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So to start with the two whites, both beginning with a V. Firstly from Johns trip to Sardinia, we have Mura.

Based in Loiri Porto san Paolo in the DOCG area of Olbia Tempio, otherwise known as Gallura. This hard farming area has been said to be producing Vermentino for around 600 years and the family have been involved with this long history for the last 40 yeasr. Before this they lived in the Costa Smerelda, until Aga khan needed land for his airport.

 Like many of our producers, the Mura family have realised that older farming methods really are still the best. With their new plantings they have planted the Gobelet style that was popular in Sardinia 50 years ago, before the introduction of Guyot. The wines really have been gathering a fine reputation in the last few years, with Gambero rosso the wine guide of Italy calling them one of the benchmark estates on the island.

 We are offering two of their Vermentinos, the very fine introduction to this varietal Prisma and the incredibly complex and mineral driven Cheremi, as well as their Cannonau.

From Le Marche we have finally found a Verdicchio we like. Tasted in Cerea in late March this is from the heartland of Verdicchio, Castello di Jesi DOC.

  The wines of La Marca di San Michele started out as a little bit of an experiment. Alessandro, Beatrice and Daniela are the fourth generation of the family to make wine. The family business is more to do with larger production Verdicchio, though looking to the future this younger generation wanted to learn the lessons of the past. So they took some land, 6 Hectares overall and experimented with Organic Viticulture, no herbicides or pesticides. Low levels of sulphur used on the farm and natural yeasts in the winery. The experiment was to see if the quality really showed. It has and we are happy to release their Capovolto Classico superiore to the uk market.

 Produced in a fresher style with fermentation occurring in stainless steel. The wine is matured on the lees for 8 months before being bottled and rested 6 months before release. The extended ageing on lees, has really added another layer of complexity to this wine. As with many of our wines, quite different to what you would have tasted in the past.

Regarding Toms new releases I will be getting in touch with those of you who have been kind enough to show interest in the next few days. So the wait should not be too much longer and I will make sure that the Nouveau Mourvedre is ready to taste for all.

All the best for now,

John

We will be showing new releases and also older vintages of these wineries, we look forward to seeing you there.

John and Robin

My short time in Australia, enabled a throughly overdue catch up with Tom Shobbrook. As always with Tom a little bit of work is required when you visit, so my timing was perfect as we processed the 2012 Syrah from his Seppeltsfield vineyard. It had been a good 6 years since we had done vintage together and it was fantastic to catch up with all in the valley and be introduced to his beautiful daughter Maya. Although obviously in the early stages, it looks like this will be another great year for Tom, his continuous experiments always mean that their is something great to taste and learn about. Look forward to showing all the new releases at RAW and his Didi label for Cave in May.

Then onto Sardinia. My first time and I can happily say that I was blown away, not just by the quality of the wines I tasted and the diverse beauty of the island but also the immense hospitality of the people. We will be doing a little bit of a retasting at vinitaly next week but may I say many thanks to all who took time from their busy schedules to look after me. Many thanks also to Tenute Dettori, not on my original tasting list as they already have an importer, for a superb and delicious impromptu lunch. Some pictures are attached but I will post a full report on the wines after Vinitaly.

Happy tasting.

John

Then off to Sardinia for five days to try and find us a Vermentino and maybe a couple of tasty Cannonau’s or Monica’s. If anybody has any recommendations on what to try or who to see while i’m out in these various places, do let me know. Though all will be kept up to date on this page, including our little trip to Verona and the various up coming wine fairs.

Girgis extra 2009 Straight Catarratto situated 500m above sea level once more in Monreale Cerea on clay soil. The vineyard is > of an acre, only 400 bottles are produced. Natural yeasts in the winery ten months in stainless steel with a total sulphur of 30mg/l.

Arturo di Lanzeria 2009 Pure Perricone, some believe this to be Barbera though not confirmed, from young vines at 480 m.a.s. Only 1 hectare of planting on medium clay. Fermented in 30Hl oak barrels. It is then transferred to stainless steel for 6 months and then placed in Barrique. Bottle aged for six months before release.

Gibril 2009 100% Nerello Mascalese. Same process as Arturo.

What they say about Guccione wines:

Sicily enticed once more with Nerello Mascalese Gibril 2009 by Guccione (Winemakers Club), this time not from the volcanic slopes of Mt Etna but from a tiny, biodynamic producer south of Palermo: at a moderate 13.5% this wine was earthy, elegant and savoury, again with that elusive Italian bitter cherry note and the characteristic acidic and tannic backbone.
Anne Krebiehl, Harpers magazine

Shobbrook Barossa Valley Wines are available exclusively through The Winemakers Club.

What they say about Shobbrook Wines:

Biggest surprise, and new discovery, was Shobbrook Wines. Natural wines from the Barossa, with amazing presence, purity and elegance. They’re all great, but two Mouvedres stood out. The Nouveau was just beautiful. A little cloudy, with deliberately high carbon dioxide levels, this was utterly beautiful, showing sweet, elegant, pure fruit. And the Ebenezer Mourvedre 2010 had staggering elegance and pristine black cherry fruit, carrying its ripeness effortlessly. Supple, with an amazing mouthfeel.
Jamie Goode, www.wineanorak.com

Tom Shobbrock has been making waves with his low intervention wines and scooped the Gourmet Traveller Young Winemaker of the Year Award in 2010. The Riesling 2011 is fermented with natural yeast in old 600l barrels. In 2011, a cool, wet year, it displays whip sharp acidity on the attack – bracing, but utterly invigorating, with tase bud etching lemon pips/sherbert lemon and a balancing trace of sweet lemon puff. Long, tight and lean on the finish. Bring on the oysters!

The Riesling 2010 is much less linear, broader, textured and spicy with an attractive greenness for balance and and bite. Lots of interest here; finishes long and limpid with a saline edge.
Sarah Ahmed, www.winedetective.co.uk

Both wines are available from The Winemakers Club.