🍃LIQUID LIGURIA 🍃

Hey, Fionn again! We had a blast at yesterday's Fondue event. Thanks all for coming down and bringin’ only the best vibes. Dan’s is still stinking of cheese but totally worth it. Speaking of excellent events FEDELLOS tickets are here. These are some of my fav’s from Spain. Make Monday a fun day, don’t sleep. Also, Terroir al Limit over at Ken’s just a few days later. C U THERE.

Onto the wines and today I’ve just gotta talk about the wines from Possa! These are some of the most unique and utterly delicious wines I’ve tasted in quite some time. They also happen to be quite frankly insane value considering the literal back-breaking work that goes into them. Heydi Bonanini is the man behind this inspiring project who works with local Ligurian varieties in the world heritage site of the Cinque Terre. If you’re not familiar, like I was, google it. Insanely beautiful right? Not only that but his vineyards sit on silly steep slopes, so steep they have to use a monorail to just get around. Just bonkers. Even more nuts is that the first few rows of vines meet the ocean and are harvested by boat! Talk about dedication.

Biodiversity is rife in the vineyards, and for Heydi this is not just an aim but a true way of life. Many of the locals have left the winemaking tradition behind with the vines being too much hard graft. Thankfully, Heydi is not work-shy and believes deeply in this special part of the world and the one-off local varieties that you just don’t see elsewhere. What a king.

Cinque Terre is my pick of the bunch saline, herbal, richly textured but still so fresh.

U Giancu is another salt-bomb of a wine with fleshy stone fruit and aromatic spice dialed up.

Parmaea uses fruit sourced from a tiny island just off the Ligurian Coast. Again, highly recommend using Google to vicariously transport yourself to these sunnier parts. Mr Bonanini was quite simply the only winemaker who could do these grapes justice. The 2020 has fleshed out beautifully in bottle with its fleshy orchard fruit, waxy texture, and again that signature saline minerality that runs through all the wines.

If you’re into more Skinsy stuff then U Veciu is the one for you. Named aptly ‘The Elders’ as a homage to how his Grandfather used to vinify. So, we've got three gentle months on the skins for the local Rossese Bianco. Never heard of it either, but boy is it delicious. Flinty reduction blows off to reveal citrus and herbs, and a hint of honey.

Also, U Neigru is a delicious red. Lush cherry fruit is on show but this is still lean and mean due to just a short 5-day skin soak. Heydi likes to use local wood like they did in the past. Chestnut is used here, which unlike big broody American oak doesn’t mask the grapes. Instead, it frames the fruit nicely and helps to bring some aromatic lift. I could wax lyrical about these wines all day so pop into Dan’s for a fun lecture if you like. I urge you to try these. Not many wines manage to capture their terroir quite like these do. Trust me, do some googling, and you’ll thank me later.

Also, for you Jura heads we keep on bringing in the very best from the region to keep you all happy. A little bit of Tournelle just landed. Uva Arbosiana was the first Poulsard that got me hooked on this lithe, fragrant grape. So pure, so fresh. Trousseau from the only Lieu Dit, you need to be paying attention to, Les Corvées. A couple of whites from 2020 complete the bunch. This was the last vintage before the tragic passing of Pascal. Topped up mineral Chardy here, and a spiced Savagnin here. A touch of top-shelf Benoit too cause we're just that damn good.

Enough rambling, happy shopping!
Fionn 
XOXO