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Tiny cellar in Poinchy by Laurent Tribut.  A very small vigneron with only 7 hectare as AC Chablis, Beauroy, Cote de Lechet and Montmains as premier cru. His approach is very traditional old barrel, minimal intervention only ambient yeast and Sulphur is used only for cleaning the barrel. his wines looks tight, cheesy and mineral.. As every good producer in Chablis the wine to get the right balance needs 5 to 7 years to express their potential, to me is one of the best Chablis producer.  Last week in his cellar we tasted from the barrel all the 2015  Ac Chablis very express with less minerality but perfect acidity  1er Cru Beauroy the fattest of all his 1er cru, quite expressive with longevity and  fattiness. 1er Cru Cote de Lechet quite limestone, shellfish fossil minerality as well body and fattiness but a bit more tight than Beauroy. 1er Cru Montmains is my favorite of all his cuvee reductive mineral with crazy acidity and quite salty…                            

visit at Dauvissat cellar We managed to get an appointment at Rene & Vincent Dauvissat by our friend importer of wine. This winery is in the centre of Chablis just 2 minute walk from Domaine Raveneau;  we were greeted by the daughter of Vincent which at first glance didn't  believe we had an appointment, but in a minute she realize we were booked as soon as we told the name of the Italian importer. So she called Vincent, this skinny fit man lead us to his barrel cellar, an underground space full of 228l barrel and of course some Feuillette barrel 132l. The cave is full of mould on the wall and very old, my mind thought the bacteria and the ambient yeast present in that cellar make this wine quite special. For me every time i drunk one of his bottle it was always an incredible experience, these wines with Raveneau wines with some age become incredible, fascinating details and full of expression. To me Dauvissat are the perfect example of the terroir of Chab

I have been very fortunate to visit Domaine Raveneau in Rue de Chichee at the number 9 in Chablis. To welcome us was Messier Raveneau and his daughter Isabelle. Was an outstanding experience quite unforgettable. We tasted through the 2014 vintage from barrel from chablis AC and a good extensive tasting on the premier cru. Raveneau work quite traditionally hand picking, malolactic is always done but not forced, elevage in old barrel 228hl and some Feuilletes half size of a barrel, which in chablis is the measure to sell wine in a negociant market. From 2014 we tasted the lieu dit FORET and BUTTEAUX from the hill of Montmains premier cru. Both very tight and full of energy show some kerosene character which Isabelle told us, great acidity and champignon mushroom hints. Then the surprise come from the Monte de Tonnere vineyard the 2014 was showing and acting as a grand cru, very closed with an acid structure high but balanced from the malo which give the smoothness and the le

The Nouvelle Vague of Barbaresco  Cascina Roccalini  Paolo Veglio is the man behind Cascina Roccalini, Veglio was born in 1978, He does the farmer since he is 14 years old. Since 1993, the grapes were transferred to Giacosa wines, which told him in private that these plots are one the best grapes in the whole area of Barbaresco. It is no coincidence that just attached to these vineyards are the vi neyards that give life to Sorì Tildin of Angelo Gaja. Paolo from 2004 decided to start bottling his wine and label under the name Cascina Roccalini. He challenged the crisis and initial it was not easy. Initially it got help from Dante Scaglione, the winemaker of Bruno Giacosa; the man did the most beautiful red labels of the Langhe; and then for unknown reason has been fired and replaced by the winemaker of Batasiolo. Dante Scaglione is perhaps the most important and expert winemaker of the Nebbiolo. Veglio was part of the Vini Veri association but not anymore. His is a very small pro

American rootstocks. The search for a solution to the problem of phylloxera led to seek vine plants naturally resistant or tolerant to the parasite. In the places of origin it had developed naturally a form of pest resistance to guarantee a normal life to the local vines. Experts went in search of these screws in the Americas and began attempting to graft. Some were rejected for manifest disaffinity, other for the poor capacity of rooting from cuttings because other undesirab le behaviors induced in the graft. They were therefore identified three main species of screw defined suitable for the engagement with the Vitis vinifera. They are the Vitis Rupestris far left, Vitis Berlandieri far right, Vitis Riparia down left... This American rootstock saved the European Vitis Vinifera down right. Except from some vineyards are still in Pie Franc  ‪#‎ americanrootstock‬   ‪#‎ rootstock‬   ‪#‎ mineral wine‬ Vitis Riparia is used in fresh soils , with little limestone and in temperate

Jean Claude Lapalu a small Vigneron in St Etienne La Varenne in Beaujolais. His approach of winemaking is very simple and straight forward a good friend of the oxygen and the grapes. He play with different vessel as barrels and Amphora. The So2 is almost an enemy, the use is very little and dictate by the vessel has been used, apparently the Amphora let him not to use any.  His wines can have som e pleasant VA and sour red fruit all support by the intense minerality showing in the glass. Jauma from Mclaren vale in South Australia work in the same way of Lapalu but with different grapes. The man behind is a young sommelier in Australia which switch is career and move in other side making superbly nice wines with great drinkability; James Erskine is the man behind Jauma. from the McLaren Vale sub appellations Blewitt Springs and Clarendon which are an extension of the Adelaide Hills, here in this part of the world there is cool breeze from the ocean and great diurnal temperature rang

Last week I spend a week in Champagne tasting in different fairs and I visit some great grower champagne… Some review below:   Benoit Marguet   A new small négociant producer. Benoit Marguet is the son of the former Champagne Marguet-Bonnerave single estate (RM) based in Grand Cru village Ambonnay on the Montaqgne de Reims. His new concern is a small négociant (NM) Marguet Père et Fils which buys in nearly all of its grape needs, partly from the remaining family vineyards and from a network of likeminded growers. Benoit is  also very involved with the viticulture at Launois, he married The daughter of Launois Severine. This producer is committed to organic working and some aspects of biodynamics involving working by the phases of the moon. No herbicides or pesticides are used. That cultivation drives root systems deeper, making for better vine water supply as roots are forced to go deeper. He experiments with cover crop too, believing grass removing the nitrogen and

An independent Alsatian producer. Mr Bruno Schuller in the commune of Husseren-les-Chateaux south west of Colmar. Since he was 18 years old has been working at Gerard Schueller Pere & Fills on 10 hectare of vineyards only 1ha dedicated to Pinot noir and two grand cru vineyards Eichberg and Pfersigberg in the commune of Eguisheim. However one of his most underground wine coming for the lieux-dit Bildstoeccklè on the town of Obermorschwihr in an exclusively calcareous soil. On e of the things really interesting me about this producers, often his wines do not pass the test of INAO; but this seems not worry this crazy artisan. This 2012 was close and reductive at the beginning but after a while we decanted it coming out delicate aromas of green Thea, ripe yellow peach, yellow plum with minerality always in tension, nervous and salty; great delicacy acidity. I bought 2 bottles one I will drink in 10 years time and I will back here to tell you how is ageing  ‪#‎ mineralwine‬   ‪#

RM (Récoltant Manipulant): A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyards. This is a small production in Ambonnay a grand cru village; here there is a lady Marie Noelle Ledru which is the exception of the male dynamism and humble vigneron in our collectively imaginary.  This is a story a beautiful Recoltant manipulan t in the Montagne de Reims knew for the her expression of Pinot noir. Everything start on 1980 when she get control of 6ha of vines in Ambonnay and extra hectare in Bouzy completely alone control every thing from vines management to vinification. However currently she things is too old to controlled such a big property and reduce the property in only 2hectares of vines which are 40 years old, the best of her selection. She does a Lutte Raisonnee viticulture whit out any label of certified organic farming. No chemical are add to the soil. She is a real hero because every step is done wit

Koheler Ruphrecht in the town of Kallstadt in the Mittlehardt of Pfalz; one of the oldest producer of the region. In the vineyard, no irrigation, fertilizers or herbicides are ever used, and systemic treatments against pests or fungal illness are kept to a minimum. In the cellar, long spontaneous fermentations occur in large, old German oak barrels with extended lees contact. Nothing is ever adde d or subtracted to the wine, and sulfur is only added moderately after alcoholic fermentation and before bottling. The Grand Cru of the K.R. Is Saumagen, which translates to pig's stomach, is named after the shape of the vineyard and also happens to be the region's most famous local dish. The soils here are heavy in chalky marl and full of tiny individual limestones that reflect heat onto the grapes. Koehler-Ruphrecht's 4h are on the original South-East facing slope. A small part of the Saumagen is designated as Terra Rossa, with the limestone taking a red hue due to a heavy

The Foucault brothers have a long and yet quiet history producing wine under the Saumur-Champigny appellation. The vineyards are tended without herbicides or fertilisers. There is no fining and no filtration, minimal use of sulphur; the wines derived from their 10 hectares of vines worked all in a sensitive respect of Mother Nature.  the Different cuvée employs the usual recipe for absolute excellence: outstanding terroir, old vines, very tiny yields, and incredible attention to detail. A white Saumur named Brèze, made naturally from 100% Chenin Blanc, in miniscule quantities from 1 hectare of 40-50 year old vines. This wine is simply a milestone. 2001 Brèzè Beautiful and complex nose between a surface of bronze and depth mineral, aromatic range oscillating between the fungus becoming truffle, sweet spices (cloves and pepper), roasted and finely peach preserved. A very classy for an outstanding vintage. 2007 Brézè Deeply gold, great weight and concentration but it lacks