Why We Like It

Having moved from the music industry into wine ourselves, we feel a certain kinship with Westwell winemaker Adrian Pike. The two go hand in hand; both an endlessly spiralling black hole of genres and regions, artist and producers, vintages and albums, record labels and well… labels.

Westwell finds itself situated on Kent's chalky soils, perfect for planting the three Champagne varieties that go into their wonderful NV. But the main reason we were first attracted to them was a review of their amphora aged Ortega that flagged it as one of the most interesting wines in England. A couple of taps on a keyboard later, this orange blossom scented textural delight had us converted.

Digging a little deeper, is seems Adrian may have left the music industry behind, but kept with him the undying urge to discover something new. Whether that's making pink pet nat, or finding the best way to work as sustainably as possible in England's wet climate.

Westwell are making some of the best, and still somehow under the radar, wines in the UK. If you want taste of what is to come from the vineyards of England, have a try of Westwell yourself.

What To Expect

A wonderful English Chardonnay that shows just how well wines from Blighty can age. This shows serious complexity with a deep toasty complexity from its seven years on lees.

Only 1,250 bottles of this gem were produced.

Chardonnay / 12% / Kent, England / 75cl

Why We Like It

We’re in the commercial heart of Champagne, Reims, sat at a red leather booth in an ‘English’ pub called the Glue Pot. So far, this is not looking promising, but we’ve done our research and there’s a reason we’re here. A waiter (black skinny jeans, tattoos, Thrasher t-shirt) brings us a wine list… Jackpot. It reads like an anthology edition of Noble Rot. The names of the growers are a who’s who of what’s ‘in’ right now. We’re on holiday, so we’re feeling fancy, which means Burgundy, and there it is - Domain Sylvain Pataille. Wine follows trends like anything else. Some go, some stay. Sylvain Pataille is the latter and the wines he’s making in his native Marsanny-la-Côte are simply gorgeous.

We’ve said elsewhere that Plouf is about bringing you great wines from the less-known parts of the oenological atlas which in Burgundy means lesser know villages. Marsannay is at the top of the Côte de Nuits, a part of the golden slope that is gaining more and more attention in these days of climate change. Historically known for its Rosé, its reds and increasingly its whites (particularly from Aligoté), are becoming the focus and a lot of that is down to Sylvain himself.

Having started his studies in wine at the tender age of 14, he is a first generation winemaker which is startling for someone of his influence (as well as a winemaker, he is a consultant oenologist for a whole host of other vignerons). Heritage is his main focus; by meticulously caring for ancient vines in small parcels of the village he crafts excellent, precise and approachable wines. The winemaking is hands off; judicious use of sulphur, very gentle pressing and light touch filtration is what goes into these wines, that importantly, are only bottled and sold when ready.

What To Expect

Aligoté, the second white grape of Burgundy, is having a resurgence. Sylvain Pataille is at the heart of that movement as a founding member of the Aligoteurs organisation. This is his village level Aligoté which is a perfect balance of ripe citrus and stone fruit, rich texture and signature minerality. It’s a wine that will open your eyes to a whole new world of possibility in Burgundy.

Aligoté / 13% / Marsannay, Burgundy, France / 75cl

Why We Like It

When Theo Coles first decided to make wine in the hills of North Canterbury, he thought if it all went wrong, ‘at least I’ll have some decent Pinot to drink’. This sentiment is not entirely dissimilar to the Plouf business plan, so we find ourselves quite drawn to Theo’s wines.

New Zealand has placed itself fimly on the world wine map in the last few decades. Starting with the world-beating Sauvignon Blanc, it’s now showing the world it can make some incredible wines from other varietals. See Pinot in Central Otago, Chardonnay up in Auckland and Syrah in Hawkes Bay. But there’s still experimentation going on in these southerly isles and The Hermit Ram is one of those still pushing the boundaries. Skin contact, amphora, flor… this is not for the faint hearted.

What To Expect

The Salty White is just that, salty. If you’re a fan of flor aged wines from Jerez, or skin fermented whites from northern Italy, you are going to love this. If you’re not familiar with either of those things but you like your whites structured and thought provoking, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t give this golden wine with it’s full gamut of golden apple, tropical, and tangy fruit a try.

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Riesling / 11.5% / North Canterbury, New Zealand / 75cl

Why We Like It

Magna Montis want you to know that there’s more to Mendoza’s Uco Valley than just altitude, although at between 1,000 and 1,700m about sea level, they have that one nailed.

A sense of place is what they want to bring to to the bottle. Manual harvest, organic practices, spontaneous fermentation, and a decent amount of whole bunch, is what they say reflects not just the mountainous terrain, but the soils, winds and pure mountain water that feeds the vines.

These are wonderfully pure expressions of the mountain wines that Argentina is capable of producing when in the right hands.

What To Expect

We didn’t think we’d list a Malbec unless we found one that really hit the spot for us. Magna Montis’ M-word hit the spot sooner than we thought. It’s chock full or clean, intense blackcurrant, but it’s not just a one trick pony. Notes of violets, blackcurrant leaf and pink peppercorns bring plenty of complexity. A world of advice? A long decant will do wonders for this bottle.

Malbec/ 13.7% / Mendoza, Argentina / 75cl