Counoise has been part of Rhône blends for centuries but it is rarely seen as a varietal wine. Organically farmed from a tiny plot in Ukiah, Mendocino County, this is a light-coloured and medium-bodied wine with aromas of redcurrants, raspberries, and red cherries. Intense and concentrated in structure with flavours of ripe, dark raspberries, black liquorice, wild thyme and dry-aged beefsteak. Smooth, friendly texture sort of like a silky California Pinot Noir. We will serve this slightly chilled as it brings the best out of the grape variety. 48 cases produced!
Benevolent Neglect
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White Wine2018 Ribolla Gialla, Benevolent Neglect
£4100Add to BasketRibolla Gialla is an ancient variety that originated in Greece and is mostly found in northeastern Italy and across the border in Slovenia, where it is known as Rebula.
This California version is sourced from the Bengier Family Vineyard, a hidden gem inside of the Napa Valley’s nested ava Oak Knoll District. Fermented traditionally on skins for 15 days, this wine takes on a completely unique character for white wine. Due to its time on its skin and in the barrel it shows quite a bit of minerality, citrus skin with a core of tropical fruit with much in between.
Tasting Note: Light, bright and fresh lemon sherbet draw the nose in followed by almond and acacia. On the palate, the wine is mineral, with slight notes of sour pear drop. The finish is long and refreshingly sour. This is a perfect oyster wine, match it with foods equally as bright, like a fresh arugula salad with a racy vinaigrette.
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Red Wine
2016 Mourvèdre, Fore Family Vineyards, Benevolent Neglect
£4200Add to BasketWe’re absolutely in love with this Mourvèdre. From warm, sheltered Lake County (north of Napa) where the conditions for the late-ripening Mourvèdre are ideal. Slightly carbonic on the nose with aromas of blackberries and black cherries, violets and iris, mocha, mint, leather, earth, and game. Smooth, velvety tannins on the palate and vibrant acidity. Wonderfully fresh for a full-bodied wine – sophisticated yet extremely drinkable. Mourvedre’s reputation of wildness is present in this wine if you look for it. 56 cases produced!
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White Wine
2018 Chardonnay, Benevolent Neglect
£4250Add to BasketThe 2018 Benevolent Neglect Chardonnay was one of the most talked-about wines of 2019. They’re also one of the wineries that the eminent Jancis Robinson was referring to when she urged her readers to “ take advantage of the creativity of California’s new generation of wine producers.” So naturally, we are delighted to have finally secured a small allocation.
Don’t expect a big, over-the-top bottling, though—like all of Benevolent Neglect’s wines, the 2018 Chardonnay showcases precision and purity. Winemaker Matt Nagy says of his wine, “The goal with this wine was to eschew traditional ‘California Chardonnay’ as a style and make something more akin to a Cru Chablis.” As you might expect, the wine delivers on Matt’s vision. The nose leans towards fresh citrus flavours of yuzu and tangerine, with orange blossoms and hints of oyster shell. The palate is electric and direct, with white peaches joining the party alongside lemon marmalade, white pepper, and a mouth-watering finish.
This Chardonnay comes from a vineyard site that was special enough to warrant “a rehab project,” according to Matt. Organically farmed since the 1970s, the Chardonnay was ungrafted—a rarity in California that trades the eventual death of the vines by phylloxera, a soil-based parasite, for an extra layer of precision and intensity of flavour in the finished wines. The vines had been not-so-benevolently neglected over the last decade, but the raw material was so promising that Matt and his team poured in the work to bring the site back to greatness—and this bottling is proof that their effort was worth it.
As you might expect from the name, the winemaking style at Benevolent Neglect is to stay out of the way. The wines are fermented with native yeasts and this Chardonnay is aged in a minimal amount of new oak to allow the innate quality of the vineyard to shine through. Drink now – 2028.
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Red Wine
2016 ‘GSM’ Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Benevolent Neglect
£4500Add to BasketThe nose is intoxicating and perfumed, with a heavy proportion of florals, specifically violets, with nuanced, understated berry fruits and an intriguing mineral/graphite component emerging with time in the glass. The palate is sumptuous, plump and satisfying while retaining restraint, the oak beautifully integrated and suggested as a slight lick of caramel on the lengthy finish, which is all framed by restrained tannins and a lingering, mouthwatering finish of red fruits and savoury game. The guys from Benevolent make delicious, unique wines with soul.
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Red Wine
2015 Syrah ‘Las Madres Vineyard’, Benevolent Neglect
£4850Add to BasketThis gorgeous Syrah shows the synergy between highly skilled winemakers and a genuinely great Syrah vineyard.
Floral and expressive on the nose with aromas of pepper, blueberry and black olive. The texture is what really stands out on the palate. Fresh and complex with spicy black pepper, meat and some olive tapenade flavour. The finish is full of energy and just befits what came before.
A truly delicious glass of wine and very moreish.
Also worth remembering that California wine is generally expensive in the UK and we at Wine Republic believe that if a more famous winery or brand made this, you would be paying substantially more. -
Red Wine
2016 Whole Cluster Syrah ‘Las Madres Vineyard’, Benevolent Neglect
£5650Add to BasketBenevolent Neglect is two winemaking friends who make some of our favourite small-scale wines. This is classic cool-climate Syrah from one of the most well regarded Syrah vineyards in Sonoma Carneros, the Las Madres vineyard. Similar to the main-release Las Madres Syrah, the Whole Cluster is a special edition of the same wine made entirely with whole cluster fermentation, resulting in a style that comes closer to true Northern Rhône. The nose is blood oranges and dark spices, with a woodsy, umami character that brings to mind wild mushrooms and herb-roasted game. Bacon fat, too. The palate is gutsier, with a forward punch of dark berries accented by a savoury vanillin lick from the Hungarian oak treatment. The finish is sustained, with an elegance and silky texture that totally overshadows its relatively high alcohol content.
