White Christmas Pack

Biodynamic. Goisot’s old-vine Aligoté is drawn from parcels of mature vines planted on the high, cool slopes of Saint-Bris. Aligoté is notorious for requiring old vines and suitable soils to produce wines of high quality and Goisot’s holdings nail the brief. The core vineyard is a parcel of 90-year-old Aligoté Dore planted on the high slopes of an old Chardonnay terroir northwest of Saint-Bris. This soil, known as barrémien, is made up of ancient, dense clay littered with blue-grey fossilised oyster shells, several inches long. It's a soil that is difficult to work and yields “small grapes, like pinot noir”. These older vines are today joined by younger material from the lieux-dits of Croix Rougeot, Côte de Coutance and Côte de la Canne. Goisot’s biodynamic management and commitment to harvesting ripe fruit results in a far more textured and pulpy wine than you might normally associate with this variety. As always, this wine was fermented with native yeasts and raised entirely in tank. From a fine, “ripe and steely” vintage at this address, expect limpid orchard fruits and citrus notes counterbalanced by hints of brine and lees, and a fleck of green herbs. That said, it’s more mineral than fruity in its flavours and there’s a spine of juicy, chalky acidity that runs the length of the palate, finishing with sappy length. Some years ago, Burghound’s Allen Meadows wrote, “No one but no one delivers more quality for the price than Goisot.” This wine typifies what he was talking about.

Biodynamic. Jo Landron’s La Louvetrie originates from soils rich in amphibolite, sand, clay and gneiss. It remains the estate’s only wine made from a blend of different sites (and includes younger-vine fruit from Landron’s top vineyards). The vines for this release are 15 to 30 years old and cropped low (for Muscadet) at just 50 hl/ha. It was bottled with a low dose of sulphur after maturing for eight to 12 months. It is a blinder of a wine, packed full of juicy fruit and vibrant Atlantic zing. Stony and creamy, this year’s release revels in ozone and ripe apple scents with generous, zesty, pithy lemon/lime fruit alongside a ton of salinity. It glides with fantastic vibrancy across the palate, with oodles of compact fruit energised by a current of saline tension and a cool finish that crackles with vivid freshness. The value is off the charts.

Semillon 40%, Clairette 28%, Ugni Blanc 16%, Chenin Blanc 16%. Pete Schell is crafting a flock of exciting whites from the Barossa and Eden Valleys these days, yet Lola is the original, and some would say most multi-layered, release. Semillon has taken the lead in the blend for the last few years, as it did in 2022. It’s joined by 28% Clairette, 16% Ugni Blanc and 16% Chenin Blanc. The Semillon—a grape grown in the Barossa Valley since the 1850s—is sourced from three old-vine sites (65, 75 and 95 years old) in Ebenezer. The Clairette is from an elevated site in Rowland Flat on the valley's eastern side. This late-ripening grape, with excellent acid retention, provides additional freshness. Ugni Blanc and Chenin Blanc contribute texture, freshness and a lick of salinity. Schell’s extensive attention in the vineyards and a light touch in the shed have given us another exceptional release of this unconventional white. Matured on lees in mostly older wood, it’s a deliciously fresh, textured white blend with nice phenolic tension, bracing acidity and a long, savoury finish—one of Barossa’s originals and best. This is hand’s down one of the best renditions of Lola we have tried. It’s super complex, layered with florals, citrus, fresh hay, honeyed depth and delicate touches of wispy reduction. It’s as savoury as it is primary, with salty inflections and delicious waxy texture. A wine destined for the dining table.