Wine Regions

France
Domaine du Vieux Lazaret - Rhône Valley Red Wines Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Vieux Lazaret’ from one of the region’s largest landowners, Jérôme Quiot, has proved a huge success. As a substantial landowner he is not shackled by the market and, besides, makes structured, stylish wines that win many medals. His ‘Cuvée Exceptionnelle’ is one of the best Châteauneuf reds that I have tasted for many years. Made from the oldest vines in the vineyard and from a superb vintage, it is a wine of stunning complexity and only available in the tiniest quantities. White Wines The fascinating Châteauneuf Blanc from Jérôme Quiot has complex citrus fruit flavours. While it will age for some years, I suggest you should drink it now and make the most of its exuberant youthful fruit. The medal-winning sweet Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is delicate with an apricot & peaches bouquet. Domaine Preignes le Vieux - Hérault White Wines The Domaine Bergeron Sauvignon Blanc from the Robert Vic vineyards near Carcasonne is a fine, bone-dry white with typical elderflower fruit. Also good are the excellent Chardonnay and Viognier from Robert Vic at Domaines Preignes le Vieux. Red Wines The Domaine Bergeron Merlot is full of juicy black fruit. From the same stable are the Domaine Preignes le Vieux Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah which are both wines that have delicious clean fruit, light oak, and good acidity. Domaine de la Brillane - Provence (Organic) Red Wines Don’t miss the fabulous wines of Domaine de la Brillane – made by Rupert Birch, who has given up working for Schroders to start a new life as a vigneron. Judging by the wines he is producing, he has made a good career move, at least from our point of view. The Brillane ‘Cuvée du Printemps’ is a deliciously light and soft, fruit-driven Grenache-based Provence red that screams’drink me’, his main wine Domaine de la Brillane is simply sensational, unoaked and packed with plum fruit, and his flagship ‘Flora’ is a 100% old vine Cabernet Sauvignon of great depth and complexity. All are made by organic methods, both in the vineyard and in the winery. Philippe Raimbault - Loire Valley White Wines Some excdellent wines from the 2007 Loire vintage. Philippe Raimbault continues to make superb wines: classic Sauvignon Blanc from both Sancerre ‘Domaine des Godons’ and Pouilly-Fumé ‘Montée des Lumeaux’ with the stylish finesse that comes with the finest ‘terroir’ Rose Wines As ever, we love good rosé, and Philippe Raimbault makes excellent strawberry-hued Pinot Noir rosé in Sancerre. Red Wines Good Loire reds are hard to come by but well worth seeking out. Philippe Raimbault makes a fine Sancerre that is made from 100% Pinot Noir, packed with juicy fruit flavours but with a balancing elegance. Guy Allion - Loire Valley White Wines Don’t miss our fabulous Sauvignon de Touraine comes from Guy Allion’s Domaine du Haut-Perron.full of crisp gooseberry fruit, it looks fantastic value up against many New Zealand offerings! Red Wines Simple, but deliciously packed with red fruit is our Gamay de Touraine from Domaine Haut-Perron. Domaine du Gouyat - Bergerac Dry White Wines The vineyards of the Dordogne can produce some of the most attractive wines in France. Serge Dubard’s Domaine du Gouyat needs little introduction to those of you who are existing customers: the crisp gooseberry flavours of his white puts many a more expensive wine to shame A blend of 50% Sauvignon and 50% Sémillon. Rose Wines Quite, quite delicious and dangerously addictive, this wine - the breathtaking colour of rosy-fingered dawn - is bone-dry and the antithesis of bland commercial rosés. Possibly the finest all round rosé in the world! Red Wines Serge Dubard’s Domaine du Gouyat rouge has wonderful fruit and is as good value wine as any on the entire list. His benchmark barrique-aged Gouyat has in recent years won a coup de coeur in the Guide Hachette - France’s highest wine accolade. The Pécharment is a brooding monster for laying down and the Château Laulerie Montravel also a big beast from an appellation that only came into being with the 2001 vintage. Château la Claymore - Saint-Émilion Two wines not to miss: Château la Claymore in Lussac St-Émilion makes a medal-winning red that is a beautifully structured wine with masses of fruit and extract - and their second wine Cadet de Claymore is astonishingly good for the price - softer, but still very fine with a subtle blackcurrant bouquet, and improving year on year. Château de Pizay - Beaujolais White Wines Definitely worth trying is the superb Beaujolais Blanc from Château de Pizay -a delicious lemon-fresh Chardonnay with a rich finish. Red Wines Three superb, medal-winning Beaujolais Crus from Château de Pizay:.a delectably soft Morgon and Regnié and a fuller-bodied, gold medal winning Brouilly from Pizay’s Château de Saint-Lager. Bodega Navajas - Rioja The wines of Antonio Navajas are going from strength to strength. He has started blending oak-aged wine in with his Tinto to give it more body to balance the fruit. His Crianza offers sensational rich plummy-oak flavours at a very reasonable price. Even classier is the excellent Reserva, aged in oak for three years. The Navajas Crianza Blanco – also aged in oak - has a huge, apricot and butterscotch flavours. Marqués de Murrieta - Rioja White Wines The Capellania Reserva is typical rich white Rioja, made from a blend of Viura, Malvasia & Garnacha, but less heavily oaked than it was in the past. Red Wines A superb range of Riojas from the great Marqués de Murrieta 300 hectare Ygay estate at Logrono. The Marquès de Murrieta Reserva is benchmark Rioja that has been aged in American oak for over 20 months – perfect example of modern-style Rioja, and the classic Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva has fabulous complexity having spent 40 months in American oak. Castillo Perelada - Catalunya White & Rose Wines The Perelada white is made from a blend of Macabeo and Garnacha Blanco and has a lemon zest bouquet and an attractive aromatic finish. The Perelada rosé exudes cherry fruit with a dry finish. New to our list is the Roc Blanco a stunning blend of X-arello and Muscat, producing a wine with a fine acidity combined with intense aromatics. Red Wines Some of our favourite wines on the list come from Castillo Perelada in the Costa Brava. Tthe superb Castillo Perelada Roc Crianza is a blend of Garnacha, Carinena and Tempranillo that has spent 12 months in American and French barriques giving it the classic vanilla flavours that balance the forest fruits. The Reserva and Cabernet Sauvignon are big reserve wines that have spent 18 months in oak and have broad sweet tannins and a superlative depth of plum and damson fruit. The superb Gran Claustro – their flagship blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Carignena and Garnacha – was rated top Spanish red in Wine Magazine. Their taster noted: ‘Deep, dark and richly fruited with a gorgeous aroma. The palate is magnificent. Lovely!’
South Africa
Eagle’s Cliff - Breede River Valley We are very excited by this stunning range of wines from Christiaan Groenewald in the Breede River Valley. The superb, appley Chenin Blanc is the best value white wine that we list at this price and the 2007 has just . The Reserve range of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier are astonishing: the Sauvignon Blanc has classic almost French elegance and the Viognier is the best example of this aromatic grape I have come across at such a low price, combining richness with fine acidity. Red Wines Christiaan’s reds are equally fine, with a soft Merlot/Cabernet that has good blackberry fruit with underpinning soft oak. Just arrived is the Reserve Shiraz – full of complex plummy fruit – and I am not normally a huge fan of Pinotage but the entry point Eagle’s Cliff Pinotage is packed with soft jammy black fruit and none of the tobacco flavours that spoil so many. Red Wines Christiaan’s reds are equally fine, with a soft Merlot/Cabernet that has good blackberry fruit with underpinning soft oak. Just arrived is the Reserve Shiraz – full of complex plummy fruit – and I am not normally a huge fan of Pinotage but the entry point Eagle’s Cliff Pinotage is packed with soft jammy black fruit and none of the tobacco flavours that spoil so many. Rose Wines Our first South African Shiraz Rosé, made from the free-run juice of the Shiraz grape with delicious red berry fruit and a crisp, dry finish.Just awarded a coveted Veritas Gold Medal We just can’t ship this wine over fast enough!
South Australia
Brookford Estate A new contemporary pair of Australian wines from the Riverina region in New South Wales. Big River country, where the drip irrigated vineyards of the Riverina are planted, is crisscrossed with brooks and streams. Dry for most of the year these are easily crossed as they rarely run very deep, even in the rainy season. Made by the young and talented winemaker, Sam Trimboli, these characterful wines show upfront fruit, well defined structure and excellent body Wirra Wirra Winery First established in 1900 by Robert Strangeways Wrigley, Wira Wirra’s cellars in the McLaren Vale fell into disuse until bought byGreg and Roger Trott in 1969. Now rated by the great Australian wine pundit, James Halliday, as one of his six most exciting wineries, the wines of Wirra Wirra go from strength to strength and are renowned for five main attrivbutes: ripeness, elegance, structure, power and complexity.
Western Australia
Peel Estate We were delighted to be appointed agents for Peel Estate for the United Kingdom some 7 years ago and the wines go from strength to strength. Established in 1973 by Will Nairn, Peel Estate has long been considered one of the leading boutique wineries in Australia with total production of only 5000 cases. The winery receives a coveted 4½ star rating in James Halliday’s Wine Companion. White Wines The Chenin Blanc is one of Australia’s most extraordinary white wines with a huge peachy nose and charry wood aromas. This is a wine that will age for over ten years and develops extraordinary complexity in the bottle. The Verdelho is just about my favourite white wine. Unoaked, it has delectable greengage and lime fruit with elegant acidityt. Don’t miss the excellent Sauvignon Blanc/Chenin with grassy fruit from the Margaret River. Red Wines Three quite stunning reds that are only available in tiny quantities as the wine has achieved a cult status in Australia. The Cabernet Sauvignon is made in a classic French style and Will rates the 2001 as one of the best he has ever made. Aged in French oak, it has a wonderful integration of fruit and wood. The flagship Shiraz has an astonishing structure and concentration of flavour: allspice, cloves and intense black fruit. Both reds can be drunk from now to 2020. Don’t overlook the new Merlot/Cabernet Franc: this delicious St-Émilion style red is made from a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, aged in French oak Rose Wines This was new last winter and quite wonderful. As Will says on his website: ‘Most of the new Australian roses range between medium sweet and sickly sweet. Peel’s is uncompromisingly dry’. Made from a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
New Zealand
Rongopai – Te Kauwhata A classic range of wines from this vineyard in the heart of the Waikato above beautiful Lake Waikare, a half hour drive south of Auckland. Rongopai Sauvignon Blanc has elegant, rich elderflower fruit while their Marlborough Sauvignon Reserve is more intense, in-your-face style. The Merlot is delightfully soft and rounded with soft hedgerow fruit flavours Isabel Estate – Wairau Valley Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc - whose grapes used to be sold to Cloudy Bay until 1996 - now wipes the board with its Marlborough rival including winning the trophy for the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world in the IWC. Fairhall Downs - Marlborough Established in 1982 by Ken and Jill Small, Fairhall Downs is situated at the head of the Marlborough’s Brancott valley. Their Sauvignon Blanc is first class, made in an elegant style with good minerality. The superb Pinot Gris shows why this variety is gaining enormous popularity among wine drinkers. The Pinot is simply delicious with smooth silky tannins and plum and redcurrant fruit flavours on the palate.
Chile
Carta Vieja White Wines These wines are simply wonderful value for money. Made by the del Pedregal family, the Sauvignon Blanc has excellent gooseberry flavours and the unoaked Chardonnay superb tropical fruit flavours with balancing acidity. A complete revelation is the botrytised Carta Vieja Late Harvest, a pudding wine of classic ‘noble rot’ and delicious acidity. Red Wines Both the basic Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are outstandingly good with excellent black fruit flavours, and the Carmenère, Cabernet & Syrah Reservas are big rich oak-aged wines: highly recommended. The softer Pinot Noir is one of the best value examples of theis grape on our list and has lovely red berry fruit.
Spain
Castillo Perelada - Sparkling Our excellent Cava Castillo Perelada comes from a top producer. Clean, refreshing, but with balancing fruit, it is astonishingly good value for money, and bears little if any resemblance to the soapy flavoured apologies for Cavas in many of the multiples. The Castillo Perelada Rosado is an attractive rosé with good fruit flavour and was chosen out of a cast of hundreds as the official reception drink for the Spanish royal wedding – quite an accolade!
Champagne
Champagne Nomine-Renard - Villevenard As a récoltant-manipulant - a grower - Claude Nominé does not buy in his grapes and can offer fabulous value for money. His Brut Cuvée Spéciale is benchmark non-vintage champagne and was voted the third best NV champagne in the country in Decanter Magazine (July 2006). The rich, predominately Chardonnay Vintage Special Club in the CVC’s distinctive ‘Krug’ bottle is well worth trying. The delicious Brut Rosé now comes in a green bottle and must be one of the best buy rosés shipped into this country. Champagne Autreau-Lasnot - Venteuil From a small family-run récoltant with 3 hectares in the Marne Valley. The Cuvée de Réserve is soft and elegant with less pronounced mousse than most and is 85% Pinot Meunier.