Brand New - big names in the business, brought bang up to date - a six bottle box set

This case is inspired by an article in the always wonderful and ever thought-provoking Noble Rot magazine. Called Brand Aid, in Issue 38, it laments what happened to Rioja and Chianti Classico, how they lost their way, chasing international styles, high alcohol and dollops of oak, and became pretty dull and fell out of fashion.

This case revisits these and some other classic regions your parents or grandparents might have drunk in the past, but you may have avoided as being deeply uncool, and brings together some beautiful wines that are bang up to date. There's nothing too wild or funky in here though, just delightful, expressive wines that are full of life, so you can safely share it with the older generations, and maybe even get them to chip in to buy a box to share!

White Wines:

Domaine Bernard Fleuriet, Sancerre Pur Jus Blanc, Loire, France -

Domaine Fleuriet is a farm growing grain and grapes biodynamically and making wine in a pure, non-interventionist manner, following a less is more approach but equally knowing exactly what to do and when to produce wines that are a true expression of place. A family affair, run by Bernard and his two sons, making new wave Sancerre focused on quality above all and recognising the individual characteristics of each vineyard sites and soil type. This wine, Pur Jus, is made with no added sulphites and the vineyard chosen to make it changes each year, depending on the season and which sites fair best. 

Producer - Domaine Bernard Fleuriet
Country - France
Region - Sancerre, Loire
Variety / Blend - Sauvignon Blanc
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic, Biodynamic 
Vegan
No added Sulphites

Clos Sauvage, Saint-Véran, Les Fées, Burgundy, France -

Clos Sauvage is a small domaine, just four hectares of vines, on the border of Beaujolais and Burgundy with plots in St Amour and St Veran.

Why Sauvage? When Sophie and David Devynck and their young family arrived at the domaine in 2019 the vines were pretty much abandoned and in a wild state. The relative isolation of the Clos helps them in their struggle to farm organically, with few farmers around them to disrupt what they are trying to do with drift of pesticides or herbicides from neighbouring fields. Alongside vines the family keeps bees, grow a few other crops, and cows and horses roam the pastures.

The logo on the label depicts two trees in the courtyard by the farmhouse which are joined by a single branch.

It all sounds deeply idyllic but the reality is of course that so much work is going into restructuring the vineyards and skill, time and patience into making exceptional wines. 

This St Veran is a beautifully nervy Chardonnay that was fermented in old 400 and 500 litre barrels. Long and persistent, it is full of life and verve. 

Producer - Clos Sauvage 
Country - France
Region - Burgundy
Sub-Region - Saint-Véran
Variety / Blend - Chardonnay
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic 
Vegan

Red Wines:

Aux Plantes, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France -

Growing up in Libourne, it was inevitable that wine maker Olivier was to fall in love with the world of wine, but it’s his revolutionary approach to winemaking and desire to break the rules that sets him apart.

A percentage of his wine has been aged in clay amphora, softening the tannins and flavour. The remaining wine is aged in casks and barrels, 30% of which are new oak. Like Olivier, it's expressive! Deep rich red and black fruit aromas, with a spicy undertone. Elegantly full bodied but not OTT. Believe us when we say this is great as an aperitif, pairing nicely with grazing snacks! Think delicious plates of cured ham and Catalonian olives. 

Producer - Olivier Cazenave
Country - France
Region - Bordeaux   
Sub-Region - Saint-Emilion
Variety / Blend - Merlot  
Farming - Biodynamic / Organic
Vegan   

Castello di Monsanto, Chianti Classico, Italy - 

Producer - Castello di Montsanto
Country - Italy
Region - Toscana
Sub-Region - Chianti Classico
Variety / Blend - Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegan

Remelluri, Lindes de Remelluri, Vinedos de Salinillas de Buradón, Rioja, Spain - 

Remelluri is one of Rioja's iconic producers. Now run by Telmo Rodriguez, Rioja's greatest ambassador and one of Spain's greatest winemakers, the bodega's vineyards all lie together in one space in Rioja Alavesa, tucked up against the Sierra Cantabria. Traditionally they also bought grapes from two neighbouring villages, Labastida and San Vicente, and these were used in the main blend but now these grapes are made into separate blends and sold under the Lindes de Remelluri label. The number of villages they work with has now grown to six and this wine is one of them. In each they pay over the odds to local growers to ensure they continue to work the vineyards properly, keeping yields down, farming organically and working with old varieties rather than replacing them with higher yielding clones. 

Salinillas de Buradón is a mountain site on the north face of the Sierra del Toloño and home to an old salt mine from the 19th century. The wine from these mountain vineyards has a lovely lightness of touch which balances the deep, complex fruit and layers of flavours. It may be the name but it does seem to have a touch of umami, savoury salinity to it too which makes it ever so moreish and a great gastronomic wine.

PS we were lucky to hold a tutored tasting at GlouGlou with Pablo Rodriguez, when we tasted all six Lindes wines from a  single vintage plus a couple from the estate. We acquired a few six bottle gift packs for the event, containing one of each Lindes wine and at time of writing we have a couple left, listed on the website and available to buy in the shop too.

Producer - Remelluri
Country - Spain
Region - Rioja    
Appellation - Alavesa
Variety / Blend - Tempranillo, Garnacha
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Uncertified Organic 

Domaine Elodie Jaume, 'Cabrieres', Chateauneuf Du Pape, Rhône, France -

Elodie Jaume splits her time between her eponymous domaine and her generational family estate, Domaine des Chanssaud, in the heart of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhône, France). ⁣Change is afoot at the family domaine, Elodie having recently taken over from her father Patrick. The estate was certified organic in 2012 though the vines have been farmed organically since 1996. The house style focuses on fruit purity, using pretty much no wood at all and instead favouring large concrete tanks for fermentation and maturation. This ensures the maximum expression of these very old vineyards which are for the most part over 70 years old.⁣
⁣
In 2017 Elodie took over 5 hectares of the family domaine to vinify wines under her own Domaine Elodie Jaume label. This wine is from this side of the business. Here she pushes the boundaries of farming and vinification even further, using biodynamic principles, working by horse in the vines, using sheep to graze, keeping bees, and reintroducing native flora (and thereby fauna) to bring diversity back to this heavily farmed, often mono-cultural landscape. ⁣This wine is from this project and is a wonderful expression of place, eschewing big hitting alcohol and heavy punching for a more delicate and subtle style.  

Producer - Elodie Jaume
Country - France
Region - Southern Rhône   
Sub-Region - Chateauneuf Du Pape
Variety / Blend - Grenache
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Biodynamic
Vegan      

 
This case contains one bottle of each of these wines. If any is out of stock or becomes unavailable it will be replaced by one of equal or greater value and deliciousness.