Casa Pardet | amarchinthevines

March 1, 2021
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February white wines

February in the North East of England was certainly white. We had snow for most of the time, often quite deep. A time for hunkering down, comfort and red wines? Well not altogether.

Let’s start with the sherry, it doesn’t look white I know but it is a Fino en rama 2017 from the excellent Equipo Navazos. En rama means raw, the sherry is bottled straight from cask without filtering, causing a little cloudiness but more of the natural flavours to be captured in the bottle. This was lovely, salty fino characters, freshness and a slight texture from the non filtering which helped preserve the flavours in the mouth. More and more sherries are being produced like this, a welcome trend. However, few can match the excellence of this producer.

Still in Spain one of the month’s highlights was Casa Pardet’s Chardonnay 2017 which I opened on my birthday. This estate in the Costers del Segre region of North East Spain has been a favourite of mine since I met Pep Torres and his wife at La Remise in Arles back in 2015. Their Cabernet Sauvignon wines at that wine fair were amongst the best wines I have ever tasted. Sadly they are next to impossible to find, the Cabaret Sauvignon bottle is good but not the same. The Chardonnay was macerated, orange wine in colour and style. Lovely herbal, fruit flavours with a liquorice note too. I have bought their wines from a company in Spain, sadly after Brexit they aren’t shipping here for now.

Let’s stick with the Mediterranean and head to Italy whilst remaining on non filtered wines. Fattoria di Vaira’s Vincenzo Bianco 2019 is an orange or skin contact wine produced from biodynamically farmed Falanghina and Fiano grapes in the Abruzzo region. I really enjoyed this, it’s not the most complex wine in the world but had lots of fruit, good texture and the dry aftertaste of many orange wines. It is a very well made wine, a great introduction to skin contact wines if you don’t know them well. It hasn’t got the depth of the Casa Pardet but was very good value at around £13.

Costadila is a producer whose wines have become favourites in a very short time after being recommended by my good friend Vincent, a friend and former colleague of Jeff. Costadila make PetNats in the Prosecco region of the Veneto. No filtering (again) no additions, no SO². Glera (the main Prosecco grape), Verdiso and Bianchetta grapes fermented in bottle and capturing a sheer joy for life with sparkle, fruit, freshness and lingering flavour. As with most PetNats there is a fair amount of sediment so be careful on that last glass as you try to eek out every drop. (The 280 refers to the altitude of the vineyard, you will have seen me mention other numbers before.) I really like these wines, again I was sourcing them from abroad, again Brexit is making it hard to restock.

The Pebble Dew New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Australian Semillon were wines bought as everyday drinking from Les Caves De Pyrène, both offer good value.

Davenport has been one of my favourite English wineries for some years, I was converted by their excellent PetNat but have enjoyed everything they make. Hux was new to me. In 2018 the Huxelrebe grapes were top quality and retained a little unfermented sugar making for a wine with a slight hint of honeyed sweetness on top of the stone fruit flavours. Fresh and clean but just off dry like a well made Mosel wine. Lovely.

German wines were what first made me realise that wine was interesting. I still love them, a well made Riesling from the Mosel would be my choice of desert island white wine. Clemens Busch is a biodynamic producer about which I have been reading god things for some time and I spotted a half case of a range of their wines online and bought it. The first I opened was this 2018 Trocken, a Riesling fermented dry, ironic after the Davenport wine. It is a treat. Flinty, clean with a grapefruit like note. I have another bottle and will store it away for a while as I have no doubt it will develop. However, this one was very enjoyable now.

Finally two more Riesling wines from across the border in Alsace including a 24 year old white wine. Christian Binner is a source of very good natural Alsace wines from one of my favourite villages there, Ammerschwihr. His Riesling Salon des Bains 17 had appley, zesty fruit, long lasting flavours. It’s not the most profound Riesling but good quality and one I’d happily buy again.

I visited Patrick Meyer in Nothalten 4 years ago and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours with him. An early pioneer of natural winemaking in the region I loved talking with him and tasting his wines. What was remarkable about the visit was the number of old wines which we tasted from bottles often opened for a few days already and which tasted fresh and full. No need for SO² when you make clean wines. Patrick offered me some older bottles and this Julien Meyer 1997 Riesling Grand Cru Muenchberg was one of them. It was aged for four years in barrel and the slight oxidation of the barrel no doubt plays a part in keeping the wine fresh and youthful. There was no sign of fatigue, just pure Riesling flavours with a roundness of oak. Saline, appley, joyful. A memorable wine for a forgettable lockdown month.

With Patrick in 2017, fortunately I have lost a fair amount of weight since then!

December 26, 2019
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2019 – favourite white wines

A year of classic regions for white wines. Let’s start outside of France with a wonderful Riesling from the Rheinhessen. I declare my bias as Rhine and Mosel wines were what sparked my first interest in and love of wines. Riesling would also be my white grape of choice for my desert island.

Weingut Schmitt Riesling M 2017 I tasted at The Real Wine Fair in May and it made a lasting impression. This is how I described it at the time, “Bianka Schmitt explained to me that this was picked slightly later than their other Rieslings and spends a year in old oak. It was a stunner. Aromas ranging from floral to citrus, initial flavours of zest, yellow and green fruitgums. However, what made the wine stand out was what happened next. The wine continued to release flavours even after I had swallowed the liquid (some wines you just do not spit). Lingering melon, grapefruit and even tropical fruits grew and developed for a full minute. I love Riesling and this was a truly special example of its complexity and generosity.”

Another Riesling, this time from just across the border in Alsace. Christian Binner is a long established natural producer and I enjoyed tasting through his whole range of wines, including some lovely Pinot Noir. However, my favourite was the Riesling Grand Cru Schlossburg 2016, lean, steely fresh but with a lovely apple and pear fruit on top. Superb example of the grape and also the value of a great vineyard site and its terroir.

Whilst tasting the Schmitt’s Riesling I was alongside Alice De Moor and one of her wines comes next. Chablis 1er Cru Mont De Milieu 2017 was everything you would want from a Chablis. This outlying area of Burgundy is renowned for its steely, flinty Chardonnay and this wine provided all of those elements but wrapped around with fruit and a creamy nuttiness. Right at the top of my favourite white wines of recent years, showing again how good natural producers bring out the best of their vineyards and grapes.

Two other Burgundy whites reignited my love of that region. A basic Bourgogne Blanc 2016 from Fanny Sabre punched well above its humble label, classic Burgundy with freshness and generous fruit. I must seek out some of the domaine’s more celebrated wines as this showed great winemaking talent. As did AMI is a newish domaine which buys in organic grapes. I liked all their wines but best for me was another more humble label, St. Romain Blanc 2017. Citrus, creaminess, freshness and a hazelnut note – more classic Burgundy Chardonnay. These two show that excellent wine is still available at good prices in Burgundy.

The Jura has become a very fashionable wine region in recent years, very different to when I first visited 20 years ago. I love the wines though their popularity makes them increasingly expensive and difficult to find. I came across the wines of Domaine De La Touraize at RAW and they were a highlight of the year. Bets of all was the Savagnin 2015 which spent 2 years ‘sous voile’ i.e. under the yeast flor. The wine is nutty, stony and had lovely apricot flavours – all of which lingered long in the mouth. Exciting wine.

Two wines from outside of France merit mention here as I enjoyed them greatly. Patrick Sullivan makes wine in Victoria, Australia. I tasted some of his excellent wines in Australia last year and sought some out upon my return to the UK. His Baw-Baw Chardonnay 2018 had great concentration and power and, whilst still very much in its infancy, offers good fruit and drinkability already.

**photo from Hop, Burns and Black website**

One of my favourite producers in recent years is Casa Pardet from the Costers Del Segre region in Catalonia. One of their Cabernet Sauvignons tasted 4 years ago was one of the greatest wines I have ever had. This year I revelled in their Chardonnay Amfora 2016. Almost an orange wine (perhaps it ought to have been in that section) it has lovely grip and dry, stone fruit flavours with almost liquorice afternotes. Great.

Finally to the Languedoc and the only domaine in Faugères producing only white wines. La Graine Sauvage is the domaine of Sybil Baldassarre. Sybil is an oenologue by profession but now has her vineyards and works with her partner Alexandre Durand whose red Dynamite I chose amongst my red wines of the year. A talented couple as well as being great people. Sybil’s The Velvet Underschiste 2016 shows off Grenache Blanc with apple and pear fruit flavours and a freshness from the schist soils of the Faugères. Lovely now but with long life ahead of it if I can resist drinking my remaining bottle for a few years. Excellent wine.

Reviewing my selections the predominance of Chardonnay and Riesling came as something of a surprise, the predominance of France perhaps less so. I found this the most difficult of all the categories to select a final list. There were so many great white wines which I was fortunate enough to taste this year and apologies to many other producers whose talents I could easily have highlighted on another day.

January 4, 2018
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New Year, old favourites

Happy New Year to all of you who are good to enough to click on to my site, it is much appreciated. May 2018 bring you health and happiness.

The transition from one year to another is another excuse to open a good bottle or two and star of the show this time was, yes you guessed it, a Mas Coutelou wine. This time it was Copains 2013. This wine is based on grapes from my favourite vineyard, Rome, based on Cinsault grapes from those old twisted vines I love so much.

Rome’s Cinsault vines

It is still youthful, bright fresh cherry fruits to the fore and a nice backbone of tannin. Further proof of how well Jeff’s wines will mature if resisted in their youth. A lovely red, worthy of the occasion.

photo by amicalementvin

On New Year’s Day itself I opened an orange wine. 2017 had been the year which saw me converted to orange wines and also beginning to understand the value of using amphorae to age wines. The wine in question came from Casa Pardet in the Costers del Segre, Catalonia. This domaine produced one of the most stunning wines I have ever tasted, a Cabernet Sauvignon and is one whose wines I have sought out ever since. This wine was a Chardonnay 2014 and the fruit shone through as well as the characteristic tannins and dusty influence imparted from the amphora. Yet more proof of the skills of Mia and Pep Torres.

Amazing label of Casa Pardet

So 2017 ended and 2018 began with top class wines. May the standard be maintained!

December 13, 2015
by amarch34 6 Comments

Case of 2015 – white wines

caseofwine_grande

After my everyday case it is time to select my case of wines representing my favourite wines tasted (and drunk) in 2015. It has been a fantastic year for me, I love my life in the Languedoc and the opportunity to spend time alongside someone I consider to be a truly great winemaker and, I am fortunate to say, my friend. Through various tastings, meals and purchases I have also been fortunate to discover many top class wines. So here is my final selection of twelve. I have omitted Jeff’s wines as that will form the next article and they would fill much of this case. It should also be said that my choice would probably vary day to day, I was torn between a number of great wines.

The Languedoc Roussillon is perhaps best known for its red wines and yet looking through my notes it was often white wines which excited me most in 2015. Indeed I will start with two wines from the region.

Mas Gabriel, Clos Des Papillons 2013. No surprises here, this also featured in my everyday case. It has been a favourite wine of mine for many years, I love the Carignan Blanc grape with its freshness and white fruits and Peter and Deborah Core have mastered a wine which brings out its best. Every vintage from 2010 to 2014 tasted at the Domaine’s tenth anniversary dinner was excellent but the 2013 stole the show for me.

papillons2

The 5% Viognier adds a little mystery but it is the Carignan Blanc which gives the fruitiness, freshness and longevity. The reds of Mas Gabriel are lovely too but this remains my favourite and I’m also looking forward to the development of the new white wine Champ Des Bleuets. It is not just loyalty which earns Clos Des Papillons its place here though, the wine genuinely thrills me no matter how often I drink it. It claims first place ahead of another exciting Carignan Blanc from Caux, Lune Blanche of the Conte De Floris.

Clos Du Rouge Gorge, Sisyphe 2014. Cyril Fhal produces great red wines especially his Carignans in Latour De France in the Roussillon. However, this year it was his white wine Sisyphe which really captured me. Grenache Gris is the cépage behind most of my favourite wines in the region and this wine adds a clean, fruity yet racy edge. A wine you could drink alone or with food and one which leaps out as something special from the first sniff to the last sip.

Domaine Montesquiou, Terre De France 2014. I could probably include every wine made by Montesquiou, so high is the quality of this Jurancon domaine. It was a thrill to visit Fabrice and Sébastien in Monein and to tour the vineyards and cellars, I had long been a great fan of their wines. The excitement and enjoyment found in the wines is so obviously a reflection of the land and the family, the brothers are passionate about their vines and restless in seeking to make their wines even better. The raciness of the dry wines, the skilful use of oak, the tightrope balance of the sweet wines, every bottle offers a treat. I chose this wine as it walks that fine tightrope with lime, lemon and white fruits just offset by a trace of sweetness. Masterful.

With Olivier Humbrecht

Zind Humbrecht, Clos Windsbuhl Riesling 2011. I love Riesling, I love Alsace wines. Most of my favourite Rieslings are from the Mosel, others from Australia but this wine blew me away, apt on a day when gales were threatening the tent where the tasting took place near Montpellier for Biodyvin. I had tasted some Zind Humbrecht wines before and enjoyed them but this was one of those moments when the lightbulb lit above my head. Classic fresh aromas, so clean tasting and those flavours of fruit with a thrilling edge of acidity and, yes I know it makes no sense, minerality. There really is a texture and saltiness which reminds me of minerals. It is a very young wine, it will age for decades I would think but it is already packed with so much complexity and pleasure. It is everything I would ever want from a white wine.

Domaine Huët, Clos Du Bourg Demi-Sec 2005. At the same tasting as the Zind Humbrecht I tasted this beauty. I admit to some bias as Vouvray was my first wine village visited in France and long a favourite. The sweeter style moelleux which I tasted that day were excellent, a 2008 Haut Lieu for example but I love the demi-sec style which balances the dry appley side of Chenin Blanc with its capacity to produce a sweet side with hints of honey balancing the zestiness. This Clos Du Bourg was so deep and complex and so long lasting, it was like tasting several different wines in one glass. This will again age for a long time, I’d imagine it will develop more sweetness but right now I love this balance of dry and sweet. I often resist the big names of a region but this Huët just stood out as an example of great winemaking.

Pierre De Sisyphe of Joe Jefferies

Other dry white wines close to selection included Pierre De Sisyphe 2014 from Bories Jefferies (again from Caux!), the Greco 2013 from Giardino (Campania, Italy), Casa Pardet’s Chardonnay 2013 (Costers del Segre, Spain), Loin D’Oeil 2014 from De Brin (Gaillac) and a lovely Chenin Blanc from Testalonga (Swartland, Soith Africa), tasted on a beach in Marseillan, called El Bandito but no vintage noted whilst there I’m afraid.

I’m including Champagne Franck Pascal Quintessence 2004. Long, yeasty, rich but with a great freshness which cleansed the palate and left me wanting more. Yet another biodynamic producer, I loved all the wines I tasted but this vintage champagne with its Pinot Noir dominance had the extra complexity and depth which marks great wine of any type. The 2005 was almost as good but this 2004 was extra clean and long. I tasted a lot of very good champagnes this year, Barbichon, Leclerc Briant, Drappier, Lassaigne being some, but Quintessence was special.

So, six white wines which have given me great pleasure in 2015. Next the reds.