There isn’t a great deal of glamour to be found in your average winery. Wellington boots or steel capped work shoes, endless cleaning, hosing and mopping, wine stained clothes and a general lack of grooming are all pretty much de rigeur. The glamorous part sometimes happens when all the work is done and it’s time to open the bottles. Jim and Chris were at Domaine Gayda in the South of France a couple of months ago and they had a pretty good glamorous wine tale to tell.
Gayda have recently launched 2 new wines;
Freestyle Rouge and
Freestyle Blanc. And at what glamorous occasion were these wines being opened? A wine dinner? A press launch? A tasting at a fancy hotel? Not exactly. At the Skyfall Premiere. Yes, the Skyfall Premiere. James Bond, Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, red carpets, the world’s media, the whole shebang. Cool. Or Dench as the kids say.
The labels feature a chap parachuting out of the sky. Apparently they’re not in cahoots with Danny Boyle or the Royal Family – it’s pure coincidence and the label is designed to reflect Gayda’s liberated and unconstrained philosophy of winemaking.
What about the contents I hear you ask? Is this stuff worth drinking? Well, come down to Crossgar and see for yourself. The wines will be open tomorrow and Saturday for tasting. The only thing we still need to figure out is how to get Daniel Craig helicoptered over here for the full effect….
Freestyle Blanc 2011
Tasting Note:Deep gold colour, very aromatic, with hints of stonefruit and honeysuckle. A rich full bodied wine with real depth, weight and concentration and a hint of oak to add further complexity. A lot of personality. Drinkable now but will continue to develop and improve over the next 5 years.
Press Reviews:“Slightly smoky. Good, racy stuff.” - Jancis Robinson
"Crisp and fruity with plenty of peach and Fuji apple flavours, accented by rich, spicy notes. Rich, creamy notes fill the finish." - Wine Spectator
Tasting Note:Ruby red with some purple highlights. Vibrant, expressive nose of red and black fruits, pepper, spice and “garrigue”. A full bodied wine, with an expansive mouthfeel, integrated tannins and a long, silky finish.
Press Reviews:“Deep crimson. Rich and herby. Well balanced. Spicy and sweet.” - Jancis Robinson
“Good structure and length, nice dark fruit, firm tannins with a good potential.” - Andreas Larsson
"...lots of garriguey southern briar fruits, vigorous depth and natural acidity... very well made" - Stephen Spurrier
