A beautifully put-together claret, made from 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from vineyards located on cool limestone soils. The terrific Stephane Derenencourt consults here. Lovely extraction with lots of fruit, ripe tannin and acidity. Long and complex and able to age although beautiful now. Attractive, deep ruby. Delicate nose scented with wild strawberries, fig, dried plum and a smoke touch. The palate is full-bodied with silky tannins and displays wonderful harmony with pleasant, lingering fruit. An elegant, beautifully crafted wine.

Proper Crozes-Hermitage style Syrah - nice bright berry fruit, a bit of a dark chocolate bite, nice crisp acidity and tannin, tastes almost cool/minty. A satisfying meat wine.

A blend of 52% Semillon and 48% Sauvignon Blanc harvested from the 4th to the 16th of September, the 2019 Le Blanc Sec de Suduiraut is aged for six months, 25% in nearly all new French oak barrels, 75% in vats. The alcohol came in at 13.2%. The nose is redolent of uncomplicated poached pears and lemon meringue pie scents with touches of nutmeg and powdered white pepper. The medium-bodied palate has plenty of citrus and spice intensity with a lively line of freshness and a spicy finish.

Bursting with dark berry flavours of blackberry, dark cherry and plums, this Shiraz has soft and supple tannins and a white pepper finish. The fruit for Aloe Tree hails from the increasingly fashionable west coast of the Cape. Cool nights and sea breezes combine to extend the growing season, resulting in perfectly balanced, ripe grapes. The iconic Aloe Tree image is sure to be familiar to anyone who has travelled widely through the Cape and is an important part of the biodiversity which South Africa is famous for. The characteristic silhouette provides a backdrop to one of the most spectacular wine regions in the world where wines grow in harmony with the thousands of plant species that make up the Cape Floral Kingdom. The grapes come from selected vineyard blocks on the west coast. The extra warmth in this area helps develop the full body and ripe flavours of this variety. The vines are planted on Karoo clay soils that add body and texture to the wine. The vines ages vary from 10 to 25 years old. Once the grapes arrive at the winery, the fruit is gently pressed and only the free run juice is used. Using selected yeasts the juice then undergoes fermentation at between 18-22 degrees Celsius for 5 days. Because of the depth of flavour, it requires less oak treatment compared to other grape varieties and matures on French oak for 3 months to improve body and texture. During fermentation the wine is pumped over 3 times a day for colour extraction.

This lively little single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is bursting with vibrant zesty citrus fruit and a hint of exotic guava. Hugely refreshing, this crisp and aromatic wine is endlessly quaffable. Soft super-juicy ripe fruit and a long full-flavoured finish.

This beautiful Margot 2022 (named after FX's little girl, Margot) is utterly divine modern, natural Roussillon Rose. The make up in this organic wine is 50% old vine Grenache Noir (grown on schist) seeing whole bunch and maceration on skins for 7 days and 50% direct press Carignan Noir (grown on clay). The naturally fermented juices are blended after malolactic fermentation. Tank aged for five months. A very low dose of sulphites at bottling. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Coming in at a delightful 11.5% alcohol. A beautiful label drawn in school by young Margot also!

L’Invite 2023 displays more of the richer and classic Viognier characters than is usual from this extraordinarily high and stunning terroir of schist with large pebbles of basalt mixed in. These characters marry well with the awesome minerality this site constantly shows. An absolute stunner.

Francois Xavier AKA 'FX'. FX was vineyard manager for 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. Whole bunch fermentation in stainless-steel tanks for 5 days for this beautiful Mourvedre from very old wines. On the morning of the 6th day the grapes were pressed, and the juice transferred back to stainless-steel tanks to complete fermentation. Only the naturally occurring indigenous yeasts were used in the fermentation. The wine was then aged 5 months in tank. Prior to bottling a very low dose of sulphites was added. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Vivid, bright and wild wine.

Made by Simon Coulshaw of the minimal-intervention school. Biodynamic farming although not certified. 100% Roussanne planted on their highest vineyards, a steep north-facing slope in the foothills of the Cévennes mountains. Isolated vineyards surrounded by herbaceous shrub and woodland on schist and basalt boulders. Hand-picked at 20-25 hl/ha, Five days' on skins then 48 hours of cold settling before racking. Spontaneous fermentation, no enzymes, no fining, minimal sulphur and sulphites. Carbon dioxide nap used to avoid oxidation.

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

A very 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.

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'.

Red Declicious apple come clothed in a berryish, fruity guise. The smooth, rounded palate also homes in on Red Delicious ripeness, layering rich fruit onto berry charm and citrus brightness. This wine is easy, generous, bold and fruity, with a dry finish. Anne Krebiehl MW 90/100

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.

Light, delicate, high toned and very refinde; lovely lime and grapefruit character, delicate, off-dry, with lovely length.'. Richard Mayson, The World of Fine Wine, 1 March 2010

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.

Delicious dry white from Emporda in Northern Catalunya,

Brown/orange colour. There's a nice tarry richness to the caramel and raisin nose. Soft, rich nutty palate with good acidity. Very fresh, with some sweetness, a rich texture and good balance. Finishes with an appealing bitter twang. "Delicious rum and raisin richness and toffee notes that are so inviting, it has really lovely balance and length with lift as well as intensity", The Wine Merchant Top 100

First planted in 1860, the ‘Hill of Grace’ vineyard has been in the Henschke family since 1891, with Cyril Henschke producing its first single-vineyard Shiraz in 1958. Planted at 400 metres above sea level, this 4-hectare vineyard is named after the Gnandenberg Lutheran Church opposite (‘Gnadenberg’ translates to ‘Hill of Grace’ in German). The site’s original ‘Ancestors’ vines are now approximately 160 years old and remain at the heart of the ‘Hill of Grace’ vineyard, alongside a small selection of ungrafted ‘Centenarians’ (vines over 100 years old), ‘Survivors’ (vines over 70 years old) and ‘Old Vines’ (over 35 years old). The 2019 vintage was aged for 18 months in oak hogsheads, of which 20% was new and 80% seasoned (90% French and 10% American). 19.5+ points – Matthew Jukes, March 2024,MatthewJukes.com 97 points – Sarah Ahmed, March 2024,Decanter.com 19.5 points – Jancis Robinson MW, March 2024,JancisRobinson.com 97 points – Erin Larkin, April 2024,WineAdvocate.com 99 points – Dave Brookes, April 2024,WineCompanion.com.au 97 points – Huon Hooke, February 2024,The Real Review

Walter Speller on jancisrobinson.com October 2023 17++/20 (Walter Speller) "Mid to deep ruby. Compact, youthful, perfumed red-fruit nose with hints of spice and minerally, salty notes. Focused, sleek, tangy fruit with jewel-like acidity and tightly knit tannins on the palate". Decanter November 2023 94/100 (Michaela Morris) "This Brunello is an assemblage of plots in two distinct sectors: fruit from Montalcino’s warmer, southeastern reaches near Castelnuovo dell’Abate gives density and mid-palate weight with grainy, mouth-filling tannins, while the cooler, more elevated sites around the town of Montalcino itself seem to brighten and lift the whole. From start to finish, the enchanting perfumes of the vintage pervade. Juniper, cedar, pressed rose and candied mint follow through to the palate, where juicy watermelon and strawberry take hold. It finishes with an appetizing bitter herbal twist, and while this is hard to resist, another year in the bottle will bring further cohesion". Kerin O’Keefe November 2023 95/100 & #62 Top 100 Wines of 2023 "Forest floor, camphor, new leather and wild rose aromas come to the forefront on the lovely 2019 Brunello from Il Palazzone along with whiffs of spice. Smooth and juicy, the savory palate features ripe raspberry, cherry, star anise, hints of chocolate and a cool graphite note alongside enveloping, polished tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2028-2039". Abv 14% Kerin O’Keefe November 2023

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

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