Wine Club 39 Winner

The 39th round of Wine Club was a great success! Everything seemed to be showing very well and it was a rich and complex white wine that ran out with the winner's medal in the final vote. Clos du Tue Boeuf's Brin de Chevre 2022 is made from the rare grape Menu Pineau.

Indigenous to the Touraine region of the Loire valley, natural wine legend Thierry Puzelat has been credited with saving the variety from extinction whilst making beautiful, single varietal wines with it. This particular cuvée is full of spice apple, lemon, lime and tropical flavours complimented by mint, jasmine, honey and minerals. Drinkers also loved it's wild side provided by a touch of balanced volatile acidity. So much to enjoy and will keep getting better with time.

Earlier we had kicked off the night with Davide Spillare's L1 2022. Serving as the perfect aperitif, this sparkling Garganega from Veneto is a fresh and easy drinking wine that still offers a lovely depth of fruit and minerals.

Next up was Andi Mann's multi-vintage blend of red and white grapes from Rheinhessen. Rosa X consists of Dornfelder, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Bacchus and Silvaner and comes in a litre bottle. There are two faces to this wine with a juicy and fruity side balanced by a darker, smokey mineral one. A great choice to share with friends as we meet Spring's warm embrace.

D'Altri Tempi 2024 was wine number three and the only proper red cuvée of the night. Near Vittoria in the south of Sicily, friends Vittorio and Biagio are producing fresh and pure wines in very small quantities despite all the challenges that climate change is presenting. This blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappato went down very well with the crowd.

Back to Veneto for wine number four to introduce newcomers Belloca. Alessandro and Francesca planted their own vines in 2021 and were in London recently to launch their wines as they are available here for the first time. Bocia! 2024 is a skin contact blend of Moscato Bianco, Muscaris (a genetic cross of Moscato and Solaris) and a local variety known as Bronner. Full of tropical aromatics and juicy stone fruits, this was a huge crowd pleaser and came second in the vote at the end of the night. The name in local dialect means "youngster" and refers to the age of these new vines. 

We ended the evening with 2Naturkinder's (and Germany's) first submission to the Brutal wine project. Brutal!!! 2023 was made from one barrel of Pinot Gris that spent two years ageing in said vessel. This is rich and complex with a great intensity of minerals and laser like acidity. Tasting beautiful right now but will also age wonderfully. A great way to finish the night.

Hopefully see you at Wine Club soon.

Until then, happy drinking!