Saint-Joseph, Thomas Farge, Northern Rhone
£32.95
Made from a selection of old Syrah vines ranging from 40 to 70 years old. Partial oak aging in 400L barrels for 12 months completed by 2 months in tank.
This Saint Joseph is offering bright aromas of dark fruits, black olive tapenade, balsam, and a touch of leather. The palate is supple and well balanced, offering a long finish of dark fruits laced with licorice and minerals.
Big & powerful, this wine needs a bit of time to open up, so do decant for an hour if possible. Deliciously complex, the flavours are perfect for charred but bloody red meat!
Out of stock
Fans of Rhône wines will be familiar with the name Farge, thanks to the excellent work of Guy Farge and
his eponymous Domaine over the past 25 years. Today, his son Thomas takes the reins at the family
winery making him the fifth generation Farge at the head of the estate, and he is pointing the wines in a
decidedly new direction.
Taking over the winery was always at the back of Thomas’s mind but, before continuing his father’s
work, Thomas spent time around the world studying, working and gaining a significant appreciation for
the natural world. No sooner had Thomas taken his seat at the helm of the Domaine than he had begun
the winery’s conversion to organic farming. Beyond this, Thomas keenly began employing the practices
of biodynamic farming appreciating the extra connection it gives him to the land.
Situated in between the two most age-worthy regions of the Northern Rhône, Thomas Farge produces
one Cornas and two Saint Joseph wines, alongside two IGPs. Thomas is absolutely committed to
following on from the style from his predecessors, that of concentration partnered with unwavering
freshness but with a marked shift into the important considerations of the modern winemaking era.
Thomas has spent significant time isolating the different vineyard plots and caring for them in ways that
suit their individual needs in order to produce the highest quality fruit. The same can be said for the
work in the winery, careful separation of plots when fermenting to ensure optimum characteristics in the
wine. Thomas Farge’s wines are moving confidently towards low intervention as he explains he has the
utmost confidence in the terroir and the grapes
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Frappato, Mandrarossa, Sicily
The Mandrarossa wines come from a selection of the best sites from Cantine Settesoli’s 6,000 hectares of vineyard, situated in southwestern Sicily and planted with 32 different grape varieties. The vineyards are split between the 2,000 members of the co-op, and cover the area around Selinunte, the hauntingly beautiful ruins of a Greek town founded 2,600 years ago. Cantine Settesoli helps to support the restoration of this archaeological site.
First produced in 1999, Mandrarossa has opened its own winery in 2021, a completely sustainable winery fed by solar panels and well integrated with the surrounding hills. The winery has increasingly focused on single-site wines, as it was conceived after the diverse soils of the vineyards were mapped, enabling the winemakers to focus on what were then ranked their best sites. Under the leadership of co-operative president Giuseppe Bursi, consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini has sought to improve viticulture, which has resulted in better wines.
This Frappato (grape variety), is perfumed, light and fresh. Lots of juicy red fruit flavours and great balance make this a versatile food wine. Perfect with pizza and light meat dishes, it can also be chilled and drunk with fish dishes.
Mas La Chevaliere Pinot Noir
Verdejo, Duquesa de Valladolid, Rueda
Duquesa de Valladolid is Bodegas LAN’s project in Rueda, the Spanish region which is currently in vogue for its crisp and aromatic white wines. Winemaker Olga Tormo is an expert in handling aromatic grape varieties and has used her winemaking know-how to elevate the bright tropical aromatics and subtle herbal notes of Verdejo to a new level.
The Verdejo grapes are grown in vineyards situated at 600 to 800 metres above sea level in the North of the Rueda appellation and benefit from a wide diurnal range, with warm days counteracted by cool nights. This slows the ripening and ensures that the grapes accumulate great aromatic flavour intensity while retaining a crisp and vibrant acidity. Harvesting at night and a cool ferment in stainless steel ensures that the freshness and aromatics of the grapes are preserved in the wine. Following fermentation, a brief period of ageing on the lees adds textural complexity. The result is a clean, crisp and bright wine, bursting with aromas of passionfruit, freshly cut grass, green apple, lemon, lime and pineapple.
Great value wine and a good all-rounder; perfect to have on hand when the sun shines or when friends pop round. Very good!