The first Bin Series rosé! Bin #012 Mandó Rosado 2021
A gem from a virtually extinct grape and an outstanding Spanish grower.
Region: Spain
Grape: Mandó (100%)
Bin Series #012 with Pierre Mansour & Freddy Bulmer
We’ve seen 11 reds and whites bottled under our Bin Series label, and now it’s time to offer the first rosé. For Bin #012 we have headed to Spain, specifically Valencia, where we discovered this delicious rosado three years ago on a buying trip and have since kept a keen eye on recent vintages. The fabulous 2021 represented the perfect opportunity to bottle it under the Bin label.
The grape behind the wine is mandó, a red-skinned grape which creates a vibrant, relatively deep pink appearance from a soft pressing then is fermented like a white wine. Mandó is virtually extinct, but producer Celler del Roure saw the potential in it because it manages to ripen early and reach flavour ripeness at naturally lower sugar levels, resulting in wines with moderate alcohol level. In Valencia’s hot climate, this is a crucial attribute.
This is a dry yet substantial wine with floral and red-fruit flavours, full of energy and extremely refreshing. The purity of the organically grown fruit is retained by fermenting in stainless steel. The wine was then aged in old clay underground amphoras before being bottled. Celler del Roure’s cellar contains about 100 amphorae (or tinajas as they are called in Spain) and owner Pablo Calatayud believes this is critical to retaining mandó’s natural delicate flavours and freshness.
As a result of supply issues, we have taken the decision to bottle this wine without a foil closure. This doesn’t affect the quality of the wine in any way and has the added benefit of less packaging, helping in a small way towards our sustainability goals. We've also chosen to bottle this fresh, fruity rosé in brown recycled glass, as opposed to clear 'virgin' glass, for an added environmental benefit.
Grape: Mandó 100%
Residual Sugar: 1.2g/L
PH: 3.09
Acidity: 6.33 g/L
Ageing Vessel: Clay amphorae (6 months)
Organic: Yes
Vegan: Yes
Vineyard Altitude: 550 Metres
Soil type: Calcareous
Winemaker: Pablo Calatayud
Buyer: Pierre Mansour
Bin #011: Alicante, Vin de France, Ollieux Romanis 2021
We return to France for our limited-edition range, with mouthwatering results.
Region: Languedoc Roussillon
Grape: Alicante (100%)
Bin Series #011 with Pierre Mansour and Marcel Orford-Williams
Alicante bouschet has been around since the 1860s, largely in blends with other varieties. Flying solo, it’s denied appellation contrôlée status, hence the vin de France designation, but its strikingly deep colour and fragrant fruit will instantly appeal to members who love to explore characterful reds.
A crossing of two ancient grapes, teinturier du Cher and aramon, with better-known grenache, alicante is loved by growers for its easy disposition, resistance to disease and the exceptional colour it brings to blends.
Merely one of many in France, it’s a major variety in southern Portugal and was much prized in California during Prohibition, when the grapes could be trucked from California to the east coast without the fruit rotting. No smuggling is needed today to appreciate its other virtue: it’s really quite delicious!
In the winery, it gives off wonderful aromas of freshly picked fruit and it’s always a treat to taste the first alicante of the year and admire its colour, which stains everything deep purple. Not for nothing do its genes include a teinturier – ‘dyer’ in French!
Ollieux Romanis is a large and impressive Languedoc estate which has grown alicante for more than a century. It uses it in many of its red wines, notably The Society’s Corbières, although never more than 1-2%. In generous years it sometimes makes a blend of carignan and alicante which works well. But I liked the idea of a pure alicante, and I’m thrilled by the result. Served cellar-cool, its plummy fruit and dash of spice will definitely break the ice when the barbecue season approaches. And with our free-delivery trial extended to 3rd May, it’s an ideal opportunity try something new and different, with no minimum spend.
Grape: Alicante 100%
Residual Sugar: <4g/L
PH: 3.40
Acidity: 4 g/L
Ageing Vessel: Stainless Steel
Vegetarian: Yes
Vineyard Altitude: 150 Metres
Winemaker: Yannick Desert
Buyer: Marcel Orford-Williams
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