The monthly Classics release from Vintages represents an offering of some of the most sought-after wines in the world, and it’s such a great endorsement of the wineries that we partner with when they are selected as part of the offer. This month we have 2 wines included in the release – Cru Barolo from Virna and Premier Cru Burgundy from Jean Loron.
Virna 2017 ‘Cannubi’ Barolo
Sourced from 50 year old vines, the grapes are given a gentle press and macerate on skins for 10 days. After fermentation, the wine matures in a mixture of 300L & 500L barrels for 18 months, followed by another year in bottle before release.
“Extremely aromatic with dried mushrooms, dried flowers, rose stems and sweet strawberries. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins that provide layers and intensity. Extremely long and powerful. Structured Cannubi. Needs three or four years to come together. Try after 2025.” – 95pts, James Suckling
Retail $120.00 / btl
About Virna Borgogno
The Borgogno estate comprises 12 hectares of vineyards rich in history and renowned for quality. Located immediately north of the village of Barolo, it has been the family home of Lodovico and his daughters Virna and Ivana Borgogno, since 1920. From the 1950s, Lodovico began introducing new practices in order to extract the highest possible quality from his vineyards.
In 2001 Virna became the owner & winemaker, recognized by the addition of her name to the estate. Now, she and her sister Ivana honour the tradition of Barolo while highlighting their wines’ qualities with modern winemaking methods. A variety of large oak (barrique, tonneaux & botti) is used for aging, with the intention of capturing the subtlety and texture of Nebbiolo, not simply raw power. Not meaning to sound cliché, but these are indeed very feminine, very expressive wines — taut, aromatic, ethereal Barolo.
Maison Jean Loron 2020 ‘Au Vignerais’ 1er Cru Pouilly-Fuissé
This wine is grown on the southern flank of the Roche de Solutré limestone escarpment at an altitude of nearly 300 metres, where the shallow, stony clay-limestone soils encourage the vines to draw directly from the bedrock. The wine spends 12 months on the lees, with 40% aged in new in new French oak and the remainder aged in stainless steel.
Aromatic & rich, this wine offers a wonderful mix of crisp citrus and floral notes balancing richer flavours of ripe peach, brioche and honey. The finish is clean with a mouthwatering salinity.
Retail $72.00 / btl (6 btl/cs)
About Maison Jean Loron
Over 300 years (1711 to be precise) and eight generations ago, Jean Loron took a departure from the traditional farming roles of the time and dedicated himself to viticulture in the village of Chénas, in the heart of the steep hills of Beaujolais. Initially, he started vinifying some ‘lieux-dits’ (future Beaujolais ‘climats’) with the aim of obtaining the perfect vines to create superior quality wines.
Fast forward to the present, eighth generation, Xavier Barbet is the current owner of the business. Xavier grew up in the area, studied in Dijon and the United States before returning to the region in 1977 to take control of the family business.
