Fine Wine

Intense nose of real concentration. Vibrant and jewelly – like essence of Central Otago but with a drier finish than many. Still very youthful and savoury. Great stuff! 2020 Vintage Jancis Robinson MW

A masterpiece of subtlety, and class, and poise. I hope I don't sound like a wine snob by saying I guess you need to have enjoyed the Greats of white wine such as Grand Cru Chablis to 'get' where this fits in. They could easily have made a blockbuster Chard, or an oaky beast, but this is fine, so fine. Smells like crushed marble and distant pine trees. Not cheap, admittedly, but treat yourself to a glass a night over four or five days (it opens up remarkably). I've always been a fan and rated them the best of 15 Tuscan estates I visited back in 2000. Deep straw yellow, I Sistri has a classic ripe-fruit Chardonnay nose, with a blend of tropical fruit and vanilla and appealing notes of spice. It displays elegant structure with a fresh acidity and a superb finish.

From its tempting aromas of ripe cherry and black raspberry to its sweet, dusty tannins and supple texture, this a lush and expansive expression of Napa Valley Merlot. Luxurious flavours of black plum, rhubarb crumble and chocolate-covered raspberry mingle with hints of graphite and clove on the long, vibrant finish.

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

The vineyard is located in Vayotz Dzor, which is historically known as the most prestigious wine region in Armenia. This is a wine for those who think they have tried everything! The palate reflects the exotic nose with hints of soft red fruits, dried mountain herbs and wild earth. Generous and soft, with balanced, full-bodied structure and mature tannins before a long, evolved mineral finish.

100% Grenache from 130+ year old vines. Complex floral aromas. On the palate the fruits, such as raspberry and morello cherry, are crunchy and fresh. There is also a very strong stony/mineral feeling. The finish is long and pure. A vibrant wine.

The bouquet is open and rich yet also wonderfully fresh. It offers an explosion of ripe, delicate fruit with intense notes of mirabelle plum from the Pinot noir, complemented by sweet lemon meringue pie and delicate notes of jasmine from the Chardonnay. The nose opens up to reveal autolytic characters and evolves towards smoky, roasted notes and freshly baked pastries. The palate is deep and dense with a big, well-structured backbone. The texture is simply mesmerising with its fleshy mouthfeel from the Pinot noir that coats the palate before giving way to an incredible saline freshness with a pleasant hint of bitterness. This wine combines the strength, intensity and power of the delectably ripe Pinot noirs which are balanced to perfection by the chalky freshness and density from the Chardonnay which forms the majority of the blend. Collection has all its warmth and generosity thanks to the perfect ripeness of the fruit harvested in the 2018 vintage, yet it is the freshness, energy and complexity of the ‘Réserve Perpétuelle’ created in 2012, as well as the texture imparted by the oak ageing, that extend and elongate the wines’ body resulting in unrivalled finesse and persistence.

Wine Advocate: 91 Points "Croix's 2019 Beaune Village is showing beautifully wafting from the glass with a perfumed bouquet of orange rind rose petals warm spices and red berry fruit. Medium to full-bodied ample and sumptuous with lively acids and melting tannins it's a blend dominated by Les Pointes des Tuvilains a site below premier cru Les Chouacheux that produces very gourmand charming wines. The challenging 2021 growing season really tested producers' viticultural mettle and because I have begun farming a tiny parcel in Beaune opposite one of David Croix's I was able to survey with admiration how beautifully healthy his vines remained despite all the vicissitudes of frost oidium and mildew that nature threw at us. A walk around the appellation confirmed that his holdings in Les Teurons and Bressandes fared just as well. All that's to say that Croix's well-deserved reputation as one of the leading talents among his generation in the Côte de Beaune is founded on hard work in the vineyards. While I can't wait to taste his 2021s this visit was devoted to the 2020 and 2019 vintage. As the accompanying notes attest both have turned out brilliantly: 2019 is perfumed sumptuous and enveloping a vintage of immense charm and 2020 is concentrated vibrant and almost primary even after a year of élevage. Different in style but very similar in quality Burgundy lovers won't want to miss either".

RS 140 g/l, TA 4.0 g/l. Pale gold. Quite mineral/oily on the nose, some very ripe fruit underneath. Honey and lemon on the palate. Rich apricot fruit, very tangy and full. Touch of barley sugar on the finish. Warm and full and luscious so much so that the freshness is not so obvious.

This cuvée is from 10 parcels covering three hectares of village-level St Aubin. It’s aged mostly in larger 500- and 600-litre demi-muids, about 10% of which are new. These vines are mostly in the cooler parts of the village; they manifest themselves in a lemon-zest freshness that kicks in at the finish

Manual harvest and sorting, aged in oak barrels for 15 months. Alexia Russo and Caroline Fyot changed their careers, following their dreams of having their own wine estate. Settling in The Côte Chalonnaise and the Château de Garnerot, they created their first vintage in 2018. This Mercurey is garnet in colour packed with fine jammy red fruits and black pepper bouquet. The palate is balanced and structured. A liquorice finish gives it length. Its spicy aromas call for fine cured meats, white meat with spicy sauces, roasted poultry, grilled red meats, mushroom omelet, beef stew and fresh pasta, veal kidneys. Drink now or discover in a few years (five to ten years).

Ancient 12th century plot in the historic centre of the village. Parker 94-97 (2109 vintage) "prodigious Gigondas... only problem is that theres not enough of it... awesome aromatics of cassis, toasted spice, licorice, ground herbs, massive minerality... Rich and textured, as well as elegant, a rock-star 2012 that will have two decades of longevity". Proof again that Perrin are stars of the region.

At Monthe?lie, pronounced 'Monthlie', the first traces of vineyards date back to the 9th Century. Situated between Volnay, Meursault and Auxey-Duresses, this village often remains unnoticed by the visitor on a journey from Volnay to Meursault. Rich aromas of different berry fruits. Perfumed and willowy on the palate, the wine expresses a delicate softness. Good ageing potential.

Old vine Grenache grown on decomposed black schist with a limestone sub soil, that produces something amazing. Ethereal, sublime and surprisingly fesh, this achieves a level of finesse akin to fine red Burgundy. Remarkable, special, very good indeed. JancisRobinson.com 17.5/20: "Very pale. Very spicy. And very very perfumed. There is an old red rose called Mister Lincoln. It has the deep, velvet, classic perfume of a red rose. This wine smells like Mister Lincoln dusted in cardamom. It tastes of wild cherry, white pepper, pink peppercorns, Szechuan pepper, truffle and, more than anything else, rain on warm slate. Petrichor. Complex, yet almost exquisitely simple. No noise. No posturing. In one sip, you’re in this wild, beautiful vineyard, nothing but the sound of the wind through trees. Pure, transparent, yet so layered-upon-layered that you can read a thousand stories in one sip. A haiku of a wine. (TC)" 18/20 La Revue du Vins de France "There is a particular grace to this old vine Grenache grown on limestone, vinified (or rather infused) as a whole harvest, with ethereal and exciting florality, which contrasts without clashiing with a tight, deep frame, but also very delicate."

The small A-rated Madalena vineyard provides the principal component in "declared" Smith Woodhouse Vintage Ports. Pale and pretty.

Tom Stevenson - Top Ten Best Bargains "Lovely biscuity fruit and excellent acidity are the key to this cuvee's consistent quality and impressive potential longevity. One of Champagne's best-kept secrets."

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. Magnum sized.

This is from the lieux-dits Famines, which has the old vines, and Grands Champs, which is just above Famines. You can sense how Paul’s winemaking has worked: there is a lovely, ripe, open entry of pure coulis, but then a tightening of the tannins to pull the wine together.

Vega Sicilia - Spain's most prestigious wine producer. Unico is their flagship wine, making this the crème de la crème of Spanish wines. Unico is aged for 10 years before release, and is predominantly made with Termpranillo, with some Cabernet Sauvignon. 96/100 from RobertParker.com

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."

Decanter Panel Tasting 92/100 "Intense aromas of sweet cherry and strawberry with oaky and leathery notes. Crunchy acidity on the palate with polished tannins."

A heady fragrance of peony and violets, red cherry and pomegranate, overlaid with a smoky, earthy savouriness. The character reflects the perfume and delicacy of the vintage, whilst retaining its innate muscular tannin structure that ensures it will age very well. The palate shows great intensity, complexity and structure.