I’ve been waiting to review this wine. I’m a fan of most pet nats I’ve tried. And from Wales? How could you not want to give this one a go. So this has been sitting around for rather longer than you might expect. But that’s because I knew TY also wanted to try it, and so I was waiting until she was around and able to try it before cracking open the bottle.
It turns out the grape is Triomphe d’Alsace, which I can’t recall ever even having heard of before. It doesn’t make it into Oz Clarke’s Grapes and Wines. Jancis Robinson’s encyclopaedic Wine Grapes reports there’s about 15 ha of the stuff grown in the UK, which is about the only place it’s found.
In the glass
Even before the glass, the wine intrigues. It’s in a clear glass bottle, so the colour is already evident. As is the sediment from this unfiltered, unfined wine.
In the glass itself, the wine is cloudy, as you’d expect. It’s a light colour, rather than a deeper shade. There’s quite a lot of mousse on the initial pour, but that quickly fades. I go with ‘faded watermelon’ as the colour. TY suggests crimson, or scarlet, or perhaps dark watermelon. She texts the next day to assert that it’s ‘dark watermelon.’ I still like ‘faded watermelon.’ But, it is definitely some shade of watermelon.
The nose
As usual, I don’t get much. There’s something, but I can’t quite place it. When TY suggests ‘yeasty,’ I’m inclined to agree. TY picks up on some funk, hay, wild strawberries and underripe strawberries as well. I really don’t get any of that.
The palate
Petillance, as you’d hope in a pet nat. There’s a bit of sweetness at the start. I’m going with raspberry. There’s also a hint of sourness at the end. I call it cranberry. TY suggests red currants, but I’m sticking with cranberry. It has nice acidity, and is generally well-integrated. The finish is arguably a bit short, but I really don’t find that a problem with pet nats.
But none of that really does the wine justice. It’s quaffable, but has interesting stuff going on. Or, for those that are inclined to think ‘quaffable’ is faint praise, it’s damn quaffable. It’s refreshing. I wish I had more to say at this point, but we just started enjoying it, rather than taking notes.
Rating
Very pretty on visuals, with Yummy-double-plus-good overall. I wish I had bought more.
Sustainability
Organic and biodynamic, with minimal intervention. Demeter-certified. Read more on their website.
The technical info and such
11.5% , Triomphe d’Alsace. £20.50 from Good Wine Good People