White Wine Andre Brunel Les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc 2020. It is recommended to open it half an hour before service. As early as the 17th century, a member of the Brunel family bought a plot of vineyards near Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Subsequent generations cultivated the land and produced wine for resale to local customers. But in 1954 Lucien Brunel gave his name to the family estate, the Domaine Les Cailloux, and developed the monoculture of grapes. Nowadays, the company, led by Fabrice, Andre’s son, produces 50,000 bottles a year. The Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is a blend of 80% Roussanne and 20% Grenache Blanc grapes, coming from 2 plots: the Serres dedicated to Roussanne and the Revès dedicated to Grenache Blanc. The vineyards are managed without pesticides or fertilizers, and the harvest is manual. After pressing, the grapes are left to macerate in concrete vats, without malolactic fermentation. The wine is then aged on the lees for 6 months. The wine has a fascinating floral and fruity bouquet. In the mouth, it is complex and unctuous, with honeyed notes and lively minerality. It is an elegant and fine wine, with good persistence and it goes perfectly with sea bass in a salt crust, veal with morels, or goat cheese.
2020
White Wine Andre Brunel Les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc 2020
White Wine Antinori Guado al Tasso Vermentino di Bolgheri 2020. The Antinori family are regarded as winemaking royalty in Italy thanks to their early involvement in the pioneering Super Tuscan movement in the early 1970s. They first produced their famous Tignanello in 1971, controversially adding Cabernet Sauvignon to the Sangiovese base. Over the years their reputation has spread around the globe and they have numerous wineries including their Guado al Tasso property in Bolgheri near the Tuscan coast where this wine is made. The Antinori’s Bolgheri estate is particularly impressive thanks to the stunning setting on a beautiful plain surrounded by hills which form a natural protective amphitheatre. The first vintage of this Vermentino was made in 1996 and was inspired by a desire to showcase the indigenous varieties that thrive in these coastal conditions. The local microclimate here is ideally suited to the variety since cooling breezes from the nearby sea helps to preserve plenty of freshness and aromatics in the wine. To give maximum control over the winemaking, each parcel is harvested and vinified separately in stainless steel tanks. The final blend is then composed and the young wine is bottled at the start of the new year. This creates an elegant and refined white wine that’s bursting with zingy citrus freshness, salty minerality, and hints of ripe stone fruit on the pure, clean finish.
2020
White Wine Artemis Karamolegos Assyrtiko 34 2020. No need to decant. Artemis Karamolegos is one of the most interesting wineries on the island of Santorini. It owns just over 3 hectares of vineyards (some over 100 years old) between Pyrgos, Megalorchori, Exo Gonia, Akrotiri, and Fira and specializes in Assyrtiko, and other native vines. This Assyrtiko from the Artemis Karamolegos winery is produced with rigorously selected grapes in the villages of Pyrgos, Exo Gonia, Fira, Akrotiri, and Megalochori from centuries-old vines planted on a volcanic subsoil. The vines are arranged in such a way that they have the perfect shape of an amphitheater, to create protection from strong winds. The sand protects against the erosion of the volcanic soil and the summer heat. These conditions guarantee the perfect ripening of the grapes. The number 34 on the label is a dedication to the Santorini wine tradition, in fact, it refers to the 34 centuries of continuous viticulture on the island. The wine shows an intense and elegant aromatic profile with hints of peach, apricot, Mediterranean herbs, and a light sapid and mineral touch coming from the volcanic subsoil. On the palate, it is round and very expressive with fresh notes of citrus and peach. It is a wine of great depth with a long mineral finish. Have it as an aperitif or with fish ceviche.
2020