Triple A wine producers "Agriculturalists, Artisans and Artists"This is how David
Harvey describes the wine producers he represents in the U.K.
I first knew David Harvey when he was the head sommelier and wine buyer for the Malmaison
Hotel in Edinburgh. Subsequently he held the same position at Clivedon, where he
created a monumental wine list of stunning quality. Now David has become a wine merchant,
specialising in the kind of wines that he is passionate about, wines from producers
who farm with organic or biodynamic principles, whether certified or not, and vinify
with minimal intervention, ambient yeasts and low sulphites. David eschews wines
that he deems contain artificial ingredients - and that is the majority of over-hyped
wines that you see on the market today. He feels that the majority of flavours, textures
and structures of those wines is determined by sexily packaged sachets of white powder,
new oak and heavy processing, not the effect of weather on the earth and vine, and
artisan culture.
As you may know, I have always been somewhat sceptical about organic and biodynamic
wines but David's enthusiasm seemed to be so sincere that I was tempted to take up
his invitation to taste a range of his wines during the London Wine Trade Fair at
an alternative venue - a sort of Edinburgh fringe to the main event - at the Whole
Foods Market in Kensington. But like the fringe, there were a lot of surprisingly
good results. As David says "They are not Hollywood blockbusters with screams and
explosions; they're smart independent flicks filled with intelligence and wit. Just
don't expect to get each one first time around……is the breadth, beauty and power
of nature knowable?" I certainly had my eyes opened here. Here are some notes on
the wines I tasted.
Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin - Loir
Jean Pierre Robinot farms organically (becoming certified) in Côteaux du Loir and
Jasnières. The white is Chenin Blanc and the red is made from Pineau d'Aunis. Modest
yields, natural ferment in used barriques, long elevage on fine lees and low to no
SO2 at bottling.
Fête en Bulles 2005 Pétillant Naturel
Crisp with a lot of fruitiness and not too much acidity - a good balance with gentle
bubbles. 86pts.
Regard du Loir 2003
Smooth with soft tannins and a bit of a sour cherry taste. Lacks a bit of structure.
82pts.
Claude Courtois - Les Cailloux du Paradis, Sologne
Certified organic farming of 7ha of vines planted, 50% of which is ungrafted, on
clay soil with silex nodules over limestone mother rock. He employs a long natural
ferment, basket press, mid to long elevage on fine lees, with or without topping
up and bottles with low or no SO2.
Quartz 2005
100% Sauvignon Blanc with quite a lot of body but quite acidic on the finish. Vinified
in old oak barrels. 81pts.
Gascon 2005
Wine made with a local red grape (Gascon) - it's quite austere at the moment, but
the fruit is really clean despite being vinified in old oak again. 84pts.
Les Racines 2005
This is a blend of 16 different grape varietals - it's quite smooth with soft tannins
and plenty of fullness in the mouth. 85pts.
Stéphane Bernaudeau - Anjou
Stéphane Bernaudeau bought this domaine in 1999 whilst still working with Marc Angelí.
Like Marc, he got fed up with the archaic appellation rules and this wine is now
simply a Vin du Table. Les Nourissons is a 100 year old one hectare plot of Chenin
Blanc and Verdelho, biodynamically farmed, producing on average 1,000 bottles a year.
He farm horse ploughs, picks ripe, makes a natural ferment, adds up to 60mg/l SO2
in elevage bottles with good CO2 still dissolved. You need to decant to render it
still: it calls for air, food and time.
Les Nourissons 2005
This is very intense with an enormous amount of "grip". A big, full mouthful with
the Verdelho tempering the acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc. 90pts.
Ales Kristancic, Movia - Collio/Brda
Biodynamic (certification uncertain). He has 20 ha on the rounded flysch hills straddling
the Collio/Brda zone on the Italian/Slovenian border. Local varieties hail from the
grandparents' day, Bordeaux varieties from his parents' day, plus his Burgundian
selection. Ales is passionate about helping people to see that "natural is normal"
in his own inimitable but forceful way. One of the most unusual winemakers in the
world.
Sauvignon Blanc 2006
A bit of a minty nose and the oak doesn't help with the crispness of the variety.
Nevertheless, it's full and rounded - a good food wine. 81pts.
Lunar 2006
Known as an "orange wine", this is made from the Ribolla Gialla grape. Talk of minimum
intervention - Ales puts the grapes in barrels and then leaves them to ferment and
age on their own for about seven months, without pressing the grapes or adding any
chemicals. They were then bottled without filtering. The result is a cloudy looking
wine with very intense mineral and floral flavours. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea,
but it was kind of my glass of wine! 90pts.
Pinot Noir 2003
This is very fine and delicate. You wouldn't mistake it for Burgundy, but it has
enormous length and great complexity. 92pts.
Pretterebner, Burgenland
Rolf Pretterebner is a global organic soil consultant, who started farming ecologically
in the early 1990s with his wife Christine on 4ha at Zagersdorf, near Sopron. They
have old Austrian vines plus cuttings he has taken from his viticultural voyages.
Modest yields, hand harvest, natural ferment, middle to long elevage in barriques
on fine lees and little SO2 at bottling.
Pre-phylloxera Blauer Portugieser 2004
This has bags of upfront fruit and is young and vibrant without any great complexity.
But it's a very pleasant drink, nevertheless. 87pts.
St. Laurent 2001
Very smooth but a little edgy underneath. Beginning to dry out? 80pts.
Blaufränkisch 1997
Matured in small barriques, this has smoothed out very nicely. A stylish wine with
hints of blueberry and good complexity. 90pts.
"Papillon" 1996
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Syrah (30%), this wine is not made every
year - only when sufficient quality can be achieved. This vintage is absolutely à
point and makes for smooth, easy drinking wine. 91pts.
Ch. Le Puy, Bordeaux
Biodynamic (certified organic), 20ha on the eastern edge of the St. Émilion plateau
- limestone covered with clay in the Côtes de Francs. In the same family since 1610,
it now includes the neighbouring Ch. Pimpine. Modest yields of maximum 40ha/hl, natural
ferment, elevage in used wood, no heavy processing, low/no sulphites at bottling.
Le Puy 2003
Smooth and fine, with nice complexity on the finish but without a great deal of structure.
86pts.
Le Puy 2004
A little more complexity here - soft tannins and a good balance between fruit and
acidity. 87pts.
Barthelemy (Vieilles Vignes) 2004
Reserve cuvée with just that bit more structure and fruit. No sulphites used in bottling.
89pts.
Laureano Serres Montagut of Mendall, Terra Alta
7 ha of organic, low yield dry-farmed bush vines near El Pinell de Brai, South Catalonia.
Whites are Macabeu and Garnacha Blanca; reds are Carignan, Garnacha, Cabernet and
Merlot. Natural fermentation in stainless steel, 11 months elevage in barrique for
reds, no adjustments. No SO2.
Mendall Tinto 2004
Very good fruit here - oaky, smokey. Quite Rioja-like, but a lot fresher. 90pts.
Emidio Pepe - Abruzzo
Biodynamic (currently certified organic), artisan estate of 15ha in Torano Nuovo.
Hand picked and destemmed, natural ferment in cement cuves. 2 year elevage, low/no
SO2 at bottling. The red MUST be decanted in first 8-10 years. Every bottled is guaranteed
20 years.
Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2005
Still a bit austere after nearly three years, this shows plenty of body and will
open up into a somewhat voluptuous wine. 88pts.
Montepulciano d' Abruzzo 2004
Very good structure. A hint of tobacco on the palate and bags of fruit beneath the
tannins. 90pts.
Castello di Lispida, Colli Euganei, Veneto
Fukuoka and Gravner in spired full natural farming and winemaking on clay and volcanic
hills. Natural ferment and elevage in amphora or botte grande. Arounf three months
maceration for the "orange wine" style. White grapes are Friulano and Ribolla Giallo
and reds Sangiovese and Merlot. Low/no added SO2.
Terralba 2002 ("Orange wine")
Not quite as intense as the wine from Movia, but nevertheless pretty flavoursome
grapefruit/pomelo tones. 84pts.
Frank Cornelissen, Etna
Frank Cornelissen is a Belgian who has settled in Sicily on the slopes of Mount Etna
to pursue his philosophy of organic farming. His estate consists of 10ha of vines
and 1000 olive trees, mostly on lava. Hand pruning, minuscule yields (300g per vine),
hand harvest, natural ferment. No chemicals, sulphites, adjustments, additives -
ever! "Rosso del Contadino" and "MunJebel Bianco" ferment, macerate and get pressed
outside and then bottled. "MunJebel Rosso" and "Magma® Rosso" ferment outside, have
elevage in terracotta dolium.
Rosso del Contadino #4, 2006
About 70% Nerello Mascalese with other red and white grapes and macerated for six
months, this performs an excellent fruit-driven style with mouth-filling explosions.
89pts.
MunJebel Bianco #4, 2007
This is an "orange wine" made with Greciano Dorato, Cataratto, Carricante and Coda
di Volpe and spends six months macerating. It's hugely flavoursome but with a bone
dry finish at the end of the palate. Incredible finesse. 92pts.
MunJabel Rosso #4, 2006/07
A blend of two vintages, this is made form Nerello Mascalese from top terroirs up,
down and across Etna's north valley. It's a little bit on the sweet side, but again
displays excellent fruit characteristics. 90pts.
Magma® Rosso #5, 2006
Single vineyard wine made from ungrafted pre-phylloxera Nerello Mascalese vines.
Remarkable smoothness of texture but with plenty of spicy fruit undertones and an
extremely complex finish. 93pts.
Well, there you have it. A remarkable tasting of hand-made wines. They are not necessarily
better than some of the comparable conventional wines, but here at least, you are
guaranteed purity of fruit from wines made by obviously dedicated farmers. They
are not necessarily more expensive than some of the comparable conventional wines,
but they are not cheap by any means and you are paying for scarcity value. It's
a most interesting collection of wines from growers who, in a way, are handicapping
themselves by making themselves hostages to Nature's fortune and for this reason,
they must be applauded for their undoubted remarkable efforts.
You can get more information and buy these wines from...
David Harvey
Sous l'Nez
Soloman's Yard
2a Brenthouse Road
London E9 6QG
Tel: +44 (0)7977 939680
