Wine Club 032 Winners

The 32nd edition of Highbury Library Wine Club was a fun night with all the wines showing really well in my opinion. The winning vote was split between two bottles, both very different styles, which is always nice to see. I've already written recently about Jean-Pierre Rietsch's aromatic, tropical and juicy blend Coquette 2023 in my Top 5 Chilled Reds to Drink this Summer so it was great to to see I'm not alone in my obsession for this wine! A worthy winner...

Joan Rubio's Xarel Lo Ancestral 2022 just arrived this week and shared the top spot on the night. This sparkling wine that stylistically sits somewhere between Pet Nat and Champagne has always been a hit with us but the 2022 vintage is next level! A beautiful complexity of apple, citrus and stone fruit flavours combine with smokey, mineral and biscuity aromas. Precise and elegant, this is so much more interesting that your average Champagne! Or Pet Nat for that matter. Thank you Joan!

The next most popular wine of the night was Chardonnay Bacchus 2023 from Ham Street down in Kent. This slightly skinsy white wine was shining with bright tropical and stone fruit alongside a refreshing touch of volatile acidity. Clocking in at just 10%, it's the UK's answer to 'vin de soif'! Only 1 left in stock at time of writing but hoping for a re-stock shortly. 

We had kicked the night off with a cellar release from Loire stalwarts Clos du Tue Boeuf. La Guerrerie 2021 is a blend of 90% Côt (the local name for Malbec don't ya know?) and 10% Gamay which combine to create a light to medium bodied red wine with a lovely depth of dark fruit and sprinklings of pepper along the way. Another fine example of how well the Puzelat wines age. 

Next we went to Romania to taste a red and white field blend from Edgar Brutler. This young winemaker is making a name for himself in the UK thanks to his bargain Sefu wine but it's his higher end wines that really get us going. Gisela 2023 is made from a whole host of local and international grape varieties and explodes with juicy and candied fruit. I heard one drinker exclaim "THIS is what i want natural wine to taste like"! Great stuff.

We also tried the new vintage of the now iconic Lucky You 2024 cuvée from Laurent Saillard. For me, this is a wine of balance. The combination of the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes, the delicate texture and the fact it's not too wild but also by no means boring either. Somewhat of an all-rounder, this was greatly appreciated. 

Wine Club now takes it annual break for the Summer. Thanks to everyone who came along in the first half of 2025. See you in September. And until then, Happy Drinking!