WINE REVIEW
To say that I’ve been hounding winemaker Tommy Grimshaw with messages asking when I could get my hands on the first release of Yarn, a collaborative project with Alessandro Fraquell of Jim Barry Wines in South Australia, would perhaps be an understatement. When I heard Tommy had his own wine on the way, and reading the initial impressions of the lucky few that had tasted, I knew that it would be exactly my kind of thing, and I had to try it.
I first connected with Tommy back in 2016 when he was making waves with Pinot Noir at Sharpham Vineyard in Devon. He joined Langham Wine Estate in 2019 as Assistant Winemaker, and quickly made an impression before assuming his position as Head Winemaker. The years that followed have seen countless Gold Medal and Trophy-winning wines, as well as some of my very favourite wines from each and every year.
Yarn’s mission statement is to ‘take the best fruit, from the best growers each year and craft something beautiful’. Talking with Tommy frequently, this has always been his mantra; it’s all about making sure the fruit is of the best quality possible, and then preserving that beauty through careful and considered winemaking. Tommy and Alessandro have definitely hit the brief with this wine. Each release of Yarn will be made of fruit from different origins, and will be different in composition in terms of grape variety.
This first release is made from 2020 vintage fruit and is a blend of 64% Chardonnay and 36% Pinot Noir, all sourced from D’Urberville Vineyard in Dorset. The grapes were pressed slowly in an oxidative environment, without the use of sulphites, then racked in to neutral French barrels before indigenous fermentation for eight months. The wine went through full Malo and was bottled in August 2021 where it sat on lees for three years before being disgorged with zero dosage and no sulphites once again. It has spent a further year under cork before release this month.
The colour of this wine is radiant and golden, and the nose exudes opulence with its complex mixture of nectarine and peach skin, almond, nutty pastry and citrus peels.
On the palate, there’s a stimulating burst of GPS-precision with Bramley apple and lemon intensity. But this is not an acidity overload despite its zero dosage. The mid-taste offers riper orchard fruit and fleshy nectarine, underpinned by roasted almond and sourdough toast. This wine manages to balance indulgence and angular accuracy perfectly. One moment it’s direct and razor sharp, the next nuanced and involving.
