Pre Arrival Offer February 2022 (Closed)
OFFER OPENS 11 FEBRUARY 2022
OFFER CLOSES 25 FEBRUARY 2022
ESTIMATED DELIVERY DATE MAY 2022
Pre Arrival Offer February 2022 (VIEW LANDED WINES)
Producers included in this offer:
- Domaine Paul Nicolle, Chablis (New to FWC)
- Domaine Le Champs de l’Abbaye, Burgundy (New to FWC)
- Domaine Rene Cacheux, Vosne Romanée
- Domaine Rouchier, St Joseph, Northern Rhône
Introduction
The most exciting part of being a wine merchant is the pursuit and presentation of our wares. Our two main guidelines are quality and being able to offer something truly unique that cannot be replicated in Australia. The two new additions to our portfolio this offer, fit the bill brilliantly!
The first is Domaine Paul Nicolle based in Fleys, Chablis. Charly who is Paul’s grandson, and his wife Lucie, are at the helm. With good vineyard holdings we’ve been able to secure a decent bite of Chablis and Chablis 1er Cru Fourneaux. The wines are rich but with minerality and structure to match and it’s important to note here they’re not flamboyant. This is somewhat difficult to balance in Chablis but when producers do, my god do they work. This was all a huge surprise to me as I had NEVER heard of this producer until after tasting and securing 1800 bottles of Lucie’s BRILLIANT Cremant de Bourgogne which is sold under another label entirely. (Watch this space!)
The second I will introduce with a quote from William Kelley who is now arguably the most respected Burgundy journalist in the world;
“I was taken aback by just how good these wines are: Hasard's concentrated, chiseled whites and his perfumed, enveloping reds deserve to be far better known outside of France. In short, this is a superb domaine that I can't recommend highly enough, and Hasard's wines will be covered every year in these pages from now on.” – William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
These are big words from William Kelley but they are not wrong. The wines are outstanding and supremely good value. Questionable labels / brilliant wine, it doesn’t get more French than that!
Domaine René Cacheux is producing really lovely wines with an admirable, small range of cuvées that overdeliver and fly under the radar. The wines are transparent and have a genuine ‘pleasurability’ about them. They always look good in a line-up of more famous and expensive Burgundy producers. The 2019s are very good!
Our third vintage from a truly special Syrah producer, Domaine Rouchier of Saint Jean du Muzols in Saint Joseph, Northern Rhone. He has two main plantings: Luc and Chave with the addition of a few younger parcels that follow the same ideals; that is organic, biodynamic, plenty of work in the vineyard and the use of a draught horse for as many practices as possible to avoid soil compaction. The winemaking is as natural as it gets yet ever so clean and utterly delicious. I love tasting with Christian [Rouchier], it is often first thing in the morning and we taste perhaps 30 barrels, I have never seen him spit. I have a high tolerance for consumption but Christian is superhuman! If you read only two notes, please read Rouchier’s 2022 St Joseph ‘Luc’ and ‘La Chave’.
This offer includes a small, yet delicious range of wines. I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised.
Enjoy!
Domaine Paul Nicolle, Chablis
Domaine Paul Nicolle is located in the village of Fleys which sits four kilometres east of the main township. Leaving Chablis, the grand cru hills Montée de Tonnerre and Mont de Milieu sit in view to the left before the road drops away into a relatively steep valley with 1er Cru Les Fourneaux appearing on the opposing slope.
Paul started the domaine with a single hectare and as his son Robert, and his grandson Charly, have taken over the operations, holdings have now grown to 20 hectares. The wines are classic but with volume, minerality, strong iodine character and truly long length.
2020 Chablis Vieilles Vignes RRP $70
There is a ripe citrus/lemon character that hints reasonable depth alongside an energetic, slightly high toned, quintessential green Chablis character. The palate is lively and succulent. The fruit profile is ripe lemon/grapefruit with a powerful line of acidity that seems to last for a very reasonable period of time. As the wine opens the hugely powerful line of acidity begins to show a lovely phenolic coating which binds the riper citrus flavours. Very, very good! - Jono Hersey, FWC
2020 Chablis 1er Cru ‘Les Fourneaux’ RRP $99
Dried yellow florals, white peach, dried apricot skin, nuance of green bean with a nuance of dried grapefruit peel all with a lovely salinity and iodine tension which brings the wine together beautifully. The palate, while showing riper citrus characters has an incredible core of abrasively tight phenolics that wrap the steely line of acid. Very good length. The palate shows a lot more Chablis character than the nose leads on. - Jono Hersey, FWC
Domaine Les Champs de l’Abbaye, Aluze (Burgundy)
A very well-respected producer within France yet unheard of outside of France. Being based in Aluze (Cote Chalonnaise) certainly does not help! Alain was a sommelier/office worker at varying periods in his life before becoming a vigneron. The combination of a little disposable money, thirst and knowledge led him to pursue absolute quality at any cost. With fundamentals in place including drastically reducing yields and picking at the correct time, it allows the best chance of producing incredible wines as we see here and as Alain describes below, there are more fundamentals for him, in producing fine wine. Many talk about it, but Alain carries this out. The estate has been certified organic since 1999 and is also certified biodynamic by Demeter
“At the cellar, we use only natural yeasts, and follow the profile specific to each vintage and each terroir, thus avoiding additives or manipulations of any kinds. The wines are bottled without fining or filtration. Everything is naturally grown on their estate, hand-harvested, and fermented using indigenous yeasts for spontaneous fermentation. They use no additives and no fining or filtering.”
2020 Bourgogne Blanc RRP $90
High toned and tense with a little seaspray, lemon pith, dry extract and grapefruit juice. Tremendous jaw clenching sensation on the initial. Very fine, with a delicate mineral and phenolic structure. Very, very fine. - Jono Hersey, FWC
2020 Rully Blanc ‘La Chatalienne’ RRP $119
2020 Mercurey Blanc ‘La Brigadiere’ RRP $119
2020 Monthelie Blanc ‘Les Sous Roches’ RRP $134
Slight woodframe, taut with lovely seaspray, grapefruit oil, lemon pith, preserved lemon and spicy pear skin. The palate has ample power and fruit but is characterised by firm mouth coating phenolics and a fine line of minerality. Wonderful length. - Jono Hersey, FWC
Domaine René Cacheux, Vosne Romanée
Domaine René Cacheux began in the late 19th century with a vigneron by the name of Francois Blee. Based in Vosne, he farmed a modest-few parcels, selling the wines to Negociants. Francois' son, Charles, took over the domaine and expanded the holdings. In 1966, Charles retired and his two daughters split the domaine. One married a gentleman by the name of René Cacheux and created Domaine Cacheux-Blee. In a side twist and true Burgundian fashion, René's brother married his wife's sister and they created Domaine Jacques Cacheux.
In 2004, Rene Cacheux's son, Gerald, took over the domaine and renamed it in honour of his father: Domaine René Cacheux et Fils. Gerald produced more and more wine under their own label rather than selling to Negociants, and markedly improved the quality. The fruit is now 100% destemmed with fermentation carried out at much lower temperatures. The result are wines of purity, vibrancy and class.
*Please note the wines were only just bottled when tasted and were very closed. They will be more expressive and perfumed now.
2020 Bourgogne Aligoté RRP $55
Slight custard apple, cumquat, poached apple, pith and a slight whiff of appealing reduction. The palate is fresher than the nose with tart baked apple, poached apple. A little roundness to the palate which makes the wine lovely and approachable in its youth. - Jono Hersey, FWC
2019 Bourgogne Cote d'Or Rouge ‘Les Champs d’Argent’ RRP $90
Not tasted due to extremely low volumes in 2019.
2019 Chambolle Musigny RRP $218
Slight wood frame, sweet spice, violets, cassis, ripe blackberry and plum. White florals lift from the darker, riper flavours giving lightness and perfume. The palate has rip, delicate but present soft tannins that roll in the mouth in the mouth. Sweet moreish fruit. Long length. - Jono Hersey, FWC
2019 Vosne Romanée RRP $227
A lot more restrained with a very suave and unctuous curtain of fruit. A little perfume yet to fully reveal itself. A slight woodframe on the palate with sweet spice. Thick and unctuous. Frustratingly not very expressive yet full of potential. Will require time to open. Long. - Jono Hersey, FWC
2019 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru ‘Les Suchots’ RRP $378
Perfumed with a little more sweet fruit than florals. Showing an underlying wood frame. Very closed. The palate is very spicy. Fruit brooding and heavy. Ripe but present tannins. Reasonable wood frame, will definitely requite time in the cellar! - Jono Hersey, FWC
2019 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru ‘Les Beaux Monts’ RRP $378
More perfumed with a floral array of violets, lavender all wrapped in a sweet spice. A poached Plum density underlies the wonderful aromatics. The palate is lighter on its feet than the nose leads on yet still with rip, round and velvety tannins. Nuance of oak on the finish. - Jono Hersey, FWC
Domaine Rouchier, St Joseph, Northern Rhône
Martine and Christian Rouchier are making some of the most exciting wines in Northern Rhône. Despite minute volumes, their unicorn status is growing globally with wines that display complexity few can reach. They are now growing their estate. Small, younger plantings are spread across the village in very random locations, more like veggie patches than commercial vineyards. Christian is a wizard in the cuveree but my god does he make life hard for himself! Their original two hectares are organic and biodynamic, managed by hand and horse.
‘Luc’ was planted in 1972 on the hills above St Jean de Muzols. The vineyard has a west facing aspect, an elevation of 250 metres and the soils consist of clay and schist.
‘Chave’ was planted in 1958. It has western exposure and predominantly granitic gneiss soils. The grapes spend two weeks as whole clusters in concrete tanks using indigenous yeast. Pigeage and remontage is utilised before going to neutral wood for 16-18 months. The wine is neither fined nor filtered. No sulfur is added throughout the entirety of the vinification process.
2019 Syrah Antraigue VdF RRP $88
*Worth noting this wine is high in acid and very fresh, not like their riper, more seductive Luc/Chave Syrahs. Would suit those that enjoy Trousseau/Poulsard from Jura.
A little whisper of florals, red currant and red cherry. Very fresh with plenty of salivating acidity. Very present tannins with crunchy red currant and florals. - Jono Hersey, FWC
2019 Puat VdF 80% Syrah, 20% Chasselas RRP $119
Very perfumed with violets, sweet red cherry and a hint of white peach. There is a soft ‘openness’ to the nose. The palate is vibrant with lovely energy. A peach juice character with a fresh, cold pressed cherry juice finish. Different but delish. - Jono Hersey, FWC
2018 Saint Joseph ‘Luc’ RRP $140
2018 Saint Joseph ‘Luc’ 1500ml MAGNUM RRP $329
Blackberry jam, suave ripe black plum and ripe black cherry. Pepper and spice. Cassis. Violets and lavender. The palate is sumptuous filled with forest fruits, blueberrycassis and plum liquer. Very long!!!!! - Jono Hersey, FWC
2018 Saint Joseph ‘Chave’ RRP $162
2018 Saint Joseph ‘Chave’ 1500ml MAGNUM RRP $362
Brooding and enticing with a complete spectrum of ripe, sweet wild black fruits. There is a depth and richness to the brilliantly layered nose. Wonderfully defined sweet florals. Mouth coating ripe tannins coat the mouth for what seems like an eternity. This is nothing short of brilliant. What a wine, wow. - Jono Hersey, FWC