Glengarry's Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious. The Sunday Sediment. Issue One Hundred and Six Brittany, Welcome to the One Hundred and Sixth edition of The Sunday Sediment, a collection of what’s new, what’s on and what’s happening instore at Glengarry and within the world of wine. Sip away.
MATEUS ROSE | THE ICON HAS A BRAND NEW BOTTLE
Well, when we say, ‘brand new bottle’ it’s pretty much the same shape (why would you change that? It’s iconic), just tweaked slightly; some time at the gym, a bit off the hips, a few neck stretches, and voila! Add a new label, and Roberto’s your uncle. A little while back, Mateus switched from a green glass bottle to a clear glass bottle. One imagines, though, a few diehards out there are storing their old green glass bottles and decanting the new stuff into them. Sweet memories... Read More..
FRENCH ROSE
With the exception of Champagne, in France rose can only be made by contact with the skins; one is not permitted to add red wine to white wine. Provence is a very large area, broken into many classifications, and not all of its roses come from Cotes de Provence. Within the Cotes de Provence appellation itself, you can encounter some pretty average roses – beware the wash of cheaper Provencal offerings; it’s a very large area, and they are a minefield of inconsistency. The overall quality has increased of late, in part thanks to a new wave of producers, and the best of the Cotes de Provence roses are some of the world’s finest expressions, displaying delicate hues, stunning aromatics and sublime textures. At their best, these wines set the rose bar. Read More..
CHATEAU RIOTOR Chateau Riotor is located in the heart of the Massif des Maures region. The Chateau is a Provencal country house surrounded by pine and cork oaks which are over a hundred years old. The property is 85 hectares and home to 48
hectares of vine. Most of the vines are Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah.
Chateau Riotor has been owned by four generations of the Abeille family, who are also behind Chateau Mont-Redon. Since a major renovation in 1988, the estate is equipped with modern winemaking equipment, which has enabled the winery to dramatically increase their wine’s quality. Read More..
CHAMPAGNE | GROWER CHAMPAGNE
In places like the UK and New York, many of the top wine lists are now 100% Grower champagnes. These are the family enterprises, often stretching back over generations, who own their own vineyards in the heart of the
Champagne appellation, from where they grow the grapes to make their own wine, often bottling it on the premises as well. If it’s individuality and character you’re after, the Grower champagnes have that in spades. Lacking the gargantuan resources of the big players, they are more reliant on the characters to be found within particular vintages and locations, and some would say they are all the better for it. All of the Grower champagnes are exclusive to Glengarry. Read More..
J LASSALLE Located just outside Reims, Lassalle is run by three generations of women, with 50% of the tiny 100,000-bottle production heading to the US. Lassalle led the way, the first of the Growers to really make waves in that market. Production is very traditional, with stainless steel, no oak, malolactic and 8-9gm dosage. They have 11ha, all Premier Cru, in Chigny-les-
Roses, divided into 45 different parcels (50% Pinot Meunier, 25% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir). The vineyards were planted by Angéline Templier's late grandfather, with the company officially becoming a partnership between grandmother, mother and daughter in 2006. Read More..
TASTINGS AND EVENTS
SHADES OF ROSE | SOUTHERN FRANCE To think, 10 years ago, the word 'rose' in New Zealand meant nothing more than a beautiful flower. Fast forward to 2019 and now it’s as much a 'go to' wine style as any Marlborough Sauv, and what’s not to love? The only problem with rose is where to start! We thought, why not run a tasting series that's all about rose? So that's just what we've done. Four nights of fivestar rose tasting. WHEN: Thursday 8 August WHERE: Glengarry Mt Eden Village, 417 Mount Eden Road Mount Eden TIME: 7.00pm
Night one, we zoom around Southern France and compare the three appellations of Languedoc, Southern Rhone, and Provence. Night two, we explore roses from Europe, Australia and South America. Night three, we taste roses from New Zealand's 2019 vintage. For our fourth and final night, we focus on methode traditional rose and of course champagne.
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CA DEL BOSCO AND CHAMPAGNE We hesitated before we put the title on this tasting. It is tempting to put 'Ca del Bosco versus Champagne' but it is not a tasting whereby we pick a winner, more of an exploration of the styles. Our expectation is that we will enjoy every wine for its own charm and personality. The story of Ca del Bosco began in the 1960's when Anna Maria Zanella bought a little house surrounded by chestnut trees in little known area called Franciocorta, where she planted vines. For her son Maurizio, it was a lightning bolt that ignited a vision, he then went to Champagne and came back determined to make something similar. What was once a Chestnut wood has now become one of the most trailblazing wineries in Italy. On the flip side we have the champagnes - as far as history and marketing themselves goes, as a region they are unbeatable. This will be a fun evening with a little bit of serious thrown in as we taste through these wines.
WHEN: Wednesday 14 August WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon, 53 Hutt Rd Thorndon TIME: 6.00pm
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DEVONPORT WINE CLUB | CARRICK WINES Located in the heart of Bannockburn, Carrick vineyards grow classic Central Otago Pinot Noir, as well as Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Fully organic, they also produce a number of natural wines. Devonport Glengarry is fortunate to have Rosie, the new winemaker for Carrick, available to talk you through a selection of their wines, and answer any questions you may have about the wine, region, or winemaking process. WHEN: Wednesday 14 August WHERE: Glengarry Devonport, Cnr Clarence & Wynyard Devonport TIME: 7.00pm
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MICHEL GROS BURGUNDY | NEW VS OLD Vosne Romanee is the greatest Pinot Noir village in the world, and the Gros family dynasty there dates back to 1830. Michel is the oldest of Jean Gros's children, and took over the family Domaine from his father in 1975. He produces some very fine wine, and has had repeated accolades over the years, including being the 'International Wine Challenge’s Red Winemaker of the Year' two years running (2009-2010). These are powerful concentrated Burgundies that age superbly, made using using heavily toasted barrels as his father before him. Tonight our Fine Wine Manager Regan McCaffery, will lead us through the history of the Domaine, and then compare the fantastic 2016 vintage against an older bottling of the same wine.
WHEN: Thursday 15 August WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland n TIME: 7.00pm
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TAKAPUNA WINE CLUB | ESCARPMENT WITH LARRY MCKENNA Escarpment Vineyard was established in 1999 as a joint business venture between Robert and Mem Kirby (of Australia's Village Roadshow), and Larry and Sue McKenna. Collectively, these four directors bring to Escarpment a world of experience, skill and understanding.
WHEN: Thursday 15 August WHERE: Glengarry Takapuna, Cnr Hurstmere & Killarney Takapuna TIME: 7.00pm
Larry has firmly established himself as a leading winemaker in these parts and is particularly renowned and respected as one of New Zealand's pre-eminent Pinot Noir producers. Referred to by various wine writers and authorities as everything from the Prince of Pinot Noir, to the Godfather of Pinot Noir, to a Pinot Noir legend, Larry McKenna has built himself a solid reputation for understanding and gaining the best out of this typically stubborn and capricious grape. Read more....
MEET THE WINE MAKER | RICHARD PAINTER, LEFT FIELD
Like all great wine makers, Richard ‘fell’ into a passion for wine. While studying Geography at the University of Otago, Richard worked numerous bar jobs. He soon found a love for wine, and the science behind the wine making process. It was only natural for him to start making wine, and thus, enjoying the best of both worlds. Working through various wine making regions of NZ and the USA, Richard eventually found his home in the Hawke's Bay, and the bold red wines that the Gimblett Gravels produce. After three years as the assistant wine maker for Vidal, he now leads the team at Te Awa. Join us for a night of great yarns and great wines from Te Awa's Left Field range.
WHEN: Wednesday 21 August WHERE: Glengarry Mt Eden Village, 417 Mount Eden Road Mount Eden TIME: 7.00pm
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GREY LYNN WINE CLUB | BORDEAUX
WHEN: Wednesday 21 August WHERE: Glengarry Grey Lynn, 23 Williamson Ave Grey Lynn TIME: 7.00pm
BEST OF 2016 BORDEAUX | WELLINGTON The 2016 Vintage has again set a new benchmark for Bordeaux, at this stage it is looking like it will surpass the superb 2015s. This is an opportunity to try some of the finest wines in the world, from each of the major appellations (including some 100 point Chateau), without the millionaire price tag of the 1st Growths.
To celebrate the opening of our new tasting room at Glengarry Grey Lynn, Liz will be presenting a Bordeaux tasting that will see you sampling some of the very finest wines of the region - you’ll leave with an abundance of new knowledge and stories in tow. The line-up has been set: The tasting will start with Aile d’Argent Blanc, the white wine of Bordeaux first growth, the legendary Chateau Mouton Rothschild. From there we’ll explore ...Read more....
We will be tasting Chateau Carbonnieux Blanc - Graves 2016, La Fleur Petrus Pomerol 2016, Belair Monange - St Emilion 2016, Domaine de Chevalier - PessacLeognan 2016, Pavillion Rouge du Chateau Margaux - Margaux 2016, Pichon Lalande Pauillac 2016, Leoville Barton - St Julian 2016, Cos d'Estournel - St Estephe 2016.
WHEN: Wednesday 28 August WHERE: Glengarry Thorndon, 53 Hutt Rd Thorndon TIME: 7.00pm
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MALT CLUB | GLENMORANGIE GRAND VINTAGE 1991 LAUNCH Tonight we will be getting an exclusive look at the new 1991 Grand Vintage single malt, the 4th release in this series. With Glenmorangie one of the first distilleries to release and market a cask finished single malt we will taste through their extended maturation range, the likes of Lasanta and Quinta Ruban, before finishing the evening with the 1991 which was aged in ex Oloroso Sherry casks and finished in Burgundy barrels. WHEN: Wednesday 28 August WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
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WESTMERE WINE CLUB AUGUST | LEFT FIELD WITH RICHARD PAINTER Left Field is part of the Te Awa Collection, a trio of entities fashioned by the able and experienced winemaking team of Richard Painter and Ant Mackenzie, its pulse emanating from the heart of Hawke's Bay's globally regarded Gimblett Gravels. The winemakers literally went to the left side of the vineyard in their search for inspiration, and while these are not edgy explorations of obscure varietals, they are nonetheless finely executed expressions made by expert winemakers, approachable, consumer-oriented and much more than a mere branding exercise. Painter and Mackenzie source their fruit from selected premium regional vineyards to craft wines that are sophisticated without being stand-offish.
WHEN: Thursday 22 August WHERE: Glengarry Westmere, 164 Garnet Rd Westmere TIME: 7.00pm
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TAKAPUNA WINECLUB | DOG POINT VINEYARD WITH MATT SUTHERLAND
WHEN: Tuesday 3 September WHERE: Glengarry Takapuna, Cnr Hurstmere & Killarney Takapuna TIME: 7.00pm
Since 2002 Dog Point Vineyard have earned local and international acclaim for their take on classic Marlborough wines. Certified organic and with a passion for regional distinctiveness, Dog Point are also known and unusual for their focus being on just three varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. For this tasting we will taste their expressions of these classic varieties, and with a spotlight on their barrel fermented and aged Sauvignon Blanc - the Section 94. Produced from some of the oldest vines in Marlborough, the Section 94 is a unique style of wine that not only is markedly different in tasting profile from a more "traditional" New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but one can also be cellared and aged. Read more....
FINE WINES OF NEW ZEALAND | CHARDONNAY Glengarry Wines are putting together two unique master classes in August to celebrate the Fine Wines of New Zealand 2019 list. These evenings will be hosted by Sam Harrop MW, one of the team who selected the wines for the list, and winemakers from each winery. The first evening will be focused on Chardonnay, looking at recent and past vintages from four of the wineries in the Fine Wines list. The second will be on New Zealand’s up and coming red wine star, Syrah, as with the Chardonnay looking at recent and past vintages. These will be memorable and unique events that will sell out. The Chardonnay Master Class will include Dog Point, Greywacke, Kumeu River and Neudorf. Read more....
WHEN: Wednesday 4 September WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
THE WORLD'S FINEST SHERRY | WITH GUILLERMO ARCE FROM VALDESPINO "The World's Oldest and Most Outstanding Sherry Producer".
WHEN: Thursday 5 September WHERE: Glengarry Victoria Park, 118 Wellesley St West Auckland TIME: 7.00pm
The Valdespino family have been involved in the sherry trade since 1430, making Valdespino the oldest sherry Bodegas in existance. Tonight Guillermo Arce is here from Jerez in Southern Spain, to present the oldest and and finest of all of their V.O.R.S bottlings(Very Old Rare Sherries). These Soleras were established towards the end of the 19th Century, and are amongst the greatest and most expensive sherries ever produced. Each one represents over 100 years of careful selection by generations of expert cellar masters. Read more....
That's it for this week's Sunday Sediment. Issue One Hundred and Seven will be winging its way to your inbox next Sunday. Cheers,
Jak Jakicevich