Terroir: the special character that a wine is thought to get from the particular place where the grapes were grown to make it. The best resource to understand terroir is to visit a wine region and spend as much time there as you can. No substitute. But if you can’t afford that 2-week getaway to Tuscany, here’s a 6-pack that will try to deliver the “sense of place”.
Alexandre Giquel Multitude 2022
This is a dry white wine with both texture and personality aplenty. It’s herbal, it’s smoky, it’s (burnt) buttery and it’s slipped with lemony, slatey, pear-like fruit. Superb texture with just a touch of residual sugar to add complexity. The acidity is well integrated and gives this wine such a great lift. A Chenin that can be drunk alone, but would also benefit from a solid food pairing.
Weingut Schmitt Riesling 2022
The perfume is all citrus skin and blossoms, gentle nuttiness, the flow is of purest lime juice. Represented by a family of strong citrus characters on the palate but not shy of some tropical undertones, kiwi, papaya, pineapple skin. It does one of the great wine ‘oxymoron tricks’, being firm in acidity and soft in texture at the same time. Magic.
Kunoh Casablanca 2021
This is all Pinot Noir. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and spend a month on skins. Aged in clay amphora for 9 months. Tart, refreshing style with a faint spritz and crunchiness to texture. Red cherry, sour and preserved, blackcurrant, brambles, sage and bay leaf, some aniseed and a smudge of woodsy-nutty tannins lending a clumpy chew mid palate.
Frederic Brouca Champs Pentus Rouge 2021
Grenache + Syrah + Carignan blend born and bred in Faugères, Languedoc-Roussillon. Spicy, dried herb and black olive, raspberry, pomegranate. Medium-bodied, distinctly sappy and herbal, a tamarind tang through strawberry and raspberry. Dry crunch of amaro and dusty tannin, juicy and frisky, with a punchy finish. Quite different in style to many a GSC, but in a good way.
Francois Ecot Sapucai Rouge 2021
After catastrophic weather conditions in Burgundy, François was forced to look further afield for grapes in 2021 so he approached friends over the border in Catalunya. Despite the devastation to his own vines, he was excited to work with these different varieties. A blend of Tempranillo, Syrah, Merlot and Carignan. Medium-bodied, slightly savory & delicious blend.
Latta Precarious Blanc 2021
A blend of aromatic varieties - Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Viognier and Chardonnay. Fragrant thing, lots of honeysuckle and frangipani floral characters, a bit of sea spray, green apple, faint nuttiness. Tart and tangy to taste, quite racy and herbal in a way. Bit of lime and lemon on the finish again. Super pleasing, interesting textural white wine here.