AGED 2 PERFECTION

Mornin’

Absolute belter of an email this morning. Better strap in!

It’s not often I come into work to find a parcel of perfectly matured, iconic bottles, but it’s a very nice way to start the week. First, a bit about where these came from. Up in Edinburgh, there are these special ‘vaults’. Essentially, large underground cellars that burrow deep, with no fluctuating temperature or humidity. Basically, the perfect place for wines to rest. These bottles have been quietly lying there until now, so rest assured, these have been aged to perfection.

Starting with the youngest of the lot, we’ve got a 2005 Hautes Gramemon. Things have gotten earthen and meaty but still with a pure core of southern fruit. More? Well how about something from before the turn of the century? A bittersweet Sagesse from 1999, the year we sadly lost Philippe, the domaine’s founder. Just one bottle from 1989, oldest vines, the wine that shot the estate to international acclaim, possibly from their first-ever vintage. Yes, yes, yes. A proper collector’s item.

We’ve also got healthy stocks of the more reasonably priced, fresh-faced bottles. Very tasty in their youth, too! The fruit is warm but still so drinkable, something I find can only come from the very best unmanipulated wines. Shop the range here.

Oh, also got a 1993 Cab Franc that’s been stored at the estate until recently, but now dust removed and freshly labelled. Another bottle that’s really benefited from solitary confinement. Jaime from Dan’s fame couldn’t help but pop a cork a few weeks back, and it’s still reverberating in my skull. Such purity, such freshness! There’s no way I’d have guessed it’s older than me. I guess ageing slows down when you don’t move from a dusty old cellar. Might need to visit for a snooze myself… Anyway, I don’t love Cab Franc yet I loved this. More importantly, I loved the price. History shouldn’t be this cheap! Limited.

Alright, boomer bottles aside, we’ve got some new bits too. Since my visit to Beck-Hartweg last year, I’ve been waiting so patiently for this new release. By that, I mean doom-scrolling supplier trade lists. Florian and Mathilde work some seriously special sites, and in the wine world, we often lose sight of that by getting bogged down in varietal. Here, everything is blended to show a holistic picture of exactly what those granitic soils do best. At first, the fruit’s luscious and the aromatics are spiced, but then it takes a mineral twist and ends in a salivating, saline finish. A lesson in Liquid rock.

Then there’s the Alsatian-Jura mashup of my dreams. Gewürz gets the flor treatment to dial down the aromatics. Instead of sickly, we’re firmly in savoury, serious territory. A wine you’ll need to taste to believe, ideally with a hunk of cheese. Munster or Comté? Do both. Too much cheese never hurt anyone.

Finally, a few new events for you: We’re starting a monthly Tuesday tasting. Super casual, super value, super special bottles. First one’s all about pink things because I’m feeling confident the sun will be shining. Also, the first Tarot Tasting sold out so fast. We had to bring it back. Round 2 is live now, likely not for long.

ILY

Fionn
xoxo