SOUTHERN RIGHT 2021 SAUVIGNON BLANC

WALKER BAY, SOUTH AFRICA

Southern Right is part of the iconic Hamilton Russell family of wines! The project, named after the rare Southern Right whales that frequent the cool South Atlantic Walker Bay (just 3 kms from the vineyards), makes contributions to the conservation of their namesake.

"Southern Right's strong, cooling, maritime influence and extremely old and stony clay-rich soils, combined with our tight focus on only two wines, have enabled us to re-define South Africa's unique variety Pinotage with a more classically styled wine. Our lighter structured sandstone-derived soils combine with our clay-rich soils to produce a highly individual Sauvignon Blanc, with marked minerality and complexity."

- Anthony Hamilton Russell

Sauvignon Blanc is most known for its expressions coming from New Zealand, which demonstrate prominent “green” notes such as fresh cut grass and bell pepper; but Sauvignon Blanc’s ancestral home is France’s Loire Valley, where it displays more tropical notes with accents of minerality. I find this offering to be a gorgeous balance of these two styles, with notes of gooseberry, guava, lime and a hint of lemongrass.

ALPHA BOX & DICE 2021 “Ö” GRÜNER VELTINER

MCLAREN VALE, AUSTRALIA

Based in McLaren Vale, South Australia, Alpha Box & Dice are embarking on an “Alphabet of Wine”. Each ‘letter’ embodies an individual winemaking project, with the end goal being a complete collection of wines that celebrates the diverse styles and varieties found in South Australia.

Ö is made from 100% Grüner Veltiner that is sourced from the Springhill Vineyard in Macclesfield in the Adelaide Hills. This region is quickly gaining recognition for producing high quality examples of this grape, which is most commonly associated with Austria. This site has slightly lower elevation that is expressed in more overt characters and a richer, fuller weight that's enhanced by an element of skin fermentation and oak maturation.

"Bursting with delicious fruit that resolves into a generous level of texture balanced by a cleansing acidity." - Sam Berketa, Head Winemaker

The nose and the palate are harmonious here, with notes of lime powder, lemon curd, caramelized pineapple, star fruit and marzipan.

CLArence dillon wines 2021 clarendelle ROSÉ

BORDEAUX, FRANCE

In 1935, Mr. Clarence Dillon acquired the iconic Chateau Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, working towards restoring the estate to its past glory.

Fast forward 70 years later and Dillon’s great grandson, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, opened a new chapter in the Dillon family history by creating Clarence Dillon Wines, which takes inspiration from Haut-Brion.

This gorgeous rosé is a blend of 65% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon & 3% Cabernet Franc, coming from plots dedicated to its production. The grapes were harvested during the last two weeks of September, after a rather cool summer, which led to brilliant levels of acidity. They were direct pressed and spent a very short amount of time on skins to retain the pale pink hue.

The nose is super expressive with aromas of passionfruit, lychee and pomegranate. On the palate you’ll find the passionfruit is echoed and complemented with loads of tangy pink grapefruit, a tiny hint of fresh mint and a sprinkle of freshly cracked white peppercorn.

Barnard griffin 2021 ROSÉ of sangiovese

COLUMBIA VALLEY, WASHINGTON

This is the second wine from Barnard Griffin to make the cut for the BRICKS 6! Last April I used their Chardonnay, and I wanted to use this rosé last summer, but I figured the same producer twice in one year was too much. Plus, I’m happy to report that the ’21 vintage is even better than the ’20 was (IMO)!

Sangiovese is synonymous with Italy, but don’t let that fool you - it thrives in other parts of the world too, like right here in Washington’s Columbia Valley!

The grapes were harvested on September 16th after a remarkably hot summer which contributed to smaller, more concentrated fruit and lower yields. Thanks to the regions cool nights though, they were able to retain acidity and freshness.

This rosé is dry, juicy, juicy and super expressive with a weighty, luscious texture. Flavours of field strawberry, watermelon, super ripe raspberry, cherry, and pineapple are met with slightly savory notes of tomato leaf and fresh basil.

PATRICK LAMBERT 2021 GOURMANDISE CHINON

LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE

Chinon is a commune in the province of Touraine, which is located in France’s Loire Valley; here they make red wines, and a handful of rosés, almost exclusively from Cabernet Franc (up to 25% Cabernet Sauvignon is permitted to be blended in too). So, if you ever see Chinon on a label, you now know that it’s Cab Franc.

Patrick Lambert began his project in 1990, in ‘05 he downsized his project though, keeping only the best 6.35 hectares and focusing on sustainable farming. In ‘11 he began the conversion to organics. Patrick typically makes very serious and compelling examples of Chinon; but

Gourmandise, made from his youngest vines, is intended to be fun and fresh, indulgent even!

This wine is certainly not lacking in complexity. Blackberries and juicy red bell pepper jump from the glass. The palate is bright, with lifted flavours of tart red fruit, accented with notes of hibiscus, cocoa powder and black pepper.

WEINGUT JUDITH BECK 2020 BECK INK

BURGENLAND, AUSTRIA

Matthias & Christine Beck founded this project in Neusiedlersee, Austria in 1976. In 2007 their daughter Judith, having interned at the famous Château Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux, France and at Errazuriz in Chile, took over operations of the 20-hectare, biodynamically farmed estate. Their soils are extremely diverse; in fact, a single vineyard alone can comprise humus, gravel, loam, limestone and various minerals.

Ink is a blend of 90% Zweigelt & 10% St. Laurent. Judith says she likes to combine the two grapes as the St. Laurent adds lots of spice to the fruit driven Zweigelt. The two varieties are hand harvested and fermented separately with indigenous yeast in stainless steel for two weeks before being transferred to large, old oak barrels for about 12 months.

Aromas of black cherries and loads of baking spices are abundant. The palate is juicy with soft tannins and flavours of sour cherries, raspberries, blackcurrants and a hint of cinnamon.