We’ve had the pleasure of drinking, sharing, and recommending a lot of excellent wine in 2021. Inspired by High Fidelity we’ve put together our ‘Top Five Wines of 2021’.
-Bert Blaize
2. NV Champagne ‘Metisse’ by Olivier Horiot, France – A good friend of ours John Baum introduced us to this wine, in fact he’s introduced to many of the great grower champagnes. Olivier & Marie Horiot are up there with the best. The Horiot family have owned these vineyards since the 1600s but still continue to perfect, refine and evolve. They’re based in the south of Champagne in the Aube sub region, Les Riceys. This is a blend of Blend of Pinot Noir & Pinot Blanc organically grown, hand picked, zero dosage and 18 months on the lees (how it should be). What we can’t understand is how they managed to pack so much complexity into this wine. The finish of dried concentrated cranberries leaves you going back for more. This is what we’ll be drinking on NYE!
3. 2018 Chardonnay by Maison Harbour, France – We we’re introduced to this wine by one of our favourite winemakers Andrew Nielsen of Le Grappin, after a long day of stomping grapes all day, Andrew opened of this with dinner, which happened to be a roast chicken, it was heaven! One of the best discoveries in burgundy we’ve had recently. Founded in early 2013 by Nicolas and Colleen Harbour from USA & Canada. They fell in love with the region after many visits to Beaune on holidays, they finally decided to give up their full time jobs and turn their passion into a career. From this little entry chardonnay you get hints that remind you of a Chassagne Montrachet but still has it’s own truly unique identity.
4. Terre di Lava by Mirco & Marcello Gottardi, Italy – In the mountains behind Bassano del Grappa (a beautiful 13th century town) in Veneto you’ll find the Gottardi family. The volcanic hills give these wines a unique flavour and also give incredible balance to them. This is a third generation family run business that focus on the highest standards in the vineyard – they work organically and everything is down by hand. If you want to find a well balanced Merlot that flirts with Bordeaux but that also reminds you of the fruit forward nature of Valpolicella then look no further.
5. CB Syrah by Christophe Muret, France – We love this wine as it’s an everyday drinking wine that can give you a lot of pleasure. 100% Syrah from the south of France that drinks like a very well made Cotes-du-Rhone. Christophe used to be a melon farmer but came to the realisation he could have more fun and make his passion his business by growing. Drinking this wine with a hearty stew is a great way to keep you going during the winter.