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Once in a Decade: The Remarkable Dry German Rieslings from 2007
There are some rare vintages these days where conditions are so good that almost no (half decent) producer makes a dud wine. Burgundy had one of these vintages for its reds in 2005. Germany had it for Riesling in 2007. The wines have a profound clarity, depth and purity of flavour. Each sip is like plunging your face into a cool, bubbling, mountain stream. I urge all lovers of great white wine and in particular of great Riesling to not miss out on these wines. They are wines of a quality that comes along once or twice a decade at best. In fact, some are saying that '07 may well be the greatest German vintage (overall) since 1990! We are offering a wide range of 2007 Rieslings from four of Germany's greatest names, including a selection of their rare "1st Growth" wines from the finest vineyards. All 1st Growth wines are dry, as are many of the other wines offered (they will have "dry" or 'trocken" in the name). 2007 is a vintage to put Germany well and truly back on the fine wine map! To buy the 2007 German Rielsings on offer please click on the producer names that follow: , Muller Catoir Click here! Von Buhl Click here!
Champagne de Sousa
Grand Cru, Biodynamic & Organic Champagne
"A fantastic producer with some world-beating wines." Richard Juhlin, 4000 Champagnes. If you buy Champagne simply because you recognise the label you are making a big mistake. Buying big brand Champagne is akin to buying Wolf Blass over Bindi or Giaconda. i.e. you're buying a huge volume wine blended from high cropped fruit produced via industrial viticulture (i.e. utilising herbicides and pesticides, no ploughing, etc), blended to a house style with the addition of significant levels of sugar (dosage). In fact Wolf Blass might well feel slighted by this comparison. Large Champagne houses rarely have any connection with the vineyards from which they buy the fruit and pay by the kilo (through co-ops) with no incentives for quality. Almost all fruit is bought sight unseen. This contrasts sharply with the best grower-producers (of which there are sadly only a handful) who manage their own vineyards, keep crops to reasonable levels, use natural viticultural practises (often utilising biodynamic or organic methods, i.e. no chemicals) and produce wines with limited if any sugar additions, all in an attempt to produce wines of genuine terroir; wines that reflect the personality of a vineyard or general area, as opposed to a "house style". These are the very attributes we respect in the best Burgundy producers - so why don't we apply the same standards to Champagne? The answer, sadly, is that years of marketing by the large houses have managed to distract us from the deficiencies of many Champagnes. But enough dwelling on the negatives! De Sousa is one of the very finest grower producers with outstanding sites in the best terroirs of the Cote de Blancs (Avize, Cramant, and Oger). They have a high percentage of old vines (the average age of the vineyards is a very high 45 years), and they farm their vineyards biodynamically in Avize and the nearby villages and organically elsewhere. Over the last decade, the winemaking, under Erick de Sousa, has reached the highest levels of sophistication. The resulting wines are remarkable for their elegance and balance but also their intensity. They are vinous and speak strongly of their origins. They are a fabulous introduction to the best grower Champagnes. They are also priced comparatively to the big brands and yet the quality is far higher. And remember you get a 10% discount on mixed or straight dozens. To find out what Champagne de Sousa wines are currently available Click here!
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