Country: France Region: Beaujolais
Varietal: Gamay Vintage: 2023
Colour: Red Style: Dry
Producer: Dominique Morel
PRODUCERThis family-run winery based just north of Fleurie dates back to the early 1900s and has been run by current Winemaker Dominique Morel since 1967. To sum up his philosophy, Morel says: "I make wines that I like to drink, with lots of fruit, good colour and a rounded mouth-feel''.VINEYARDSDominique has 18 hectares of vineyards across Beaujolais, which are planted on relatively low vigour granite soils. As a result, the vines have to struggle to survive, but stressed vines produce superior and beautifully concentrated fruit. The densely planted bush vines are south-west facing and 45 years old on average, producing 50 - 55 hectolitres per hectare and resulting in beautifully concentrated wines. All work in the vineyard, includingharvesting is done by hand.VINIFICATIONThe grapes were treated minimally in the cellar. Semi-carbonic maceration to extract colour, aroma and tannin took place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, following which fermentation took place over seven to eight days. Minimum handling techniques were employed and the wine stayed in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks after fermentation.TASTING NOTESThis Gamay has a clear ruby colour in the glass with delicate cherry perfumes. The rounded palate is full of fresh red berry fruit. Elegant, well balanced with good acidity, this is a great example of Beaujolais-Villages.
Country: Chile Region: Aconcagua Costa
Varietal: Pinot Noir Vintage: 2022
Category: Red Wine Style: Dry
Producer: Montes
PRODUCERMontes was established in 1988 by Aurelio Montes, Douglas Murray, Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand, with the aim of producing the best wines in Chile from the best regions. We have long admired Montes and what they have done for Chilean wine over the past three decades. Their wines are consistently good because they are meticulous throughout the entire production process. Montes owns 800 hectares of vineyards in Apalta and Marchigüe located in Colchagua Valley as well a single vineyard Zapallar, located in coastal Aconcagua Valley.The Limited Selection wines are classic examples of matching the variety or blend to an area. The grape growers and winemakers are given carte blanche to take outstanding fruit and come up with some wholly individual wines that are perfect expressions of site.VINEYARDSThe vineyards that produce the grapes for the Montes Limited Selection Pinot Noir are located in the Casablanca, Leyda, and Zapallar Valleys, in the Aconcagua Costa wine region. All the vineyards are close to the sea — Casablanca is 25 km from the coast, Leyda 9 km, and Zapallar is 7 km inland. This brings freshness and minerality to this cool-climate wine. The soils are granitic, with varying amounts of clay content and all vines are verticallypositioned.VINIFICATIONThe hand-harvested grapes were destemmed and the berries were sorted before transferred into open-top stainless steel tanks where they were cold soaked at 7°C for five days. This is to extract aroma and colour, especially important for the thin-skinned PinotNoir. The temperature was then raised to allow for fermentation which lasted approximately seven days at 23º– 25ºC, with two pump-overs and punch-downs per day. After being pressed, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tankswith some of the wine aged in French oak barrels for six to seven months, while th