Domaine Bernard Fleurier,
Menetou-Salon Rouge, 2023
Loire Valley, France
Domaine Bernard Fleuriet et Fils was established in 1991 and is now run by brothers Benoît and Matthieu, who farm organically across their holdings in Sancerre and Menetou-Salon. Their approach is rooted in careful, low-intervention work in the vineyard, allowing each parcel to express its natural freshness and purity. The estate’s commitment to organic farming since 2013, and certification since 2016, has brought a new level of finesse to their reds.
Menetou-Salon lies just west of Sancerre, on gently sloping vineyards of limestone rich marls that give Pinot Noir its lift and precision. The Fleuriet family farms around five hectares here, planted entirely to Pinot Noir. The 2023 vintage benefi ted from the region’s cool climate, producing fruit with bright acidity and clear varietal expression. These chalk influenced soils help shape a style that is delicate yet structured, with a mineral thread running through the wine.
The grapes are organically grown and harvested by hand. Vinifi cation is gentle, with an extended maceration in concrete tanks to bring colour and fine tannins without heaviness. The wine is then aged in older French barrels, allowing it to soften and integrate while retaining purity of fruit.
The 2023 Menetou-Salon Rouge is ruby coloured, supple and fragrant, showing a blend of red cherry, raspberry and blackberry fruit. The palate is bright and expressive, lifted by fresh acidity and a subtle chalky edge. It
is elegant, focused and quietly refined, offering impressive depth for the appellation. This is a versatile, food friendly Pinot Noir that works beautifully with poultry, charcuterie, grilled meats or soft cheeses.
Triangle Wines, Sanha Baga, 2021
Bairrada, Portugal
Triangle Wines began as a way to collaborate with winemakers whose work inspires them, seeking out distinctive sites and talented hands across the world. While the project has roots in South America and beyond, one of its most exciting chapters is in Portugal, where Triangle partners with Dirk van der Niepoort in Bairrada. Dirk has long believed that Quinta de Baixo holds some of the country’s greatest terroirs, and together they use the region’s native Baga grape to craft a wine that is bright, pure and full of energy.
Bairrada, on Portugal’s Atlantic coast, is known for its cool climate and chalk and clay soils, a combination that gives Baga its trademark tension and perfume. The vines for Sanha are around sixty years old, drawing deep into the limestone rich soils and producing naturally low yields with striking freshness. This coastline infl uence keeps the fruit vibrant and precise, delivering a style that is both traditional and forward looking.
Viticulture at Quinta de Baixo is low intervention, with Dirk working closely with these vineyards since 2010. The grapes are foot trodden and fermented with native yeasts in traditional lagares before ageing for two years in large old foudres. The approach preserves the grape’s natural structure and delicacy, allowing the vineyard and vintage to shape the wine without interference.
The resulting Baga is fl oral, bright and crunchy, with lifted red berry fruit opening into subtle earthy notes. The palate is firm and fresh, marked by mouthwatering acidity and a long, clean finish. It is a vivid expression of Bairrada and one of the most charming styles of Baga being made today.
Envinate, Benje Tinto, 2022
Tenerife, Spain
Envínate is the project of four friends who met while studying oenology in Alicante: Laura Ramos, Jose Martinez, Roberto Santana and Alfonso Torrente. Their mission is to rediscover and celebrate the Atlantic influenced vineyards of Ribeira Sacra, the Canary Islands and Almansa through traditional farming and minimal intervention winemaking. Each partner oversees a different region, creating four distinct expressions within the Envínate family. Their philosophy is simple and consistent across all sites: work by hand, avoid chemicals, and allow each parcel to speak clearly of its origin.
The Benje wines come from small, scattered plots on the volcanic slopes of Tenerife, planted even higher than the Taganan parcels in the North. The vineyards sit around 1,000 metres above sea level in Santiago del Teide, where Atlantic conditions bring moderate temperatures and around 550 millimetres of rainfall. These high altitude sites help Listan Prieto, the main variety, ripen at modest alcohol levels while retaining bright acidity and a strong sense of place.
Viticulture is organic, with all work done manually and without chemical inputs. The vines are free standing and untrained, exposed to shifting winds from both the Atlantic and Africa, as well as large swings in humidity. Each parcel is harvested by hand and vinified separately. Fermentation takes place in a mix of concrete tanks and open tubs, with ten to twenty days of maceration and daily punch downs. After pressing, the wine goes into old French barrels for malolactic fermentation and eight months of aging on fi ne lees. No sulfur is used and the wine is bottled unfiltered.
The result is a pure and vertical expression of high altitude volcanic terrain. Aromas of red and black fruits, lilac and gentle pepper lead to a fresh, grippy palate with lovely tension and lift.
Domaine Entras, Entras Blanc, 2022
Cotes de Gascogne, France
Domaine Entras is a family estate in the Cotes de Gascogne in Southwest France that began converting to organic farming in 2017 and later introduced biodynamic practices. The family farms vines alongside cereal crops to encourage biodiversity and maintain healthy living soils, creating an environment where local varieties thrive.
Gascony’s gentle Atlantic influence and clay and limestone soils provide ideal conditions for Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Gros Manseng. The vines average around thirty five years of age and benefi t from warm days, cool nights and well drained parcels. The blend for the 2022 vintage brings together around fi fty fi ve percent Colombard, thirty percent Ugni Blanc and fifteen percent Gros Manseng, each contributing freshness, lift and texture
Winemaking at Entras is simple and respectful. The grapes are picked from several parcels, naturally fermented, and aged for six months on fine lees in vat to preserve vibrancy while giving the wine a soft, rounded feel. Sulphur levels are kept low and the finished wine sits at a light and refreshing eleven and a half percent alcohol.
The 2022 Entras Blanc is aromatic and bright, with notes of citrus and stone fruit layered over a subtle mineral core. The palate is crisp and lively with a delicate saline touch and plenty of freshness. It is an easy drinking white that pairs wonderfully with seafood, light fish dishes, Japanese or Thai cooking, or simply as a refreshing aperitif.
Zillinger, Foxy Gruner Veltliner, 2023
Weinviertal, Austria
Herbert and Carmen Zillinger’s approach in the vineyard reflects their deep commitment to biodynamic farming and a closed-loop ethos. Their plots sit between 200 and 230 metres above sea level on predominantly loess soils, and the family cultivates their own compost while integrating sheep and goats for natural grazing. This focus on soil vitality and biodiversity underpins the clarity and precision found across their wines.
The vineyards lie in the gently undulating landscape of the Weinviertel, where loess brings both warmth and finesse to Grüner Veltliner. The altitude and cooling influences of the wider Vienna Basin help retain acidity, allowing the Zillingers to craft wines that are structured yet vibrant. Their biodynamic work enhances the region’s natural balance, emphasising purity rather than power.
In the cellar the fruit is hand harvested and given a short, gentle maceration on the skins before beginning a spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts. Ageing takes place in a mix of stainless steel and concrete eggs, preserving freshness while adding subtle texture. The wine is bottled unfi ned and unfiltered, with only minimal sulphur added. An honest, unadorned expression of their farming.
The resulting Grüner Veltliner is serious yet lively, showing a long, zesty mid-palate supported by bright citrus and herbal lift, finishing with a clean touch of white pepper. Its structure and precision make it an excellent pairing for dishes such as grilled river fish, light poultry, herbed salads, fresh cheeses, or classic Austrian favourites like schnitzel.
Novum, Chardonnay, 2023
Marlborough, New Zealand
Will and Rachel Hoare are the team behind Novum, a project shaped by long experience and a shared love of Burgundy’s classic varieties. Will began his wine career in unconventional fashion, starting on the bottling line at Cloudy Bay before moving into the cellar and completing vintages at Au Bon Climat with Jim Clendenen. On returning to Marlborough he worked at Fromm, one of the first estates to champion single vineyard expression and respect for the soil. Rachel discovered her passion for Chardonnay while working with Burgundy icons Veronique Drouhin and Dominique Lafon. Together they make small scale, traditional wines focused on tiny parcels within vineyards. Their Chardonnay vines are believed to be the oldest in New Zealand, and they remain the only estate in Marlborough that does not produce Sauvignon Blanc.
The fruit for Novum Chardonnay comes from a single vineyard in the Brancott Valley, planted on an old alluvial riverbed with clay loam soils. The vines are forty year old Mendoza clones, a rarity in the region and a key source of the wine’s depth and texture. The parcel in the Central Wairau Plains is farmed sustainably using biodynamic principles, giving healthy fruit with natural concentration.
In the cellar the grapes are handpicked and whole bunch pressed under a very gentle cycle before the juice is transferred to French barriques. A small portion of lees from the previous vintage is added ahead of wild primary fermentation. The wine spends about ten months in barrel, with natural malolactic fermentation and occasional lees stirring timed with the full moon. It is usually bottled without fining or filtration and only a small amount of sulphur is added for stability.
The resulting Chardonnay is elegant and Burgundian in style, with fine structure, ripe orchard fruit and a long savoury finish. It pairs well with roast chicken, scallops, creamy mushroom dishes, rich white fish or soft rind cheeses.