And so, if you can believe it, November is almost here, and we have many exciting things in store for you all in the coming weeks leading towards that big day in December! First off the rank is this Friday (1st Nov) with a lineup of delicious Provençal, Mediterranean, and even Slovenian styles of rosé! Join host Felix Riley (who is responsible for importing all these pink beauties, and knows them well) anytime between 4:30 and 6:30pm, and make enjoy some well-deserved drops to start your weekend the right way!
Then Saturday (2nd), we bring out some big guns from three terrific houses - Benjamin Leroux and Moreau Naudet from Burgundy, and Mosel legends J.J Prüm. It will be an impressive showcase of world-class Chardonnay and Riesling, with three stunning Chablis expressions from Naudet (who hold a number of the region's most enviable plots of land), two rich and rounded Chardonnays from Leroux, and then three Prüm Rieslings that are simply as good as it gets - going up the sweetness spectrum as it goes along (Kabinett, Spätlese and finally Auslese). We'll have them lined up and ready to be loved between 12 and 2pm!
Rosé Tasting & Specials
Friday 1st November
4:30 to 6:30pm
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Gueissard 'Le Petit G' Rosé 2023 - $20 on special; $22 RRP
"Brought in as a second option to our biggest selling rosé Jules, similarly nailing the ‘Dry French rosé 101’ brief but with its own distinct character and personality. Guava, strawberries, mandarin and stonefruits, crème fraiche and juicy redcurrants, with a rock salt on the finish. An energetic release with the crisp mineral definition we’ve seen on a number of 2023s, a fine continuation of this cuvée." - Importer Notes
Jules Mediterranee Rosé 2023 - $20 on special; $22 RRP
"Straight-down-the-line good drinking rosé here. It offers crisp red fruit, a lick of herb, goes a little bit creamy, but has bright acidity to balance, some tangerine and citrus bite, a bit of flint to texture, and a crisp finish of good length. Smashable. Nice.” - 91 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Zlati Grič Rosé 2022 - $24 on special; $27 RRP
"Red fruits, musk sticks, some spice and blood orange. It’s slightly chewy in texture, but also a little glycerol with a kiss of sweetness, some orange peel and pear juice, and a finish of solid length. Good. Juicy.” - 90 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Domaine Les Fouques Cuvée Tradition Rosé 2023 - $32 on special; $36 RRP
"Peach tea, melon, a herb and floral perfume, fennel seeds, strawberries too. It’s juicy, but balanced, lots of fresh strawberry and raspberry, bright acidity, a chalky and dusty texture, succulent with it, a glycerol slipperiness, though it finishes tight, with a twist of blood orange and excellent length. Nice.” - 92 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Domaine d'Eole Coteaux d'Aix en Provence Rosé 2023 - $39 on special; $45 RRP
"Classic style. Raspberry, peach ice tea, tangerine, a bit stony. Soft, balanced, fleshy, some pink grapefruit, light chalky grip, good length. Lovely. It’s pretty much textbook Provence rosé, and you couldn’t really ask for more within the parameters of this style of wine.” - 94 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Grand Boise Sainte Victoire Rosé 2023 - $42 on special; $47 RRP
"Strawberry, white peach, guava, watermelon, a little white pepper and fennel, and it’s kind of stony too. Light and fresh, redcurrant, a saline and savoury element, gentle rosehip mouth-perfume, crisp acidity, with a flinty/stony texture, and a long dry finish. Very good.” - 93 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Three Incredible Houses on Tasting & Special
Saturday 2nd November
12 to 2pm
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Moreau-Naudet
Moreau Naudet Petit Chablis 2022 - $79 on special this week; $90 RRP
"Moreau’s Petit Chablis comes from a single 2.5-hectare site between Courgis and Beine, just outside Chablis on the route to Auxerre. It has a southwest orientation and lies on Kimmeridgian soils (as opposed to the higher Portlandian soils on which most Petit is grown). This really has some gravitas and charisma for a Petit Chablis. Indeed, we’d go as far as to say that this release is not overshadowed by the Chablis proper. It’s immediately enticing, with golden kiwi and creamy pear fruit flecked by zingy sherbet and iodine notes. The palate is as seamless as you like, offering delicious puppy-fat succulence and vibrant clarity before finishing with palate-scraping freshness and chalky nuance. This is seriously classy." - Bibendum Wine Co., Importer
Moreau Naudet 'Les Pargues' 2022 - $110 on special this week; $125 RRP
"Les Pargues is a Chablis lieu-dit on a ridge between the Montmains and Vosgros Premiers Crus. It has the same exposure as Vaillons and Montmains, so it’s a handy site. The story goes that it was initially classified 1er Cru (pre-AOC) before being largely abandoned during the war when there was a labour shortage. This meant it missed out on the status it deserved when the AOC was formed. Regardless of this story’s accuracy, locals rightly speak highly of the site: the position and thin, stony soils give an intense and mineral wine. Contributing to the quality of this wine is the vine age in Moreau’s tiny parcel (50-plus years old on average) and the extremely low yields (15-25 hl/ha is typical). Vinified with only 10% barrels, this is exceptionally vivid: layered and succulent, rocky and energetic with a long, briny finish. It’s a wine that always bats well above its station and is as engaging as any 1er Cru in this offer." - Bibendum Wine Co., Importer
Moreau Naudet 'Vaillons' 1er Cru 2022 - $139 on special this week; $159 RRP
"On the left bank of the Serein and the middle of the slope, Vaillons is a particularly well-positioned Premier Cru that enjoys an excellent reputation thanks to the work of several key growers. The domaine works with vines planted in 1974 in the lieux-dits of Les Epinottes (a cooler part of the vineyard) and Roncières (which provides more flesh). Then, a parcel of 75-year-old vines in Sécher usually accounts for 30% of the blend and provides intense mineral cut and structure. The wine fermented and aged in both tank and older barrels. Each parcel was vinified separately before blending. This is a dense, deep, yet energetic rendition of Vaillons. Super long. Grand Cru quality." - Bibendum Wine Co., Importer
Benjamin Leroux
Benjamin Leroux Auxey-Duresses 2022 - $125 on special this week; $145 RRP
"Leroux’s terrific Auxey-Duresses has always been one of the range’s great-value wines, drinking superbly young and aging very well, too. The fruit comes from three terroirs—Les Hautés, La Macabrée and Les Boutonniers—all abutting Meursault’s Les Vireuils Dessous and Les Meix Chavaux. The oldest vines date back to 1946. The land here faces north and is affected by the cold air rolling down from the Hautes Côtes—a very fresh terroir! The higher vineyards of the Côte often perform well in warmer years; this is a perfect example of the phenomenon. You find the punchy, vibrant freshness and minerality of the place woven through the creamy, generous core of the vintage. This was vinified in 12-hectolitre casks, with a small portion of the blend raised for 15 months in 600-litre barrels." - Bibendum Wine Co, Importer
Benjamin Leroux Meursault 2022 - $255 on special this week; $290 RRP
"The Meursault is based solely on Leroux’s own vines in Moulin Landin, Les Criots, Bois de Blagny and Les Millerands. There’s also some Clos du Village, one of the new parcels in Meursault that Leroux picked up following the 2017 harvest. These sites are mostly lower in the village, but Leroux also used fruit from the higher white marls of Bois de Blagny, which brings incredible drive and salty/mineral backbone to the layered fleshiness of the other Meursault fruit. Each of these sites is certified organic and managed with biodynamic methods. The oldest vines date back to 1944. Fermentation and maturation occur in 300-litre and 600-litre barrels before the wine is racked to foudre and stainless steel to finish aging. Terrific." - Bibendum Wine Co, Importer
Joh Jos Prüm
J.J Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2022 - $125 on special this week; $145 RRP
“Here is a great Mosel Kabinett that needs a bit more time to show what it is really made of. Still very young with a pronounced yeasty character that slowly recedes with aeration, but the white peach and honeysuckle aromas that emerge are stunning. Extremely vibrant and precise, the slatey acidity making this fabulously graceful. As pure as an Alpine stream running with glacier water. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.” - 96 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com
J.J Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese 2022 - $139 on special this week; $159 RRP
“The 2022 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese was selected in "two to three parcels of old vines," Katharina Prüm explained. The nose still has a touch of yeast, and underneath, it shimmers almost with the crunch of a green but red-cheeked apple. The palate is utterly fine. This seems weightless and light, with the most serene balance of sweetness and freshness, coming across as effortless, unforced, with a subtle savoriness in the distance, waiting to make itself more felt in the future. For now, there is a gentle yet precise notion of white peach, tenderly sweet and utterly balanced. Supreme." - 94-96 Points, Anne Kriebiehl MW, Vinous
J.J Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2022 - $160 on special this week; $185 RRP
“Still very youthful on the nose, this is crammed with ripe peach, plus more delicate notes of pineapple and mangosteen. It’s a minor miracle that this kind of concentration can be packed into such a sleek, medium-bodied palate. What an amazing mouthfeel this has thanks to the seamless integration of slatey acidity and ripeness. Very long finish with spot-on balance. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.” - 97 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com
If you wish to buy any of these wines, please use the links above. Alternatively, if you have any queries, please email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions.
// Prices valid until Wednesday the 6th of November