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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