St. Mary’s Church, Marylebone was the new venue for this year’s Dirty Dozen tasting, always a highly anticipated event which sees 12 of the UK’s most exciting wine importers all under one roof.
There’s something quite special and elevated about hosting a wine tasting in a church; the coming together of religion and wine, the grandness of the building, all the signs everywhere reminding you that this is a place of worship.
We gathered on this occasion to worship at the altar of wine, and it was a strong turn out, so busy in fact that sharp elbows were required at times to get to the front of the queue and grab a splash of wine. At one point, during this hustle and bustle, a full spitoon of wine toppled over. God probably chuckled to himself.
St. Mary’s proved to be a good venue for the tasting and moreover the tasting itself excelled; wines were as varied and interesting as ever and there was some seriously good chat from the exhibitors, all very clued up about their wines (which is rarer than you might think).
The way it works, for those who haven’t attended the Dirty Dozen before, is that each of the 12 importers have their own table showing up to 25 different wines, which means there’s a lot to get through. Helpfully, there’s a page in the tasting booklet dedicated to ‘Importer’s Choice’ wines, a list of must-try wines, two from each importer.
This was my starting point for the day, and each of these wines are reviewed below, listed alphabetically by importer. Looking back at this selection is a fair snapshot of what the Dirty Dozen is about and features some seriously good wines.
The must-try wines from The Dirty Dozen
Estate Argyros, Cuvée Palatia, Santorini, Greece, 2023 (Clark Foyster)
Assyrtiko from Santorini. Poised and rounded with sweet tropical fruit, ripe lemon, sourdough and salt spray. Flinty on the finish.
Domaine Zafeirakis, Limniona Young Vineyards, Thessaly, Greece, 2020 (Clark Foyster)
100% Limniona from Tyrnavos, on the foothills of Mount Olympus. Savoury with undertones of bacon fat and dried tomato. Developed but still brimming with ripe strawberry and black cherry fruit. Herbs on the finish.
Antoniolo, Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG, Piedmont, Italy, 2023 (FortyFive10°)
Erbaluce is a little-known white grape from Piedmont which offers delicate melon and citrus characters, as found here. There’s marzipan too, particularly on the nose, and a mineral edge. Lean and balanced, a wine that keeps you coming back for more.
Enza La Fauci, Nerello Mascalese Vignadorata IGT, Sicily, 2020 (FortyFive10°)
A classically styled Nero Mascalese from Mezzana-Messina in eastern Sicily, this is one of Italy’s top IGT Terre Siciliane wines. Floral with blackberry fruit, liquorice and lovely bold tannins.
Croix & Courbet, Arbois 'En Chemenot', Jura, France, 2022 (Howard Ripley)
This collaboration between David Croix of Domaine des Croix in Burgundy and Jura’s Damien Courbet of Domaine Courbet is one to watch. Made in the Jura from 20-year-old Savagnin vines, this sees time in cement and old oak giving it a lovely waxy, lanolin feel. There’s bold lemon fruit, some grip and plenty of intrigue. A delicately beautiful wine.
Marvla Tindo, Indentikit, Nitra, Slovakia, 2022 (Howard Ripley)
Skin-contact Welshriesling from Nitra in Slovakia. Cider apples on the nose, quite feral in fact but keen and sappy. Amazing acidity, spiced apple, ginger and then hazelnuts on the long finish. Quite different.
Clos Sauvage, ‘El Dorado' Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France, 2023 (Modal Wines)
Young winemakers Sophie and David Devynck of Clos Sauvage are based on the edge of Beaujolais and Burgundy; their whites are Burgundy, their reds Beaujolais. This fantastic Pouilly-Fuissé brims with granny smith apple fruit, a pure acid line and a buttery, almost toffee-edged finish. Dense and slightly furry.
Antonio Madeira, Vinhas Velhas Tinto, Dão, Portugal, 2021 (Modal Wines)
A history project as much as a winemaking project, this red blend is made from 70-100+-year-old vines which are farmed by horse, with each of the 15+ varieties vinified separately. Dry and delicious with cherry on the nose, dusty red fruit on the palate and an earthy, spicy close. Herby, rich and brims with energy.
Domaine Lucas Rieffel, Crémant d'Alsace, France, 2022 (Newcomer)
This biodynamic Crémant is balanced and fresh with a Grapetiser note on the nose and a richness in the mouth. A blend of Auxerrois, Pinot Gris and Riesling pings with life and bright tree fruit but is weighty and serious too. A beautiful trad method fizz.
Wachter-Wiesler, Blaufränkisch 'Deutsch-Schützen', Burgenland, Austria, 2020 (Newcomer)
This Blaufränkisch from Austria’s Burgenland is lean and savoury with an iron filings note and lovely stripped back red fruit. There's a purity here in the red cherry and raspberry fruit that’s untainted by secondary and tertiary development. Smashable, as the hipsters would say.
Quinta das Maias, Tinto, Dão, Portugal, 2022 (Raymond Reynolds)
Portugal is having a still red renaissance at the moment, and this fits the bill perfectly. This Dão blend of Jaen, Alfrochero and Touriga Nacional is earthy and soft with dark fruit notes and an almost creamy finish. Supple and juicy.
Raúl Moreno, Destellos, Cadiz, Spain, 2023 (Raymond Reynolds)
Made from Palomino and Arinto grapes grown on coastal sites, this has some skin-contact in barrel during fermentation before ageing in former-Sherry casks. It’s slightly wild with characters of honey and herbs, orange pith and flint.
Stefano Amerighi, Syrah, Tuscany, Italy, 2022 (Swig)
Tuscan Syrah with a foot firmly in the Rhône. This hails from Cortona in the province of Arezzo, and is dense and plush with polished red fruit, spice and creaminess. Punchy and pretty at the same time.
Blank Bottle, Familiemoord, Swartland, South Africa, 2023 (Swig)
Pieter Walser’s Grenache from Piekenierskloof is shot through with pomegranate, mint tea and dried herbs. It’s lush and alive with that typical Grenache crunch and a smidge of pepper spice on the finish.
Cloudsley Cellars, 20 Mile Bench Chardonnay, Niagara, Canada, 2021 (The Wine Treasury)
Excellent, cool climate Chardonnay from the Twenty Mile Bench region of Canada’s Niagara Peninsula. Floral and mineral with ripe, fresh stone fruit. Long, clean finish, it just keeps going.
Apollo's Praise, Cabernet Franc, Finger Lakes, USA, 2023 (The Wine Treasury)
This Finger Lakes (New York State) Cabernet Franc is smoky and structured with cherry, raspberry and garrigue notes and a breezy freshness. Lovely depth and roundness.
Domaine Verret, Bourgogne Côtes d'Auxerre, France, 2022 (Theatre of Wine)
A focussed, unfussy white Burgundy that’s very keenly priced for what it offers; salty, fresh and vibrant, no oak, but plenty of attitude. Floral with pear and white peach fruit and a brilliant line of acidity.
Vale de Pios, Pios Tinto, Douro Superior, Portugal, 2018 (Theatre of Wine)
This blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) has significant muscle, but that’s backed up by powerful fruit (plums and sticky fig), and a rich, earthy structure. Full bodied but polished and deftly made.
Angel Sequeiros, Quinta Gavineira Albariño, Roas Baixos, Spain, 2021 (Top Selection)
A rich Albariño, which is refreshing in every sense. Time on the lees in tank has added depth and body to this and it works really well. Lime fruit, honeydew melon and almond all come together to create a complete and pure wine.
Ulmus, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, 2021 (Top Selection)
From the Uco Valley, this rustic but polished Malbec is savoury and brooding with keen tannins and ripe fruit. It’s by no means a cherry-bomb, all that fruit is reined in by an iodine note and a chewy grip.
Terenzuola, Vermentino, 'Vigne Basse', Tuscany, Italy, 2023 (Vin de Vie)
A profound and delicious Vermentino from 30-year-old vines planted 2km from the sea on the Tuscan coast. This spends eight months on the lees in stainless steel before bottling, adding body. There’s lime and lilies here and a mineral/ schist edge. Really pretty.
Stefano Occhetti, Langhe Nebbiolo DOC, Piedmont, Italy, 2022 (Vin de Vie)
Nebbiolo from three different vineyards, with an average vine age of 50 years. Aromatic and delicate with raspberry jam on the nose and red cherry fruit on the palate. So very long with trademark tannins, this pings in the mouth. Very good indeed.
Domaine Bellegarde, Jurançon Sec 'Pierre Blanche', Jurançon, France, 2022 (Yapp Brothers)
60% Petit Manseng and 40% old-vine Gros Manseng grown on Jurançon’s sandy, limestone soils. Deliberate oxidation adds texture and weight and a richness of fruit. Lovely sweet tinned pear fruit and a slight tannic grip.
Patrick Jasmin, La Chevalière, Rhône, France, 2023 (Yapp Brothers)
Made in neutral oak from young vines, this is light and smashable with bags of red fruit, black pepper and a creamy finish. Not one to sit on, enjoy right away!
