Category: Wine of the Week

A no additions ancestral xarel.lo

Published 11. July 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

No trip to Murcia is complete without visiting La Gracia wine bar. This wine was among several gems that Cristina, one of the owners, offered me this time.

Pregadéu is a 100% xarel·lo, grown organically in the limestone soils of the Alt Penedès and fermented using the ancestral method—capturing a natural sparkle with no added sulphur or sugar.

Els Vinyerons is the passion project of Alex Ruiz Masachs and Amós Bañeres. Alex is a fourth-generation producer who spends his spare time rebelling against convention. Amós left pharmacy to take over his grandfather’s vines. Together, they focus on local varieties, expressive terroirs, and wines they genuinely want to drink.

Pregadéu 2023 (Els Vinyerons Vins Naturals)

Pale lemon with fine mousse. Aromas of bruised apple, fennel and sea breeze. Dry, saline and textured, with a savoury, mineral finish that lingers long after the fizz fades.

Price: Low

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Wine of the Week

Cloudy by Nature

Published 4. July 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Katharina Wechsler’s Cloudy by Nature series is the playful, low-intervention side of her portfolio, aimed at wine drinkers who value vibrancy and texture over polish. These are wines made with a hands‑off philosophy: unfiltered, unfined, fermented with native yeasts and bottled with minimal sulphur. The range embraces the slightly wild, the faintly cloudy and the joyfully drinkable.

The grapes come from old vines in Westhofen, with organic certification since 2021 and biodynamic practices already in place. Fermentations happen in stainless steel or neutral vessels, the wines are bottled cloudy and left to express themselves with minimal interference.

Among these expressive bottles in the Cloudy by Nature range is the Pet Nat 2022, a sparkling silvaner that captures the raw vitality of the method ancestrale. It is made from 100 % silvaner grown on old vines in Westhofen, and after around three weeks of skin contact, it is bottled while fermentation is still underway. No filtration, no dosage, just juice, native yeast and time. The result is a gently fizzy wine with a slight haze and plenty of attitude.

Cloudy by Nature Pet Nat 2022 (K. Wechsler)

Hazy, pale straw yellow with a faint golden tint. Bright aromas of green apple, dried herbs and a touch of cider-like savouriness. On the palate it’s lively and bone-dry, with a fine but slightly rustic mousse, citrus zest, orchard fruit and a light phenolic grip from the skin contact. The lees bring gentle weight and breadth, but the wine feels agile and fresh.

Price: Low

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Wine of the Week

Carignan at Angelita

Published 27. June 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

I was at Angelita Madrid tonight — that temple of thoughtful wine and serious cooking — and was served a glass of La Mariole 2022 with a beautifully succulent dish of Iberian pork neck. The pairing was spot-on: the wine’s lifted fruit and fresh acidity cut through the richness of the meat like a blade, while its earthy undertones echoed the depth of flavour in the dish.

La Mariole is a wine from Domaine LaDogar, located in the Minervois region of Languedoc in southern France. This is rugged land: Mediterranean scrub, garrigue, old stones and sun-drenched vineyards. Historically known for powerful, sometimes rustic reds, the best producers today are offering something much more nuanced — and this bottle is a great example of that shift.

Domaine LaDogar is a relatively small, low-intervention project that works primarily with native grape varieties and aims for purity and drinkability. La Mariole 2022 is made from carignan, sourced from old vines planted on limestone soils. The grapes are fermented with native yeasts and see a short maceration, followed by élevage in concrete tanks. The aim is clearly to preserve the brightness and vitality of the fruit, rather than to impose any heavy-handed structure.

La Mariole 2022 (Dom. LaDogar)

Medium dark. Aroma of wild cherries, redcurrants, a touch of violet and a characteristic herbal lift. On the palate, it’s light-bodied but tense, with juicy acidity, fine tannins and a stony, mineral backbone. No oak, no pretence — just pure, energetic fruit with a salty edge.

Price: Low

Food: With the pork, it sang. The slight gaminess of the meat brought out the savoury side of the wine, while the fat was kept in check by the wine’s cleansing freshness. Can work with a variety of light meat and green dishes.

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Wine of the Week

Character from Castillon

Published 20. June 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

This is a wine from the hills of Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux. Château Joanin Bécot is led by Juliette Bécot, daughter of Gérard Bécot of Château Beau-Séjour Bécot in Saint-Émilion. In 2001 Juliette acquired this 14-hectare estate in Castillon. Her vision was clear: to produce wines that marry the elegance of Saint-Émilion with the unique attributes of Castillon’s terroir.

The vineyards, averaging 40 years in age, are planted predominantly with merlot, complemented by cabernet franc. The 2021 vintage, comprising 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc, benefited from meticulous vineyard management and a commitment to sustainable practices. The wine underwent fermentation in temperature-controlled vats, followed by ageing in French oak barrels, balancing new and seasoned wood to enhance complexity without overshadowing the fruit.

Château Joanin Bécot 2021 (Juliette Bécot)

Deep ruby hue. Expressive nose of ripe cherries, blackberries, and hints of tobacco. Medium-bodied with good fruit and acidity. Flavours of plum, coffee, and light tobacco emerge, and fine, polished tannins that lead to a savoury finish. A lot of charm and character.

Price: Medium

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Wine of the Week

Im Pitterberg

Published 13. June 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

This wine from the Nahe was a best buy in the tasting of riesling GG in my local wine club.

Weingut Kruger-Rumpf is a family estate that marries generations of tradition with a contemporary focus. Georg Rumpf, now at the helm, continues the family legacy with a deep respect for organic principles. The estate is particularly known for its holdings in some of the Nahe’s finest vineyards, including the revered Münsterer Im Pitterberg.

The Pitterberg vineyard is a steep, south-facing site composed of Devonian slate and thin topsoil. The vines, many of them 50–70 years old, are tightly planted and deeply rooted, producing low yields of concentrated fruit. Grapes for the Grosses Gewächs bottling are hand-harvested and vinified in large, neutral Stück (2,000-litre oak casks), where they undergo spontaneous fermentation and extended lees ageing. The result is a dry Riesling of structure, texture, and crystalline precision.

Im Pitterberg 2023 (Kruger-Rumpf)

Pale straw colour. Aromas of white peach, lemon zest and crushed stone. On the palate, it is taut and vibrant, driven by racy acidity and a strong mineral core. There is nothing showy, but a wine that reveals its depth with time in the glass. While already compelling, it has the structure and balance to evolve over the next decade or more.

Price: Medium

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Wine of the Week

A GG for contemplation

Published 6. June 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

The Kirchspiel Grosses Gewächs 2012 from Wittmann was served in a bring-a-bottle edition of our wine club.

Weingut Wittmann, based in the village of Westhofen in southern Rheinhessen, has been in the same family since the 17th century. Since taking the reins in the early 1990s, Philipp Wittmann has steered the estate towards organic and later biodynamic viticulture, focusing on low yields, spontaneous fermentations, and wines that speak of their origin. Wittmann joined the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) in 2004, and today the weingut is recognised as one of the leading estate in Germany.

Kirchspiel is one of Westhofen’s grand cru vineyards, and some say its most elegant. Facing southeast, it forms a natural amphitheatre that captures the morning sun while remaining exposed to the cooling influence of the Rhine Valley. The soils are rich in limestone with patches of clay, giving rise to wines of finesse, minerality, and finely etched acidity.

Where neighbouring Morstein tends to produce broader, more powerful wines, Kirchspiel is about focus, energy and detail – often the best balanced wine in warmer vintages.

Kirchspiel GG 2012 (Weing. Wittmann)

Still pale with a green-tinged hue. Subtle but layered on the nose: white flowers, lemon zest, yellow plum, beeswax and crushed stone. Taut and linear on the palate, with citrus, orchard fruit, wild herbs and minerals. Textured, chalky. The acidity is bright and persistent, giving the wine a long finish. Still remarkably youthful. Some wines invite celebration; this one invites contemplation.

Price: High

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Wine of the Week

Wake-up call from Marcillac

Published 30. May 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

In the Aveyron region, nestled within the rolling hills of Marcillac, lies Domaine Matha—a family-run estate that has been producing expressive wines since the early 1980s.

Situated in the village of Bruéjouls, the domaine is helmed by Jean-Luc Matha, who inherited his passion for viticulture from his father, Alban. The estate spans 15 hectares of terraced vineyards, locally known as “banquettes,” which Jean-Luc has meticulously restored to combat erosion and facilitate safer cultivation. Committed to organic farming, the estate has eschewed chemical treatments for over a decade, relying instead on natural remedies like copper, sulfur, and herbal infusions.

Marcillac is a small appellation in southwest France, characterized by its iron-rich red soils and steep slopes. The region’s unique terroir imparts a distinct minerality to its wines, predominantly made from the indigenous fer servadou grape, locally referred to as mansois.

Réveille-Moi is made from 100% fer servadou grapes, harvested from vines averaging 45 years in age. The wine undergoes traditional vinification, is bottled unfiltered, and sees minimal sulfur addition.

Réveille-Moi 2021 (Dom. Matha)

Deep red with bluish tints. Slightly developed and peppery aroma of cherries, redcurrants, and raspberries, complemented by hints of olives, flowers, and cool herbs. On the palate it’s firm, fruity, and spicy, showcasing flavors of dark berries, redcurrants, and green herbs, with subtle notes of olives, and balsamic.

Price: Low

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Wine of the Week

Unveiling the naked truth

Published 23. May 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

Here is a skin contact white from the sun-drenched vineyards of Attica, Greece.

Established in 1917, Mylonas Winery is a third-generation family estate situated in the village of Keratea, approximately 30 miles southeast of Athens. With 12 hectares of vineyards scattered across the Attica peninsula, the winery is renowned for its commitment to indigenous Greek varieties, particularly savatiano. Their philosophy emphasizes minimal intervention, allowing the terroir—characterized by mineral-rich limestone soils and a Mediterranean climate—to shine through.

Attica’s vineyards benefit from diverse soils, including limestone, shale, and sandy clay, coupled with a coastal climate that provides cooling sea breezes. These conditions contribute to the development of grapes with concentrated flavours and balanced acidity. The region’s historical association with bulk retsina is being redefined by producers like Mylonas, who showcase the potential of savatiano as a varietal.

The wine is crafted from hand-harvested grapes sourced from the single vineyard Vouno in Keratea, situated at an altitude of 250 meters. The grapes undergo a cooling process at 8°C, followed by destemming and spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The wine experiences 20 days of skin contact at a controlled temperature of 18°C, enhancing its structure and complexity. After fermentation, it is aged on fine lees for six months with regular stirring, bottled unfined, and contains only a minimal addition of sulfites.

Naked Truth Savatiano 2023 (Mylonas)

Bright golden. Complex aroma of peach skin, honey, and floral notes. On the palate, it is full-bodied and balanced by lively acidity, reflecting the aromatic profile with an unexpectedly long aftertaste.

Price: Low

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Wine of the Week

A cool cinsault

Published 16. May 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

In the rolling granite hills of the Paardeberg, Adi Badenhorst continues to create some of the most characterful wines the Swartland. His Ramnasgras Cinsault is a profound expression of this place – a wine that leans on history, trusts its fruit, and speaks in fine detail rather than in bold strokes.

The fruit for this wine comes from a dry-farmed bushvine vineyard planted in 1956, rooted in decomposed granite soils. The vineyard, named Ramnasgras, is tucked into the Swartland’s rugged terrain and is naturally low-yielding, producing small, concentrated berries. In keeping with Badenhorst’s minimal intervention philosophy, the 2022 vintage was hand-harvested and fermented with around 20% whole clusters, using only indigenous yeasts. The wine spent about a year ageing in large old foudres before being bottled with low sulphur and no fining or filtration.

Ramnasgras Cinsault 2022 (A.A. Badenhorst)

Pale ruby with a translucent core. The nose is fragrant and inviting, with scents of redcurrant, rosehip, pomegranate and sweet spice, underpinned by a gentle earthiness and a whiff of crushed herbs. On the palate, it is light in body but with a beautiful clarity of fruit and texture – bright, tangy red berries glide over fine, powdery tannins, while a savoury minerality brings balance and length. The alcohol is modest at around 11.5%, but the wine does not feel slight – rather, it is poised and precise, with energy.

Price: Low

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Wine of the Week

From the 2023 GG release

Published 13. May 2025 by Vidar Kenneth Johansen

At a tasting in our wine club yesterday, we explored a line-up of Grosses Gewächs Rieslings from the newly released 2023 vintage. Among the highlights was Katharina Wechsler’s Morstein.

The 2023 vintage in Germany, and particularly in Rheinhessen, offered conditions that many growers described as “classic.” Early impressions suggest, in short, that this is a year of finesse rather than power.

Morstein is one of Rheinhessen’s great limestone vineyards, perched above the village of Westhofen. First mentioned in the 13th century, it is now firmly established as a Grosses Gewächs (GG) site, producing Rieslings of impressive longevity and mineral tension. The combination of deep clay and active limestone gives the wines both weight and energy.

Since taking over her family estate in 2009, Katharina Wechsler has become a leading figure in the new wave of German winegrowers. Her style is defined by organic farming, spontaneous fermentation and long lees ageing in large neutral oak, resulting in wines that are textural, articulate, and deeply rooted in place.

The grapes for this wine were hand-harvested in several passes to capture optimal ripeness. After gentle foot-trodding of the grapes, the must was fermented with wild yeasts in large oak casks and matured on its fine lees for several months. The approach is low-intervention but carefully guided, allowing the site’s signature to shine through.

Morstein 2023 (K. Wechsler)

Pale colour. Aromatic with lime, white peach, green herbs and wet stone. Expressive on the palate, with a saline drive and laser-cut acidity. Fine texture from lees ageing, and a long, stony finish that speaks of its limestone origin. Still youthful, probably with an excellent ageing potential, but already compelling in its linear, elegant style.

Price: High

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