Botrytised or nobly rotten grapes make the world’s finest (and priciest) sweet wines. Here, however, this golden white is totally dry, yet complex with rich, honeyed, citrusy fruit. A most elegant creation from the rule-breaking Gentle Riot team.
Joli is a new creation from the boundary-pushing Gentle Riot winemakers. It’s a modern interpretation by the inimitable Jean-Marc of a luscious, dry, botrytised Sémillon that Tony Laithwaite made with Danish winemaker Peter Vinding-Diers 30 years ago. A portion of the Sémillon, plus the fresh, grapey Muscadelle, is from a vineyard in the Entre-Deux-Mers. The rest is late-harvested, noble-rot Sémillon from Bordeaux’s renowned Loupiac. This portion had the full works: fermentation in part new barrels, with five months’ ageing on its lees. This golden white is refreshingly dry and citrusy, but with a rich, honeyed, nutty complexity. With its toasty notes and lemony zing, this white is top with chilli crab pasta or creamy chicken dishes.
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