šNEW WORLDIES š
by Megan Jones
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Hey, Fionn again. Hope youāre all doing well!
Another week with back-breaking amounts of wine flying through the doors. Lots of restocks and plenty of shiny new things keep 2 keep us busy. As ever, hard to know where to startā¦
Will kick off with a bit of Arnott-Roberts! I was first acquainted with these wines way back at one of my first staff boozy dinners. As ever many bottles were drunk, mostly great, some excellent.Ā ThisĀ was firmly in the latter. Outshining even my favourite producer from Burgundy, sorry Cossard!Ā High praise indeed for someone who before this assumed all āNew Worldā wine was over-oaked, over-extracted, and Parker-approved. Iām blaming WSET for that btw. Oh how wrong I was. Crystalline and pure Chardy is put front and centre here and offers pound-for-pound refreshment you simply canāt find in the āOld Worldā. With no hideous oak to hide behind, you should go crazy forĀ thisĀ too.
Despite working with the standard Cali varieties youāll also find them messing about with things that shouldnāt, but definitely do work in these parts. AmericanĀ Ribolla GiallaĀ from cuttings from a certain Gravner. Sign me up. Exotic, fragrant, juicy, crisp all my favourite things wrapped up and put into a cute little bottle. Try something new, you wonāt regret it.
Theyāve also worked their magic on a bit ofĀ Trousseau. Whole clusters for a fragrant and lithe wine that will have your head in a spin. The fruit is blended from two sites, one that catches a bit of sun for juicy fruit and one that catches the cool breeze to keep things fresh. Rivalling the best of the Jura, at half the price. Nice.
I know it's wet, and grey currently but they make a meanĀ RosĆ©Ā as well that Iād happily drink come rain or shine. Again they've beenĀ messing around and this is a Touriga Nacional, Gamay Noir, Tinta CĆ£o, and Grenache blend. Saline, mineral and oh-so moreish. 11% so you donāt need to feel so guilty about guzzling this one in record time.
Not just weird things, classic Pinot of course too. Aromatic and fine-bonedĀ here. Spicy, earthy, and concentratedĀ here. This btw is from the OG Pinot site in Cali. Planted way back in the 1940s. Maybe this new world aint so new after all.
While you're at it check out theĀ whole range. Life-affirming stuff thatāll make you fall in love with a region you didnāt know you needed to know about.
On the topic of Cali would be rude not to mention the new wines fromĀ Domaine de la Cote. Rajat Parr is one busy man. Putting out consistently stellar wines is no easy feat and with so many projects on the go, I donāt know how he does it. Iām thankful that he does.Ā ThisĀ is a lovely starting point to get to grips with the house style. Aromatic, lightweight, and painstakingly pure.Ā ThisĀ is a step up, and whilst silly complex now it isĀ destined for a cellar.Ā This oneĀ is just silly. Top top top stuff. I have no words. Worth every damn penny. Treat yourself, you deserve it.
On the topic of Pinot it would also be very rude to not mention these fromĀ By Farr. One of the Aussie Elite. Classic, house style can be foundĀ here. You friend for the cellarĀ here. Coming into itās drinking window beautifullyĀ here. A wine I want to sit and contemplate for a few hours but donāt have the restraint for rightĀ here.
Enough rambling,Ā weāve gotta another delivery coming in hot!
Take it easy,
Fionn
XOXO