CHAMPAGNE LACOURTE GODBILLON 

TERROIRS D’ÉCUEIL NV

“Powerful, yet elegant and focused.” 

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Géraldine Lacourte’s family has been growing grapes in Champagne for many generations and selling them to the large Champagne houses. Subsequently, in 1947, her mother’s side (Godbillon) and father’s side (Lacourte) of the family produced their own wines. Today, the winery is run by Géraldine and her husband, Richard Desvignes, in the Premier Cru village of Écueil in the Montagne de Reims. The Montagne de Reims has some of the best vineyard sites for growing Pinot Noir in the Champagne region. They are grower-producers, with no outside contractors and all their wines are crafted from their own vineyards. The climate in Champagne is not an easy one — cold winters, risk of frost, and ample rainfall. Despite all of this, their vineyards achieved organic certification in 2020 and biodynamic in 2022, where the vineyards are shared with sheep, bird boxes, fruit trees and cover crops.

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REGION: Montagne de Reims, Champagne.

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VARIETIES: 85% Pinot Noir, and 15% Chardonnay.

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WINEMAKING: The wines for this Champagne come from a blend of the 2021, 2020, and 2019 vintages. The base wine is aged on lees for 9 months (with 25% in used oak barrels) for texture. After tirage, the wine is aged on the lees for 24 months. It is dosed at 3 g/l and aged for a further 6 months before release.

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TASTING NOTE: Aromas of raspberry, yellow pear, almonds and fresh pastries. This stunning Champagne has creamy texture from lees aging, balanced by racy acidity, saline minerality and a lasting finish.

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PAIRING: Tuna tartare with toasted sesame seeds, fish tacos, or salty ruffles chips. Drink now, but potential to age 5-7 years.

 

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2022 BODEGA VINIFICATE 

MAHARA BLANCO DORADA

“This wine takes you to a boat on the ocean.” 

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Vinificate is a play on words that literally translates to ‘vinify yourself’. The winery is run by two brothers, Miguel and José Gomez in the province of Cadiz in the southwestern tip of Spain. Miguel and José are former chemists who released their first wine in 2011. They have a simple philosophy of allowing the wines to capture the soul of this unique terroir - the proximity of the ocean, the warming (Levante) and cooling (Poniente) winds and the unique white albariza soils. Miguel and José work closely with growers in Chiclana, Jerez and Sanlúcar de Barrameda to produce a range of white and red still wines, in addition to rosé and red sparkling wines. As shown on the beautiful label, Dorada is a sea bream — expressing the essence of the ocean and its natural food pairing. It is made with 100% Palomino, a neutral low acid variety, from 90-year-old vines in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, north of Cadiz.

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REGION: Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain.

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VARIETY: 100% Palomino.

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WINEMAKING: The wine was fermented in food-grade plastic containers with ambient yeasts. It was aged for 9 months in clay amphoras giving the wine unique complexity, texture and flavours from this micro-oxygenated maturation environment. It was bottled with a minuscule amount of sulphur.

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TASTING NOTE: A pale lemon colour with notes of pears, baked apples, and hay. A briny and subtly smoky note shines through on the palate to compliment the texture and lingering finish.

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PAIRING: Panko crusted white fish or shrimp, mild or nutty cheeses, lemon herbed risotto. Drink now, but potential to age 2-3 years.

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2022 BODEGAS LUIS PEREZ

LA ESCRIBANA

“Richly textured, vibrant, and wonderful!” 

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Bodegas Luis Pérez is a family-run winery in Jerez in the southwest of Spain, renowned for its unfortified sherries. The winery was established in 2002 by Luis Pérez Rodriguez, a professor of enology at the University of Cádiz. Today the winery is overseen by Luis’ son, Willy Pérez. The wines produced by Luis Pérez are terroir-driven, with the utmost respect for each of the 4 vineyard plots (or pagos) that produce fruit of unique quality that are vilified separately. These vineyards contain the various forms of albariza, the characteristic white reflective soils made up of marine deposits, silica and lime.

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REGION: Jerez, Spain.

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VARIETY: 100% Palomino.

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WINEMAKING: The grapes are hand-harvested and gently pressed before fermentation at low temperatures. The wine is aged for 12 months under flor, a layer of yeast, that protects the wine from oxidation and allows it to age biologically. To produce Fino sherry, wines aged biologically are fortified, however, for La Escribana, known as a ‘vino de pasto’ the wine is left unfortified.

 

TASTING NOTE: A golden hue with richer notes of yellow apples, honey, and candied nuts. The saline minerality pushes through to showcase the terroir. Beautifully textured and mouth-coating with ample freshness for balance.

 

PAIRING: Butternut squash ravioli, charred leeks or carrots with crushed almonds. Drink now, but potential to age 5-7 years.