White Wine Baigorri Fermentado en Barrica Blanco 2018. No need to decant. Bodegas Baigorri was founded in 1996 by a small group of producers with the intention of modernizing wine production in Rioja, an area that in the 1980s had lost the right philosophy. Today this has changed and the great wines of Rioja are once again among the best products in the world. Baigorri Fermentado en Barrica Blanco is made with 90% Viura, and 10% Malvasia grapes sourced from old vines with an average age of over 50 years, located in Samaniego, at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria. The grapes are left to macerate with their skins for a few hours before being pressed, to preserve the varietal character. Fermentation takes place in French oak barrels at a maximum temperature of 20º. Finally, the wine is aged in oak barrels on the lees for 8 months. Viura grapes give the wine fruity notes and lightness, Malvasia adds structure and minerality, while the aging on the lees makes it more creamy and structured. It is a voluminous and rich wine, with aromas of white fruit but also toasted notes of oak due to aging. In the mouth, it has an excellent consistency balanced by good acidity and notable mineral notes. It goes very well with the intense flavors of blue and goat cheeses, with spicy autumn soups, cured meats, or salads enriched with meat or fish. It should be served cold, at 8-10 degrees.
2018
White Wine Baigorri Fermentado en Barrica Blanco 2018
White Wine Brendan Tracey Oro Verde 2018. Brendan Tracey’s French heritage called him back to his mother’s native country after a decade spent playing in punk bands in California. In 1980 he moved back to the country permanently with his new wife and fully embraced the French lifestyle. It was only in 2010 that he founded his own winery, which in characteristic punk style embraces maverick winemaking methods and some quirky label designs that he creates himself. Today Brendan sources organically-grown grapes from partner growers in the Loire and his own vineyards, using a rustic former tax collection barn as his winery. He produces a vast array of wines in tiny quantities, including this unusual white made from the local Orbois grape which has sadly fallen out of favour in recent years.
2018
White Wine Clos de Gat Chardonnay 2018. Clos de Gat is set in Israel’s Ayalon Valley in the Judean Hills which is considered one of the country’s finest regions for growing wine. The estate actually takes its name from an ancient gat” or winepress built here three thousand years ago which is proof wine has been made here for millennia. The modern winery was founded in 1998 by winemaker Eyal Rotem who partnered with the French negociant house Maison Sichel which is based in Bordeaux. Rotem works some 19 hectares of vines in total which he has carefully planted with varieties that suit the conditions of each plot. The limestone soils and mild Mediterranean climate provide ideal setting for crafting top quality wines which are made with a minimal intervention in the winery. The grapes for this magnificent Chardonnay are harvested by hand and fermented using wild yeasts in oak barrels Rotem imports directly from France. He then ages the wine in the barrel for 12 months with regular battonage or stirring of the lees to add texture and complexity. On the nose there are heady notes of citrus, mango, orange blossom and toasted oak. The first sip reveals a rich, creamy texture, full body, and intense tropical fruit and sweet spice flavours which linger on the palate.
2018