Wine Machinery Tasting at Elgin Vintners

A more technical look at Amphora use against other maturation techniques

• NV Champagne Le Mesnil Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut 91 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut
  Light gold in colour, with a persistent mousse. Attractive aromas of brioche and toasted bread with notes of sweet orchard fruits, lemon zest and a faint nuttiness.
  A fresh entry with steely acidity and chalky texture frames ripe Gala apple, Forelle pear and lemon with that brioche consistently present. There are some mineral components, and the wine finishes long. Lovely focus with lingering apples, the wine has a surprising tension given its fleshier fruit.
  100% Chardonnay sourced from east-facing Grand Cru vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. 85% of the base wine goes through MLF. RS: 9 g/l; pH: 3.1. Not sure of time on lees - 5 years?

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We started with two wines that are not finished, so have described them here, followed by the two bottled whites below:
Wine 1: 2021 Sauvignon Blanc with Nutrioak: Light lemon to water white. Fairly intense with a lemon sherbet and loquat aromas.
The palate has a lively acidity, textural chalk powder grip, no oak to speak of, and a pleasant, slightly drying finish.

Wine 2: 2021 Semillon Amphora: Lifted pleasant aromas of clementine, snow pea, attic dust, alpine meadow and orange leaf. The wine is rather hard in acidity (almost sulphuric) accentuated by the amphora, possibly with an ascendant and distracting dustiness that becomes mange tout. Lacks the ripeness to the fruit, finishing short.

• 2016 Stonebird Chardonnay 84 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

  A mid-gold colour suggests some evolution. Muted aromas of almond paste and citrus lead to a palate that reflects advanced development, with flavors of almond paste and a bitter mid-palate. Bone dry, moderate acidity with some orange and creamy lees help somewhat, but the wine has a noted bitter quality and tails off quickly.
  Produced with minimal intervention and matured in terracotta amphorae.

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• 2017 Stonebird Chardonnay 84 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

  Light gold, a little reticent at first but then subtle aromas of almond paste, beeswax, curry leaf and lemon rind. Fresher than the previous example, the wine has a fresh acidity with moderate fruit intensity. Dry, rather lean with a slightly bitter finish, it has moderate length. Lacks much complexity.
  100% amphora fermentation, the wine underwent MLF and received extended lees contact.

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• 2016 Stonebird Pinot Noir 84 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

  (Tasted Blind) A pale ruby hue with intriguing aromas of charred wood and molasses that rub up against iodine, sea spray and kelp that then veer off to cola tonic and clay brick nuances. A little evolved perhaps, but the palate entry promised more with a notable textural grip, fresh acid and sappy notes reminiscent of stem inclusion. The wine is dry and the tannins seem light at first, yet progressively become assertive as we resume to cola tonic and clay accented by that saline freshness. All very interesting and somewhat discombobulating, the wine finishes dry and a little bitter with a curry-like note. My thoughts are that the amphora aging imparts a distinctive dryness, with tannins that mimic the effect of stem inclusion, providing a firm structure. The wine lacks sufficient flesh to balance the pronounced tannic presence, resulting in a somewhat austere mouthfeel.
  The Pinot Noir is sourced mainly from vineyards in Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde and fermented and aged in terracotta amphorae.

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• 2017 Stonebird Pinot Noir 85 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

  (Tasted Blind): Pale ruby in colour with aromas of sweet cherry paste, reminiscent of cough syrup, with lifted notes of toffee apple, candied flower, lavender and oddly tinned ham!
  Sweeter tones of cherry and plum are met with a strident acidity that provides a backbone but with sufficient flesh. As it unfolds, tannins build, presenting a drying, chalky, and slightly bitter cherry stone character. Medium in length, it exits with a touch of curry spice. My only concern is that the bitterness becomes more pronounced, potentially overshadowing the fruit as it opens in glass.
  De-stemmed whole berries underwent spontaneous fermentation in amphorae and were matured in amphorae.

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• 2017 Domaine Michel Noëllat Savigny-lès-Beaune 82 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune

  (Tasted Blind): Light yellow in colour with restrained aromas of wet river stones, beeswax, slivered almonds and subtle stone fruits.
  A steely zesty acid, the wine has a light peachy note but little else besides the minerally stoney nuances. It feels a little evolved, and the finish is short, drying, and somewhat one-dimensional. Nougat and citrus ever so slowly emerge, but the wine overall seems a little oxidative and a touch bitter on the finish.

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• 2016 Domaine Nadine Ferrand Pouilly-Fuissé 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé

  (Tasted Blind): Mid-gold, indicating some development. The nose holds toast, Forelle pear and yellow cling peach, with touches of aniseed and chamomile flowers. A rich, rounded entry with subtle oak influence that reveals almond paste, dessicated coconut and beeswax, yet there is a steelier acid frame that harbours greener Granny Smith apple/tart tatin and citrus that push to a reasonable finish. A good wine, there is more going on here than some previous. Accessible and finishes longer than others, with a lovely juicy impression on the close.

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• 2018 Domaine Joblot Givry 1er Cru en Veau Blanc 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Givry 1er Cru

  (Tasted Blind): Mid-gold, indicating some development, the wine's aromas are fragrant with apple blossom, orchard fruit, and fennel fronds, complemented by toasted coconut and workshop wood. A touch of oxidation lurks.
  A nicely intense entry with evident oak contributing a toasted hazelnut character as well as flavours of creamed honey and ripe apple, almond paste and aniseed. There is a glossiness ot the wine with some zesty acidity and a saline edge, However, it is a little short and again with a drying sensation on the back palate - perhaps it might just be me (or the 2018 vintage - quite extracted from thicker skins?) as i also noticed some bitter qualities peeking through.
  The 'En Veau' vineyard is a Premier Cru site. Old vines

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• 2017 Domaine Michel Noëllat Chambolle-Musigny 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  (Tasted Blind): Pale ruby colour with light aromas of stewed fruit, roasted meat and smoke accompanied by a subtle charcoal element that while not overtly off-putting, seems slightly atypical.
  The palate reflects a lovely intensity of flavour, with some spices adding to the mix, balanced by fine sandy tannins and a lively acidity. The wine plateaus in the mid-palate and seems to evaporate to a medium finish, and that rising dryness. It is a delicate wine that is more interesting than the nose suggests but doesn't quite captivate.
  2017 was warm and dry and this wine was sourced from four parcels.

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• 2017 Domaine Castagnier Gevrey-Chambertin 81 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  (Tasted Blind): Savoury aromas of smoked meat, burnt breakfast toast and baked black fruits. A little wild and I wonder if a touch of brettanomyces may be present? The palate appears slightly evolved with a sotolon note sparring with stewed and macerated cherries flavors that lack much freshness. The tannins build rapidly on the finish, contributing to a drying sensation and possible Brett although the wine feels heavily oaked akin to dried orange and jam on burnt toast and ripe orange. Drying finish.

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• 2018 Lourensford Petite Sirah Kleipot 87 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind): Deep ruby-purple colour. Ripe fruit aromas, notably raspberry, blackcurrant and blackberry jam, reminiscent of compote spread on toast alongside rose-scented pelargonium leaf and orange pekoe tea leaves. The palate enters very jammy with a rasping acidity and tannins that build assertively, leading to a puckering sensation, all rather jarring! Yet, there is concentration and the wine seems to improve as it opens in the glass. Long and again a little drying, this worked better than most.
  Fermented in terracotta amphorae for fermentation and aging.

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Certain patterns emerged today regarding the hallmarks of amphora aging:
Firstly, the terracotta vessels impart a distinctive textural quality—often presenting as a chalky, sometimes astringent grip on the palate. Secondly, particularly in red wines, amphora ageing seems to accentuate and transform tannins in a way that is reminiscent of stem inclusion even when stems aren't used. This was especially evident in the Stonebird Pinot Noirs.
Thirdly, the finish consistently felt drying, sometimes accompanied by subtle bitter notes reminiscent of clay, brick, or curry leaf.
And lastly, several wines displayed oxidative characteristics, suggesting that amphora ageing may allow for more micro-oxygenation than stainless steel. At the least, the evolution of amphora-aged wines appears somewhat accelerated or follows a different trajectory than conventionally aged wines. However, a few may peak earlier but potentially develop fascinating tertiary characteristics.
And a final point is that I may have perceived more bitterness than normal for whatever reason...!