Natural
wine tasting
Notes on six wines from a tasting at the London trade fair
Notes from a tasting of natural wines I
conducted at the London wine trade fair, May 2013. These wines are
all from UK importer Les
Caves de Pyrene, and they are fabulous.
Ageno La Stoppa 2007 Emilia Romagna,
Italy
Elena Pantaleoni makes this wine from old vine Malvasia di
Candida Aromatica, with a bit of Ortugo. It spends 30 days on skins,
and 12 months in a mix of vats and used barrels. Orange colour.
Lovely complex nose of apricot, pear, spice. Grippy tannic structure
on the palate: this is bold, dense and mouthfilling. Very
structured. 94/100
Loxarel Amphora 2012 Penedes, Spain
From Xarel-lo grown at 800 m altitude. Fermented in amphorae,
but no skin contact. Full, bright and mineral, with nice bright
flavours. Pure citrus fruit with a nice rounded texture and distinct
minerality. 90/100
Pyramid Valley Rose Riesling 2009
Marlborough, New Zealand
Very intense limey nose leads to a bold, powerful palate showing
robust lime and honey flavours, with a hint of sweetness.
Mouthfilling and textural. Mineral, bold and distinctive. 93/100
Anton von Klopper Village of Tiers
Pinot Noir 2011 Adelaide Hills, Australia
A blend of three vineyards, including Anton’s own Lucy Margaux
estate. Fully biodynamic, vineyards on steep slopes around 500 m in
altitude. Very pale in colour and cloudy, but fabulous. Wonderful
nose of meaty, ripe cherries. Textural palate is elegant and supple
with sour cherries and some sweetness. Brilliantly expressive.
94/100
Romaneaux Destezet Syrah 2011 Ardeche,
France
This is from the northern Ardeche, close to St Joseph, and
it’s made from organically farmed 30 year old Syrah vines on
schist soils. Very long, low temperature maceration with whole
bunches, aged for 8 months in old casks on fine lees. Total sulfur
dioxide is just 25 mg/litre. Meaty, pure, fresh and vivid with
direct fruit and some distinct pepper notes alongside the fresh
black cherries. A bit of spicy structure, but it’s pure fruit that
dominates. 93/100
Philippe Bornard Poulsard Point Barre
2011 Jura, France
Totally natural: no filtering, fining or additions. Fresh and
elegant with lovely supple red cherry fruit and some spice. A bit of
rusticity here, but it works well. Lovely weight: complex and
thought-provoking. 92/100
Wines
tasted 05/13
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