Spring Staff picks

Producer: Loco, Vittorio Pugliese
Region: Puglia, Italy
Grapes: Montepulciano, Ottavianello, Maresco
Style: Pink
Alc.: 12%
Size: 75cl
Notes: This is a delicious fruit-forward rosato from Vittorio aged in amphora! Montepulciano is pressed and blended with Ottavianello skins and lees from Maresco. Lovely tart acidity with floral orange blossom notes, leading to a long cherry-like finish. One to share.

Producer: Jean-Yves Péron
Region: Haute-Savoie, France
Grapes: Mondeuse
Style: Pink
Alc.: 12%
Size: 75cl bottle
Notes: Mondeuse from Albertville and Fréterive pressed directly and aged in barrels. Gentler and paler in its hue and texture compared to previous years. Delicate fruit, and a touch of sugar. Delicious now, and best had in one sitting. This will age beautifully.

Producer: ABRACADABRA, Hannah Fuellenkemper
Region: Auvergne, France
Grapes: Cinsault (Le Mazel – Valvigniers, Ardèche)
Style: Red
Alc: 11%
Size: 75cl bottle
Notes: Hannah has made a delightful easy-drinker with fruit from young vines farmed by the Oustric siblings of Le Mazel. Foot crushed and macerated for 8 days, this is full of floral notes, with a plummy, saline quality.

Producer: La Traviesa
Region: Alpujarras, Spain
Grapes: Vigiriega
Style: White
Alc.: 12.5%
Size: 75cl bottle
Notes: A project from the Valenzuela family of Barranco Oscuro to encourage more farmers and neighbours to cultivate and plant indigenous varieties of grapes. Toasty and savoury, with rippling acidity. Serve cold!

Producer:Jean-Marc Dreyer
Region: Alsace, France
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Style: Red
Alc: 12.5%
Size: 150cl bottle
Notes: MAGNUM Macerated for 10 days outside the cellar, then aged in smaller demi-muids (the ageing is longer than the 75cl bottles). Light, bright and smokey with a silky finish. This has a touch more weight than previous vintages, adding to its smoothness, but it still has Jean-Marc’s characteristic zing.

Producer: Belly Wine Experiment
Region: Auvergne, France
Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc (Demarne, Minervois)
Style: Orange
Alc: 13.8%
Size: 75cl bottle
Notes: An intriguing ripasso of southern sauvignon blanc! 60% of the fruit is macerated for 10 days, and the rest is pressed directly. This then ages for 10 months in barrels, before it is poured over the marc of xarel·lo to age for an extra year in fibreglass tanks. Plush, and plump this tastes so much of sunshine and tropical fruit – one to savour slowly.

Producer: Domaine Carterole
Region: Roussillon, France
Grapes: Vermentino
Style: Orange
Alc.: 13%
Size: 75cl bottle
Notes: A most exquisite orange from Joachim – that keeps getting better with every vintage. A long 6-month maceration in amphora, this Vermentino from the Côte Vermeille has wonderful aromatics, dense ripe stone fruit, and a complex salinity. One to savour slowly.

Producer: Andrea Calek
Region: Ardeche, France
Grapes: Syrah, Grenache, Merlot
Style: Red
Size: 75cl bottle
Alc: 12.5%
Notes: The Babiole this vintage has slightly more weight than the previous and lovely damson-like fruity tannins which give it a moreish quality. Maybe our favourite vintage yet…

Producer: Patrick Bouju & Justine Loiseau
Region: Auvergne, France
Grapes: Gamay d’Auvergne (Domaine de Gergovie, Auvergne)
Style: Red
Alc.: 13%
Size: 75cl bottle
Notes: From a plot of 100+ year-old vines on the plateau de Gergovie. Whole bunch maceration and ageing in tanks and stoneware amphorae. Deep hedgerow fruit and some delicate spice, this is a delight.