2022 DOMAINE DE LA RÉALITIÈRE 

CANTE GAU BLANC

“Great freshness and purity, a gastronomic delight.”

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Located north of Mont Sainte-Victoire, in Provence, Domaine de la Réalitière is owned and run by Pierre and Sylvia Michelland. They are a certified biodynamic estate planted with a versatile range of red and white varieties. The 13-hectare vineyard lies on limestone and clay, at 450m of elevation, surrounded by olive trees, pines and oaks. Cante Gau translates to ‘crowing of the rooster’ in the Provençal dialect. It is at the top of the range in the Domaine’s portfolio. Production of this wine is limited to only 2,300 bottles annually. We are very happy to work with Pierre and Sylvia, and expect more wines from this exceptional estate.

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REGION: Provence, France.

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VARIETIES: Carignan Blanc (60%, from 95-year-old vines), Ugni Blanc (25%, from 105-year-old vines) and Semillon (15%, from 18-year-old-vines).

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WINEMAKING: Grapes are hand-harvested, sorted and whole-bunch pressed with stems. Fermentation occurs in 600 litre barrels, concrete and terracotta eggs. The wine is aged on fine lees for 8 months and bottled with a only 1.5 mg/l of sulphur.

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TASTING NOTE: Enticing aromas of peaches and melon, backed by dried herbs, white pepper and incredible saline minerality. The palate is complex with low acidity, and a long finish.

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PAIRING: Seafood or chicken rillettes, prosciutto wrapped melon, soft or firm cheeses. Drink within 3-5 years.

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2019 VIÑAS DEL CÁMBRICO GRANITO

“Interesting and mysterious, yet balanced and delightful.”

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Cámbrico is in the Sierra de Francia in the province of Salamanca, Spain. In 1999, Fernando Maillo, the proprietor and chief winemaker, embarked on an ambitious project to revive these abandoned vineyards and perform scientific analyses on the different grape varieties. Today, these revived varieties include the indigenous Rufete, Calabres (a local clone of Grenache), Aragonese (a local clone of Tempranillo) and the rare Rufete Blanca. The winery was built in 2006 and has a total of 7 hectares of vineyards, on slate and granite soils, which give a beautiful mineral quality to the wines. Because of steep slopes, the vineyards are terraced, and the labour is highly manual. Cámbrico is a gravity-flow winery with all vinification performed without mechanical pumps, to preserve the flavours and textures of the wines. We are delighted to offer this wine made from Rufete Blanca, some were planted around 1910, and grown organically. Only 1,818 bottles of this wine were produced.

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REGION: Salamanca, Castilla y León, Spain.

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VARIETY: Rufete Blanca.

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WINEMAKING: Fermentation is in neutral, large oak barrels with indigenous yeasts. The wine is matured in 500-litre oak barrels and bottled without filtration or clarification. The 2019 vintage was hot and dry resulting in excellent quality wines with good acidity, thanks to the elevation of the vineyard.

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TASTING NOTE: Aromas of baked apples, hay, bread dough, and subtle burnt orange zest. The palate is fuller-bodied with a buttery texture, great acidity and a lingering finish.

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PAIRING: Smoked salmon, creamy sauces, charred leeks or carrots with crushed almonds. Drink within 3-5 years.

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2020 CINCO LEGUAS ROMPECEPAS TINTO

“Pleasureful fruit and spice, perfectly harmonized.”

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Marc Isart is a renowned Spanish wine maker, who was previously head enologist at the acclaimed Bernabeleva before co-founding Comando G, another top winery in the Vinos de Madrid appellation. In 2013, Marc established his own project with the sole purpose of making humble wine from the humble place where he grew up. Cinco Leguas stands for Five Leagues— in the 16th Century, this was the maximum distance from the Royal Palace in Madrid, that wineries could be located to sell their wine to royalty. The winery is in the town of Chinchón, about 60 km south-east of Madrid. Rompecepas literally translates to ‘vine breaker,’ but is named after a local train that operated over 100 years ago. This train was so slow that passengers could disembark and help themselves to the grapes on the vines before continuing their journey!

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REGION: Vinos de Madrid, Spain.

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VARIETY: Tinto Fino (a local clone of Tempranillo).

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WINEMAKING: The grapes are hand-harvested,  followed by a long fermentation (around 65 days) with indigenous yeasts, the wine is aged in used 500 litre oak barrels for 12 months. Around 5,000 bottles of this wine are produced.

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TASTING NOTE: An eye-catching ruby hue with aromas of cranberries, cherries, rose petals and toastiness from the barrels. The palate showcases red fruit, baking spices, chalky tannins, and a long finish.

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PAIRING: Beef cheeks with jus, mushroom galette, or red wine truffles. Drink now, but potential to age.