And then there was this. We are finishing Loire month off with a bang. Often, people ask us if natural wine can age. If it is anything beyond those funky wild flavours (that we love) best enjoyed in the first few years of its life. The answer is a resounding YES and the evidence are wines exactly like this. So extremely precise, beautiful, textured, layered and fineeeeee. This is your perfectly tailored suit. Your expertly cooked dish with layers of rich flavour that surprise. A wine to delight natural wine freaks with its fantastic precision and classic drinkers because it is simply a wonderful wine. This is 40-90 (!) year old Grolleau on limestone. What the heck is Grolleau? A native grape to Loire Valley’s Touraine, in the past it was yielded highly (aka they let the vines go crazy) and produced light, red fruited and rather boring Rosé d’Anjou. Clau de Nell and a handful of others are proving what a spicy, weird and savoury star Grolleau can be when treated right. Grown expertly on old vines with tremendous care. Say hello to our umami stunner. Savoury smoke, fall leaves and cracked black pepper. Soy sauce, fermented plum and a wild inky meatiness we cannot stop smelling. High acidity and a super fresh mouthfeel, this is a zippy chillable red with a savoury interesting and wildly delicious story to tell. THE FOOD PAIRING OPPORTUNITIES, but also so damn special and literally a meal on its own. Save in the cellar a few years or open it up a few hours (or a damn day) before drinking. Just gets better and better.

6 bottles 2017 Clau de Nell Grolleau
$60 per bottle in 6 packs

PRODUCTION & DRINKING

We came to know the wines of Clau de Nell from a sweet friend and fantastic wine mentor Mark Walford. Mark was one of the very UK merchants to bring the undiscovered wines of the Loire Valley to the UK. Mark was knocking on cellar doors (literally) and introducing a generation of young British sommeliers to these great beauties that would one day hold important spots on wine lists around the world. His portfolio was so fantastic it was later purchased by Berry Brothers - a famous UK importer - and we came to know him as an owner of the small and wonderful Cotes Catalanes property Le Soula, his insanely delicious retirement project. We told Mark we were off to the Loire for our first ever trip in 2016 and he gave us a short list of his very favourite producers. Top of it was Clau de Nell, an eight hectare small winery on a south facing knoll in the small town of Ambiollou-Chateau, Anjou. The story of Clau de Nell is one of fate. It came to the attention of Anne-Claude Leflaive, of Burgundy’s Leflaive, and her husband Christian Jacques through their organization, which brought together biodynamic growers to share information and commercial networks. Clau de Nell was a stunning old vine property on beautiful limestone soils that was struggling financially and looking to sell. After first giving the previous owners a loan, they later jumped at the chance to purchase these special vines and the centuries old troglodyte cave that came with it. Soon after, they brought on sommelier-turned winemaker Sylvain Potin as estate manager. Thick 60-90 year old vines are hand picked and aged in a combination of old Burgundian oak and large foudre. The Grolleau spends 14 months on fine lees.

TASTES LIKE

Wine: what all the fuss is about. Violets, spicy sausage, cracked pepper, soy sauce and the essence of red fruit giving way to a salty masterpiece. A wine for food lovers. So dang interesting and unlike truly any bottle you’ve had lately. Pair with salty flavours, Chinese food, charcuterie or a woodland forest.