Lovely aromatics on the nose with notes of walnuts and hazelnuts, bruised apples, meadow flowers and hay. The palate is full-bodied and a bit buttery with pleasant acidity and minerality. Jean-Michel Petit and his wife set up Domaine de la Renardiere in 1992. The 7.5 hectares domaine is within Arbois-Pupillin and has been farmed with organic and biodynamic principals since its inception. It gained organic status in 2012. Their Savagnin Les Terrasses comes from grey/blue marl terroir and is made in a non-oxidative style. The wine is aged for 12 months in barrel with no racking and beautifully expresses this delicious, indigenous variety.

This wine is named after Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song". What further example of winemaker Giampaolo Chiettini's genius do you need? Immigrant Wine is a brilliant, curious Tuscan white IGT wine produced from Müller Thurgau grapes grown organically in a vineyard in the Vicchio di Mugello area at 370 meters above sea level. The grapes are harvested in the second half of September which then see fermentation with their indigenous yeasts. A short breeding in steel vat on fine lees follows until the wine is bottled in the spring following the harvest. The wine is precise with good energy and a nice volume. Showing nice floral tones, some elderflower and herbal qualities wrapped up with a nice green apple bite. We have a quarter of the 480 bottle total production.

Outstanding Vin Santo produced from half Trebbiano and half Malvasia trained to guyot and grown organically in San Casciano Val di Pesa, Argiano at an altitude of 300m. The grapes were hand-picked on September 20th 2017 and were placed on bamboo racks to dry for four months until they were gently pressed the following January and run off to ferment and breed on 110l 'Caratelli' barrels for the next five years. The wine was bottled in Febuary 2023. Only 436 37.5cl bottles were produced in total. The wine came out at 13.5 % abv with a residual sugar level of 290 g/l and a total acidity of 6.3 g/l. You know you are on to something special when Monica Larner of erobertparker.com writes of the wine "This is an extremely precious production of just 400 bottles (tiny 375-milliliter bottles), and I am honored to review this wine....an excellent and precious Vin Santo del Chianti Classico". We feel very honoured to have 60 of these truly wonderful little bottles to share with you.

Outstanding Chianti Classico Riserva from the cooler north west of Chianti. Grown on soils very similar to Felsina's vineyards in Berardenga, this cooler terroir in Argiano helps produce a wine of great energy, elegance and inherent harmony. La Vigna di San Martino ad Argiano is the personal project of Giampaolo Chiettini. Giampaolo spent a good number of years working alongside Paolo di Marchi at Isole e Olena where he fell deeply in love with Sangiovese and honed his skills and became a very highly regarded winemaker of the region. Antinori and Ca' del Bosco have also used Giampaolo's services over the years. He still consults and makes wine for the outstanding Castagnoli and brilliant newcomers Ejamu amongst others. This personal project comes from a beautiful, tiny (1ha!) vineyard in Argiano in the San Casciano Val di Pesa commune. Organic Sangiovese grapes are destemmed and gently crushed then undergo wild fermentation with natural yeasts. The wine is bred in used tonneaux. Giampaolo's trained, light hand in the cellar has helped produce a really rather wonderful Chianti Classico Riserva. This 2020 knocked us out. Immense energy and focus to the wonderful fruit and character. Only 2,000 bottles produced. This wine proves utterly marvellous drinking now, but shall age gracefully and beautifully for many years. We can't wait to follow the evolution! This Chianti Classico Riserva 2020 was one of only four wines to scoop the top score of 17.5/20 from Walter Speller on jancisrobinson.com in the "Chianti Classico Riserva 2020" section of his full report on the 2019 and 2020 vintages published earlier in 2023. Our Senior Buyer, Stewart Travers, had met and tasted with Giampaolo the month before the reports were published and similarly benchmarked the wine and then realised we were on to something very exciting indeed. Make sure you get on the allocation list early! And also make sure you grab a bottle of his immense Vin Santo 2017, here in tiny quantities!

100% Incrocio Manzoni Bianco grown organically in Valdarno Di Sopra DOC. A tiny production of 297 bottles and 3 magnums! The organic farming is also certified. Naturally fermented with only wild, indigenous yeasts after making the finest selection of grapes, destemming and soft pressing. Fermentation took place in a very fine new barrique (225 l) to which it rested for a further 10 months. An intense and bright straw yellow colour happily greets the eye. The nose is broad and refined with hints of exotic fruit and citrus, white flowers and mineral nuances. On the palate, the wood marries extraordinarily well with the wine, adding texture and complexity with hints of butter and hay that marries well with a pleasant saltiness that embellishes the finish. This comes across like a finely judged oaked Chenin Blanc and a good white Burgundy. Interesting, thrilling stuff! The legendary and completely wonderful Giampaolo Chiettini helps the young (very young!) Rocco (23!) and his sister Meca (24!) on their beautiful estate in DOC Valdarno di Sopra. A very exciting young estate to watch.

100% Sangiovese grown in E Jamu's finest vineyards in Valdarno Di Sopra DOC. In this debut vintage there are just over 1,000 bottles produced from organic (and certified) farming. After manually picking the top selection of grapes they are destemmed and softly crushed. The fermentation begins (and ends) with only natural yeasts helped along by a gentle daily pump over. After fermentation the juice is in contact with the skins for 15 days in cement vats before being run off to fine, older tonneau to rest for 18 months. The colour is a gorgeous, bright ruby. The nose shows ripe red fruits, black cherries, fine and elegant floral character with gentle notes of black pepper, chocolate and vanilla. Fine and elegant again on the palate - beautiful soft red fruits with gorgeously judged tannins. An elegant expression of Sangiovese with real finesse. The legendary and completely wonderful Giampaolo Chiettini helps the young (very young!) Rocco (23!) and his sister Meca (24!) on their beautiful estate in DOC Valdarno di Sopra. A very exciting young estate to watch.

Great entry-level Chianti with lovely character. Carefully farmed organically and also certified. Fermented with only indigenous, wild yeasts. An intense red colour with violet reflections. The nose is nicely full and Intense - persistent, with marked notes of violets and sour cherries, wild berries and blossom. The palate is full, round with pulpy softness on the mid palate. Persistent, long and silky. Serving cool, with a half hour in the fridge beforehand is recomended here. The organic fruit (93% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo) is destemmed and softly crushed. During fermentation there is just a little pump over daily. After fermentation, the wine stays on skins for 15 days in steel tank. The wine sees 9 months in quality, older French oak barrels, then rests in bottle for three months before release. A lot of quality for the price here. The legendary and completely wonderful Giampaolo Chiettini helps the young (very young!) Rocco (23!) and his sister Meca (24!) on their beautiful estate in DOC Valdarno di Sopra. A very exciting estate to watch at this embryonic stage.

NOSE Compelling, attention grabbing. Varietally correct, all the T’s crossed and I’s dotted. There is a lot to decipher here. First, heady aromatics of violets, blackberry and mulberries. Cherry clafoutis, blood plums, brioche. Next to emerge are the leafy, herbaceous notes, perfectly rendered without any suggestion of under ripeness. Mulberry leaf, bay leaf, wet tobacco/cigar box add further intrigue. Classic English baking spices lurk quietly in the background. PALATE After the aromatic impression, one might expect a forbidding palate. Not so. It’s remarkably approachable, yet clearly built for a long spell in the dungeon. The cool dark fruits are very concentrated and varietal. The leafy notes on the nose morph into char-grilled savoury flavours of grilled capsicum and cumin spiced eggplant, infused by sandalwood and cherry wood smoke. The tannins are graphite-like, fine but reassuringly persistent, with a faint suggestion of bitter dark chocolate. At the time of tasting the wine is very energetic, dancing the tango at full tempo. Don’t expect a slow waltz anytime soon.One for the long haul

From a breathtaking 0.5 hectare site on Chaban at 400+ metres altitude that was passed on to the Roudier family by the retiring Jean-Marie Teysseire, a legendary figure in Cornas and Saint-Peray. The Syrah vines are 80++ yrs of age on granitic soils including a portion of the mineral baryte, a clear crystal/quartz looking mark that gives the wine its mysterious sounding name. The vines are deeply established on this steep hillside, cut into terraces and oriented East/South-East. An utterly beautiful, natural granite amphitheater that protects the vines from the cold winds. Beautiful Syrah expresses all its power and finesse on this wonderful Cornas terroir. The debut vintage of this full-bodied terroir wine - which doesn't initially appear to be representative of the "Northern Rhone 2021" vintage - spring frost, harvest rain affected. But from what we have tasted, Cornas in general appears little affected, likely due to the elevation of the vineyards and the gradients of the slopes. So watch out for sleeping Cornas bargains like this from 2021. The wine has a fairly classic Cornas nose, on the palate it is voluminous, lush and suave but fresh and balanced with real tension and energy. The wine is pure and very long. All the fruit destemmed, no oak breeding (all in stainless steel) with a four week maceration. A true terroir wine from a great Cornas site. This 2021 is very impressive now and shall reveal its elegance and finesse over the coming years. What a wine!

100% Syrah from Larnage, destemmed, steel vat fermented, raised 9 months, unfined. Pleasing aromas with red fruit, pepper and savoury notes of freshly baked bread. Charming, drinkable and quite delightful Syrah. A class entry-level from this outstanding new domaine.

100% Viognier from gore soils on Les Méjeans at Larnage, hand harvested in early morning, steel vat fermented at 18°C, raised 9 months, malo blocked. A quite serious but relaxed and lovely, aromatic, floral, juicy but bright drinking Viognier. Delicious as an apero or with semi hard goats cheese, peaches and charcuterie. A classy drop indeed.

There are many delightul Northern Rhone whites from 2021 and this is very much one of them. Performing very well in Crozes-Hermitage tastings in both Terres des Vins and La Revue du vin de France, well up amongst the big boys and girls of the appellation. 70% Marsanne, 30% Roussanne - half from loess soils on l’Homme at Larnage, half from loess soils on Les Pinets at Crozes-Hermitage. 90% steel vat, 10% new 600-litre oak cask fermented, raised 9 months, assembled just before bottling, malo completed. John Livingstone Learnmouth on Drink Rhone - "Fine yellow robe; the nose is neat, offers lime cordial, peach airs, hints of salt and spring flowers, a note of varnish. This drinks with direct purpose, has a restrained, firm content, gathers depth and tannin into the solid, slightly pushy finish. There is more weight than at first appears, turning it towards a table wine, up for pork dishes, vegetarian pasta, courgettes, Brie de Meaux, cheddar. Decant it. From mid 2023 until 2029-31" Rated 3.5/5 stars.

A lovely red Crozes produced with fruit from the Domaine's established 50-year-old plus vineyards in eastern Les Chassis at Mercurol and in the south of Les Chassis at Pont de L'Isere. Both sites are marked with the classic Chassis terroir of red clay limestone with large, rolled pebbles. This cuvee in 2022 has elegance and lift, with suave, deep but charming fruit that has a lovely lush quality mixed with classic, complex iron notes, a nice tension and a lovely freshness. The tannins are beautifully judged here. Drinking now is a lovely experience, but this shall show well for a good few years to come. A gorgeous Crozes-Hermitage. Vendome are an established Domaine but have only started producing their own wines in the last couple of years. The wines have been very warmly received in both the French and international wine press in the debut 2020 vintage and in the following far trickier 2021 vintage. We are very happy to have struck up a relationship with the Domaine at such an early stage. The whole range is impressive across the board. Their classic red Crozes a great place to get acquainted.

A unique, high-altitude plot selection, 1 hectare located at 520 meters (the highest vineyard in the appellation), on the southern slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail, in a place called "Grand Montmirail". It's a unique spot surrounded by holm oaks and limestone rocks, with a cool, breezy, light climate. Hand-harvested, half-destemmed then crushed, followed by a two-week infusion. Aged only in concrete vats to retain purity and delicacy. Bright ruby colour, with notes of Morello cherries, redcurrants and wild raspberries. The antithesis of traditional Gigondas with energy and a rare chalky density.

From the Grand Montmirail, high altitude vineyards (400 to 520 meters). The foot of the vineyards consist of a red marl that brings the muscle and virility. In middle and higher slopes limestone bedrock is increasingly present, this transmits the wines tension and raciness. Direct, pure wines. 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault in 2021. Grapes destemmed, crushed and a short infusion follows. Wildly fermented and only matured in concrete tank to expose the complexity and natural tension of the wine. This is a full, broad wine, but elegant and still vibrating. The originality and beauty of the site is transmitted with energy. This Gigondas shows you this character, this minerality - water of rock, wine of rock. 4/5 stars from John Livingstone-Learnmouth on Drink Rhone: "The Gigondas vineyards are above 400 metres, notably on Grand Montmirail, with Grenache leading at 70%. The raising in concrete, the style lighter. The 2021 Gigondas 'O.... a successful **** w.o.w. wine, balanced and well together.... ....quite a firm red colour; the bouquet collects around a discreetly sweet aroma of raspberry, a little herbal tang attached, is a steady, sure opening that carries appeal. The palate surfs along on a bonny wave of red fruits, has a little tingle in its tannins, holds its line well into the finish. It’s nicely balanced, well together, w.o.w. Gigondas, can be drunk now, will offer openly as it evolves, has gone for tuning over strength. 13.5°. Drink until 2030-31"

Wow. A literal "Wow". We were completely knocked out with this cuvee upon discovery back in January, at an organic wine fair in Southern France. Across from d'Ourea's stand was the stand of one of our longest standing and most successful producers who also makes a similar style of lifted, elegant Grenache. I passed him a glass of d'Ourea's Vacqueyras 2021 to which the winemaker put under his nose, "Wow". He continued "This is beautiful, the perfect balance in the aromatics of Grenache, a lovely use of wholebunch". "The stems (of the grape bunches) are the most beautiful part of the grape - they bring freshness and aromas of garrigue, herbs, and complexity to the wine". Adrien Roustan, Vigneron at d'Ourea The selection in 2021 is 85% Grenache Noir, 5% Cinsault, 5% Carignan Noir and 5% Mourvèdre. An outstanding Vacqueyras from a selection of Adrien's finest terroir. Being a blend of "Hautes Garrigues" (a red clay gravel) and "Pendants" (a blue and yellow marl). Each terroir brings its original personality. The "Garrigues" finesse and minerality. The "Pendants" the power and depth. Vineyards planted in 1950. "The Grenache here is at the northern end of its ripening range, and that means its wines have finesse and elegance". We could not agree more. A truly charming wine and a real "Wow". John Livingstone-Learnmouth of Drink Rhone on the 2021: 4/5 stars "Red robe, pale top; the bouquet has a herbal tone, smoke and red cherries, almost a cordite aspect. The palate gives red cherry, redcurrant fruit, stands out of the loop with its quiet, pure fruiting and lightweight presence. The finish brings in some Grenache floral notes with a green pepper manner on the aftertaste. It's a hands-off, spiced Vacqueyras, drinks fluidly now, carries a little late tannic depth, has subtle appeal. 13.5°. Drink until 2027-28" "There is marked promise here, a name to note".

A great introduction to this most exciting of estates based in Vacqueyras and Gigondas. Instead of producing a younger vine, cheaper Vacqueyras like many other top Domaines, Adrien's choice is to use such fruit in his Cotes du Rhone. In 2022 we have mostly Syrah (70%) and the remainder of Grenache Noir from the Vacqueyras vineyards 100% destemmed (not usual for the estate) crushed and seeing a short infusion. 100% naturally fermented and bred in concrete for 10 months. This makes for a wonderful wine of fruit and terroir, the link to the classic Vacqueyras and Gigondas of the Domaine. An utterly delightful wine - vibrant Syrah - lifted red and black fruit, a subtle blend of sweet spices and beautiful violet blossom. Delightful and digestible,

From a vineyard located on the sandy banks deposited by the river Ouvèze. A beautiful mix of indigenous, rare and wonderful cepages (25% Grenache Noir, 25% Carignan Noir, 20% Cinsault, 10% Aramon, 10% Counoise and 10% Oeillade) vinified whole-bunch with a short maceration and then 6 months breeding in concrete vat produce a beautifully bright-fruited, floral, vigorous but supple, savoury and very classy drinking and tapas wine. A GREAT introduction to this most exciting of estates based in Vacqueyras and Gigondas. SERVE COOL.

Produced from a blend of Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Gris this is a kaleidoscope of exotic flavours. Passionfruit, lime, bay leaf, pear, Turkish delight, lychee and rosewater. Interestingly complex yet refined, softly textured but refreshingly minerally on the finish. A wonderful aperitif, however would equally be lovely when enjoyed with lightly spiced Asian cuisine or herby chicken/vegetable dishes.

Francois Xavier AKA 'FX' worked with Tom Lubbe at Domaine Matassa for five years. He spent a further year with Domaine Danjou-Banessy. After such time this local lad set up in Espira to make his own wholly exciting wines which we are introducing the UK for the first time. Ancient vine Carignan bred in 6 hl barrels. The only addition is 2 g/Hl of sulphites at bottling.

Francois Xavier AKA 'FX' worked with Tom Lubbe at Domaine Matassa for five years. He spent a further year with Domaine Danjou-Banessy. After such time this local lad set up in Espira to make his own wholly exciting wines which we are introducing the UK for the first time. Malvosie fermented on skins and then bred in small sandstone eggs. The only addition is 2 g/Hl of sulphites at bottling. Production 2000 Bottles. Bottled "with the moon" April 2022.

Francois Xavier AKA 'FX' worked with Tom Lubbe at Domaine Matassa for five years. He spent a further year with Domaine Danjou-Banessy. After such time this local lad set up in Espira to make his own wholly exciting wines which we are introducing the UK for the first time. Syrah and ancient vine Carignan Noir. The only addition is 2 g/Hl of sulphites at bottling.

Francois Xavier AKA 'FX' worked with Tom Lubbe at Domaine Matassa for five years. He spent a further year with Domaine Danjou-Banessy. After such time this local lad set up in Espira to make his own wholly exciting wines which we are introducing the UK for the first time. Syrah bred in Foudre. The only addition is 2 g/Hl of sulphites at bottling.

Berene Sauls has a very unique story. Growing up in a small village in the Overberg, Berene admits that she came from a beer-drinking community, and wine was never really on her radar. Her first exposure was at the age of 19, when she began working for the trailblazing Hamilton Russell family as an au pair. Lasting only a month, her talents at childcare aside, Anthony Hamilton Russell recognised her drive and thought a job working in the winery office would better suit her. Thrown in at the deep end knowing really nothing about wine, she was soon exposed to every side of the business - assisting with exports, bottling and labelling, driving forklifts and picking during harvest too, as well as on the side, "growing and developing a palate that wasn't there!" Her curiosity kept her rising through the ranks, and fifteen years after starting her career, Anthony offered her the opportunity to make her first wine, aided by proficient head winemaker Emul Ross. She leapt at the opportunity, and the rest is history. She named her business Tesselaarsdal for the small village that she grew up in, and if you look closely at the label, you can make out two people walking across the mountain. This is Berene and her grandmother. From unirrigated vineyards on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, and this is just her third release! Crisp acidity and lean minerality underpin notes of melon and tangerine fruit and accents of lime blossom. A triumphant expression of terroir, this medium-bodied, cool climate wine is both silky and fresh and boasts a long, elegant finish.