It’s a good demonstration of clean winemaking (and high quality fruit) with no added sulphites, but otherwise this lacks excitement. Where is the fruit? Xarel-Lo’s appley exuberance is lacking. There is acidity, but not enough of it. Brisat is an Read more
According to the tech notes, this wine fermented in oak for around 18 days (a mix of new and used barrels). But I suspect it was then further aged in oak, because it’s rather marked from the wood. With fruit Read more
Made from a rare and once nearly extinct variety native to Catalonia, this is a fascinating wine. At first glance, you think it’s going to be glou-glou material: light(ish) in colour and in heft, fresh and fruity and that’s it. Read more
A really enjoyable red blend, which shows loads of dark cherry and loganberry fruit – with a refreshing lack of wood influence. It’s pretty substantial stuff, with a chunky structure that shows off the Cabernet, plus some chocolately smoothness from Read more
A bit darker than the classic Provencal rosé, but still in the salmon-pink zone, this is a lively and expressive creature that plays more to the bone dry, austere side of rosé. It’s got a slight spiciness – think peppered Read more
I guess this pet nat would have been well behaved, had the crown cap not become divorced from the plastic O-ring. So I got a very loud pop, but no gushing. This definitely looks to have been disgorged, although it Read more
This might be the most successful of all the wines I’ve yet tried in Thomas Buchmayer’s “natural” range. Like its bedfellows, it’s spontaneously fermented, unfiltered and made with very minimal sulphites. From 2019 this will be Demeter certified as well Read more
I loved this super precise, grippy Kisi from micro-winery Tchotiashvili in Kakheti (Eastern Georgia). It has really typical papaya & baked plum fruit, with serious structure, but perfectly ripe tannins. With four years of age, this is really hitting its Read more
Impressive given that it’s so young, this is a ripe and fairly full bodied Grüner, with chunky green plum and gooseberry fruit. There’s a lot of flavour and depth here, a nice balance and plenty of expression. Not particularly peppery, Read more
Subtle elderflower aromas, lemon peel, elegant in the mouth – a hint of lemon drops (candied sweets), that’s to say there is a nice round, ripe feeling. This isn’t part of Buchayer’s natural range, and is certainly a more mainstream Read more
