WHOLESALE LIST
All of these wines are produced by small growers who make wines that we find exciting, vibrant and delicious. In general they are at the very least organic, rely on natural yeasts for fermentation with minimal additions in the cellar, sometimes none. The list is subject to change. All prices ex VAT.
Rosenwiller, Alsace
DOMAINE EINHART
Located in Rosenwiller, a few miles from Rosheim, in the northern part of Alsace, the estate dates back to the Theo's grandfather who ran a vine nursery. Theo's father Nicolas, joined the estate in 1990 and after considering the consequences of using pesticies, gradually converted the 10 hectares completely to organics in 2008, then starting to convert to biodynamics in 2016, 3 hectares so far. The soils here are mainly clay-limestone, three prevailing different types of limestone which bear a deep imprint on the wines - shell, oolitic & dolomotic
For a long time, Nicolas sold his fruit, but in 2020, due to the pandemic, Theo ended up back home, after spending time working and learning vinification in Burgundy. His intention was to travel the world, but with that looking unlikely he decided to make some wine instead. Now he works together in the vineyards with his father and his grandmother, who still helps on the estate.
Theo is in his early 20's but is remarkably focused, knowledgeable and passionate about his work. I learnt a lot about pruning methods on our trip. There is a sense of kinship with the other natural winemakers of Alsace and in this region particularly, he is able to call up Jean-Marc Dreyer, a long-time family friend and Julien Albertus of Kumpf Et Meyer, who also has bought fruit from the estate for a few years.
In the cellar Theo favours short destemmed macerations of the fruit, be it red or white grapes, any transfer of juice is done by gravity and much care is taken to limit the exposure of oxygen. The wines are unfiltered, unfined and bottled without additions. For a first vintage they are remarkably precise, with a real vibrancy to the fruit - they are also incredibly stable. We can't wait to follow the journey of this estate
OOLITHE 2022 £13.50
This year, Oolithe is a blend of Sylvaner, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Auxerrois & Pinot Blanc! Theo gave the grapes a four day destemmed maceration. Deeper in colour than the 2021, this is bright, fresh and accessible with a lovely texture.
Ribeauvillé, Alsace
EMILIEN REVERS, RAISIN SAUVAGE
Emilien Revers is one of the few winemakers in Alsace who does not come from an Alsace family estate. Doing things the hard way in a region dominated by tradition, allowing a freedom and experimentation that is quite refreshing. Formerly a sommelier, after falling in love with the natural wines of the region he went to winemaking school, (classmate of Lambert Spielmann) and after this started his own project making wine, but also beer and mead. He has taken on just under 2 hectares of his own vines now, but started out with buying fruit from winemaking friends. Working from a small cellar on an organic market garden site owned by a friend, Emilien is quietly crafting some of the most precise, unique wines in a very exciting region.
DILIGENCE EXPRESS 2023 £14.50
From grapes he buys from a friend in Schlossberg with grand cru holdings, this is a blend of Sylvaner & Auxerrois in a very fresh style. He finished the fermentation on the skins of Pinot Noir but it didn’t give much colour just a touch of tannin. Brilliant all-rounder with food.
TIME BOMB 2023 £17
A blend of Auxerrois and Pinot Gris, the latter given four days whole bunch maceration. Bright and on the fruit with lovely light orange colour, floral aromatics and a neat line of acidity. A masterclass in how to handle Pinot Gris. A brilliant maceration, great with a curry.
SOCIAL TRAITRE 2023 £17
This is a lovely new wine from Emilien, a blend of Sylvaner & Riesling from his parcel in which he infused the skins of Pinot Noir giving a beautiful pink colour. Really tasty, with beautiful bright fruit, this drinks more orange than rose, with lovely bright fruit.
RAVALA ROUGE 2020 £15
50 % Pinot Gris (grows on granite soil), blended with 50 % Pinot Noir (grows on limestone marl soil).
25% whole bunches of pinot noir, the rest is destemmed. 3 weeks of maceration with no push downs. Pressed off in an old manual press, ageing 11 month in old barrels and then bottled by hand, just 560 bottles were produced.
BEER: YU 2021 £13.50
These beers are all spontaneously fermented using local fruit or grape lees from his own wines. They are tart, refreshing and a lot of fun.
Local organic barley malt + Spring Water (St Pantaléon in Gueberschwihr), ageing in oak barrels for 6 months, blend with wilds plums, hand picking on local wild trees (300 grams of fruit / litre).
RAVALA EXPRESS ROUGE 2021 £18.50
50% Pinot Gris 50% Pinot Noir. Whole bunches were infused in some direct press juice for a week before ageing in barrel for 6 months. Delicate light and aromatic, this will be a brilliant wine for the spring and summer months ahead.
HEILIGENSTEIN, ALSACE
CLÉMENT & SYLVAIN GOEPP, DOMAINE GOEPP
As has become a familiar story in the region the Goepp estate has roots in the region for over 70 years, when Jacques and Andres Goepp ran the estate. Through the years it has stayed in the family, until in 2019 it was taken on by brothers Clément and Sylvain, from their father Gerard. Sylvain has long studied and worked in wine, spending time working with Patrick Bouju in the Auvergne and Clément came back to wine after working in landscaping.
The 11 hectares of vines are spread over 3 communes at the foot of Mont Sainte-Odile,
Barr, Bernardswiller and of course, Heiligenstein. All the grape varieties of Alsace are represented including the rare Savagnin rose, the Klevener of Heiligenstein.
Their first move to convert the estate to organics, going further than their predecessors who nevertheless has still worked to leave grass in the vines to prevent soil erosion and had always harvested by hand. The second move was to follow their love of natural wines of the region and beyond and work completely without additives. They were helped by the support of winemakers like Bouju, Kumpf Et Meyer and Pierre Andrey in Lorraine who bought grapes and in some cases finished wines from the brothers, guaranteeing significant sales.
In their own wines there is remarkable precision in what they are doing already, with the wines often stable open for a couple of days even as they eschew additions. They have tension and focus and speak of winemakers committed and decisive in their actions. Another very exciting addition to the pantheon of new winemakers in what is one of the most vibrant wine regions of France at the moment.
FINE BULLE 2023 £14
50% Muscat d'Alsace, 50% Pinot Blanc. The grapes are mostly from loamy soils of Barr and clay-limestone soils of Bernardswiller. The 2023 version is perhaps our favourite iteration yet, pure, fresh & aromatic, a perfect aperitif.
LE P'TIT BLANC 2022/2023 £14
Le P’tit Blanc is a blend made from Auxerrois, Sylvaner from the 2023 vintage and 2022 Riesling aged for 15 months in century-old oak casks on total lees, the Sylvaner
are located in the place called Weinberg de Heiligenstein (wine mountain) on clay-limestone soils, the Riesling and Auxerrois are located on sandy soils. They blended vintages to get more balance in the wine, with this cuvee, the idea is to make a fresh, white vin de soif and once again, they have succeeded!
RIESLING GRAND CRU KIRCHBERG 2019 £18.50
The hillside of this grand cru, located at an altitude of 280m on limestone-marl offers a unique exposition for the expression of Riesling. Originally this site was a forest and orchards, you can see the pictures at the top of the email. The vines are 30 years old and have very low yields, they age this on total lees for 18 months in large Alsatian foundre before bottling. It is crystalline, long and very mineral, a wonderful wine.
We managed to pick up some more bottles of the beautiful 2019 vintage of this wine. A warm dry vintage, the brothers Goepp have managed to keep good balance with a beautiful line of acidity balancing the ripe fruit. It is powerful, long and mineral, opening up beautifully with air and holds open for a few days easily.
RIESLING GRAND CRU KIRCHBERG 2021 £18.50
The hillside of this grand cru, located at an altitude of 280m on limestone-marl offers a unique exposition for the expression of Riesling. Originally this site was a forest and orchards, you can see the pictures at the top of the email. The vines are 30 years old and have very low yields, they age this on total lees for 18 months in large Alsatian foundre before bottling. It is crystalline, long and very mineral, a wonderful wine.
2021 was a cooler vintage, bringing brighter acidity, but still with ripe fruit and a touch of co2 on opening. More angular, very mineral, very enlivening riesling, alive with citrus fruit.
L'IMPATIENT 2022 £15
This remarkable Gewürztraminer is from a parcel cultivated on the Grand Cru Kirchberg De Barr on very hard limestone and mark. Macerated in whole bunches for 7 days it manages to keep the florals of the varietal in check with a beautiful salinity and freshness. One of the best examples of the style I have tried, with wonderful balance.
KLEVENER DE HEILIGENSTEIN 2021 £17.50
Klevener de Heiligenstein is the rarest type of wine in Alsace, produced from the Savagnin Rose varietal of which there are only 40 hectares located in the municipality of Heiligenstein. The Goepp brother have some, nearly 30 year old vines, grown on clay-siliceous soil in the hills under the Vosges at the foot of Mont Sainte- Odile. The varietal is distinguished by a softer aromatic palette, more mineral and with greater length in the mouth than its cousin, the Gewurztraminer. It has something of the exotic about, similar to Savagnin, this is a wonderful example with an oxidative edge, that is good to drink now, but will also age wonderfully. Unique, powerful and complex, grab this while you can, as we didn't get much.
LE FAROUCHE 2021 £14
100% Pinot Noir, from a parcel of 30 year old vines planted on sand and clay. The grapes were given a whole bunch carbonic maceration for 8 days then aged in barrels for 7 months. Usually opens with a bit of reduction, which after some air unfurls into a light, bright wine full of soft red fruit. Farouche means fierce and the Goepp brothers like to think of this wine as fierce and determined to join your tables!
LE FAROUCHE 2022 £14
100% Pinot Noir, from a parcel of 30 year old vines planted on sand and clay. The grapes were given a whole bunch carbonic maceration for 8 days then aged in barrels for 7 months. The 2022 is wonderfully open from the get go, with lovely dark fruit and virtually no tannins, just delicious pinot in the Alsace style. Brilliant value.
ROUGE NABOR 2022 £15
100% Pinot Noir, from a parcel of 30 year old vines planted on sand and clay. The grapes were given a whole bunch carbonic maceration for 8 days then aged in barrels for 7 months. The 2022 is wonderfully open from the get go, with lovely dark fruit and virtually no tannins, just delicious pinot in the Alsace style. Brilliant value.