We quite simply only sell wines we like to enjoy at home. Take a look at our choices this month.

 

De Chanceny Cremant de Loire Rose NV

“I am writing this thinking about summer days whilst the snow is falling!” ahh the irony, especially after a lovely Easter weekend where temperatures hit double digits, triggering a family lunch outside with a glass or two of this delicious fizz.  Made just like Champagne from Cabernet Franc and aged for almost 16 months in bottle before the cork is popped, this humble sparkling wine really shows it’s class.  Packed with delicious summer crunchy red fruits and a super silky soft, raspberry yoghurt style finish, it really is everything you will ever need for an impromptu get together.  Pop a few in the fridge because I can’t help thinking you won’t need many excuses to celebrate in style in 2021”

TARQUIN DE BURGH – M.D.

 

Chateau La Verriere Rouge 2016

Alain Bessette, the owner of Chateau La Verriere, is the man who makes Rival Bellevue for us. I’ll never forget the look of surprise, alarm, and delight on his face when I requested the first special bottling run of Rival in magnums. He asked if I was selling to supermarkets, to which I replied “No, just Scottish people”. Chateau La Verriere is Alain’s main wine and collects gold medals with the ease of Usain Bolt. It is aged longer in oak than Rival Bellevue and so benefits from some bottle age to fuller reveal its beauty. Alain very kindly let us have his last 96 bottles of the excellent 2016 vintage in six-bottle wooden cases. These have been cellared at the winery and were shipped over to us in March this year. It is a stonking bottle for £15 and has matured beautifully to produce a rich and full-bodied wine with lots of dark damsons and plum fruit, warm spice, wood smoke, and soft mocha. If you miss out, don’t panic, we have some of the 2018 and more on the way arriving in late April which is just as good but you’ll need to tuck it away for a few years to get the magic aged flavours! 

WILL NICOLSON – DIRECTOR

 

 

Pinot Noir ‘Tradition’ Pfluger 2019

Pretty much all New World Pinot Noir is a bit too jammy and confected for my tastes, and other Old World expressions can sometimes prove a tad overpriced and underwhelming.

This example of Pinot Noir from the Pfalz region in Germany however, hits the spot both financially and indeed tastebud wise. Made by the up and coming ‘natural’ wine all-star Alexander Pfluger, this has bags of depth to the red cherry fruit and smoky, earthy notes coming through on the palate. Light in body as a Pinot should be but the remarkable rich texture really makes it hang together beautifully.

ROSS MCKENZIE – OFFICE/WAREHOUSE MANAGER

 

Chateau Rival Bellevue Bordeaux Superior 2017

As we head towards the hopeful easing of restrictions and the possibility that we might be able to socialise in the garden I thought about good party pleasers and our Chateau Rival Bellevue Bordeaux Superior 2017 came to mind.  It is such an easy to enjoy wine and has been glugged at more than one family gathering in times of olde.  Everyone always says, ‘ooh that’s delicious’ and it doesn’t break the bank.  A merlot blend, it is rich with a mingle of blackcurrant and smoky oak making it extremely moreish.

FIONA HOLT – ACCOUNTS

 

Vire Clesse ‘Harmonie’ Domaine de la Verpaille 2018

I’ve always been a huge fan of wines from Burgundy. It was my go-to when I was selling wine in retail and a customer asked for something special. My rule of thumb is that, if you are looking for a Chardonnay that is crisp, citrusy, and oozes with minerality then Chablis is the one. However, the wines further south in the Maconnais become richer, fatter, and more honeyed. I absolutely love this southern style which is packed full of  ripe candied fruits, dried apricots, peach and a touch of exoticism. The intense bouquet is complemented on the palate with fresh citrus, orange and hints of toffee. The wines from Verpaille  are all produced Biodynamically  and with very little intervention, which makes them a true example of a wine produced as naturally as possible. You are getting a whole lot of quality for your money with this Harmonie Vire Clesse!

CHRISTINE NICOLSON – MARKETING
Chablis 1er Cru 'Vaucoupin' Gilbert Picq 2020
+3

Chablis 1er Cru 'Vaucoupin' Gilbert Picq 2020

PICQ004
£39.99
In stock
1
Product Details
Producer: Gilbert Picq
Country: France
Region: Burgundy
Sub Region: Chablis
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Additional Information: Vegan
Farming: Organic
ABV: 12.5%
Style: White Wine
Classification: Chablis 1er Cru AOC

Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin Gilbert Picq comes from a 1.5-acre parcel within this rather overlooked premier cru. It is a more voluptuous style of wine with some tropical fruit notes and touches of toffee behind the green lime and apple fruit flavours. Although a little richer, the wine still has that classic, racy mineral Chablis tang, is very precise and full of energy.

Brothers Didier and Pascal Picq (sons of Gilbert) run this high quality 13-hectare estate which is based in the small village of Chichée, 3km south of the town of Chablis. They are an extremely affable pair, aided by their sister Marilyn and Pascal’s daughter, Tiphanie, who clearly love and understand the Chablis terrior as well as anyone. Their wines remain true to classic, traditional Chablis with all fermentation and ageing carried out in stainless steel tanks. Oak barrels are not used which result in typically fresh wines with the characteristic tang, mineral petrichor and oyster shell aroma of proper old school Chablis. Yeasts are all natural, sulphur is kept to a minimum and they are working towards organic certification.

I’ve been lucky enough to taste wines back to 2008 in the cellar with Didier. Chablis is all too often consumed too earlier, and it you can, I’d highly recommend aging some of these wines for as long as possible. After 10 years bottle age, the 1er Cru’s start to take on fascinating developed flavours which only come from bottle age. The Picqs were early adopters of bottling smaller plots rather than blending them into the village Chablis. The brothers identified several parcels from within their vineyards that displayed unique and fantastic characteristics. The Vieilles Vignes (Old Vines) was an easy first step, but their En Vaudecorce and Dessus la Carriere offer 1er Cru quality and superb value.

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