Wine Club 026 Winner

The September edition of Highbury Library Wine Club was very enjoyable as we have had lots of exciting new wines arrive in the last month. At this point in the year, it's a nice chance to experience some lighter juicier styles one more time before we say goodbye to the Summer and the line-up reflected that.

For the first time in a while, there was 1 clear winner cross both nights. Samuel Parraga's weird and wonderful Coche Discoteca 2022 ran out as the favourite. It always helps when a bottle has a fun back story but dedicating a cuvée to a time when you are your friends were charged by the police for having a car disco (still not exactly sure what that involves) and then recreating the fine as the label really gets people excited apparently. Luckily the wine actually lives up to the promise. A base of Moscatel and Pedro Ximenez was re-fermented with Tempranillo and Vigriega (a local white variety) to recreate something fun, wild and unique. A real explosion of tropical fruits, a touch of sweetness and a hint of fizz made the crowd go wild!

A new arrival from Chateau Baby Girl came a close second so definitely deserves some praise. That Time Our Eyes Met (In The Cave) 2021 is another unexpected but intoxicating blend of red and white grapes, this time from Roussillon in the south of France. Muscat, Macabeo and all 3 colours of Grenache were combined with the idea of creating a Pet Nat. When winemaker Fernando came to disgorge, there was sadly no fizz so he painstakingly emptied every single bottle back into a tank which exposed the wine to quite a lot of oxygen. Luckily when he returned to the tank months later, the wine was tasting sublime. Tropical and aromatic but with finesse provided by the oxidation, this really is a special wine that will probably never be made again.

Other honourable mentions go to Manon's Farm Rosato 2021. We don't get a lot of Australian natural wine come to these shores so it was a great opportunity to taste something different. This dark rosé is full of depth and complexity and suits the beginning of Autumn perfectly. Matt Gregory's Orange 2023 peaked a lot of interest as its not everyday you get to experience a natural wine from Leicestershire. It was tasting particularly spicy and smokey which reminded quite a few wine clubbers of single malt whiskey or even mezcal! 

Finally, a wine we have been loving over the last few week's is Sense Pressa's Triplette 2023. There will be more to come on the blog about winemaker Marius Long as we just recently paid him a visit but in the meantime, this is a defintely a wine you need to try. Made from his best plot of Grenache and Carignan grapes, it's a red cuvée full of dark fruit but also has a peachy and tea-like elements that combine to create a classy, complex and unique wine.

That's all for now. Look out for the next Wine Club dates which will be announced next week.

Happy Drinking!