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The annual cycle of vineyards has always seemed to be particularly miraculous. Throughout the winter, their matrix of savage, dark stumps looks especially unyielding. And yet every spring, without fail, tender green shoots emerge, heralding foliage so luxuriant it often has to be cut back to allow the grapes that result from its tiny flowers to stand a chance of ripening. At this time of year — and especially this year, marooned in a London flat — I envy all the vine growers I am in touch with.
Much is said and written about the consolations that nature can offer to the locked down. A window box, even a mere potted plant, is blissfully unaware of the pandemic. But we can all enjoy the miracle of spring and the renewal of vine growth in liquid form through wines that seem particularly springlike — as well as enjoy the first fruits of the 2020 vintage, already a year old in the case of some southern hemisphere wines.
WHITES
Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Marlborough 13%
This comes from one of my favourite producers of one of the world’s favourite wines. The NZ estate is run by members of the original Cloudy Bay set-up before its Sauvignon Blanc became ubiquitous. Fans of Coche Dury white burgundies might like to seek out the 2019, which has even more of the Coche struck-match character. £14.95 The Wine Society
Herbert Zillinger, Horizont Grüner Veltliner 2019 Lower Austria 12.5%
Low in nothing but alcohol from a determinedly biodynamic producer. Chock full of extract and satisfying flavour with cinnamon and ginger notes and a dry, chalky, persistent finish. £16 The Real Wine Company
BOB Short for Kate Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Marlborough 13%
From winemaker Ben Glover’s label in memory of his late sister Kate, this is a more complex Marlborough Sauvignon than most, with notes of greenery. A superior version of a well-loved style of wine. £16.49 Bancroft Wines
Rolly Gassmann, Réserve Millésime Sylvaner 2019 Alsace 12%
Very deep gold for such a young wine. Rich, pungent, open, broad nose. Lots of fun here, and more evidence that Alsace Sylvaner can be a seriously interesting dry wine. To be enjoyed now, with or without food. £18.99 The Old Bridge Wine Shop
Lismore, Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2017 South Africa 13.5%
From one of the coolest vineyards on the south coast — 30 per cent fermented in a concrete egg, the rest in 500-litre oak barrels. Samantha O’Keefe has produced a serious, substantial wine with a lot more life than many a Pessac-Léognan. Bone-dry finish. Probably best drunk with food. Impressive persistence. £18.99 Strictly Wine and other independents
Howard’s Folly, Sonhador Branco 2018 Alentejo 13.3%
First vintage of a field blend of ancient vines of various Portuguese varieties grown on granite and made by Australian immigrant David Baverstock of Esporão. Just 15 per cent was aged in big oak barrels to produce a really distinctive dry white with a satin texture and layers of citrus flavour. £19 Pull the Cork
Rafael Palacios, Louro Godello 2019 Valdeorras 14%
Blend of Godello grapes grown around O Bolo in several of Galicia’s typically tiny plots at elevations above 600m. Intense, dry, concentrated, sophisticated. Just the job for those who seek a reliable, sensibly priced alternative to fine white burgundy. About £19 from various independents
Dom Bachelet-Monnot 2017 Bourgogne Blanc 12.5%
Really rather ripe and gorgeous on the nose with a very light, smoky reductive note. Lovely white burgundy for drinking now and much better value than many New World Chardonnays from some of the more celebrated producers. A light lemon-sherbet character, but not for the long term. £19.18 Justerini & Brooks
Daniel Chotard 2019 Sancerre 13.5%
An interesting Sancerre from a ripe vintage. So much less austere and aromatic than many previous examples but with a richness and density that reminds me of some of the celebrated Cotat Sancerres which have such a long life. £19.95 Berry Bros & Rudd
Isabel Chardonnay 2016 Marlborough 13.5%
By NZ standards this is an antique! Marlborough’s characteristic acidity is fading and this is a fully mature, very agreeable alternative to a well-made Côte de Beaune white burgundy. Fresh and bright-fruited. £21.49 Bancroft Wines
Dominio do Bibei, Lapola 2018 Ribeira Sacra 13.5%
Another Galician dry white based on the magical Godello grape. Fresh, marine, racy, citrusy and very distinctive. Hugely digestible and refreshing now, but don’t hang on to it. £22.50 Vin Neuf and other independents
Benjamin Leroux 2018 Bourgogne Blanc 13%
A blend of wines from the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune and outlying vineyards around Meursault put together with great skill by this new-generation negociant. Neat, fresh and pure. Creamy texture with a slice of lemon. Just the ticket. The only disadvantage of the wine is that you know it would have cost half as much quite recently. It’s also at its peak at the moment. Not for the cellar. £25 Berry Bros & Rudd
Pewsey Vale, The Contours Museum Release Riesling 2013 Eden Valley 12.5%
A label of the Hill-Smith family of Yalumba. Some of these vines were planted way back in 1965. There’s a first release at five years old, followed by this second release when they judge the wine, can eloquently demonstrate the ageing ability of Riesling. How many German producers have a late-release programme, I wonder? £26.49 Noel Young
Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines, Old Vines White 2019 Swartland 14%
Andrea Mullineux’s old-vine blend of seven different varieties has never disappointed. You would be well advised to grab the concentrated 2019 vintage now as the harvest was shrunk by drought. Intense honey and beeswax on the nose. An untutored palate might assume, wrongly, that this wine has some sweetness because it’s so rich. Satin texture and waves of flavour including green leaves and Cape gooseberries. Long, subtle and thoroughly admirable. £25.99 Noel Young, £26.99 The Wine Reserve, £30.50 Philglas & Swiggot
ROSE
Waterkloof, Circumstance Coral Mourvedre Rosé 2020 Stellenbosch 13%
Spring in a bottle? But with so much more flavour than most very pale rosés. It’s made from the same grape as the famous Domaine Tempier Bandol rosé. Smart silver screwcap. Broad and flattering with rather soft fruit but a very gentle, caressing impact on the palate. I wouldn’t age this and it’s a rosé that could happily be drunk in winter as well as summer, but it’s beautifully made, with light smokiness. £11.39-£13.99 various independents
REDS
Bononia, Gomotartzi Gamza 2019 Bulgaria 12.7%
Gamza is a Bulgarian grape that makes fruity, fairly soft wines that drink well young and without food. This one, grown close to the Danube river, is a lovely springlike red with a little note of tamarind. Unexpectedly persistent. £8.95 The Wine Society, £10.50 The Old Cellar
Dom de la Grosse Pierre 2019 Chiroubles 13%
Pauline Passot makes translucent Beaujolais that is seriously underpriced. Fragrant, delicate, mouth-filling and very refined. £11.68 from Howard Ripley soon
Dom Jean-Marc Burgaud, Les Charmes 2019 Morgon 13%
This has the flirtatious — even slightly peppery — side that so many wine lovers seek in a cru Beaujolais. Lovely, racy fruit and a juicy drink-me quality. £22.99 The Old Bridge Wine Shop
Dog Point Pinot Noir 2018 Marlborough 13%
Very gentle, delicate and nuanced but not quite as compelling as the 2017 is now, which augurs well for the future of this 2018. It is savoury and dry — there’s no distracting sweetness, no beetroot quality, no obvious oakiness. You could certainly enjoy it today but I suspect it might be even better next year. Amazing that one producer can be so good at both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir — and makes pretty smart Chardonnay too. £25 The Wine Society
Kusuda Pinot Noir 2017 Martinborough 12.9%
Very rich nose suggests a wine with more alcohol than 13%. Made by a Japanese master of subtle red wines in the North Island’s Pinot Noir capital. So clean and pure. Wonderful persistence with a fan of flavour that builds on the finish, like a fine burgundy. Real reverberation and depth. A wine that sings! £100 Woodwinters
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