Thank you very much for your continued patronage of Bokumo Wine.
We have just started selling the latest vintage from Vandal, a winery that is a hot topic every year for its unique winemaking.
What is VANDAL?
VANDAL is a producer that stands out among the many New Zealand wines. Since starting in 2016, they have been committed to making wine using methods that are not standard in New Zealand. Their faces are shrouded in mystery, and the three producers always wear masks when appearing in photographs.
The style of wine they make is to "ferment using wild yeasts from Marlborough" and "take as natural an approach as possible, such as minimizing the addition of SO2 and finishing the wine unfined and unfiltered."
This method of production results in wines that are "shaky" in a good way, and will not taste like most other NZ wines. Naturally, their wines will taste different from year to year.
The 2021 vintage that arrived this time has a different character from last year's. We hope you will enjoy the unique taste of this natural wine.
As in previous years, four types of wine arrived.
- Vandal Gonzo Pet Bat 2021
- Vandal Gonzo Resistance 2021
- Vandal Gonzo Milesha 2021
- Vandal Gonzo Combat Rouge 2021
Let me introduce them one by one.
①Vandal Gonzo Pet Bat 2021
Natural foam with strong flavor
A rustic-style lightly effervescent sparkling wine (with a cloudy consistency) is called "Petillant Naturel = Pet Nat." This wine was named "PET BAT" after the name Petillant Naturel.
The picture shows a bat.
This label is made of luminous material and when exposed to light, it glows faintly in the dark.
Pet Nat is now popular worldwide, but it is hardly produced in New Zealand, where clean winemaking is popular. It doesn't matter if it's cloudy, as long as it's delicious. This is the challenge of the Vandals.
The taste is sour and slightly bitter with citrus, with a milky mellowness added to it. Overall, it has a gentle flavor, and is the most approachable of the four Vandals in this review.
It can be paired with a wide range of meals, so it would be nice to have one on the table and enjoy drinking it with friends from appetizers to main dishes. It goes particularly well with prosciutto and fruit salads and boiled sausages.
②Vandal Gonzo Resistance 2021
A white that breaks the mold of NZ wine?
A one-of-a-kind Sauvignon Blanc that will take you to uncharted territory.
This wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc.
However, it has a complex flavour that is quite different from the typical refreshing style of Marlborough.
The grapes are left de-stalked and the whole bunches are subjected to carbonic maceration (i.e. fermentation in closed tanks similar to that used for Beaujolais Nouveau) using wild yeast.
Because it has been aged in barrels for six months, the taste is mellow rather than fresh. However, due to the bitter and astringent taste that is thought to come from the stems, the taste is somewhat reminiscent of "orange wine."
In addition, the wine is not clarified or filtered, and only a minimal amount of S02 is added at bottling.
Every year, I take a sip and amazed, thinking, "There's Sauvignon Blanc like this!"
This wine has a complex umami flavor and a slightly bitter taste, and goes well with Japanese dishes with a strong dashi flavor, such as meat and potatoes and chicken hotpot. It also goes well with pork teriyaki.
→ Vandal Gonzo Resistance 2021
③Vandal Gonzo Milisha 2021
The unorthodox orange wine
Orange wine made from seven types of grapes.
However, if the definition of orange wine is "fermented white grapes," then this wine may fall outside the orange wine category.
However, our sommelier, Iwasu, tasted it and thought it tasted exactly like orange wine, a natural, flavorful and delicious wine.
This wine is made in a style known as a "field blend," which means blending all the grape varieties planted in the vineyard.
This method is a throwback to the days when winemaking was not well understood with grape varieties, and although it can be seen in Europe and neighbouring Australia, it is still rare in New Zealand.
Naturally, the taste is a matter of "what comes out first," but this is also one of the joys of Vandal. This year's wine had a firm astringency from the skin and seeds, and it was like a cross between white wine and red wine.
Fermented and aged in barrels using wild yeast. Bottled without clarification or filtration. Minimal SO2 addition.
This wine has a long-lasting, gentle flavor and a spicy aftertaste, making it a perfect match for meat dishes such as braised pork and roast beef. It is also ideal for Chinese dishes such as stir-fried pork with green peppers and pork and celery, as well as Thai and Vietnamese dishes that use herbs.
④Vandal Gonzo Combat Rouge 2021
Pino + α = New individuality
This is the only red wine in the Vandal series.
The main grape variety is Pinot Noir , but it is boldly blended with supporting varieties such as the white grape Viognier and the black grape Cabernet Franc , making this an unconventional blended wine.
We use wild yeast and carbonic maceration (the same method as Beaujolais Nouveau) with the whole bunches.
The aroma has a strong raspberry impression, with a hint of floweriness. Perhaps the addition of Viognier gives this rich aroma.
When you put it in your mouth, you can enjoy the pleasant lightness of Nouveau and the gentle berry flavor. However, there is also a pleasant astringency that lingers on your tongue in the aftertaste. This is probably due to the Cabernet Franc. The impression I got from this Combat Rouge was that the individual characteristics of each grape play a role.
Although it may seem like a gentle Pinot, it also has a strong tannin content, so it is best paired with meat dishes. It goes well with simply sauteed lamb or beef with spices. Roasted duck would also be good.
→ Vandal Gonzo Combat Rouge 2021
The set is available at a great price
This time, we are offering a 4-bottle set that allows you to enjoy all of Vandal at a 10% discount. Of course, since the price exceeds 10,000 yen, we will also cover the shipping costs.
Please enjoy their "challenging wines" at a great price.
→ [Shipping costs covered by our store] Set of 4 latest works from Vandal the Destroyer
