  Wines that breathe of their placeThe Pyramid Valley story begins in a magical place where magnificent native birds once roamed and soared, where the earth produces in abundance and the stars align for greatness.   Pyramid Valley is one of New Zealand's great wine estates where altitude, limestone, slope, rock and rich soils meet to produce profound Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The story began at the turn of the 21st century when Mike and Claudia Weersing established the site and set about creating the vineyards over almost the next two decades. 2017 marked the next step in Pyramid Valley’s history when the Weersings decided to sell to Steve Smith MW (perhaps best known for establishing Craggy Range) and his business partner and wildlife conservationist Brian Sheth. Steve and Brian are building on the work done by the Weersings to fulfil the full potential of the site. In 2018 they purchased a second vineyard in Lowburn, Central Otago called Manata Estate, an established vineyard that has produced exceptional Pinot Noir since 2002. Staying true to the estate’s founding principles, both sites are managed following the principals of biodynamic viticulture and the winemaking follows natural processes with the use of indigenous yeast, no additives, natural fining and little, if any, filtration.  Working with the energy of the cosmos "We tend our estates according to the holistic principles of biodynamics, working with the energy of the cosmos and feeding the soils and ecosystem of the site to let nature work her wonders. "A brooding beauty of immaculate balance. As my glass empties, I am genuinely left with a sad feeling. Such a wonderful Pinot Noir. One to marry and to cherish…"  Pyramid Valley Pinot Noir 2019Stuart McCloskey "What a perfume – you’re hooked after the first sniff. Where to start? Sour cherry, red currant, cranberry, pomegranate, plum, mint, cola, rose hip, clove, orange, along with evolving beef consommé and mushroom notes, which will take more control over the coming years. Equally, the palate is a cornucopia of flavour. Such succulence and brims with vitality yet feels ethereal. Mountain herbs and rosemary tumble into ripe, hedgerow fruits which are tinged with minerality. There’s a hint of bergamot tea which adds a subtle bite whilst lifting the palate… This is rich and juicy – moreish and everything feels like it’s wrapped in a cooling, silk handkerchief. A brooding beauty of immaculate balance. As my glass empties, I am genuinely left with a sad feeling. Such a wonderful Pinot Noir. One to marry and to cherish… Drink now to 2028+. Served using Zalto Burgundy glassware." RRP £31.95 Special Price - £28.95 per bottle "Wonderfully seductive, which draws you in and keeps you sniffing for an age… It’s bold, full-flavoured and as seductive as Chardonnay comes."  Pyramid Valley Chardonnay 2018Stuart McCloskey "This is the first Chardonnay that Pyramid Valley has made from Waipara rather than its Waikari home site. Hand-picked and fermented with natural vineyard yeasts and aged in 20% new French oak barrels for 12 months before settling in stainless steel on light less for a further 4 months. Bottled unfined, unfiltered and reason for the slight haze. It’s the kind of Chardonnay that you need to be in the mood for as it demands your attention. The bouquet fascinates and unfurls at a glacial pace. Almost ‘Jura’ expression, packed with stone fruits, saline, honey, nuts, nougat, jasmine and finishes with brown butter – it feels rather grown-up and serious. Wonderfully seductive, which draws you in and keeps you sniffing for an age… The palate tips towards the ‘fuller’ side. It’s bold, full-flavoured and as seductive as Chardonnay comes (without being clumsy or overworked, which and given their winemaking principles, is as natural as it comes). Complexity keeps you hooked as does its personality and presence. You will struggle to find many wines of this ilk. Flavours lean towards the savoury along with oatmeal and unmissable saline. What an engaging wine this is. This is my style of Chardonnay and a great talking point as it’s packed with detail. Epic length. Such a treat and so unique. Bravo to nature as you have served something so, so beautiful… Drink now to 2028. Served using Zalto Burgundy glassware." RRP £29.95 Special Price - £25.50 per bottle  We have received at least a dozen emails requesting more Wild Duck Creek wines (from the new collection). Most have either sold-out or are down to a handful of bottles (1,200 bottles sold). Buying more is not an option as Liam has allocated remaining stocks to Aussie club members and his domestic, trade customers. In hindsight, I wish I purchased more Spruce Roussanne as I have already demolished half my order. The remainder will not see me through the Spring let alone enjoying over the ‘coming years. Unquestionably, and to date, the most requested wine of ’24… We thought it fun to share two (one being the longest tasting note in wine writing history, but it’s a cracker and clearly produced after enjoying three, back-to-back bottles). Thank you Richard for a belter of a tasting note. John, too… John's review: "I am rarely moved to write unbidden! But….OMG, what a revelation the Spruce Roussanne is. I know I know, be patient and let it grow but I couldn’t resist having received it from you guys last weekend. I bought it because it seems Stu’s taste matches mine (critical when choosing those who rate / review wine), and his review was intriguing. What a fabulous first tasting. I hope the Reisling I bought is just as exciting. Thank you, thank you for this. This wine is genuinely one of the most interesting I have tasted in many a year. Too cheap by far for the quality of wine." Richard's review: “Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your wine glasses, for the Vinorium have stumbled upon a potion so enchanting, it might as well have been brewed in the cauldrons of Dionysus himself. Behold, the Wild Duck Creek Roussanne – a wine that whispers sweet nothings to your palate and promises a journey of textural exoticism that's as thrilling as a duck chase in the vineyards. From the get-go, this wine greets you with a bouquet so beguiling, you'd swear the grapes were serenaded nightly by a chorus of tipsy cherubs. Imagine a medley of ripe apricot, buttery pastry, and poached pear dancing with fresh vanilla pod, chamomile, and sweet spice, all while a soupçon of orange zest plays the flute and fresh flowers rain down like confetti. And just when you think the parade has passed, a zip of lemon zips through, zesty and zealous. But, oh Lordy, take a sip, and you're in for a treat that's as sumptuous as a royal banquet in Duckland. This isn't just a wine; it's textural exoticism personified, as if every sip transports you to a silk road of flavors where oily, seductive, and silken textures mingle with divine tastes. The balance? As perfect as a duck's waddle, a feat of equilibrium that would make a tightrope walker weep with envy. The palate is a carnival of orange zest, fresh fennel, honey, and spiced poached pear and quince, with confit citrus and brisk acidity bringing up the rear with a lift and energy that could power a small village. And the spices! They linger on like the final note of a symphony, ensuring this taste extravaganza goes on and on... The palate? A phenolic, creamy dream that balances orchard fruits with a textured finish so wonderful, it's like the fruit had a spa day. With 100% malolactic fermentation adding richness, this wine is not just a drink; it's a ripper that's oh so drinkable. So, if you're looking for a wine that's exotic, broad, fleshy, and packed with flavour and bountiful personality, the Wild Duck Creek Roussanne is your ticket to vinous nirvana. It's super impressive, and for those willing to stash some away, the rewards will be as bountiful as the personality of this magnificent brew. In summary, this wine doesn't just walk the walk or quack the quack; it dances, it sings, it brings the house down. A standing ovation, please, for this absolute charmer from Wild Duck Creek. Cheers, and may your glasses be forever filled with such delightful oddities”, We plan to compile a list of ‘critical’ lines as we have many wines which are close to selling out (and are irreplaceable). House of Arras Grand Vintage 2009 being a case in point – we are down to our final 8-bottles. Ditto for Pierre Mignon Brut Vintage Prestige Champagne 2015 along with Zalto which has flown out the door… There are too many to list and reason why we recommend making use of our website to hunt out your favourites.  16 February we provided a thorough review on Zalto glassware. Here’s a copy if you missed it… We received a response from Riedel (as they featured in our review). Accordingly, and in the spirit of wine friendship and honesty – this is their unredacted response. “Hi Stu, I work for Riedel. I used to work in the UK market but for the last 6 years I have been instead looking after the Nordic markets for our 3 brands, so 19 years in total and still very much enjoying it. Now I know that you have a fondness for Zalto and as I don't look after the UK market, I am not trying to dissuade you from this (although I would try if we met up again!). What I would like to do is to take a little umbrage with some of the points you made in your newsletter if you don't mind..... Firstly, I couldn't agree more with your points regarding Champagne flutes. This is also a bugbear of mine and something I am constantly raging on about whenever I am with consumers, hospitality, trade or retail, basically anyone who might bring up the subject. It is something that we at Riedel have been very vociferous about so I'm glad I can start with something we are in total agreement about. Now.....you then talk about Riedel and I would like to say that both our ranges and the technology we use have moved on since maybe you last used Riedel glasses. You then mention that we have 103 red wine glasses. Now, this is not for 103 different red wines, far from it. We have a number of different ranges (different price points and/or styles) and for example the cabernet glass is designed to do the same thing from all ranges, be it Veritas, Veloce or Performance. In fact, we tend to recommend that you only need 3 different red wine glasses, one for thin skinned grapes (pinot etc), one for medium skinned (syrah etc) and one for thick skinned (cabernet etc), and these will cover all your red wines, not that dissimilar to Zalto. This same philosophy applies to the white wines, sparklings, cocktails etc. I mentioned also that technology has moved on apace. Our machines are now able to produce the thinnest machine made, grape varietal specific glasses on the market in the Riedel Veloce range, a beautiful glass which certainly feels handmade even though it isn't. We also used to have a handmade range called Superlegerro, a beautiful tall elegant range. We can now produce this exact range but by machine, exactly the same size, shape and feel which has the obvious advantages of allowing us to produce more and sell at a much lower price point. So, we can now produce glasses by machine which are as thin and lightweight as Zalto and at a fraction of their price (which certainly helps customers when god forbid they break one!). I know you like a thin glass and I agree with the benefits that this has for wine and I fail to understand why wine critics and drinkers alike choose to not follow suit. A question that I always like to ask about Zalto is what glass would you drink your big oaky chardonnay's out of as clearly they don't have a glass which does the job of helping to showcase the abundance of flavours and helping to balance the wine out. Maybe a tasting comparison is in order to fully demonstrate this. Anyway, thank you for hopefully taking the time to listen to my little rant. If you ever find yourself heading to Austria/Germany then I would love to show you our factories and what we do both in a handmade capacity as well as machine blown. I'm still based in the UK so maybe even bump into you at a tasting or trade event.” Of course, I responded to Riedel Matt and thanked him for his time and candour. Equally, I asked for his approval to share his response. We will certainly organise a taste-off between Zalto and Riedel. Perhaps a blind tasting with a dozen-or-so customers during the summer. It will be fun and certainly informative…  Lunch at Barrafina, Coal Drops Yard, London I have shared some exceptional dining experiences of late (Bridge Arms and Boys Hall). Recently, I met with Mark, a customer of mine for some 15-years however, we hadn’t found the time to meet-up for a decade, which is rather sad and must be changed… Barrafina, Coal Drops Yard, was the selected venue as it’s an easy commute for the both of us. Firstly, and before I rattle on about the food, I doff my cap to the exceptional staff who were all super-pleasant and professional. The restaurant is long and cosy with tables too close to each other. I could literally stroke the knee of the person seated next to me or pinch their wallets, which would come in handy (I’ll come back to ‘value’). We ordered a bottle of mature Albariño (aged in ‘foudre’) which had been in the bottle for over a decade. I put both hands over my eyes in terms of its cost and relied entirely on the fact that it’s been a decade since I last met with Mark. The wine was wonderfully textured, exotic and the oak element discreet. My guest loved the wine, which is enough for me… The standard menu is bolstered with daily specials. Like the wine list, all are compact. We opted for two types of croquetas, pimientos de padron, courgette flower, skate wing and patatas bravas. Service was electric, as croquetas, pimientos de padron and the courgette flower arrived at our table within minutes. There was no fault with the pimientos de padron, which Mark had a fondness for. I looked at the two plates of croquetas (two balls on each plate). Delicious they were, but rather scant in their respective size. To be polite, I took two bites, but one greedy guzzle would suffice. £16.60 (ex-tip) for four balls seemed incredibly expensive. After all, much of the interior is bechamel sauce. But they were scrummy. The courgette flower was exactly that – one flower stuffed with smooth goats cheese, perhaps 3-4 inches of green stem and dressed in honey. I took out my surgical instruments and cut her longways to share with my guest. £14.00 for one, young, diminutive courgette! ‘That’s it’ I thought – I am reopening my restaurant, but then I looked around and noticed that it was 60-percent empty… no bloody wonder! As quickly as our plates arrived, they were cleared. Next up came the skate wing and patatas bravas. Unfortunately, the latter was very average – the potatoes were hard and ate ugly and cost a whopping £9.40. I love skate wing which I believe is underrated but it must be eaten super-fresh. £24.00 for half a wing, which and let’s be perfectly honest, is mostly cartilage (and reason why most would serve the full wing). Nonetheless, I stripped each side with my best ‘silver service’ action. One side was overcooked and stuck to the cartilage. The other, was on-point. Tasty, fresh, but embarrassingly expensive. Pudding? we were asked. Too bloody right as we were both starving! Crema Catalana was served along with two, chilled glasses of Pedro Ximénez, at twelve quid a pop. Dessert was £19.60 for two. Nonetheless, pudding was utterly delicious and a nice way to end a meal. Was it worth the money? I would score 5/10 which says it all. The additional £30.44 for the service charge was given with a big smile, however, paying £12.5% on overpriced (average) food is a tad galling, but they were a friendly bunch. Score for the food / execution: 6/10. Staff: 9/10. Would I go back? Not on your nelly. Mark and I plan to meet every 12-24 months however, a sandwich, on a bench at St Pancras will have to suffice…  To drink well, you either have to invest money, time or have a great wine merchant who has a canny knack for finding exceptional wines on a budget… McHenry Hohnen
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