V.i.V (Very important Vineyards)

In this case Volnay & Viognier from two sleeping giants, a Lafarge 2017 and a Perret 2014.

To have these on the table at the same time during lunch yesterday makes me feel that at last someone is coming to their senses. Me! of course. As to where they were zapped down from is another question, during this C19 Malbec-centric freaked out society of ours. Both wines were in perfect condition, showing themselves off beautifully and served at a lovely temperature and in very good glasses. The more I think about how we should all be using better wine glasses is for another chapter, one day, in de blog here.

The 2017 Volnay ‘villages’ from the Lafarge plots adds yet more sappiness to the mid-palate while still retaining the soil-driven personality of the vintage here. The bouquet is excellent, jumping from the glass in a refined blend of cherries, red plums, raw cocoa, a fine base of dark soil tones, pigeon and a nice touch of fresh thyme in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and nicely transparent, with a superb core, fine-grained tannins and excellent focus and grip on the very long and very elegant finish. Almost Gevrey-G in elegance.

2014 Coteau du Chery from Andre Perret’s Grand Cru Condrieu is utterly fantastic, with a profound, deep, rich style. The wine comes from old vines on a south-facing, granite hillside. Impressive pure and precise (I don’t like using this word for wine but there we go). Buttered peach, white flowers, white cherries and crushed citrus all emerge from this full-bodied, pure, elegant, silky, seamless beauty that does everything right, from the beginning.

Both wines can be found under the fifty quid mark and both wines go under my heading the “Elegancia de Francia”.

Heading north east and changing both tack and theme. When one gets a call from the Meister singer a la Mosel aka Egon Müller, he does not say much but sure as hell you don’t hang up either. I have been offered, direct, some new wines (Vintage 2020) from the fabled Schloss that will blow your cotton socks off if you still own any and still use them, that is. These, as yet, unknown gems are arriving at the end of the year, London City Bond VT as usual, and here goes:

2020 Le Gallais, Wiltinger Braune Kupp, Moselle. Egon Müller Kabinett @ £45bt
This vineyard is a monopoly for Egon Müller and is made up of coarse, richer slate soils with a touch of iron which gives the soil the brown colour from which the site takes its name.  The wines produced here are fuller in the mouth, richer and more generous with excellent structure.  The Riesling fruit here is full of orchard fruit, blossoms, Spring flowers and a touch of white peach.  Beautifully balanced with expressive fruity character. Egon talks about the excitement that he finds with the quality of his Kabinett wines; how drinkable they are at their 8.5° alcohol and how this excellence is only really found in the Moselle.

2020 Le Gallais, Wiltinger Braune Kupp, Moselle. Egon Müller Spätlese @ £85bt
A beautiful, fruity character in the nose, which is quite shy at first and then unfurls softly to reveal ripe stone fruit, white peaches and pears, with a touch of marzipan.  The character builds on the palate with lovely breadth and more exotic fruit flavours.  A deeply satisfying, balanced and intense wine where everything is in perfect harmony but still youthful and full of promise.

As normal these prices are per bottle (75cl) Under Bond, something to look forward to!

“Sell in May and go away, and come on back on St. Leger’s Day.” says our little Hummingbird.