Fine Wine

2012 Vintage Report 2012 was rated as a ‘very good’ vintage in Rioja. The year was defined by the lack of rain which was 25% lower than normal for the region with over a third of the rainfall falling after the harvest. High spring and summer temperatures resulted in picking starting early. The rain finally began to fall on 11th October, extending the harvest by an extra week but all grapes were in by 18th October, which is still early for Haro. Given the dry conditions, yields were down as grapes were small. However, they were also very healthy and López de Heredia are very happy with the quality of the vintage, saying that the wines, ‘continue to develop favourably in terms of freshness and fineness’ and that they have a long ageing potential. The 2012 is a blend of 70% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacho with the remaining 10% a mix of Graciano and Mazuelo. The wine was aged in barrel for 6 years, being racked twice per year and fined with fresh egg whites. Overall, the wine has spent 10 years maturing in the perfect, cool conditions of López de Heredia’s incredible underground cellars and was bottled in January 2022. Tasting Notes The nose of the 2012 Tondonia Tinto Reserva is gloriously open, perfumed and fine. Gentle aromas of jamón and cured leather mingle with subtle notes of raspberry tea and a touch of musky, cedar spice. A sweet red cherry compote top note comes through but, above all, this is remarkably scented, floral and mineral-pure Tondonia. The palate is incredibly fresh with well-defined red fruit and a vibrating hint of orange zest at the back. This is a more accessible and less dense style than the previous two vintages but that is more than compensated for by its superb poise and sense of energy. Reminiscent of the lovely 2009 in its charm, the wine dances on the palate towards the focused, pure finish. Delicious. Drink 2024 (decanted) to 2042. Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer BBR “2012 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Tinto Reserva (13%)

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Ripe red fruits combine with interwoven oak to give touches of spice, cherries and a hint of licquorice. A beautifully elegant, lasting finish. 12 months in French oak & 6 months in American oak

Pale yellow colour. Expressive Riesling nose typical from limestone origin: citrus, light mineral notes, stony flavours, honey. Vivacious palate, crisp, amazing acidity and freshness. This is a very classic Roche Calcaire that finishes bone dry with a lacy texture. This wine will still need some time to open up and it is highly recommended to decant it in the first years after bottling.

This wine comes from two complimentary vineyards within a close proximity of our vineyard and winery. Each parcel of chardonnay was direct-pressed then cold settled before racking to French barrique and puncheon barrels (10% new) for fermentation and maturation for 9 months. Some battonage was used during maturation. There is a tight freshness here, with white stone fruits and a healthy dose of lemon on both the nose and palate. Gorgeous length too, helped by a touch of gentle oak and lees complexity. It all adds up to a beautiful, understated wine, but with plenty going on under the hood. Serve at 12c. "This is a combination of a Balhannah vineyard and a Piccadilly vineyard; an ‘off estate’ wine. It has the right pluck and charm to take you on a journey while satisfying your itch for fine chardonnay. Depth, vigour, excitement, drinkability all in the right spots. Quite a bit of honey-nougat in the wine though the coursing push of brine and crushed rock minerality elevates things and pierces the palate. There’s nectarine, white peach, green pear in the mix too. It’s marries the seasoning of the winery impeccably in apt, medium bodied fruit flavours. In all this, ticking many boxes." 93/100 Winefront Review by Mike Bennie "Fruit from two vineyards in the Piccadilly and Balhannah districts, crafted in a light and delicate style, focused on a citrus zest influence to the regional white stone fruit characters that are the core flavour note. A touch of grapefruit juice as well. There’s a 10% new oak regime with battonage in the winemaking, which gives the wine the lightest textural weight. Very easy to pour again and again. 12.4% alc Drink now - 2028" 92/100 Review by Tony Love at Winepilot 2025 SA Wine Guide "The 2023 were such a protracted vintage - something more of the 80s than most these days being warmer and earlier. They are really starting to show nicely now". Sholto Broderick

Bright pale-yellow colour. Discreet nose which is slowly opening on fresh citrus fruits and light smoky aromas, a characteristic often found on this grape variety. This is almost a Riesling like nose with lots of precision and tension. Palate is dry and is supported by a ripe acidity. The finish shows an enjoyable velvety and elegant mouthfeel with again fresh white fruits flavours. The Windsbuhl character shows strongly in this wine and will allow for a nice evolution over the next few years.

When Zind-Humbrecht acquired the Clos-Saint-Urbain vineyard on the Grand Cru Rangen in 1977, about half of the land wasn’t under vines and needed to be planted. This very steep vineyard requires a lot of hard manual work and some surfaces were left abandoned in the middle of the 20th century. Most vintages, the vines planted in the 70s and 80s are separated from the very old vines that qualify as Grand Cru. This wine clearly show all the originality of a volcanic geology which is unique in Alsace. They are also cultivated the exact same way as the older vines (ploughing with a winch for example). The biggest difference would be on the crop size. The Roche Volcanique is made with low yields, but the older vines produce even less! For these ‘younger vines’ they aim for very healthy grapes (no noble rot) in order to achieve a dry wine. Bright pale-yellow colour. Expressive fruity and smoky nose (smoked ham, grilled hazelnuts). The palate has a velvety texture, lots of depth and length without too much power. Gentle balance showing a saline acidity on the finish. Very easy wine to enjoy today. Dry, but with a certain softness due to a good dry extract that brings volume on the palate. Obviously Rangen in taste…

From Sholto Broderick at Basket Range Wines: This wine is the evolution of the style my father made using the same fruit; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. These vines were planted first in the early 1980s and at our new adjacent vineyard in 2001. Growing these varieties and making them into wine, I see the quality of the site and concentration of the fruit. Each block sits at a northern facing aspect on loamy clay over sandstone. The wine shows ripeness of tannin, structure and balance, while having energy and elegance. A reflection of an excellent site for these varieties. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon predominant blend (75%) with Merlot (19%) and Petit Verdot (6%). Each component was fermented in 2000L vats and matured in French barriques for 10 months. The 2022 Estate Cabernet is a pretty special wine for me. The 2021 Estate Cabernet was awarded the "Best Cabernet Trophy" at the Adelaide Hills Wine Show in 2022. I feel the 2022 vintage release is the best job of it I have made so far. Only 230 dozen produced.

Deep purple, almost opaque in colour with an expressive nose of black fruits, pepper, cinnamon, spice and violets. A seductive palate of dark hedgerow fruits, very open and welcoming with an explosion of fruit and spice. Mineral undertones.

So expressive of Sorg style and skill. Ancient-vine Sylvaner in super-Alsace guise: creamy, floral, ginger-spiced.

What a joy, and a rare treat. Very old vine Pinot Gris is quite a rarity across Alsace. Mature Pinot Gris wines develop gorgeous nutty creamy flavours over time - but that's a long time to wait. Strangely such a wine, although quite young, made from ancient vines, seems to offer some of the same complexity. Ripe orchard fruits on the nose, oily creamy spicy flavours to follow. full bodied. What a food wine!

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

One of the best of Alsatian dry Muscats. Deftly crafted, lifted, lilies and blossom. Impressively concentrated and ripe, but so fine, so delicate.

Sangiovese 80%, Canaiolo 15%, Malvasia Nera 5%. Manually harvested in mid-September from all the company's organic vineyards, the Sangiovese from Rabizza and the Lago, the Canaiolo from Vertigne and the Malvasia Nera from Tombolo. The grapes are carefully destemmed and wild fermentation takes place with the grapes natural yeasts. Fermentation takes place In thermo-conditioned steel tanks with maceration on the skins for two weeks with gentle pumping over The wine is then bred in older French oak tonneaux (large barrels) until the spring following the harvest. The wine is put to bottle and rests for a further nine months. This is a real, authentic Tuscan bargain with wonderfully characterful fruit from beautiful established vineyards blended beautifully by the master Giampaolo Chiettini. Floral, earthy, brilliant and vibrant wine. The legendary and completely wonderful Giampaolo Chiettini helps the young (very young!) Rocco (24!) and his sister Meca (25!) on their beautiful estate in DOC Valdarno di Sopra. A very exciting estate to watch at this embryonic stage.

A quite unique expression of 100% Canaiolo from Jamu's organic vineyards. Ripening later than their Sangiovese in the latter half of September. The beautiful fruit (a selection of the very best bunches from the vineyard) is picked when perfectly ripe by hand and sorted in small crates. 100% destemmed and gently crushed, the wine is left to ferment on its wild yeasts. Macerated for two weeks with a little, very gentle pump-over daily. The wine is run off to older French tonneaux and left to rest for nine months then put to bottle for a further six months before release. Direct, long and pure wine. Some darker as well as brighter red fruits mix deliciously on a lovely savoury, fresh palate. A must try - think lamb rubbed in rosemary and salt cooked on the grill. Think Sangiovese with lighter tannins. Marvellous wine and a must-try this spring and summer. The legendary and completely wonderful Giampaolo Chiettini helps the young (very young!) Rocco (24!) and his sister Meca (25!) on their beautiful estate in DOC Valdarno di Sopra. A very exciting estate to watch at this embryonic stage.

100% Gamay (mid-1980s) from galet stone on red-brown clay soils at 350 metres at Givors, 50-100% destemmed, 15-16 day vinification, a little pumping over, then cap punching, aged 1-6 year 228-litre casks 12 months, unfined. A real charmer. Wine to enjoy with friends. Dark red, purple tints; has a strawberry jam aroma. This has a good, firm attack, holds dark red, mulberry fruit with life in it, and a late saline note. There’s crunch in the tannins (this is 50% whole bunch) and it’s very drinkable, shows a touch of late power, is good for la table. Its length sustains on red fruit, raspberry, is good and upbeat.

Made from two lieu dits, high up on the slopes overlooking the majestic Rhone. The wine has classic Viognier nose of peach, apricot, toasted spice and honey. Medium-bodied with good fruit and texture and shows a more mineral character than the richer Le Chatillon Condrieu cuvee.

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 grapes are pressed and fermented in stainless steel vats at 15% without malolactic fermentation to retain freshness. The wine is bottled young and can be enjoyed in its youth or up to 5 years of age. Its pale yellow color opens with a bouquet of honey and acacia flowers, notes of apricot with aromas of peaches, anise and sweet spices. On the palate, flavors of gingerbread and a perfectly round and fresh palate take over.

Packed full of wild strawberry fruit with hints of raspberry, the palate adds a touch of spice to the sweet fruit and even a touch of coffee. This is a lovely approachable wine. Alain Gras is the reference point for St-Romain. This extremely steep village was considered part of the Hautes Côtes de Beaune until 1947. The vineyards are set back from the main Côte and mostly at higher elevation and have unquestionably improved in quality by the changes in climate and no longer struggle to reach full physiological maturity. The domaine covers 12 hectares with 8ha being planted with Chardonnay and 4ha to Pinot Noir. There are 42 separate parcels but Alain prefers to blend the grapes into one cuvée.

Château Palais Cardinal, a magnificent estate on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, takes its name from the sublime former residence dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries, the remains of which are still visible. The property took the name of Palais Cardinal in the 14th century, when it was enlarged. Owned by the Louis Ballande family since 2018, Château Palais Cardinal is now one of the leading names in the Saint-Émilion appellation. From 2008 to 2018, Château Palais Cardinal has experienced unprecedented growth. From 4 hectares of vines in 2008, Château Palais Cardinal now boasts 22 hectares. Located in the commune of Saint-Sulpice de Faleyrens, Château Palais Cardinal is an exceptional vineyard planted on some of the finest terroirs in the Saint-Émilion appellation. Combining tradition and modernity, Château Palais Cardinal's ambition is to produce great wines that reflect the identity of the Saint-Émilion appellation, thanks to the constant attention paid to the vines, the monitoring of each plot and the appropriate vinification methods. The grape varieties planted in the vineyards reflect those found on the right bank. Merlot (71%) is the predominant grape variety, complemented by Cabernet Sauvignon (23%) and Cabernet Franc (6%). Aged for a minimum of 12 months, the wines of Château Palais Cardinal offer an intense aromatic expression marked by fine notes of black fruit with hints of incense. Structured by a silky body, the palate evolves with suppleness, held together by a fine acidity.

A classic Northern Rhône Syrah, aged for 24 months in 10% new oak barrels. Full of dark fruits, black pepper and toasty spice.

Perhaps the best known vineyard in the Saint Romain appellation, this shows a little oak on the nose with very good concentration and flashes of citrus. The palate too shows some toastiness with a sweet frame and the whole is very juicy with good energy. Long and concentrated with a silky finish. Alain Gras is the reference point for St-Romain. This extremely steep village was considered part of the Hautes Côtes de Beaune until 1947. The vineyards are set back from the main Côte and mostly at higher elevation and have unquestionably improved in quality by the changes in climate and no longer struggle to reach full physiological maturity. The domaine covers 12 hectares with 8ha being planted with Chardonnay and 4ha to Pinot Noir. There are 42 separate parcels but Alain prefers to blend the grapes into one cuvée.