There 194 products in this category
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Antech
A blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Mauzac. Traditional method. Exclusively hand-picked with immediate pneumatic pressing. Initial fermentation takes place in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats. After assemblage a second fermentaion takes place in bottle. The wines are 'forgotten' in the cellars for 5 years. Then this Grande Cuvée is finally revealed - showing incredible freshness and great delicacy. The wine is dosed at only 5g/l. Coming in at 12% alc. The wine is rich and complex with a beautiful golden colour with fine and very delicate bubbles. Rich caramel tones interwoven with crystalised fruit with fine vanilla and a whiff of gingerbread on the nose. The palate is delightfully youthful with accompanying citrus notes with orange oil and zest. A remarkable and truly special Cremant de Limoux. A special sparkling wine.
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Bodegas Altolandon
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.
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Nyetimber
The UK's first demi-sec sparkling wine. A classic off-dry fizz, brilliant on its own, or with a wide range of foods.
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Domaine Danjou-Banessy
Natural, biodynamic and vegan. Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre from 80 year old vines, Made without filtering or fining. Pale but gorgeous mid red colour. At first on the nose, you are like "What even is that?". Whatever it is, you know that you like it. Elegant, subtle fruit is intermixed with gentle herb, earth and savoury charachters. Deep and wonderful. On the palate the wine is elegant and deep again, but not heavy in the slightest. Ruffled fruit and savoury notes with minerality and real finesse. These wines are like no other from the Roussillon. Outstanding. Magnum sized.
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Ibizkus
Ibizkus Wine, founded in 2007, has now established itself as one of the finest wineries on the island of Ibiza. They produce wine from nearly half the island’s registered vineyards, all originally planted for auto-consumption, of which the vast majority is the black grape, Monastrell. Seen as one of the founding and iconic grapes of Ibiza’s long winemaking past, Ibizkus use it to produce fine reds and flagship rose. About 40% of its production is dedicated to national and export markets, and to promoting its fabulous wines, quality and winemaking potential of this famous Balearic Island across Europe. The Can Basso Blanco is made from a blend of approximately 75% Malvasía Ibicenca and 25% aromatic Malvasía (known as “Malvasía de Sitges”) planted in Ibiza in the mid-1990s, the wine is fermented and aged in second-use, 700-liter French-oak barrels with 7 months stirring on lees. An elegant, creamy and expressive wine with notes of white-stone fruit and citrus, a lovely saline quality and plenty of body and structure.
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Domaine Grosbois
This is top-class. Silky, seductive and concentrated but with a light touch typical of the genre. From the website of UK agents Thorman Hunt: Domaine Grosbois is a 9h Domaine run by two brothers, Nicolas and Sylvain. Their family vineyard is located at a place called “The Pressoir” Panzoult in the Chinon appellation in the heart of the Loire Valley. Nicolas arrived at the family estate in 2008, after spending 10 years as a “flying winemaker” and having spent time in New Zealand, Australia, Chile and Oregon. After his time abroad, Nicolas strongly believes in not vinifying and ageing in wood, choosing concrete instead to preserve the freshness and vitality. No old oak has been used since 2015. Sylvain similarly spent time abroad in Chile, Oregon working for Domaine Drouhin and Australia. The brothers are passionate about organic viticulture and show their wines at The Raw Wine Fair. The Gabare cuvée comes from the old vines of a clay limestone vineyard. The grapes are destemmed and undergo a 2 to 3 day cold maceration. The wines undergo a 20 day cuvaison in concrete tanks and are then also aged in concrete.
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Nyetimber
Clearly England's no. 1 fizz. Mature and toasty. In a handy half-bottle size.
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Vilarnau
A superb off-dry Prosecco alternative produced exclusively for the UK market by Eva Plazas, the ever dynamic winemaker at Vilarnau Cava. Produced from a blend of indigenous grape varieties, Macabeo, Parellada and Subirat Parent, aromatic primary fruits on the nose lead to a palate with excellent balance between acidity and sweetness. Using the highly aromatic and rare Subirat Parent grape as part of the dosage (15g/l) is inspired.
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Domaine Danjou-Banessy
A blend of Genache Blanc, Gris and Noir, from ancient 90 year old vines in the ancient and quite amazing 'C|os des Escounils' that the brothers are developing and working on re-establishing it's other potential vineyard areas. This is beautiful, racy, elegant wine that is softly textured and very ‘modern’ in its freshness and balance.
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Domaine La Loyane
Laure Dubois runs this excellent estate with her husband Romain and has fully converted to Organic farming. The wines they produce are consistently good and elegant, mainly from the Lirac appellation, north West of Chateauneuf-du-Pape but also this Cotes du Rhone from just outside. The 2022 is the third year in five vintages that the wine has won a coveted Coup de Coeur top award in the Guide Hachette, the 'bible' of French wine. Charming, 'irresistible' and ready to drink it also offers outstanding value for money. Domaine La Lôyane was voted Winemaker of the Year in 2018 by the Guide Hachette. La Lôyane refers to the place where the estate is built, a place formerly occupied by wolves! The estate, founded in 1994, is located in the south of the Rhône Valley, near Avignon in the Lirac cru. The Dubois family has been cultivating its 20 hectares of vines there for 4 generations! And the last, with Romain Dubois, has cnverted the estate to organic farming. An extremely precise estate, which is constantly moving upmarket and producing wines from vines that are sometimes more than a century old!
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Nyetimber
Clearly England's no. 1 fizz. Mature and toasty.
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Domaine des Trinités
Possibly the last Rosé to be produced at Trinités? The wine has always been produced for the home market, for the restaurants and bars, in all the major cities. But since the market for such in the last few years has dried up/been somewhat difficult, vigneron Simon Coulshaw has decided to take a break for a while. This 2020 is unlike any previous effort, mostly explained below in Tamlyn Currin's note for jancisrobinson.com. It really is truly wonderful Rosé with real minerality, precision and class. an absolute stunner. 40% Cinsault, 40% Grenache Noir, 20% Mourvèdre. Hand-picked, organically and biodynamically farmed grapes. 100% saignée ie no pressing, just bleeding from the tanks. Winemaker Simon Coulshaw points out that the distinct difference in colour between the 2019 and 2020 (the latter being distinctly lighter in colour) is purely down to the maturity of the anthocynanins in the grapes. In 2019 he left the grapes for an hour and the colour was already dark; in 2020 it spent three or four hours and still didn't throw much colour. Bone dry (less than 0.5 g RS). "This is an outstanding rosé. If only Languedoc producers would sit up and take notice – this is what you can do with rosé. Real wine. Real depth, real texture, acidity so full and exciting and ripe that it made me want to helter skelter, go boogie on Brighton Pier, lick seashells dipped in raspberry sherbet, make cherry bombs filled with lime sorbet and eat them sitting fully clothed in the sea with salt on my tongue and fingers and toes. All of which sounds like fun fun fun, but don't be deceived. This is a serious wine, framed in spice and pink-grapefruit-peel bitterness. Very Good Value (TC)". Score 17/20 jancisrobinson.com When to drink 2021 - 2023 Published on 29 Nov 2021 Date tasted 29 Nov 2021
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Domaine Delhome
"I like wines that are direct, with tension, a vertebral column, for both the reds and the whites". Romain Delhome "This is an interesting newcomer to the ranks in the northern sector of Crozes-Hermitage, with vineyards in the communes of Crozes itself, Larnage, Gervans and Erôme. There are almost 11.5 hectares of Crozes across 20 plots, Romain is the fifth generation; his great-grandfather Flavien Delhome had vineyards, while, on his mother’s side there were vineyards under her family in the shape of Severin Habrard, so there are two old roots at play here. Father Gérald took over the domaine in 1993, and concentrated on apricots and vines, the grape harvest sent to the Cave de Tain. Son Romain came on to the domaine in 2018; he had worked locally at Gigondas and in the Ventoux at Chêne Bleu, as well as in Virginia in the USA. The cellar was built in 2019. The domaine is HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) registered, a green credential, and the 2022 harvest will be officially organic. 100% Syrah (average age 40 years) from south-facing sanded granite soils on Les Sourdets at 300 metres at Larnage next to the cellars, granite fragments on flat ground at bottom of Le Caire at Gervans, hand harvested, destemmed, pre-fermentation cold maceration at 8°-10°C "to seek red fruits, especially from Gervans", 20-25 day steel vat vinification at 24°-28°C, pumping overs, part vat emptying/refilling, raised 75% 3-10 year 228-litre & 600-litre oak casks (85% 228-litres, 15% 600-litres), 25% steel vat 11-12 months". This is excellent Crozes Hermitage with good structure with what feels like perfect extraction - wonderful texture and depth. But the Boreal is ultimately all about the fruit, though, which is charmingly wild in character and quite dark. Blackberry, the beginnings of mulberry and a bit of liquorice in there too. A wonderful offering.
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Leclerc Briant
Leclerc Briant’s flagship wine exemplifies the House’s style, and the blend (40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay) is sourced from organic and biodynamic vineyards. The nose offers notes of candied citrus, green apple, apricot and almond, while the palate is full of freshness and salinity, with a chalky, mineral finish. Spearheaded by Hervé Jestin’s inventive, inspirational winemaking, this extraordinary house has reinvented itself over the past decade. Cynics might dismiss Hervé’s wilder ideas (such as under-sea cellaring) as marketing ploys, but the ideas here are rooted in respect for nature.
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Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
Pale yellow colour. Expressive Riesling nose typical from limestone origin: citrus, light mineral notes, stony flavours, honey. Vivacious palate, crisp, amazing acidity and freshness. This is a very classic Roche Calcaire that finishes bone dry with a lacy texture. This wine will still need some time to open up and it is highly recommended to decant it in the first years after bottling.
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Charles Heidsieck
An opulent Champagne with the perfect balance of freshness and generosity, from the smallest and arguably the best of the Grande Marques. The Brut Réserve NV is a radiant pale gold colour with fine, persistent bubbles. The nose is characterised by complex pastry aromas, with an opulent combination of ripe apricot, mango, greengages, dried fruits, pistachio and almond. The palate begins with a silky-smooth sensation, developing into ripe fleshy apricot, melon and enticing plum pastry notes and delicate spice. There is perfect balance of freshness and generosity.
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Ibizkus
Ibizkus Wine, founded in 2007, has now established itself as one of the finest wineries on the island of Ibiza. They produce wine from nearly half the island’s registered vineyards, all originally planted for auto-consumption, of which the vast majority is the black grape, Monastrell. Seen as one of the founding and iconic grapes of Ibiza’s long winemaking past, Ibizkus use it to produce fine reds and flagship rose. About 40% of its production is dedicated to national and export markets, and to promoting its fabulous wines, quality and winemaking potential of this famous Balearic Island across Europe. The grapes are destemmed, inoculated with indigenous starter yeasts and fermented in concrete then aged in second and third use 500 l. French oak barrels for 5 months. The Can Basso Tinto is an brilliant, intriguing wine with savoury, smoky aromatics and a touch of florality reminiscent of Nebbiolo. Full-bodied but not heavy, with lots of dark black fruits and spice, with a wonderful earthiness and well-defined but soft (surprising for Monastrell) tannins.
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Charles Heidsieck
An opulent Champagne with the perfect balance of freshness and generosity, from the smallest and arguably the best of the Grande Marques. The Brut Réserve NV is a radiant pale gold colour with fine, persistent bubbles. The nose is characterised by complex pastry aromas, with an opulent combination of ripe apricot, mango, greengages, dried fruits, pistachio and almond. The palate begins with a silky-smooth sensation, developing into ripe fleshy apricot, melon and enticing plum pastry notes and delicate spice. There is perfect balance of freshness and generosity.
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Domaine Danjou-Banessy
Natural, biodynamic and vegan. Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre from 80 year old vines, Made without filtering or fining. Pale but gorgeous mid red colour. At first on the nose, you are like "What even is that?". Whatever it is, you know that you like it. Elegant, subtle fruit is intermixed with gentle herb, earth and savoury characters. Deep and wonderful. On the palate the wine is elegant and deep again, but not heavy in the slightest. Ruffled fruit and savoury notes with minerality and real finesse. These wines are like no other from the Roussillon. Outstanding.
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Domaine des Soulanes
Mineral, taught. Fine and long. One of the unsung whites of the Roussillon. A blend of Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Carignan Gris and Carignan Blanc. Outstanding wine. Ages gracefully for 10++ years. Beautiful vineyards that are beautifully worked.
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Nyetimber
The English sparkling wine that put English sparkling wine on the map. The first English fizz to exclusively use the traditional three champagne grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Parker 91 "wafting from the glass with a pretty bouquet of citrus zest, elderflowers, green apple and very subtle autolytic top notes... pillowy, beautifully balanced, pinpoint mousse, ripe but racy acids and a nicely defined finish.” Jancis Robinson MW. 17.5 "Very frisky mousse! Sophisticated and, I have to admit, champagne-like nose. Lifted and long and very sophisticated. There are just SO many champagnes that are less impressive than this... intellectually stimulating. Wonderfully vibrant..." Lovely pale gold and gentle, fine bubbles. Toasty, spicy and complex aromas showing wonderful development after more than three years on lees in our cellar. The palate supports these complex aromas with honey, almond, pastry and baked apple flavours. Very fine and elegant with a great combination of intensity, delicacy and length.
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Domaine Gayda
Soft pink tones and a floral bouquet belie the nuance and subtley of this delicious rosé. Harvested from La Liviniere plantings of Mourvedre, Cinsault and Grenache. Certified Organic and aged on lees for three months. 90/100 Decanter Magazine "Light and softly framed, this wine shows juicy stone fruit with red fruit highlights. The palate has plenty of ripe peach and apricot, fresh cranberry and intense grapefruit pith, with a saline and succulent finish. Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault grapes are all sourced from the La Livinière area in the Minervois". Drinking Window 2022 - 2023
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Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
Bright pale-yellow colour. Discreet nose which is slowly opening on fresh citrus fruits and light smoky aromas, a characteristic often found on this grape variety. This is almost a Riesling like nose with lots of precision and tension. Palate is dry and is supported by a ripe acidity. The finish shows an enjoyable velvety and elegant mouthfeel with again fresh white fruits flavours. The Windsbuhl character shows strongly in this wine and will allow for a nice evolution over the next few years.
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Domaine des Soulanes
Like a great Provence, but one from an actual great terroir and not just sandy soils. This year Syrah and Carignan joining the Grenache and Mourvedre of the outstanding debut in 2020 which garnered high praise from critics and customers. In the words of one customer "“You’ll be pleased to know you weren’t wrong with that Rosé (Dom. des Soulanes Cuvee Rosé). It is one of the best I have ever tasted and I’ve tasted a few, many with a much bigger price tag. Actually I prefer it to Garrus (£100), d’Esclans (£30). How much more have you got?”" Published on decanter.com in June 2022: Domaine des Soulanes, Rosé, Côtes du Roussillon, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 2021 "The delicate, somewhat restrained nose hides a fine wine on the palate. It's a slightly darker pink in colour in the glass, too. Exuberant and playful in the mouth, with bowls of fresh cranberries, white raspberries and goji berries. A tangy citrus and lemon thyme note on the finish leaves you suitably refreshed and ready for the next sip. This may even have some intriguing potential for ageing. Certified organic, hand harvested". 90/100 Drinking Window 2022 - 2025
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Proverbio
PRO for Prosecco, VER for Vero (Truly in Italian) BIO for Biologico (Organic). The palate is soft and fresh, offering zippy acidity and a complex array of primary fruit flavours, including peach, pear and apricot. This is enjoyable on its own as an aperitif but also pairs wonderfully with oriental cuisine. All vineyards are situated on gentle hillside slopes in the Treviso province, at an altitude of 250 metres above sea level. The grapes are carefully handpicked in mid-late September when they have reached full maturity, but still retain a high acidity level, giving the freshness and fruitiness typical of Prosecco.
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Domaine Gayda
Soft pink tones and a floral bouquet belie the nuance and subtley of this delicious rosé. Harvested from La Liviniere plantings of Mourvedre, Cinsault and Grenache. Certified Organic and aged on lees for three months. 90/100 Decanter Magazine "Light and softly framed, this wine shows juicy stone fruit with red fruit highlights. The palate has plenty of ripe peach and apricot, fresh cranberry and intense grapefruit pith, with a saline and succulent finish. Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault grapes are all sourced from the La Livinière area in the Minervois". Drinking Window 2022 - 2023
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Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
When Zind-Humbrecht acquired the Clos-Saint-Urbain vineyard on the Grand Cru Rangen in 1977, about half of the land wasn’t under vines and needed to be planted. This very steep vineyard requires a lot of hard manual work and some surfaces were left abandoned in the middle of the 20th century. Most vintages, the vines planted in the 70s and 80s are separated from the very old vines that qualify as Grand Cru. This wine clearly show all the originality of a volcanic geology which is unique in Alsace. They are also cultivated the exact same way as the older vines (ploughing with a winch for example). The biggest difference would be on the crop size. The Roche Volcanique is made with low yields, but the older vines produce even less! For these ‘younger vines’ they aim for very healthy grapes (no noble rot) in order to achieve a dry wine. Bright pale-yellow colour. Expressive fruity and smoky nose (smoked ham, grilled hazelnuts). The palate has a velvety texture, lots of depth and length without too much power. Gentle balance showing a saline acidity on the finish. Very easy wine to enjoy today. Dry, but with a certain softness due to a good dry extract that brings volume on the palate. Obviously Rangen in taste…
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Domaine Gayda
Notes of cherry and raspberry, with a sniff of garrigue. A delightful mouthfeel with silky tannins and notes of black fruits and spices, ending with a tangy finish and a good length. Beautiful Syrah and Carignan from the Roussillon grown on gneiss. The Syrah was destemmed and fermented then raised in 5yo oak barrels, The Carignan was fermented whole bunch then raised in stainless steel to preserve it brilliant brightness. A great En Passant.
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Clos de Trias
Even Bakke is a force of nature. Norwegian-American with many vintages under his belt in USA, he found and bought the most amazing winery in the cool hills behind the Dentelles mountain of Gigondas fame. This really is the place to be, and super-old vines too. Wild, expressive naturally beautiful wines. He's a huge guy - six foot six and abut four feet across the shoulders but the wines are all delicate (by local standards), and nuanced. The 'basic' Ventoux is insanely juicy - like biting into a cherry brandy liqueur chocolate - with intriguing wild notes, a little dusty, a lot fascinating. All wines not released until ready to enjoy. Truly a must-try. "Clos des Trias is comprised of 19 hectares, with a healthy share of 80+-year-old vines in microbial rich Triassic soils. The vineyards are situated high in the hills at 300-500 meters above sea level, allowing them to escape much of the exhaustive heat that their lower altitude neighbours experience. To extract the most from his stunning terroir, Even employs the most natural, non-interventionalist methods of winemaking possible. The winery was officially certified organic in 2012 and also follows many biodynamic principles. Even relies on spontaneous fermentation, with no addition of yeast, or temperature control and keeps sulphur levels to a minimum. The wines are truly allowed to ‘make-themselves’. Some of his reds are aged for up to 6 years in old oak fourdre, yet still the minerality, concentration, life and perfume the wines exhibit is somewhat bewildering, and simply a testament to Even’s understanding of his land and vines." Wine Advocate Jeb Dunnuck on the 2009 Clos de Trias Ventoux "Also superb, and an incredible value, the 2009 Ventoux is a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and the balance Carignan and Cinsault. Aged a massive 40 months 75% in tank and 25% in demi-muid, it offers spectacular notes of spice-box, kirsch and licorice that flow to a full-bodied, decadently textured red that s
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Domaine Danjou-Banessy
100% Grenache from 130+ year old vines. Complex floral aromas. On the palate the fruits, such as raspberry and morello cherry, are crunchy and fresh. There is also a very strong stony/mineral feeling. The finish is long and pure. A vibrant wine. 97/100 Matt Walls, Decanter Magazine March 2024
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Domaine Danjou-Banessy
Old vine Grenache grown on decomposed black schist with a limestone sub soil with some quartz, that produces something amazing. Ethereal, sublime and fresh, this achieves a level of finesse akin to fine red Burgundy. Remarkable, special, very good indeed.
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Domaine Grosbois
A wonderfully fresh and juicy Chinon, perfect for summer drinking. Chill it and enjoy in the sun! From the website of UK agents Thorman Hunt: Domaine Grosbois is a 9h Domaine run by two brothers, Nicolas and Sylvain. Their family vineyard is located at a place called “The Pressoir” Panzoult in the Chinon appellation in the heart of the Loire Valley. Nicolas arrived at the family estate in 2008, after spending 10 years as a “flying winemaker” and having spent time in New Zealand, Australia, Chile and Oregon. After his time abroad, Nicolas strongly believes in not vinifying and ageing in wood, choosing concrete instead to preserve the freshness and vitality. No old oak has been used since 2015. Sylvain similarly spent time abroad in Chile, Oregon working for Domaine Drouhin and Australia. The brothers are passionate about organic viticulture and show their wines at The Raw Wine Fair. The Cuisine de ma mère comes from their young vines from clay and sand and is designed for early drinking. The grapes are destemmed and undergo a 5-day skin maceration, fermented in concrete and then aged in concrete.
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Tinkture
A certified organic London Dry style gin. Light and delicate, with a hint of citrus. Juniper and Coriander. Yet the secret lies in capturing the true, delicate and complex nature of the rose. They only use fresh (not dried or concentrated) organic David Austin rose petals in the distillation, to bring a bright, fresh and not at all confected florality.