Archive for September, 2011:
Cru bourgeois awarded to 246 properties for 2009 vintage
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In its second year, the annual awarding of cru bourgeois status has been achieved by 246 left bank Bordeaux properties for their 2009 vintage. This is three up on the 2008 vintage.
Tenuta di Fessina
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Tuscan wine producer Silvia Maestrelli, and Federico Curtaz bought Tenuta di Fessina on Etna’s northern slopes in 2007, part of the growing band of producers on this active volcano.
Plunkett-Fowles
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Plunkett-Fowles arose as a merger of two family wine businesses in 2005, both located in the rather rugged, granitic region of Strathbogie Ranges, remote even though it is only around 130km north of Melbourne. The business is run by chief winemaker Sam Plunkett, and CEO Matt Fowles.
Quinta da Gaivosa
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The Gaivosa estate is one of the six Douro properties of the Alves de Sousa family. Its 25 hectares of vines have an average age of 60 years, planted on the typical schist soils of the Douro valley.
Domaine Philippe Delesvaux
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Philippe, and his wife Catherine Delesvaux, of the eponymous domaine, make exquisite sweet wine of the highest order in the Loire’s Coteaux du Layon.
Cobaw Ridge
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Alan and Nelly Cooper set up Cobaw Ridge in 1985, having bought the land in 1981 as a place from where they could commute (quite lengthily) to Melbourne. Their original plan had been to sell the grapes, but they were smitten and decided to make wine before the first crop was off the vine, which was in 1989.
Concrete eggs in winemaking
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The first egg vat was commissioned in 2001 by Michel Chapoutier, following discussions and design between Chapoutier and French vat manufacturer Marc Nomblot, whose company has been making concrete wine vats since 1922. The shapely historic connection to Roman amphorae was not coincidental in the design.
