2015 Domaine Georges Vernay Sainte Agathe Côtes du Rhône

A quarter of a century ago I briefly gave up a relatively well paid job in the unforgiving construction industry to work in badly paid employment for an importer of European wine; not a happy experience as their attitude to their employees would have even made some of Dickens’ characters wince. One producer they imported was this doyen of Condrieu. Sadly their lack of staff product education meant I only tasted Vernay’s great wine once. It was enough. When four bottles of this came up for auction, a quick search revealed a great review from Jancis for the 2016 version and an explanation that the Sainte Agathe vineyard is planted to Shiraz in the middle Condrieu on soils very similar to the adjacent Côte Rotie. I spread my bets and bid what turned out to be a total of $43 for each bottle. Thanks maybe to Vernay’s relative obscurity in Australia, nobody else had a bid and I ended up with all four. Happy days as it’s a profoundly good wine. Despite ten years of age, the colour is still a fresh, low ph red and purple. After a serious triple decant, it all melds into a fascinating nose full of spice, dark raspberries, plums and something of a cross between sweet old leather, violets and dark slate roasting in the sun. A mouthful is almost painfully concentrated but loaded in charm. The same flavours and a texture like rough silk in the finest of dense tannin, all freshened by incredibly beautiful blood orange acidity. I can only imagine this is what a great Côte Rotie from a very warm year would be like? It left me hoping more comes up on the auction site. The wine budget be damned.

12.9% alcohol. Cork. RRP of about $85 in Australia.

95, maybe 96 points as it’s so well made.

2019 Champagne Drémont Marroy Écolsion Chardonnay

There’s been quite a bit of Champagne in the last few weeks. The most extraordinary was a last bottle of Lilbert et fils Perle Blanc de Blancs which thanks to an informative back label was disgorged in 2017. The years spent resisting temptation were worth the restraint. Grand cru Chardonnay worthy of the name which had developed perfumes of wattle blooms and the best flower honey that went on for light years. If you’ve $170, the current release is available in Australia at The Prince Wine Store amongst others. Not sure I’ve the money, patience or the years left to risk another. The original post from a few years ago.

https://cognitivecellartherapy.com/2019/02/22/nv-lilbert-fils-perle-blanc-de-blancs-grand-cru-champagne/

A friend devoted to still buying Champagne offered this Drémont Marroy as a swap for some spare auction bottles. As it comes from the usually well chosen selection of champagne-de-vigneron.com, it should be a good buy. Particularly as the importer has been pursuing good value on the ground for quite a few years. The hunt ranging west along the Marne to Charly sur Marne, just about halfway to Paris from the Côtes des Blancs. And another producer more interested in their farming than label bling as the back of the bottle explains a lot more than some…

Fruit so ripe these days of warming weather that there’s zero added sugar to hide any shortcomings. The wine itself, after all Champagne is wine, is beautiful but shy. There seems to be a wound up depth of crystalline citrus, lemon and maybe grapefruit that slowly unwinds after an initial hit of what could be confused with a good breath of fresh, saline seaside breeze. Most of all, it’s the sense of power in the middle that promises all sorts of mineral and stone depths to come with time. Add some delicious, life giving breath in the form of well modulated acidity and it’ll be a wonder in a few years. Nonetheless, a great bottle to share and wonder how much Champagne has changed for the better in quality if not price. Cheers indeed.

12.5% alcohol. Diam I think. Great swap for a few dodgy old auction bottles.

Another bottle of great bubbles shared with no little joy but not much objectivity was a Vilmart & Cie Premier Cru Grand Reserve. Really rich but light on its toes with a great depth of middle mouth fruit and the sort of ripe acidity that tingles and glides and shows how inadequate are some of the luxury goods companies’ bottles. Direct import from The Prince Winestore.

The great disappointment was a Champagne Veuve Monsigny Brut Selection from Aldi which has had some good reviews. Horribly cork tainted. I was many kms away from the nearest Aldi and not sure I could face explaining the problem to probably the only poorly paid and overworked staff member dealing with the madness that’s Xmess shopping. $35 dollars would have been better spent on a Barbadillo Sherry under screw cap and still had change.

2022 Sylvain Pataille Bourgogne Aligoté

A first Aligoté review which means I’m finally catching up with trends in Burgundy. Apart from the de Villaine Bouzeron version, there wasn’t much sold as a stand alone quality bottle when I first got bitten by the Burgundy bug. Never really a fan of kir. As it’s become popular, perhaps due to extra ripening as the climate warms and lunatic prices for even basic Bourgogne Blanc, there’s been lots of comment about the clones of Aligoté. There’s two it seems, vert and doré, with the latter the more favourable for an interesting drink. Think this is doré as it tastes fairly golden in a way. Lots of rich yellow fruit, sort of plum, specifically maybe greengage, straw, sweet green herby touches and a satisfying almond meal thing. Both in smell and flavour. Oddly reminds me of some Mediterranean grapes like Grillo or Palomino which is good for me. The lovely acidity and phenolic pith is much more Burgundian in terms of a delicious glide and substantial texture. The sheer volume of flavour is impressive, albeit not as complicated or wide as Burgundian Chardonnay but there’s heaps of solid clean fun. The almond paste flavour is compelling. Not sure it warrants its recommended retail price of close to a hundred Australian dollars but that’s Burgundy and our stupid tax system.

12% alcohol I think, the weird coloured label is a bit easily scuffed. Cork. Part of some beautifully chosen bottles swapped for the yearly Wendouree share.

93 points.

Barbadillo Fino L25 – 169

A splendid and extremely good value apero for the odd warm day at the start of Melbourne’s fickle summer. I’m very happy the ethanol barn that’s Dan Murphy’s direct import this and Barbadillo’s Manzanilla Solear. Encouragingly the stock turns over quickly. Much less happy that Dan’s didn’t persist with Barbadillo’s great Pastora and Principe Amontillado which were to be had at good prices too. Only serves to keep Sherry as a cheap option for lots of alcohol perhaps. I’m also keen to carry on at length about how the quality of Sherry has improved so much over the last decade or so. Compared to some of the basic, big label Champagne at three to four times the price, this yeast affected gem is a screaming bargain. This saca as the bodegas call drawing a new batch of wine from the solera again shows how much better are the base wines and how much more care is obviously being exercised in keeping things fresh and clean. This bottling is delicious. Smells of fresh bread, quinine and chamomile build with a salty undercurrent. Large flavours of golden apples, almond, green olive and a touch of bread dough are twisted into shape by some flor driven quinine and a flow of sweet ripe acidity and a mouthwatering dryness. Suspend those prejudices about gran’s sweet flagons and indulge in one of the wine world’s great traditions, now better than ever.

I know it’s now a much more consistent product but hiding the bottling date code in a faint glass etching makes it difficult to check freshness. Not that a year of rest does no harm now it’s screw capped and clean. Maybe clearly explaining the process of criadera and solera bottling on the back label would educate the more sophisticated drinker the Sherry industry badly needs?

15% alcohol. Screw cap, hooray. $21.

93 points.

2022 San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico

A favourite producer over the last twenty years or so that always seems to make beautifully clean Sangiovese from what are obviously great grapes. No difference here. Pure clean Tuscan Sangiovese full of savoury hedgerow berries, if they have hedgerows in Tuscany? There’s also more Italian cherries, the slightly sour sort and loads of almonds mixed with a handful of walnut. Sweet leather smells too. The structure is impeccable, firm ripe tannin that sweetens with food and the sort of blood orange acidity that points to perfect ripeness. Oak’s an afterthought and spotless. There’s a gentle aristocratic air about lots of Tuscan estates. This one makes wine to match that feeling. Can’t think of a Chianti I’ve enjoyed more.

14% alcohol. Diam. $35 at auction.

94 points.

Lustau Manzanilla En Rama Saca Spring 2023

According to Broadsheet, an on line review of the good and fashionable in Aussie food and drink, one of the booze trends of 2025 is the Sherry revival. Hadn’t really noticed there was such a thing but I do like to think I’ve contributed by downing my share. Not sure it’ll replace beer this summer but I’m convinced a bit more popularity wouldn’t hurt as there’s been such an improvement in quality in recent years. The base wines seem to so much better, the rules are slowly changing for the good and there’s much less dirty old oak flavour and bitter sulphide. I now frequently get the impression I’m primarily drinking a delicious glass of wine without the complications of flor and old barrels dominating, just a tasty seasoning. This is a lovely 500ml of Sanlúcar vineyard magic, well it could be from those great pagos facing the estuary or from just anywhere. The rules haven’t changed to the extent that Manzanilla has to be from grapes grown anywhere near Sanlúcar, just matured in barrels there. Lustau themselves are still wedded to the idea that where the barrels are kept is far more important than where the grapes are grown. Going to their website and clicking on the individual Manzanillas and all there is the frustrating 404 not found thing. Secret? Imagine the French allowing Montrachet to be made from anything, just so long as the barrels are in the Côte de Beaune. Err..maybe they did unofficially once? Enough of the grumpy, the revolution has a way to go and this is really delicious wine. Seaside and estuary breezes, bajomar or low tide as the locals say, golden apple flavours, chamomile and straw, fennel, sesame seeds and a touch of bread dough to finish as the quinine twist of flor begs another sip. There’s a serious swell of great fruit before those complexities of flor and barrel dry and savour. As this bottling or saca is now over two years old, there’s maybe some development away from the fresh and salty towards the golden and rich, perhaps for the better? One of the weird effects of flor aging is the way volatile acidity falls as the yeasty bits float and then drop to become nourishing cabezuelas at the bottom of the barrel. Seems to help these en rama Sherries drawn straight from the bota stay stable and just get tastier in the bottle without extra filtering. Doing less sometimes means more.

15% alcohol, the rules now say 14% and it can still be labelled Manzanilla or Fino. Cork. $45.

94 points.

2021 Monte Benardi Tzingarella Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

A possible treat and maybe a risk as it’s from a natural leaning producer and who knows how it’s been looked after before putting up for auction. A blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Colorino, I suppose it’s what we used to call Super Tuscan last century. From vineyards in Panzano’s famed Conca d’Oro I think, sort of Chianti grand cru? There’s some odd idioms in the English language, one of them about a curate’s egg which seems to have come from an old Punch cartoon and has stuck in usage for something that’s good in parts. This is indeed good in some ways and a bit off in others, but puzzlingly enjoyable. The dodgy things first, volatile even beyond my own inability to notice and a whiff of the old plastic smelling band aid. The good, extraordinarily tasty fruit, just ripe and of beautiful mineral crispness. The cool reserve of old style Bordeaux perhaps? Fresh juicy cherries, sweet but a little tart just like the beauties in season in southern Australia at the moment. Red currants and fresh blackcurrant too. No hint of jam or sugary over ripeness. Pleasing drag of dusty, in a good way, drying and very fine tannin, well meshed to fresh acidity that maybe just gets a touch too tangy to end. Somehow makes another sip inevitable to see if it’s too much, perhaps yes, maybe no. Wabi sabi as it’s so well put in Japan.

14% alcohol. Cork. $32 at auction, good hunting I think.

Barely a score in technical terms, 93 if you ignore the warts.

2015 Montirius Sérine Côtes du Rhône

A biodynamic domaine that seems to have been turning out delicious bottles for some years with a sense of the natural in the best sense. Another from auction. Going away for a couple of months and still browsing and bidding, I got back to over fifty bottles ready to collect from my local Dan’s. Coming home can be fun. One of the good things about Woolies owning so many booze businesses is arranging collection and avoiding a courier leaving boxes of wine on the doorstep at the mercy of hot weather or the opportunistic. Better get drinking. Not owning an AhSo opener or one of those mega expensive Durand contraptions means my sad attempts at extracting dodgy old corks usually ends up with bits everywhere. Finally poured a small taste after straining the powdery residue of tree bark, oddly cedary and dull at first but it did open really well over a couple of hours. It’s labelled Sérine I think to reflect a perfumed Northern Rhône version of Syrah. And, yes, this has that violet and smoky fragrance backed up by some red fruit richness and scrubby herbs. Medium bodied, still fresh and pure fruited, a long way from the alcoholic soup of some warm years’ Southern Rhône. Really good grape growing from what’s become a favourite vintage. The red fruit element is beguiling, raspberries and cherries infused with a bit of fresh mint and spice and such a lovely mouthwatering texture. So glad no one else thought to bid. Happy, it made up for the totally cooked and corked Oratoire St. Martin Haut Coustias from the same box. Sort of a win.

13.5% alcohol. Cork in its most organic vagueness. $21 at auction.

93 points.

2020 N & C Juliénas Les Capitans

More fun from the auction site with a bid at about half the RRP, lucky me. Well, in this case it is a win as it’s a delicious bottle. A relatively new domaine formed when two brothers returned to the family land in 2018 with Saint Amour as its base. Not much more info comes up in searches as it seems both new and not much reviewed. Notwithstanding a lack of media presence, this bottle shows good fruit from a tricky hot vintage and good winemaking. There’s the density and ripeness of the year but there’s still freshness and a clean satisfying end. Lots of dark cherry, almost kirsch, cooked strawberries, spice and chocolate lying comfortably on a great bed of graphite like mineral things. Gives it a real sense of what searching suggests are granite and silica soils in the Capitans cru, as we wine nerds like to imagine soil infesting wine flavour. Despite the ripeness in a warming world, I must admit to being a bit surprised and happy how Gamay in the Beaujolais crus seems to still hang onto its mineral refreshment. More so than some Pinots from more famous vines further north? Looks like there’s more bottles on the auction site. I’m bidding.

14.5% alcohol but no heat apparent. Cork. $30 auction.

94 points.

2019 Thorn-Clarke Sandpiper Riesling

One of the good things about slumming it in the sub $25 section on the Langton’s auction website is the chance to buy some Riesling with a little bottle age. I remember it’s been almost twenty years since I first noticed this Riesling was always full of good fruit and great value in the big wine barns. A three bottle lot seemed worth a modest bid and such is Riesling’s continued avoidance of fashion in the fickle drinks business, it was enough. No surprises, good or bad, old school Eden Valley Riesling writ large for those of us who’ve been drinking it for thirty years, and need things in big letters. As well as the tart citrus and brisk acidity, there’s a nice build of something like stone fruit or mandarin or slightly green mango in the middle before that appetite sharpening acidity bites. Does have that bit extra fruit weight. Think I prefer them picked a bit riper, this tastes like it has a bit of sweetness which does balance things up a bit. No better value first glass of the evening. Particularly in proximity to the seaside this coming summer, please.

11% alcohol. Screw cap. $15 auction.

92 points.