There 199 products in this category
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Chateau Rives-Blanques
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.
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Domaine des Trinités
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.
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Domaine des Soulanes
Very rare, very low production. 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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Domaine des Soulanes
Wonderful new cuvee from the brilliant Daniel and Cathy Laffite based in Tautavel. These guys have some of the most beautiful vineyards we have ever seen, and they are worked with utmost care and respect in an organic way. Glorious Grenache and Carignan deliver so much pleasure with beautiful fruit, great minerality and supple, savoury tannins. DELICIOUS.
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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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Domaine Gayda
Deep purple, almost opaque in colour with an expressive nose of black fruits, pepper, cinnamon, spice and violets. A seductive palate of dark hedgerow fruits, very open and welcoming with an explosion of fruit and spice. Mineral undertones.
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Foncalieu
Wonderful. The best value Pinot Noir we have found from the Languedoc. Fine, fruity and elegant. Simply delicious.
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Nyetimber
Clearly England's no. 1 fizz. Mature and toasty.
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La Magia
Made with certified-organic fruit, the La Magia 2017 Brunello di Montalcino reveals the ripeness and robust flavors that come naturally in this hot and dry vintage. That ripeness is well managed, and it appears as textural softness and creaminess more than anything else. Sangiovese's characteristic acidity keeps the wine from feeling heavy, and the palate is accented by cherry confit, Spanish cedar, cola and wild rose. The finish is a bit abrupt and simple. 93/100 Drinking window 2024-2035 Robert Parker Wine Advocate "Low-yielding old vines yielded stunning quality at harvest, allowing for extended macerationgiving depth, texture and complexity. Maturation for 36 months helped reduce oak sweetness and maintain freshness. The heady and perfumed nose offers blood orange, cigar box, black cherry and rose tea. The palate is opulent, seductive and fresh, with stony grip and a long, mineral finish." Davy ?yw, Senior Wine Buyer, Berry Bros & Rudd "Beautiful red with floral and black-cherry aromas. So floral and perfumed for this hot and dry vintage. Full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are energetic and long. Structured and manicured. From organically grown grapes." James Suckling 96/100
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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.
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Chateau Franc Baudron
The Guimberteau family has owned the Chteau Franc-Baudron estate since 1923. This is a vineyard on a human scale where each generation has left its footprint on the family heritage. Since 2010, the new generation of Chteau Franc-Baudron has embarked on an environmental approach by converting the entire vineyard to organic farming. The area hosts bee-hives, uses plants for treatments (horsetail, nettle and ferns) and seeds flowers to encourage biodiversity of wildlife in the vines. They have begun implementing new winemaking techniques by using minimal inputs to express at its best the nature of the grapes and the type of soil. Most of the familys plots of Montagne Saint-Emilion are located on a clay-limestone plateau. Bright and intense in colour with aroams of blackcurrant, blackberry and oak notes.Well balanced, powerful and velvety.
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Felton Road
This is the most grown up Cornish Point yet. It has all the classic components (vibrantly fruited, voluptuous and rounded mouthfeel...), but with a structural complexity we have rarely seen before. Indulgent but serious tannins demand a thoughtful conversation in this 15th rendition. Baritones and altos all in harmony leading to a crescendo of a finish.
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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 des Soulanes
Offering pretty notes of black and blue fruits, violets, pepper and hints of leather, it's medium-bodied, fresh, focused and tannins that emerge on the finish. Organic.
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Domaines des Schistes
Grown on Schistose marls resting on the southern limestone foothills of the Massif des Corbières limit between the Pyrénées Orientales and the Aude. Altitude 220m. A majority of Carignan, very little Grenache Noir, even less Syrah from a 70 year old plot of vines. Manual harvest, wild ferment. Whole bunch maceration for a period of fifteen days, conservation of the cap of damp marc by daily wetting. Very little extraction, rather an infusion. This makes a beautiful light-footed wine. Amazing, bright and red-fruited vigorous Carignan. Like nothing we've tasted before. An utter marvel.
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Domaines des Schistes
Topsoil of schistose marls (less than 40 cm) resting on deep schist rock that are planted to ancient vines of Grenache Noir and Lladoner Pelut for the most part with a a small parcel of Carignan. The yield hardly exceeds 20 hl/ha, vines planted at 1.50 m square. The grapes are partly de-stemmed, followed by maceration for a fortnight with light daily pumping over. Aged in old casks of 20 HL. A seamless, gorgeous Grenache-led beauty. An extraordinary dry red Maury that has a texture from heaven, wonderful depth and with a delightful lightness of touch. Utterly delicious.
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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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Louis Roederer
Lush. Like a ripe pear.
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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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Domaine Danjou-Banessy
Natural, Organic, Biodynamic Macabeu, fermented and aged in barrels, racy and minerally with soft texture and generous fruit.
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Domaine des Trinités
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.
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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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Nyetimber
Clearly England's no. 1 fizz. Mature and toasty. In a handy half-bottle size.
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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 Rserve 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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Umani Ronchi
One of Italy's enduring bargains. Serious stuff, grand and complex, lithe, sexy. Unoaked, lees contact, no malo. Jancisrobinson.com 17+ "A selection of the best organically grown Verdicchio grapes from the Montecarotto vineyard. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel. MLF was suppressed. Aged on the lees for five months in stainless steel. Straw yellow. Pressed lemon nose with notes of wet stone and a suggestion of the pine-like aroma of rosemary. Mandarin, lemon and grapefruit palate. Gorgeous freshness and light of touch yet long. Almost a little steely. A steal. Very Good Value"
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Danjou-Banessy
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
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Domaine Cauhape
Jancisrobinson.com 16.5/20 "Powerfully pungent nose! You could mistake this for a very catty Sauvignon if you just took one sniff. Big, big, blackcurrant-bush and salvia-leaf nose with quite a lot of greengage. But the palate takes Sauvignon and flies off-piste, weaving in honey and lychee, mountain-stream pebbles, sweet grapefruit and smoked green pepper. Incredible clarity and translucency that comes from the acidity, which arcs across the palate, not in a pencil-fine-line of an arc but broad, in the shape of a scythe. Fabulous, confident, fascinating wine. The food pairing you could do with this.... Good Value" 60% Gros Manseng, 40% Camaralet. Picked end of September.
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Penfolds
Aged for 18 months in French oak hogsheads (57% new, 43% one year old) "Blackish purple. Intensely high-toned but tight not opulent as though it's desperately trying to be serious! On the nose, it would be fun to slide this in to a blind tasting of young Hermitages! Smooth as silk!!! Maybe that should be Guigal Cte Rties rather than Hermitages As with the Bin 707, I could drink this tonight, despite knowing it will blossom into something even more complex and has quite enough tannin under that glorious fruit to develop over many years. Obviously the dry finish mandates some assertive food with this. Scrummy. Or should I say delicious as I think 'scrummy' was rather derided last time I used it? Great balance and nothing over the top." Drink 2021 - 2040 Jancis Robinson, jancisrobinson.com (Jul 2021)
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Famille Perrin
Ancient 12th century plot in the historic centre of the village. Parker 94-97 (2109 vintage) "prodigious Gigondas... only problem is that theres not enough of it... awesome aromatics of cassis, toasted spice, licorice, ground herbs, massive minerality... Rich and textured, as well as elegant, a rock-star 2012 that will have two decades of longevity". Proof again that Perrin are stars of the region.
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Domaine Gayda
Opaque, perfumed with fragrant black cherry, cassis and spice. Full bodied, intense with countless layers of flavour including blackcurrant, cedar and graphite. Dense fruit on the palate is bound by a structure of fine grained tannins and a lively acidity
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Pieropan
Stellar producer, one of Italy's great family estates. Such intensity and focus. This is the 'baby version' but holds its own as a snappy, crisp ready to drink style.
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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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Leclerc Briant
Leclerc Briants flagship wine exemplifies the Houses 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 Herv Jestins inventive, inspirational winemaking, this extraordinary house has reinvented itself over the past decade. Cynics might dismiss Hervs wilder ideas (such as under-sea cellaring) as marketing ploys, but the ideas here are rooted in respect for nature.
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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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Montes Alpha
Like pumped-up claret. Meaty, savoury, dense purple with a violet lift.
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Bret Brothers
2019 Score Robert Parker Wine Advocate 91/100 The 2019 Mcon-Chardonnay Les Crays is lovely, offering up aromas of honeyed orchard fruit, white flowers and pastry, followed by a medium to full-bodied, lively but gourmand palate, concluding with a saline finish. The Bret Brothers' ngociant house is a fine source of elegant, classy Mconnais wines derived from fruit that's either organically farmed or in organic conversion and deftly vinified by this talented and industrious duo. Fermentations with ambient microflora, long levage and discretion with oak are the order of the day at this address. More concentrated than the giving, open-knit 2018 vintage, the 2019s at this address nonetheless avoid the potential excesses of the year, too. Seamless and nicely balanced, it's a fine success.
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Chateau La Dournie
A delicious, juicy and fresh organic blend of Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Grenache form this famous Saint-Chinian estate.
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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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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.