SURIOL 2019 RESERVA BRUT NATURE ROSAT

PENEDÈS, SPAIN

Located just 60km west of Barcelona in the hills of the Alt Penedès, is where you’ll find Suriol. The family has been making wine here for over 400 years, operating out of Castell de Grabuac, a medieval farmhouse built in the 15th century. Today, the operation is helmed by 16th and 17th generation vignerons Francis and Assis Suriol.

Equal parts Monastrell & Garnacha (aka Mourvèdre & Grenache), each coming from a single plot, spend 6 hours on skins before fermentation and aging in underground vats for a year before being blended for secondary fermentation. Traditional method aging took place for 26 months in bottle, just four months shy of Gran Reserva status. The Cava is then disgorged to order!

This is a bit shy just out of the bottle, but after just a few minutes in the glass aromas of cranberry and raspberry start to shine through.

On the palate, it’s crisp and laser focused with flavours of gooseberry, strawberry, and nougat with chalky minerality, and a persistent finish.

WEINGUT BÜRGMEISTER SCHWEINHARDT 2019 BLANC DE NOIR SPÄTBURGUNDER

NAHE, GERMANY

For over 350 years now, Weingut Bürgmeister Schweinhardt has been passed down from generation to generation. In ‘93 Axel Schweinhardt took over the winemaking from his father who said to him, “It used to be about wine - today it's about good wine.” From there Axel worked his way into the other aspects of the family business, eventually taking over all operations in 2008.

Blanc de Noir literally translates to white from black, and that’s exactly what this wine is… a white wine made from black (red) grapes, in this case Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder).  They press the grapes and remove the skins from the juice as soon as possible so as not to impart any colour into the wine. The wine is fermented and raised in stainless steel to retain freshness.

The nose draws you in with enticing aromas of satsuma; on the palate you’ll find strawberries & cream, overripe raspberries and a hint of blood orange. It’s got gorgeous, flinty, minerality and a zippy finish.

ABBIA NÒVA 2020 PASSERINA DEL FRUSINATE

LAZIO, ITALY

Located in the town of Piglio, about 80 kms east of Rome, Abbia Nòva is an artisanal winery run by cousins Daniele & Pierluca Proietti. The name 'Abbia Nòva' refers to an ancient Roman road linking the town of Piglio, in the southwestern part of the region, to Abruzzo. The vineyards have been farmed naturally since the 1980’s, employing the Fukuoka Method.

“The Fukuoka-inspired viticultural approach—a supremely hands-off style informed by late Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka—makes biodynamic and organic farming seem overly interventionist—conventional, even.”

– Mark Stock, for SevenFifty Daily

The grape here is Passerina and “del Frusinate” indicates the specific village the fruit comes from (the same way we see Barbera labelled as d’Asti or d’Alba).

Honeydew melon and spring flowers jump from the glass and are echoed on the palate where they’re met with ripe stone fruit, loads of ripe pineapple, toasted almond and a wisp of thyme.

STOLPMAN VINEYARDS 2020 COMBE TROUSSEAU

BALLARD CANYON, CALIFORNIA

Over 20 years ago, Tom Stolpman discovered what he believed to be one of the greatest viticultural sites on earth, hidden in the hills of California’s Central Coast, on a rare limestone outcropping and unobstructed from the wind coming off the Pacific Ocean. Today, Tom’s son Pete and his wife Jessica are at the helm of Stolpman Vineyards. They’re committed to preserving this amazing natural environment and employing sustainable practices in every aspect of their business.

“Combe” is Pete’s esoteric project and a collaboration with legendary sommelier Rajat Parr. They focus on grapes that aren’t usually associated with California; Trousseau originated in the Jura region of eastern France. Grapes are fermented in open tank concrete vats, 1/3 whole-cluster.

This fresh and energetic wine is bursting with notes of pomegranate, field strawberry and raspberry Jelly Bellies, with subtle notes of dried basil and fresh potting soil. The palate is surprisingly velvety given the light colour. Serve chilled!

REAL AGRADO 2020 RIOJA

RIOJA, SPAIN

The folks behind Real Agrado have been growing grapes since 1974, but it wasn’t until 2005 that they decided to stop selling their fruit to other producers and create a project of their very own!

“Real” means royal and “Agrado” is the feeling of happiness or pleasure experienced when doing something one loves.

You’ll notice this wine is simply called “Rioja” which refers to the specific region in Spain that the wine comes from. Rioja is divided into three subzones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Oriental (this is where Real Agrado is located) and Rioja Alavesa.

This is made with 80% Garnacha & 20% Tempranillo. Both grapes were fermented separately in stainless steel tanks. The Tempranillo goes through carbonic maceration. The wine is then blended and does not see any oak. This style of Rioja used to be called “Vin Joven” which literally means young wine.

The result is a fresh, juicy red with aromas of ripe cherries and blueberries! No oak means that it’s super easy drinking, maybe too easy drinking?!

CASTELLO DI POTENTINO 2020 SACROMONTINO

TUSCANY, ITALY

This is Castello Di Potentino’s flagship wine. Its name, Sacromontino, is a play on words…Sacromonte or “Sacred Mountain” refers to Monte Amiata (the Etruscans believed this was the home of the gods), which was named in honour of the volcanic peperino stone that the mountain is formed of. This stone was used in the construction of the Castle itself. And ‘ino’ is the diminutive in Italian, meaning little, in reference to the wine’s youth! This Sangiovese was fermented in 50L French oak barrels for 2 weeks before being transferred to stainless steel for 6 months.

Sangiovese is inherently savory and often quite rustic and earthy; this wine is all of those things, but it’s also got a gorgeous fruitiness to it that makes it wildly approachable.

Aromas of tomato leaf and oregano are met with an abundance of black cherry and juicy plum. The palate is medium bodied with just enough acidity to draw you in for another sip and fine-grained tannins are integrated beautifully!