This week we're back on the upload with tonnes of new wines and old favourites hitting the shop. So much that we have a rather large newsletter today... We've got a big stash of our favourite Australian producers and a few new ones from Italy and France with reputations that precede them. We've also just received a bunch of excellent pre-mixed drinks from Love Can in Sydney, if you want to get your RTD on. Read on for more info on some homegrown hammers and exotic beauties.
AUSTRALIAN HEROES
Winter in Australia means time to dig out some of the modern classics. We're of course referring to Haggis, Gentle Folk and Latta - giants of the anti-establishment wine scene and trailblazers of real wine here in Oz. We are pumped to have the new release reds from Gareth Belton at Gentle Folk, a dreamy Merlot, Syrah and single vineyard Pinot Noir that speak to the refinement we're seeing in these wines today, which were viewed by many as radically hands-off just a few years ago. Haggis from Pat Sullivan's Jumpin Juice label is iconic and the archetypal 'bits and pieces' wine, again somehow more refined and delicious than ever. We're also very happy to have the Wildwest Red from the inimitable Owen Latta. Cruise the 'Just Arrived' section or come down to Southbank ad we'll hook you up.
LITTLE KING, BIG VIBE
"People who are interested in Burgundy aren't into natural wine and people who are into natural wine aren't interested in Burgundy" is a lament we have heard before and can sympathise with. Any domaine of note in Burgundy is going to test the outer edges of approachability in terms of price these days. There is another path though, it's a lot harder to follow but with the help of some true heroes on the ground in France like importer Ryan Larkin, we can drink wines of insane pedigree and beauty from new producers who have come up through the Burgundian system and collected their own vines which they want to work in a more natural way.
One such bright light is Seiichi Saito of Domaine Petit Roy. He came to wine in the Cote d'Or as many of his Japanese countrymen have through Chisa Bize at Domaine Simon Bize, a proponent of both the Japanese attention to artistry and of biodynamics. Seiichi bases himself out of Chorey-Les-Beaune, a cool hamlet tucked into the Cote where he has a small cellar of old barrels containing wines of immense life. He farms and makes wine from a few plots of deceptively humble denomination, labelled as Bourgogne Rouge and Blanc, but from beautiful vineyards in Savigny-Les-Beaune (Blanc), Chorey-Les-Beaune (Rouge 'De Sousa') and Pommard (Rouge 'Les Lormes'). These wines are extremely limited but an amazing grab at ~$70 a bottle for some truly special terroir and winemaking. You could be a burgundy person yet...
'HARDÈCHE'
Andrea Calek is one of a band of rogues who have settled in the under-appreciated region of saucisson and forest known as the Ardèche. It's come to acquire the nickname 'hardèche' for it's tough and resilient natural winemakers who do everything by hand in freezing winters and hot summers, making wines of intensity and purity. Nestled between the famous crus of the Southern and Northern Rhone, the Ardèche is relatively obscure in it's mountainous woodland wilderness, however here we find some beautiful takes on the Rhone varieties, predominately Syrah but also Grenache, Viogner etc. Andrea Calek is a tall and insanely handsome Czech guy with an edgy asymmetrical haircut and a habit of making some of the purest, juiciest expressions of Syrah and Grenache in the 'Valley of Wine' as the Romans called it. If you don't believe us google image search him and buy a bottle of A Tois Nous.
THE RARE TUSCAN LION
Leeona Bianco is a new 'orange' wine we're pretty jazzed about from importer Quel Vino made in collaboration with some of their organic vignerons in Tuscany. It's a blend of some champion varieties namely Malvasia with the spicy aromatics, Trebbiano wiht the grassy herbal notes and Grechetto with the citrus peel. All varieties were fermented separately and macerated for 20 days, giving an enticing orange hue, bright and aromatic nose and just a kiss of lovely fine tannins. This is a prime example of skin-contact done well and of the enduring beauty of Italian orange wines. You can make bella figura with this one for only forty bucks so it's right in the pocket with literally no competition from it's compatriots. Available online and in store now!
CLASSICS IN CANS
It's oddly difficult to find premium pre-mixed drinks in this country, which has been mixing it's own spritzes and G&Ts for too long. Enter Love Can - to take the effort out and present a beautiful product distilled by Poor Toms in Sydney and using the excellent Strangelove sodas.
Here we have three classics, each with an interesting twist, in lovely packaging and at an excellent price. What more could one want? There's the Gin and Tonic featuring a junipery gin distilled with lemon peel, grapefruit and bergamot. Then we have the Spritz, a negroni-style mix of strawberry gin, orange aperitivo, lemon and soda. Lastly there's a Vodka Yuzu, chamomile and apple vodka with soda and a twist of yuzu.
More packs on the site this week including a insane pack of three of our favourite Italian wines that would never normally see discount, one of which is a bit of a unicorn: Oof Madone! Also the 3rd edition Juicy Pack for those who like it slippery.
We've gone from recommending wines to our customers in shops to spilling hot 7-11 coffee in our laps while trying to read the Gregory's. We've added Tuesdays into the mix so now we're delivering every afternoon except Sunday and Mondays. If you're within 15km of Melbourne CBD and order before 1pm you'll get the wine before dinner time FREE.
SUBSCRIBE NOW TO OUR MONTHLY PACKS!
We have from the outset prided ourselves on having the best monthly subscription wine service in the game. We take this so seriously that each and every month we convene a panel of expert wine industry folk around a cheese board at Sam's house for a tasting selection panel. No punches are pulled, frankly it's brutal. So the wines that go in our monthly packs are certified FIRE.
