holly jolly holiday wines vol 1

in 1985 jean-bernard larrieu took the family domaine from traditional mixed farming to pure viticulture. known affectionately as ‘jésus’ to the locals, he has established clos lapeyre as one of the leaders in the jurançon, a region in southwest france in the shadow of pyrenees, at an altitude of 300-400 meters. like most jurançon producers he makes a range of sweet and dry white wines from native grapes (petit manseng, gros manseng, courbu, camaralet) and his focus on quality is unique and unrelenting. this is 100% organically farmed gros manseng. this zesty white dances with acidity and citrus fruit.

pro tip – any wine from iedmont with oddero on the label is a winner! the oddero estate is long established, with roots in the 18th century. over the past 40 years, the patriarch giacomo protected tradition while improving quality at the winery, while also fighting to protect the quality and reputation of not just barolo but also the traditional foods of the langhe: cheese, truffles and hazelnuts. he has now handed the reins to his two daughters, mariavittoria and mariacristina. mariacristina has a viticulture and enology degree, and together with isabella, mariavittoria’s daughter, she brings new energy and focus to the vineyards and cellar. it’s back to the future, as they transition the estate to organic farming and recycling. this is a nebbiolo that drink likes a barolo because it comes from the same pedigreed, organically farmed vineyard as their barolo. this 100% nebbiolo is full of dried earth, herbal and floral notes that swirl around a solid core of red and black cherry, plum, coffee and chocolate notes. only 15,000 bottles produced for the world.

this is one of our fave house syrahs ! although a native of chavanay (next village to condrieu), julien is not from a winemaking family. after wine college, he travelled widely, producing wine in both the roussillon and spain, and worked for highly respected vignerons like cuilleron, gaillard and pierre-jean villa.  julien and his wife returned to chavanay, and in 2010, started crafting a range of micro-négoce wines (purchasing grapes from local sources). as the name indicates, the grapes for this syrah come from the left bank of the rhône river, the ‘other’ river. this wine is a real expression of the northern pure syrah, meaty, savory and peppery with very crunchy ripe red fruits and nice concentrated body.

pedro peciña was the vineyard manager for almost 20 years at la rioja alta above. he also came from a long line of grape growers and his family had old vine vineyards that became the basis of his new estate when he decided to branch out on his own in the 1990s. his work at la rioja alta gave him insight into where the best vineyard sights in the region were, and he added these to his estate. his vineyards are 50+ year old vines. this ‘crianza’, which is usually the lightest and youngest aged riojas, is the equivalent of other producers’ reservas! it’s aged for 2 years in american oak and then another 2 years in bottle before release. red berries and spice, dried flowers, vanilla, tobacco, with a supple texture and silky tannins.