” Pian Bossolino” up to about 410 metres.
What I like about this whole set up is the clear passion for producing some of the most individual Brunello’s that one could possibly wish to find. They are up there in price too mind you but the quality and precision behind the winemaking is wonderful to witness. Mario also does not release his wines too early. Their present vintage is 2006; 5 years ageing in barrel and two in the bottle.
We tasted some 2012’s wines that were at present single vineyard wines. His Reserva 2012 was very soft and elegant, the Trio 2008 was a blend of grapes from other countries, Cabernet franc, Merlot and Syrah and velvety too. The 2013 ” Milk Fountain” was out of the barrel as well as the 2013 ” Pian Bossolino” which is a special cuvee of “Sangiovese Grosso”. The last wine we tasted was my personal favourite and was called ” Anata” and was a blend of the two vineyards and is clearly going to be an excepttional vintage, very bright and light.
(Mauro with his delightful father Giovanni)
Whirly wine tasting, 15th September 2016….please let me know if you can make it
Whirly wine tasting, Thursday 21st July focusing on new Summer wines from Cote de Gascogne, Duras, The Loire, Wagram in Austria and Friuli….
Whirly wine tasting, “Bastille Day”, 14th July 2016
Hello again!
Below are notes on tomorrow nights tasting. I have just returned from a fabulous tasting of the two premium red wine regions in Italy? Can anyone name them?
More soon
Mr Whirly
Whirly wine tour of Corbiere, Limoux, Gascogne and Jurancon 26th-29th June 2016
Following ” Brexit” I felt pretty numb so it was probably a positive idea to a have trip planned to Corbiere, Jurancon and Gascogne planned for this week; let the dust settle whilst I am away. However despite my awful use of the French language all I could hear on most radio stations on the drive from Toulouse to Pau yesterday were the words ” Brexit” so clearly its made its mark here in Europe also.
Onto the wines, well with a little bit of Brexit too! I am always on the outlook for great wines at very competitive prices but none more so than now and in the months and years ahead. With this in mind I have been planning a trip to Corbiere for a long time. Corbiere is in very poor part of France but possibly one of the most undiscovered and beautiful in its very arid, rocky and barren way.
“Domaine La Bouysse” have been making Organic wines for three years but they have been making wine here for three generations. The abandoned and derelict Cooperative in the centre of the village of Saint Andre de Roquelongue is testamount to the past history and the development of the wines here in this region over time. The Tramontane wind from the west thats swoops across the Atlantic was kicking up quite a storm as I approached the town sweeping over the escarpment of the same name. La Bouysse is the name of the mountain, well escarpment, pictured below that protects the vines on the property and emphasises the ruggedness of the region. It really is hard country down here. I have been following this wine region for over ten years and after many visits to this unheralded wine area it was time to import some wines from here myself.
I tasted the following wines at the vineyard ( pictured above)
Domaine La Bouyysse “B” range: a range of wines that really do excite the palate yet that are are at an “entry level”. Their white is made from Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay and Muscat Petit Grains. Its a really different wine with some herb and savoury notes and perfect for summer drinking. Their rose is made from Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. Its dry with that lovely slightly Provencal Pink colour so would go down well in the UK with the rose market. The Bouysse ” B” red consists of Merlot, Syrah and Carignan and is juicy and easy to drink.The Carignan wines are over 80 years old, planted by the grandparents of Delphine, who has been busy in the warehouse all morning as we taste the wines, so this certainly helps the makeup and smoothness of this wine. So three great wines that would sell well this summer and beyond at sensible prices.
Also tasted, were the ” Floreal” rose from AOC Corbiere, 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah, again with that lovely very light pink colour as well as the Carignan 2014, made from the 80 year old vines, that needed a little more time and some air so I must remember to re-taste again today since its in my little Fiat 500 ready to go again. Their wines are also made up of grapes from another appellation, Boutenac, which is about 10 miles north and this wine has to have at least 50% Syrah in its makeup.
( Ann Marie, head of sales and marketing at La Bouysse with the escarpment of the same name in the background and the view of La Bouysse from the other side, heading to Limoux)
La Bouysse are a small vineyard, only 120,000 bottles in total so they fit Whirly wines profile very well indeed. I already have a small parcel of their Viognier reserved, which is sold out apart from this small amount so now its up to Mr Whirly to get the wines over from here and into the Whirly shop. I expect that to happen in the next week or two.
From this little village close to Narbonne I had a 90 minute drive to Limoux, a wine region that even more so remains undiscovered but makes some of the most exciting yet unheralded wines in the south of France. On the way I drove up the Gorge de L’Orbieu, which wound its way up to around 600 metres then down the other side to Limoux and past the remains of Chateau Durfort, one of many Cathar castles built here one thousand years ago. The picture below is of the Chateau D’ arques a few miles down the other side of the Gorge de L’Orbieu.
At Limoux, I had already spotted a vineyard I would like to visit, having crossed its path the day before on my way to Lagrasse over and around the country hills and forests that are full of deer and wild boar. Limoux is famous for its status as ” AOC Limoux Blanquette de Limoux” and ” AOC Cremant de Limoux”. I drove with as much speed as my Fiat 500 would allow up the windy road behind Limoux to ” Domaine de Fourn” where I quickly tasted two wines, the “Blanquette de Limoux Brut Carte Noire 2013”, made from 90% Mauzac, 5% Chenin and 5% Chardonnay, hand picked and matured in bottles for 15 months in the cellar. Very, soft and elegant and a truly delicious wine. I also tasted the “Blanquette de Limoux Brut Carte Ivoire 2013″ made from 90% Mauzac and 10% Chenin. Another exquisite wine, possibly slightly sweeter than the Carte Noire but with another really delicate flavour and mousse. I was really surprised by the quality of these wines and I shall look to import some small parcels very soon.
From Limoux I had a three hour drive to Pau via Toulouse in order to get there in time for the Spain v Italy match. I shot back onto the autoroute just north of Castelnaudry ( famous for its Haricot beans for Cassoulet) and drove as rapidly as my Fiat 500 would allow me to this city close to Tarbes and Lourdes. Why you might ask was I heading here? Well, just south of here is Jurancon, a region whose wines I have always loved and yet never had the chance to visit. The next morning, after England had failed so awfully against Iceland and the French were loving there own little double edged meaning of ” Brexit”, I spent about 50 minutes driving to this little Appellation that specialises in Gros and Petit Manseng varietals. Only 50 since I had a meeting in Eauze in Gascogny at 1pm and it was already 10am. I found some wonderful Jurancon wines from Camin Larredya and Clos Thou, that are on either side of a vallye from each other and yet which were so so different. I tasted the La Part Davant 2015 Jurancon sec at Larredya that was very expressive and exotic in terms of fruits on the palate. At Clos Thou I tasted the Jurancon sec Cuvee Guilhouret that was so, so different from the Larredya, more minerally and textured and not so full of fruit. Why were they so different? I have no idea since I had to visit Tariquet in Gascogny, wines that I have already imported but I shall let you know their makeup and why they are so poles apart once the wines are in the shop in SW17.
Next wine tour Piedmont and Tuscany, 10th-13th July, visiting Brunello and Barolo as well as other vineyards.
( the view across the valley from Camin Larredya to Clos Thou and the woods in between)
