AN EMAIL IN 2 PARTS :)

Hey!

G’day… An email in two parts. First me, RN. Next week Amber from Ochota Barrels is gracing Dan’s for a night of beautiful wine and conversation. I was stoked when she mentioned she’d be over this year, and it’s sick that we are the ones that get to host her in London on Tuesday night. There’s only a handful of tickets remaining, this is truly one not to miss.

And now Fionn, speaking to you from the past, present and future.

Thanks to the magic of email marketing, I’m writing this ahead of another French excursion this weekend. Half wine, half pleasure (which, for me, is basically the same thing).

Harvests across France are well underway, and it’s hands down my favourite time to visit. Without generalising too much, most vignerons I’ve spoken to are in surprisingly good spirits. After a few tough years, things are looking up! Both in terms of quality and quantity. Fingers crossed the weather holds and harvest is as smooth as it can be (which, let’s be honest, it never really is).

There’s so much wine coming through that it’s hard to give every bottle the love it deserves. That said, I can’t believe I haven’t written about the new Rougeot arrivals yet.

The domaine has been long established in Meursault, but since Pierre-Henri returned in 2010 things have seriously leveled up. He took a slightly unusual route back to the family estate, spending time at Tonnellerie Vicard as export manager, which gave him access to some of the top cellars in the country. Think Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Jean-François Ganevat… This man knows his Burgs proper.

Everything is now farmed organically, and they’ve moved into biodynamics too. It’s in the cellar where things get really interesting; fermentation and vinification happen largely without SO2. A sign of the times changing! Things do get a bit confusing with the labels so bare with.

The wines fall under three labels:

First, there’s his négoce line. You’ll recognise these by labels like this, this and this. négoce doesn’t equal lesser quality. Often using domaine fruit traded with like-minded growers on different terroirs.

Then there’s the classically labelled domaine wines, these are vinified without sulphur but barrels are tasted through elevage, and it is added if necessary. Still very small doses.

Finally, there’s the striped label line, which is completely sans soufre. This is on barrels where he thinks it’s unnecessary and the wines can go out into the world without! I recently geeked out over his interview here. Finally, a nuanced and not domgmatic take on the whole issue of So2. It really touched me when he said wines without taste as if you’re tasting like a winemaker from the barrel. That is probably the closest expression I’ve come to summing up the whole thing… Something quite hard to put into words so thanks P-H!

It’s amazing to see such a classically rooted Burgundian estate embrace a natural approach. And for nerds like me, it’s an incredible opportunity to taste side by side. I did recently, blind too, with a few mates. The results were split down the middle. I leaned toward the no-sulphur version, which felt more open and expressive. Perhaps more *free*. The sulphured version was to me a little tighter, maybe needing more time, although some found it more precise and mineral. Different strokes for different folks, right? Both wines we tasted were seriously good though. Immediately recognisable as top-end Burg.

Combe Bazin is a favourite site from the old Cossard stable, and this is drinking’ so well. Whilst this unsulphured number is a steal considering the quality!

I could go on about this all day (and often do), but some of my colleagues have reminded me not everyone finds it quite as fascinating. 🙁

Sorry if that was too much aha! But we’ve also just got in some wines from Château Yvonne too. I was in Saumur recently, and these were impossible to ignore. The château has existed since the 16th century, but our story picks up in 1997, when Yvonne and Jean-François Lamunière took on the abandoned vineyards, initially with help from Françoise Foucault (of Clos Rougeard fame). In 2007, Matthieu Vallée took over, transitioning the estate from organic to biodynamic farming.

The vines sit on limestone and tuffeau stone, with small parcels of gravel and sandy clay. The wines are like a love letter to Saumur! Powerful and exotic yet so driven and pure. The Saumur blanc is a must-try to understand the village. Whilst, Le Gory is a serious step up, from a tiny low-yielding plot (only 900 bottles made). Bracing and unctuous, with perfectly integrated oak that softens everything out.

Gonna squeeze in a splash more with the Cameron wines. One of the OGs of Oregon and still one of the very best. No certification, but the farming is holistic and thoughtful. Burgundy was a major inspiration here and you can taste it. There is restraint and class on show throughout the range; it's as if New World fruit has been delivered with an Old World sensibility.

Dundee Hills is the entry point: asphalt, tea leaf, and pure Pinotisty here. The white is all lime leaf and orange, with a gloriously creamy, midweight palate. I would say good for the table but if you open up whilst cookin’ then there will be none left. Primed and ready now. Then there’s Clos Electrique, widely considered a grand cru–level vineyard. The red is sarsaparilla-spiced and brooding; the white is crushed rock and sea spray. Both about as good as the American’s can muster.

ILY

Fionn

xoxo