Ahh spring, the season for mowing lawns, hanging washing on the line outside, and moving away from deep, full bodied reds to something a little more delicate; something with a touch of finesse.. something with floral notes, perhaps?
Now, you may be thinking... "florals? For spring? Groundbreaking..." fair enough Miranda, but here at Fine Wine Merchant we believe that the cliche stacks up; you see, there really is nothing like sipping on an obnoxiously aromatic wine whilst basking in the spring sunshine.
And now, without further ado...
Jess - Marc Bredif Classic Vouvray, 2024
If you were to picture yourself skipping through an orchard, flowers in bloom, trees adorned with lusciously ripe stone fruit and apples, sheep baaa'ing well off in the distance, and no responsibilities lined up for the rest of the afternoon, then this wine embodies exactly that kind of frivolity; bursting at the seams with white blossom, quinces, and freshly laundered linen, the aromatics are expressive without being overbearing.
On the palate the wine is mostly dry with an ever so slight hint of residual sugar, plenty of zippy acidity, and a silky textural mouthfeel from ageing on fine lees. Medium in body and generous to a fault in flavour. Honey and candied ginger arrive fashionably late to the fruit and flower party, leaving a lip-smacking, slightly opulent lasting impression. Plenty of ageing potential but delicious right now, and at only $40 a pop you'd be hard pressed finding a better best bang-for-buck wine from France at the moment!
Tim - Domaine Daniel Bouland Bellevue Morgon (Beaujolais) Bellevue Sable, 2023
The sun starts shining and the temperature starts warming, the birds start chirping and the bees start buzzing. So while everyone else is reaching for that bottle of crisp white (I see you in the paragraph before, Jess!) I'm popping a cork on the exquisite Daniel Bouland Morgon.
Lively, light and aromatic with a hint of fresh spices and a vibrant and fruity nose with this particular bottling coming from the sandy ("sable") soils of the Bellevue vineyard, offering a little more weight than its Cailloux (stony soil) counterpart.
The flowers and fruit in this wine remind me of warm sunny days at a long table in the garden.
Stew - Rose...any or all!
So many choices...it's almost - but not quite entirely - too hard to choose. Fresh, crisp Riesling. Mineral-driven, bright and fruit-forward Chardonnay. Freshly bottled Pinot Noir from the previous year, complex yet youthful and refreshing...these all scream Springtime wines to me.
But above all else, the changing season of Springtime draws me intrinsically towards Rose in its countless forms. The herald of Spring, the changing of the season, the acknowledgement (or welcome expectation) of warmer weather, longer days, and more relaxed, sharing times after the hibernation of winter!
It's a little bit of a cop-out, but I don't want to be tied down to one single example. I have so many favourites, but even more importantly, there's always something new about to be released. Something new to look forward to. Last week we had this, but next week this other producer is releasing their latest Rose. The constantly-changing environment means there's always something new on the shelf to try, something to entice you to try the latest release. And it doesn't matter where it comes from - local Pinot Noir-based Roses (and Saignees) - fresh, light and bright, or French Provencale Grenache-based drops, more serious and enticing, or maybe a delicious Italian Rosate, more weighty, complex and serious, but drawing you in further and making you think about the delicious wine passing your lips.
So if I can inspire you to go down the Rose path, ask one of us for our pick this week, or take a shot on any of our suggestions on the website...they're all delicious and you won't be disappointed!
Happy spring - enjoy the choices!!!
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