Natural
wine tasting
Nine wines presented to the Oxford Wine Club, November 2012

Here
are the tasting notes of nine natural wines from the portfolio of UK
importer Les Caves de Pyrene that I presented to an audience of some
50 wine lovers in Oxford. The idea was to choose wines that were a
little out of the ordinary, but which I thought were of interest, to
try to provoke some discussion around the topic of naturalness and
authenticity in wine.
TestalongaEl
Bandito Cortez Chenin Blanc 2011 Swartland, South Africa
No added sulfur dioxide. Unfined and unfiltered, with
fermentation on the skins. Complex, tangy apple and pear nose with
hints of cheese and straw. The palate has lovely tannic grip and
great acidity, with notes of apples, herbs and spice. Lively and
complex, this is a profound expression of Chenin Blanc. 95/100
Thierry
Puzelat Romorantin 2010 Vin de France
From Touraine in the Loire, this is a powerful, complex
expression of the Romorantin grape variety, which is quite rare.
Deep coloured and highly aromatic with notes of honey, spice, pear
and peach, as well as some warm toastiness. The palate is grippy and
powerful, with a streak of limey acidity and notes of nuts and
honey. Real depth of flavour here, finishing with some citrus peel
notes. 94/100
Alaverdi
Monastery Rkatsiteli 2010 Kakheti, Georgia
This is made in qvevri (large clay amphorae) with skin contact.
The monastery has been making wine since 1011. Orange colour.
Beautiful perfume here: nuts, apricot, peach and honey, with a spicy
twist. Sweetly aromatic. The palate has lovely grippy structure from
some drying tannins, which contrast nicely with the sweet almond,
apricot and peach stone notes. 94/100
Domaine
Matassa Cuvée Marguerite Blanc 2010 Côtes Catalanes, Roussillon,
France
Wonderfully aromatic reductive nose with minerals, matchsticks
and herbs, as well as some richer pear and peach notes. The palate
is lively, powerful and quite grippy, with notes of spice, cheese,
minerals and crisp green apple. Really extreme style, and far more
'natural' than many of the Matassa whites I've had before. 93/100
Cuatro
Manos Malbec 2011 Mendoza, Argentina
An organic, naturally made Malbec. There's definitely some
volatile acidity here, providing a lift to the nose, but it works,
and the dominant theme is pure, fresh, smooth cherry and berry
fruit, with more than a hint of elegance. Quite delicious and pure,
and so distinctive. 92/100
Clos
Fantine Faugères Tradition 2010 Languedoc, France
A blend of Mourvèdre, Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.
This has a rich, warmly aromatic nose showing farmyards, black
fruits, leather and spice. The palate is dense, rich, spicy and
quite full, with lovely savoury, spicy blackberry and plum fruit.
It's a ripe, warm style – yes, there's Brettanomyces here, also
showing on the finish which is a bit pinched and metallic, but in
the context of the rich, ripe fruit, it works. 91/100
Philippe
Bornard Ploussard Point Barre 2010 Arbois Pupillin, Jura, France
Made from biodyamically grown grapes with no added sulfur
dioxide. Pale cherry red in colour. Lovely aromatic cherry,
strawberry and herb nose. Nice fresh palate, combining sweet cherry
and plum fruit with some subtly grippy tannins and just a tiny hint
of wildness. A lighter red, quite Pinot-like in style, but with its
own identity. 94/100
Romaneaux
Destezet Syrah 2010 Ardèche, Northern Rhône, France
Herve Souhaut grows this Syrah on granite soils, and no sulfur
dioxide is used. It's also low in alcohol (11%). This wine normally
doesn't let me down, but there was just a hint of spritziness here
that was troubling. Apart from that, it shows floral, lightly
weighted black cherry fruit and good acidity. Very expressive.
92/100
Domaine
Les Roches, Alain & Jerome Lenoir, Chinon 2005 Loire, France
No added sulfur dioxide. This is the current release, at 7 years
of age. Lovely chalk, gravel and black fruits nose, with a lovely
supple character. The palate is fresh with a chalk/gravel edge and
lovely blackcurrant and cherry fruit. Stylish with nice structure,
and ageing well. 93/100
See
also:
Another
natural wine tasting
My
blog entries on natural wine
Wines
tasted 11/12
Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
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