Saint-Amour 'A La Folie', Domaine Chardigny 2017 Grape variety_Croatina

Saint-Amour 'A La Folie', Domaine Chardigny 2017 Grape variety_CroatinaThis small domaine of just six hectares has been owned by the Chardigny family for some 200 years but in the hands of the two brothers Victor Emmanuel and Pierre Maxime is being rejuvenated and renovated, including undergoing organic conversion. The soils of Saint Amour are varied but the La Folie vineyard lies on a mixture of ancient alluvial igneous rocks principally from the Massif Central. The wine is rich and fruit driven with bright, lively

An excellent example of the region from the 155 hectare Villacreces estate in Quintanilla de Onesimo

Winemaker Mercedes Garcia Ruperez has made huge improvements in both vineyard and cellar and these are now textbook examples of traditional style Rioja made with modern techniques

The vineyard lies in a beautiful spot on a south-facing slope beneath the South Downs and winemaker Hugo Corney makes a range of fantastic sparkling wines with real character and purity of fruit

with an 800 year history of wine-making and now with 81 hectares of prime south-facing hillside vineyards rising from the Rhine to the forested hills above which protect from the cool north winds

All harvesting is by hand and the wines are matured for 14 months in barriques (20% new)

Vidal Blanc

Montepulciano

apricot and honey notes

finishing with herbal minerality and some supple tannins

crying out for oysters or fruits de mer

intense and even unforgiving

along with notes of licorice