In the news
We like our wines. You like our wines. Lots of times, wine critics and judges like our wines as well. So, if you want to know what all the cool kids think you should be drinking, check out this list.
Domaine Comelade Le Barral Rivesaltes Ambre 1990 Vin Doux Naturel, £24.99
Recommended in: Tamlyn Currin: ‘Roussillon’s sweet wines – cooler than you think‘ JancisRobinson.com, 15 February, 2024.
What she says: ‘ It’s so stupendously beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes. The best Le Barral yet? How on earth is this wine just £25?’
Please note: Tamlyn Currin actually mentions several of our wines in this review. Others are:
Even more love from Decanter!
This month’s (January 2024) Decanter has Matthew Jukes reflecting on some of his favourite Australian wines of the year. We carry three of them:
The wine: Larry Cherubino, Laissez Faire Field Blend, Pemberton, Western Australia, Australia 2022 £19.95
What he says: ‘I’ve not enjoyed any complex white blend in the past year more than this wine. Laissez Faire is a hands-off, ‘let it be’ collection, and these wines are among the most intellectually pleasing and deeply rewarding in the country. Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Gris, with some skin contact and six months in French oak; this is total class.’
What he says: ‘Although Vasse Felix had made traditional-method sparkling since the mid-1980s, the 2019 vintage that made it into the 2022 100 Best report was my staggeringly exciting introduction to this wine. And it took no more than a nanosecond to realise that this 2020 is another exquisite wine. It reminds me of some of my favourite Côte des Blancs classics with brittle, long, gleamingly fresh Chardonnay and discreet moments of tenderness.’
The wine: De Bortoli, Noble One Botrytis Semillon, Riverina, New South Wales, Australia 2020 £21.99
What he says: ‘Noble One is an Aussie legend, and when you consider its value for money, it is at the top of the pile. I am lucky to have tasted every vintage of this wine back to the inaugural 1982, and this 2020 is up there with the very best. The opulent orange blossom and honey-soaked palate is perfectly balanced by crisp acidity on the finish, keeping it keen and classy.’
Gramillette Pet Nat 2022. Dom. Gramiller Vin de France, £19.00
Recommended in: Fiona Beckett: ‘What wine will we be drinking most in 2024‘ The Guardian, 29 December, 2023.
What she says: ‘ This charming, semi-sparkling wine ticks several boxes: it’s pink, it’s a pet nat and it’s moderate in alcohol; it’s reasonably priced, too, for a natural wine. Plus it tastes, rather deliciously, of rhubarb and makes you think of spring.’
A lot of love from Decanter!
In various round-up articles, on top and favourite wines of 2023, a number of our wines get mentioned. Since there are several of them, I’m going to include them together here. Unfortunately, to read the articles, and see the full reviews, you need to have a subscription to Decanter.
(Please note, as of posting this, the two sherries are out of stock, but due in in the next few days. If other wines show as out of stock on the website, please contact one of our shops to see if they have any.)
The wine: Domaine Danjou-Banessy Estaca Rouge, 2020, £59.99
Where: Matt Walls: My top wines of 2023
What he says: ‘Well, this is awkward. Top of the list of my wines of the year isn’t a Hermitage or Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but an IGP Côtes Catalanes … Everything about the wine was extraordinary. The colour was a pale cherry red with an orange tint. The aromatics were sublime.’ Read Decanter’s Review.
The wines: Pieropan, Soave Classico 2022, £19.99
Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay 2021, £16.99
Hidalgo, Pastrana Manzanilla Pasada
Where: Tina Gellie, Wines of the Year 2023: Value category and top scorers
The wines: Louis Roederer, Collection 243. £55
Kanonkop, Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, 2019, £39.99 (only 2018 currently available)
Château Beau-Site, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, 2019, £29.99
Hidalgo, La Gitana Manzanilla En Rama, £19.99
Domaine Gayda Altre Cami Grenache Noir, IGP Pays d’Oc, France 2020, £26.99
Recommended in: David Williams: ‘Grilling stuff: southern French red wines for barbecues‘ The Guardian, 13 August, 2023.
What he says: ‘ Much of the best grenache in southern France, meanwhile, is found in the Pyrenean lands of the Roussillon towards the border with Spain, a part of France with a strong Catalan feel, hence the name of the gorgeous grenache that is Altre Cami (which means ‘another path’ in Catalan), a pure, polished, fragrant expression in both the 2020 and (just released) 2021 vintages..’
Muscadet Sevre & Maine Sur Lie Le Fleuron 2021, Loire, France. £9.99
Recommended in: Fiona Beckett: ‘French Wines for less than a tenner‘ The Guardian, 14 July, 2023.
What she says: ‘ Absolutely classic muscadet – pure, crisp and clean. Bring on the oysters.’
PLEASE NOTE: The 2021 vintage, reviewed above, is currently out of stock. The link will take to you to the current vintage, the 2022, at £11.00
Lopez de Heredia, Vina Tondonia, Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain, £200.00
Recommended in: Sarah Jane Evens: ‘Rioja gran reserva: my top 20‘ Decanter, 15 February, 2023.
What she says: ‘Take time to appreciate its qualities in the glass: the youthful aspect; the medium body; the layers of red fruits and mature tannins.’
Vasse Felix Chardonnay 2020, Margaret River £29.99
Recommended in: Fiona Beckett: ‘It’s time to rediscover chardonnay. You may like it …,‘ The Guardian, 7 October, 2022.
What she says: ‘Lovely, creamy chardonnay with that seductive, smoky, “struck-match” character.’
Fiano Ciaca Bianca 2021 Mandrarossa £12.99
Awarded: ‘Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 Best in Show 97/100’
What they say: ‘Drunk as long ago as the thirteenth century (by Emperor Frederic II) yet abandoned and almost extinct by the 1970s, the Campanian variety Fiano’s story prefigures that of the Northern Rhone’s Viognier. There’s a similarity in profile, too, notably the variety’s captivating scent, which is much in evidence in the irresistably floral aromas of this Value Best in Show from Siciliy. In the mouth, though, Fiano often has an acidic poise and freshness all of its own, combined with haunting flavours of citrus, nougat and grenadine — and more of those fresh aromatic flowers. All of those notes are packed exuberantly into this energetic young wine. Submissive and shy it isn’t — but there’s Italian class here too.’
The wonderful wines of Domaine des Lampyres
Mentioned: On JancisRobinson.com ‘Lampyres, a Vin de France trio from Roussillon‘
What they say: ‘Each of the three was, for me, a coup de coeur. … There are so many reasons why. For one, they sum up the essence of Roussillon. Slightly wild, defiantly fresh, edgy, Catalan, windswept, resilient: wines of stone, sun and relentless winds and utterly themselves. But it is also the complexity of the wines, the endless length, the vibrating terroir transmission, the interesting artisan/garagiste honesty of them, the intensity of the fruit. The fruit… oh the fruit. .’ (Tamlyn Curry)