March 2025 Red & White
Reds
Domaine Boudau Côtes du Roussillon Clot Del Pila La Perla (2021)
This cuvee comes from the most southerly wine-growing area in France, on the Mediterranean coast a few kilometers from the Spanish border. It benefits from outstanding climatic conditions and great chalky clay soils. This wine is a beautiful ruby red color with aromas of red berries and violets. It is juicy with blackberry jam, tart plum and earthy fig in the mouth, silky tannins and a long finish. This blend is made up of 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 20% Carignan.
Product Ratings:
James Suckling, 90 points
“An intense concentration of mulberries, burnt cherries and plenty of sweet spices. It’s medium- to full-bodied with firm tannins. It’s fruity with a rich core of berries and spices and a chewy finish.”
Wine Enthusiast, 90 points
“Purple fruit leaps out on the nose like Prince in purple paisley. Macerated black raspberries, black plum, Bing cherry and violet-blossom aromas open on the nose and transition into mid-palate concentration that walks arm in arm with slightly grippy, velvety tannins.”
Veronique Boudau, Owner and Winemaker:
Sister & Brother Team Veronique and Pierre are involved with every aspect of their vineyard and are directly responsible for winemaking, managing the property and marketing. The grapes are sorted and harvested by hand, selected at optimum maturity. Each variety is vinified separately with the blending taking place at the very end of the process. With 5 permanent employees in total, with additional seasonal staff, Domaine Boudau keep good quality wine producing,
with good quality control measures. Over the years, without certainty, with a lot of conviction and passion, they highlight the fantastic potential of this vineyard.
Domaine Boudau is a traditional family domaine located in Roussillon inland from Perpignan and Rivesaltes, at the entrance of the Agly Valley. The domaine was created in the 1920’s by Hippolyte Boudau, and originally made the great “vins doux naturels” of Roussillon: Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes. Today the estate covers 50 hectares mainly planted with Grenache, Syrah and Carignan. The Boudau family has some plots of very old-vine Grenache which produces rich and concentrated wines. All vines are grown without the use of any weed-killers. A Southern wine-growing area (the most southerly in France) on the Mediterranean coast a few kilometres from the Spanish border, Roussillon benefits from outstanding climate conditions and terroir. The parcels, on chalky clay soils, benefit all year from the Tramontane (the dominant, very dry, north-westerly wind), and a hot, very sunny Mediterranean climate helpful for vine-growing. The vines average 40 years of age and are manually harvested, sorted by plot and desteamed. This is followed by a very traditional maceration for 15 days with daily punchdowns.
Petra Zingari Toscana (2019)
Highly concentrated ruby color, which introduces the Mediterranean aromatic notes of this wine. Soft and full-bodied in mouth, it has a fresh flavor with good acidity and a structure with balsamic and mineral notes that make Zingari pleasant and interesting. This blend is made up of 25% Merlot, 25% Petit Verdot, 25% Sangiovese, and 25% Syrah. The wine traces its roots to an ancient water spring that was a stop-over for all those pilgrims and wayfarers who were
travelling along the Aurelia Street, hence the name Zingari (Gipsies), and could seek refreshment by resting near its crystal clear waters.
Product Ratings:
James Suckling, 92 points
“Sour cherries, salted plums, dried herbs, mushrooms and tomato leaves on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with fine tannins. Lots of juicy fruit on the palate with herbal, gently leafy character. Drink or hold.”
Francesca Moretti, Winemaker
Freancesca likes to say that the entire Petra project is “the fascinating story of a feminine trip.”
Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Napoleon’s sister and Grand Duchess of Tuscany, was the first to plant vines in this part of the Tuscan Coast. Her original five-hectare plot of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese is planted to those same varietals today and her herb and flower garden, now called the “Princess’s Garden,” has been restored using the 19th Century map prepared by historical botanist Paolo Tomei from the University of Siena.
The vineyards had been long abandoned when then 19-year-old Francesca Moretti took a break from her studies towards a veterinary degree to drive to Bordeaux with her father, Vittorio. Upon passing through the rolling hills and seaside vistas of the Suvereto district in Maremma, she fell in love. The rest, as they say, is history.
Vittorio, a world-class architect, went beyond designing an impressive wine cellar, but also included the outlay of the vineyards in his aim to form a contemporary agricultural landscape. The Moretti’s are also the owners of renowned Fanciacorta wineries Bellavista and Contadi Castaldi. The estate and winery are located in Suvereto within Maremma, Tuscany.
Whites
La Tunella Colli Orientali del Friuli Pinot Grigio (2023)
Intense straw yellow evolving into a richer yellow with aging. Fruity and fragrant nose evoking aromas of warm bread crust and intense perfume of acacia blossom and ripe tropical fruit. The palate echoes the nose and is elegant, full-bodied with moderately acidity and delicate hints of yeast. A wine with a decisive character.
The grapes are harvested at just the right degree of ripeness, destemmed and gently pressed. They are then let to cold-settle statically and additioned with a indigenous fermentation yeast prepared in advance (3-4 days before) with the best grapes selected from the same grape variety. It is then allowed to ferment slowly in stainless steel vats at a precisely controlled temperature (16° C) for approximately 30 to 40 days. The maturation continues in stainless steel vats, during which time also a lengthy series of batonnage processes is carried out at set intervals to produce a well-rounded and full-bodied wine, with a delicate bouquet. After a long sur lie aging process, bottling is deferred until the month of February.
Product Ratings:
James Suckling, 90 points
“Sliced pear, apple and lemon on the nose, followed by a medium-bodied, fruit-driven and creamy palate. Fresh.”
Gabriella Zorzettig, Owner and Winemaker
Gabriella, her grandfather, and father are the proud custodians of their family’s tradition, which carries over 50 years of winemaking history. Tunella is the prime example of a reality in which the meaning of the present blends with the memory of the past, together with a strong drive to experiment while almost religiously respecting the best traditions of the Colli Orientali del Friuli: a future built on the present, day by day.
Although Tunella has a strong history, Gabriella loves that they have never lost sight of the meticulous attention characterizing the work of each small winemaker. It is no coincidence that their working philosophy is “do little to do better”: this is how they can produce a top-quality, absolutely unique and personal wine.
Château Gromel Bel Air Bordeaux Cuvée Eva Blanc (2023)
This 100% traditional Sauvignon Blanc showcases aromatic intensity, freshness, and elegance. The Bordeaux terroir, with its limestone, chalk, and clay soils, is particularly suited to producing outstanding and well-structured Sauvignon Blanc wines. Six months of barrel aging create a complex wine with lime blossom, grapefruit, lemon and fresh herbs, and some light toasty notes. Packing a big punch for the price, while both delightful and captivating, Cuvee Eva exemplifies the excellence of Bordeaux’s white wines.
Product Ratings:
Decanter, 94 point
Silver Medal Decanter World Wine Awards 2024 by Decanter, DC, 2024
Eva George, Winemaker:
Cuvee Eva is named after Eva George, who assists in the winemaking process with her father François George. This wine is crafted from a meticulous selection in the vineyard, which Eva oversees personally.
