Ben Jackson, senior PR and communications manager at Hallgarten & Novum, admits it’s been quite the year, despite the sometimes challenging trading environment.
“Over the past few months, we’ve increased the size of our portfolio from 1200 to 1600 wines and our staff headcount from 100 to 150. Being owned by Coterie Holdings has enabled us to focus on the regional off-trade, which has been going very well, and on the premium dining segment which is still in a good place.”
"Fascinating to see so many producers meeting the Hallgarten Eco Standard," says Keay.
Speaking to me at the London event, held in the South Bank’s iconic OXO Building, Jackson says The Tasting Tour is aimed at showing what Hallgarten & Novum's wines are.
“Obviously with so many wines now we can’t show everything but we can show off some of the best of the portfolio.”
Looking through the tasting booklet it was fascinating to see so many producers meeting the Hallgarten Eco Standard, meaning they are sustainable in terms of the environment, energy management, water management and social responsibility. Almost all producers meet this to some degree, from Gold Star, through Silver and Bronze, to Developing. Good job and great to see the classifications set against each producer.
This being HN Wines with chief buyer Steve Daniel in the mix, there was plenty of choice including some cracking wines from Greece, Italy and Spain but also great sparkling wines from Champagne and beyond: a decent new Prosecco Superiore, Contrada Granda Brut and some excellent Franciacorta from Guido Berlucchi (the delicious 61 Saten Brut NV) and Bellavista (the focused, precise and elegant Teatro alla Scala Brut 2020).
Keay's Top 10 wines from The Tasting Tour
Wines from England were also showing well with Wiston Estate’s medal winning Brut NV and Rosé NV (reportedly served during President Trump’s recent state visit though not to him obvs, with the Orange menace sticking to his Diet Coke) and two new names using the best Essex grown grapes to produce two very different wines, London Clay (Brut and Rose NV tank method sparklers made especially for HN Wines) and Libertine, made 60/40% from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
This last wine makes the first of my Top 10 from the tasting. Produced by two MWs who have fallen in love with the gravel, clay and sand soil of Essex, this pink Charmat sparkler is full on, with a surprisingly deep flavour suggesting strawberries and cherries. Really pretty decent.
As is my second, the 1757 Rosé from Champagne Abele 1757, established in that year which makes it the fourth oldest champagne house. This had a lovely floral, slightly saline flavour to it (as did the 1757 Brut and Blanc de Blancs) - but the pink gets my vote. These wines were reputedly served in First Class on the Titanic - the fact passengers probably weren’t able to finish all the bottles (being just five days out from Southampton) and that there may be some still lying on the floor of the Atlantic, somehow adds a poignant coda to the tragedy.
This has been a great year for drinking Provence rosé and as the sun was shining on the Thames outside, I was rather taken by Maïa Provence Rosé, a 2024 blend of Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rolle (so pretty much all the region’s usual varieties). New to HN, this is very moreish, showing some complexity, probably reflecting the fact the grapes were picked at night and have extended lees contact. Great texture and a nice, strawberry finish.
My fourth wine probably needs no introduction to readers of this site but I include it because the producer Banfi is new to HN and the wine in question, Brunello di Montalcino 2019, is just singing right now despite its youth. Intense ruby red, almost garnet in colour, this is remarkably complex with smooth tannins and suggestions of blackberry and blackcurrant on the palate. Surprisingly easy drinking too, I’m happy to say, confirming 2019 as one of the truly great years for Brunello. And of course it will age wonderfully.
Wines Five and Six are from Greece highlighting two of that country’s best varieties.
Alpha Estate’s Single Estate Hedgehog Xinomavro from Amyndeo in northern Greece has, for me at least, felt rather hit and miss in some past vintages but the 2022 shown here is spot on, benefitting from the region’s high altitude and clay/limestone soils which are perfect for this complex and tricky variety. Like so many producers here, Alpha Estate gets a Gold for meeting the Hallgarten Eco Standard – laudably, particularly when the result is a wine as delicious as this, with great length and complexity. Good value too for a high end Xinomavro.
There was a large, immovable gaggle of people in front of the next wine, unsurprisingly perhaps, because Gaia Wines’ Ammonite Assyrtiko 2023 from Santorini is quite possibly the best example of that trendy variety. Prices of Santorini Assyrtiko hit a new high this year after another troubled vintage reinforced the ongoing supply issues caused by vineyards being pulled up for tourism development. This is wonderfully rich and expressive wine, volcanic in character reflecting that it comes from a 100-year-old single vineyard (Thalassina) located in the most iconic of Santorini PDO locations, Megalahori. Pricey, for all the above reasons, but really worth every penny.
My seventh choice comes from another producer meeting the Hallgarten Eco Standard, and probably exceeding it, is another new signing for HN, Alois Lageder. I have fond memories of being shown around this leading Alto Adige/Sud Tirol property by the fascinating Alois around 10 years ago.
A disciple of biodynamic viticulture long before it became fashionable, Alois’ knowledge of what makes nature tick, and how good winemaking is connected to understanding not just soils and climate but so much more, still resonates. Founded back in 1833 Alois Lageder is now being run by the sixth generation, led by Alois’ daughter, the very capable Helena who says the excellence of the wines reflects the dolomitic limestone and volcanic soil of the mountainous, historically and ethnically mixed region.
Helena also stresses the importance of its historic evolution (it was part of the Hapsburg Empire until its collapse after WW1 and its transfer to Italy). “Diversity is key” she insists and the Pinot Noir 2021 shown here demonstrates that. A step down from the more prestigious Krafuss this is a delicious, surprisingly rounded and expressive Pinot, slightly Germanic in character (as befits this former corner of the Hapsburg Empire) but juicy with a long finish. Good value too.
To what was once called the New World for my last three wines.
Viña Vik from Chile probably needs no introduction to those familiar with this site, and my friend and colleague Geoffrey Dean was lucky enough to visit this amazing winery last year. Included in HN’s Fine Wines offering – alongside Gaia’s Ammonite, Argentina’s El Enimigo, the Rhône’s Château de Saint Cosme and Vietti (both of whose Barolos, Lazzarito 2020 and Monvigliero 2020 were showing very well) – this is the very definition of a fine wine, a wine that doesn’t let you go. VIK 2019 is a full-on blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Cabernet Franc, an amazingly rich and powerful nose, full-on intense fruit flavours (the wine is 14.5% but frankly is so rich and viscous feels as if it could be more) with suggestions of blackcurrant and blackberry. So moreish I could frankly have walked off with the bottle.
Staying in the southern hemisphere but moving to the other side of the world, Neudorf – from Nelson in New Zealand’s South Island – is another new producer for HN and a very good one too. I loved both the wines shown here, the Pinot Gris Tiritiri 2023 is joyful, nicely expressive, mid weight with suggestions of peach and apricot but my vote goes to the Rosie’s Block Amphora Chardonnay 2023.This is what you might call an atypical Chardonnay, the grapes being aged in clay amphora, giving the wine tension and complexity but without losing the fruit. An enjoyable take on the famous varieties.
For those wanting a more traditional New World Chardonnay, my final wine is just that. Sanford’s Chardonnay 2022 from the Santa Rita Hills in California isn’t full-on Napa or Sonoma in style, but it does have that warm, pleasing oaky-ness supporting the plentiful fruit on the palate, a balanced wine that shows well on first tasting but evolves nicely. This could only be from California, in a good way and was a nice ending to the tasting.
It would be somehow remiss of me not to mention Dreamsake, a modern Daiginjo No 1 smooth Japanese sake made from 100% Nishiki rice, and another new drink in the HN stable. With 15.5% alcohol this is designed to fill the space between traditional sake and wine – and largely succeeds. Certainly worth trying.
Dreamsake proves the point that HN seems to have secured that trick of offering old, highly regarded favourites alongside new, experimental offerings – and at some pretty decent prices, given the current environment. As we head towards the festive season, Hallgarten & Novum seems well placed to make the most of it.
Hallgarten & Novum is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here.
