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. One hundred percent thirty year old vine Syrah on red clay. Eight days skin macération whole bunch. Fermentation in stainless steel and aged seven months in a single 20 hl foudre. 2g/hl sulphites added just before bottling. This is like a fine, gentle Crozes-hermitage with wild notes and tangy blueberry fruit. Very smart and stylish wine from young FX.

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.

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. Ninety percent Syrah (thirty years old) and ten percent Carignan (eighty years old) on schist terroir. Skin macération for seven days followed by whole-bunch fermentation in cuve and then bred in a 10hl Amphora for eight months. Just 2g/hl sulphites added just before bottling.

Intense nose of real concentration. Vibrant and jewelly – like essence of Central Otago but with a drier finish than many. Still very youthful and savoury. Great stuff! 2020 Vintage Jancis Robinson MW

A heady fragrance of peony and violets, red cherry and pomegranate, overlaid with a smoky, earthy savouriness. The character reflects the perfume and delicacy of the vintage, whilst retaining its innate muscular tannin structure that ensures it will age very well. The palate shows great intensity, complexity and structure.

Intense dark red with a hint of violet. The bouquet gives an impression of sweet earthiness and lifted florals, blueberries, fresh tobacco, white pepper and spice. Pure florals, red berries and a silky texture.

Displaying the lushness and balance that define great Cabernet Sauvignon, this inviting wine features layers of blackberry, black cherry and blueberry, along with notes of dark chocolate and fresh spearmint. On the palate, the bright, juicy fruit flavors are framed by rich, refined tannins that carry the wine to a long, satisfying finish.

Silver Medal winner for this Merlot-based red wine that is packed with flavour and very well balanced already. Lots of plum and blackberry primary flavours, soft tannins and a nice lick of acidity that keeps the wine energetic.

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

Poised and perfectly balanced, this intense purple- black wine has a harmonious bouquet of red and black berries, with soft and sweet tannins on the finish.

The idea of this ??wine came out during a curious meeting between “wine experts”: Valentino Sciotti, today CEO of the “Farnese Group”, Filippo Baccalaro, chief winemaker of the same group and third generation of Piedmontese winemakers, Hugh Johnson, the most famous wine journalist in the world, and Jean Marc Sauboua of the third generation of Bordeaux winemakers. During that particular meeting, 18 years ago, Hugh Johnson launched a challenge to the two young winemakers: that of creating a “great wine” with the character of “Southern Italy”, forged with the best varietals of that territory; a wine with the modest name of “table wine”, but with the soul of “a great wine”, that stands out for its ability to be unique and extraordinarily superior to what the market offers. Montepulciano, Primitivo, Negroamaro, Sangiovese & Malvasia Nera. Astonishing 3-time winner of 99/100 Luca Maroni "Best Italian Red 2018". Previous IWC Abruzzo Trophy. Grower voted best in Italy 3 times. Massive, Epic wine. 100% new oak (60% American 40% French)

James Suckling 94 Points A top blend from Marcello here. His wines are all natural, and we are delighted to have them back after an absence of a couple of years. This blend is produced from handpicked grapes which underwent a micro fermentation with natural yeasts prior to being aged in oak for 20 months. This is a seriously good wine, more savoury and elegant than fruit driven, with noticeable vanilla on the finish.

Big and fruity this wine packs a punch! Enjoy and have some fun with this with some charcuterie.

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 amphitheatre 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!

Fruit! Glorious fruit! Oh my, what a delicious wine made up of Alicante Bouschet 70% and Grenache Noir 30%. The very friendliest Alicante we have ever tasted. Dreamy, sweet blueberry and fresh blackberry fruit that is pleasingly aromatic, juicy, seamless that sits just right on the palate. Perfect for when you want the pleasures of gorgeous fruit with nice depth and presence but with a delightful lightness of touch because of the moderate alcohol (only 12.5% abv) and pleasingly light, soft tannin. Utterly great on its own or with lighter meat dishes. Wonderful and unique. "Rhonejolais", if you will.

Red and dark purple wine colour with bright reflections. Pleasant nose, with orange peel and rosemary aromas. The palate is elegant, smooth and well structured, with blueberry paired with soft spices, cloves and Timut pepper

The wine is dealcoholised by using spinning cone columns in a form of low temperature vacuum steam distillation to gently extract alcohol from the wine while minimising the effect on the taste of the wine.

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'.

A beautiful, precise Rasteau wine. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre woven together to produce a very elegant style. A complex nose of baked plums, blackberry, garrigue herbs and hibiscus flowers. Very fine balance on the mid-weight palate. Simply irresistible and utterly moreish. Bravo!

Red and black fruits, intense and ethereal bouquet of vanilla, full, firm but velvety flavours with a fine lingering aftertaste of liquorice and ripe red fruits.

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 tannina nd acidity. Long and complex and able to age although beautiful now.

A pure fruited, natural wine without additional sulphites. Shimmering fruit backed up by gorgeous savouriness and delightful floral notes - this is a real star for those who like a little restraint and class in their glass (only 13% abv). This is an utterly delicious take on Côtes du Rhône with Grenache leading the way backed up by Carignan and then Syrah. Beautiful balance and real elegance. Vigneron Frederic Julien has some talent!

This Roboul cuvée exudes lifted fruit aromas in abundance with blackberries, blueberries, pomegranates and also gentle garrigue notes. On the palate it is velvety with curious, beautiful interest. There is a perfect balance between alcohol and acidity and it ends with a striking freshness. It's a marvelous wee wine. Full bottle 1,341 g. Single vineyard. 60% Mourvèdre (20 years old), 40% Grenache (30 years old) on pudding stone, clay, sand and limestone tuffeau. Hand-picked; whole-bunch, spontaneous fermentation; minimal cap work; very gently pressed. Fermented separately because the Mourvèdre ripens so much later than the Grenache. 12 months in old oak barrels of 600, 500 and 400 litres. "If I’d not known what this wine was, and put it to my nose, my first guess would be Pinot Noir, Tasmania. Rosehips. Nectarine skin. Hibiscus tea. Morels. Then, after tasting it, I’d change my mind. I’d wonder if this was Cinsault, one of Alex Milner’s wraith-like beauties, perhaps: the bruised rose petals, the jasmine tea, the taste of prickly pears and dust and pungent-peppery-green at the back of my throat. Then I smell garrigue - cistus, broom heather, wild thyme, the smell of the wind blowing through holm oaks and twisted pines and I am in the south of France. This is the fey child of Roussillon. This is a wine that dances in the thin places". Very Good Value. Tamlyn Currin on jancisrobinson.com 18/20 jancisrobinson.com

Deep purple red in colour, the wine is a heady mix of dark berry fruit, with earthy nuances and lifted florals from the addition of Viognier. Excellent structure, it has great depth and richness of plums and blackberries with supportive, balanced oak and a lingering finish.

Long-standing single-vineyard classic from the outstanding Allegrini family. I've always loved this wine. Somewhat like a 'deployable' version of Amarone, but so much more interesting than most Ripasso. Plays a sexy line between juicy silky, lush and chewy tannin and oak. Intriguing notes of blossom and ripe citrus fruits.

Pech Mege is a silky, focussed wine showing deep red fruits and the fresh minerality which is a characteristic of the schist soil of their vineyards.

The latest vintage from the legend of Lebanon.

Le Finage, which means territory, is the name given to this wine from different Marsannay plots. The vines grow on several clay-limestone soils, producing a fully rounded wine, in which you will find energetic tannins, fruity aromas (raspberry), and spices. Consistency and freshness mark the finish of this perfect ambassador for the appellation. We recommend drinking this wine during its dynamic first 5 years, but it can be kept for longer. It may be necessary to decant certain vintages in their first few years. Depending on the vintage, we use 50% whole-bunch fermentation. The wine is aged for about 12 months in barrels (with 15% of new barrels) and 6 months in stainless steel tanks.

Kate McIntyre is the queen of Mornington, consistently turning out the most critically acclaimed wines from this famous area near Melbourne. "A real treat of a wine, with rhubarb, beetroot, strawberry and spice flavours. A showboater, and while the stemmy character is a strong influence, I think it works brilliantly." 17.5 jancisrobinson.com (2014 Vintage)

50% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella, 5% Oseleta Very intense ruby red color, the nose reveals an enticing range of steeped cherry and fig cake flavors with accents of dried thyme, pomegranate and espresso. In the mouth it is creamy and with lightly firm tannins and acidity that’s just at the right level to accentuate and perpetuate the flavors. The whole tasting is embellished with a very pleasant tannic texture, which fades towards a spiced finish of excellent persistence.

Not only is the magnificent Gigondas estate 500 years old, it's owned by Daniel and Frédéric Brunier. Know the name? They are behind Châteauneuf's leading estate, Vieux Télégraphe. Meting out the same care, they produce this rich, old-vine Gigondas. And Daniel reckons that 2019 is his best vintage to date. A perfectly balanced wine, finely poised and with great length.

95% Nerello Mascalese from a vineyard located on the south-western slope of the Etna volcano, in the town of Biancavilla, within the Etna D.O.C. in Sicily. Rustic, mineral, even herbal , but with a smooth and generous fruity core.

This Syrah blend with soft black fruits and spice has been shaped by the sunbaked rocky soils of the Languedoc hinterland. A herbal, spicy bouquet is followed by youthful red cherries and supple mineral character derived from the schist rich soils.

A quite unique expression of 100% Canaiolo from Jamu's organic vineyards. Ripening later than their Sangiovese in the latter half of September. The beautiful fruit (a selection of the very best bunches from the vineyard) is picked when perfectly ripe by hand and sorted in small crates. 100% destemmed and gently crushed, the wine is left to ferment on its wild yeasts. Macerated for two weeks with a little, very gentle pump-over daily. The wine is run off to older French tonneaux and left to rest for nine months then put to bottle for a further six months before release. Direct, long and pure wine. Some darker as well as brighter red fruits mix deliciously on a lovely savoury, fresh palate. A must try - think lamb rubbed in rosemary and salt cooked on the grill. Think Sangiovese with lighter tannins. Marvellous wine and a must-try this spring and summer. The legendary and completely wonderful Giampaolo Chiettini helps the young (very young!) Rocco (24!) and his sister Meca (25!) on their beautiful estate in DOC Valdarno di Sopra. A very exciting estate to watch at this embryonic stage.

Deep ruby red in colour with a purple hue, this wine displays intensely fruity red berry aromas of raspberries and cherries, floral notes and a touch of spice and chocolate. Well structured, fresh and fruity on the palate with soft, rounded tannins and a long velvety finish.

Colour is ruby red, dense and compact. Nose has big intensity and persistence, ethereal, fruity with hints of cherries and dried prunes, dried flowers, sweet spices. On the palate, the wine is densely structured and smooth, perfectly balancing its rich endowment of velvety tannins.

Attractive, fruit-driven Shiraz. Cherry red with hints of dark plum and chocolate on the nose. The wine is seamlessly balanced with sweet lifted fruit, subtle oak and soft tannins, a delicious wine made to enjoy now.

Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara from vineyards in the Veneto region. Deep ruby colour. Aromas of cherries, plums, oak, chocolate and spices. On the palate chocolate, blackberries, cherries, oak, plums and spices. A fruity, spicy and balanced Amarone