The Pool room 

Looking for something a little more special? We have a small curated range of wines available in-store from some of the world's most famed wine regions and prestigious producers. Wines from Agrapart, Egly-Ouriet, Brezza, Bindi, Sandrone, Louis Michel, Gaja and Cullen to name a few..

Click on the + signs below to find out a bit more about each producer and get in touch with us via shop@atlasvinifera.com.au for pricing and availability. 

 

+ CHAMPAGNE AGRAPART

Pascal Agrapart is one of the greatest grower-producers in Champagne, meticulously hand-crafting artisanal wines that sing with vibrancy, finesse and incredible purity. Pascal works with 70 micro-sites in the Côte des Blancs, the source of the finest Chardonnay grapes in Champagne. The majority comes from the outstanding Avize, but also plots in Cramant, Oiry and Oger. No chemicals are used on the vineyard sites, and each vine is hand tended and picked. With a tiny production of only 6,000 cases a year, this is an incredibly rare and iconic producer who is at the heart of the grower revolution in Avize. Agrapart is one of only 7 Champagne producers to achieve France’s highest wine rating – 3 stars from La Revue du Vin de France – alongside Jacques Selosse, Egly-Ouriet and Krug. His terroir driven cuvées have a chiselled minerality to them that speak of Avize’s different soil types; with their low dosage and old-oak influence the vineyard site is the key to the characters found in the glass. Each cuvée has its own unique style and focus. The Complantée comes from a single vineyard site in Avize, which is co-planted (complantée) with traditional Champagne varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, as well as heritage varieties Petit Meslier and Arbane. The vines are planted in the La Fosse vineyard that produces Agrapart’s top level cuvee, Vénus. The resulting Champagne is a harmonious balance between finesse and power; green apple, green melon, pear and lime, jasmine and orchard flowers, with a savoury, chalky spine of minerality.

The L’Avisoise is sourced from the clay rich vineyards (argilo-calcaire) of Les Robarts and La Voie d’Epernay in Avize. The rich soil of these sites produce an incredibly powerful expression of Chardonnay. Aged for over 60 months on lees, it is ample and yet focused wine, with pithy citrus, chamomile, white flowers, chalk and tight minerality.

The Minéral, as its name suggests, is the flintiest and most chiselled of Agrapart’s cuvées; sourced from two lieu-dits on the border between Avize and Cramant, with hard, white chalk soils. The Les Champs Boutons vineyard is fermented in stainless steel, and the Bionnes component aged in 600-litre oak casks. Minéral has a chalky minerality and razor-sharp focus, and the fruit sings with a concentrated crystalline purity that is one of the hallmarks of Agrapart’s cuvées.

+ BINDI

Victoria’s Macedon Ranges are a pristine, forested paradise that resembles a fantasy world in winter time, complete with dense fogs, a myriad of coloured fungi and a menagerie of native wildlife – it has to be seen to be believed. Mount Macedon’s towering peak is around 10 degrees cooler than the valley floor, and the mountain’s presence impacts the surrounding micro-climate so much that Macedon’s harvest is often the last in Victoria. In this little wonderland, Pinot Noir has taken the centre stage, and some of the examples produced here are among Australia’s best wines. It is here that arguably Australia’s greatest Pinot Noir producer, Bindi’s Michael Dhillon, crafts his remarkable wines. With a focus on sustainability, Bindi’s quartz-riddled vineyard site is the source of concentrated, pristine fruit that Michael hand crafts, producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from their Macedon site, and a Shiraz out of Heathcote. Stylistically the Bindi Pinot Noirs are lush, concentrated and velvety; and the Chardonnay produced from the site sings with a harmonious balance of richness, minerality and vibrant acidity. With a tiny production, these wines have a cult following both in Australia and internationally, and are very hard to find. Recent releases include the Dixon, Original Vineyard and Block 5 Pinot Noir cuvées, as well as the Kosta’s Rind and Quartz Chardonnay cuvées.

+ CERTAN DE MAY

Certan de May In the hallowed ground of Pomerol, Certan de May sits near the top of the tree with Petrus, Le Pin and Chateau Certan its closest neighbours. Located on the deep, iron-rich clay soils in the south-eastern section of the Pomerol plateau, these tightly grouped châteaux represent the jewels in Pomerol’s crown, producing the densest and most opulent wines in the commune. With Pomerol planted predominantly to Merlot, which is well-suited to the cold, clay soils, these wines are the most approachable in Bordeaux, maturing earlier than their Left Bank counterparts. Cabernet Franc is also planted, and used as the chief blending component in the cuvées. Yields are amongst the lowest in Bordeaux, with the top properties enforcing their own strict quality controls. The Certan de May vineyards are planted 70% to Merlot, 25% to Cabernet Franc, and, unusually for Pomerol, 5% to the later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon which can struggle to ripen in the clay. The site has sandy gravel topsoils, and hard clay subsoil. From the outstanding 2010 vintage, this is a firmly structured, dense wine that could live for 25 years or more, but as most Pomerol is, approachable after around 5 years. Decadently rich and concentrated, this has a depth and power that is quite remarkable. Plum, blackberry, chocolate, cassis, coffee, orange peel, earth and forest floor layer headily on the palate, framed by long, firm tannins and haunting length.

+ EGLY-OURIET CHAMPAGNE

Egly-Ouriet is one of the revered grower-producers in Champagne, standing next to Jacques Selosse, Agrapart, and Larmandier-Bernier as the crown that graces this royal region. Francis Egly produces pure, unadulterated examples of Champagne in Montagne de Reims, the source of the greatest Pinot Noir grown in Champagne. With Grand Cru vineyards in Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay, as well as an old-vine Pinot Meunier vineyard in Vrigny, Francis Egly follows biodynamic and organic principals throughout all the vineyards, which are meticulously, carefully tended. No chemicals are used in any of the vineyards, and vineyard biodiversity is greatly encouraged. Egly-Ouriet produce a variety of cuvées from these very low yielding vines, and adopt a minimal intervention policy with their winemaking. They use a high quantity of reserve wines in the cuvées, giving intensity, complexity, and an inherent richness of style. These powerful, Pinot dominant wines are layered, complex and decadent, and stand out from the crowd of Champagne on the market like a beacon.

+ GAJA

GAJA is a revered name in Italy; and for good reason. Angelo Gaja put Barbaresco on the map, and alongside the commune of Barolo, propelled Italian wine into an entirely new sphere of quality. They are now some of the most sought-after wines on the planet, fetching often eye-watering prices due to their prestige and scarcity. The tiny town of Barbaresco grew from Angelo’s dream, and so too did Italian wine. When Angelo started work in 1961 on the family’s vineyards, no-one had heard of the region, and Italy in general was consigned to a footnote in most wine publications at the time. In Barbaresco, the soils are generally lighter than those of Barolo, and the wines are less tannic, more ethereally fragrant, with a haunting, lingering perfume that fills an entire room with ease. GAJA expanded from Barbaresco to produce wines in neighbouring Barolo, before venturing to Tuscany and crafting wines in Brunello di Montalcino and Bolgheri, the home of the Super Tuscans. Each wine is meticulously crafted, and each of these wines has a unique thumbprint that represents some of the highest quality achievable in the world.

+ LUCIANO SANDRONE

Unlike many of Barolo’s prestigious vignerons, Luciano Sandrone didn’t come from a winemaking background; instead, his father was a carpenter, and Luciano as a young man became interested in grape growing and winemaking. By the tender age of 21, he was the cellarmaster at the prestigious Marchesi di Barolo, where he began saving his money to buy his own plot of land in Cannubi Boschis. He made his first vintages in his parents’ garage, releasing his first wine in 1978. Today, Sandrone is a legendary Barolo producer, whose wines capture his focus, dedication to his craft and the earth where they were born. The most famous wines from the estate are Le Vigne and Aleste Barolo, previously known as Cannubi Boschis – which was renamed for his grandchildren Alessia and Stefano. This passionate dedication to quality is a family trait – his daughter Barbara and son Luca are involved in the daily operations of the winery, as well as his beloved grandchildren Alessia and Stefano. The wines are highly sought after worldwide, and Australia only receives a tiny amount each vintage, which disappears very quickly.

+ MATROT

Domaine Matrot is a white Burgundy specialist, with exceptional vineyards in the Côte de Beaune, the source of the greatest Chardonnay in the world. A sixth-generation family estate, they hold notable plots in Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet, which are farmed organically, attentively, and fussily pruned to control yields, resulting in concentrated, ripe fruit. Thierry Matrot is the current winemaker, with a firmly held philosophy that a wine should reflect its terroir and vintage. The Meursault he produces is decadent and rich, with reductive struck match and hazelnut perfume; silky floral, white peach, grapefruit and whirls of smoke, weaved beautifully together with fine acidity. The Pinot Noir produced by Matrot is singing, vibrant and with a purity of fruit that is best enjoyed younger than most traditional red Burgundy produced in the Côtes du Nuits. Crisp cherry and red berry fruit with hints of earth, these are lithe and light on their feet, ready to be devoured.

+ BRUNO GIACOSA

There’s no shortage of incredible winemakers in Piemonte, but the name Bruno Giacosa is truly legendary. One of the few producers who makes stunning wines out of both Barolo and Barbaresco, he is known for his exacting standards in the vineyard and winery, despite having a simple philosophy of respect for tradition. He is considered one of the greatest winemakers in the world. His stellar career begun in 1961 and continues to this day, despite suffering a stroke in 2006. He learned his craft from working with his father and grandfather in the cellar, and by the age of 13 was employed in the winery full-time. Working with them taught him how to select the best fruit parcels, and as a consequence he didn’t buy his first vineyard until 1982 – prior to that he simply bought the best parcels of fruit that he could get his hands on. Crus are only bottled in the best vintages, and if Giacosa feels the wine does not reach his towering standards, he declassifies it and sells it as Nebbiolo, or won’t bottle it at all. In addition to his outstanding talents with the Nebbiolo grape, he also crafts world class Barbera, Dolcetto, and with the help of Vietti, helped rescue Arneis from extinction. The name Bruno Giacosa on a wine label comes with a very solid guarantee of dazzling quality in the bottle.

+ TAUPENOT-MERME

Romain and his sister Virginie, the seventh generation of Taupenots, are now the guardians of this Côte de Nuits estate in Morey St-Denis. Stylistically, the wines are elegant and pure, with firmness in their youth. Their Chambolle-Musigny wines, in particular, are glorious examples of this beautiful village, with all the aromatic, silken charm that is the hallmark of the region. The Combe d’Orveau is produced from 70-year-old vines, a refined and sleek wine with red cherry, pomegranate, violets and crushed stone aromas, on a firm and tightly wound palate that will reward cellaring.

+ JEAN TARDY

Vosne-Romanee is well known among lovers of Burgundy; it is home to some of the greatest vineyards and vignerons on the Côte d’Or, including the legendary Domaine Romanee Conti. In this small patchwork of soil, Guillaume Tardy, Jean’s son, has steadily been building up their vineyard holdings since he left university and joined the family business in 1997. In 2001, he took over the winemaking from his father and has been going from strength to strength ever since. With only 5ha of vineyard holdings across Nuits-St-Georges, Vosne-Romanee and Chambolle-Musigny, there is only a tiny quantity of wine produced. Guillaume, who is still in his 30’s, has modernised the winemaking in the domaine, crafting elegant and harmonious wines that showcase fruit purity rather than oak, resulting in lithe, silky wines.

+ LEROY

It is impossible to understate the importance of Leroy in the wine of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. Madame Lalou Bize-Leroy is a legend in Burgundy, and her wines are consequently very hard to find. She took over from her father Henri as a négociant in 1955, and by 1974 was co-managing Domaine Romanee Conti, with Aubert de Villaine. Together, they helped create the world’s most sought-after wine. After leaving DRC she focused on acquiring her own vineyards, and put Leroy firmly on the map during the ‘90’s as one of Burgundy’s finest wineries. These days, she is producing what is considered by many to be the finest red burgundies around – vivid, profound expressions of terroir that are utterly seamless, with a concentration and purity that needs to be tasted to be believed. No corner is cut, no expense is spared, the attention to detail is apparent in both her beloved vineyards and the outstanding wines. They have no winemaker in the cellar, they simply have caretakers for the grapes – Lalou’s biodynamically farmed, tiny yielding old-vines are the true creator behind these great wines.

+ VIEUX TELEGRAPHE

To lovers of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Vieux Telegraphe needs no introduction. The Brunier brothers are among the most famed producers in the Rhône, and the wines of Vieux Telegraphe certainly reflect this. For the uninitiated, Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the oldest delineated wine region in the world. Translating to ‘the seat of the Pope’, the region was named after the schism within the Catholic Church in the 1300’s that saw the French papal-elect Clement V, refuse to move to the Vatican, instead moving his court to Avignon. Chateauneuf-du-Pape has a harsh and rugged climate, ripped through by the notorious Mistral wind, beaten by the sun, and a rough and craggy terrain littered with galets roulés, a quartzite rock that is an ancient remnant of alpine glaciers, rounded into smooth, large stones by the powerful Rhône river over millennia. These galets absorb the intense sun during the day, retaining heat and reflecting it onto the vines at night, aiding ripening. Frédéric and Daniel Brunier are the fourth generation of the legendary family that owns Vieux Télégraphe – one of the greatest estates in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, their site is a particularly hot micro-climate that allows them to harvest almost a week earlier than their neighbours. The plateau known as La Crau is considered the finest lieu-dit in the region, planted by Hippolyte Brunier in 1898. At a higher elevation than other sites in the region, it is exposed to the most extreme weather conditions this harsh terrain has to offer. The wines are powerful and classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the old-vine fruit from La Crau provides incredible depth, concentration and complexity. And despite the site’s precarious location, they are one of the few estates that produces good wines even in difficult vintages, a testament to the hard work and experience of the Brunier brothers. The little brother of La Crau, Telegramme, is a fresh and lithe wine, with incredible finesse and drinkability at an early age.

+ FELTON ROAD

The Pinot Noir produced in Central Otago is known internationally for its quality, thanks in part to the iconic Felton Road. Their wines are considered some of the finest Pinot Noirs produced outside of Burgundy. Unlike many wines out of Central Otago, they have a harmonious balance of fruit and structure, and a silken finesse. All their vineyards are biodynamically farmed, and meticulously cared for. Winemaker Blair Walter believes in letting the fruit speak for itself, and practises minimal intervention in the winery. Each of Felton Road’s wines has a clear and distinct identity, thanks in part to the incredible site selection that founder Stuart Elms undertook in 1992. The Elms vineyard is only 14.4 ha, but has been classified into 13 different soil types. Their most famous bottlings are the Block 3, Block 5, Calvert and Cornish Point; but even their entry level Bannockburn Pinot Noir is a silky, fine expression of what the slopes of Central Otago can achieve. In addition to their Pinot Noir, they also produce world-class Chardonnay and Riesling.

+ DRY RIVER

The enigma that is Neil McCallum is hard to pin down. He avoids the press, won’t do interviews, and never set up a cellar door, even though he was one of the pioneering vignerons in Martinborough, planting his Wairarapa site in 1979. His wines were only available via a mailing list, and in very limited quantities. He wouldn’t attend trade events, or enter his wines in wine shows. The mystery surrounding him quietly grew into a cult following. The free-draining, gravelly site produces complex, textural Pinot Noir that often takes years to fully blossom. In recent years the wines have become more approachable, due in part to new winemaker Wilco Lam, who is producing wines that both carry the Dry River tradition, while incorporating his own light touches to this New Zealand icon, tweaking the viticultural practises and winemaking and building on McCallum’s immense legacy.