“Top 7”- Coastal Wines for Summer
Triangle Wines, “Calco”, Limari Valley (Atlantic) £22-
Chile’s answer to Chablis! Precision and focus in its most thirst-quenching form. Limestone soils and a cool Atlantic climate makes Limari the perfect territory for mineral driven Chardonnay. An uncompromising acidity and restrained flavours of seashell, crushed chalk, salt crusted citrus rind and quince combine in a way that creates a “Chablisiene” like tension and energy. If you like your Chardonnay’s lean and mean, this is the wine for you!
Greywacke, “Wild Sauvignon”, Marlborough (Pacific) £33.50-
This wine doesn’t just rip up the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc rulebook, it throws it onto the fire. Fermented with native yeasts, this wine distances itself from the ostentatious passionfruit and cat pee exuberance of many bulk wines from the region, offering much more savoury, complex flavours in a classy, well-mannered way. Soy sauce, brioche, elderflower, exotic green fruits and wet stones find an endearing harmony throughout the nose and palate. Expressing tasteful restraint on the nose but wondrous intensity and persistence on the palate. Outstanding!
Dalrymple, “Pipers River Chardonnay”, Tasmania (Bass Strait) £45-
Tasmania is one of the most exciting regions in the wine world. Thanks to a growing season cooler than Champagne, Tasmania produces wines of remarkable freshness and elegance. This Dalrymple Chardonnay is no exception, subtle oak, MLF and lees ageing lend a hint of complexity in what is a sublimely precise wine. Salty lemons, grapefruit rind, peaches, cream and a fine sweet spice dance around a citric acidity that pricks and pokes right through to a long, generous finish.
Equipo Navazos, “I Think”, Manzanilla Sherry (Atlantic) £14.95-
Dry Sherry is painfully overlooked underappreciated and subsequently undervalued. Manzanilla is a flor aged sherry, which means it has gone through a period of ageing in barrel under a veil of yeast, protecting it from oxygen whilst imparting some trademark aromas and flavours. Aged in the Coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda, Manzanilla benefits from high levels of humidity helping to retain that yeast flor all year round. This results in wines with incredible freshness and complexity when ready for bottle. “I Think” shows all the flor aged hallmarks, like sourdough yeast, olive brine, salted almond and dried grass. Drink it with seafood tapas and feel yourself transcend to the Andalusian coast. For £14.95 this is bordering on plainly stupid value for money.
Arianna Occhipinti, “SP68 Bianco”, Sicily (Mediterranean) £27.50
Arianna has a cult like status among natural wine enthusiasts, a trailblazer for biodynamic practices, she focuses on making wines that express both location and variety uniquely without the mask of conventional winemaking practices. A blend of Moscato and Albanellomake for an exotic, aromatic wine boasting flavours of apricot, lychee, wild herbs, a touch of salinity and a subtle savoury spice. The wine is unfiltered and textural with a slight tannic grip due to some skin contact. A wine for the more open-minded explorers of our range, but delicious nonetheless.
Fento Wines, “Bico da Ran”, Rias Baixas (Atlantic) £19.95
It would be criminal to leave Spanish Albarino out of a summer wines list, it really is the perfect sunny day sipper. The harsh North Atlantic weather submits a certain energy and tension into Galician wines. Citrus, sea salt and a touch of something green like fennel or garrigue. Vibrant, bright and thirst quenching. What more can you ask for?
Passel Estate, “Sauvignon Blanc” Margaret River (Indian Ocean) £26.95
Surrounded by the Indian Ocean on 3 sides the Margaret River has a unique set of climatic conditions that makes it ideal for high quality, reliable viticulture. This barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc sees 20% new oak, imparting a more complex structure and texture. Slightly reductive with some struck match smokiness, exotic fruit and a distinct herbaceous element. Similar to the Greywacke earlier, this wine re defines what you can expect from Sauvignon Blanc and should be approached as a separate entity entirely.
