(2026) Even after all these years I can still come across grape varieties new to me; in this case, Langhe speciality Bianver. The wine, from sandy and clay soils is fermented with wild yeasts and stays on its lees, in steel, for seven months with regular bâtonnage. There's a lot of colour this when poured, a deep yellow heading to gold. The nose is creamy, with perhaps just a hint of nutty oxidation. I am not sure whether that is the style, or a product of this small sample bottle. The palate has plenty of weight and rolling texture, the fruit somewhere between nutty, honeyed character and quite a luscious nectarine ripeness. A fascinating and niche wine of great interest.
(2026) The indigenous but relatively rare variety, Raboso, comes from 50-year-old vineyards planted on sandy clay over volcanic rock. The wine is aged in a Slavonian oak botti (large casks) for 12 months. A deep crimson wine with ruby on the rim, there's a medicinal/herbal character here, a touch of farmyard that could be low-level brettanomyces, but classic Burgundy lovers will find it a rather attractive component. In the mouth the fruit is sweet, dark and ripe, the earthy tones of the wine give a dry, savoury finish with hints of dried herbs and bitter almond.
(2026) Taurasi, from Campania in the South of Italy, is famed for its volcanic soils and ancient vines. High altitude means one of Italy’s latest harvests for its speciality grape, Aglianico (the 'g' is silent). Bunches are destemmed and the wine is then aged in steel for two years and used large barrels for a further two years, before release. Crimson in colour still after seven years, it is such a perfumed wine, some incense spices, exotic floral notes, and cracked black pepper. In the mouth there is a chocolate density, very smooth with those peppery edges to firm black fruit, and there is juiciness. It is not at all ponderous, the acidity and drum-tight tannins giving real alertness to the finish.
(2026) An orange wine from Tuscany, selected bunches of Viognier were pressed and cold macerated for five days before spontaneous fermentation with whole berries added to the ferment for the skin contact. The wine was then transferred to a sealed tank where it remained for two years before being bottled without added sulphur or clarification. It pours with a light haziness and pale amber colour. The nose is really vivid on this wine: I was expecting nutty or herbal notes but instead a vivacious, bright Mandarin orange and exotic mango leap from the glass, notes of jasmine floating above. Plenty of texture in the mouth and such a lovely combination of fleshy stone fruits and then a real punch of grapefruit and Italian bitters running through the finish. I very much enjoyed this unusual wine.
(2026) Only 1500 bottles are produced of this wine, made from a 15-year-old, west-facing Barbera vineyard on sandy clay. After spontaneous fermentation the wine is matured for nine months in two-year-old old barrels; barriques and larger tonneaux. Dark crimson with some light on the rim, this is succulent and laced with vanilla over Morello cherry. In the mouth what a beautifully balanced wine, the harmonious combination of that cherry flesh sweetness, a little bittersweet plum and cocoa, and crisply defining acidity. Medium-bodied, it is both fresh and elegant, and has plenty of approachable fruit.
(2026) Composed of Chardonnay plus 10% Pinot Noir, this traditional method wine spent nine months in tank then 30 months on the lees in bottle before disgorgement. Pale gold in colour with plenty of small bubbles, there is a lightly oxidative, pastry richness but undercut with firm apple and some creamy almond. In the mouth the dosage is well-judged, giving this plenty of orangy citrus bite to cut through the quite sumptuous, ripe peachy fruit of the mid-palate. It's a house whose wines I always enjoy.
(2018) A distinctly superior Superiore, from a single, south-facing vineyards in the prime Conegliano / Valdobbiadene zone. Just a few hectares of old vines are reserved exclusively for this cuvée. It is made with a longer maceration on the grape skins before fermentation, to maximise flavours, and is a particularly dry and grown-up style. Floral, lime peel and crunchy apple aromas lead on to a mouth-watering palate, a pithy lemon and grapefruit acidity asserting against the prettier fruit flavours, to give an intensity rarely found in Prosecco, still clear and gossamer-light, into a long, refined finish. Watch the
video for food-matching ideas and more information.
(2015) The first of two 'Satèn' wines, a distinct Franciacorta style, always made from 100% Chardonnay and bottled at slightly lower pressure, giving a satiny mouthfeel. This was also part-fermented in small oak barrels, aged 36 months, and has 7.5g/l dosage and 12.5% alcohol. Soft, with pear-like fruit on the nose, some exotic fruit hints and the slighly reduced pressure giving a creamy quality to the mousse and palate. Sweet fruit, almost a confectionery quality, but the silkiness conceals a very tight, fresh acid balance.
(2014) The blend in this vintage wine is 80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Nero, with some of the Chardonnay fermented in small barrels and the wine spending 36 months on the lees. The colour is quite a rich but pale gold, with streams of tiny bubbles. On the nose baked apple pie and pastry, creamy ground almond and a background of apple fruit. In the mouth this has quite a structured, concentrated feel, with grapefruity acidity and a mouth-filling richness and texture. The clarity of line is there, the core of sour lemon and grapefruit keeping the tension in a really nicely done, serious yet approachable style that is very Champagne-like. Long and delicious.
