Fine Wine

No.7 is the second release from the "Collection Ayala" : unique champagnes produced in small quantities and only released when they reach their peak. The cuvée is a blend of 7 outstanding Grand Crus from the Cotes de Blancs and Montagne de Reims all from the 2007 vintage. Two thirds Chardonnay (from Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le-Mesnil-Sur-Oger, and Oger) and one third Pinot Noir (from Ay, and Verzy), the wine is aged under cork, as is Ayala's signature, for 11 years and finished with a mere 6g/l dosage. Lively, charismatic, perfect drinking now.

Big heady scent of dark fruit, leather and tobacco. Much more medium bodied compared to some of the recent vintages with good acidity and balance. Length is good with dry tannins, many years of life over which this will be enjoyed

Very dense red, quite intense concentration of Cabernet fruit, lots of extraction but elegance as well, a fine wine that needs time.

Founded in 1870 and owned by the Meffre family since 1961 Chateau du Glana remains one of the very few Saint Julien properties outside the 1855 Grand Cru Classification. As such it offers great value as everything is carried out to the same standard as a Grand Cru; the vineyards are next to 3rd Growth Ch Lagrange, 40% new oak is used and the grapes are extremely well tended. The 2014 vintage is a lovely wine, now ready to drink and very moreish. Big blackcurrant flavours, good ripesness of fruit and tannin, long and velvety. Lovely

The "second wine" here, the 2016 Le Petit Clos is a very different blend from the 2015; it is now mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with just 4% Merlot and 1% Carménère, while last year it was almost half Carménère. The vineyards are now certified in organic and biodynamic agriculture. The bunches were hand-destemmed, and the grapes fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and a six-week maceration. Malolactic was in barrique, and the élevage happened as follows: the wine spent seven months in new French barriques, and then 71% of the volume was transferred to French oak barriques (22% new and 49% second year), while the rest of the wine was put in oak vats. The élevage was 23 months in total. With the change in varieties, this feels very different from the Clos Apalta—more Cabernet here and more Carménère there. The nose is elegant and nuanced, with herbs, spices and a core of ripe red and black fruit, quite varietal and with integrated oak. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with round tannins and vibrant acidity, making it long and supple.

The "second wine" here, the 2016 Le Petit Clos is a very different blend from the 2015; it is now mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with just 4% Merlot and 1% Carménère, while last year it was almost half Carménère. The vineyards are now certified in organic and biodynamic agriculture. The bunches were hand-destemmed, and the grapes fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and a six-week maceration. Malolactic was in barrique, and the élevage happened as follows: the wine spent seven months in new French barriques, and then 71% of the volume was transferred to French oak barriques (22% new and 49% second year), while the rest of the wine was put in oak vats. The élevage was 23 months in total. With the change in varieties, this feels very different from the Clos Apalta—more Cabernet here and more Carménère there. The nose is elegant and nuanced, with herbs, spices and a core of ripe red and black fruit, quite varietal and with integrated oak. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with round tannins and vibrant acidity, making it long and supple.

Chateau Fargueirol is on great form and offers traditional Chateauneuf du Pape at a superb price. Ripe and garriguey nose with impressive concnetration but a nice easy going texture and ripe tannins that means it can be enjoyed young or after 3-10 years of cellaring.

"The 2003 Taylor’s has a lovely ripe, primal bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, vanilla and marmalade...The palate is medium-bodied with very composed, refined tannins that belie the heat of that summer. There is wonderful focus here and fine tension, the finish offering precise notes of black cherries, mulberry, cloves and white pepper. This is one of the finest Ports of a precocious vintage" 95 points Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate

The Fargueirol estate is named after the area of land called Fargueirol in the northern sector of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which is known to have some of the best terroir. The Revoltier family have 15ha of vines in this lieu dit and a further 15ha in other plots. They have just 1 hectare of white grape vines planted to Clairette, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc. The Clairette sees some oak fermentation while the other grapes are fermented in stainless steel. The wine is bottled young and can be enjoyed in it syouth or up to 5 years of age. It combines a succulence of ripe tree fruit with some leesiness and minerality.

A great wine from a great vintage, and in magnum to boot.

"Saline, restrained aromas. Lightly toasty, a little floral, then apricots and peaches. Long, mineral, and toasty. Great persistent acidity throughout. Yum." AA, Feb 2021

Nicely mature Pomerol made from 95% Merlot. Plummy,vanilla nose with velvety tannins and ripe bright fruit. Great with steak. From south-facing slopes at Château Ferrand, this generous wine has a beautiful deep pomegranate colour and typical scents of violets, ripe plums, cherries and blackcurrants. There is plenty going on besides these fruity and floral notes, with suggestions of cedar, old leather, truffles and coffee beans roasting. In the mouth, there's a delicious, silky smoothness of elegant and perfumed fruit, with, again, supporting flavours of coffee and herbs, with supple tannins in a long, satiny finish.

The 2014 Domaine de l'Eglise has a lifted bouquet with blackberry, raspberry coulis, mint and menthol aromas that are quite intense and seem to gain vigor with aeration. The palate is well balanced with smooth, velvety tannin. It demonstrated more complexity than its stablemate La Croix du Casse, with hints of truffle and dark chocolate lacing the finish. It might lack a little finesse, but this Pomerol is undeniably packed full of flavor.

Mid ruby, garnet rim, ripe and juicy, sweet fruit, lovely and a bargain for real Pauillac.

Alternative label to Ch Haute Breton Larigaudiere, and much easier to say, this is classic Margaux at an affordable price. This wine is a deep ruby-red with intense, refined ripe red fruit aromas and elegant notes of vanilla and violet. It starts out powerful on the palate with a long, fresh aftertaste..

"Toasty, broad, and fleshy as is the style. Rather sumptuous, oak and toast but great mineral undertow throughout. Long and polished. Some tropical, even a slight green mango on the finish. Good." AA, Feb 2021

Ch Coutet is a wonderful dessert wine producer, where the sweetness and acidity are in perfect balance, allowing the wine to age as well as offer instnat pleasure. A very classy wine to complete the perfect dinner.

Good intensity on the nose. Step up from village wine. Spicy oak. Melon, pineapple, blossom, honeysuckle. Juicy fruit. Mineral structure. Good acidity, weigh, and freshness. 60% new oak apparently, but only a very light toast on the barrels.

Really delightful wine from a top vineyard site in Santenay village, made from very old vines.

"Very fruity. Loads of cherry and wild strawberry. Intense. Lots going on. Full and plush. Really high acidity again. Needs time to settle and integrate. Tannins on the cheeks, gently grippy. Will settle in time." AA, Feb 2021

"Some earthy savoury spice on the nose. Intriguing. Big and broad. Sumptuous cocoa powder like tannins. Fruit, complete, delicious. Acid and alcohol both in check. Will continue to age gracefully, but absolutely delicious now." AA, Feb 21

Gilles Remoriquet is not a winemaker who rests on his laurels. He is forever looking for ways to improve his wines. Most recently he has been to the Jura to see a specialist about selecting the right blend of manure and has bought a second sorting table which eliminates under-ripe berries by flotation! Cuvaisons are long, giving a light colour yet concentrated, intense fruit flavours. Remoriquet is one of the top estates in Nuits but the prices have yet to catch up. At the top of the range the Vosne-Romannée 1er Cru au dessous des Malconsorts is situated next to La Tâche and tastes like it is! "Good meaty, powdery, cocoa dusted tannin through out. Persistent, savoury, ripe victoria plum and raspberry underneath. Long, serious, elegant" AA, Feb 2021

Remi Jeanniard is a new find and makes delicate and scintillating wines from 8 hectares of prime 'dirt' in the Cotes de Nuits. His Morey St Denis Villages red is just great, and you can enjoy it straight away. "A little stalky on the nose at first. A lot of raspberry fruit. Chewy tannin too. Less opulent than the Chambolle. Persistent and savoury on the finish." AA, Feb 2021

Remi Jeanniard is a hands on grower working just over 7 hectares of vines in and around Morey-St Denis. When asked who helps him at harvest time, the answer is simple: he does. The vines are much older than average, with all of his Vieilles Vignes village bottlings being at least 50 years old. This gives a natural concentration to the wines which are both well structured and elegant. Remi is a firm believer that wines are made in the vineyard and this shows through in the pure, concentrated style of the wines and the cautious use of new oak. Remi practices partial whole bunch fermentation, keeping 20% of the stems for Villages wines, 30% for 1er Cru wines, and 50% for Grand Cru. "Denser aromas. Savoury, dark cherry, wild raspberry. Oak evident at first on the palate. Tannins more savoury. Plenty of fruit underneath." AA, Feb 2021

Remi Jeanniard is a hands on grower working just over 7 hectares of vines in and around Morey-St Denis. When asked who helps him at harvest time, the answer is simple: he does. The vines are much older than average, with all of his Vieilles Vignes village bottlings being at least 50 years old. This gives a natural concentration to the wines which are both well structured and elegant. Remi is a firm believer that wines are made in the vineyard and this shows through in the pure, concentrated style of the wines and the cautious use of new oak. Remi practices partial whole bunch fermentation, keeping 20% of the stems for Villages wines, 30% for 1er Cru wines, and 50% for Grand Cru. A new wine for the Domaine from vines in the middle of Morey. Oodles of juicy blueberry fruit and a lovely balance of power and finesse.

"Oak evident. More aromatic - almond, white pear, white peach. Versatile. Lovely, rich, vibrant. Soft sweetness on the finish. Fruit, acid, and oak all in balance. Will develop." AA, January 2021

Another perennial favourite, this is an old vine Syrah-dominated cuvee that comes from vines around the village of Roaix, which is northeast of Gigondas. Its vibrant ruby color is followed by terrific notes of blueberries, blackberries, pepper and resinous herbs, and it has a kiss of vanilla that will be completely integrated by the time this sees the inside of a bottle. This is a medium to full-bodied, ultra-pure beauty. "Old vine Syrah. Bramble and blackcurrant fruit with plenty of creamy oak in the mix too." AA, Jan 2021

Delicious fruit, classic and classy. This demonstrates charm and finesse with a spherical feel. True Châteauneuf, as it should be "Big, rich, and bruising. Coconut, plums, dense dark fruits, and a savoury olive tang. Elegant seamless tannin throughout." AA, Jan 2021

The soils of Goldert Grand Cru and Jurassic limestone marl, the same as in southern Jura. This is a stunning wine. Floral, pretty, aromas at first, then a hint of peach yoghurt, and a final menthol, eucalyptus whiff. On the palate alongside these explosive flavours there is some charming toastiness and salinity. This salinity goes hand in hand with the acidity to create a wine of precision and balance. The Goldert Muscat has remarkable ageing potential. We were lucky enough to taste the 1964 at the winery. An intriguing, dry, salty wine, but charming all the same. The nose was complex with petrol-like characters, wormwood, orange pith, polish, camphor, and sweet spice. The palate was bone dry, and though the fruit had faded, the wine still had great persistence with a gentle acidity swathe of acidity running all the way through. Tasted at the Domaine March 2020, AA

Tasted at the Domaine March 2020 "Slight rosiness to the colour. A very different wine. Meaty, savoury aromas. A broad, fleshy palate, yet precise with no oiliness. It’s almost beyond any Pinot Gris I’ve ever tasted. A touch of florality on the finish brings the wine back in to line. Refreshing and foody." AA