Red Wine

Deep garnet-purple in color, it springs from the glass with vibrant notes of crushed black raspberries, black plums and blackcurrant pastilles, plus hints of underbrush and bouquet garni. Medium to full-bodied with intense, pure black fruit flavors, the fruit is well-framed by ripe, grainy tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing with a skip in its step.

Fairly simple cherry and redcurrant aromas lead to blackcurrants and plums in the mouth, with refreshing acidity and a line of bitterness on the back palate. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed, which perhaps adds that greeness underneath the ripe fruit. A more structured, tannic wine than initially expected, but with lovely fruit - delicious wine.

A deep cherry colour with violet tints. Nose is intense with aromas of ripe red seasonal fruit, subtle hints of violets, rosemary and a touch of black pepper. This Bobal shows distinctive power, vibrant fruit, freshness with soft and ripe tannin. Bobal, ancient and native to the parched plains inland from Valencia grows in gnarled bush-vines like the Shiraz of Barossa. Yields are small and concentration epic. This slinky number is dark and dense but wonderfully juicy, with a coconut spice from oak barrels. A forgotten corner of the wine world, but gosh what a bargain. Certified Organic. Bobal is Spain's second most widely planted red grape but is far less familiar to most wine lovers than the most widely planted, Tempranillo. This good-value, unoaked example is grown at high altitude on north- and south-facing slopes by the Altolandon estate, 90 minutes north of Valencia. Deeply coloured, it has some of the rusticity that is associated with the grape, with attractive, slightly spicy blue- and blackberry fruit. Fairly simple, with lightly grippy tannins and good acidity - try it with lamb chops.

The latest vintage from the legend of Lebanon.

The Crusher Pinot Noir is powerfully aromatic, with notes of pomegranate, rose petal and nutmeg. Juicy and spicy on the palate, this wine exudes flavours of plum, glazed strawberry and cinnamon bread from 12 months of French oak aging.

Ancient vine grown in the ancient Taranto region - the inside of the heel. Inky dark, packed with plum and spice. Very natural winemaking, very lush endearing wine.

It's here, the 'Coulsh-Rotie". Simon "The Coulsh'" Coulshaw's fabulous take on this iconic wine.

Simon Coulshaw makes natural wines: no cultured yeast, enzymes, chemical tannins or fining product and farming with respect to the environment, although the domaine isn't certified organic. jancisrobinson.com Review: Full bottle 1,126 g. 65% Grenache Noir, 20% Syrah, 15% Carignan, organically and biodynamically farmed. Out of the 22 ha that Simon Coulshaw has under vine, 16 are in Faugère and 6 in Pézenas. But, as Coulshaw points out, they are more than 30 km from Pézenas, so while vineyards for the appellation are typically on villafranchian and clay-limestone soils or on black, grey and blue schist, this vineyard is on golden schist. (Coulshaw at this point goes into a charming rhapsody about how beguilingly beautiful schist is...) Le Pech Mege is a single vineyard, the most isolated of all his Pézenas vineyards. Spontaneous fermentation, stainless steel, low sulphite additions, minimal interventions. Coulshaw recommends that this wine is drunk cooler than room temperature. I'd pop it in the fridge for 10–15 minutes to get it down to around 16 °C/61 °F. “It's rare that a Languedoc wine (or any wine, to be frank) can pull off the tightrope balance of pert, outright cheeky freshness and straightforward fruit whilst being pretty dense and concentrated at the same time. This wine defies the laws of gravity. At its heart, there is a deep tobacco-leaf wrapped, chocolate-streaked, umeboshi-plum and soy-umami savouriness, notes of reduced beef stock and game glimmering in the gloaming. But radiating out towards the edges of the wine is this confident, gregarious, sap-filled mulberry fruit and puppy-playful acidity that seems to roll around with gleeful abandon. Supple, lightly astringent but fully ripe tannins. A wine of the vineyard, of the vintage; a wine that shines with a sense of who and what it is”. GV (TC) Alcohol 14% Score 17/20 When to drink 2022 – 2026 Published on 29 Nov 2021 Date tasted 29 Nov 2021 Reviewer Tamlyn Currin

From Yves Falmet: My ‘L'ivresse des Cimes’ label is made from grapes grown on the steepest plots in my vineyard, located right at the top of the hillside. My best expression each year of 'Saint-Chinian'.

From Yves Falmet: My ‘A Contre Courant’ label is made from grapes from the oldest Carignan and Grenache plots in my vineyard. But what makes this wine outstanding is its maturation under a veil of yeast for four years. Wines matured under a veil of yeast are characterised by the spontaneous development of yeasts which form a veil on the surface of the wine in contact with the ambient air (during its barrel ageing phase). This technique, which is uncommon for wine because of the risk of acetic souring when stored in containers with ullage, gives it specific aroma and flavour characters of fig, tobacco and candied cherry and a substantial finish on the palate. Of the very few wines matured this way, Vin Jaune from Jura is particularly renowned, but there are no red wines. By maturing a red wine using this technique, I am actually going counter to modern standardised winemaking, hence the name of the wine, which means "flying in the face" of established standards and the "tastefully correct". This is a wine I have created for true wine enthusiasts, those who do not resign themselves to the standardisation of taste, to stereotyped and uniform wines, in short, to the prevailing trend for ultra-conformism.

From Yves Falmet: My ‘Aramon’ label is made entirely from this grape variety. Among my Carignan vines, the oldest in my vineyard at over 80 years old, there are still a few Aramon vines. This is because the custom at the time was to mix a few grape varieties within the same plot. Aramon used to be one of the most ubiquitous grape varieties in Languedoc, but it has been almost eradicated in recent decades. Like Cinsault, is has been completely discarded in favour of other grape varieties regionally. However, in a quality site such as the Terres Falmet vineyard, when carefully grown, harvested at the peak of ripeness and skilfully vinted, it produces a beautiful, subtly tannic red wine that is fresh and fruity.

Opens with bold aromas of boysenberry, black cherry and a bevy of vanilla nuances. On the palate, this wine is fruit-driven with flavours of pomegranate, black cherry, fresh cranberry and nutmeg.

A delicious blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Cinsault produced from mostly mountain sloped, rain-fed bush vines, grown on a variety of granite soils and naturally low yielding. Perfumed on the nose with pepper, spice and ripe red fruit character. Supple and smooth on the palate with enough grip and freshness to finish dry and refreshing.

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. From Mike Bennie in The Wine Front: "From the Basket Range, of course, and a blend of 75% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot, 6% petit verdot. Sholto Broderick guides the process here, a young fella with a lot of clever stuff going on in his head, and a steady hand on the idea of legacy for the family estate. This feels like a very mature human made it. So even, so precise, so balanced, so serious yet so drinkable. Succulent texture, a freshness in the mix, dark cherry, faint mocha, liquorice, clove, blonde tobacco, alpine amaro characters in bouquet and palate. A web of emery board tannin shapes things nicely, the persistence is notable with graphite and crushed rock minerality finishing things in the distance, with a lick of clove spice there too. So wonderfully poised and offers concentration yet lift throughout. It’s decidedly serious. It’s fabulous". 94/100 The Wine Front

Natural, organic Syrah from a beautiful vineyard in Baixas, Roussillon. Grown with great care and wildly fermented and aged in old oak barrels for 12 months. Lifted, expressive Syrah with pretty floral notes and minerally fresh red and black fruits with some spicy, meaty notes and soft texture but with some matter and with a welcome, silky fruit character. Charming Syrah. The name 'Chimichurri' is a nod to Vincent's beloved Argentina (see below) because of the wines spicy, meaty character. Vincent Carreras has been working in wine industry for 13 years. For nine years he worked for a winery in the south of the Roussillon, Andy Cook’s Mas Cristine and Coume del Mas. Working in the vineyard, cellar and commercial activities - the whole shebang! For four years now he has been employed by a family winery based in Maury - Clos des Vins d'Amour. Who work 25 hectares organically in the west of Roussillon. Mostly in commercial activities, but also working in the cellar. Alongside this, in 2016, Vincent started a new project - Domaine Odyssée. The 3.5ha of vineyards are in Calce and Baixas, in a heart of Roussillon. The sites are small, but unquestionably some of the most beautiful we have seen. Vincent draws on the experiences mentioned above and his time in New Zealand (2011), Argentina (2012) and Bordeaux 2011 to help fully realise what he has there in his exceptional terroir. Vincent works organically, using no weedkillers, no chemical products. He works by hand and with organic fertilizer (he is in conversion right now). He harvests his parcels by himself with friends and family. In the cellar, Vincent’s philosophy is a minimum of intervention "To keep the fruit and the terroir.". The wines are extracted gently with just a little pump over. No filtration, no fining. The only preservative is a little dose of sulphites in very low quantities at bottling "It is important for me the stabilise the wine in respect of the future customers".

Fruity, brambly and supple, this distinctly Argentinian Malbec will impress with generous lashing of plum, blackberry and hints of vanilla spice. About the winery: Bodega Sottano was founded in 1890 by Mr. Fioravante Sottano who settled in Mendoza after moving from Italy. Today the estate is a byword for quality, modern Mendoza wines that express a delicious sense of place.

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

Long-standing California classic, and great value. To be fair, as with other Syrahs I need a good few hours to show best, 24+ if you can bear to wait. like the vineyards it comes from it's a mix of hot and cold, of ripe and bright. Lots of super-dark grunty fruit, plum skin and black cherry. Nice high-toned grippy tannin and acid. A touch of black olive and wood smoke. All in all, a bit of a bull's-eye! Founded 1982 by legend Bob Lindquist, Qupé wines are modern California Classic, specifically Santa Barbara classics - quite frankly along with his mate Jim Clendenen and some visionary farms such as Bien Nacido - they made this region the wonder that it is today. Qupé has been ranked many times among the "Best 100 Wineries in America."

The Saumur Champigny appellation covers red wines made in the 8 communes closest to Saumur. The name Champigny supposedly derives from the Latin campus igni (field of fire), named for the area’s exceptionally warm microclimate. 100% Cabernet Franc, this Saumur Champigny sees no oak giving a light, fresh style with abundant red cherry fruit. This is from the same producer as our superb Crémant.

Barbaresco DOCG Nervo is 100% Nebbiolo grown 350 meters in Treiso, with exposure to the south (three-fourths of the vineyard is surrounded by the Mazzalupo forest, providing great biodiversity). The soils are Lequio (the oldest type of soil found in Piedmont), comprised of layers of marl and sand, cultivated organically. The plot of Nervo appears in the municipal maps dated 1906, as evidence of presence of vineyard in this area in past times. The hill, in even more ancient times, was "protected" by anthropomorphic stones, depicting human faces, found among the rows of vines. After the stalk and grape seeds removal and pressing, the natural fermentation takes place at controlled temperatures of 28-30° C in steel tanks. Maceration for 20 days, malolactic is completed. The wine is then bred in large Slavonian/Hungarian/Swiss oak barrels for 30 months. Pale ruby red with orange tones - it appears stunningly clear and utterly beautiful to the eye. Clean and clear aromas of gorgeous forest fruits with high floral notes. Beautiful structure and finesse, with gently kicking tannins typical of the area. An absolutely gorgeous Barbaresco that seems ready now, but we're sure can be enjoyed for at least 10++ years. "Treiso. Just mid ruby. Lifted, aromatic raspberry fruit on the nose. Fresh acidity and ripe red fruit on the palate with supple tannins. A hedonistic whole but with real zip and style". 17+/20 Walter Speller on jancisrobinson.com "This wine opens with a medley of warmed fruits - boysenberries, wild strawberries, and raspberries - in a luscious compote. Notes of herbs, dried leaves, and flowers quickly add a juxtaposition to the lush fruit aromas. The palate is delightful, with juicy cherry-jam and mulberry-pie flavors, accented by nutmeg and clove. A touch of fennel leads to a finish adorned with light floral hints that lift the finish of the wine. Drink from 2026" 91/100 Jeff Porter in Wine Enthusiast

Very much a product of its volcanic, maritime terroir, this has really super freshness and minerality, allied with bright cherry fruit, blood orange notes, dried herbs and white pepper. Medium-bodied with nice grip and a savoury smack on the finish (from Decanter). Borja Perez is a rising star of the Canary Island wine scene. A former racing car mechanic, Borja inherited the family business in 2011 and decided to bottle his own wine rather than sell off the fruit. He set about refocusing on local varieties like Listan Blanco, Listan Negro, Marmajuelo, Vijariego Negro and Baboso Negro by restoring old ungrafted vineyards back to full health and establishing new sites – work he is still engaged in today. In that pursuit, Borja has developed a reputation as one of the best viticulturists in the Canaries.

Natural, organic Syrah from a beautiful vineyard in Baixas, Roussillon. Grown with great care and wildly fermented and aged in old oak barrels for 12 months. Lifted, expressive Syrah with pretty floral notes and minerally fresh red and black fruits with some spicy, meaty notes and soft texture but with some matter and with a welcome, silky fruit character. Charming Syrah. The name 'Chimichurri' is a nod to Vincent's beloved Argentina (see below) because of the wines spicy, meaty character. Vincent Carreras has been working in wine industry for 13 years. For nine years he worked for a winery in the south of the Roussillon, Andy Cook’s Mas Cristine and Coume del Mas. Working in the vineyard, cellar and commercial activities - the whole shebang! For four years now he has been employed by a family winery based in Maury - Clos des Vins d'Amour. Who work 25 hectares organically in the west of Roussillon. Mostly in commercial activities, but also working in the cellar. Alongside this, in 2016, Vincent started a new project - Domaine Odyssée. The 3.5ha of vineyards are in Calce and Baixas, in a heart of Roussillon. The sites are small, but unquestionably some of the most beautiful we have seen. Vincent draws on the experiences mentioned above and his time in New Zealand (2011), Argentina (2012) and Bordeaux 2011 to help fully realise what he has there in his exceptional terroir. Vincent works organically, using no weedkillers, no chemical products. He works by hand and with organic fertilizer (he is in conversion right now). He harvests his parcels by himself with friends and family. In the cellar, Vincent’s philosophy is a minimum of intervention "To keep the fruit and the terroir.". The wines are extracted gently with just a little pump over. No filtration, no fining. The only preservative is a little dose of sulphites in very low quantities at bottling "It is important for me the stabilise the wine in respect of the future customers".