Fine Wine

A small family grower in the famous village of Cumieres in the Marne valley. Pinot-dominated like most wines from this village, it's deep copper/gold and wonderfully peachy and lush, explosively juicy, and cracking value. The extended bottle ageing of this wine (6-8 years) is way longer most NV Champagnes and lends the wines its weight and character. But it's also fresh and lemony which is such a great combination. Judges on a Decanter tasting panel were all blown away by this Cuvée when tasting it blind with other Grower Champagnes in 2019, giving it 98 points and one of the best rated wines of the year. We love it too and have been shipping it direct from the Bertrand family since 2008.

Final assemblage: 55% Syrah, 35% Carignan & Cinsault and 15% Grenache Noir. Organically grown on schist, basalt and grés (sandstone) that yielded beautifully balanced fruit but at a very low 15 hl per ha. Manual harvest into small caskets. The Syrah and Grenache were both destemmed and vinified separately in 2yr and 5yr old 500l barrels (Saury). The Carignan was vinified on stems and in steel tank. The Cinsault was destemmed and vinified in steel tank. Natural yeast (no inoculated yeast used). Breeding took place in 2yr and 5yr old 500l barrels (Saury) for the Syrah and Grenache, and in steel tank for the Cinsault and Carignan, for a total time of 32 months with no batonnage. Bottled without fining or filtration. Bottled with a very, very low addition of sulphites (no sulphite additions at any point previously). No other additions at all. The wine has interest, complexity and depth, it is beautifully resolved - an elegant and pretty red-fruited wine with delightful freshness and length. With this quality and with the wines age, it’s a very nice offer indeed. The wine was selected (with one of the very highest scores) as one of 80 ‘Coups de Coeur’ by Guide Gault & Millau for the year 2020 Review below - "The colour appears black, intense with purple reflections. The nose presents an elegant maturity with predominantly fruity cherry and blackberry punctuated by spicy notes (pepper, cinnamon). In the mouth, the cherry is very present with other stone fruits (plum, prune). The leather and cocoa prolong a very fresh and digestible finish. The texture is dense and velvety. A complex and racy wine that evolves beautifully without losing its beautiful tension".

St Aubin has got to be one of the best value wines in Burgundy. This is a full-bodied, generous and precise wine. Easily accessible, it is the perfect accompaniment for aperitifs or a simple cooked meat (charcuterie), poultry or fish dishes.

Old vines, Amarone-style appassimento, tiny yields. Wonderfully extracted, deeply layered and complex. A year in French oak. V. classy. One of our biggest-selling wines. Old vines, Amarone-style appassimento, tiny yields. Wonderfully extracted, deeply layered and complex. A year in French oak. The 'Black Grape of Troy" another southern best. From Decanter "Left on the vine to partially dry, the grapes for this wine were not harvested until early November, giving it a powerful character and rich texture. Dark, liquorice-imbued fruits of the forest aromas alongside menthol and blueberry notes, almost medicinal. It is really rich on the palate with plummy, leathery flavours, macerated black cherries and even a hint of nectarine on the finish. Really gorgeous and complex..."

Lionel Comelade produces this stunning wine from ancient vine Macabeu and Grenache Gris grown on amazing black and white schist soil vineyards between Estagel and Latour de France in the Roussillon. Both white grapes were harvested later in the season in 1988 with high sugar levels. The grapes were partially fermented in concrete vats and then neutral brandy was added to stop fermentation and keep natural sweetness in the wine. Then the wine was passed to second use oak barrels and left in the cellar for 32 years before bottling (to order). No ‘topping up’ of the barrels occurred in the 32 years. The wine is tremendous, possibly surpassing the 1987. It is ‘ambre’ in colour. A bright, wild nose with orange rind, orange oil and warm spices. The pallet is thrilling with great complexity and depth with thrilling, wild acidity which really charms. Astonishing and quite unique. The wine is one of the best value fortified wines in the world. 32 years of age, so interesting and delicious. A steal at this price.

Long-established star winery of Santa Barbara. Creamy vanilla, rich but all in balance. Impressive. Santa Barbara County Chardonnay is a beautiful example of the Au Bon Climat style. The flinty, stony aromas stand out while in the background is a hard spice note from “sur lie” barrel aging. There are notes of lemon-lime and soft vanilla.

We thought this an absolute classic Coudoulet showing really good value for money. Deep ruby, with a complex nose of violet, cranberry, black fruit, and cocoa. This wine is instantly pretty in the glass. Full bodied with excellent acidty and a firm backbone of ripe tannin. Layers of flavour appear and recede: chocolate, plums, pâte de fruits, then mint, then black cherry, then seville orange. Impressive and rather moreish. Delightful now but should evolve nicely over the next decade.

This is glorious wine. The aromas are thrilling and uplifting with notes of fine cedar, pencil-lead, polished mahogany,chestnut and fine spice intermingling with the perfectly balanced fruit. The palate has finesse and elegance and drinks sort of like a cross between a fine Margaux and Burgundy. Do not expect big wine, but do expect a great mouthful. It's the best Classico Barolo that Renato Corino has made.

In this cuvée, Benjamin masterfully blends fruit from mostly Meursault, with some higher altitude chardonnay from the hills above Beaune which adds precision and finesse to this Bourgogne Blanc of unbeatable value. Large, old oak fermenting vessels and lees ageing help keep this wine remarkably fresh and elegant.

Another fantastic vintage from this wonderful producer. Beautiful, lithe, complex and fine Sangiovese. A wonderful effort in this tricky vintage.

Very attractive nose of white orchard fruit, pears even a hint of quince and a floral note. The same on the palate but with a sweet citrus note giving added juiciness. Subtle red apple fruit, full, perfectly balanced oak. Youthful but approachable right away. Fresh and vibrant, this is delicious, and great value!

From one of California’s top-rated vineyards, this outstanding Chardonnay displays fleshy brioche and ripe citrus flavours. Made in more of a Burgundian style rather than the big, rich, overly oaked examples that are becoming past fashionable. Beautifully constructed, fresh pear and white peach scents are sharpened by citrus notes. Great food wine, chicken or creamy cheeses pair especially well.

This is the thoroughbred of the Rives-Blanques stable, and the favourite at the sommelier’s table. La Trilogie is a very special limited-edition blend of the best barrels of handpicked chardonnay, chenin blanc and mauzac from their top fields.

A verry special wine from ancient plants of two of the rarest and very best vines for Soualnes terroir, Grenache Gris and Carignan Gris. This really does have everything. It's floral, honeyed orchard and citrus fruits added to its sumptuousness, its layers of texture and bright but not too spiky acidity. Very long with great balance and so much interest. Divine stuff that is here in tiny quantities. Published on decanter.com June 2022: Domaine des Soulanes, Vieilles Vignes Blanc, Côtes Catalanes, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 2021 90/100 "A lovely, vivacious white, made from Grenache Gris and the rare Carignan Gris. The aromas are forward and pretty, delicately honeyed and floral, with some bruised apple and tangy lemon. I like how the wine feels really textural and pithy in the mouth, with a fresh, herbal acidity". Drinking Window 2022 - 2031

Gold Medal Best In Class IWSC 2006 Orange/brown colour. Nice acid lift offsets the raisiny sweetness on the nose. Soft, rich-textured palate displays caramel flavours with balancing acidity and a long finish. "Lovely smoky, raisiny aromas; sweet, rich, A classic fortified wine.

"Gritty, granular, savoury. The sunflower seeds and meadow hay on the nose fold into pear puree and gem squash and roasted marrow on the palate – gentle, comforting, subtle with the warm, rounded, wholesome embrace of roasted white and green squash, a sprinkle of spice, a drizzle of olive oil. But there is also a pickled-jalapeño bite that builds into a salty tang-tempered clamp on the finish." (TC) 17/20 Jancis Robinson, May 2021, Grenache Gris 2018 "Bright straw yellow colour with silvery nuances, the nose offers a beautiful aromatic intensity around elegant fruity notes, white fruits, citrus peel, fresh floral touches and a slightly smoky mineral hint. The mouth is pleasant and pure, marked by a superb tension which brings freshness, saline touches and ample flavours brought by a magnificent aging on lees which prolong the persistence with harmony and elegance. Altogether a beautifully well-balanced wine leaving you with a compelling sensation of freshness." Dominique Laporte, Meilleur Sommelier de France, Meilleur Ouvrier de France Sommelier. Field selection and picking in small crates – Whole bunch pressing – Light racking – Natural vinification without sulphites in concrete egg tank and 500L barrels. Soil Type: Calcareous clay / Commune: Opoul-Périllos, Roussillon Ageing on full lees for 9 months – Racking off lees for clarification in tank – Bottled at the Domaine.

Famously delicate and sexy pink At the March 2022 Taste Champagne (300 wines) I have to say this stood out as one of the most delicious "drinking Champagnes" on show - and there were some very Showy wines on show that day. A huge success for us, easy to forget just how gorgeous it is - firstly it is so very savoury, forget the cherry fruits, it's more like Xmas cake, rhubarb, forest floor, nettle and nutmeg. When the glass is empty the aromas persist. This is Grand stuff, the stuff of deluxe cuvee, truly epic. And a dinner wine too. A cunning counsel for you - don't serve it too cold, err on the cellar-temperature side. March 2022. Of course the whole Billecart range is exceptional and impressive but the 'basic NV is a STEAL! Seriously, super-tight with Silex and citrus, grippy and bracing. On best-ever form.

Le Due Porte is 540 metres above sea level. Budbreak is later here, often avoiding issues with late frosts and snow. Ripening is slow and constant. The soil profile preserves humidity; important when making a wine such as Brunello that does not contemplate irrigation. Alberese has high levels of calcium carbonate which favors acidity, aided and abetted by the slower ripening and later harvest due to the exposition and altitude. We generally pick Le Due Porte as much as two weeks after our vineyards in Castelnuovo dell’Abate and are often amongst the last in Montalcino to harvest. The grapes develop organoleptic complexity from that extra hang-time and from the pronounced difference between day and night temperatures. In fact the altitude guarantees extreme thermal excursion even in hotter years which is wonderful for aromatic development. Over the last two decades we have seen, year after year, a pronounced character emerge in the fruit from this vineyard, a wine that maintains the typical structure of a Brunello vecchio stampo and epitomises finesse and elegance."

A refreshing, dry white with citrus lemon/lime notes, flinty minerality, and crisp finish. In the mouth the wine is rich and textural, from the time spent on lees in the barrel. This is a great match with shellfish of any kind, or richer white meats such as turkey or duck.

"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."

"Intense with a luminous ruby colour and garnet nuances, the nose reveals elegant notes of ripe black fruits and fresh red fruits, notes of black cherries and raspberry. Complex spicy notes and fine mineral smoky touches, a light and elegant infusion at low temperature. The palate is soft and light, the fruity and gourmet flavours dominate. Mineral and smoky touches bring freshness and highlight beautiful tender and perfectly integrated tannins. The result is balanced with a persistent long finish. " Dominique Laporte, Meilleur Sommelier de France, Meilleur Ouvrier de France Sommelier De-stemmed harvest - Natural vinification without the addition of sulphur - Very light extraction - Infusion, at low temperature - 15 days maceration before pressing - Only the free-run juice is kept. Soil type: Gneiss. The Commune: Cassagnes, Roussillon Aged in concrete eggs for 9 months.

Natural, biodynamic and vegan. Grenache, Carignan and now (for the first time) Mourvedre from 80 year old vines, Made without filtering or fining. Pale but gorgeous mid red colour. At first on the nose, you are like "What even is that?". Whatever it is, you know that you like it. Elegant, subtle fruit is intermixed with gentle herb, earth and savoury charachters. Deep and wonderful. On the palate the wine is elegant and deep again, but not heavy in the slightest. Ruffled fruit and savoury notes with minerality and real finesse. These wines are like no other from the Roussillon. Outstanding.

Strawberries and blackberries aromas slowly rise out of the glass. Overtime, more of the anise and clove will mix with these other aromas. Currently, the wine is young with mouth filling intensity and suppleness. Complexity will increase as the wine ages, but this wine should stay “fresh” for 6 or 7 years. In its youth, match this wine with lamb or dried meats. After a few years, as the flavors coalesce, it will pair better with salmon or mild red sauce with pasta.

92 Pts Tim Atkin This wine has a deep ruby red color and complex aromas, characteristic of violets, raspberries, wild mint and spicy notes. Medium-bodied with remarkable elegance and balance, leading to delicately sweet and subtle tannins. Single Vineyard from San Pablo Estate, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina . 10 months in French Oak Barrels of 225 liters: 15% first use and the rest in barrels of second and third use.