New Wines: Loire Valley & Oregon
This week we took delivery of some of our first new wines of 2020. There are plenty more to follow as we look to expand our racking to give us space to offer a much larger range of wines in-store. Plenty to look forward to then, in the meantime, here's what's just touched down...
Levin Wines is family-owned and run, by David Levin MBE (restaurateur and hotelier) and Lynne Levin. Initially, David was interested in producing wines for his own patrons - including those at his Michelin starred Greenhouse and Capital Restaurants. As you can imagine, producing wines for his own customers, and with a reputation to uphold, great care was taken in developing the vineyard and winery to produce the absolute best at any given price-point. This included an organic approach, along with the influence of certain biodynamic principles.
Levin Wines: Le Vin de Levin, Sauvignon Blanc, 2017
Organic, Touraine AOC, Loire Valley, 12%, £12.95
Say hello to our new entry to Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc. An ever popular choice, and with great reason. The wines of Touraine, to me at any rate, are a wonderful halfway house for people who want a little more fruity enticement than a Sancerre, but still want some fresh elegant minerality which you just can't seem to get from Kiwi Sav Blanc until you hit a much higher price-point.
Crisp, lean and zippy, this is modern Loire Sauvignon! Citrus blossom, elderflower and hints of white peach form the core flavours of this great value wine. Great acidity and texture on the palate. Oh yes, and it is organic into the bargain!
Levin Wines: Gamay, 2015
Organic, VdP Val du Loire, 12%, £15.75
You'd be hard pressed to believe that this is the same grape that produces Beaujolais Nouveau, but here, Levin Wines in the Loire Valley produce something with a style that is more fitting with great Bordelais Cabernet Franc or even Nebbiolo (minus the fistfuls of tannins of the latter).
Deep ruby red, with aromas of lavender and violet, cherry and chocolate, with savoury forest characteristics. The palate shows cherry and red berry character, with butterscotch, a spicy earthiness and even hints of smoked charcuterie. Silky texture and excellent length.
ROCO Winery: Gravel Road, Pinot Noir, 2017
LIVE Certified, Willamette Valley AVA, Oregon, 12.5%, £39.50
A great 'scorer', with 92pts from James Suckling and 91pts from Wine Enthusiast under its belt, this is a great value Willamette Valley AVA Pinot Noir.
The winemaker, Rollin Soles, notes: "Several lush and complex aromatics fill the nose upon inhale including rose petals, ripe loganberry, a rich vanilla spice framed by rich forest floor aromas. For flavour consider, lovely elegant fruit with spice and enough acidity to cause this wine to dance on your tongue. Persistent red fruit and loganberry give a “sweet” lift to this classic cool climate Pinot noir. The finish sails on a “deck” of rich cherry fruit, lovely earth tones, and the sort of peppercorn spice that calls out for mushrooms, lamb, or even buttery black cod.”