Fresh

There have been days on end where it has appeared our house has a moat.  The front garden floods, though more due to the clay soil than any imminent danger to our belongings.  Whilst ‘The Yard’ our shared private drive has multiple puddles of various depths, all part of the charms of village life I guess, though quite a trial even to complete the 250m commute or get to the school bus!

Loving the additional morning light in these March mornings and so grateful this Spring yields an abundance of fresh new wines in an array of sustainable formats.

The real joy of Spring for me is a shift to light bodied, easy drinking rouge and Raisins Gaulois, as ever, is a benchmark in my personal vinous calendar.  2023 is especially easy-drinking; on the nose strawberry or those fragolina (strawberry) grapes (with thanks to @5oclockapron for that one!), bright, juicy, pretty with just a little bit of red cherry tartness on the palate.  Keep it cool and dream of brighter days ahead.  More Wine has been a big fan of Raisins Gaulois since we set up shop and the purity of this wine + the joie de vivre of the cartoon covering the box is everything I personally want from a BIB wine.

Whether in the vineyard or in the cellar, our approach is part of an ideal of purity, authenticity and respect for the elements. The more we respect the soils and the grapes, the more the terroir will be able to express itself and the less intervention will be necessary in winemaking. For us, all the stages of viticulture, fermentation and ageing are different parts of the same whole: the art of producing clean wines with great olfactory and taste qualities. – www.marcel-lapierre.com

BOBO

Can barely keep up with sales of these fabulous new natural + certified organic wines in 2.25 litre BIB.

Fresh in – 2022 Famille Fabre, Corbieres BLANC, BOBO 2.25 litre BIB

An intense yet elegant blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne + Vermentino (aka Rolle),  Tastes of white peach, pear, lime + spice with a long mineral finish.  Wild yeast fermentation and aged on fine lees.  Great with aromatic and light meat dishes.

Bagnums

From Du Grappin the original purveyors of the BAGNUM (though other wines in POUCH do exist!!) a fresh + lively new white wine.

Bourgogne-Aligoté, the second white grape from Burgundy, is now an option as Emma + Andrew have increased winery space, which is just excellent news.

From the vineyard ‘Les Enceints’, 380m above sea level. The vines face due south and as such reach full maturity, with the high altitude ensuring the grapes stay fresh at night, preserving acidity.  The soil here is decomposed granite, leading to grapes with a generosity to balance the natural zip of Aligoté.

Hand harvested, foot crushed and basket pressed to pick up structure, grip and reductive potential.  Natural fermentation with no additions, temperature control or SO2.  The wine sits for 9 months on full lees and filled after a light filtration.

A puckering aperitif or with lightly spiced foods or seafood perhaps; acidity very much present, think tangy citrus & nettles.

Also had a re-stock of the Macon Villages aka ‘classy white Burgundy’ + the Rouge du Grappin – a Grenache / Syrah blend aka ‘a typical Cotes du Rhone but with the lightness of the Le Grappin style’

Nearly there…

Rich