White Wine

The Armi vineyard lies at an altitude of 500 metres, and the wine is made from the rare Thrapsathiri grape variety which is barrel fermented and rested on the lees for 3 months. Complex aromas of citrus and stone fruits which are coupled with creamy spices and a touch of liquorice notes from the oak. The mouth is generous and long with an intense aftertaste of nuts and both green and mature fruit. The palate is so soft and gentle, making it really good with food.

Saint Veran Domaine de la Croix Senaillet is a truly magnificent example of Maconnais Chardonnay from one of the area’s leading producers. It is a fleshy wine with vibrant lemon notes, apple and floral aromas all would round a fresh mineral finish. It’s posh enough for special occasions but affordable enough for Wednesday nights. Since the early 1990’s, brothers Richard and Stéphane Martin have been farming this Domaine along strict organic principals. They have grown their holdings from 6 to 25 hectares in that time with the majority in the Davaye commune. Their wines offer tremendous value from a region that is seeing prices escalate. Their attention to detail and quality is quite something to behold and really shines through in their wines.

One of the best value examples, creamy and dense, with that classic anise list. Big wine. Made from only 1 hectare of white varieties that the estate has scattered in their various parcels with sandier and calcareous soils. Each variety is harvested by hand and pressed into a 25HL oak vat for fermentation by indigenous yeasts, after primary fermentation it remains in the same vat until bottling in April after the harvest.

Pelegrim means Pilgrim in middle English (circa 12th century) and recognises the history of our forbearers that walked the Pilgrim’s Way above our vineyard for centuries on their final leg to Canterbury. This wine replicates this tradition in how the grapes are grown, selected and fermented. The Pelegrim NV is a traditional bottle-fermented sparkling wine that is made from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay with reserve wines from previous vintages to give further complexity and a consistent extra dry non-vintage style. The wines are lees-aged in bottle for 36 months to give depth and biscuity aromas which only bottle-fermentation can deliver.

A seasonal white that reflects the character of the vintage in a delicious, textural style. Aromas of quince, preserved lemon and barley lead through to a zesty palate of citrus, elderflower, stone fruits and almond.

2020 vintage conditions in were perfect in many ways. A warm, dry early season gave way to a mild, sometimes cool, February and March which allowed for ripening at a very relaxed pace. Small yields across all regions concentrated the fruit flavours while the dry conditions led to low disease pressures. A vibrant, textural white with hints of almond blossom, quince and ripe pear. Tangy, almost exotic but pithy and delicious.

100% Mauzac from one parcel at 300 m on a plateau of Eocene molasse (marl, sandstone, schist, pebbles). In final year of conversion to organic certification, natural cover cropping. Yields 32 hl/ha. 60-year-old vines. Hand-sorted, only best free-run juice used. Fermented and aged in seasoned oak barrels with occasional bâtonnage. RS 0 g/l, TA 3.39 g/l, pH 3.29.

A very special wine. Winemaker Vincent comes from the Loire Valley so knows about Chenin from there and time making wine in South Africa. Chenin originated in the Languedoc so bringing it back is exciting. The wine is fermented in egg shaped concrete fermenting tanks, which allows better movement of liquid during and after fermentation than in stainless steel. Some barrel ageing too for texture. Well balanced with a purity of fruit enhanced by its roundness and length.. Highy recommended.

A blend of Genache Blanc, Gris and Noir, from ancient 90 year old vines, this is beautiful, racy, elegant wine that is softly textured and very ‘modern’ in its freshness and balance.

A wine that engages with its aromas of tree fruit, citrus and floral notes. On the palate it is voluminous, remarkably balanced and with a distinct acidity. A fresh, elegant and greatly versatile wine.

Another winner from indigenous varieties; Portugal's great vinous inheritance. Demonstrates the skill and style of Portuguese winemaking these days, and the value of their offering. No oak, no over-extraction, not nonsense, just a beautiful limpid, light, lifted, bracing white so light it has not sign of gold in the colour, if anything a slight green hue. Not wishy-washy, it has plenty of character, but neutral in a good way, like Switzerland.

Steely, lime, peach, mineral, rounded, feminine exotic fruits and floral. Jancis "lively and still quite full, viscous... overlay of spicy minerality"

CWM Rating: First Class! 54% Sémillon, 46% Sauvignon Blanc picked 25 August to 2 September. 25% aged in oak barrels (30% new). Great aromatic aromas, with Semillon beeswax, Sauvignon citrus and white flowers. This has some heft, salinity and big citrus flavours, very well balanced and long. Drink 2022-2026 David Williams, Observer "Château Suduiraut, for example, is known for being one of the very best producers in the Bordeaux sweet-wine district of Sauternes. But its Suduiraut Blanc Sec 2020 (£19.50, cambridgewine.com) is a nervy, luminously bright, verdant and citrussy example of dry Bordeaux " June 2021

Serious quality. Beautiful wine. Named after the Bruce Springteen song "Promised Land". A wild-ferment wine made from Macabeu, Grenache gris and Carignan blanc. Fermented and aged on lees in barrels for 9 months. It has a complex nose of river stones, quince and buttered toast. The palate combines flavours of pears and citrus with a long, spicy finish. Just brilliant. Top marks.

Silver IEWA Winner. Produced from the oldest & largest Bacchus plantation in England, this internationally acclaimed wine shows intense aromas of elderflower, apple & conference pear. On the palate, tropical fruit flavours of melon & pineapple prevail leading to an elegant, crisp finish.

A classic Spanish white - 100% Verdejo Temperature controlled fermentation preserves the fresh lemon and melon fruit; fruity but fresh great value. Great with seafood, and a lovely summer drinker.

A terrific dry white Pacherenc from the Madiran region, creamy, zesty scents and an electric balance between almost flinty acidity and singing, tropical fruit. A great value aperitif.

Menfi, Sicily. Long the star wine of this modern, impressive grower. Perfect expression of Fiano, teasing green melon ripeness with lemon-peel zest. Prefect for Middle Eastern food, green herbs. Bone dry, no oak. Sustainable, Vegan, Vegetarian

Fermented and aged in inox for 4 months, one year in the bottle. Pinka is a white wine made of the rare local variety, called Caiño Blanco. The vineyards are located less than 500 metres of the river Miño, in Ribeiro appellation, Galicia. The small vineyard is about 0.3 hectares, planted next to the Treixadura one in calcareous soil. The exact age of the vines is uncertain, but between 70 and 90 years old, aprox. Following an organic farming,vara y pulgar pruning and no use of any herbicides or pesticides make a high quality healthy grapes. Hand harvested at the right time in small boxes. At the winery, the wine making is natural. After skin contact 4 days,the spontaneous fermentation takes place in inox, with indigenous yeast and left on lees without battonagge, 4 months. The room temperature at the 400 years old stoned winery is 6-9 degrees celsius. The wine is stabilise naturally by decantation through the winter and bottled unfiltered. Bottle ageing for a year before to be released. Great fresh, crispy acidity and dry finish. Limited production of 1500 bottles.

Fermented and aged in old barrel under the Flor for 6 months. La Hacienda de Doña Francisca name given as the name of the vineyard in Sanlucar. This white wine is 100% Palomino from Pago Hornillo- vineyard in Sanlucar. The grapes arrived in Bodega and smothly pressed with vertical press and left in 70 years old barrel of 500L where is fermented. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast and then is left in the same barrel under the Flor for 6 months. Slightly filtered before bottling and a bit of sulphites. Production of 1800 bottles.

A superb introduction to Chablis from this renowned producer. Fruity, floral and mineral, with wonderful freshness. William Fèvre is one of the biggest land owners in Chablis. With holdings in six of the seven Grand cru appellations, no other producer can claim such a wide array of Chablis’ finest vineyards. Domaine William Fèvre’s vineyards have been cultivated using organic methods for many years and the company has now obtained HVE status (High Environmental Value status) - the highest level of environmental certification as a result.

Dark straw colour with orange hints, the nose is a delicate mélange of quince, poire william and a hint of vanilla. A complex and structured wine, with elegant but discreet fruit flavours of stone fruits, backed up with a powerful tannin structure and long finish. A natural minimal intervention wine which is well balanced and structured yet pure and incredibly fresh.

75% Chenin Blanc and 25% Viognier. Grapes are grown on 30+ year old trellised Chenin and 15 year old Viognier from hidden corners of the Cape. Vibrant and aromatic with delicious subtle perfumed aromas with white peach and hints of jasmine on the nose. On the palate it has tight, white, fleshy stone fruit and fresh apricot flavours that balances the sandy texture. Bright acidity and minerality helps to deliver a delicious flavoursome and characteristic wine.

"A wine that has changed in style in recent vintages, with less reliance on oak and greater fruit focus, this combines grapes from Gualtallary, Los Chacayes and Villa Bastías. Pear and lemongrass flavours are complemented by a hint of cream from 10% malolactic." Tim Atkin MW, 91 points