On the Vinebar today – 2016 Côtes de Provence Rimauresq Rosé - £17.99/bottle, £6.50/glass–
Named for the river which flows through the vineyards at the foot of the Massif des Maures, Rimauresq-arrival-time is something I always look forward to. Fine frolicsome flavours of red currents and wild red berries complete the bottle, laced with a minerality which pays tribute to the longer growing season engendered by the cool Mistral winds and the shade of the mountains. Now that we are really in summer (yes, really) this is now perfect weather for this near-perfect wine.
2016 Sancerre Blanc Croq'Caillotte Domaine Emile Balland - £24.99/bottle, £7.50/glass Emile Balland owns some fine pieces of land in the Loire nowadays, and this little plot right at the high point of Sancerre delivers this great mineral-led Sancerre. Slightly fuller from the warmer growing conditions enhanced by the mighty white chalk boulders littering the vineyard, this is a perfectly elegant and sophisticated style of white to welcome June in with. Think Sauvignon Blanc is dead? Think again.
2015 Pinot Noir Tasmania Holm Oak – £24.99/bottle, £7.50/glass Glossy, intense pinot with a fine, quivering balance to it. Manages to combine some of the fullness of a decent Gevrey with some of the mineraline textural byplay of something from Marlborough or the Loire; which to my mind is a winning combination!
On the Vinebar today –