Website: http://vinacerron.com/ Jumilla is a wine region in the southeast of Spain, in the province of Murcia. It’s hot here, and the main grape is Monastreall (aka Mourvèdre). Winegrowing arrived early here, with the Phoenicians, and was continued by the Romans. Altitude helps the vines here, with most vineyards at 350-800 m, with a continental climate. Soils are also important: the deep layers of limestone allow vines to be dry grown even when rainfall is just 300 mm a year. Bodega Cerrón are making waves here as one of the top wineries. They farm biodynamically (they are certified by Demete ..read more

The poet in question is Fausto José dos Santos Júnior (1903-1975), who was born in Aldeia de Cima in the Douro. It’s his grandchild Nuno Santos and his wife Gabriela who have begun this new project. The family has vineyards in the Douro: whites primarily come from a 2.5 ha plot at 620 m in Aldeia de Cima, and then there’s a larger (15 ha) vineyard at 350-450 m in Aldeia de Baixo. Gabriela previously worked at Niepoort, starting this project in 2021, making use of the vineyards she owns with her husband. Segredos do Poeta Branco 2021Viosinho, Arinto and Alvarinho from 620 m, schist and granite ..read more

I’ve written lots about Eben Sadie before, and he hardly needs an introduction. So without much supplementary commentary, here are some notes on new releases from South Africa’s most famed winegrower. Sadly these now sell out within minutes of being released. Skerpioen 2022 SwartlandCo-planted vineyard on palomino and chenin planted on white limestone. Half of each variety whole-bunched pressed to old foudre and then bottled straight off the lees. Textured and mineral. Quite broad with lovely citrus fruits, some mineral notes. Layered and fresh but it’s quite profound, and really fine. 94/100 ..read more

André Lourenço spent 15 years making techno wines for other people before he decided to start his own project, making wines that were transparent and expressed a place. He’s based in Fundão in the Beira Interior, with warm dry days and cold nights during the growing season, and has 2.5 hectares of vines. These are in poor sandy granitic soils, ideal for making high quality wines, and are 60-80 years old. He plans to plant 7 hectares here. He began Gardunha Sol during the pandemic in 2020, but officially started in 2021. His previous career saw him take winemaking jobs in the Alentejo and Lisbo ..read more

The Ventoux appellation in the southern Rhône is seriously underrated. I spent a few days there and came away enthused by the freshness of the wines. The landscape is dominated by Mont Ventoux, which reaches 1912 m in altitude. Mont Ventoux is well known to cycle fans around the world as being a key (and rather brutal) stage in the Tour de France. At 1912 m Mont Ventoux is one of the biggest mountains in France, and it dominates the appellation of Ventoux. The wine region is in the east of the Rhône, and it has a big surface area. But much of this area is taken up by the mountain, so the poten ..read more

This new release from the cold 2013 vintage has high acidity but really works. Champagne Lanson Le Vintage 2013 FranceThis is a blend of 53% Pinot Noir (Verzenay, Verzy, Bouzy, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ) and 47% Chardonnay (Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant, Chouilly, Oger, Vertus, Trépail) that spends 9 years on lees and then is disgorged with a dosage 0f 7.5 g/litre. From one of the coldest recent vintages (harvest began 24 September), this is a very lively and acidic Champagne with bright lemony fruit and some subtle notes of apple, peach and hazelnut. It finishes with some grapefruit pith bitterness and tart ..read more

Xavier Vignon arrived in the southern Rhône in 1996 as a winemaker and consultant and fell in love with the area. He wasn’t supposed to stay – he had a job in Australia waiting – but he started making some wine for other people. He made small selections of 50 different caves, beginning a negociant business. Then seven years ago he started acquiring vineyards. So now he’s a consultant, a negociant, and a grower. The domaine is specifically in Ventoux, but the negoce is more broad, taking in other Rhône crus. ’25 years ago it was difficult to ripen in Ventoux,’ says Xavier. ‘Harvest used to star ..read more

Chapoutier Sélections Parcellaires En Primeur 2023 When it comes to Rhône wines, no names are bigger than M Chapoutier. But not content with sticking to the home region, Chapoutier have also spread their winemaking operations to Alsace, the Roussillon and Australia. Keen not to have to repaint any of the large signs on the retaining walls in their vineyards, Michel Chapoutier’s two children Maxime and Mathilde both had names beginning with M. And Mathilde has just had her first child, who also has an M name, and Maxime and his partner have one on the way: will they also use a name beginning wi ..read more

Website: https://www.tenutasanguido.com/en First released in 2000, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot really impresses. It’s bright and ageworthy, grown on soils with high limestone content at 100-300m. Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2022 IGT Toscana, Italy 13.5% alcohol. This is taut and fresh and speaks of its Tuscan origins perhaps more than its varietal make-up, which is a good thing. Well balanced with good acidity and moderate alcohol, and quite firm tannins supporting blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, with subtle hints of gravel and tar, finishing dry and a bit savoury. This shou ..read more

Just on my way back from India. Economy class, of course, but status ensures lounge use, and this time I was pleasantly surprised by some of the lounge offerings. The return flight involves a stop off in Hamad International Airport in Doha, where the Champagne is Lanson (recently reviewed, really like it) and the red wine is a beautiful claret drinking perfectly now. It’s a very spacious, quiet airport and I’m tempted to use Quatar again heading out eastwards. On the way out, the BA lounge had a big Whispering Angel display (full marks to LVMH for their marketing and brand partnership astutene ..read more