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International Fine Wines
International Fine Wines
International Fine Wines
International Fine Wines

Great Value Imports

A Sizzling Selection for Summer
Great Value Imports

A new year dawns, and with it, renewed appreciation for life’s simple pleasures. The season’s indulgences might have loosened our belts a little (in more ways than one!), so a gentle tightening is in order. The time is ripe to showcase some great-value wines from the IFW imported portfolio—quality wines of character to share freely, geared towards immediate pleasure.  

 

Our selection traverses Europe, calling on classics while wandering off the beaten track. Unsurprisingly, the Loire Valley has an outsize representation (being our go-to region for frequent sipping); we’ve selected favourites from Jo Landron and François Chidaine. Rounding out the Gallic grouping is a charming, superb-value right-bank Bordeaux that is required drinking for your next barbecue.

 

Another prerequisite for anything from the grill is Di Majo Norante’s Molí Rosso, a central Italian Montepulciano blend that’s as good a bang for buck as we tasted last year. Then there’s von Buhl’s juicy, mineral-charged Riesling and a zesty, textural, delightfully saline dry Furmint from Hungary. Both will shine with seafood and spicy things.

 

A mixed six-pack of these wines will neatly plug the drink-me-now gap in the fridge/rack/cellar, offering something for all tastes. Santé!

The Wines

Jo Landron Muscadet Sèvre et Maine La Louvetrie 2021
$44.00
Added

Jo Landron Muscadet Sèvre et Maine La Louvetrie 2021

Biodynamic. Jo Landron’s La Louvetrie originates from soils rich in amphibolite, sand, clay and gneiss. It remains the estate’s only wine made from a blend of different sites (and includes younger-vine fruit from Landron’s top vineyards). The vines for this release are 15 to 30 years old and cropped low (for Muscadet) at just 50 hl/ha. It was bottled with a low dose of sulphur after maturing for eight to 12 months. It is a blinder of a wine packed with juicy fruit and vibrant Atlantic zing. Stony and creamy, this year’s release revels in ozone and ripe apple scents with generous, zesty, pithy lemon/lime fruit alongside a wash of salinity. A pourable zinger that reminds us that terrific-value French wine is not a thing of the past. 

Jo Landron Muscadet Sèvre et Maine La Louvetrie 2021
$44.00
Added
Domaine François Chidaine Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2022
 Sold Out
$42.00
Added

Domaine François Chidaine Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2022

François Chidaine is revered for his pristine Chenin Blancs from Montlouis and Vouvray. For a fraction of the price of those wines, here is a touch of Chidaine magic in the form of a Sauvignon cropped from vines in Chissay-en-Touraine and Saint-Julien-de-Chédon. These vineyards lie in the heart of the Touraine appellation, less than 10km upstream from Montlouis, and the viticulture is strictly organic and biodynamic. Alongside his own vineyards, Chidaine now also sources fruit from his grower son-in-law, Jean-Baptiste Bonnigal, in Limeray.

Fermented with a high degree of solids before maturation on lees—a little barrel-aged fruit adds complexity—you'll find engaging zesty citrus character here, along with a delicious touch of white flower and peach skin. As always with Chidaine, you get terroir first and varietal second. The palate is ripe and fleshy, crammed with stone fruits and chalky drive rather than the stereotypical characters we often associate with the variety. One of the keys to the Loire Valley’s outstanding 2022 vintage is the marriage between fleshy fruit texture and mouthwatering freshness. You’ll find all that here, alongside a snaking finish kissed by tangy, salty lemons. We can’t remember a more exciting release under this label.

Domaine François Chidaine Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2022
 Sold Out
$42.00
Added
Reichsrat von Buhl Pfalz Riesling Trocken 2023
$33.00
Added

Reichsrat von Buhl Pfalz Riesling Trocken 2023

Von Buhl’s entry-level wine is drawn from the estate’s great sandstone-rich vineyards around the villages of Deidesheim, Forst and Ruppertsberg. All the vineyards are certified organic. In the cellars, most of the juice naturally ferments in tank, with some parcels fermented in Von Buhl's oval dopplestück oak casks. Even at this level, the wine’s upbringing includes extended lees aging (six months on gross lees). There is no pumping and very little added sulphur. This is a terrific-value dry Riesling, with the juicy palate weight of the vintage proving a perfect foil for the rocky texture, mouthwatering, citrus-edged acidity and near-absolute-dry finish. It will, as always, work wonders by the glass (and bottle).

Reichsrat von Buhl Pfalz Riesling Trocken 2023
$33.00
Added
Disznókő Tokaji Dry Furmint 2023
 Sold Out
$46.00
Added

Disznókő Tokaji Dry Furmint 2023

Dry wines have been a feature in Hungary for at least as long as the country’s legendary sweet wines. While these have lived in the shadows of the Aszú and late-harvest wines for decades, today, 70% of Tokaj’s wine production is devoted to the dry styles. Disznókő was one of the first estates to release a dry Furmint in 1992, and unlike the region’s dry Szamorodni–made from botrytised grapes–this pure Furmint is drawn from steep, mineral-rich volcanic vineyards specifically farmed for dry-wine production.

In Disznókő’s customary style, this lip-smacking, bone-dry white is all about purity and zesty freshness, capturing the vibrant juiciness and minerality so innate to this unique variety. Matured on lees in tank, it shimmers on the tongue with juicy pear, almond blossom and salty lemon goodness. Along with its impressive tension and focused, chalky drive, there’s a spicy Chablis thing going on, especially on the briny, salt-licked close. Serve as an apéritif, with seafood (it’s superb with a plate of oysters), or with poultry/game-bird dishes. 

Disznókő Tokaji Dry Furmint 2023
 Sold Out
$46.00
Added
Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux 2021
$49.00
Added

Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux 2021

Biodynamic. While the roster of wines at this address here moves ever more to the left, it's the more classic estate wines that float our boat, including this blend of 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Malbec. The fruit was all drawn from Peybonhomme’s limestone and clay soils in the Premières Côtes de Blaye (on the right bank overlooking the picturesque Gironde estuary). The wine was fermented using wild yeast and then mostly aged in concrete (10% fermented and matured in two- to three-year-old oak). The wine was bottled unfiltered.

Look out for deep and opulent blackcurrant fruit and charred meat, all draped over a backdrop of leather, spice, graphite and lovely mineral complexity. There are good refreshing tannins, too, so it is already immensely drinkable. This will match beautifully with anything you could think of pairing with traditional Bordeaux (we prefer lamb chops). As always, superb value.

Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux 2021
$49.00
Added
Di Majo Norante Molí Rosso 2023
 Sold Out
$33.00
Added

Di Majo Norante Molí Rosso 2023

For this delicious medium-bodied red, Alessio Di Majo blends organically grown Montepulciano (80%) and Aglianico (20%) cropped from the estate’s sloping Ramitello vineyard, overlooking the Adriatic Sea. It’s a wonderful combination of Montepulciano’s delicious dark berry fruitiness and Aglianico’s black olive tapenade, Christmas spice and earthy intensity. The wine’s sun-touched fruit is trussed by zippy, mouthwatering acidity and just the right pinch of fine-grained tannins. Stick your nose in a glass of this, and you’ll be craving everything from a great woodfired pizza and BBQ chops to a rich, meaty ragu. Drink responsibly!
Di Majo Norante Molí Rosso 2023
 Sold Out
$33.00
Added

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Read more about Jo Landron Read more about Chidaine Read more about von Buhl Read more about Disznókő Read more about Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Read more about Di Majo Norante
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