Fortified and Dessert Wine

A blend of Cognac and juice from red grape varieties, aged for five years in oak casks. A fruity, full-flavoured aperitif to be enjoyed well chilled. Château d'Orignac has won accolades in France and throughout the world. It is made from two-thirds grape must (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) with one-third Cognac and takes almost 10 years to produce, which results in an intense, complex nose of peaches, apricots, honey, almonds and Cognac and an unforgettably smooth texture on the palate.

A light golden, a touch of botrytis. Elegantly honeyed. Lovely fruit with acidity and honey, and a hint of orange. And a delicious finale to any meal.

The white Pineau is 80% from Colombard and 20% from Ugni Blanc

This is the much requested special ingredient in James Bond’s vesper martini recipe: 3 gin, 1 grain vod, ½ lillet. Served in a champagne goblet shaken, large twist of lemon.

A splendid red aperitif from the Bordeaux region, Lillet Rouge is less famous than its Blanc sister (so beloved of James Bond) and will add welcome pep to your Manhattans and Negronis.

90 points Wine Advocate A selection of different parcels of 50 year old Grenache Noir grown on hillsides of schist soils. After some fermentation the wine is fortified and aged in large used barrels. It offers lots of sweetness in its cassis and blackberry fruits, sugared plum and spice aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, nicely balanced and clean, it is ideal for drinking over the coming 3-4 years.

Made from Grenache Blanc this Vin doux naturel bears some relation to the better known sweet white Muscat de Rivesaltes, but with less floral and more citrus nose and more complex palate. Great dessert wine with tasrte tatin

An outstanding blend of Grenache Blanc and Grenache Rouge (both from 80 year old vines) makes a superb late harvest sweet wine.

100% Grenache Noir, harvested from various vineyards in the Roussillon is then partially fermented and spirit added to create a port like red wine, but with softer tannins and lower alcohol 16%. Sweet, fruity and a joy with chocolate.

This vineyard was planted with Chenin Blanc after the discovery that morning mists appeared in the autumn giving a great opportunity to make a sweet Botrytis style wine. Individual berries or bunches affected by Noble Rot are harvested on four separate pickings. On the palate a powerful and intense sweetness is underpinned by a crisp backbone of acidity

A Rancio wine has been fortified and allowed to oxidise by being left in direct sunlight. This adds concentration and an oxidised nutty character to the wine. Fascinating, intense and delicious.

A Traditional Banyuls, sweet, complex and marvellous, aged partly in glass bonbonnes which are exposed to the sun to achieve rancio characters, and part in old foudre. Banyuls Robert Pages is a blend of Grenache (90%) and Grenache Gris (10%). With 80 g/l residual sugar, this traditional style is a striking, fleshy wine with complex aromas of baked plums, dried figs, bitter orange, coffee, vanilla and spices. Incredibly complex and layered, the palate is opulent, round and sweet yet with a fresh and pure nutty finish. It is an excellent match with blue cheeses such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola or with a cheese plate in general.

100% Pinot, long-aged, kind of Pineau-des-Charentes-meets-Amontillado! Great success on tasting.

Cherry jam and blackberry aromas, notes of vanilla and chocolate. The balanced mouth or the sugar does not dominate is prolonged with cocoa notes. Great with chocolate desserts.

From vineyards across the Garonne river from Sauternes. Similar style, less expensive. Full burnished gold, not particulalry aromatic, syrupy, nice apricoty baked apple flavours , decent oak grip and acid.

Great vintage and a really good small Barsac property that is next door neighbours with Ch Doisy Daene, the excellent Grand Cru.

Ch Coutet is a wonderful dessert wine producer, where the sweetness and acidity are in perfect balance, allowing the wine to age as well as offer instnat pleasure. A very classy wine to complete the perfect dinner.

Great vintage and a really good small Barsac property that is next door neighbours with Ch Doisy Daene, the excellent Grand Cru.

Sauternes can be expensive but we like the style and flavour, what to do? Try Monbazillac, this one is soft and well rounded with hints of lemon and tangerine. Great value and lovely at the end of a meal.

The vineyard used to produce this wine is over 2000 years old, still hand worked and totally organic. Made from Grenache, perfect with chocolate.

Slightly oaked mistelles with herbal aromas balanced with floral notes and hints of chamomile on the nose.

Guide Hachette 2020 edition "A beautiful expression of the vintage with these late harvests combining power and elegance. Flattering and fresh, the nose combines peach and candied citrus fruits - tangerine and orange zest. We find the yellow fruit in the intense, generous, rich and persistent palate, toned on the finish by a frank liveliness and a touch of bitterness. Delicacy and character. (Residual sugar: 80 g / l.)"

Sheltered from oceanic influence by the Vosges Mountains, the Alsace wine region enjoys practically the lowest rainfall in France (only 400-500mm per year) and is blessed with a semi-continental climate, sunny, hotand dry. These optimal weather conditions, along with a nice and cool fall season, allow the grapes to ripen slowly and to develop an amazing complexity of aromas.

The nectar from Beaumes de Venise is a joy with many desserts. Fragrantly laced with white flowers and violets, this is fully sweet and delicious.

The late harvests (vendanges passerillées*) have established the fame of Pacherenc. These sweet wines are intense and have lovely complexity. Balanced, they are defined by their aromatic richness and by their lovely freshness. The slow natural concentration of sugar in the grapes preserves the necessary acidity for this balance. The first grapes are generally harvested from mid November and the last harvest takes place on 31st December. For the sweet whites, the harvest is entirely hand picked. * The passerillage (raisining) on the vine, is a small wonder of nature, helped by the hand of the winemaker, allowing the grapes to concentrate in sugars gradually.

Not overly sweet. Peach, honey, grapefruit. Perfect dessert wine

Right at the top end of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, indeed one of the few very serious such organic estates. Cheeky aperitif or general sipper. Organic

Deep golden colour. Well developed and well aged whilst also seeming clean and fresh. Unctuous botrytis balanced by bright acidity. Fragrant and smoky. Not cloying at all. Tasted at the Domaine, March 2020 (AA)

Phenomenal aromatics. Honied, polished, savoury, smoky. So layered. Like the freshly spat out stones of super ripe lychees. Not the fruit, but the stone. Then there’s a note similar to high acidity coffee or cacao. Musk, almond kernels, and something animal. Intensely long. Moreish. Stunning. Tasted at the Domaine, March 2020 (AA)

More classic Sauternes style. Rich stone fruits, a smoky backbone, and a syrupy finish. Declared a 1er Cur Classé at the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac Classification, Château Coutet has been producing wine since 1643. Boasting both the largest vineyard in Barsac (thirty-eight-and-a-half hectares) as well as the largest cellar (110 meters), Château Coutet has been owned by the Baly family since 1977 and managed by Aline Baly since 2009.

One of the most exciting sweet wines of the appellation. Heavenly and eccentric. Wine Enthusiast 94/100 100% Petit Manseng

100% Grenache Noir, harvested from various vineyards in the Roussillon is then partially fermented and spirit added to create a port like red wine, but with softer tannins and lower alcohol 16%. Sweet, fruity and a joy with chocolate.

Owned by the Gerardin family since the beginning of the 20th Century this dessert wine comes from the Monbazillac region of South West France. Similar grapes varieties and conditions to Sauternes are experienced in Monbazillac, with the development of noble rot in late autumn. Old vines of 50+ years are used to make this golden aromatic dessert wine which shows botrytis aromas of smoke, marmalade, honey. A good but not very high level of residual sugar and bright acidity make for a delicious and easy to drink wine to match with fruit desserts, pastries and blue cheeses.

91 Points Wine Advocate Composed of 94% Semillon, 3% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Muscadelle, the pale lemon-gold colored 2017 Carmes de Rieussec comes bounding out of the glass with rambunctious scents of candied citrus peel, pineapple tart, green mango and fresh apricots with hints of honeycomb, musk perfume and lime blossoms. The medium to full-bodied palate explodes with tropical and stone fruit flavors, offering seamless freshness and a long, honey-laced finish. Yum!