There 372 products in this category
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Joseph Perrier
90 points Robert Parker. An incredibly pretty pale rose colour. This is a delicate, fresh and delicious rosé which is made by adding Cumieres Rouge to the traditional blend, with the refermentation taking place after blending.
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Joseph Perrier
Joseph Perrier is a small house in terms of Grand Marque champagnes - only 1 million bottles produced a year, and still uses some of the traditional champagne making techniques. Their emphasis is on quality and it shows. Rich fruity style, Sometimes, a half-bottle of champagne is all you really need, in which case, we have you sorted with this.
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Pol Roger
Jancis Robinson MW "Well done!" Parker's Wine Advocate "One of Champagne's finest houses, Pol Roger produces among the most consistent ranges of all the Grandes Marques. The style is full-bodied and elegantly fleshy, dominated by Pinot Noir... the maison privileges its NV Brut Réserve - and indeed, while many non-vintage Bruts fluctuate in quality, Pol Roger's "white foil" bottling is both remarkably reliable and long-lived—which ranks as one of the region's best values."
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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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Valdespino
The bouquet shows notes of both the biological and oxidative ageing, yeast, bread, but also dried fruits and a hint of toffee, caramel and leather. Very dry, very complex, with a generous body and well balanced acidity. Tio Diego is the flagship Amontillado from Bodegas Valdespino, directly related to the Fino Inocente. Both wines are made with must from 56 ha of vineyards in Macharnudo Alto, fermented with indigenous yeasts in old oak casks instead of temperature-controlled stainless steel like all other sherry producers nowadays. They fill around 200-300 casks per year, giving them a large array of slightly different wines. Once fortified to 15% and aged under flor for at least one year, the casks are all tested and enter the solera of either the Fino Inocente or the Amontillado Tio Diego. Mind that one is not exactly a longer aged version of the other, they are separate wines, made from the same must. Both parallel solera systems have a similar set-up (10 criaderas + solera row) but the rotation is different: while the Fino is bottled twice a year (spring and autumn) and refreshed with new sobretabla, the Amontillado is only bottled once a year by the end of autumn. Slower rotation results in a higher average age: while Inocente is 10 years old upon bottling, Tio Diego is around 18 years.
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Valdespino
Jancisrobinson.com 17.5/20 Very deep nose, hints of oxidative character. Very salty, intense, marine and well sheltered by a toasty character. More complexity and depth than an everyday fino. Broad palate with saltiness and concentration, very toasty flavours. Rich and impressive. Imperative tasting for sherry lovers." Cracking value here for an outstanding 100% Palomino, single-vineyard fino sherry rarity from the calcium-carbonate-rich, ‘albariza’ white soils of the celebrated Macharnudo vineyard. Light bodied with low acidity, fino sherries have been ‘biologically’ aged in partially filled casks under a film of flor yeast which shields the wine from oxidation, whilst reducing glycerol levels (and thus body). This one’s super-refined, tangy, crisp, texturally delicate but also complex, with an average age of 10 years: think almonds, moss, sea salt, green apples and toasty yeast. A ludicrously low price tag for the wine world’s best-kept secret. Relish as soon as possible. One for white asparagus, griddled/steamed green asparagus with aioli/ hollandaise or grilled asparagus with romesco sauce/poached eggs. Of course, it’s also dreamy with a plate of ambrosial jamón ibérico! An open bottle should be drunk within two to three days. Gently chill and serve at 8°- 9°C (I recommend taking the bottle out of the fridge about ten minutes before serving).
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Il Palazzone
The 2018 hits a new high for Palazzone's Brunello di Montalcino DOCG bottling. Piercing, pure, bright and energetic yet with real complexity even at this young stage. These guys are working so well. There has been some very impressive press for the 2018 also: On jancisrobinson.com Walter Speller wrote the below whilst awarding the wine 17.5/20 "Mid ruby with orange tinges. Firm, savoury and minerally nose with dark spice hints. Lively sour-cherry fruit on the palate and quite pure. Elegant, long, perfumed and juicy finish. Really fine and intriguing. Gorgeous". And in Decanter Magazine Michaela Morris included Palazzone's Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2018 in the "Top-value Brunello di Montalcino 2018: the 10 to buy" article published earlier in 2023. "This brings together fruit from cool northwest-facing plots, at 540 metres near the town of Montalcino, with warmer, lower-lying vineyards in the region’s southeast. The 2018 saw a slightly shorter maceration – just two weeks as opposed to three. Taking time to come into focus, the nose suggests attractive strawberry blossom, cinnamon and rosehip. The palate is lean and clear fruited with red currants and lots of mineral nuance packed in. The tannins are tightly wound and sinewy, giving texture and backbone, and the sappy acidity is positively scrumptious. Beautifully balanced in its proportions". 92/100 Vinous Media 93/100, October 2022 "....the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino lifts from the glass with a menagerie of foreign spices, wild herbs and dried fruits. This is elegant and finessed, with vibrant acidity enlivening its tart wild berry fruits, and pretty inner rose tones that evolve toward the close. Nuances of licorice and sour cherry linger on, as the 2018 finishes light on structure but big on character. This is so enjoyable already that it’s hard to imagine waiting, but do make sure to cellar for at least a year or two for the full effect".
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Jansz
Seriously up there with the best of Champagne: yeasty and buttery, cracking value. Fruit grown on selected, cool climate vineyards across Tasmania. To maximize blending options and complexity in the final wine, batches are kept separate during winemaking• Secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle and is aged on yeast lees for as long as possible. The average age of the final blend is around two years Honeysuckle and citrus scents are immediately apparent Slight aromas of nougat, roasted nuts and a hint ofstrawberry from the Pinot Noir. Delicate fruits and creaminess fills the mouth with a lingering finish of citrus and nougat.
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Antech
Sixth generation Francoise Antech has taken this excellent producer to even greater heights, championing the Limoux region and Mauzac grape variety around the globe. The UK is the family's largest market , now looked after by seventh generation Baptiste. This is the first priced wine in a range of their Blanquettes and Cremants that we recommend. Blanquette de Limoux has a claim to being one of the world's oldest sparkling wines, with legend dating its creation to 1531. Made mainly from the local Mauzac grape , also known as Blanquette on the nose there are generous aromas of green apple and ripe white peaches which are also found on the palate. The first sip is crisp and vibrant with plenty of acidity and a subtle hint of sweetness from the modest dosage of 10 grams per litre.
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Pol Roger
Not actually sweet, but off-dry, like a ripe pear. Gorgeous as an after-dinner sipper (the French like fizz after the meal, and love Demi-Sec) or to accompany fruity or less sweet desserts.
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Champagne Autreau
A Pinot-dominated special edition from our old friends Autreau, a family firm since 1670 in Premier Cru village of Champillon just north of Epernay
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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.