It's a big week here, we're going to struggle to cover all the excellent wine arriving in one newsletter so we'll stagger it a bit. This week we got some major stuff from France, from some of our favourite producers including Matassa, De Moor, Bornard and JP Robinot, plus a bunch more. So this week is very France-heavy, not like that's a bad thing. There is a bit of Sicilian flavour to mix things up in the form of Arianna Occhipinti and her epic wines, and so much new Aussie stuff that you may as well just go and look on the site because there's too much to mention. For some deeper diving and release details though read on...
KING OF THE ROUSILLON
Tom Lubbe, a Kiwi who grew up and learned winemaking in South Africa has established himself as an iconoclast in the Mediterranean far South of France. His Domaine Matassa wines are lusted after by somms and punters around the globe for their beguiling combination of fruit, minerality and drinkability. Most of this comes from Tom's legendary sensitive farming, but also from the fact that this bit of country is known for fat, heavy wines and Matassa makes just the opposite. 2019 Was a brutal year for yields so these are like hen's teeth for a while unfortunately, but we've got our hands on a pair of his stunning reds; the Carignan/Mourvedre called Ace of Spades and his Brutal Rouge, a blend of Muscat a Petit Grains, Grenache Noir and Syrah. Delicate, mineral and alive, these wines are stunners that won't disappoint. Grab them here while they last.
'Matassa wines are lusted after by somms and punters around the globe for their beguiling combination of fruit, minerality and drinkability'
ARIANNA GRAND VINS
Arianna Occhipinti is Sicilian wine royalty, which is a very modest royalty by any standards, nonetheless her uncle is Giusto Occhipinti of the famed COS estate. Arianna though has been doing her thing for many years now and has in many respects eclipsed her family ties with a very serious and concerted effort to farm and produce Sicily's best wines. She has a state of the art winey where she ferments in large concrete vessels and uses gravity to move wine, she also has a lap pool. A project of the past few years has been separating out single vineyards of particular interest and making her own cru wines from her Vittoria region in the South East of the island. Classic terroir and a famous DOC.
It's been a minute since they've been in the country but we're very happy to have what are perhaps her two most enjoyable wines; the stunning, bright, juicy and savoury Frappato, and the inimitable SP68 Bianco, an OG cult natural wine of Zibibbo and Albanella. These are iconic wines with good reason.
Roger and Sue of Living Wines have sent us a few of the most blessed boxes of wine we've opened to date, an Aladdin's cave of treasures, only one or two bottles of each wine, but a deep selection which we'll be drip feeding out over the next fortnight so everyone can have a go. There's Jura (Bornard, Bruyere), Burgundy (De Moor) and the Loire (Robinot), plus an exciting producer from Alsace, Jean Marc Dreyer, profiled below.
These wines will be releasing online starting tomorrow and every few days over the next week and a bit, so keep an eye on our instagram
A WIZARD IN ALSACE
Jean Marc Dreyer took over his family estate in Rosheim, Alsace more than 15 years ago, making his first zero sulphur wines shortly after. That's a long time in this game, but that's the story of Alsace, a criminally under-appreciated region in France, with the cool climate, hilly terrain and fascinating geology that should by rights make it the darling of the natural wine scene. Well it's getting there, there's a definite buzz and interest around Alsace and Jean Marc Dreyer is right at the forefront.
Known for making some of the best 'orange' wines in France, Dreyer is steadfast in his approach, no so2, no topping barrels (even his Pinots) and between 10-20 days maceration for the whites. Then most cuvees go into large older foudres to relax and let the magic happen. They are full of character, beautifully balanced and saline. Exciting wines.
We have a tiny amount of skin-contact Auxerrois, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.
'There's a definite buzz and interest around Alsace and Jean Marc Dreyer is right at the forefront'
PACK 'EM UP, SHIP 'EM OUT
We're back with online-only packs galore. Grab yourself one of these to enjoy discounts on selections that wouldn't normally see them. Wines that we've picked around the shop just because we like them, you'd be mad not to.
We're going all out in stage 4. We've added Tuesdays and now Sundays into the mix so now we're delivering every afternoon except 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.
