The Society’s Exhibition Valdeorras Godello 2024
On a trip earlier this year to Galicia, in Spain’s Atlantic north-west, one grape kept grabbing my attention: godello. Once almost forgotten, this remarkable variety from the Valdeorras region in the east of Galicia is now enjoying a well-deserved revival. It’s the grape everyone’s talking about locally, and I can see why. It offers a beautiful combination of texture, freshness and precision, but with its own Atlantic, saline identity and the ability to age gracefully.
In the late 19th century, phylloxera devastated Galicia’s vineyards, and by the 20th century, easier, higher-yielding grapes like palomino had all but pushed godello aside. Thankfully, in the 1970s, a group of passionate growers stepped in and began replanting godello, bringing it back from the brink. Fast forward to today, and it has become one of Spain’s most exciting white grapes, often described as the white Burgundy of Spain, but at a fraction of the price.
After tasting so many fantastic examples, I knew immediately that godello deserved a place in our Exhibition range. I teamed up with the talented team at Virgen de Galir, led by Jorge Navascués (of Contino fame, pictured above), to create the perfect blend for members. Virgen de Galir’s high-altitude slate-soil vineyards along the Sil River produce some of the region’s best, and Jorge’s approach, always focused on expressing a true sense of place with limited and judicious oak, made for the perfect partnership. During blending, we incorporated elements of their top, single-vineyard white, Regueirón, to bring poise, weight and precision, while ensuring a style that’s beautifully accessible and sure to please a wide range of palates.
I hope you enjoy this Wine Society first – a fresh, multi-layered and complex white, with notes of lemon zest, white peach and stony minerality, balanced by godello’s signature creamy texture and a crisp, refreshing finish.
Buyer for Spain, Harriet Kininmonth
The Society’s Exhibition Côtes du Jura 2020
We were delighted to introduce to members our first-ever own-label wine from France’s Jura region earlier this year. It comes from the Fruitière Vinicole d’Arbois who claim to be one of the oldest co-ops in France. They have around 300 hectares divided between 100 growers with an average of just three hectares each, farmed generally on a part-time basis alongside other jobs.
Lying between Burgundy and Switzerland, Jura is one of France’s smallest wine regions making distinctive wines not found elsewhere. The region is particularly known for wines made from the indigenous savagnin grape and for making wines in the ‘sous voile’ style – aged under a veil of ‘flor’ in barrels which are not topped up. It’s similar to the technique used to make sherry and gives oxidative, nutty, yeasty notes to the wine.
Our Exhibition Jura wine is a blend of 60% chardonnay and 40% savagnin, and is a great introduction to the sous voile style having been aged for three years under flor (the layer of yeast which forms on the top of the wine). It doesn’t have the intensity of the famous Vin Jaune (yellow wines) of the region (which spend a minimum of six years and three months under flor). The chardonnay element of the wine is aged like Burgundy in tank or large old oak barrels (foudres).
This ‘baby yellow wine’ is a good deal cheaper than a full-blown Vin Jaune (which incidentally must be bottle in the tubby 62cl ‘Clavelin’ bottle – 62% being the amount of wine left after oxidation). It’s fantastic with food and will age brilliantly too. A natural partner to Comté cheese, it’s also great with roast chicken or dishes with mushrooms, including the classic poulet de Bresse à la crème aux morilles. Try it too with more exotic dishes, particularly those with ginger – it will surprise and delight the curious cooks among you.
Buyer for Jura, Fiona Hayes
The Society’s Exhibition Faugères 2023
We have never had a southern French wine under our Exhibition label before and I felt it was time to introduce one to demonstrate the quality of the wine being made in what were traditionally considered ‘country wine’ appellations. My plan is to move the label around from year to year to showcase the premium appellations in what is a vast region. I also wanted to show members just how much more wine you can get for your money when you break out of the sub-£10 bracket.
My idea was to work with a family-run estate and when I visited the Bardi d’Alquier estate in the summer I knew they were the ones to work with. This historic estate has been in the Alquier family since 1870 and has been run by Jean-Michel Alquier and Véronique for over 40 years. Coming up to retirement, Jean-Michel had no successor to take over the property, so it is now entering a new phase in the hands of Thibaud and Sophie Bardi who have been shadowing the Alquiers since 2017. Seeking a complete lifestyle change, Thibaud and Sophie fell in love with this domaine and put in an offer, learning the ropes in a hands-on way with the Alquiers rather than going to wine school.
The domaine has always made high-quality Faugères and we were happy to help support this turning point in its history and had the opportunity to buy this wine from the excellent 2023 vintage at a really attractive price.
Faugères is distinct from other Languedoc wines due to its 100% schist soil, which creates a unique terroir and wines characterised by smooth tannins, minerality, and freshness. The higher altitude and significant wind exposure in the appellation contribute to this freshness, forcing vines to grow deep roots to find water, which adds to the wine's depth. Syrah is usually a key component of the blend with grenache and mourvèdre in support. The rich, ripe flavours marry well with grilled meats, hard cheeses and mushroom-based dishes and was particularly delicious with the pot-au-feu I enjoyed when I visited, cooked over wood in the vineyard.
Buyer for southern France, Tim Sykes
