Justerini & Brooks Wine Portfolio 2024

CONTACTS

TRADE ENQUIRIES

Justerini & Brooks

St James’s Street

London, SW1A 1LZ

Tel: +44 (0)20 7484 6430

E-mail: just-trade@justerinis.com

Nick Master – Trade Sales Director

Mob: +44 (0)7803 854 524

Charlie Miller – Account Manager

Mob: +44 (0)7590 809 709

Charles Pashby-Taylor – Prestige Account Manager

Mob: +44 (0)7590 809 609

Jennifer Squire – National Account Manager – Off Trade

Mob: +44 (0)7708 291 961

Allen Martindale – Trade Account Manager

Mob: +44 (0)7543 509 700

Callum Leslie – Account Manager

Mob: +44 (0)7895 300 518

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP TEAM

Tel: +44 (0)20 7484 6430

E-mail: justbrooksorders@justerinis.com

JUSTERINI & BROOKS SCOTLAND

14 Alva Street

Edinburgh, EH2 4QG

Telephone: 0131 226 4202

E-mail: justedinburgh@justerinis.com

Nicholas Whyte – National Sales Manager –Scotland & Northern Ireland

Mob: +44 (0)7935 076 253

ACCOUNTS

Justerini & Brooks

61 St James’s Street

London, SW1A 1LZ

Tel: +44 (0)20 7484 6430

E-mail: accounts@justerinis.com

E-mail: marketing@justerinis.com

E-mail: events@justerinis.com

ABOUT JUSTERINI & BROOKS

Founded in 1749, and awarded the Royal Warrant by every consecutive British monarch since King George III in 1761, Justerini & Brooks is Britain's oldest continuous fine wine & spirits merchants. Aside from our Royal patrons, we can also count Charles Dickens as one of our former customers.

As a customer of Justerini & Brooks, your personal account manager will be your direct contact, working in partnership with you to develop your business and increase your profitability on wines, Champagnes and spirits. Our team has a wealth of different experiences and backgrounds, a strong breadth and depth of knowledge and a sharp insight into current market trends. Staff training is of key importance to us, and we will explore every opportunity to enhance your team’s knowledge and confidence with our wines and spirits.

We are immensely proud of our portfolio. Six buyers constantly scour the globe for wines that deliver quality at every level –from a fantastic range of wines ideally suited to pouring by-the-glass to the finest bottles from the rarest vintages. We have been working with some of the most respected growers and producers in some of the world’s best regions for many years, developing valuable, long-standing relationships. These partnerships often reward us with priceless access to parcels of mature and rare stock with perfect provenance. Our producers often visit the UK and are delighted to offer staff training, winemaker tastings or bespoke events. They recognise and value the opportunity to work directly with you.

As well as our own vast and varied wine stocks, we are privileged and proud to be able to offer access to some of the rarest and most collectible whiskies in the world. Our direct links to many of Scotland’s most revered, respected and sought after distilleries allows us to offer a wide selection of interesting and unusual bottles, as well as advice on any aspect of building a whisky list. We take our whisky offering just as seriously as we do our wine.

Justerini & Brooks also offers a broking service. This opens up a second avenue for you to furnish your list with ready-to-drink fine wines that have been impeccably stored with us from purchase to sale. We also offer En Primeur services, enabling you to secure wines on their first release to the market, at the very best prices.

We understand the importance of customer satisfaction. Our sales support team is here to ensure a smooth delivery and aftersales service. Cellarage and distribution are managed by a dedicated Justerini & Brooks team at Great Bear, market leaders with an excellent reputation for customer care.

We also offer a professional storage solution for your wines through our subsidiary company, Cellarers (Wines) Ltd. All the wines in Cellarers are stored, fully insured, at Octavian’s underground cellars in Corsham, arguably the finest natural cellaring conditions anywhere in the UK.

KEY & DELIVERY SCHEDULE

White sparkling wine

White wine

Orange wine

Rosé sparkling wine

Rosé wine

Red sparkling wine

Red wine

Sweet sparkling wine

Sweet wine

O Organic

B Biodynamic

G Vegetarian

V Vegan EXCLUSIVE ALLOCATION ONLY

These wines sell out on release and are on allocation. For details of new vintages or library stock please contact your account manager.

Although this list mainly features stock from the current vintage, we do also sell stock from other vintages. For more information please speak to your account manager.

ENGLAND AND WALES

London/Within M25

Next working day for orders received by 13:00.

Rest of England and Wales

Order day 1 for day 3 for orders received by 13:00, otherwise day 1 for day 4 (further details available upon request).

SCOTLAND

Edinburgh, Glasgow and Central Belt

Order day 1 for delivery day 3 for orders received before 11:00

Mainland Scotland

Order day 1 for delivery day 3 for orders received before 11:00, otherwise day 1 for day 4.

Islands and Remote Mainland Destinations

Order day 1 for delivery day 5 for orders received before 11:00.

Please note delivery timings are liable to change at any time.

TENUTA PACHER HOF – ALTO ADIGE

One of the most historic and traditional estates in all of Alto Adige, there are documents referencing the Pacher Hof farm, as it was then, even before the establishment of the Neustift Abbey in 1142. Maria Pacher eventually married a young winemaker by the name of Josef Huber in 1849, who brought both his name and the art of viticulture to the farm. Pioneers in the Valle Isarco/Eisacktal, the Hubers experimented with a wide range of grape varieties before settling on Sylvaner, Pinot Grigio and Gewurztraminer as the ideal bedfellows for the sandy, loamy soils and steep slopes of the valley.

Today the estate is managed by Josef Huber’s great grandson, Andreas Huber. From their eight hectares, they work with eight different varieties, seeking dry, mineral yet aromatic expressions. The wines are vinified in a combination of stainless steel tanks and large acacia barrels and are generally bottled after six to eight months on the lees.

Alto Adige

ROME

PATATSFONTEIN WINES – MONTAGU

Reenen Borman

UNIQUE EXPRESSIONS OF CHENIN BLANC AND COLOMBARD

Named in homage to the sweet potato farm that once sat on this extreme site in the arid, slaterich Little Karoo, the principal Patatsfontein vineyard is located approximately 180km inland from Cape Town in a little-known region called Montagu. The talented Reenen Borman (of Boschkloof fame) has taken this formerly unknown area to levels nobody quite expected. First introduced to Montagu by Chris Alheit in 2014 on his hunt for heritage vineyards for Cartology, Reenen took over in 2015, gradually restored the vineyards, and is now producing truly unique expressions of Chenin Blanc and Colombard in South Africa. The extreme nature of the climate, elevation and high proportion of slate in the soils bring an initially reductive, mineral feel to the wines.

Patatsfontein Wines has evolved to mean more than just Montagu though, as Reenen uses the brand to adopt small, special parcels of vines wherever they may lie. For this reason, the Sons of Sugarland label has been brought in to the Patatsfontein fold, as it represents the highest, coolest site in Stellenbosch’s Polkadraai Hills. The Syrah has found favour as one of the most exciting in the country – a product of 100% whole bunches and solely concrete vinification and aging.

More varieties and distinctive vineyards are expected to join the Sons of Sugarland project in due course. Meanwhile, Kottabos is a jovial reference to an ancient Greek parlour game (hence the beautiful mosaic-styled labels) in which wine lees was thrown at targets whilst uttering the name of the object of one’s affection. The red is produced from Grenache and Syrah and aged in a combination of concrete and oak to harness a lighter, fragrant and drinkable style, jovial in nature but with seriously good quality fruit. The white is a pure Chenin Blanc which sees some skin contact to showcase the variety’s distinct textural qualities.

CAPE TOWN Montagu

DEOVELET – SANTA RITA HILLS

Ryan Deovlet’s style, described by William Kelly as “Santa Barbara’s answer to Vincent Dauvissat ”, is for light touch, aromatic, relatively high acid wines that offer up crystalline flavours and plenty of savoury complexity. Alcohols are generally low and new oak usage tends to be no more than 20–30%. For the Pinots, whole cluster is judiciously, never dogmatically, employed.

The whites begin their fermentations at cool temperatures in steel tanks and, once invigorated, are cooled before going to barrel to complete their fermentations. With access to some of the very top sites in the Santa Rita Hills AVA, Ryan’s wines speak clearly of their origins. The reds range from floral, mineral, red fruited delicacy in the Zotovich (from sandy soils), to the more savoury, powerful, earthy complexity with La Encantada and the flowing, tender red fruited grace and depth of Sandford and Benedict.

For the whites, Zotovich offers up a racy minerality, while Sandford & Benedict offers more dimension and richness. Both finish with a fine crisp salty nuttiness that speaks more of the old world than anything overtly ‘Californian’. The Santa Barbara offerings tend to hail from lighter soils and are approachable earlier, but maintain the same sense of poise and tension as the other wines – they are both tremendously drinkable and manage to hold your interest right to the end of the bottle.

A FINE CRISP SALTY NUTTINESS THAT SPEAKS MORE OF THE OLD WORLD THAN ANYTHING OVERTLY ‘CALIFORNIAN’

CALIFORNIA

Santa Rita Hills

SACRAMENTO

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Ryan Deovlet

TURON WINES – ADELAIDE HILLS

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Adelaide Hills CANBERRA

Turon White is a young gun set to flourish. From his base in the cool Adelaide Hills, he and his wife Alex established Turon Wines to produce intense, pristine, and elegant expressions of the cool climate varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah in particular. He has meanwhile fallen for the Gamay grape and sees huge potential for it in the region. At 500m above sea level, the property stretches across two ridgelines. The steep, cool, east facing ridge is used for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and the warm, north facing slope for Gamay and Syrah. Though this is a young project, Turon has impressive experience working for some of the region’s top estates. First at Petaluma, and latterly at the acclaimed The Lane Vineyard for the past ten years, where he served as head winemaker from 2019–2023. In January 2024 he took the bold step to break out and go it alone, focusing 100% of his efforts on growing and establishing the Turon brand as the best of the Adelaide Hills. They are already listed in many of Australia’s finest restaurants, and in 2023 Turon won the “Australian Pinot Noir Challenge”, achieving the best in show award for the Adelaide Hills.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Turon White

This is quite the achievement and speaks to the long-term commitment Turon is making to produce the best quality, small-batch wines possible. He describes their winemaking approach as “low-fi”, meaning that they pick on acidity, keep it no fuss in the cellar, and shoot for a crisp, pared-back, complex style. Moreover, as they expand, they are improving vine density to maintain a low but high quality yield and a healthy ecosystem, all worked according to organic and biodynamic principles. As one of the few phylloxera-free regions in the world, vines are all planted on their own rootstocks.

The wines are categorised as either “Hills” or “Limited” – reflecting accessibility and ageing potential, respectively. Since 2020, Turon Wines has been rated a 5-Star winery by the respected Halliday Guide. Justerini & Brooks is delighted to represent Turon Wines exclusively.

ONE OF THE FEW PHYLLOXERA-FREE REGIONS IN THE WORLD, VINES ARE ALL PLANTED ON THEIR OWN ROOTSTOCKS

DESIRE LINES – SONOMA

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND DESIRE LINES IS DERIVED FROM A LOVE OF WILD PROCESSES AND REMOTE SITES

CALIFORNIA

A micro project shining a light on some of California’s most arresting vineyards. When Cody and Emily Rasmussen set up Desire Lines in 2014, their aim was to craft transparent, site-specific wines with an emphasis on vibrancy and freshness. Over the past decade their quest has seen them forge relationships with some of the Golden State’s most singular vineyards. Today, their range of wines includes a remarkable Sauvignon Blanc from high in the Mayacamas mountains, a Carignan dominant blend from the famous Evangelho vineyard in Contra Costa county, whose sandy soils are home to ungrafted vines planted in the 1890s, and a pair of Syrahs, both of which include a drop of Viognier. Of these last two, Winds of Change is a multisite blend that represents an ode to the state’s coolest and windiest sites, while Shake Ridge is grown in the Sierra foothills by viticultural legend Anne Kramer.

Sonoma SACRAMENTO

In his day job Cody is associate winemaker at the famed Bedrock Winery and it is here that he makes his own label wines. The philosophy behind Desire Lines is derived from a love of wild processes and remote sites, a wish to let the natural voice of a vineyard have its say. What this means in the cellar is spontaneous fermentations across the board, plenty of whole bunch use in the reds, barrel fermentations for the whites and ageing in primarily old and neutral oak casks. Nothing is fined or filtered prior to bottling. Pressed to remark on any single thread that might tie most of his vineyards together Cody was succinct, “Coastal cool and mountainous” – which would be a pretty good way to describe the wines he makes; these are vivid, expressive and hugely drinkable wines full of character and soul. For a refreshing look at what California can produce, these Desire Lines’ bottles deliver on all fronts.

VIEW THE WINES

BODEGAS FULCRO – RIAS BAIXAS

Bodegas Fulcro was established in 2009 by Manuel Moldes Marana, or “Chicho” as he is more widely known. At this time, the family owned half a hectare in their home region of Salnes, in keeping with the tradition of the area, and Chicho had grown up around wine, produced entirely for their own consumption. Believing in the potential of the Albarino grape as a vehicle to express site and location, Chicho, as a young wine lover, decided he would give it his best shot. Fast forward to now and Bodegas Fulcro is the name on everyone’s lips. Intense, crackling, mineral driven Albarinos, deeply reflective of their coastal origin and differing soil profiles are the order of the day.

Rías Baixas

Growing in reputation and confidence, Chicho’s star is firmly on the rise; we’d go so far to say that these are some of the most exciting whites being produced in Spain at the moment. A focus on old vines, low yields, indigenous yeasts and hands-off winemaking in neutral 500L demi-muids, foudres and tank results in dazzling wines of unbelievable clarity.

A Pedreira is the main Albarino of the project, representing a blend of granitic parcels raised in a combination of steel and cask. Fulcro Equilibro, released later, is a schist driven wine from a single plot averaging 70 years old –texture and minerality par excellence.

A Cesteira is a single plot on a complex mix of granite, schist and quartz – the raciest wine of the stable, just one foudré is produced. Finally, Nas Dunas “The Dunes” is the most profound, intricate, ageworthy white of the estate. It comes from an extremely old sandy plot, shared with Forjas del Salnes.

Rarely is more than a barrel produced. Though the whites take centre-stage, two peppery, herbal reds are produced in small volumes from indigenous Galician varieties. Aliaxe Tinto is a co-fermented blend of Caino, Espadeiro and Loureiro, while Finca Fabainas is a 100% Espadeiro produced from 130 year old vines.

INTENSE, CRACKLING, MINERAL DRIVEN ALBARINOS

DOMAINE DE L’ILE – PROVENCE

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AROMATICALLY CAPTIVATING ROSÉS WITH JUST THE RIGHT KISS OF SEA AIR

When the fashion house Chanel purchased Domaine de l’Ile in 2019 they were continuing a 100 year old tradition of wine production on the island of Porquerolles; a 12.5 hectare organically farmed national park nature reserve, situated off France’s Côte d’Azur. Bathed in light and blessed with an atmospheric humidity that perfectly balances out the burning winds from the south, the island terroir, predominantly quartzite, clay and schist, is the ideal home for producing aromatically captivating rosés with just the right kiss of sea air. Add in the scents of an island rich in flora, where eucalyptus and pine forests dot the landscape, and the result is a rosé of real sophistication matched to an easy natural balance.

Given the Chanel group’s penchant for dialling up quality at their various estates, Chx. Canon and Rauzan-Ségla being stellar examples, it is no surprise that Domaine de l’Ile rosé is already stunning. With Nicolas Audebert overseeing production, Thomas Duclos consulting, and ex-Lafleur Pierre Etcheberry managing the estate day to day, the group has assembled an all-star cast with which to fashion this delicious rosé from Provence.

Provence

JOHANN MICHEL – RHÔNE

Johann Michel discovered his passion for wine whilst tasting older vintages with his grandfather, and uncle, the esteemed Cornas winemaker Robert Michel. Though Johann started his professional life working in clothes retail, he quickly realized that he was neither making the most of his talents nor carrying on the family tradition. His first vintage of his own label Cornas was 1997. The Domaine now extends to a modest 5 hectares, split across 15 parcels, including the prized Cornas lieux-dits: Bayonnet, Les Côtes, Le Combes, Chaillots and Saveaux. In addition to a straight, mostly-destemmed Cornas, Michel produces Cornas ‘Jana’, a whole-bunch blend of the best sites, released a year later, and a delicious St Peray (1ha) from equal parts Marsanne and Roussanne.

In particularly good years a Cornas cuvée “Mere Michel” (produced exclusively from Serine clones in new oak) and a “St Peray M” (pure Marsanne) are produced.

All the vineyards are farmed responsibly with a wide range of organic treatments. In the cellar, a traditional preference for large format old oak produces wines which smoulder and crackle with the best of them. His total annual production amounts only to 20,000 bottles per year. This is honest, artisanal Northern Rhône winemaking at its best.

HONEST, ARTISANAL NORTHERN RHÔNE WINEMAKING AT ITS BEST

PARIS

Rhône

MASSERIA CUTURI – PUGLIA/SALENTO

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In 1881, Tommaso Schiavoni Tafuri, a wealthy landowner from Manduria, the most prosperous town of Puglia Salento, married the countess Sabini, of Altamura. As a dowry, the noblewoman brought Primitivo “rooted cuttings”, which were planted in “Cuturi” in the fertile Conca D’Oro. Success in the early twentieth century enabled them to extend their plantings to almost 100 hectares. A gradual decline over the next seventy years meant that by the millennium there were no vines to speak of and their glories were but a distant memory.

ROME Puglia

Camilla Ritratto

In 2008, the large estate (comprised mostly of ancient olive trees, elegant 18th century farm structures, megalithic walls and other ancient archaeological relics) was bought by the Rossi Chauvenet family from Veneto. Nowadays, there are 40 hectares of vines, focusing on Primitivo, with Negroamaro and Fiano. The wines are born of an extraordinary soil, cretaceous limestone under layers of dark, soft iron-rich clay just 3km from the sea. Thanks to the warmth of the Mediterranean sun, the mistral and the scirocco winds and one contiguous planting block, the vineyard can be worked fully organically.

AN EXTRAORDINARY SOIL, CRETACEOUS LIMESTONE UNDER LAYERS OF DARK, SOFT IRON-RICH CLAY

The Tuma Primitivo Salento is extracted very gently and raised exclusively in tank to keep a fruit driven freshness, as is the Zacinto Negroamaro. These are beautifully supple and finessed examples of the varieties which deliver all the pleasure and expression of Southern Italy without any excess heft or alcohol. Properly made wines that one wants to drink.

CHAMPAGNE

Vallée de la Marne

Reims

Montagne de Reims

Ludes

Mailly-Champagne

Verzenay

Ambonnay Bouzy

Mareuil sur Ay

Epernay

Côte des Blancs

Mesnil-sur-Oger

Vertus

Côteaux du Morin

Congy

Côte de Sézanne

Seine

Vesle

Marne Aube

Côte de Bar

Paris Reims

CHAMPAGNE

PHILIPPONNAT

Philipponnat is one of the few remaining Champagne houses to be run by a member of its founding family. Situated in Mareuil-sur-Ay, where the family’s roots date back to 1522, the estate has been under the guidance of Charles Philipponnat since 2000, in which time huge improvements have been made to the quality of the entire range. The house character lies in harnessing the vibrant density of great Pinot Noir, producing wines of power without sacrificing freshness, with bright aromatic complexity a common thread. For the Royale Réserve cuvées, great care is lavished on the quality of the reserve wines and, in recent years, Charles has introduced a second perpetual reserve with a greater proportion of old reserve wines adding new layers of complexity and finesse to the finished wines. Alongside these Brut and NonDosé cuvées sits one of Champagne’s most characterful and food friendly rosés, not such a surprise when one considers that the still red wine used in its blend comes from the upper sections of Clos des Goisses. The Blanc de Noirs cuvée marks the first of the vintage wines Philipponnat produces and it rapidly cemented itself as a stalwart of the range. Produced primarily from great Pinot Noir vineyards in and around Mareuil-sur-Ay, the blend can include up to six villages that mix North and South exposures. Fermentation is carried out in oak barrels, without malolactic fermentation, and vats with partial malolactic fermentation. The resulting Champagne is rich but bright, powerful, generous but also chiselled. The first of the prestige cuvées is the exceptional Cuvée 1522, a wine produced exclusively from Grand Cru terroirs. It is blended exclusively from the house’s most outstanding vineyards, in particular the historic plots at Le Leon in Ay, complemented by Chardonnay from Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. It offers complexity and a rich dry brilliance matched to striking minerality in a remarkably complete wine. That it doesn’t represent the finest wine in this line up is only down to the presence of the mighty Clos des Goisses vineyard – Champagne’s iconic, original single vineyard bottling, an extraordinary, multi-faceted Champagne capable of immense feats of ageing.

A Philipponnat, Royale Réserve, Brut

A Philipponnat, Royale Réserve, Non Dosé

A Philipponnat, Blanc de Noirs

A Philipponnat, Cuvée 1522

A Philipponnat, Clos des Goisses, Extra Brut

C Philipponnat, Royale Réserve, Brut, Rosé

C Philipponnat, Cuvée 1522, Rosé

PHILIPPONNAT

PHILIPPONNAT

CHAMPAGNE

EGLY-OURIET

Egly-Ouriet is a class act with a real cult following and one of the original grower Champagne producers. Long before most people were even aware of the term Champagne Vigneron, Francis Egly was meticulously tending his family holdings and producing multi-dimensional wines of great precision and emotion – built around their exceptional holdings of Pinot Noir in Ambonnay. They are iconoclastic, perhaps their most distinctive characteristic being the employment of extended lees contact and barrel fermentation across the board, but they also use Champagne’s finest press and maintain a chillingly cold cellar, all the better to lower sulphur usage to the minimum possible levels. The grapes are harvested ripe and dosage is low, which further brings out the natural richness of their Pinot Noirs, a luxury which they are afforded by the intense chalk minerality and acidity they get from their terrific sites. These are outstanding Champagnes and not to be missed.

A Egly-Ouriet, Les Vignes de Vrigny, 1er Cru, Brut

A Egly-Ouriet, Tradition, Grand Cru, Brut

FORGET-BRIMONT

Michel Forget inherited a strong family vine growing and winemaking tradition that spans six generations. Based in the town of Craon de Ludes, he owns nine hectares of prime Pinot Noir vineyards, planted mainly on the Grand Cru rated sites of Mailly-Champagne and Verzenay in the Montagne de Reims region. All the steps of the production process, from vineyard to cellar, are geared towards expressive, individual wines that offer outstanding value for money. The standard non-vintage blend is dominated by Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with a small percentage of Chardonnay and is rested on its lees for three years before ‘dégorgement’.

A Forget-Brimont, Brut, 1er Cru

A Forget-Brimont, Brut, Premier Cru

C Forget-Brimont, Rosé, 1er Cru

JUSTERINI & BROOKS EXCLUSIVE

The old family run Boizel house which was established in 1834 has for decades been sparing us their best cuvées for our Sarcey Champagne. The blend comprises the region’s three grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, the latter the dominant component. Our 250th Anniversary Champagne is a cuvée created in celebration of our 250th anniversary in 1999, made entirely from Pinot Noir grapes by Paul Dangin in the Côtes de Bar. The wine is left on its lees for three years and this, together with excellent quality Pinot Noir fruit and the warmer climate of the Bar region, lends it great richness, generosity and opulent red fruit, honey and toasty characteristics. A perennial Justerini & Brooks favourite that has now been a stalwart of our list for 25 years. By popular demand indeed!

A Justerini & Brooks, Sarcey, Brut, Champagne, Private Cuvée

A Justerini & Brooks, 250th Anniversary Cuvée, Champagne, Extra Dry

C Justerini & Brooks, Sarcey, Brut, Rosé

PIERRE PAILLARD

CHAMPAGNE

PASCAL DOQUET

Passionate organic producer Pascal Doquet was early to the idea that healthy soils produce the best Champagnes. With almost 40 vintages to his name, originally under his parents’ label Doquet-Jeanmaire, and from 2004 under his eponymous label, Pascal has built up a loyal following for his range of authentic, terroir driven Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs villages of Mesnil, Vertus and Mont Aimé. A quiet, determined sense of what is best for the land informs all of Pascal’s farming decisions. To see his vines and verdant cover crops amongst the bare soils of his neighbours speaks volumes about how he sees the role of a fully functioning vineyard eco-system in the production of top-quality Champagne. By harvesting fully ripe grapes (rarely under 10.5 degrees of potential), never chaptalizing, vinifying with low levels of sulphur, using only wild yeasts and ageing for extended time on the lees, Pascal creates gourmand, mineral and textured Champagnes of real presence and character.

A Pascal Doquet, Horizon, Blanc de Blancs, Brut

A Pascal Doquet, Arpege, 1er Cru, Extra Brut

A Pascal Doquet, Mont Aime, 1er Cru, Cœur de Terroir

PIERRE PAILLARD EXCLUSIVE

This is a gem of an estate, unusually blessed with having uniquely Grand Cru vineyards in the famed village of Bouzy. Nestled on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims, this village, along with neighbouring Ambonnay, is famed for producing some of the region’s most intense, profound and exceptional Pinot Noir. If you enjoy the statuesque wines of Egly-Ouriet, you will know what these chalky slopes can produce. The Paillards have been crafting wine here for over 200 years, yet it is only in recent years that the estate has begun to fulfil its true potential. Brothers Antoine and Quentin returned to the domaine in 2008, before taking full control in 2012. Bringing energy, an outward looking sensibility and a deep respect for their 11 hectares of old vine and massale selection vineyards, the brothers have rejuvenated the estate to such a degree that it now stands as one of the finest family houses in all of Champagne. We are thrilled and delighted to be representing the Pierre Paillard Champagnes here in the UK as they are some of our favourite Champagnes to drink regularly. With a range of bottlings defined by defined by polished golden fruit, depth, freshness, balance and precision, this is an estate with both a long history and newfound sense of energy; a reference point for Bouzy, and well on the way to becoming one of the region’s most soughtafter addresses.

A Pierre Paillard, Les Parcelles, Bouzy, Grand Cru, XVI

A Pierre Paillard Les Mottelettes, Blanc de Blancs, Bouzy Grand Cru

A Pierre Paillard, La Grande Recolte, Bouzy, Grand Cru

C Pierre Paillard, Les Terres Roses, Bouzy, Grand Cru

BOUVET LADUBAY

SPARKLING

FRANCE – BOUVET LADUBAY, SAUMUR, LOIRE

Bouvet Ladubay have become a pioneering sparkling wine producer in the Loire valley and have established a great reputation for the quality and value of their sparkling Saumurs. The vineyards are planted to predominantly Chenin Blanc.

A Bouvet Ladubay, Brut de Loire, Saumur, Brut

A Bouvet Ladubay, Crémant de Loire Brut

A Bouvet Ladubay, Saumur, Saphir, Vintage, Brut

A Bouvet Ladubay, Trésor, Saumur, Brut

C Bouvet Ladubay, Rosé Excellence

C Bouvet Ladubay, Rubis, Rouge

FRANCE – DOMAINE DE LA TAILLE AUX LOUPS, MONTLOUIS, LOIRE

In 1988, Jacky Blot set up this domaine attempting to drag the Montlouis appellation out of the shadows of its neighbour, Vouvray. It was an unequivocal success. Jacky sadly passed away in May 2023, leaving the domaine in the talented hands of his son Jean-Philippe, who had been hands on in making the wines for over a decade. Jacky was one of the world’s greatest exponents of the Chenin Blanc variety, his 12.5 hectares of vines are planted with nothing else. His viticultural philosophy sees him working closely with nature; fertilisation is now an extinct practice, chemical treatments are practically non-existent and pruning is radically short, keeping yields down to an average 25 hl/ha. At harvest time picking is by hand, successive tris are undertaken and a severe grape selection is carried out. The wines are then vinified in Bordeaux barriques, both new and old (depending on the particular cuvée) in cool rock-hewn cellars. In Taille aux Loups Jacky has created a domaine that clearly demonstrates the potential Chenin has for producing some of the world’s greatest, and longest lived white wines.

A Montlouis, Sur Loire,Triple Zero, Domaine de la Taille aux Loups

ALSACE HUGEL ET FILS

Hugel & Fils was founded in 1639 and, 12 generations later, remains 100% family-owned and managed. The family own sizeable holdings, over 28 hectares, more than half of which are Grand Cru, planted with only the noble grape varieties of Alsace. The estate was a pioneer of late-harvest Alsace wines, drafting a law enshrining their production in 1984. Today, Hugel & Fils are members of the Primum Familiae Vini – an exclusive association of some of the world’s most prestigious wine dynasties.

B Pinot Blanc, Cuvée des Eveques, Hugel

B Riesling, Cuvée des Eveques, Hugel

B Gewurztraminer, Cuvée des Eveques, Hugel

ALSACE

DOMAINE WEINBACH EXCLUSIVE

Named after the “Wine Brook”, a little stream that flows through the estate, Domaine Weinbach was founded by the Capucin monks in 1612. The house is surrounded by the original 9th Century monastic vineyard, the Clos du Capucin and all of the estate’s wines are now labelled with its name. Two Faller brothers acquired the estate in 1898 and this was duly inherited by Théo Faller. Sadly Théo died in 1979 leaving his estate in the safe hands of a Faller Triumvirate: his wife Colette and his two daughters, Cathy and Laurence – who all contributed to the continued development of Théo’s great legacy. Tragically Laurence died in 2014, far too young at just 47. And then under a year later, Colette too passed away. Alsace had lost two of its most important figures in as many years. Today Cathy is joined by her two sons Eddy and Théo, so the outlook for the domaine looks stable. Domaine Weinbach now owns 38 hectares of vineyards in the Kaysersberg valley in the Haut-Rhin of Alsace at between 200 to 400 metres above sea level. 2019 saw them complete the purchase of Gerald Fuchs’ estate in Sigolsheim, bringing a raft of new top vineyard into the estate, many of which feature limestone soils rather than the crystalline granite of Schlossberg. They grow their vineyards organically with a view to quality rather than quantity and hand pick the grapes. Only their grapes are vinified (unlike many other producers in Alsace who frequently buy them in). 2019 also saw the installation of a brand-new press facility, giving the winemaking team a far greater level of precision. Ageing is best described as passive, carried out in huge old oak fuders, allowing each vineyard and each specific terroir, along with the other unique characteristics of grape and vintage, to shimmer through these elegant and sophisticated wines. B

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BEAUJOLAIS

BERNARD METRAT

Bernard Metrat presides over 10ha of vines, the majority of which are planted in Fleurie’s renowned “La Roilette” area where the red granite interspersed with clay layers produce wines that are both mineral and full of charm. At an elevation of between 280 and 300 metres above sea level, east facing and aged between forty and sixty years old, these prime-sited vines produce Fleurie of great class, freshness and character. Bernard is a member of Terra Vitis, a renowned environmental certification whose members adhere to environmentally friendly production methods. As such Bernard hand tends his vines from pruning to picking, as organically as possible, treating or intervening only wherever necessary. The wines are fermented in the “traditional” way, without use of carbonic maceration, and ageing takes place in used wooden futs and larger foudres.

F Fleurie, Vieilles Vignes, Bernard Metrat

DOMAINE LAURENT MARTRAY

The affable Laurent Martray, formerly winemaker at Château de la Chaize, has a small holding of five hectares, centred around a prime south/south east facing plot called La Folie, next door to Château Thivin. In addition there is a single hectare planted on Mont Brouilly, from where his Côte de Brouilly ‘Les Feuilles’ Cuvée hails, which was planted in 1916. The soils are extremely rocky, giving rise to a wine with a strong inner core of typical Côte de Brouilly minerality. Artisan and traditional, Laurent hand harvests and then ferments with de-stalked and whole bunches, followed by macerations of up to 16 days. After ageing the wines in large used oak foudres and demi muids for up to 16 months, bottlng is carried out without filtration. These are vivid and really soulful Cru Beaujolais that speak clearly of terroir and craftsmanship. They are bursting with personality but are also produced with drinkability in mind.

F Brouilly, La Folie, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Laurent Martray

F Cote de Brouilly, Lois, Domaine Laurent Martray

F Cote de Brouilly, Les Feuilles, Domaine Laurent Martray

LAURENT MARTRAY

THE GUINAUDEAU FAMILY WINES

Médoc

Lesparre-Médoc

FRANCE BORDEAUX

Haut-Médoc

Listrac-Médoc

Moulis

Saint-Estéphe

Pauillac

Pauillac

Saint-Émilion

Margeux

Haut Médoc

Bordeaux

Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux

Fronsac

Côtes de Bourg Pomerol

Graves de Vayres

Coutras

1 2 3 4 6

Francs Côtes de Bordeaux

Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

Saint-Émilion

Premières

Côtes de Bordeaux Bordeaux

Haut Benauge

Entre-Deux-Mers

Pessac-Léognan

Cadillac Loupiac

Sainte-Croix-du-Mont

Graves

Cérons

Sauternes

Côtes de Bordeaux

Saint Macaire

Langon

Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supéreur

Saint-Foy Bordeaux

Entre-Deux-Mers

Paris

Bordeaux

1. Canon Fronsac

2. Lalande-de-Pomerol

3. Montagne Saint-Émilion

4. Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion

5. Lussac Saint-Émilion

6. Puisseguin Saint-Émilion

BORDEAUX

CHÂTEAU CAPBERN

The fruit from this 41 hectares site, excellently situated around the village of St Estèphe used to go into the grand vin of Château Calon Segur. From the 2006 vintage, former owner Denise Gasqueton separated this vineyard and started producing a wine called Capbern Gasqueton. Following her death, the estate formed part of the €170M purchase of Calon Segur by French insurance company, Suravenir and the name was simplified to Capbern. The wines display classic St Estèphe minerality, ample black fruit character and a real sense of precision and class. This is perhaps unsurprising as they are made by the same talented team who oversee production at Calon Segur.

F Château Capbern, St Estèphe

CHÂTEAU GREYSAC EXCLUSIVE

Château Greysac is a perennial Justerini & Brooks’ favourite. This 95 hectare estate can be found on the gravelly soils around the village of By, north of St Estèphe. Plantings are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (50%) and Merlot (38%), with Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (2%). Previous owners have included Georges Héreil and more recently, the Agnelli family (who owns Fiat and Ferrari). In 2012 Jean Guyon fell in love with the Château and acquired the property. Since then much work has been undertaken in the vineyard and the winery, and the investment is beginning to pay dividends. 2015 is perhaps the perfect indication of what we can expect from Greysac in the future; it has an abundance of seductive fruit, precise flavours and a real refinement to the tannins. Stylistically it remains true to its terroir, but technological advances have made this much more approachable and enjoyable.

F Château Greysac, Médoc

CHÂTEAU PICQUE CAILLOU

Paulin Calvet is another old friend of ours. He traded life at one of the big negociants to manage his estate in the suburbs of Pessac, not far from the vineyards of Pape Clement and Haut Brion. As a member of the Union des Grands Crus, we taste Picque Caillou alongside the great and the good from the PessacLéognan appellation, and it usually results in a few blushes… Paulin’s wines more often than not show up the supposedly more illustrious competition. The excellent Picque Caillou Blanc is packed with crystalline citrus flavours, framed by ravishing acidity and a moreish saline finish. His red wines are always graceful and controlled – they have become firm J&B favourites…

B Château Picque Caillou Blanc, Pessac Léognan

F Château Picque Caillou, Pessac Léognan

BORDEAUX

FAMILLE VALADE EXCLUSIVE

Grande Maye has developed a reputation for good value, characterful claret. As a result, it has become a firm favourite amongst the private members clubs and discerning drinkers. Château Peyrat is the estate’s second label. It is the perfect bistro Bordeaux: juicy, fresh and well rounded. By contrast, Grande Maye is a wine built to last and does require a few years in the cellar to show its full potential. Since 2007, this father and son team have also produced the eponymously named Château Valade. This heavy clay site in the village of St Christophe des Bardes, close to Barde Haut produces broad, generous, powerful wines, which have already proven their capacity to age. The excellent second wine, L’Etendard de Château Valade is a delightful, uncomplicated, early-drinking St Emilion.

F L’Etendard de Château Valade, St Emilion Grand Cru

F Château Valade, St Emilion, Grand Cru

F Château Le Peyrat, Côtes de Castillon

F Château La Grande Maye, Côtes de Castillon

THE GUINAUDEAU FAMILY WINES

We are honoured to be one of the UK agents for Guinaudeau the family wines. Château Lafleur requires no introduction – it is one of the great wines of the world. In recent years Sylvie, Jacques, Baptiste and Julie along with their devoted team have embarked on an ambitious replanting project using their unique, old vine Cabernet Franc clones, “Bouchet”. This genetic material is now planted at at their new project, Les Perrieres and their home estate, Grand Village. These plantings have added an extra dimension to these wines. Perrieres is truly a representation of Lafleur on limestone terroir (as opposed to the gravel of Pomerol). Grand Village has become a wine of complexity and longevity at a snip of a price. The Guinaudeaus are also extremely proud of their white wines: Les Champs Libres and Grand Village Blanc. The former is utterly unique; a Bordeaux Sec produced from Sauvignon Blanc clones from the Loire and vinified and aged in Burgundian barriques. The result is a wine of tremendous energy and verve with more than a passing resemblance to the wines of Didier Dagueneau. Grand Village Blanc is also benefitting from the addition of Loire clones, offering intense citrussy flavours and a wonderfully saline finish.

B Château Grand Village, Blanc, Bordeaux

B Les Champs Libres, Guinaudea

F Château Grand Village, Rouge, Bordeaux Supérieur

F Les Perrieres, Pomerol

F Les Pensées, Pomerol

F Pensées de Lafleur, Pomerol

F Château Lafleur, Pomerol

BORDEAUX

CHÂTEAU BEAUMONT

In 1986 Beaumont was acquired by the current owners, Société Grands Millésimes de France, who also presides over the high-flying St Julien, Château Beychevelle. The vineyards are planted on deep gravelly soils in the commune of Cussac, between Margaux and St Julien. Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, the wines are characterised by their charm, silky texture and reliable, text-book Bordeaux flavours.

F Château Beaumont, Haut Médoc

CHÂTEAU CISSAC

Chateau Cissac is the family home of the Vialard family. This charming estate is situated close to St Estephe and Pauillac and is planted predominantly with Cabernet Sauvignon. Other Medoc varieties: Merlot and Petit Verdot are also planted and are incorporated in the final blend. Laurent Saint Pasteur, the winemaker is passionate and knowledgeable, striking just the right balance between tradition and modernity. The wines always have a Medocain character, but advances in wine-making have resulted in more refined tannins and greater purity of fruit. Recent vintages possess a poise and sophistication that is very impressive.

F Château Cissac, Haut Médoc

CHÂTEAU DOISY VÉDRINES

Doisy-Védrines is a 2ème Cru Classé Sauternes belonging to the Castéja family, one of the most prominent merchants in Bordeaux. It is actually situated on the highest plateau of Barsac, planted with 80% Sémillon, 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle. Olivier Castéja has been making the wine here for many years, crafting intense, brilliant Sauternes full of exotic fruits, yet always crisp and balanced by a typically saline finish. Their second wine, Petit-Védrines offers exceptional value for money – a beautiful Sauternes with lots of botrytis flavours and satisfying, unctuous texture.

F Château Petit Védrines, Sauternes

BORDEAUX

As major importers of Bordeaux wines, we always carry good stocks from a wide selection of chateaux. For a comprehensive list of Cru Classés and mature stocks, please refer to our Broking List. Please find a sample of our staple Bordeaux portfolio below:

Baron de Brane, Margaux

Château Batailley, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac

Château Berliquet, Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion

Château Branaire Ducru, 4ème Cru Classé, St Julien

Château Brane Cantenac, 2ème Cru Classé, Margaux

Château Cantemerle, 5ème Grand Cru Classé, Haut Médoc

Château Coutet, 1er Cru Classé, Barsac

Château d'Armailhac, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac

Château de Fonbel, St Emilion Grand Cru

Château Grand Puy Lacoste, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac

Château Haut Batailley, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac

Château Haut Bergey, Pessac Léognan

Château Lafleur Gazin, Pomerol

Château Laroque, Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion

Château Léoville Barton, 2ème Cru Classé, St Julien

Château Les Cruzelles, Lalande de Pomerol

Château Les Ormes de Pez, St Estèphe

Château Meyney, St Estèphe

Château Peyrabon, Haut Médoc

Château Phélan Ségur, St Estèphe

Château Potensac, Médoc

Château Quinault L'Enclos, St Emilion Grand Cru

Château Roc de Cambes, Côtes de Bourg

Château Saintayme, St Emilion Grand Cru

Château Teyssier, St Emilion Grand Cru, 2012

Château Tronquoy, St Estèphe

Clos René, Pomerol

Croix Canon, St Emilion, Grand Cru

Domaine de Chevalier Rouge, Grand Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan

Duluc de Brainaire-Ducru, Château Branaire Ducru, St Julien

La Chenade, Lalande de Pomerol

La Dame de Montrose, St Estèphe

La Gravette de Certan, Pomerol

La Petite Eglise, Pomerol

La Reserve de Léoville Barton, St Julien

Lacoste Borie, Pauillac

Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac Léognan

Lions de Batailley, 2eme Vin du Château Batailley

Marquis de Calon Ségur, St Estèphe

Pastourelle de Clerc Milon, Pauillac

Pichon Comtesse Réserve, Pauillac

Ségla, Margaux, 2015

Côtes d’Auxerre Bourgogne Epineuil

Chablis Chitry Saint-Bris Chablis Irancy Coulanges-la-Vineuse

BURGUNDY

Paris Mâcon

Côte de Nuits

(Côte-D’or)

Côte De Beaune

Beaune

Dijon

Côte Chalonnaise

Chalon-sur-Saône

Mâconnais

Saône

Mâcon

BURGUNDY – CHABLIS

DOMAINE MOREAU NAUDET

Stéphane Moreau took the reins of his family domaine in the 1990s and, inspired by Vincent Dauvissat, lifted it to the top echelon of Chablis Domaines over a period of nearly two decades. A passionate artisan, Stéphane believed in obtaining healthy, ripe and balanced fruit. Wary of green wines he often felt were wrongly referred to as offering classic Chablis “minerality”, Stéphane tended to be one of the later pickers, but always using only healthy fruit without botrytis influence. The wines, which undergo prolonged ageing sur lie (18 to 20 months) in a mixture of used demi-muid oak barrels and steel tanks, are consistently complete, silky and alluring but never ever lack for vivacity or vineyard character. In fact tasting his fine spread of left bank Chablis Crus side by side, you see very clear differences from one to the other: from the fruity, fresh Vaillons to the powerful, mineral Montmains or the salty, more refined Forets. These are beautifully harmonious wines full of character that you keep coming back to. Tragically, and well before his time, Stéphane died suddenly before the 2016 vintage. His wife Virginie bravely picked up the gauntlet and completed the harvest. Now, with the help of Stéphane’s old winemaking team, she is well on course to take the Domaine to even greater heights. He’d have been proud.

B Chablis, Moreau Naudet

VINCENT DAUVISSAT ALLOCATION ONLY

An icon for Chablis and artisan winegrowers worldwide. Vincent Dauvissat's aim is to hand-tend vines with the highest respect for nature possible and to harvest fully ripe fruit that will result in wines which reflect their origins. This means Vincent often picks later than his peers, as he searches for full phenolic ripeness. Winemaking is low intervention, to allow the pure fruit and vineyards' terroirs to shine through in the wines. After malo, ageing is in neutral 6–8 years old small oak barrels. His are truly authentic wines of great character, purity and minerality. They are famously reticent in their youth but reward hugely with age.

BURGUNDY – CHABLIS

LAURENT TRIBUT

The Tributs are a quiet and unassuming couple who live in the village of Poinchy where they make minute quantities of exquisite Chablis. This is a veritable small family business that sees Laurent working in his 5 hectares of vines and making the wine (with his young daughter who is studying viticulture in Beaune soon to join him) while his wife, Marie-Clotilde, looks after business matters. Like his brother-in-law, Vincent Dauvissat, Laurent believes in ageing his wines in oak barrels (7 to 8 years old) after fermentation in steel cuvées. The provenance of the oak is mixed (Allier, Vosges, Chatillons) which adds complexity to his mineral yet unctous wines. These are authentic, artisan Chablis that demand time, even the Chablis Village can take a couple of years to be at its best.

B Chablis, Laurent Tribut

B Chablis, Beauroy, 1er Cru, Laurent Tribut

PRIEURÉ SAINT CÔME

Owner Julien Brocard manipulates vines around the village of Préhy planted on a mixture of the unique kimmeridgean and portlandian clay soils that lend such complexity and minerality to his wines. These are very much traditionally made Chablis, vinified in vats and aged in neutral large oak foudres for a year before bottling. Julien's achievements in viticulture, in particular, are staggering – converting two thirds of his estate (amounting to 120 ha of vines) in such a marginal climat is nothing short of incredible. Brocard had made a name themselves for vivid, classic, minerally Chablis that was great value for money. Not only will this continue but, with the many improvements Julien has made since taking over from his father Jean-Marc, the Domaine should start to be recognised as one of the qualitative leaders in the region, too.

B Chablis, Prieuré Saint Côme

B Chablis, Vaudevey, 1er Cru, Prieuré Saint Côme

B Chablis, Blanchot, Grand Cru, Prieuré Saint Côme

B Chablis, Mont de Milieu, 1er Cru, Prieuré Saint Côme

B Chablis, Vieilles Vignes, Prieure St Come

B Chablis,Bougros, Grand Cru, Prieuré Saint Côme

B Chablis,Valmur, Grand Cru, Prieuré Saint Côme

BURGUNDY – MÂCON & CÔTE CHALONNAISE

A&P DE VILLAINE

The 26ha of Domaine de Villaine are centred in Bouzeron an area first planted to the vine by the monks of Cluny in the middle ages, situated just south of the Côte d’Or and north of Rully. Here the poor soils and limestone-rich slopes are reserved for Bouzeron’s speciality, Aligoté Doré, a high qualty strain of this ubiquitous grape. The impeccable terroir here shows that given a chance to shine, this is a grape variety that can produce wonderfully characterful, harmonious wines. The Domaine is run by Pierre de Benoist who is the nephew of the Domaine’s founder, Aubert de Villaine, and is fiercely committed to producing wines of outstanding quality in as environmentally friendly a way as possible. The estate has been certified organic since 1986 and Pierre has been making bio-dynamic trials. Yields are low, up to 20% less than the maximum allowed for AOC rules, and picking is by hand at optimal maturity.

B Bouzeron, Aligoté, A&P de Villaine

F Rully, 1er Cru, Rouge, Les Champs Cloux, A&P de Villaine

F Rully, 1er Cru, Rouge, Cloux, A&P de Villaine

F Bourgogne, Cote Chalonnaise, Rouge, La Digoine, A&P de Villaine

DOMAINE DE LA FOLIE EXCLUSIVE

An exciting Domaine reborn. Clémence and Baptiste Dubrulle took over at the Domaine in 2010, but the estate’s history goes back three hundred years. It was Clémence’s grandfather that really made the reputation of the Domaine as one of the greats in the Côte Chalonnaise in the sixties and seventies. The Domaine fell on hard times and had nearly gone to ruin until Clémence and Baptiste took over and set about restoring it to its former glory. What a turnaround. The Domaine, based in Chagny, stretches over 13 hectares of Rully, two-thirds of which is planted to Chardonnay and one-third Pinot Noir. Viticulture is sustainable, respecting both tradition and the environment, chemical herbicides are avoided and harvest is manual in small cases. The wines, which are from some of the region’s finest single vineyards, are aged in steel or with oak barrels up to a maximum of five years-old depending on the cuvée. It’s wonderful to see this Domaine fulfilling their potential and showing that of the Rully region for producing, classy, pure wines of huge character.

B Rully, Blanc, 1er Cru, Clos St Jacques, Domaine de la Folie

F Rully, Rouge, Cuvée Marey, Domaine de la Folie

F Rully, Rouge, Clos de Bellecroix, Domaine de la Folie

BURGUNDY – MÂCON & CÔTE CHALONNAISE

GERALD ET PHILIBERT TALMARD EXCLUSIVE

Domaine Gerald Talmard is a family Domaine in the small town of Uchizy in the Mâconnais. The style of wine produced here is pure and fresh, achieved by picking grapes when ripe but still early enough to have good acidity levels. The wine is fermented and aged sur lie in stainless steel only, to give a lively, unfussy, very gently textured style of Mâcon centred on characteristics of apple, citrus and butter. A classic, easypleasing style that is happily drunk on its own or with food.

B Mâcon Uchizy, Gerald et Philibert Talmard

B Macon-Chardonnay, Le Champ St Pierre, Gerald et Philibert Talmard

LES HÉRITIERS DU COMTE LAFON

Dominique Lafon had been eyeing land and property in the Mâconnais for some time before he eventually bought some cellars and vineyards around the village of Milly. Here he recognised an opportunity to produce fine wine, terroir-rich, wines that would not cost the earth. The quality and attention to detail is the same here as it is at the Domaine des Comtes Lafon estate in Meursault. Farming is biodynamic, fermentation is in tank plot by plot, and ageing is tailored to each terroir, in a mixture of steel tanks, wooden foudres, and demi-muid oak casks. Dominique has a wonderful spread of vines at his disposal from across the region, showing how diverse and interesting the Mâconnais can be. From the old vines of ViréClessé producing floral, expressive wines to the more mineral intensity of Mâcon-Milly, and the racy and intense en Chatenay Pouilly-Fuissé vineyard of Vergisson.

B Mâcon Milly Lamartine, Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon

B Mâcon Chardonnay, Clos de la Crochette, Héritiers du Comte Lafon

B Mâcon-Bussiere, Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon

B Vire-Clesse, Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon

B Pouilly Fuissé, En Chatenay, Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon

DOMAINE DE LA CHAPELLE

We are delighted to have unearthed a new hidden gem in the Mâconnais, Domaine de la Chapelle. Pascal Rollet first rented these prime vines in 1982 and has been working them ever since. The opportunity arose to buy the vineyards a few years ago and he did not hesitate to grab it. Pascal, and now his son Thomas, preside over 7.5ha split across St Veran and the heart of the Pouilly sector of Pouilly-Fuissé. Well situated vineyards on a range of terroirs and exposures, with a large proportion of old vines (ranging from 50 to 100 years old) are at the heart of this estate. The vineyards are managed organically, grapes are hand picked and then very gently whole bunch pressed – yielding very clear juice, so very little debourbage (settling of the must) is carried out prior to fermentation. The process is watchful, but natural where possible, with intervention only where necessary. Wines are fermented and aged in a mixture of tank and oak futs, after which there is no tartrate stabilisation and only the lightest of filtrations. These exquisite, clear as a bell, wines are sheer joy; they are characterised by their great clarity and quality of fruit, more than minerality, and offer as much calm and balance as they do aromatic excitement.

B Saint Veran, Madame Noly

B Pouilly-Fuissé, Vieilles Vignes

GERALD ET PHILIBERT TALMARD

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

BACHELET MONNOT

In January 2005, after years of travelling France and the rest of the world gaining vital wine-making experience two budding young vignerons, brothers Marc and Alexandre Bachelet, set up this Domaine that spans 10 hectares over the Maranges, Santenay and Puligny-Montrachet communes. With a burning desire to work with nature to make the finest possible wines, Marc and Alexandre adopt a very natural, labourintensive approach to wine-making. Soils are ploughed, vine health carefully monitored, herbicides are forbidden and strict de-budding is carried out to limit yields, whilst all grapes are hand picked at optimum ripeness. This Domaine is a rapidly rising star. 50% new oak is employed for Grand Crus whilst mush less is used for the rest of the range which, and along with using a mixture of larger-sized barrels alongside the traditional barriques, has been instrumental in eradicating oak impact on the flavour profile of the wines. The red Maranges is produced using a small proportion of whole bunches. From Bourgogne to Batard these are some of Burgundy’s most brilliant wines from two of its most exciting young winemakers.

B Bourgogne, Blanc, Bachelet Monnot

B St Aubin, En Remilly, 1er Cru, Bachelet Monnot

B Chassagne Montrachet, Bachelet Monnot

B Puligny Montrachet, Bachelet Monnot

B Puligny-Montrachet, Hameau de Blagny, 1er Cru

B Puligny Montrachet, Les Referts, 1er Cru, Bachelet Monnot

F Bourgogne, Rouge, Bachelet Monnot

F Maranges, La Fussière, 1er Cru, Rouge, Bachelet Monnot

F Santenay, Les Prarons, Rouge, Bachelet Monnot

F Santenay, Les Charmes, Bachelet Monnot

F Maranges, La Boutiere, 1er Cru, Rouge, Bachelet Monnot

BACHELET MONNOT

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

PIERRE BOISSON, ANNE BOISSON, BOISSON VADOT EXCLUSIVE

This is one of those rare finds, never before available in the UK until 2011, Boisson Vadot have long been content to sell to a mailing list of private customers in France believing that they should let “people come to them” rather than chasing export business around the world. We think this has the potential to be one of the great domains in Burgundy.The Boisson family Domaine in Meursault is a total of 8.5 hectares. These are divided up between Bernard Boisson and his two children, Pierre and Anne. Although the wines are labelled individually as Boisson-Vadot, Pierre Boisson and Anne Boisson, they make the wines altogether in exactly the same way. The parcels of vines are primarily situated in Meursault with smaller holdings in Auxey-Duresses, Monthelie, Pommard and Beaune. Although not certified organic the Domaine never use any fertiliser or pesticides and all the vines are ploughed to control weeds and to air the soil. Vinification is traditional and the harvest is done by hand. The grapes are sorted in the vines and back at the Domaine before going into vats. The wine is aged in oak barrels between 15 and 18 months, sometimes more if the vintage demands it. New oak is used very sparingly, though there are no hard & fast rules as to percentages of new or old barrels, the vintage decides. What is clear, though, is that in no way do the Domaine want the oak to mask the character of the wine. Bottling is done at the Domaine without any filtration. The wines, even at Bourgogne level, are incredibly intense, taut and powerful, they are definitely the more mineral side of the Meursault spectrum. The flinty, powerful Meursaults rank among the very top wines of the commune.

B Bourgogne, Blanc, Pierre Boisson

B Meursault, Pierre Boisson

B Bourgogne Aligoté, Anne Boisson

F Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Rouge, Pierre Boisson

BOISSON VADOT

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

CHÂTEAU DE MEURSAULT EXCLUSIVE

A wonderful, historic Domaine that has the Côte de Beaune’s most impressive vaulted cellars. Château de Meursault has for a long time been on the tourist trail and is the impressive venue for the famous Paulée de Meursault in November. Their vineyard holdings have always been the envy of the Côte but a reliance on passing tourist trade, lack of know-how and investment meant that traditionally the wines failed to live up to their promise. However the Château’s fortunes changed in 2012 when it was bought by Olivier Halley with the intention to make it one of the most hallowed estates in Burgundy, money no object. The Château is now firmly on the Burgundy lover’s map. In 2012 Olivier brought in Stéphane Follin-Arbelet to run the estate, brother of Frank Follin-Arbelet and former director of Bouchard, Stephane knows a thing or two about what it means to make top quality Burgundy and what it takes to manage a large estate. Conversion to organics, planting cover crops, increasing the size of picking teams (up to 200 people to shorten the harvest period) and lowering yields are just some of the many effective innovations he has brought in. The winemaking is respectful to terroir, new oak ranges from 25–40% and the wines are aged for 15–18 months in the enormous, cool, vaulted cellars underneath the Château. A new star of Burgundy is born. Along with sister estate, Château de Marsannay, this will soon be one of the biggest certified organic estates in the Côte d’Or.

B Bourgogne, Blanc, Clos du Château, Château de Meursault

B Bourgogne, Blanc, Terroir d’Exception, Château de Meursault

B Bourgogne, Terroir d’Exception, Château de Meursault

B Meursault, Limozin, Château de Meursault

B Meursault, Clos des Grands Charrons Monopole Château de Meursault

B Meursault, Les Charmes, Dessus, 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

B Meursault, Les Perrières, 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

B Puligny-Montrachet, Champs Canet, 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

B Corton Vergennes, Grand Cru, Château de Meursault

F Bourgogne, Rouge, Bourgogne du Château, Château du Meursault

F Savigny Lès Beaune, Les Peuillets, 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

F Beaune, Feves, 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

F Beaune, Grèves, 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

F Pommard, Les Petits Noizons, 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

F Volnay, Clos du Chene, Château de Meursault

F Beaune Grèves Les Trois Journaux 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

F Volnay, Clos des Chenes, 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

F Pommard, Clos des Epenots, 1er Cru, Château de Meursault

F Corton, Grand Cru, Château de Meursault

F Corton Marechaudes Grand Cru, Château de Meursault

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

PHILIPPE COLIN

This domaine that was borne out of Colin-Deleger when brothers Philippe and Bruno Colin decided to go their own ways in 2004. The core of the 11.5 hectare Philippe Colin estate lies in their holdings of Chassagne 1er Cru on Puligny side of the village, with some excellent St Aubin thrown into the mix for good measure. The style here is one of firm cores, and taut minerality with a layer of succulent surrounding fruit. Just a little bit of lees stirring is undertaken during elevage, oak influence is slight, and since 2011 bottling is done under a small wax plug and a capsule – belt and braces protection against oxidation. An excellent Chassagne Domaine that produces fine, seamless, moreish white Burgundies. They boast great character but always suggest rather than insist.

B St Aubin, Charmois, 1er Cru, Philippe Colin

B St Aubin, Les Combes, 1er Cru, Philippe Colin

B Chassagne Montrachet, Les Vergers, 1er Cru, Philippe Colin

DOMAINE DE LA COMMARAINE

This is a very exciting new find for us indeed. The Clos de la Commaraine, a fine 3.75ha Premier Cru Monopole in Pommard has long been something of a sleeping giant. Originally classed in Lavalle’s 1855 classification as a Première Cuvée, the potential of this vineyard has always been well known. Initially owned by the Jaboulet-Vercherre family, during which time it was made and marketed by Louis Jadot, it was bought in 2017 by Harvard Professor, Denise Dupré, and Mark Nunelly, former Managing Director of a Boston Capital investment fund, with the ambition to restore the wine to its former glory and make it one of the great Premiers Crus of the Côte de Beaune. The first, and most crucial, step they made was to sign up Louis-Michel Liger-Belair to control production. Louis-Michel has a free hand to make the wine as he sees fit, starting in the vineyard, which will be fully converted to biodynamics. The first vintage under his control was 2018 – a thrilling debut vintage and an exciting new chapter for the estate. These wines sell out on release. For details of upcoming allocations please contact your account manage

DOMAINE DES COMTES LAFON ALLOCATION ONLY

Comte Lafon’s cellars are deep beneath the ground, believed to be some of the deepest and coolest in Burgundy. Here, Dominique nurtures the golden produce of his 32 acres of land in the Meursault, Montrachet, Monthélie and Volnay appellations. The wines reach levels of quality rarely attained and certainly not surpassed by other growers in Burgundy or, indeed, the world. They are the result of intense arduous work in the vineyard (where strict organic and biodynamic methods are set in place) and Dominique’s expert eye in the cellars. Such is the intensity and concentration of the whites that even the Village Meursault, a blend of young vines from Charmes, young vines from Clos de la Barre and vines from within the Meursault villages appellation, requires a longer than average élévage period in barrel which usually exceeds 20 months.

CHÂTEAU DE MEURSAULT

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

DOMAINE DE MONTILLE

Etienne is one of Burgundy’s great purists, his long-lived wines may need time but they are some of the most honest and terroir-driven wines in Burgundy. The wines are fermented using all or partial whole bunch vinification depending on the vintage, élévage is long and slow in their cold cellars and percentages of new oak are low, rarely more than 50% even for Malconsorts. From some of the most vivid, intense Beaune’s there are to perfumed, stylish Volnays and silky Vosnes Romanee, Etienne makes a broad range of some of Burgundy’s most polished wines. The Domaine’s policy on white wines is to pick as early as possible, as soon as the fruit has just approached ripeness, resulting in tense, fine wines with alcohols rarely more than 13%.

B Bourgogne, Blanc, de Montille O

B Beaune, Blanc, Les Aigrots, 1er Cru, de Montille

B Meursault, Saint Christophe, de Montille O

B Meursault, Les Poruzots, 1er Cru, de Montille

B Meursault, Les Perrières, 1er Cru, de Montille

F Bourgogne, de Montille

F Beaune Les Sizies 1er Cru, de Montille O

F Pommard, Les Cras, de Montille

F Beaune, Grèves, 1er Cru, de Montille

F Volnay, Les Brouillards, 1er Cru, de Montille

F Nuits St Georges, Aux Thorey, 1er Cru, de Montille

F Pommard, Les Pezerolles, 1er Cru, de Montille

F Volnay, Les Mitans, 1er Cru, de Montille

F Volnay, Taillepieds, 1er Cru, de Montille, 2017, 6x75cl

F Corton Clos du Roi, Grand Cru, de Montille

F Pommard, Les Rugiens du Bas, 1er Cru, de Montille

F Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru, de Montille

DOMAINE DE MONTILLE

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

JOSEPH DROUHIN & MARQUIS DE LAGUICHE

Joseph Drouhin is a family-owned domaine and negociant which commands the greatest respect of all the big Burgundy houses. Their knowledge of the land combined with their attention to detail in the vineyards, as well as their gentle wine making style, results in very fine Burgundy that reflect its origin. Little use of new oak, gentle extraction and whole-bunch fermentation according to the year or the cuvée are part of their belief that good Burgundy isn’t made by too firm a hand of the winemaker. The crown jewels in the Drouhin portfolio are without doubt the Domaine Marquis de Laguiche, which has the largest percentage of land in Le Montrachet (30%) of all the owners, and the Domaine Drouhin-owned Clos des Mouches. Drouhin has had exclusive control over the former estate, from cultivation to distribution, since 1947, while Clos des Mouches is one of those rare breeds in Burgundy, a monopole. Originally planted with Pinot Noir, almost half the vineyard was replanted with Chardonnay in 1921 by Maurice Drouhin.

B Bourgogne Aligoté, Joseph Drouhin

B Bourgogne, Blanc, Laforet, Joseph Drouhin

B St Veran, Joseph Drouhin

B Côte de Beaune, Blanc, Joseph Drouhin

F Chassagne Montrachet, Morgeot, Marquis de Laguiche, Joseph Drouhin

F Beaune, Clos des Mouches, 1er Cru, Blanc, Joseph Drouhin

F Le Montrachet, Grand Cru, Marquis de Laguiche, Joseph Drouhin

F Bourgogne, Rouge, Laforet, Joseph Drouhin

F Rully, Rouge, Joseph Drouhin

F Côte de Beaune, Villages, Rouge, Joseph Drouhin

F Côte de Beaune, Rouge, Joseph Drouhin

F Chambolle Musigny, Joseph Drouhin

F Beaune, Clos des Mouches, 1er Cru, Rouge, Joseph Drouhin

F Chambolle Musigny, 1er Cru, Joseph Drouhin

F Chambolle Musigny, Les Baudes, 1er Cru, Joseph Drouhin

F Gevrey Chambertin, Clos Prieur, 1er Cru, Joseph Drouhin

F Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru, Domaine Joseph Drouhin

F Charmes Chambertin, Grand Cru, Joseph Drouhin

F Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Grand Cru, Joseph Drouhin

F Griotte Chambertin, Grand Cru, Joseph Drouhin

F Grands Echézeaux, Grand Cru, Joseph Drouhin

F Musigny, Grand Cru, Joseph Drouhin

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

FOLLIN-ARBELET

Since Frank Follin inherited vines originally under the control of the Louis Latour empire, he has been making sublime wines of concentration, purity and complexity. All of his vines from Aloxe-Corton, Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Romanée St Vivant are tended by hand and respectfully protected from any form of insecticide or pesticide, each showing individuality, polish and great purity. By and large the wines are destalked here but fermentations sometimes include up to 20% whole berry ferment depending on the vintage or cuvée, resulting in wines of suave, velvet textures. His cellars are cool and deep, so this process and the élévage are long, slow and gentle with minimal intervention, new oak percentages being kept to below 40%.

B Corton Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Follin Arbelet

F Aloxe Corton, Follin Arbelet

F Aloxe Corton, Clos du Chapitre, 1er Cru, Follin Arbelet

JEAN-NOËL GAGNARD

Jean-Noël retired in the mid nineties and his daughter, Caroline Lestimé, took control of the vineyard and has recently been joined in this by her husband Hubert. Caroline is producing authentic Chassagne of great quality in a way that is respectful both to tradition and the environment. The domaine’s boundaries encompass some superb vineyards including Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets and Bâtard-Montrachet. The white wines are made in the traditional way, being kept in barrel for at least 18–20 months (only about a quarter of the barrels will be new) and are bottled with only the very lightest of filtrations. They are expressive, impressive Chassagnes that display the complex nuances of their terroir. The estate was certified organic as of the 2014 vintage.

B Chassagne-Montrachet, Les Chenevottes, 1er Cru, Jean Noel Gagnard

B Chassagne-Montrachet, Les Petits Clos 1er Cru, Jean Noel Gagnard

B Chassagne-Montrachet, Les Caillerets, 1er Cru, Jean Noel Gagnard

F Bâtard-Montrachet, Grand Cru, Jean Noel Gagnard

F Santenay, Clos de Tavannes, 1er Cru, Jean Noel Gagnard O

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

GÉNOT-BOULANGER EXCLUSIVE

It is not every day we come across a 22ha domaine in Burgundy that we have never encountered before, that is producing wines of outstanding quality. Therefore, we were taken aback during our tasting at Génot-Boulanger in Spring 2018, a tasting which proved startling for its consistent brilliance for both white and red wines. The domaine began its history as the life-long dream of two Parisian pharmacists, Charles-Henri Génot and his wife Marie Boulanger The dream was realised when they moved to Meursault and purchased vineyards in Mercurey in 1974. They began gradually to build up the domaine with further acquisitions in the Côte d’Or including Meursault, Volnay and Chassagne. In 1995 the domaine expanded again into the Côte de Nuits: Corton and Aloxe-Corton Clos du Chapitre. This meant that by 1998 François Delaby had inherited 22 prime hectares of vineyard area in Burgundy. He was joined by daughter Aude and son in law Guillaume Lavollée who, in turn, took over the running of the domaine in 2008, becoming the fourth family generation in the estate’s history. Aude and Guillaume were clear on their mission from the off – to produce wines that express the complexity and finesse of their great Burgundian terroirs, recognising the quality of the vineyard to be the most important factor. They began their tenure by concentrating on viticulture and the health of the soil, starting conversion to organic farming – a process that ended with full certification in 2018. Winemaking follows a non-interventionist approach: for reds, depending on the vintage, some whole bunches may be included during fermentation equally berries are completely destalked. Fermentations are with indigenous yeasts and extractions are gentle. The wines are aged with 20% new oak barrels for 12 months followed by 6 months ageing in tank. The whites undergo the same process, the only difference being no sulphur is added to them until after malolactic fermentation. Rather like Aude and Guillaume themselves the wines are precise, composed and elegant. These are beautiful, noble Burgundies that effortlessly give plenty of pleasure and can be considered among the greats of the Côte.

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

DOMAINE LEFLAIVE ALLOCATION ONLY

Anne-Claude Leflaive’s untimely death in 2015 was a tragedy for the world of wine. The biodynamic revolution that she started in 1990 was her major legacy, one that seems well-secured following the succession of her nephew Brice de la Morandière. Dynamic and restless, Brice is constantly looking to take the domaine’s wines on to higher plains. Unafraid to take bold decisions, Brice moved to diam cork closures for the estate’s entire production from the 2014 vintage in order to guarantee consistent quality of every bottle. His masterstroke, however, came in early 2017 with the appointment of Pierre Vincent, former headwinemaker of Domaine de la Vougeraie, replacing winemaker Eric Remy and estate manager Antoine Lepetit. The classic Leflaive wine-making system remains barrel-fermentation, followed by a year’s ageing in barriques, finished off by at least 6 months in steel tank prior to bottling. These wines sell out on release. For details of upcoming allocations please contact your account manager.

MARQUIS D’ANGERVILLE

A truly great Burgundian domaine with an illustrious history that began in 1804, Domaine Marquis d’Angerville first made a name for itself in the early 1900s when Sem, Marquis d’Angerville, pioneered domaine-bottled Burgundy alongside his friend Henri Gouges. The estate was inherited by his son Jacques in 1952, who took the domaine to ever greater heights over an extraordinary and brilliant career spanning 52 vintages. In 2003 the current proprietaire, Guillaume, Marquis d’Angerville, took over after his father Jacques’ tragic and premature passing. This wonderful Volnay estate spans 15 ha in total, of which 12 are devoted to Volnay – the vast majority of which are Premiers Crus. The domaine’s vineyards are no more than 15 minutes’ walk from each other, yet the resulting wines boast such different personalities. These are Burgundies that not only offer immense pleasure and drinkability, they also represent a veritable masterclass in the effect of terroir on wine. The jewel in the domaine’s crown is, without question is the monopole of Clos des Ducs. One of the great crus of the Côte de Beaune, the earliest records of Clos des Ducs, can be found in 1507. The size of the Clos was then exactly the same as it is today 2.15 ha or 52 ouvrées. Guillaume is meticulous and shows an unstinting commitment to producing the best wine he can whilst staying faithful to Volnay’s special terroir. The vine growing and winemaking is based on the philosophy of respecting and working with nature. The domaine’s move to biodynamic viticulture in 2006 is central to this philosophy, a process that began with the appointment the year before of the talented Francois Duvivier as régisseur, to oversee this conversion. Rigorous manual work is carried out in the vineyard, whilst the winemaking is as gentle and respectful to the wines as possible. These are polished Volnays of purity, precision and style; nothing is over-done or out of balance, extractions are soft and new oak is no more than it needs to be (a maximum of 20%). The characteristics of grape, vintage and terroir resonate brightly through each wine.

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

PAUL PILLOT

The young Thierry Pillot has turned this domaine not only into one of the greats of Chassagne, but one of the very top domaines in the whole of the Côte d’Or. His skill and enthusiasm coupled with truly fabulous vineyard holdings (which include Caillerets, La Romanee and Grande Ruchottes) make a formidable combination. Thierry favours wines of tension and transparency, he achieves this through not picking too late and reducing the influence of oak in the ageing process. The wines are rarely matured in more than 10% new oak and he uses a mixture of barrique and larger demi-muids barrels. Scintillating, vivid Burgundies that offer a clear lens on terroir.

B Bourgogne, Blanc, Paul Pillot

B St Aubin, Les Charmois, 1er Cru, Paul Pillot

B St Aubin, Les Pitangerets, 1er Cru, Paul Pillot

F Chassagne Montrachet, Paul Pillot

F Bourgogne, Rouge, Paul Pillot

F Santenay, Rouge, Vieilles Vignes, Paul Pillot

F Chassagne Montrachet, Rouge, Clos St Jean, 1er Cru, Paul Pillot

REMI ROLLIN

This 11-hectare domaine, spread over Echevronne, Pernand-Vergelesses, Savigny-Lès-Beaune and AloxeCorton, has been run by Remi Rollin since 1989 and more recently he has been joined by his son Simon. The high altitude of Remi’s vineyards imparts a minerality and fresh acidity to his wines while his tentative use of new oak smooths off the firm edge that many lesser Pernands have, without preventing the fruit from expressing itself. There is no new oak used for the villages and generic level wines whilst a maximum of one quarter new oak is employed for the red and white premiers crus. These are some of Burgundy’s best value wines.

B Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Blanc, Remi Rollin

B Pernand Vergelesses, Blanc, Remi Rollin

B Pernand Vergelesses, Sous Frétille, 1er Cru, Remi Rollin

F Corton Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Remi Rollin

F Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Rouge, Remi Rollin

F Pernand Vergelesses, Sous le Bois de Noel Belles Filles Remi Rollin

F Pernand Vergelesses, Sous le Bois de Noel, Remi Rollin

F Pernand Vergelesses, Ile de Vergelesses, 1er Cru, Remi Rollin

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE BEAUNE

ETIENNE SAUZET

Etienne Sauzet’s son-in-law, Gérard Boudot, makes the wine at this benchmark Burgundian domaine and has been more recently assisted by talented winemaker Benoit Riffault, Gérard’s son-in-law. A tasting with Gérard and Benoit is not just enjoyable but highly educational – each session is a virtual masterclass in terroir. Indeed, their knowledge of Puligny’s different vineyards is second to none. They resist the temptation to interfere with the wines too much after fermentation, and employ on average 30% new oak every year. The Grand Crus are, of course, impressive; even right down to Villages and Bourgogne level the wines display the finesse and grace of truly great Puligny.

B Bourgogne, Blanc, La Tufera, Etienne Sauzet

B Puligny Montrachet, Etienne Sauzet O

B Puligny Montrachet, La Garenne, 1er Cru, Etienne Sauzet

TOLLOT-BEAUT

Tollot-Beaut was among the group of pioneering Burgundians who started producing and bottling their own wines in the early part of the 20th Century. As rich in tradition as this domaine is, under Nathalie & Paul Tollot, no one rests on their laurels and a premium is placed on quality. Money is spent on new oak every year to ensure a good stock of healthy barrels which provide the perfect resting place for the magnificent wines. However, it is in the vineyard where most of the investment goes on. The domaine employs twice as many people per hectare than any of their neighbours to restrict the vigour of the vines and therefore increase the chances of ripe concentrated grapes being produced every year. Grapes are destalked and wines are aged in up to 50% new oak. The wines remain respectful to their origins while sharing characteristic toasty, open-knit and smooth fruit flavours.

F Bourgogne, Tollot Beaut

F Chorey Les Beaune, La Pièce du Chapitre, Monopole, Tollot Beaut

F Savigny les Beaune, Lavieres, 1er Cru, Tollot Beaut

F Aloxe-Corton, Fournières, 1er Cru, Tollot Beaut

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE NUITS

CHÂTEAU DE MARSANNAY EXCLUSIVE

In 2012, the Halley family purchased Château de Marsannay (and also Château de Meursault). They own 34 hectares of superbly situated vines, and have invested heavily in realising the estate’s huge potential. Château de Marsannay has their own winemaking team, led by the fantastic, and award-winning, Sylvain Pabion. Winemaking is classic and adaptive, largely destalked but with whole bunches when necessary, a cold-soak prior to fermentation and then ageing in a mixture of new and used oak barriques for over a year. Alongside Château de Meursault, this is on course to become one of the largest organic certified estates in the Côte d’Or.

B Marsannay, Blanc, Château de Marsannay

F Bourgogne, En Montre Cul, Château de Marsannay

F Marsannay, Les Favieres, Château de Marsannay

F Marsannay, Rouge, Château de Marsannay

F Marsannay, Clos de Jeu, Château de Marsannay

F Fixin, Petits Crais, Château de Marsannay

F Marsannay, Clos du Roy, Château de Marsannay

F Gevrey Chambertin, , Ch â teau de Marsannay

F Gevrey Chambertin, Champeaux, 1er Cru, Château de Marsannay

F Vosne Romanée, En Orveaux, 1er Cru, Château de Marsannay

ROBERT CHEVILLON

Robert’s two sons, Bertrand and Denis, now look after the winemaking and viticulture respectively. Their vineyards stretch from the far south side of Nuits St-Georges to the very north side next to VosneRomanée. All of the wines demonstrate harmony, ripe fruit and structure thanks to both hard work in the vineyard by Denis (who insists on low yields and a strict grape selection) and to a fermentation and barrique élévage carefully controlled by Bertrand. There are no frills or careful secrets here; the crop is destalked, fermented and aged in a maximum of one third new oak for the top crus. These wines are the product of terroir-knowledge and hard, hands-on, work. It is a great compliment to them both that their wines are so balanced yet still maintain the individuality and character that emanates from their terroir. The vineyards south of Nuits (Pruliers and Vaucrains) tend to have more muscle and drive while those nearer Vosne, such as the Chaignots, verge more on elegance and silkiness.

F Bourgogne Passetoutgrain, Robert Chevillon

F Bourgogne Rouge, Robert Chevillon

F Nuits St Georges, Vieilles Vignes, Robert Chevillon

F Nuits St Georges, Les Roncières, 1er Cru, Robert Chevillon

F Nuits St-Georges, Les Chaignots, 1er Cru, Robert Chevillon

F Nuits St Georges, Les Bousselots, 1er Cru, Robert Chevillon

F Nuits St Georges, Les Chaignots, 1er Cru, Robert Chevillon

F Nuits St Georges, Les Vaucrains, 1er Cru, Robert Chevillon

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE NUITS

BRUNO CLAIR EXCLUSIVE

Bruno Clair started his own domaine in 1979 with small holdings in Marsannay, Fixin, Morey and Savigny Dominode. Alongside this sat his family’s Clair-Dau estate, one of the great Burgundian domaines, however following the death of his grandfather Joseph Clair family disagreements sadly led to its dismantling in 1985. The following year, to add to his own small domaine, Bruno was entrusted with the vineyards of his parents, brothers and sisters which included those of Clos de Bèze, Cazetiers, Clos St-Jacques, Vosne-Romanée, Clos du Fonteny and Chambolle-Musigny. Bruno Clair’s wings are spread widely over the Côte d’Or covering nine appellations in total. Bruno, first and foremost, is a vigneron adopting an approach that involves back-breaking vineyard work and minimal intervention winemaking, using a mixture of large old wooden foudres and smaller barriques for the long slow ageing process. New oak, though used, is kept relatively low – rarely going above 40% even for the Grands Crus. Edouard and Arthur Clair, Bruno’s sons, are an exciting, committed new generation gradually taking over, gently introducing a few enhancements such as increased whole bunch percentages and less sulphur usage. There is no doubt that Bruno Clair has upped its game over the last ten years and has well and truly broken into the top league of estates in the Côte de Nuits.

B Marsannay, Blanc, Bruno Clair

B Marsannay, Blanc, Cuvée Source des Roches, Bruno Clair

B Marsannay, Blanc, Les Longeroies, Bruno Clair

B Morey St Denis, En La Rue de Vergy, Blanc, Bruno Clair

B Corton Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Bruno Clair

F Marsannay, Rosé, Bruno Clair

F Marsannay, Les Vaudenelles, Bruno Clair

F Marsannay, Les Longeroies, Bruno Clair

F Savigny Lès Beaune, La Dominode, 1er Cru, Bruno Clair

F Gevrey Chambertin, Bruno Clair

F Chambolle Musigny, Les Véroilles, Bruno Clair

F Gevrey Chambertin, Petite Chapelle, 1er Cru, Bruno Clair

F Gevrey Chambertin, Les Cazetiers, 1er Cru, Bruno Clair

F Bonnes Mares, Grand Cru, Bruno Clair

F Gevrey Chambertin, Clos St Jacques, 1er Cru, Bruno Clair

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE NUITS

DOMAINE DU COMTE LIGER BELAIR

The young Louis-Michel Comte Liger-Belair is typical of the increasing crop of fledgling growers who are talented, intelligent and enthusiastic enough to take on the responsibility of bottling their own wines, nurturing them from vineyard to bottle. Until the 2000 vintage, the Liger-Belair family’s superb set of well-situated Vosne-Romanée vineyards had been exclusively made and marketed by Maison Bouchard. However, Louis-Michel began to take back plots of land bit by bit and started producing outstanding wines. La Romanée, is the jewel in the Liger-Belair crown, the smallest appellation in France and a family “monopole” situated just above Romanée Conti. Louis-Michel’s aim is to make pure, balanced, terroirdriven wines by respecting his vineyards and their environment. Vines are grown on biodynamic principles and are ploughed by horse to avoid compacting the soils too much. The wines undergo a very gentle maceration in favour of the common trend of over-extraction, which can often result in rather brutal, atypical wines. This, together with a careful selection of new barrels, enhances the purity and finesse of his Vosne-Romanées. These are intense, chic and gently-extracted wines that show a haunting elegance. One of Burgundy’s greatest stars, Louis-Michel Liger-Belair continues to expand the domaine through purchases of the top vineyards of the Côtes de Nuits, the latest being the fabulous Clos des Grandes Vignes Premier Cru of Nuits St Georges, as well as the signing of a long term lease of Clos de Vougeot as of the 2015 vintage.

DOMAINE DES LAMBRAYS ALLOCATION ONLY

Clos des Lambrays was a vineyard established as early as 1365 and was elevated to Grand Cru status in 1981. This has become a benchmark domaine for the Burgundy lover, producing subtle, pure Burgundies that are drinkable and generous without ever overstepping the mark. Largely traditional winemaking applies; bunches are fermented whole in open-top tanks followed by ageing for 18 months in 50% new oak barrels. In 2014, LVMH bought the Clos des Lambrays and are is well set to make the most of this fabulous terroir. In 2019 it employed the talented Jacques Devauges, formerly winemaker of neighbouring Clos de Tart, giving him free rein to make to make the best expression of Clos des Lambrays possible. A domaine destined for great things.

DOMAINE LEROY ALLOCATION ONLY

One of the great domaines in Burgundy, if not the greatest. Centred above immaculate cellars in VosneRomanée, the vineyards are run on strict biodynamic lines with yields regularly being 18 to 20 hl/ha – about one third of the average Burgundian production. Lalou Bize Leroy and her team are some of the most proactive and astute in the Côte d’Or – never taking anything for granted. The Leroy ‘Collection’ is the result of some thousands of samples of grape must and wine tasted by Lalou and her team. Cellared and bottled in Auxey-Duresses until ready to drink, they offer some of Burgundy’s finest mature drinking.

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE NUITS

HENRI GOUGES

Henri Gouges started domaine bottling in the 1920s and as such is one of Burgundy’s pioneering estates. Henri’s grandsons Pierre and Christian have been looking after production for the last two decades and have been responsible for carving out the domaine’s great reputation for uniquely muscular, long-lived Burgundies. From the 2007 vintage, Gregory, Christian’s nephew, who has been working at the domaine since 2003, is making the wines and has made an immediate impact. His aim is for less extraction in the wines through numerous small details in the winemaking process, including more use of gravity in the cellars and less pumping of the wines. His changes are not totally wholesale, though, and he still clearly sticks to the domaine’s reserved, traditional approach to making wine. Stems are not included in fermentation and use of new oak is fairly limited. The resultant wines are pure, high-toned and certainly not flashy. An exciting new dawn for a benchmark Burgundian domaine.

F Nuits St Georges, Henri Gouges

F Nuits St Georges, Les Pruliers, 1er Cru, Henri Gouges

F Nuits St Georges, Clos des Porrets, 1er Cru, Henri Gouges

F Nuits St Georges, Les Vaucrains, 1er Cru, Henri Gouges

JEAN GRIVOT

Etienne Grivot succeeded his father, Jean, in 1987, and today presides over 15 hectares of vines spread across Nuits, Vosne, Vougeot and Echézeaux. This is one of the modern-day, benchmark Burgundian domaines. The estate’s densely-planted old vines (the average age is 40 years old) produce naturally low yields and, together with Etienne’s organic approach to viticulture and sensitive winemaking, result in vivid, pure and very well-balanced Burgundies. The wines are much more softly extracted than when Etienne first started. The winemaking is incredibly flexible, depending on the vintage, but usually only 5% of whole berries are retained, and rarely more than a third of the barrels are new. Daughter Mathilde and son Hubert have committed to working at the domaine and have taken on more responsibility from Etienne since 2017, so the estate’s future seems secure. A reference point Burgundy domaine.

F Bourgogne, Rouge, Jean Grivot

F Nuits St Georges, Les Pruliers, 1er Cru, Jean Grivot

F Nuits St Georges, Aux Boudots, 1er Cru, Jean Grivot

F Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru, Jean Grivot

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE NUITS

ROBERT GROFFIER

Nicolas Groffier, grandson of Robert, has at his disposal some of the Côte’s finest holdings, including a large swathe of Amoureuses. Nicolas joined his father Serge in 2006 and has been fine-tuning the style of the wines whilst remaining faithful to tradition and family know-how. Whole bunch fermentations have gradually increased. New oak percentages have decreased, with rarely more than 15% to 25% with the exception of the Clos de Bèze, which is a small cuvée and is aged in new barrels. Employing whole bunch fermentation can be tricky; in lesser examples wines can show rusticity, but such is Nicolas’ rigour and precision, his wines show nothing but purity and vibrancy. Ageing is rarely more than 12 months in oak with finishing and natural clarification in tank, a process designed to avoid fining and filtration but minimise oak impact.

F Bourgogne, Passetoutgrain, Robert Groffier

F Bourgogne, Pinot Noir, Robert Groffier

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE NUITS

HUBERT LIGNIER

A domaine based in Morey St Denis that is held in high esteem by both fellow vignerons and Burgundylovers alike, Hubert Lignier is a five generation family estate that was first established in 1880. The business continually passed on from father to son, eventually coming to Hubert Lignier. In 1992 Romain Lignier joined his father, Hubert, but tragically died in 2004; in 2006 his brother Laurent took over the business to help his father and now runs the estate. Laurent summarises the domaine’s aim to be “aspiring to make authentic and sensual wines that express their own terroir.” Understated and gentle, the wines reflect the character of their maker. Blessed with old vines in Morey St Denis and some fabulous Gevrey and Chambolle parcels, Laurent makes wines of thrilling purity and elegance. The grapes are all destalked, apart from 10% for the Grands Crus in certain vintages, and the wines are aged in oak barrels which are always light in toast, fine-grained and never more than 20% new. The vineyard is treated with respect, ploughed and without the use of herbicides or insecticides. Vinifications and ageing are gentle, slow and non-interventionist, as Laurent says “watching and patience are key in the cellar.”

F Bourgogne, Pinot Noir, Plan Gilbert, Hubert Lignier O

F Morey St Denis, Tres Girard, Hubert Lignier

F Morey St Denis, Trilogie, Hubert Lignier

F Morey St Denis, 1er Cru, Clos Baulet, Hubert Lignier

F Chambolle Musigny, 1er Cru, Les Chabiots, Hubert Lignier

F Nuits St Georges Les Didiers, 1er Cru, Hubert Lignier

F Nuits St Georges Les Didiers, 1er Cru, Hospices de Nuits, H Lignier

F Nuits St Georges Les St Georges, 1er Cru, Hubert Lignier

F Chambolle Musigny, Les Baudes, 1er Cru, Hubert Lignier

MÉO CAMUZET

It is incredible to think that for many years the domaine was selling its entire production in bulk to négociants. These years of wasted potential were put to rights when the domaine produced its first bottling in 1983 under the guidance of Jean Méo. He was succeeded by his son Jean-Nicolas in 1985 who, by 1988, had taken back plots being leased out elsewhere. Henri Jayer, who had long farmed some of the family’s parcels, mentored Jean-Nicolas for several years. Key features of winemaking here are destalking of grapes (but where necessary stalks are added back in to fermentations depending on vintage and vineyard) prefermentation maceration and ageing in 50–100% new oak depending on the wine. These are intense, deep, silkily-textured Burgundies that demand time.

F Bourgogne, Côte d’Or, Rouge, Méo Camuzet Fr et Soeur

F Bourgogne, Côte d’Or, Rouge, Cuvée Etienne Camuzet, Méo Camuzet

F Marsannay, Rouge, Méo Camuzet Freres et Soeur

F Chambolle Musigny, Les Feusselottes, Méo Camuzet Freres et Soeur

F Nuits St Georges, 1er Cru, Aux Argillas, Méo Camuzet Fr et Soeur

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE NUITS

JACQUES-FRÉDÉRIC MUGNIER

Created in 1863, this is a family estate run from the Château de Chambolle-Musigny. For years this was a minuscule four hectare Chambolle domaine, but since Frédéric Mugnier took back the family’s old Nuits St-Georges Monopole, Clos de la Maréchale, from Faiveley in 2004, the domaine increased to 13 hectares. The aim is to produce wines that are each representative of their respective terroir and vintage. This is achieved by eliminating weed-killers and industrial fertilisers in the vineyard; neither of these has been used for 10 years, whilst in the cellars all processes that traumatise the wine (over extraction, for example, or excessive woodiness) are limited to a minimum). To allow each terroir to express itself, the wine making is exactly the same for all of the wines. These are sensual, stylish Burgundies of great finesse.

B Nuits St Georges, Blanc, Clos de la Marechale 1er Cru, JF Mugnier

F Chambolle Musigny, JF Mugnier

F Chambolle Musigny, Les Fuées, 1er Cru, JF Mugnier

PERROT-MINOT

After practising the profession of wine broker for seven years, Christophe Perrot-Minot took over his parents' estate in 1993. As well as providing renewed vigour and a perfectionist’s approach to the winemaking, Christophe also succeeded in expanding the domaine substantially by buying out the famous Pernin-Rossin estate in Vosne-Romanée, starting with the 2000 vintage. The viticulture is respectful to nature and terroir – no chemical fertiliser or herbicides are used. Low yields and Christophe’s eye for detail are fundamental to the great quality of the wines, in addition to the domaine’s impressive army of old vines ranging from 40 to 100 years old. Everything is hand-picked. Vine leaves and canopies are thinned during the season and grape selection are rigorous. The grapes are, for the most part, destalked, though up to a third whole-bunches are kept depending on the vintage and the vineyard. After fermentation the wines are aged in a maximum of 30–40% new oak. The wines are incredibly ripe, refined and concentrated, yet despite their almost modern intensity and polish they allow the nuances and character of terroir to come through strongly. A stellar domaine.

F Nuits St Georges, Les Murgers des Cras, VV, Perrot-Minot

F Gevrey Chambertin, Perrot-Minot

F Vosne Romanée, Vieilles Vignes, Perrot-Minot

F Vosne Romanée, Les Beaumonts, 1er Cru, Perrot-Minot

F Charmes Chambertin, Grand Cru, Perrot-Minot

F Chambolle Musigny, La Combe d’Orveau, Cuvée Ultra, Perrot-Minot

F Nuits St Georges, La Richemone, 1er Cru, Ultra, Cent, Perrot-Minot

F Chapelle Chambertin, Grand Cru, Perrot-Minot

F Mazoyères Chambertin, Grand Cru, Perrot-Minot

F Chapelle Chambertin, Grand Cru, Vieilles Vignes, Perrot-Minot

F Nuits St Georges, La Richemone, 1er Cru, Cuvée Ultra, Perrot-Minot

F Chapelle Chambertin, VV, Grand Cru, Perrot-Minot

F Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Grand Cru, Perrot-Minot

F Chambertin, Grand Cru, Perrot-Minot

H Chambolle Musigny, Orveaux des Bussieres, VV, Perrot-Minot

HUBERT LIGNIER

JACQUES-FRÉDÉRIC MUGNIER

BURGUNDY – CÔTE DE NUITS

GEORGES ROUMIER ALLOCATION ONLY

The domaine was established by Georges Roumier in 1924, who went on to instigate the practice of domaine bottling his family’s wines in 1945. Today the domaine has been expanded to 11.8 hectares over 9 appellations and is run by Georges Roumier’s grandson, Christophe. The wines are made as naturally as possible; vines are hand-tended, a large proportion of fermentations are whole bunch (up to 50%), the percentages varying a little depending on cuvée and vintage, and ageing is in barriques for as long as possible (usually 16 to 18 months) to allow for bottling without filtration. 15–25% new oak is used for the village appellations whilst 40–50% is used for the 1ers and Grands Crus. The result is intense, lively, red Burgundy that demands time and patience.

ARMAND ROUSSEAU ALLOCATION ONLY

Domaine Rousseau was part of a small group of growers pioneering domaine bottling in the 1930s which paved the way for a great surge in quality. With the future looking rosy as several young growers start to take back plots of land from négociants, we have a lot to thank them for. Staggeringly, while a quarter of Rousseau’s land consists of Villages and Premier Cru sites; the rest are Grand Cru. Charles sadly passsed away, aged 93, in May 2016 but son Eric Rousseau had long been making the wines and upholding the domaine’s great reputation. With Eric’s talented daughter, Cyrielle, gradually taking over in the last few years, Charles’ legacy seems to be in very safe hands. The wines are made by destalking bunches, fermenting in open-top vat, gentle extraction and ageing for 18 months in cask and bottled without filtration. These are some of Burgundy’s most poised and ethereal wines.

CÉCILE TREMBLAY ALLOCATION ONLY

Rising star Cécile Tremblay, Henri Jayer’s great-niece, took the reins of her family domaine in 2003, working a total of three hectares of the family’s six hectares. As with all top growers the attention to detail here is in the vineyards. Cécile tends her vines with the utmost care and respect for terroir and the environment, practising organic and biodynamic farming. In her own words “the grape bunches are my English roses, the vineyards my garden”. To ensure low yields (between 25 and 35 hl/ha depending on the vintage) pruning is short and excess buds are removed. The wines undergo a cold pre-fermentation maceration and are then fermented either with none, some or all of the stalks depending on the wine and the vintage. There is the minimum of intervention here with ageing taking place in oak barrel (20 to 75 % new wood depending on the wine) for 15 to 18 months. These wines are a beautiful marriage of vivid, individual terroir characteristics and silky sensuality.

JURA

DOMAINE DU PÉLICAN EXCLUSIVE

Since its birth in Montigny-lès-Arsures in 2012, Domaine du Pélican has rapidly established itself as one of Jura’s leading lights, producing exceptional biodynamic wines that mix finesse with thrilling Jurassien character. The project was born at Taillevent Paris where Guillaume d’Angerville, proprietor of the great Volnay estate Marquis d’Angerville, was served blind a bottle of Jura Chardonnay from the 2005 vintage. Struck by its quality, Guillaume was taken aback to discover the wine was not from Meursault, let alone anywhere in the Côte d’Or. This moment proved the trigger for an exciting new project. Several Jura visits and tastings later, Guillaume was convinced to buy land there. He sought the help of respected Jura geologist Yves Hérody to find the best vineyard sites, a journey which took three years and culminated in a deal with the Château de Chavannes in Montigny-lès-Arsures in 2012 to purchase and lease five hectares. Jean-Marc Brignot sold him another five hectares shortly afterwards and finally in 2014 five hectares were leased from retiring Jura legend Jacques Puffeney. The estate is managed by Guillaume’s Volnay régisseur and partner in Domaine du Pélican, François Duvivier, who runs a team permanently based in the Jura. The vines are between Arbois and Montigny. Vitally, all 15 hectares are within 2km of each other, the same as in Volnay, which allows the estate to grow the vineyards biodynamically. The plots are among Jura’s finest, the very best being En Barbi and Grand Curoulet. The terroirs here, a mix of marly clay and gravels with varying exposures from north to south, are even more complex than in Burgundy. Whilst a broadly Burgundian approach is employed in the wine-making, there is no doubting the individuality and Jurassien personality of the wines. The d’Angerville approach in the cellar has always been light-touch, one which is toned down even more for Domaine du Pélican. Little new oak is used and élévage is shorter, lasting twelve months as opposed to eighteen in Volnay. Tanks and foudres are employed for ageing the reds, 500 litre casks for the Savagnin and traditional Burgundian barriques for the Chardonnay. The whites are both “topped up” as opposed to the more common oxidative Jura method. The rigour and investment of the Marquis d’Angerville, local know-how and great terroir is proving a potent combination, for these are some of Jura’s most exciting and complex wines.

A Cuvée Brut S˚2018, vin de France, Effervescent, Domaine du Pelican

B Savagnin Ouillé, Arbois, Domaine du Pelican

B Chardonnay, Arbois, Domaine du Pelican

B Chardonnay, Grand Curoulet, Arbois, Domaine du Pelican

B Savagnin, Arbois, Macération Pelliculaire, Domaine du Pelican

B Savagnin, Arbois, Grand Curoulet, Domaine du Pelican

B Chardonnay, En Barbi, Arbois, Domaine du Pelican

B En Barbi, Arbois, Domaine du Pelican

F Trois Cépages, Arbois, Domaine du Pelican

F Poulsard, Arbois, Domaine du Pelican

F Pinot Noir, Arbois, Domaine du Pelican

F Arbois, Trousseau, Berangers, Domaine du Pelican

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

B

Pays Nantais AnjouSaumur

LOIRE

Paris Tours

Loire

Touraine Centre

Coteaux d’Ancenis

Muscadet des Coteaux

Anjou

Angers

Anjou Coté de la Loire

Savennieres

Nantes

Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu

Muscadet, Gros Plant du Pays Nantais

Muscadet, Gros Plant du Pays Nantais

Muscadet de Sévre et Maine

Anjou

Quarts de-Chaume

Bonnezeaux

Coteaux du Layon

Anjou

Loire

Saumur

Champigny

Coteaux de Saumur

Saumur

Coteaux du

Jasnières

Coteaux du Loir

Mesland

Vouvray

Amboise

Montlouis

Bourgueil

Tours

St. Nicholas de-Bourgueil

Touraine Azay-le-

Chinon

Orléans

Loire

Cheverny, Cours Cheverny

Touraine

Valençay’

Coteaux du Giennois Sancerre

Métetou-Salon

Quincy

Reuilly

Pouilly-Fumé

LOIRE – MUSCADET

FAMILLE LIEUBEAU

The Lieubeau family can trace its vine growing roots in Muscadet back to 1816, however it was in 1982 that Pierre and Chantal Lieubeau started the domaine as it is known today. The family makes a large number of different wines, but for us, the range really hits its stride with the Confluent cuvée from Ch. De l’Aulnaye, a wonderfully pure wine that doesn’t fall back on cold stabilisation or skin contact for character. However, venturing beyond this point and we’re into the sorts of wines that are making Muscadet rightly famous once again. The Cru bottlings of Clisson and Château Thébaud represent all that can be achieved from old vine low-yielding Melon de Bourgogne grown on a mixture of schist, granite and gneiss. The extended ageing sur lie provides complexity, freshness and savoury notes that often lead to a touch of smoke and a remarkable longevity – indeed, contrary to conventional wisdom around Muscadet, these would appear to be at their best between 5 and 10 years of age. The domaine is currently in conversion to organic.

B Muscadet de Sevre et Maine, Le Confluent, Famille Lieubeau O

B Château Thébaud, Muscadet de Sevre et Maine, Famille Lieubeau O

B Cru Clisson, Muscadet de Sevre et Maine, Famille Lieubeau

LOIRE – ANJOU-SAUMUR

THIBAUD BOUDIGNON EXCLUSIVE

Back in 2011 we got wind of a young wine grower doing very interesting things in Anjou and Savennières. His name came to us via a diverse range of contacts, all of whom happened to work at stellar domaines. Originally from Bordeaux, Thibaud spent time working at Château Olivier, before honing his skills at Philippe Charlopin in the Côte de Nuits. Buying land in Anjou, renting one vineyard in Savennières, he built his reputation around the world with a string of steely releases, and is now held up as one of the most sought- after producers in the whole of the Loire. If ever a man could be said to be doing to Anjou what Didier Dagueneau did for Sauvignon Blanc, Thibaud is that man. His original Savennières, Les Fougerais, is no longer, and in its stead come three single vineyard cuvées that are set to secure Thibaud’s place as the leading light in this historic appellation. From these historically significant vineyards Thibaud is crafting strikingly individual wines; Chenin Blancs of rare clarity and incision. Clos de Frémine, planted just below the winery in Poissonnière produces the most floral, delicate, aromatic cuvée, though one with a subtle and surprising line of steel running through it. Vignes Cendreés comes from the village of Savennières itself, where the greater clay content in the soils produces the most Burgundian wine in the line-up; muscled Chenin with a plump midriff of fruit around intense acidity and concentrated minerality. In Clos de la Hutte, Thibaud has set about bringing one of the region’s finest vineyards back to prominence; a vineyard on a par with Coulee de Sérrant and Roche aux Moines. Sitting on pure schist, planted to a diverse selection of different Chenin Blanc clones, it offers huge complexity and power but also remarkable finesse and harmony. It is “the tiger that strokes” as Thibaud puts it, and with a yield of just 1000 bottles, it is a rare beast indeed. A new cellar, built in 2016, adjacent to Clos de la Hutte, has given Thibaud’s wines a new level of precision, while a move towards picking very slightly later is making his wines feel even more complete. Ageing takes place in a mixture of 350, 600 and 1200lt barrels, with less and less new oak being employed across the range. The results are thrilling, age-worthy Chenin Blancs beloved by sommeliers around the world; at the last count Thibaud Boudignon wines were found in no fewer than 19 of France’s three Michelin starred restaurants…

B Anjou Blanc Sec, Thibaud Boudignon

B Anjou Blanc Sec, Cuvée a Francois(e), Thibaud Boudignon

B Savennières, Le Clos de Frémine, Thibaud Boudignon

C Thibaud Boudignon, Rosé de Loire

CHÂTEAU DE HUREAU

Since Philippe took over in 1987, the picturesque Château de Hureau has become a yardstick for aspiring Cabernet Franc producers. The wines represent a respect for tradition with a modern twist – fermentation takes place at controlled temperatures in new steel vats, dug into the tuffeau of their cavernous Saumur winery. The cuvée Tuffe, bottled at regular intervals throughout the year, does élévage in stainless steel, while the more serious and very fine Lisagathe sees 20 months in large wooden foudres. Though the winemaker’s deft touch can be faintly noticed in the roundness and silkiness of his wines, Philippe firmly believes that the pure and individual characteristics of grape and terroir should be allowed to sing and not be subdued by the heavy mark of oak. Old vines and heavy pruning during the growing season mean that yields here rarely exceed 35 hl/ha. The result is a range of bright, deep, mineral Cabernet Francs with a wonderful sense of purity to them.

F Saumur Champigny, Tuffe, Château de Hureau

F Saumur Champigny, Lisagathe, Château de Hureau

LOIRE – TOURAINE

DOMAINE BEAUSEJOUR

With a newly extended and re-designed chai, Philippe Trotignon and his wife Véronique now have 20 hectares in production, with a steadily increasing proportion of Sauvignon Blanc. The vines are divided equally between the deep sand beds of Noyers – perfect for adding an immediacy to the Sauvignon’s varietal character – and the heavier soils of St Romain, giving wines that marry intensity of aroma with fine depth.

B Sauvignon de Touraine, Les Grenettes, Domaine Beausejour

LOIRE – CENTRAL VINEYARDS

CLOS SAINT FIACRE

There was a time when Orléans’ wines were some of the most popular in Paris – proximity crossed with fragrant, versatile Chardonnay was a compelling proposition for the French capital’s quaffers. Today, Orléans’ flame is somewhat dimmed, with just a handful of quality-conscious growers in production. The leading light is undoubtedly Clos Saint Fiacre, a 20-hectare family estate that has been owned by the Montigny family since 1635 with vineyards scattered between the Orléans and Orléans-Cléry AOCs. Their unoaked, pretty Orleans blanc is a Chardonnay of great versatility – akin to many a Mâcon, but with a touch more delicacy and finesse.

B Clos St Fiacre, Blanc, Orléans

LOIRE – CENTRAL VINEYARDS

DIDIER DAGUENEAU

Didier Dagueneau was a maverick visionary who very sadly died in 2008. His life’s work saw him singlemindedly dedicated to producing scintillating Sauvignon Blanc, at a level that had never been seen before. He was not afraid to experiment, green harvesting, using a variety of oak barrels and carefully selected yeasts and extended élévage. The domaine continues to this day to be held up as the leading light in Pouilly-Fumé, and the Loire more generally. His son Benjamin now runs the estate with just as much fervour as Didier and the wines continue to be just as arresting and long-lived now as they were in Didier’s day. Little has changed bar a few new barrels of varying shapes and sizes and an even longer period of élévage. The domaine’s 11.5 hectares of land are spread over the Pouilly appellation and consist of mainly clay and flint-based soils – ‘Silex’ in French. Low yields through debudding and short pruning, and a manual harvest of successive ‘tris’ ensure that only the healthiest grapes are used. These are wines that have to be tasted to be believed. Due to a falling-out with the Pouilly-Fumé AOC, the wines (with the exception of Sancerre Mont Damnées) will be labelled Vin de France from the 2018 vintage onwards. *Please note that these wines sell out on release. For details of upcoming allocations and library stocks please contact your account manager.

B Pouilly Fumé, Silex, Didier Dagueneau

B Silex, Didier Dagueneau

B Blanc Etc, Didier Dagueneau

B Buisson Renard, Didier Dagueneau, 2019

B Pur Sang, Didier Dagueneau, 2019

B Les Jardins des Babylone, Moelleux, Didier Dagueneau, 2016

DOMAINE AGISSON EXCLUSIVE

Jean-Philippe Agisson is an exciting new find from Sancerre – a winemaker with friends in all the right places. His current day job is Chef de Cave at Domaine Didier Dagueneau, a position he moved to from Alphonse Mellot. His work alongside Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau is complemented by a great friendship with Clement Pinard, and it from these two impeccable sources that JP appears to have drawn his winemaking inspiration. With a holding of just .03 ha in the little hamlet of La Vallee, Clos to Sauryen-Vaux, JP crafts one excellent white Sancerre called Equilibre. Manual picking is done in a single day, fermentation is carried out in a mixture of wooden foudres and tank and bottling is done by hand. The resulting wine is textured, finely tuned and highly expressive Sancerre that is sure to win many friends and looks set to becoming something of a hard to find cult wine. We are delighted to have exclusive UK distribution of this little gem of a Sancerre. For details on upcoming releases please contact your account manager.

B Sancerre, Equilibre, Domaine Agisson

LOIRE – CENTRAL VINEYARDS

LUCIEN CROCHET

Bon viveur Gilles Crochet, son of Lucien, looks after winemaking duties at this top Bué estate. The winery is ultra-modern, fitted out with the very latest temperature-controlled fermentation vessels. The emphasis is on creating wines of finesse and complexity that are faithful to terroir and vintage – something that comes naturally to Gilles. The vineyards are located around the towns of Bué, Sancerre and Crézancy, the finest of which is the south-facing limestone-based Chêne Marchand vineyard. Gilles makes his wines as naturally as possible, hand-picking, fermenting with native yeasts, sorting carefully before ageing slowly sur lie. Often bottling after the following harvest, the current vintage tends to be a year older than most generic Sancerre on the market. These are firm favourites at Justerini & Brooks – subtle, crisp wines with real substance.

B Sancerre, Lucien Crochet

B Sancerre, Les Calcaires, Lucien Crochet

D Sancerre, Pinot, Rosé, Lucien Crochet

F Sancerre, La Croix du Roy, Lucien Crochet

SERGE DAGUENEAU

This is a ‘hands on’ domaine that firmly believes good wine is made in the vineyard. Serge’s daughter Valérie looks after their 15 hectares of vineyards and makes the wine with a view to preserving as much terroir in the wines as possible. Their vines are planted on a mixture of limestone ‘Terres Blanches’ over kimmeridgean clay and crushed oyster shells. The vineyard slopes are all fully exposed to sun, being south and south-west facing. Exceptional terroir and uncomplicated winemaking produces classically styled Pouilly-Fumés which sing with flavours of gunflint, flowers and cut grass.

B Pouilly Fumé, Serge Dagueneau

B Pouilly Fumé, Serge Dagueneau, 2020

F Pinot Noir, Les Montes de St Lay, Cotes Charite, Serge Dagueneau

LOIRE – SANCERRE

VINCENT PINARD

Sauvignon Blanc is such a ubiquitous grape variety that one can forget that in the right hands it is capable of greatness. Two of its finest proponents are Clement and Florent Pinard, who have been producing the wines at their father’s eponymous domaine for almost two decades. The brothers leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of brilliance: green harvesting, handpicking, sorting fastidiously, vinifying by vineyard, using selected and specifically cultured local yeasts and employing (old) oak barrels for elevage. The result is a range of wines, both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, that are transparent to site, brimming with life, and surprisingly age-worthy. Generous and worldly gourmands, their own winemaking excellence is undoubtedly guided by their experiences with iconic wines from across Europe. The fact that so many of their wines sit in other great cellars, swapped bottle for bottle is proof of the respect with which their wines are held by their peers. These are stellar Sancerres indeed.

B Sancerre, Cuvée Flores, Vincent Pinard

B Sancerre, Clémence, Vincent Pinard

B Sancerre, Nuance, Vincent Pinard

B Sancerre, Harmonie, Vincent Pinard

B Sancerre, Chêne Marchand, Vincent Pinard

B Sancerre, Grand Chemarin, Vincent Pinard

B Sancerre, Petit Chemarin, Vincent Pinard

F Sancerre, Rouge, Vincent Pinard

F Sancerre, Charlouise, Vincent Pinard

LOIRE – SANCERRE

DOMAINE DES FORGES

Stephane and Severine Branchereau have 30 hectares of Chenin Blanc on the steep St Aubin and Chaume slopes in the Côteaux du Layon appellation and it is from these top sites that they produce some of the best value dessert wines in the world. Attentive farming, short pruning, hand de-leafing and picking in perfectionist tris have all pushed quality here to new levels under Stephane’s watchful eye. Recent investments in the cellar allow for parcel by parcel vinification, while a new cross-flow filter permits reduced use of sulphur, allowing their sweet Chenin cuvées to shine brighter than ever before.

H Coteaux du Layon, Chaume, Domaine des Forges

NORTHERN RHÔNE

THIERRY ALLEMAND ALLOCATION ONLY

Thierry continues to make Cornas of majestic quality and is one of the few growers to shun the use of new oak barrels when raising his wines before bottling. Sadly many others have been badly advised – as Thierry so succinctly put it: “New oak doesn’t give anything to Cornas except faults.” Grapes are fermented as whole bunches, sulphur usage is as low as possible and the wines are aged in old oak barrels for 18–24 months depending on the vintage. His Cornas Chaillot is a blend of young vines and 20–40-year-old vines usually characterised by juicy blackberry and damson flavours with hints of pepper and chocolate. The Reynard is a cuvée made just from old vines that attacks the palate with its deep concentration of black olive, blackcurrant and intensely mineral, saline flavours. They both have the distinctive class and breed of great wines from a great grower. The Thierry Allemand wines sell out on release. For details of upcoming releases please contact your account manager.

JEAN-LOUIS CHAVE

The sublime quality of the wines at this Domaine have meant that there has always been a long queue of wine merchants desperate for a glimpse of the Chave cellars. Gerard’s son, Jean-Louis makes the wine at the estate now and his ideal is to produce wine that is as pure an expression of the grape and terroir as possible. He achieves this by only vinifying the healthiest grapes produced from low yielding vines, intervening as little as possible while making the wine and bottling without filtration. His wines are some of the Rhône’s most precise and sophisticated examples. Aside from Jean-Louis’ rigorous hands-on work and incredible knowledge of the terroirs at his disposal, other factors that yield wines of such clarity and personality are: small, individual plot fermentations and ageing, limited use of whole bunches adapted to the wine and the vintage and use of neutral oak barrels. Jean-Louis Chaves’ selection wines are benchmark wines packed with regional character, that are made from a mixture of declassified domaine fruit and grapes that are grown by Jean Louis in conjunction with other growers. Exemplary value, the wines represent a taste of Chave winemaking at a fraction of the cost.

B Crozes Hermitage, Blanc, Sybele, Jean-Louis Chave Selection

B St Joseph Blanc, Circa, Jean-Louis Chave Selection

B Hermitage Blanc, Blanche, Jean-Louis Chave Selection

F Côtes du Rhône, Moncoeur, Jean-Louis Chave Selection

F Crozes Hermitage, Rouge, Silene, Jean-Louis Chave Selection

F St Joseph, Offerus, Jean-Louis Chave Selection

F Hermitage, Farconnet, Jean-Louis Chave Selection

NORTHERN RHÔNE

DOMAINE JOLIVET EXCLUSIVE

Exciting things are happening in the Northern Rhône. Young, artisan producers with top quality terroir at their disposal are starting to sprout up everywhere. We believe that Bastien Jolivet, our latest discovery, is one of the most thrilling of this talented crop. He has 9ha of prime vineyard, located on the steep, high south-east facing granite slopes of one of the original St Joseph communes, St Jean de Muzols. Bastien’s father always worked the land and produced the crop only to sell it to the local cooperative. After travelling and working within France and abroad, Bastien finally returned home to the family domaine in 2014, his first vintage. Intelligent and passionate about what he does, Bastien is already making startlingly brilliant wines that mix precision and energy with authenticity and character. The winemaking is thoughtful, light-handed and adaptive. A percentage of whole bunches are employed during vinification depending on the plot, vine age and vintage. For young vines, the grapes are de-stalked. Ageing is for 14–16 months in a mixture of barriques and larger demi-muids, of which rarely more than 10–15% are new. A great domaine of the future.

F Syrah, La Cuvée de Louis, Vin de France, Domaine Jolivet

F St Joseph, L’Instinct, Domaine Jolivet

F St Joseph, 1907, Domaine Jolivet

ANDRÉ PERRET

Tasting André’s superb wines is an unforgettable experience. However, there is always a reticent air about him and an unwillingness to accept praise for the nectar that lies in his immaculate cellars. He deflects most of the praise onto the steep vineyards he owns at Chavanay and the three hectare’s Côteau du Chéry, the pearl in his oyster. His vines (between 25 to 50 years old) are well exposed to the sun and rarely yield more than 30 hl/ha. He prefers one- to two-year-old oak for maturing his whites, believing that brand new oak can only subdue the extravagant natural aromas and flavours of the Viognier. Malo-lactic fermentation is completed but these never lack for verve or balance. He is truly one of Condrieu’s great winemakers. Of his two top Condrieu, the Clos Chanson is usually the most immediately appealing. It offers balance and charm for up to three years in bottle, while the Château du Chéry plays a little harder to get with its finer, classier fruit and violet hints that further reveal themselves with a couple of years bottle age. The crunchy, damsonpacked St Joseph usually requires two years in bottle before starting to drink while Les Grisières, a parcel of 90-year-old vines, could challenge a Côte Rôtie for its grace and longevity.

B Marsanne, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes, André Perret

B St Joseph Blanc, André Perret

B Condrieu, André Perret

B Condrieu, Clos Chanson, André Perret

B Condrieu, Coteau de Chery, André Perret

F Syrah, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes, André Perret

F St Joseph, André Perret

F St Joseph, Les Grisières, André Perret

DOMAINE JOLIVET

ANDRÉ PERRET

NORTHERN RHÔNE

RENÉ ROSTAING

René’s vineyard fervour, traditional whole bunch fermentation technique and favoured use of 600 litre demi-muid casks that don’t stamp too much wood flavour onto the wine, have for years resulted in some of the Côte Rôtie’s most intense, vital and sought-after wines. His son Pierre has been at the helm since the 2015 vintage and looks to be filling some quite big shoes. He has kept his father’s style, 90–100% whole bunch ferment and less than 10% new oak ageing, whilst adding additional precision and intensity to the wines. The Cuvée Ampodium is a blend dominated by the produce of La La Viallière and Tupin, which always shows a hallmark refinement and juiciness. His La Landonne is typically muscular and backward when young after 8+ years develops a whole spectrum of savoury meat and hedgerow fruit flavours. However, his flagship wine, Côte Blonde goes against the grain of the widespread clichés about the effeminacy and delicacy of Côte Blonde wines. Although it does benefit from the floral effects of the 2–3% Viognier added to the blend, its density and concentration requires a barrel maturation longer than the others and at least ten years bottle age is needed before it is approached. Chiselled and intense, it offers a saline chalk note to the brambly fruit. This has become one of the most respected estates in the region.

B Condrieu, La Bonnette, René Rostaing

F Côte Rôtie, Ampodium, René Rostaing

F Côte Rôtie, Viaillére, René Rostaing

F Côte Rôtie, La Landonne, René Rostaing

F Côte Rôtie, Côte Blonde, René Rostaing

CLUSEL-ROCH O

This small artisanal Domaine, run by Brigitte Roch, Gilbert Clusel and their son Guillaume, only employs organic methods to work its vineyards and for some time has consistently had some of the lowest yields in the region. Such low yields and excellent vineyard sites help to produce excellent wines that are made in a gentle, pure and refined style. Depending on the vintage a large proportion of whole bunches may be included in fermentations and extractions are soft resulting in elegant, refined and characterful Côte Rôtie that age seamlessly. The standard cuvée is aged in one- and two-year-old barriques for a year, whilst wine from the old vines of Les Grandes Places requires ageing in a proportion of new oak barriques, rarely more than 30–40%.

F Côte Rôtie, Les Schistes

F Côte Rôtie, La Viaillère

F Côte Rôtie, Champon

F Côte Rôtie, Les Grandes Places

NORTHERN RHÔNE

JOHANN MICHEL

Johann Michel discovered his passion for wine whilst tasting older vintages with his grandfather, and uncle, the esteemed Cornas winemaker Robert Michel. Though Johann started his professional life working in clothes retail, he quickly realized that he was neither making the most of his talents nor carrying on the family tradition. His first vintage of his own label Cornas was 1997. The Domaine now extends to a modest 5 hectares, split across 15 parcels, including the prized Cornas lieux-dits: Bayonnet, Les Côtes, Le Combes, Chaillots and Saveaux. In addition to a straight, mostly-destemmed Cornas, Michel produces Cornas ‘Jana’, a whole-bunch blend of the best sites, released a year later, and a delicious St Peray (1ha) from equal parts Marsanne and Roussanne. In particularly good years a Cornas cuvée “Mere Michel” (produced exclusively from Serine clones in new oak) and a “St Peray M” (pure Marsanne) are produced. All the vineyards are farmed responsibly with a wide range of organic treatments. In the cellar, a traditional preference for large format old oak produces wines which smoulder and crackle with the best of them. His total annual production amounts only to 20,000 bottles per year. This is honest, artisanal Northern Rhône winemaking at its best.

F St Peray, Johann Michel, 2021

F Cornas, Johann Michel, 2021

F Cornas, Jana, Johann Michel, 2020

SOUTHERN RHÔNE

CHÊNE BLEU EXCLUSIVE

Chêne Bleu is a critically-acclaimed winery in the Southern Rhône, located in the Dentelles de Montmirail, a protected mountain saddle in a UNESCO biosphere reserve. This family owned single estate make meticulously handcrafted wines in tiny quantities, no more than 600 cases of each wine. The 30 hectare vineyard is the highest in the region, and one of the highest in the South of France, at 550–630m. The resulting cool nights and late harvest bring a highly desirable ‘Northern-Rhône’ style freshness to the ‘Southern Rhône’ rich concentration of fruit and tannin. Chêne Bleu took the bold decision to take their wines out of the AOC system in order to have full artistic freedom to pursue the property’s utmost potential for quality. The wines thus carry the Vins de Pays de Vaucluse designation, as such they can be considered the first ever “Super Rhônes”. Their pursuit of quality is obsessive: only hand picking, double sorting with individual grape selection, top quality new French oak cooperage, state-of-the-art gravity fed winery and parcel by parcel vinifications. In the vineyard everything is farmed according to biodynamic principles and ancient methods with emphasis on maintaining the ecosystem, planting bamboo forests to purify the water; propolis from their own beehives as an organic treatment for the vines.

B Viognier, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Chêne Bleu

B Aliot, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Chêne Bleu O

C Le Rosé, IGP Vaucluse, Chêne Bleu O

F Astralabe, Ventoux, Chêne Bleu O

F Heloise, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse, Chêne Bleu

F Abelard, AOC Ventoux, Chêne Bleu

DOMAINE LE CLOS DES CAZAUX

The families Vache and Archimbaud have grown vines in the Vacqueyras area for three centuries. Gabriel Archimbaud participated in the process of the creation of the Côtes du Rhône appellation and he named his own domaine Clos des Cazaux. His granddaughter married Maurice Vache, her two sons Jean-Michel and Frédéric Vache run the domaine today and is the 5th generation of pure vignerons. The brothers are meticulous, obsessively so, their hands on vine-growing and wine-making are resulting in impeccably pure, bright, soulful Southern Rhônes. Winemaking is designed to enhance the quality and purity of the fruit, élévage is uniquely in steel and concrete vat. The delicious Templiers is made mainly from old vines Syrah displaying great depth, dark fruit richness and finesse. The complex, structured and powerful Gigondas La Tour Sarrazine, which only comes from vines high up in the Dentelles, is a full-flavoured Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre blend that demonstrates the harmonising effect of good fruit and acidity in a wine. These are some of the most consistently exciting, and underrated, wines in the Southern Rhône.

B Vacqueyras, Blanc, Cuvée des Clefs d’Or, Le Clos des Cazaux

F Vacqueyras, Cuvée des Templiers, Domaine Le Clos des Cazaux

F Gigondas, Cuvée de la Tour Sarrazine, Domaine Le Clos des Cazaux

CHÊNE BLEU

DOMAINE FÉRAUD ET FILS

SOUTHERN RHÔNE

BEAUCASTEL & PERRIN

Beaucastel is situated on the east side of Châteauneuf near Courthézon. The Domaine is owned by François and Jean-Pierre Perrin and consists of 70 hectares made up of 30% Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, with the rest being planted with the appellation’s ten other permitted grape varieties. In every way it sets itself apart from its local rivals; from an unusually low proportion of Grenache for today’s average Châteauneufdu-Pape producer, to the unique thermo-vinification process involving a short intense burst of heat during fermentation in order to aid extraction of colour and flavour from the grapes while killing harmful bacteria. These elements, and the Perrin’s unwaivering determination for perfection, result in one of the Rhône’s most complex and long-lived wines.

F Châteauneuf du Pape, Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Château Beaucastel

CLOS DES PAPES

Forward-thinking Burgundy fanatic Vincent Avril has turned Clos des Papes into one of the most highly regarded estates in the appellation. Encompassing 35ha of vines spread across 24 different parcels, making wine here is not without its complications! Vincent achieves such high standards thanks to a meticulous approach to farming, adopting practices including severe pruning, de budding, organic viticulture, severe harvest selections, and gentle winemaking. Vincent puts all of his energy into making just one red cuvée, the result is a beautifully balanced, very intense but not at all heavy Châteauneuf du Pape of the highest quality. Grapes are harvested when ripe at tiny average yields, rarely more than 25hl/ha, and upon reception into the gravity-orientated winery are lightly crushed before a three week maceration and fermentation. The wines are then reared for 12 months in 50hl oak foudres. The final blend usually comprises 65% Grenache 20% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah with the remainder made up of the lesser-known varieties of Châteauneuf.

F Châteauneuf du Pape, Clos des Papes, Paul Avril

DOMAINE FÉRAUD ET FILS EXCLUSIVE

Alongside Julian Barrot of Domaine la Barroche, Yannick Feraud is in our view the most exciting young winemaking talent in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The Domaine was started by his father in 1984 but it was only in 2012, when Yannick took over, that its Domaine’s stock started to rise. The holdings are enviable: five hectares of old vines a tree or two away from Rayas in the sandy Grand Pierre and Pointu sectors as well as two parcels in Courthézon. These are planted predominantly with Grenache (85%), 10% Mourvèdre and the rest a mixture of other permitted co-planted varieties. And now the Domaine is starting to fully exploit such blessed vineyards. Rigour in the vines and simplicity in the cellar are the best ways of describing Yannick’s approach. The aim is to pick fully ripe fruit but when the berries are still fresh and intact, whilst the health of the bunches is paramount. For Yannick ferments with whole bunches, naturally, with no added yeast. The fermentation takes place in concrete tanks before élevage over two Springs in old oak tonneaux. Yannick’s hard work, know-how and passion have yielded wines of striking finesse and soul.

F Châteauneuf du Pape, Domaine Feraud et Fils

SOUTHERN RHÔNE

DOMAINE LA BARROCHE

Julien Barrot, of Domaine la Barroche, is one of the young, emerging talents of the southern Rhône. After Julien completed his winemaking course in Montpellier he backpacked around the vineyards of France and Australia, thirsty for knowledge and eager to expand his experiences. He came back and joined his father in 2002, more convinced than ever of the importance of terroir. Julien’s enthusiasm and passion rubbed off on his father and together they agreed to release the first Domaine-bottled wines in the 2003 vintage. For thirty years previously Julien’s father Christian had been working the vineyards and making wine but selling it off in bulk to local merchants. Though Christian is still around to lend advice, he entrusted the entire Domaine to Julien as of the 2006 vintage. The estate is small, encompassing 12 ha, and is planted to the traditional varieties including Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Cinsault, Terret Noir and Clairette. The average age of the vines is 60 years old and one third of the vineyard is more than 100 years old (Grenache.) Their holdings are in some of Châteauneuf ’s most hallowed ground, most notably those at the junction of the sandy Rayas, Pointu and Grand Pierre sectors. Grapes are hand picked, wines are fermented in concrete vat and aged in a mixture of large old wooden foudres and smaller oak barrels. The wine is handled gently, everything is done by gravity, and extractions are gentle. This has rapidly become a stellar Domaine.

B Châteauneuf du Pape, Pure, Blanc, Domaine La Barroche

F Châteauneuf du Pape, Signature, Domaine La Barroche

F Châteauneuf du Pape, Fiancée, Domaine La Barroche

F Châteauneuf du Pape, Pure, Domaine La Barroche

CHÂTEAU MONT REDON

Château Mont-Redon, established in 1344, is one of the oldest wine-producing Estates in France and the largest single property in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The estate includes 100 hectares of the most perfectly-sited vineyards in, spread over the region’s three main soil types: the western limestone slopes, sand and galet stones on the plateau. The wines are made by destalking and then vinifying all of the cépages together, to promote aromatic complexity, and are blended after 18 to 24 months ageing in cask. These are elegant, widely-loved examples of Châteauneuf that age well. Now, with joint owner and winemaker Pierre Fabre directing the estate, the Château’s wines are poised for great critical acclaim, too, whilst retaining their innate drinkability. Pierre’s new cuvée, Le Plateau, is emblematic of the quality Mont-Redon is now producing – a strict selection of prime fruit from Châteauneuf’s plateau, amounting to an 850 case production that will only be bottled separately in the best years.

B Côtes du Rhône, Blanc, Reserve, Château Mont Redon

B Lirac, Blanc, Château Mont Redon

F Côtes du Rhône, Reserve, Château Mont Redon

F Lirac, Château Mont Redon

F Châteauneuf du Pape, Rouge, Château Mont Redon

F Châteauneuf du Pape, Le Plateau, Château Mont Redon

SOUTHERN RHÔNE

DOMAINE DE L’ORATOIRE SAINT-MARTIN

Domaine de l’Oratoire Saint-Martin is an historical vineyard in Cairanne of 25 ha, farmed according to organic and biodynamic standards. Cultivated for ten generations by the Alary family, the estate has reached iconic status in the region – largely thanks to the work of brothers Frédéric and François Alary who took over the running of the estate in 1984. In the summer of 2020, the Alary family finally had to relinquish the property and, looking to ensure the continuity of this great Southern Rhône estate, chose Château Mont-Redon as their preferred buyer. Pierre Fabre of Mont-Redon is committed to continue the same farming and production principles that have given these wines cult status. With its steep slopes of yellow and blue clay soils (with a high active limestone percentage) this northeastern part of Cairanne can truly be considered one of the Southern Rhône’s stand out regions.  Vines are de-budded and pruned short, vineyards are grown organically and biodynamically and harvesting is by hand. Yields are inevitably low. Vineyards are old and consist of Grenache and a notably high proportion of Mourvèdre, unusual for the appellation, with Syrah making up the numbers. Vines are replanting using massale selections. In the winery fermentations are carried out naturally in large open top wooden fermenters, ageing is for 18 months in neutral used oak hogsheads and tonneaux. Bottling is without fining or filtration so the wines can throw a deposit; from bud to bottle, every step of this wine-growing process is designed to highlighted the outstanding terror of this part of the Rhône. These wines have a real sense of place, there is no mistaking their Southern Rhône origins but they are also really alive, clear, drinkable. They age famously well, too. Their main cuvée is the Réserve des Seigneurs , usually a Mourvèdre dominated blend of around 40–60%, with Grenache and Syrah evenly making up the balance; Les Douyes is a limestone influenced east/north-east facing single vineyard with a bias towards Grenache (60%) with the remainder being planted to Mourvèdre; whilst Haut Coustias is their top single vineyard, south east facing, and is a similar blend to the Seigneurs – 60% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 20% Syrah.   F

F

SOUTH & SOUTH WEST FRANCE

DOMAINE MONTROSE

Situated near Pézenas, south-west of Montpellier, Domaine Montrose is very much a twenty-first century wine producer, though one with over 300 years of history to its name. Led by the passionate and dynamic Olivier Coste, they are the first of our producers to achieve full certified carbon neutrality and HVE 3 certification. A stalwart of our list for years, Montrose cultivate local and foreign grape varieties from Rolle to Cabernet Sauvignon, vinify them to perfection, and then produce beautifully married blends. Fully thermo-controlled steel tanks are used for fermenting and ageing all of the cépages. The rosés in particular have gone from strength to strength and are more than a match for many a more famous (and expensive) Provençale pink.

B Domaine Montrose, Viognier, IGP Côtes de Thongue

B Domaine Montrose, Chardonnay, IGP Cotes de Thongue

C Domaine Montrose, Rosé, IGP Pays d’Oc

C Domaine Montrose, Prestige Rosé

C Domaine Montrose, 1701 Rose, IGP Cotes de Thongue

F Domaine Montrose, Rouge, IGP Pays d’Oc

LA CAVE DE L’ORMARINE

The standout Picpoul as tasted by the buying team on a recent visit to France. Real depth but also freshness... Waves of citrus fruit balanced by the classic saline Picpoul character. Oysters obligatoire…

B Picpoul de Pinet, Jadix, La Cave de L’Ormarine

DOMAINE MONTROSE

LA CAVE DE L’ORMARINE

CHÂTEAU DES ADOUZES

SOUTH & SOUTH WEST FRANCE

CHÂTEAU DES ADOUZES

Since the Middle Ages, Château des Adouzes has occupied a site overlooking the village of Roquessels in the heart of the Faugères appellation. Today it is owned by the dynamic Coste family of Domaine Montrose fame, whose entire estate is now both carbon neutral and HVE3 certified. The estate is composed of 42 hectares of pure schist vineyards, mostly planted to 70+ year old Grenache noir and Carignan vines. These are superb, terroir-driven wines, made with great respect for the land they come from.

F Château des Adouzes, Le Tigre, Faugeres

DOMAINE BOUCABEILLE EXCLUSIVE

Jean Boucabeille’s estate is perched on the schist slopes of the Forca Real hill, approximately 20kms west of Perpignan. The self- contained vineyard amounts to eleven hectares laid out in hundred metre terraces. Orientation is south easterly, giving the vines protection from the fierce evening sun and allowing direct access to the cool breezes coming off the Mediterranean. Holdings comprise Syrah, Grenache and Mouvedre, alongside Grenache Blanc, Rousanne and Macabeo. Everything is grown organically, and certified so, with a huge emphasis on the healthy state of the vineyard and surrounding countryside (there are over 100 beehives on the estate). The entire crop is worked and harvested by hand, and fermentations are allowed to happen naturally, and without recourse to cultured yeasts. The estate has historical importance, however its current guise, in Jean’s own words, was borne out of a “hair brained gamble: to replant vines on the very hillside where for centuries the best wines in the region originated” Representing too much work for too little pay off, the steep schist soils of the Forca Real had been abandoned during the early 20th Century. Winemaking involves concrete vats for the entry level wines, and judicious use of oak for the more serious cuvées. Extraction is kept to a wonderfully gentle level. Up and down the range, the wines speak clearly of Roussillon, with generous, schist and garrigue infused dark fruit characters and exceedingly suave tannic structures. Alcohol levels are modest for the region and almost inconspicuous in the finished wines – and the general sense of freshness that pervades the range means that you find yourself returning to these most characterful wines over and over again.

B Terrasses Régis, Blanc, Cotes de Roussillon, Domaine Boucabeille

B Les Orris Blanc, Cotes de Roussillon, Domaine Boucabeille

F Terrasses Régis, Rouge, Cotes de Roussillon, Domaine Boucabeille

F Monte Nero, Cotes de Roussillon, Domaine Boucabeille

F Les Orris, Cotes de Roussillon, Domaine Boucabeille

SOUTH & SOUTH WEST FRANCE

SAINT MAX

Saint Max is a newcomer to our list, a Provençale pink produced for us by the team at Mont Redon. This is a crisp, classically styled rosé, based on Grenache, with a clean nautical look and an immensely cool profile. Anyone in search of a great value Provençale rosé need look no further.

C Saint Max, Rosé, Côtes de Provence, Mont-Redon

DOMAINE DE L’ILE

When the fashion house Chanel purchased Domaine de l’Ile in 2019 they were continuing a 100 year old tradition of wine production on the island of Porquerolles; a 12.5 hectare organically farmed national park nature reserve, situated off France’s Côte d’Azur. Bathed in light and blessed with an atmospheric humidity that perfectly balances out the burning winds from the south, the island terroir, predominantly quartzite, clay and schist, is the ideal home for producing aromatically captivating rosés with just the right kiss of sea air. Add in the scents of an island rich in flora, where eucalyptus and pine forests dot the landscape, and the result is a rosé of real sophistication matched to an easy natural balance. Given the Chanel group’s penchant for dialling up quality at their various estates, Chx. Canon and Rauzan-Ségla being stellar examples, it is no surprise that Domaine de l’Ile rosé is already stunning. With Nicolas Audebert overseeing production, Thomas Duclos consulting, and ex-Lafleur Pierre Etcheberry managing the estate day to day, the group has assembled an all-star cast with which to fashion this delicious rosé from Provence.

C Rosé, Cotes de Provence, Porquerolles, Domaine de l’Ile O

SAINT MAX

FRATELLI ALESSANDRIA

ALTO ADIGE

TENUTA PACHER HOF

One of the most historic and traditional estates in all of Alto Adige, there are documents referencing the Pacher Hof farm, as it was then, even before the establishment of the Neustift Abbey in 1142. Maria Pacher eventually married a young winemaker by the name of Josef Huber in 1849, who brought both his name and the art of viticulture to the farm. Pioneers in the Valle Isarco/Eisacktal, the Hubers experimented with a wide range of grape varieties before settling on Sylvaner, Pinot Grigio and Gewurztraminer as the ideal bedfellows for the sandy, loamy soils and steep slopes of the valley. Today the estate is managed by Josef Huber’s great grandson, Andreas Huber. From their eight hectares, they work with eight different varieties, seeking dry, mineral yet aromatic expressions. The wines are vinified in a combination of stainless steel tanks and large acacia barrels and are generally bottled after six to eight months on the lees.

B Gewurztraminer

B Gruner Veltliner

B Kerner

B Muller Thurgau

B Pinot Grigio

B Sylvaner

CHIANTI

POGGIO ANIMA EXCLUSIVE

Poggio Anima is a joint venture between one of Tuscany’s rising stars, Riccardo Campinoti of Le Ragnaie in Montalcino and his U.S.A. importer Ronnie Sanders of Vine Street Imports. The idea is straightforward: to source high-quality fruit from indigenous varieties from friends across Italy’s most distinctive regions, resulting in affordable wine that conveys a sense of grape variety and place. These wines are not bulk wines, nor leftover juice from a winery, but long term contracts that have signed with reputable growers. Those wines attract as much attention for what’s on the label as what’s in the bottle. Poggio Anima is designed to over-deliver for its modest price point.

B Grillo, Uriel, Sicily, IGT, Poggio Anima

B Pecorino, Gabriel, Terre del Chieti IGT, Poggio Anima

F Primitivo, Lilith, Salento IGP, Poggio Anima

F Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Samael, Poggio Anima

F Nero d’Avola, Asmodeus, Sicilly IGT, Poggio,Anima

F Sangiovese, Belial, Toscana IGT, Poggio Anima

CAMPANIA

LA SIBILLA EXCLUSIVE

La Sibilla is a family-owned project established in 1997 by the di Meos, fifth generation vine-growers who had previously been selling grapes and wine in bulk to merchants. Their 9.5 ha of vines are situated in the unique but barely-known DOC Campi Flegrei, a tiny 200 hectare terrain wedged between Napoli and its coast that comprises a total of 23 wine producers. Here the intensely volcanic soils make for Falanghina unlike any other – strongly mineral, salty and smoky – wines of unforgettable character and persistence. The di Meos, being a fifth generation family of growers, were blessed by their ancestors with the enviable gift of a wonderful spread of old vines, some of which were planted nearly 100 years ago. Here the vineyards face south west and are rooted in sandy, ashy pomice-based volcanic soils, distinct from the lava-originated soils of Etna or Vesuvius. No fuss wine-making is the order of the day. Their whites are fermented and aged sur lie in tank without any wood, resulting in the purest, most crystalline and mineral examples of Falanghina we can ever remember tasting.

B Cruna del Lago, Falanghina, La Sibilla

B Falanghina, La Sibilla

F Piedirosso, La Sibilla

QUINTODECIMO

CAMPANIA

QUINTODECIMO EXCLUSIVE

Owner Luigi Moio was born into an historical family of winemakers in Campania dating back to 1880. After an extended stay in France studying viticulture and winemaking, Luigi returned to Italy in 1994 and in addition to teaching at the University of Naples, undertook the task of winemaker at various prestigious Italian wineries. The urge to do his own thing and make the highest quality wines possible in his beloved Campania became too strong to resist and in 2001 his dream was realised and Quintodecimo was born. The estate covers 25 hectares of vineyard, centred on the hill of Mirabella Eclano 420 metres above sea level and a sizeable 7ha of prime Greco vineyards at 450 metres altitude in Tufo, where they benefit from warm summers and fresh nights. There are two red wines: a Taurasi Riserva called Vigna Quintodecimo (Aglianico) and a second wine called Terra d’Eclano (Aglianico). The three white wines from grapes indigenous to Campania are: Exultet (Fiano di Avellino), Giallo d’Arles (Greco di Tufo) and Via del Campo (Falanghina). Features of winemaking include low yields (5 bunches per vine for the reds) and low sulphur usage. The whites are 25% barrel fermented and aged, with the rest in steel tanks, there is no malolactic fermentation. The reds are aged in a third new oak barriques for 16–18 months. One of the most ambitious projects to come out of Campania, Quintodecimo’s wines are unbelievably intense without being heavy or cloying, displaying such deep, vivid varietal and regional character.

B Exultet, Fiano di Avellino, Quintodecimo

B Via del Campo, Falanghina, Campania IGT, Quintodecimo

B Giallo d’Arles, Greco di Tufo, Quintodecimo

F Terra d’Eclano, Irpinia Aglianico, Quintodecimo

FRIULI SAN SIMONE

The town of Porcia lies in the heart of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia’s Friuli Grave DOC viticultural area, where the Cantina San Simone lies. The Brisotto family have been owners for four generations, named the estate after a small 14th-century church opposite their original winemaking facility, now the site of the family home. The Brisotto family, motivated by their conviction that good winemaking begins in the vineyard, invests a considerable proportion of its resources in its vineyards, supporting viticultural practices based on low yields, achieved through a high number of vines per hectare and lower number of buds per vine. Investment in their very modern winery (from temp controlled steel vats to their own top of the range glass washing and bottling machine) is designed to give them complete control of production and make the most of the high quality fruit at their disposal. They capitalise on the clay limestone soils and cool, long ripening season of Friuli’s prime Friuli Grave DOC zone, making affordable, vivacious, well-balanced wines of clear varietal character.

B Sauvignon, Graves del Friuli, San Simone

B Pinot Grigio, Graves del Friuli, San Simone

SAN SIMONE

LIGURIA CAMPOGRANDE

A passion project of Barolo producer Elio Altare, the aim being to contribute to the rebirth of the extraordinary terroir that is Cinqueterre DOC. At one point not far off extinction, the total DOC, even now, still only amounts to a mere 79 ha of vines, perched on the sheer rocky slopes on the Ligurian coast. In 2005 Elio Altare and local Antonio Bonanni set about clearing Campogrande vineyard, which had been abandoned and covered with forest, before replanting it in rows. Their first harvest was 2008. Indigenous grapes are grown, Bosco and Albarola, which are then destalked and fermented on the skins for 1–4 days. Ageing for the Cinqueterre wines are in steel tank for a year, whereas the Telemaco is part aged in oak barrel. Brilliant, artisan wines made with respect for the environment and local culture. Characterful without being idiosyncratic, full-flavoued yet poised, these are wines to thrill and surprise. Production is sadly very limited, the estate’s total output is less than 6000 bottles a year!

B Cinqueterre, Bianco, DOC, Azienda Agricola Campogrande

B Telemaco, Bianco, IGT Liguria di Levante, Campogrande

TERRE BIANCHE

Founded in 1870 by Tommaso Rondinelli, Terre Bianche is a family estate perched high above the small town of Dolceacqua in Liguria, the stunning hillsides of the Italian Riviera. Today production is managed by Filippo Rondinelli, who took over from his father Claudio in the late nineties. Their 10ha are spread over a wide variety of soils including blue marl and white and red clay. The vineyards are sheer, rocky and are grown at altitude. Extreme viticulture which requires passion, dedication and attention to detail, qualities the Rondinelli family have in abundance. The focus is on indigenous varieties, the aromatic and charming Red Rossese di Dolceacqua, the indigenous white Pigato and also its more widely-known cousin, Vermentino. The wines are all fermented and aged in steel tank, bar the single vineyard wines which are aged in barrels with the aim being to minimize as much as possible the influence of oak on the taste of the wine. Of mountain and sea, these are unique, tangy wines of great character. Up there with some of the most authentic, lively and refined wines in Italy.

B Pigato, Terre Bianche

F Rossese di Dolceacqua, Terre Bianche

F Rossese di Dolceacqua, Terrabianca, Terre Bianche

DOLCEACQUA, LIGURIA

LA RAGNAIE

Alba

Verduno

Tanaro

PIEDMONT

Roddi

Cherasco

La Morra

Barolo

Novello

Alba

Grinzane Cavour

Diano d’Alba

Barolo

Castiglione Falletto

Monforte d’Alba

Neive

Barbaresco

Treiso

Barbaresco

Rome

Serralunga d’Alba, Barbaresco

Alba

Barolo

PIEDMONT

FRATELLI ALESSANDRIA

An historic Verduno estate that dates back as far as the 8th century. A true family affair Vittore Alessandria, his mother Flavia, father Gian Battista & uncle Ale have been working hard in recent years to give more precision to their charming wines: more leaves, fewer treatments in the vineyards, along with the investment into a battery of Swiss coopered Slavonian oak botti have all helped to give increased focus to the wines. Made in a traditional and non-interventionist way, the wines are fermented gently and slowly before élevage in large oak cask for three years. These are some of the aromatic, elegant and charming Barolos you’ll find.

F Barolo, Fratelli Alessandria

F Barolo, San Lorenzo di Verduno, Fratelli Alessandria

F Barolo, Gramolere, Fratelli Alessandria

F Barolo, Monvigliero, Fratelli Alessandria

ELIO ALTARE EXCLUSIVE

Elio has done Piedmont wines a great service over the last two decades. Not only has the outstanding quality of his delightful ‘La Morra’ Barolo wines raised Piedmont’s profile, but he has taken many younger growers, such as Marco Marengo, under his wing giving them advice and instilling confidence in them to make and bottle their own wines. Elio’s production of modern style Burgundy-influenced Barolos is, alas, miniature, meaning many of the Cru Barolos sell out before they even reach our list. Always experimenting and looking to perfect his art, Elio makes some stunning wine outside of his strong Barolo portfolio, including the old vines single vineyard Larigi Barbera and the Barbera Nebbiolo blend, La Villa. As Elio steps ever closer to full retirement, his talented daughter Silvia has taken greater control of wine production, carrying on the estate’s concept of producing “modern classics.” One of Silvia’s recent initiatives was to produce the uno per uno cuvée, a staggeringly labour intensive wine produced by cutting berries (selecting from the estate’s best plots) off of their stalks for whole berry fermentation. The result is one of the modern day greats of Barolo. Their flagship wine, the Barolo blend, undergoes a short fermentation of up to a week, followed by ageing in used oak barriques for 2 years, the same method applies to the Cru Barolos apart from the fact that there is some new oak – anything up to 30%. The langhe wines are all aged for a shorter time, 12–6 months, in 100% new oak. Despite these modern methods oak or alcohol are not at all the feature of these wines you’d expect. Rather they are packed with vivid character, offer silky textures and are some of the most intense wines Piedmont has to offer. Viticulture is organic and sulphur usuage is incredibly low. These are some of the most honest, pure and environmentally friendly wines in the region.

F Barbera d’Alba, Elio Altare

F Dolcetto d’Alba, Elio Altare

F Nebbiolo d’Alba, Elio Altare

F Barbera, Larigi, Langhe Rosso, Elio Altare

F La Villa, Langhe Rosso, Elio Altare

F Giaborina, Langhe, Elio Altare

F Barolo, Elio Altare

F Barolo, Cerretta, Vigna Bricco, Elio Altare

F Barolo, Vigneto Arborina, Elio Altare

FRATELLI ALESSANDRIA

ELIO ALTARE

PIEDMONT

AZELIA (LUIGI SCAVINO)

EXCLUSIVE

Owner Luigi Scavino, cousin and neighbour of Piemonte legend Enrico Scavino, started off life as one of the typical modern Piedmont producers: no expense was spared as new oak was used for the top wines, yields were low and the sparkling new fermenting vats were of stainless steel. Many of these aspects still apply however Azelia have refined their techniques enormously over the years, rarely using more than 10% new oak and employing large botti casks as well as barriques for the ageing process. They are now among Barolo’s leading lights. They produce a superb Dolcetto planted at 500 metres above sea level on a south facing slope in the prime Montelupo district and their oak-aged Barbera is extremely fine too. All of their Nebbiolo holdings are spread out over the Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga regions where the vine produces full bodied, intense and complex wines. The top two wines are the ethereal but powerful Bricco Fiasco from Castiglione (the same vineyard as Scavino’s Bric del Fiasc) and the explosive, spicy San Rocco from Serralunga. In only the best of vintages a Barolo Riserva is made from the ideally situated vineyard in Serralunga, Voghera.

F Dolcetto d’Alba, Bricco dell’Oriolo, Azelia

F Nebbiolo Langhe, Azelia

F Barolo, Azelia

F Barolo, Margheria, Azelia

F Barolo, San Rocco, Azelia

F Barolo, Bricco Fiasco, Azelia

F Barolo, Riserva, Bricco, Voghera, Azelia

FRATELLI BROVIA

Brovia are a traditional Barolo producer in the winemaking sense of the term, but not in relation to the vineyard. That is to say yields are low but the fermentations are natural and happen in cement tanks before ageing in large old oak casks for 3 years. The estate is situated in Castiglione Falleto between Azelia and Scavino, their vineyards are spread over the Castiglione and Serralunga communes. The wines are pure, characterful and gripping but in a very gentle and moreish style, they have great intensity and charm whilst also expressing individuality and reflect the distinct differences between their great terroirs.

F Barolo, Fratelli Brovia

F Barolo, Comune del Verduno, Fratelli Alessandria

F Barolo, Garblet Sue, Fratelli Brovia

F Barolo, Gramolere, Fratelli Alessandria

F Barolo, Rocche di Castiglione, Fratelli Brovia

F Barolo, San Lorenzo di Verduno, Fratelli Alessandria

F Barolo, Villero, Fratelli Brovia

F Roero, Arneis, Fratelli Brovia

AZELIA (LUIGI SCAVINO)

PIERO BUSSO

PIEDMONT

PIERO BUSSO EXCLUSIVE

Piero Busso, with his bright young son Pierguido, is starting to drive quality to greater heights at this topdrawer family Barbaresco domaine. Founded by Guido Busso in the fifties, this domaine is based in Neive and has at its core some fine Nebbiolo vines planted in the Albesani vineyard opposite the winery. The estate’s fine holdings don’t stop there, however, also boasting parcels in the fabulous Gallina vineyard and Treiso’s San Stunet. Winemaking is traditional here, long and slow, up to 45 days maceration on the skins, and ageing is in 25hl slavonian oak casks for two years. These wines will sweep you off your feet with the bewitching, high-toned purity of their fruit and their hallmark floral aspects. Expressive and seductive, these are wines that have something to say about where they are from.

F Nebbiolo, Piero Busso

F Barbaresco, San Stunet, Piero Busso

F Barbaresco, Albesani-Borgese, Piero Busso

F Barbaresco, Gallina, Piero Busso

F Barbaresco, Albesani, VV, Piero Busso

PIEDMONT

CASTELLO DI VERDUNO

The Castello di Verduno is one of the historic castles of Barolo, originally built in 1500, and thanks to the Burlotto family it also seems set for a glittering future. Nebbiolo was first vinified here in 1838 under the new ownership of King Carlo Alberto of Savoy. In 1909 the castle was acquired by the Burlotto family. It was in the 1950s that the Commendatore Giovanni Battista Burlotto, returning from Eritrea, set about restoring the castle to its former glory. Today his daughters run the estate. The Castello’s ten hectares of vineyard spread across Barbaresco and Verduno, the northernmost Barolo commune where the proximity to the river results in warm days but cool nights. Their top wines come from two of the region’s most hallowed vineyards Verduno’s Monvigliero and Barbaresco’s Rabaja. Apart from making fabulous Nebbiolos, the Burlottos are also arch-exponents of the rare Pelaverga variety. This fascinating F grape can only be found in Verduno, where it has been co-planted since the 1600s. It was in danger of dying out, however, until Castello di Verduno took the brave step of being the first to dedicate single vineyard plantings to the variety, in 1972. Success soon followed for the alluring, fruity and peppery reds it produced culminating in 1995 with the award of its very own DOC, Verduno. Interestingly the Burlottos also make a tiny quantity of excellent B made from the same variety, a blanc de noirs, that offers crisp clear fruit and herbal flavours. The wine-making here is traditional; soft, slow fermentations with 25–40 days of maceration on the skins followed by ageing in large old Slavonian oak casks, 24 months for the cru wines and 3 years for the cru riservas. These are refined, spirited, vital Barolos and Barbarescos that have an elegance that makes them very eminently drinkable young, yet with the balance and nerve to allow for long ageing.

B Bellis Perennis, Bianco, Castello di Verduno

F Barbera d’Alba, Castello di Verduno

F Verduno doc Basadone, Castello di Verduno

F Barolo, Castello di Verduno

F Barbaresco, Castello di Verduno

F Barbaresco, Rabaja, Castello di Verduno

F Barolo, Massara, Castello di Verduno

F Barolo, Riserva, Monvigliero, Castello di Verduno

F Barbaresco, Rabaja, Riserva, Castello di Verduno

CASTELLO DI VERDUNO

PIEDMONT

GIACOMO CONTERNO ALLOCATION ONLY

Giacomo Conterno is a Barolo estate that commands great respect, not only amongst wine lovers worldwide, but equally with the Barolo producers themselves. This bastion of traditional Barolo, passed down from father to son over 3 generations, is now in the hands of the highly talented Roberto Conterno who has arguably taken the wines on to even greater heights since taking full control of winemaking in 2003. Though the cellars are located in Monforte, the vineyards are in Serralunga. From the Cascina Francia Roberto makes an eponymous Barolo of wide renown, in addition to a pure and fine Barbera. In particularly special years Roberto separates out the finest Nebbiolo grapes from the Cascina Francia vineyard and makes the much lauded Monfortino Riserva Barolo. The vineyard practice is as organic and respectful to nature as possible, the approach in the winery is hands off. The wines are fermented in tank gently over a long period, up to 20 days for Barbera and 35 days for Nebbiolo before ageing in large oak Botti for up to 2 years for Barbera, 4 for Barolo and 7 for the Riserva. These are high-toned, intense, and as pure as Barolo can be.

These wines sell out on release. For details of upcoming allocations please contact your account manager.

MARCO MARENGO EXCLUSIVE

Marco Marengo makes thrilling wines but is still, just about, one of those under the radar producers and as a result the wines offer tremendous value. After working with his father, Mario, for years he finally went it alone in 2001 when his father passed away. With his small holding of 6ha Marco makes some of the most stylish and characterful wines in the region. From Dolcetto through to the fantastic Barolo, Le Brunate –they display the elegance and drinkability that should define great La Morra wines. The Brunate, for which Marco has gained a great reputation, is the jewel in his crown. It is one of the great cru in Barolo and the quintessential La Morra style Barolo with its ethereal perfume and finesse tinged with a complex earthiness and refined but powerful tannins. Marco owns two parcels of vines ranging from 15 to 70 years old. After a gentle, slow fermentation and maceration, the wines are aged in oak barriques, with an absolutely maximum of 25% new wood, for 24 months.

F Dolcetto d’Alba, Marco Marengo

F Barbera d’Alba, Pugnane, Marco Marengo

F Nebbiolo d’Alba, Valmaggiore, Marco Marengo

F Barolo , Marengo

F Barolo, Bricco Viole, Marco Marengo

F Barolo, Brunate, Marco Marengo

F Barolo Brunate , Marengo

F Barolo, Brunate, Riserva, Marco Marengo

MARCO MARENGO

PIEDMONT

GIUSEPPE MASCARELLO

Giuseppe Mascarello is truly one of the great wines estates in the world. Their fabulous vineyard holdings, above all a sizeable 6.25ha of the legendary Monprivato vineyard, and a gentle, traditional approach to making wine result in some of the most ethereal, distinctive and sought-after wines in the world.

The Mascarello family have been running their estate since the late 1800s. In 1980 current owner Mauro Mascarello took over from his father and has since seen the estate’s stock rise considerably amongst wine lovers globally and with his son Giuseppe and daughter Elena now alongside him, the domaine’s future looks bright. The wines are fermented with wild yeasts and are aged in large old wooden casks for several years before bottling without filtration.

F Nebbiolo, Langhe, Giuseppe Mascarello

F Barbera d’Alba, Scudetto, Giuseppe Mascarello

F Barolo, Santo Stefano di Perno, Giuseppe Mascarello

F Barolo, Monprivato, Giuseppe Mascarello

LUIGI ODDERO

An estate going places fast, we believe Luigi Oddero e Figli has the potential to be one of the very great estates of the Langhe. Its story started in 2006 when Luigi split off from the Oddero estate with 30ha. Luigi sadly passed away in 2009 but his wife Lena is now running the azienda alongside children Maria and Giovanni. Dante Scaglione, of Giacosa fame, is consultant winemaker and in 2016 Francesco Versio joined the team as full time head winemaker. Also formerly of Bruno Giacosa Francesco is consideF one of the brightest young winemaking talents of the region. Methods are traditional here, long gentle extractions followed by ageing in large old oak casks for up to three years. Blessed with some truly great vineyards and some of the best winemaking talent around, the Luigi Oddero future looks bright indeed. Vivid, elegant wines with great intensity and purity of flavour.

F Nebbiolo, Langhe, Luigi Oddero

F Barbaresco, Rombone, Luigi Oddero

F Barolo, Rocche Rivera, Luigi Oddero

F Barolo, Vigna Rionda, Luigi Oddero

LUIGI ODDERO

PIEDMONT ROAGNA

The Roagnas have been making Barbaresco since the late 19th century. After taking over from Alfredo after the 2001 vintage, Luca Roagna has kept true to the traditional wine-making of previous generations whilst fine-tuning it to turn out pure, unique Piedmontese wines that are sought-after the world over. The family’s 16 hectares are split between Barbaresco and Barolo, with some choice parcels in some of the region’s finest vineyards, including the monopole Pira of Castiglione Falletto. Picking here is usually late so that the seeds are ripe. The wine-making is gentle long and slow, fermentation is in large old oak casks and maceration times vary between 60 to 90 days depending on the wine and the vintage. The wines are released later than almost any others in Piedmont, being aged for between 5 to 8 years in cask. These are beguiling, intense soulful wines.

B Montemarzino, Timorasso, Roagna

F Dolcetto d’Alba, Roagna

F Barbaresco, Paje, Roagna

F Barolo, Pira, Roagna

F Barolo, del Comune di Barolo, Roagna

F Barbaresco, Faset, Roagna

F Barolo, Roagna

F Barbaresco, Albesani, Neive, Roagna

F Barbaresco, Gallina, Neive, Roagna

F Barbaresco, Paje, Vecchie Viti, Roagna

F Barolo, Pira, Vecchie Viti, Roagna

F Barbaresco, Crichet Paje, Vecchie Viti, Roagna

PIEDMONT

PAOLO SCAVINO EXCLUSIVE

One of Italy’s great estates with holdings in Barolos finest Crus, Cannubi, Bric del Fiasc and Rocche dell’Annuziata. Along with Elio Altare, Enrico Scavino is surely responsible for the great reputation Piedmont has today. Since the 1980s he has been crafting benchmark modern Barolo. Through meticulous vineyard work, fermentations and finishing in a mixture of French oak barriques and the larger traditional ‘Botti’ casks, Enrico makes svelte wines whose polish and sophistication enhance rather than shroud their character and typicity. Their flagship must surely be the Bric del Fiasc, one of the earlier examples of a Barolo single vineyard bottling, the first vintage being 1978. It has a sun-blanched south-western exposure and one of the region’s most complex soil compositions – a complex mixture of blue grey marne, sand, limestone and Fder sandstone – the coming together of the Tortonian soils of La Morra & Barolo and the Helvetian soils of the Serralunga valley. This is a wine that embodies Castiglione: Powerful and long lived, spicy yet with more elegant highlights of bright white fruit. As complete a Barolo as you will find.

F Dolcetto d’Alba, Paolo Scavino

F Barbera d’Alba, Paolo Scavino

F Nebbiolo, Langhe, Paolo Scavino

F Barolo Classico, Paolo Scavino

F Barolo, Bricco Ambrogio, Paolo Scavino

F Barolo, Monvigliero, Paolo Scavino

F Barolo, Carobric, Paolo Scavino

F Barolo, Ravera, Paolo Scavino

F Barolo, Prapo, Paolo Scavino

F Barolo, Bric dël Fiasc, Paolo Scavino

F Barolo, Cannubi, Paolo Scavino

F Barolo, Riserva, Rocche dell’Annunziata, Paolo Scavino

PAOLO SCAVINO

PIEDMONT ROBERTO VOERZIO

Roberto Voerzio is undeniably one of the stars of Piedmont and a Barolo producer with a world-wide following, his philosophy is a simple one; from the healthiest lowest-yielding vines, in the greatest plots, come the very finest wines. His vineyard management is meticulous and covers hard pruning, green harvesting, pruning, and leaf thinning which, together with his policy of having high planting density, result in an exceptionally small production. The yields are the lowest in the region, 500g of fruit per vine for the crus and even 1kg per vine for Dolcetto and Barberas – the yield of most top growers’ best Barolo Crus. In the winery Roberto’s vision is to make the purest expression of Nebbiolo as possible. Fermentations are with wild yeasts, extractions are very gentle using the light “pumping over” technique, élevage takes place in both French oak with a maximum of 30% new, both large casks and barriques. The wines are an exquisite mix of intensity and lightness, measured concentration and bright juicy, moreish flavours. The Voerzios are not afraid to reject a cuvée either, if hail or a fermentation deviation prevents quality from being tip top, as with Cerequio in 2011 and La Serra in 2006. Some of Italy’s greatest wines.

F Barolo, Brunate, Roberto Voerzio

F Barolo, Fossati, Roberto Voerzio

F Barbera d’Alba, Riserva, Pozzo dell’ Annunziata, Roberto Voerzio

F Barolo, La Serra, Roberto Voerzio

F Barolo, Rocche dell’ Annunziata, Roberto Voerzio

F Dolcetto d’Alba, Priavino, Roberto Voerzio

F Nebbiolo, Langhe, Roberto Voerzio

F Barolo, Sarmassa, Roberto Voerzio

F Barolo, Torriglione, Roberto Voerzio

SICILY TENUTA DELLE TERRE NERE EXCLUSIVE

Tenuta delle Terre Nere is a benchmark Etna estate owned by the experienced wine aficionado Marco de Grazia. Its first commercial vintage was 2002, making it one of the region’s foremost pioneers. Starting off with one parcel of old goblet vines in the Vigneto Guardiola, Marco has now increased his holdings to numerous parcels including the Santo Spirito, Guardiola, San Lorenzo and Calderara vineyards. The principle variety grown on the estate is Nerello Mascalese, which is indigenous to the Etna. Its fabulous old bush vines, the majority of which are pre-Phylloxera, are planted on the rocky and sandy volcanic soils on the north face of Mount Etna at 800 to 900 metres above sea level. The wines are aged in barrels of varying sizes with a small proportion of new oak (rarely more than 20%) for 18 months. Unique, perfumed and spicy these are some of the region’s most complete and distinguished examples. Their floral aromas and lifted fruit coupled with gripping, structuring tannins means these are well balanced wines built to last. Authentic, pretty and ethereal yet offering firm backbones they are an intriguing yin-yang style of wine you won’t forget in a hurry.

B Etna Bianco, Tenuta delle Terre Nere, O

B Etna Bianco, Vigne Niche, Contrada Montalto,Tenuta delle Terre Ner

B Etna Bianco, Superiore, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

B Etna Bianco, Le Vigne Niche, Santo Spirito,Tenuta delle Terre Nere O

B Etna Bianco, Le Vigne Niche, Calderara, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

C Etna Rosato, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

F Etna Rosso, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

F Etna Rosso, Santo Spirito, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

F Etna Rosso, Moganazzi, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

F Etna Rosso, Feudo di Mezzo, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

F Etna Rosso, Guardiola, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

F Etna Rosso, San Lorenzo, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

F Etna Rosso, Calderara Sottana, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

F Olio, Tenuta delle Terre Nere

TUSCANY

LE RAGNAIE EXCLUSIVE

Le Ragnaie was established by the young Riccardo and Jennifer Campinoti when they bought the farmhouse and some well-placed old vines back in 2003. Since then they have gone on to become one of the region’s brightest new stars. The estate spreads across 15ha, five of which are in the zone where the cellars are based, Le Ragnaie itself. These vines are the highest of any in Montalcino, at 550 metres above sea level, south facing in the central zone above Soldera di Case Basse. As one of the highest points in the region it became famous for bird catchers, in fact the traditional birdcatchers’ net features on the label as part of the winery’s logo. The estate takes its name from the fact that this net looked rather like a spider’s web (Ragna, in Italian.) Complimenting these vineyards are those from Petroso, a vineyard area along the Scarnacuoia road below the village of Montalcino (one of the oldest winemaking zones in the area.) in addition to some from Castelnuovo dell’Abate, a vineyard located in the southern sector of Montalcino in front of the Amiata Mountain, next door to Poggio di Sotto. As of 2015 there is a new single cru, Montosoli, one of the most highly-esteemed zones in the whole of the region, sitting on the north side of Montalcino. Organic viticulture is employed, grapes are hand picked, de-stemmed, fermented and then aged in large 25 hl slavonian oak casks for 36 months. The high vineyards of Ragnaie that form the basis of the blend plus the long, gentle macerations result in enormously charming, aromatic and really quite high toned wines that still manage to retain the requisite power. A unique, extremely drinkable style of Brunello that will sweep you off your feet.

F Rosso di Montalcino, Le Ragnaie,

F Rosso di Montalcino, Petroso, Le Ragnaie

F Rosso di Montalcino, VV, Le Ragnaie

F Brunello di Montalcino, Le Ragnaie

F Brunello di Montalcino, Fornace, Le Ragnaie

F Brunello di Montalcino, Le Ragnaie Vecchie Vigne, Le Ragnaie

TUSCANY

POGGIO DI SOTTO

Founded in 1989 by Tuscan legend Piero Palmucci, Poggio di Sotto has swiftly become a benchmark, traditional Brunello estate, producing some of the most refined and sought-after wines in the region. Their 10 hectares of vineyards are all planted with low-yielding Sangiovese Grosso clones in the sunny Castelnuovo del Abate region on the south east side of Montalcino. The vineyards are situated at three different levels between 250 and 400 metres above sea level and the viticulture is organic. The wine is fermented gently and then aged for a minimum of three and a half years in large used Slavonian oak casks. The estate’s entire production amounts to 3,000 cases, including the Rosso. Well exposed vineyards tempere by cooling breezes, high quality clones and gentle winemaking, make for some of the most ethereal and seductive wines in Tuscany. Piero Palmucci sold the estate in 2012 to Claudio Tipa, owner of great Bolgheri estate Grattamacco. Claudio has kept the same team in place and has made good on his commitment to changing nothing in production or winemaking. The future of this great Tuscan estate is secure.

F Rosso di Montalcino, Poggio di Sotto O

F Brunello di Montalcino, Poggio di Sotto O

F Brunello di Montalcino, Riserva, Poggio di Sotto

CASE BASSE DI GIANFRANCO SOLDERA ALLOCATION ONLY

Gianfranco and Graziella Soldera fell in love with this beautiful but abandoned and uncultivated estate in the early 1970s. They purchased the land and immediately devoted themselves to it aiming to make a Brunello di Montalcino of the very highest quality, in the process respecting the vineyards, nature and allowing the ecosystem it sits within to flourish. Today the place is harmonious, beautiful and peaceful, and the wines have become something of a legend. Soldera is produced from just seven organically managed hectares, it is made in a traditional style, fermented in oak tanks using wild yeasts and only estate-grown grapes, before ageing for 5 years in large Slavonian oak casks. The wines are what Brunello di Montalcino always used to be, before over ripeness, heavy new oak ageing and extraction became fashionable: They are beautifully elegant and nuanced, whilst refined and reserved they are complex, sophisticated and powerful but immensely drinkable. Every sip gently reveals another layer, another character and the wine is fresh and delicate enough to keep you wanting more. Robert Parker has said of this wine: “At their best, these are some of the most profound wines being made anywhere on the planet.” This is certainly the region’s shining star. Gianfranco left the Brunello DOCG in 2006 so all vintages from 2007 onwards are now labelled as IGT Toscana Sangiovese, Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera. There is no change to the wine inside the bottle. The origin and making of the wine are the same, only the label has changed. In February 2019, Gianfranco sadly passed away, his daughter Monica and son Mauro have succeeded him and will carry on his legacy of making, traditional, pure Sangiovese wines in an environmentally respectful way. These wines sell out on release. For details of upcoming allocations please contact your account manager.

F Rosso Soldera, 100% Sangiovese dall’az, Agr Case Basse, IGT Toscan

F Toscana IGT Sangiovese, Case Basse di Gianfranco Soldera

TUSCANY

MONTERAPONI EXCLUSIVE

The Chianti farmhouse of Monteraponi, an ancient medieval hamlet, situated on the hill of the same name, once belonged to Baron Ugo, Marquis of Tuscany in the tenth century. It was not until 2003, however, that current owner Michele Braganti produced and commercialised the estate’s own bottlings. The vineyard had been in family hands since 1974 but the fruit was previously sold off to other growers. The vineyard area, all in the commune of Radda in Chianti Classico, spans 12 hectares. The wines are planted as high as 570 metres above sea level, some of the very highest in the Chianti Classico, on a mixture of hard Albarese and softer Galestro limestone soils. The estate is certified organic and the wines are made in a traditional, low tech and gentle way. After hand harvesting and gentle pressing, spontaneous fermentation is carried out in cement vats where it continues to macerate and infuse with the skins for between 25 days (for the regular Chianti Classico) up to 40 to 45 days for the Campitello Riserva and Baron d’Ugo. The wines are then racked off into large used French and Slavonian oak casks for 16 months for the Chianti Classico, 24–26 months for Il Campitello Riserva and 36 months for the Baron d’Ugo. In no time at all Monteraponi have already hit cult status in Italy for their dazzlingly pure, characterful Chianti Classicos. These are some of the region’s most exciting, vivid and age-worthy wines.

B Trebbiano, Monteraponi

F Rosso IGT, Monteraponi,

F Chianti Classico, Monteraponi

F Vino Santo, Monteraponi

F Chianti Classico, Riserva, Il Campitello, Monteraponi

F Baron d’Ugo, IGT Toscana, Monteraponi

F Chianti Classico, Riserva, Baron Ugo, Monteraponi

GRATTAMACCO

This was the second winery to be founded in Bolgheri in 1977 after Tenuta San Guido of Sassicaia fame. The 14 hectares of organically farmed vineyard, owned by Poggio di Sotto proprietor Claudio Tipa, are situated on top of a hill, facing the sea, between Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri – 100m above sea level. This unusually high altitude, for Bolgheri at least, and its inland location means that this part of the region is windier and less humid. Ordinarily Sangiovese cannot grow in Bolgheri due to it being very sensitive to humid conditions, however, in Grattamacco’s micro climate it thrives. This is therefore one of the rare wines from the Tuscan coast to have any Sangiovese in it, to the tune of 15%, adding verve to the 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. The wine is aged for 18 months in barriques, up to a maximum of 40% new barrels.

F Grattamacco, Bolgheri Superiore

VENETO

DAL BELLO EXCLUSIVE

In the picturesque Colli Asolani hills of Veneto, near Treviso, Dal Bello produce some of the most attractive, engaging prosecco there is. Love and passion for their wine and their land is the philosophy of the Dal Bello family, who has been producing wines in the picturesque hills of Asolo for many years now. In this generous Venetain land the mild climate, optimal altitude and ideal sun exposure provide the vine with the perfect habitat for the production of great wines. The winery was founded by Victor Bello in the fifties and is now run by his sons Antonio and Mario, who introduced modern technology in winemaking tradition and family values.

A Prosecco, Brut, Asolo DOCG, Piccolo Oro Della Regina, Dal Bello O

A Prosecco, Spumante, Brut DOC, Blue Label, Dal

A Prosecco, Spumante, Extra Dry, DOCG, Feudo Regina, Dal

A Prosecco, Spumante, Brut, Treviso DOC, Dal Bello

GINI EXCLUSIVE

Gini are a family winery based on Monteforte d’Alpone in Veneto and are one of the great exponents of Soave Classico. They are a leading light in the region who, through their attention to detail, organic viticulture and lower sulphite usage, are making some of Soave Classico’s most compelling and ageworthy wines. The Estate’s Soaves are all made exclusively from the high quality Garganega grape grown on hillside vineyards, really showing the potential this region has to produce stylish, complex and longlived wine. As well as producing a fabulous Soave Classico blend from hillside sites the Gini family owns vineyards in the two Classico Grand Crus of Soave, La Frosca and Salvarenza. The steep vineyard sites are a good vantage point to view the extensive planting on the less favourable flat lands below where much of the cheap non classico Soave is produced. La Frosca is a wine made from the fruits of the 90-year-old vines of the eponymous volcanic Cru vineyard, 180 metres above sea level. The wine is mainly fermented and aged in steel tank, however 20% is fermented in used oak barrels (a minimum of three years old). Salvarenza, on the other hand, is a partly pre-phylloxera vineyard with a limestone influence in the volcanic soils, from where the estate’s most serious and most textured wines hail. Salvarenza is fermented and aged in neutral, used oak barrels for a year before bottling.

DAL BELLO

VENETO

VIVIANI EXCLUSIVE

The Vivianis are an artisanal winemaking couple who are passionate about the wines from their region and partial to the odd fine Burgundy too. From their vineyards in the Mazzano zone of Valpolicella Classico with stunning vistas over the town of Negrar and its valley, they are making some of the most honest, pure and engaging Valpolicella there is. The vines are situated at around 450 metres above sea level. Great attention to detail is paid in the vineyard (pruning, green harvesting and hand selecting at harvest time), whilst in the winery extractions are very gentle and intervention is minimal. For Recioto, Valpolicella Superiore and Amarone the grapes are dried in very small amounts in tiny cases, this allows for the air in there windy out-building to dry the grapes very efficiently and helps prevent disease. Very labour intensive, their drying house is packed to the rafters with small cases, but the results are clearly worth the effort. It is remarkable to think that the estate has come so far since 1992 when Claudio Viviani started bottling the family’s 14ha production. They are now truly one of the leading lights of the Appellation.

F Valpolicella Classico, Viviani

F Amarone, Viviani

PUGLIA/SALENTO

MASSERIA CUTURI

In 1881, Tommaso Schiavoni Tafuri, a wealthy landowner from Manduria, the most prosperous town of Puglia Salento, married the countess Sabini, of Altamura. As a dowry, the noblewoman brought Primitivo “rooted cuttings”, which were planted in “Cuturi” in the fertile Conca D’Oro. Success in the early twentieth century enabled them to extend their plantings to almost 100 hectares. A gradual decline over the next seventy years meant that by the millennium there were no vines to speak of and their glories were but a distant memory. In 2008, the large estate (comprised mostly of ancient olive trees, elegant 18th century farm structures, megalithic walls and other ancient archaeological relics) was bought by the Rossi Chauvenet family from Veneto. Nowadays, there are 40 hectares of vines, focusing on Primitivo, with Negroamaro and Fiano. The wines are born of an extraordinary soil, cretaceous limestone under layers of dark, soft iron-rich clay just 3km from the sea. Thanks to the warmth of the Mediterranean sun, the mistral and the scirocco winds and one contiguous planting block, the vineyard can be worked fully organically. The Tuma Primitivo Salento is extracted very gently and raised exclusively in tank to keep a fruit driven freshness, as is the Zacinto Negroamaro. These are beautifully supple and finessed examples of the varieties which deliver all the pleasure and expression of Southern Italy without any excess heft or alcohol. Properly made wines that one wants to drink.

F Tuma, Primitivo, Salento, IGT, Masseria Cuturi

F Zacinto, Negroamaro, Puglia, IGT, Masseria Cuturi

MAS MARTINET

BIERZO

RAÚL PÉREZ EXCLUSIVE

Raúl Pérez is widely regarded as one of the world’s most talented, innovative, and restless winemakers. His constant reinvention of his own portfolio and quest to restore old Bierzo vineyards since breaking away from his family estate in 2004 has helped significantly in putting this corner of north-western Spain back on the map. In that pursuit, Pérez has inspired and actively helped legions of young winemakers to follow in his footsteps, and yet he remains as humble and softly-spoken as the day he began. As many commentators have noted, there is no “Raúl Pérez” style, instead his deft Godellos and soulful Menciabased reds seek only to express their origins faithfully, and set a new quality bar in the region. Pérez adapts his winemaking to suit each individual parcel of vines, and the only constant is a hands-off approach that allows natural fermentations to take place in traditional wooden vats, almost always employing whole bunches to bring freshness and complexity to the reds. Ageing is carried out in neutral casks of varying sizes. The two regional wines Ultreia Godello and Ultreia Saint Jacques are some of the most exciting entry-level wines we have ever come across, while the mid-level La Vizcaina de Vinos range shines a light on five quality single vineyards in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, the heart of the Bierzo region.

* Please note that the top, small-batch Ultreia bottlings are in high demand and tend to sell out on release, while the collaborative labels Sketch, El Pecado and La Penitencia are only available on allocation. Please contact your account manager for details on current stocks and availability.

B Ultreia, Godello, Bierzo

F Ultreia, Saint Jacques, Bierzo

F La Vitoriana, La Vizcaina de Vinos, Bierzo

F La Poulosa, La Vizcaina de Vinos, Bierzo

F Las Gundiñas, La Vizcaina de Vinos, Bierzo

F El Rapolao, La Vizcaina de Vinos, Bierzo

F Ultreia, El Rapolao, Bierzo

RIAS BAIXAS

BODEGAS FULCRO

Bodegas Fulcro was established in 2009 by Manuel Moldes Marana, or “Chicho” as he is more widely known. At this time, the family owned half a hectare in their home region of Salnes, in keeping with the tradition of the area, and Chicho had grown up around wine, produced entirely for their own consumption. Believing in the potential of the Albarino grape as a vehicle to express site and location, Chicho, as a young wine lover, decided he would give it his best shot. Fast forward to now and Bodegas Fulcro is the name on everyone’s lips. Intense, crackling, mineral driven Albarinos, deeply reflective of their coastal origin and differing soil profiles are the order of the day. Growing in reputation and confidence, Chicho’s star is firmly on the rise; we’d go so far to say that these are some of the most exciting whites being produced in Spain at the moment. A focus on old vines, low yields, indigenous yeasts and hands-off winemaking in neutral 500L demi-muids, foudres and tank results in dazzling wines of unbelievable clarity. A Pedreira is the main Albarino of the project, representing a blend of granitic parcels raised in a combination of steel and cask. Fulcro Equilibro, released later, is a schist driven wine from a single plot averaging 70 years old –texture and minerality par excellence. A Cesteira is a single plot on a complex mix of granite, schist and quartz – the raciest wine of the stable, just one foudré is produced. Finally, Nas Dunas “The Dunes” is the most profound, intricate, ageworthy white of the estate. It comes from an extremely old sandy plot, shared with Forjas del Salnes. Rarely is more than a barrel produced. Though the whites take centre-stage, two peppery, herbal reds are produced in small volumes from indigenous Galician varieties. Aliaxe Tinto is a co-fermented blend of Caino, Espadeiro and Loureiro, while Finca Fabainas is a 100% Espadeiro produced from 130 year old vines.

B A Pedreira, Albarino, Rias Baixas, Bodegas Fulcro

B Finca A Cesteira, Albarino, Rias Baixas, Bodegas Fulcro

B Finca Fabainas, Espadeiro, Tinto, Bodegas Fulcro

B Nas Dunas, Albarino, Rias Baixas, Bodegas Fulcro

F Aliaxe, Tinto, Rias Baixas, Bodegas Fulcro

RIBEIRA SACRA

CASTRO CANDAZ EXCLUSIVE

Castro Candaz is a new Ribeira Sacra project established as a joint-venture between Bierzo legend Raúl Pérez and top Rias Baixas producer Rodrigo Méndez. The duo have a long history of collaboration with impressive results: in 2005 they established the now leading Rias Baixas estate Forjas del Salnés. It was there, in a region dominated almost exclusively by whites, that Raúl helped Méndez to develop a range of elegant, high toned reds to sit alongside Mendez’s outstanding single vineyard Albarinos. By way of thanking Raúl for sharing his expertise, together they created the “Sketch” Albariño, now one of the most sought after whites in Spain. Excitingly, they have joined forces once more, this time in Ribeira Sacra –truly one of the most awe-inspiring regions in Europe. Raúl already had a foothold in the warm, Amandi subzone through Guimaro, with whom he produces La Penitencia and El Pecado. For the Castro Candaz project they sought a new expression of Ribeira Sacra terroir. Together they scouted the cooler, lesserknown La Chantada subzone, where the Sil River widens and the soils have a higher proportion of granite over schist. Here they found a small 3-hectare property where the vines are old and the slopes planted to a natural mix of indigenous varieties, mostly Mencia. These are beautifully detailed and complex wines with an unerring sense of freshness and precision, reminiscent of the best Northern Rhône Syrahs. Still under the radar for now, this new project is surely destined for greatness.

B La Vertical, Godello, Ribeira Sacra

F A Boca do Demo, Ribeira Sacra

F Finca el Curvado, Ribeira Sacra

RIOJA ARTUKE

Based in the small village of Banos de Ebro in Rioja Alavesa, brothers Arturo and Kike de Miguel (the name Artuke a combination of the two) are inspired by the wines of Burgundy, and the Artuke range comprises some of the most detailed, elegant Riojas we have ever come across. A real name in Spain’s new wave movement, they are a founder member of the new “Futoro Vinador” association in Spain, and advocate for Riojas bottled along regional, village and single vineyard lines, as opposed to the traditional Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva classifications that define quality according to aging. Fermentations take place in stainless steel and concrete tanks in a gentle, static style that avoids over-extraction. After fermentation, the wines transfer to top quality, neutral French oak in sizes that range from 500L demimuids to 3,500L foudres. Arturo and Kike prefer to limit racking and use lightly reductive techniques to their advantage, a practice that reduces the need to add sulphur and underscores the purity and transparency of fruit. Maturation in cask is short by Riojan standards; just twelve to sixteen months depending on the cuvée, less for the juicy, entry-level “Artuke” Rioja – a regional, fruity semi-carbonic wine that spends just six months in concrete. All wines apart from the “Artuke” Rioja are completely destemmed. Pies Negros is a blend of three vineyards in Avalos, abutting the Sierra de Cantabria, Finca de los Locos is a 2.80 hectare single vineyard at 550m in Banos de Ebro and Paso Las Manas is a single vineyard planted at 720m in the village of Samaniego, part of the Sierra de Cantabria. El Escolladero and La Condenada are the top wines of the estate and are produced in tiny quantities, only around 1k bottles of each.

B

F Pies Negros, Rioja, Artuke

F Artuke, Rioja

F

F

de los Locos, Rioja, Artuke

ARTUKE

RIOJA HERMANOS PECINA EXCLUSIVE

Bodegas Hermanos Pecina is a relative newcomer to the Rioja wine scene, having been set up in 1992. Prior to this Pedro Pecina Crespo had been, for many years, the chief viticulturist at La Rioja Alta. The Bodega produced their first Crianzas, Reservas and Gran Reservas in 1997, and from the outset they sought to make traditional Rioja, but with modern expectations of the initial base wine. In a spotlessly clean, entirely gravity fed winery, the team create wonderful polished and bright examples of traditionally barrel aged Rioja, aged for far longer than the DOCa requirements. The oak is American, in keeping with traditional Rioja practices, and none of it is new. Racking is done manually in the age old method, from barrel to barrel using gravity alone, every six months. It is an expensive and time consuming method but one that ensures gentle treatment of the wine, exceptional oak integration, and the ability to monitor the development of every barrel twice a year. Blessed with 50 hectares of vines, all fruit is estate grown in the top quality Sonsierra region, on soils that have particularly high limestone content. The aim is to harvest grapes with exceptional freshness and concentration, the limestone giving the grapes the requisite acidity for extended ageing. When so many traditional riojas seem to be oak first and wine second, these finely tuned riojas are resolutely traditional, centred on excellent base material.

F Rioja, Crianza, Hermanos Pecina

F Rioja, Finca Iscorta, Gran Reserva, Hermanos Pecina

F Rioja, Reserva, Hermanos Pecina

LUBERRI, FAMILIA MONJE AMESTOY EXCLUSIVE

A self-made man, Florentino Martinez Monje started off life as a grape supplier to Artadi, before deciding to set up his own winery. Few know as much about the region as he does, nor how to get the best out of the local vineyards. With an intimate understanding of the 32 hectares he farms in Laguardia and Elciego, halfway between Haro and Logrono in Rioja Alavesa, the vineyards are cultivated and then vinified with specific categories in mind; a flower to bottle approach that gives these fine traditional Riojas an authenticity and clear sense of purpose. In the cellar, a mixture of French and American oak barrels are used, and racking is kept to a minimum, giving oak flavours that are present and sweet, but not overbearing. In treading a nice balance between traditional and modern, the Luberri output is Rioja at its most recognisable and satisfying.

B Zuri, Rioja, Blanco, Luberri

F Seis, Rioja, Luberri

F Biga de Luberri, Rioja, Crianza, Luberri

LUBERRI, FAMILIA MONJE AMESTOY

AALTO

RIBERA DEL DUERO

BODEGAS AALTO EXCLUSIVE

Now with twenty vintages under their belts and a highly detailed understanding of the scores of parcels of old vines they own, Aalto has well and truly established itself as one of the great wines of both Ribera del Duero and Spain in general. This is hardly surprising given that Aalto was established in 1999 as a collaboration between Javier Zaccagnini and Mariano Garcia, the former an ex-director of Ribera’s Consejo Regulador, the latter winemaker at Vega Sicilia for 30 years. In their state-of-the-art, gravity fed winery the team receive the multiple plots in refrigerated rooms for sorting and de-stemming before parcel by parcel vinification down below. Ageing takes place in barriques with a selection of the finest plots, generally with a “heart” of wine from the great village of La Horra being selected to make Aalto PS (Pagos Seleccionados). The straight cuvée of Aalto tends to drink very well on release, the PS often requiring more like six to ten years to show its full potential. Aalto now hails from seven different villages across the region with vineyards averaging 40–80 years of age. Over the years, the proportion of new oak has reduced to around 50%, purely French. Tender tannins, vibrant acidities, a deep black fruit and coffee notes typify this beautifully sleek, glossy Ribera del Duero. In 2018 Javier Zaccagnini left Aalto for pastures new, handing over to Eduardo Ferrin who becomes Managing Director, while Mariano Garcia remains in place as head of the winemaking team.

F Bodegas Aalto, Ribera del Duero

SIERRA DE GREDOS

4 MONOS EXCLUSIVE

The 4 Monos project, which means “4 Monkeys”, was established by four friends who met whilst hiking in the Gredos mountains. Married couple Javier Garcia and Laura Robles take care of all the viticulture and winemaking from a total of ten hectares of vineyards, five of which they own. 2010 was the first bottled vintage but it was not until 2016 that the project became a full-time reality, as more vineyards became available and total production rose to 35k bottles. Based out of a tiny cellar in the village of Cadalso de los Vidrios high up in the Gredos Mountains an hour west of Madrid, these fabulous Garnacha-based wines are bright, racy, and crystalline – a product in part of the fine, decomposed granite soils on which they are grown. GR10 is an outstanding entry-level wine that captures the fresh and fruity side of Gredos Garnacha, while the other wines seek to express different sub-regions of the Sierra de Gredos. Vineyard elevation climbs to around 1,000m, and although the flavour profiles of the individual wines varies across the range depending on the terroir, succulence of fruit, bristling acidities and seductive perfumes are consistent themes. Albillo Real is a local white variety that offers savoury, saline-inflected flavours and rich, foodfriendly textures. Winemaking is firmly non-interventionist, favouring natural, whole bunch fermentations and long, gentle macerations in a combination of wood and concrete before ageing takes place in used oak casks for 12–18 months.

B Albillo Real, Vinos de Madrid, 4 Monos Viticultores

F GR10, Vinos de Madrid, 4 Monos Viticultores

F Cien Lanzas, Vinos de Madrid, 4 Monos Viticultores

F Tierra de Luna, Vinos de Madrid, 4 Monos Viticultores

F Aguja del Fraile, Vinos de Madrid, 4 Monos Viticultores

MAS MARTINET

PRIORAT

MAS MARTINET EXCLUSIVE

Mas Martinet has come a long way since the estate’s inception in 1989 (the same time that Clos Dofi, Clos Mogador, Clos Erasmus and Clos de l’Obac were established). Thanks to Sara Pérez it is now one of the most respected of Spain’s small family estates. The emphasis here is on Garnacha and Carinena, with much smaller proportions of Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot making up the numbers. Between Menut and Martinet Bru, the entry level wines offer stunning silky fruit and slate-spiced wines representative of the region. Each of the single crus, meanwhile, is designed to represent a different era in the history of Priorato: Els Escurcons the pre-phylloxera era when locals would plant Garnacha at altitude to benefit from cooling breezes, Cami Pesseroles the era immediately after phylloxera when poor vignerons set about re-planting with the high yielding Carinena grape, and Clos Martinet representing the modern era when international varieties arrived in Priorat and investment returned to the area. Experiments with foottrodden, naturally-styled whites have proven very exciting, and the 2017 vintage sees the first commercial release of Cami Pesseroles “Brisat” – a blend of Garnacha Blanca, Picpoul and Pedro Ximénez, raised in amphora and glass demi-johns. The Ranci bottling is a deeply traditional, Solera-aged sweet wine produced from dried Garnacha grapes with approximately 80g residual sugar. Released in minuscule quantities, 2018 saw the first bottling after the Solera was started in 1995. Up and down, the Mas Martinet wines are strikingly beautiful examples of what Priorato can achieve, and demonstrate exactly why the wine-loving world should sit up and take note of this unique slate-rich region.

F

MONSANT

VENUS LA UNIVERSAL

Venus La Univeral is the personal project of husband and wife team Sara Pérez of Mas Martinet and Rene Barbier of Clos Mogador. Situated in neighbouring Montsant, the soils here are formed of decomposed granite rather than licorella schist, allowing for a different expression of the beautiful Mediterranean climate in which they live. Working fully organically with utmost respect for the environment and the vision to breathe new life in to Montsant, Venus is in every respect a collaborative effort. The grapes are supplied by five local families and some rented vineyards that Sara and Rene work, bringing the total area under vine up to ten hectares. Unsurprisingly, given the power-couple behind them, these wines are honest, beautiful interpretations of the appellation, each with a inherent freshness, florality and vivid fruit profile. No new oak is employed in the cellar, instead they favour neutral casks and large foudres.

B Dido, Blanc, Venus La Universal O

D Dido, La Solucio, Rosa, Venus La Universal

F Venus La Universal, Tinto, Monsant O

CANARY ISLANDS

BORJA PÉREZ VITICULTOR EXCLUSIVE

Borja Pérez is a rising star of the Canary Island wine scene. A former racing car mechanic, Borja inherited the family business in 2011 and decided to bottle his own wine rather than sell off the fruit. He set about refocusing on local varieties like Listan Blanco, Listan Negro, Marmajuelo, Vijariego Negro and Baboso Negro by restoring old ungrafted vineyards back to full health and establishing new sites – work he is still engaged in today. In that pursuit, Borja has developed a reputation as one of the best viticulturists in the Canaries. Situated in the richly biodiverse DO appellation Ycoden-Daute-Isora in Tenerife’s north west, the volcanic, maritime vineyards here range from low coastal elevations to around 800m on average, with the most extreme sites climbing as high as 1,400m. Proximity to the Atlantic and its constant cooling winds and natural humidity conspire to produce a very exciting, yet challenging, climate for wine production. In the cellar, Borja takes a minimal intervention approach with no additions at all other than a touch of sulphur at bottling. Tending to favour a little skin contact in the whites to naturally balance the wines’ intense saline acidities with a bit more texture, these are some of the most individual, characterful wines on our list, ripe for creative food pairings. In both colours, new oak is avoided in favour of concrete, 500L used French oak and 2,500L foudres. The Artifice range is produced from a combination of owned and boughtin fruit, to create an accessible, delicious entry-level range, while the Ignios Origenes wines are from fullyowned vineyards and bottled as single varietals in tiny batches to showcase the quality of these unusual varieties. For spicy, energetic wines with a deep sense of minerality and authenticity, the Borja Pérez wines are just the ticket.

B Listan Blanco, Artifice, Borja Perez Viticultor

B Vidueños, Blanco, Artifice, Borja Perez Viticultor

B Marmajuelo, Ignios Origenes, Borja Perez Viticultor

F Tinto, Artifice, Borja Perez Viticultor

F Listan Negro, Vendemmia Seleccionada, Ignios Origenes, Borja Perez

F Vijariego Negro, Ignios Origenes, Borja Perez Viticultor

F Baboso Negro, Ignios Origenes, Borja Perez Viticultor

F Vina Tondonia, Tinto Reserva, Bodegas R Lopez de Heredia

JEREZ BODEGAS TRADICIÓN EXCLUSIVE

Bodegas Tradición is a unique Sherry Bodega that bottles consistently genre-defining, mature wines that are a veritable assault on the senses, in the nicest possible way. By focusing on very old casks that have not been chill filtered, blended, stabilized, clarified, sweetened, or seen the addition of sulphites, the team have proven themselves one of the very best in the business. Proudly bottling small-batches with the highest average ages on the market, the range includes a twelve year old Fino, approximately four times as old and complex as your average Fino on the high street, and an Amontillado, Oloroso and Palo Cortado with average ages far exceeding the thirty-year VORS designates on the label. A twenty year old Cream Sherry VOS is the best we have ever tasted and every bit a fine wine in its own right, and the range is crowned by a lusciously sweet yet layered Pedro Ximenez VOS. Extremely rare single vintage bottlings are occasionally released, offering customers the opportunity to buy some incredibly complex, single- cask Sherries of breathtaking beauty. Like all great wines, the Bodegas Tradición Sherries are as splendid alone as they are with the right dishes, with food pairing potential way beyond the simple aperitif.

Bodegas Tradicion, Fino

Bodegas Tradicion, Cream, VOS, 20 Years

Bodegas Tradicion, Oloroso, VORS, 30 Years

Bodegas Tradicion, Amontillado, VORS, 30 Years

Bodegas Tradicion, Pedro Ximenez, VOS, 20 Years

Bodegas Tradicion, Palo Cortado, VORS, 30 Years

Bodegas Tradicion, Palo Cortado, 1998

Bodegas Tradicion, Oloroso, 1970

PORT & MADEIRA

JUSTERINI & BROOKS

Justerini & Brooks supplies a wide range of fortified wines, please contact your account manager for more details.

BODEGAS TRADICIÓN

MINHO

ADEGA DE MONÇÃO

B Torre de Lapela, Vinho Verde, Adega de Moncao

CIZERON

French-Portuguese winemaker Henrique Cizeron established the “Cinetica” brand in 2009 in an attempt to capture a sense of the continued action, heat and strength that has built the profile of Douro wines over the last centuries. He came late to wine but armed with a roving mind and thirst for travel, Henrique sought to experience as many harvests as possible in order to make up for lost time. Before long, he found himself oscillating between Portugal and New Zealand, getting to grips with the contrasting challenges of producing wine in hot and cool climates. Latterly, Henrique has turned his attention to the burgeoning Vinho Verde appellation – for so long a region dominated by poor, entry level co-operative bottlings, now experiencing something of a renaissance (or birth, perhaps!) when it comes to premium wines. In his own words, he says he is “surfing a wave, identifying great spots and experimenting with new winemaking techniques to make the best Vinho Verde wines possible.” His Loureiro Reserva 2020 represents his first vintage and comes from an old vineyard in the less well-known southern part of the Vinho Verde appellation, located just 12km from the Atlantic Ocean. In the Douro, he seeks to produce fine red wines that faithfully reflect their warm climate origins with a traditional feel and respect for their Pinhao Valley heritage. This he achieves with a modern eye for gentler extraction, limited use of new oak, and a style that, although bold, has a certain drinkability and finesse.

B Loureiro-Arinto, Reserva, Vinho Verde, Cizeron Wines

B Loureiro, Vinho Verde, Cinetica, Cizeron Wines

B Cinetica, Tras-O-Montes, Branco, Cizeron Wines

B Cinetica, Douro, Branco, Cizeron Wines

F Cinetica, Douro, Tinto, Cizeron Wines

CIZERON

DAO TEXTURA

Textura is an exciting new project making waves in the thriving Portuguese wine scene. Established in 2018 by Marcelo Araujo, this brand-new winery is located on the slopes of the Serra da Estrela in the lauded Dao appellation. the project is comprised of 22 hectares split across two Dao subzones: Serra da Estrela (the source of lighter, more delicate reds and whites) and Castendo (home to more sumptuous, aromatically exuberant wines), benefiting from a range of soils, altitudes, exposures and microclimates. Granitic soils predominate in the region, and altitude rises to an impressive 620m. Believing firmly in the virtues of sustainability, since 2020, all the Textura vineyards are in the process of full organic conversion, the oldest of which exceed fifty years. Seeking a low intervention, contemporary and fresh approach.. Favouring a light-touch style, the wines are all blends of native Dao varieties including Encruzado, Bical, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina, Cerceal Branco, Jaen, Tinto Roriz, Alfrochiero, Bastardo and Touriga Nacional, fermented naturally with minimal intervention. The wines see a short and gentle extraction in the cellar in order to emphasise the grapes’ bright, natural perfumes, granite-rich minerality and wild herb character.

B Pretexto, Branco, Dao, Textura Wines

B Textura da Estrela, Branco, Dao, Textura Wines

B Pura, Branco, Dao, Textura Wines

F Pretexto, Tinto, Dao, Textura Wines

F Textura da Estrela, Tinto, Dao, Textura Wines

F Pura, Tinto, Dao, Textura Wines

F Vinha Negrosa, Dao, Textura Wines

F Encoberta, Tinto, Dao, Textura Wines

TEXTURA

BAIRRADA

VADIO WINES UNIPESSOAL LDA

Vadio is a project from the couple Luís Patrão and Eduarda Dias. Born in Bairrada, Luís divides his time between Bairrada and Alentejo, where he is also winemaking director at Herdade de Coelheiros. Eduarda, a Brazilian from Pernambuco with familial links to the Dão, has lived in Portugal for 11 years and runs the daily life of a small family business. The vineyards are managed primarily by Dinis Patrão, father of Luis and an early exponent of organic viticulture – a challenge in this humid region. The ambition of this small but highly talented team is a simple one; to raise the qualitative bar in Bairrada with a resolute focus on the indigenous varieties Baga, Bical and Cercial. By reducing yields, implementing modern trellising systems and farming properly with an extensive cover crop programme, they allow for minimal intervention in the cellar.

A Vadio, Espumante Solera, Branco, Bairrada

C Vadio, Espumante Rosé, Bairrada

B Vadio, Branco, Bairrada

F Vadio, Tinto, Bairrada

VADIO WINES UNIPESSOAL LDA

BERNHARD HUBER

Frankfurt

Berlin

THE REGIONS

Mosel Saar

Ruwer

Moselle

Rhine

Rheingau

Nahe

Saarland

Mainz

Hesse

Rheinhessen

RhinelandPalatinate

Pfalz

Thuringia

Franken

Baden

Main

Baden

Baden-Württemberg

Baden

Bavaria

FRITZ HAAG

MOSEL FRITZ HAAG

Weingut Fritz Haag, now run by Oliver Haag, is undoubtedly one of Germany’s greatest estates. Oliver’s father Wilhelm is still to be found on the scene, a legendary figure in German wine circles, and a man characterised not only by his humour, friendliness and bone-crushing handshake but also by his deep-seated passion for wine. Oliver Haag may have a less commanding handshake, but he has no less of a command of his vineyards and production – in fact recent vintages must rank alongside the estate’s finest. The estate’s holdings are dominated by the exceptional stony grey/blue slate vineyard of the Juffer in Brauneberg, the finest part of this being a large parcel surrounding the sun dial (Sonnenuhr). Depending on the vintage, Oliver employs a varying mixture of wooden fuders and temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks, the former helping complexity and finesse, the latter preserving freshness and intensity. These are some of the most elegant, pure and enticing wines in Germany – models of delicate, dancing Mosel minerality.

B Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Kabinett, Fritz Haag

B Brauneberger Juffer, Riesling, Spätlese, Fritz Haag

B Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Spätlese, Fritz Haag

B Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr, Auslese, Fuder 10, Fritz Haag

B Riesling, QbA, Screwcap, Fritz Haag,

B Brauneberger, Riesling, Kabinett, Screwcap, Fritz Haag

MOSEL JJ PRÜM

Jos Prüm is one of the Mosel’s, if not the whole of Germany’s, most revered and respected estates. For many years run by the inimitable Manfred Prüm, it is his daughter Katharina who is now at the helm, with Manfred making only the occasional appearance in the tasting room. This is a staunchly traditional address, and amongst the most enigmatic as no-one has yet made it down to the mysterious cellars. In the Sonnenuhr of Wehlen the Prüms own a portion of one of the Mittel Mosel’s top vineyards. Its steep south- facing dark slate slopes tend to result in deeply flavoured, mineral yet rich and smoky wines. In addition, they manipulate some plots in the next door Himmelreich of Graacher which produces animated and engaging wines, with fresh acidities and plenty of energy. It is a vineyard that can excel in warmer years. There are also vines in Zeltingen Sonnenuhr and Bernkastler Lay that tend to produce one or two expressions each year. These are unashamedly classic examples of Mosel Riesling, exciting and long-lived wines produced predominantly in stainless tanks to avoid the addition of too much sulphur. They are bottled later than most Mosel and often take a few years in bottle before showing the true character, but patience will be rewarded! Old bottles from this estate are much sought after.

B Graacher Himmelreich, Riesling, Kabinett, JJ Prüm

B Graacher Himmelreich, Riesling, Spätlese, JJ Prüm

B Zeltinger Sonnenhur, Riesling, Spätlese, JJ Prüm

B Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Spätlese, JJ Prüm

B Graacher Himmelreich, Riesling, Auslese, JJ Prüm

B Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling Kabinett, JJ Prum

B Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Auslese, Goldkap, JJ Prüm

B Bernkasteler Lay, Riesling, Auslese, Goldkap, JJ Prüm

JJ PRÜM

MOSEL SCHLOSS LIESER

In just over two decades Thomas Haag has propelled Weingut Schloss-Lieser to the very top echelon of German wine. The estate’s historic holdings and some of its oldest vines are in the top due-south facing Niederberg Helden vineyard of Lieser, while recent years have seen an ever-growing list of top class sites joining the portfolio; Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr, Piesporter Goldtropchen, Graacher Himmelreich, and the great Bernkastler Doctor (this last tending to appear only as an Auction bottling or in the Terroir Kiste). Rigorous work in the vineyard and microscopic attention to detail in his cellars guarantee a consistent production of good wines in poor years and outstanding wines in great years. These are taut, brilliant Rieslings, often reductive when young, but always very articulate of site. Seldom does a bottle of Schloss Lieser disappoint. For full details of large format availability please contact your account manager.

B Riesling SL, Schloss Lieser, Screwcap

B Schloss Lieser, Spätlese, Trocken, Schloss Lieser

B Goldstuck, Riesling, Trocken, Schloss Lieser

B Graacher Himmelreich, Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, Schloss Lieser

B Juffer Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, Schloss Lieser

B Piesporter Goldtropfchen, Riesling Grosses Gewächs, Schloss Lieser

B Lieser Niederberg Helden, Grosses Gewächs, Schloss Lieser

B Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, Schloss Lieser

B Graacher Himmelreich, Riesling, Kabinett, Schloss Lieser

B Brauneberger Juffer, Riesling, Kabinett, Schloss Lieser

B Lieser Niederberg Helden, Riesling, Kabinett, Schloss Lieser

B Piesporter Goldtropfchen, Riesling, Kabinett, Schloss Lieser

B Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Kabinett, Schloss Lieser

B Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Spätlese, Schloss Lieser

B Lieser Niederberg Helden, Riesling, Spätlese, Schloss Lieser

B Piesporter Goldtropfchen, Riesling, Spätlese, Schloss Lieser

B Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Spätlese, Schloss Lieser

B Lieser Niederberg Helden, Riesling Auslese, Gkap, Schloss Lieser

WILLI SCHAEFER

MOSEL WILLI SCHAEFER

A tiny gem of an estate based in the village of Graach, Schaefer produces some of the Mosel’s most intense and powerful wines from the Himmelreich and Domprobst vineyards. The latter vineyard has particularly diverse soil types so several parcels tend to be vinified and bottled separately as different Fuder numbers. The wines are all aged and fermented in large oak fuders and usually bottled by the May following the vintage. These are taut, powerful and complex; some of Germany’s finest and most mineral wines.

B Graacher, Riesling, Trocken, Willi Schaefer

B Graacher Himmelreich, Riesling, Kabinett, Willi Shaefer

B Graacher Himmelreich, Riesling, Spätlese, Willi Schaefer

SAAR ZILLIKEN

The life of a Saar Riesling grower is not an easy one. Possibly one of the coldest and most marginal corners of Germany, the Saar can produce some of the world’s great B wine in hot sunny years such as 1990. However, these are usually outnumbered by cold, wet years leading to astringent and unripe wines. There are a small band of growers though who have a distinct advantage over the rest in the land that they own. A handful of Saar vineyards are steep enough and exposed enough to ensure a decent level of grape ripening even in poor years. Hanno Zilliken, now joined by his daughter Dorothee and her husband Philipp, is fortunate enough to have sizeable holdings in Saarburg’s great vineyard, the steep south-facing Rausch. They exploit these slate based vines to the maximum through careful pruning and hand selection. When the wine is pressed, it gently descends by gravity into the oak casks lying in Hanno’s dark damp cellars. The wines are prime examples of Saar Riesling, being mouth-wateringly taut, smoky, mineral and sophisticated.

B Saarburger Rausch, Riesling, Grosses Gewachs, Zilliken

B Saarburger Rausch, Riesling, Kabinett, Zilliken

B Saarburger Rausch, Riesling, Spätlese, Zilliken,

B Saarburger Rausch, Riesling, Auslese, Zilliken

VON SCHUBERT

RUWER

VON SCHUBERT

An estate centred on a former monastic Manor House at the foot of the Maximin Grünhaus hill close to a narrow tributary of the Mosel, the Ruwer. This towering hill is responsible for the world famous wines of the von Schubert family, whose sensible attitude to vineyard management, careful selection and yield restriction result in classic examples of Ruwer style wines that are delicate and racy, defined by herbal complexity and intense minerality. Three of the region’s top vineyards are all situated on this hill. The Herrenberg occupies the largest portion, producing taut, mineral wines, whilst the other two comprise Bruderberg and Abstberg. In the monastic period the former provided the brothers’ tipple whilst the venerable, opulent Abstberg provided the extravagant imbibing requirements of the Abbotts. Carl’s son Maximin is now running the operation and proving to be an excellent successor – recent vintages, the cool Ruwer climate no doubt aided by a string of warm vintages, have nevertheless been some of the finest we can remember. Exciting times at Grünhaus…

B Maximin Grünhauser Bruderberg, Grosses Gewachs, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg, Grosses Gewachs, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grunhauser, Abtsberg Grosses Gewachs, von Schubert

B Maximin Grunhaus, Riesling, Monopol, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grunhauser, Alte Reben, Feinherb, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg, Riesling, Kabinett, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg, Riesling, Superior, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grünhauser Bruderberg, Riesling, Kabinett, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg, Riesling, Kabinett, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg, Riesling, Spätlese, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg, Riesling, Auslese, Von Schubert

B Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg, Riesling, Auslese, Von Schubert

F Maximin Grünhauser, Pinot Noir, Von Schubert

NAHE EMRICH SCHÖNLEBER EXCLUSIVE

A great Nahe estate that was started by Werner Schönleber in the 1960s with just two hectares. Today the estate comprises 14 hectares, mainly Riesling, on the slate and quartzite soils of the Halenberg and Frühlingsplatzchen vineyards. Intense vineyard work and spontaneous fermentation in old oak casks, together with ageing in steel vat conspire to produce intense, long lived Rieslings that combines floral, charming qualities with intense minerality, from the purest of dry wines to electric fruity and sweet styles. The red slate soils of Fruhlingsplatzchen tend towards the more delicate, floral, elegant side while the steep blue slated Halenberg bottlings often seem hewn from the hill itself; these are intensely mineral, serious and complex Rieslings that sometimes take a few years to fully reveal themselves. For the last five years, this estate has been performing to its maximum, rivalling Germany’s very greatest producers.

B Lenz Riesling, Emrich Schönleber

B Mineral, Riesling, Trocken, Emrich Schönleber

B Monzinger, Riesling, Fruhtau, Emrich Schönleber

B Monzinger, Riesling, Halgans, Emrich Schönleber

B Frühlingsplätzchen, Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, Emrich Schönleber

B Halenberg, Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, Emrich Schönleber

B Monzinger, Riesling, Kabinett, Emrich Schönleber

B Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen, Spätlese, Emrich Schönleber

B Monzinger Halenberg, Riesling, Spätlese, Emrich Schönleber

B Monzinger Halenberg, Riesling, Auslese, Emrich Schönleber

B Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen, Auslese, Goldkap, Emrich Schönleber

B Monzinger Halenberg, Riesling, BA, Emrich Schönleber

NAHE

DÖNNHOFF

The Dönnhoff family bought a modest estate in the Nahe in the 1750s. In 1971 current owner, Helmut Dönnhoff produced his first vintage and has not looked back since. Now joined by his son Cornelius, the Donnhoffs are helping the Nahe to take a share of the plaudits showered on the more internationally renowned German wine regions of the Mosel and the Rheingau. Their cool, calm demeanour is in stark contrast to the demonic fervour with which they tend their vineyards. Only the best hand-picked fruit will do, in order to produce wines that are honest reflections of the Riesling grape, and the terroir in which it is planted, whether it be the rare slate and volcanic soils of Dellchen, the deep, cool Brücke, or the noble, complex slate and sandstone of Hermanshöhle. Fermentation is in the traditional large old wooden casks and there is a light filtration before bottling. These are some of Germany’s most intense, bewitching and mouth-watering wines, mixing Rheingau body with Mosel minerality.

B Riesling, QbA Donnhoff

B Oberhäuser Leistenberg, Riesling, Kabinett, Dönnhoff

B Oberhäuser Brücke, Riesling, Spätlese, Dönnhoff

B Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle, Riesling, Spätlese, Dönnhoff

G Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle, Riesling, Auslese Goldkap, Dönnhoff

G Oberhäuser Brücke, Riesling, Auslese, Goldkap, Dönnhoff

RHEINGAU

SPREITZER EXCLUSIVE

A magnificent 17 ha estate in Oestrich, at the widest part of the Rhine, where sun reflection and humidity are so important. In the last few years the Spreitzer brothers have elevated this into one of the Rheingau’s great estates. Depending on the wine and the vintage a mixture of wood and steel is used alongside both wild and cultured yeasts. Usually the dry wines are fermented in oak and the fruity wines in steel. The main vineyard holdings are the loam and loess soils of the Lenchen and the quartz based Doosberg. The Spreitzer brothers are very active in the vineyard, reducing yield by pruning and green harvesting, and de-leafing where necessary to aerate the vines. Hand picking is vitally important here as they do lots of whole cluster pressing. In the cellar there is no pumping of the wines, it’s all done by gravity. There is usually no fining but a light filtration. Spreitzer make wines that betray full, rich Rheingau characteristics with an almost Mosel precision and energy. A star estate by any standards.

B Oestricher Doosberg, Alte Reben, Trocken, Spreitzer

B Oestricher Klosterberg, Alte Reben, Trocken Spreitzer

B Oestricher Lenchen Rosengarten, Grosses Gewächs, Spreitzer

B Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen, Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, Spreitzer

B Oestricher Lenchen, Spätlese, 303, Spreitzer

B Josef Spreitzer, Riesling Trocken, Spreitzer, 2020

RHEINHESSEN

KUHLING-GILLOT & BATTENFELD-SPANIER

Kühling-Gillot and Battenfeld-Spanier represent two estates brought together by marriage but produced by one winemaking team in one cellar. Their focus is on producing great dry wines from top Rheinhessen vineyards, with minimum intervention in the cellar and forward-thinking biodynamic principals in the vineyards. In doing so they manage to produce wines with flavour packed profiles and strong vineyard voices that transcend what you might reasonably expect from German Riesling. Having first adopted biodynamics in 2005 the team have been pioneering in the use of straw bales to keep ground temperatures down – vital in warmer years. Every Spring they spread an incredible 8000 bales of straw by hand, helping to retain moisture in the soil while regulating the ground temperatures. They have recorded impressive temperature differences of more than 30 degrees between the soil and straw cover since starting the practice, now adopted in all GG vineyards of Battenfeld-Spanier and Kühling-Gillot and much copied by others. The Kühling-Gillot vineyards are located in the Northern Rheinhessen, close to the river, in the red slate ‘Roter Hang’ heartland between the villages of Nackenheim and Oppenheim. With over 200 years of estate history, their holdings are enviable and feature some of the region’s most illustrious sites. Battenfeld-Spanier is a younger affair, set up by the ambitious Oliver Spanier in 1993. His vineyards are further south, centred around the villages of Hohen-Sulzen, Nieder-Florsheim and Molsheim. Here limestone is king. After hand harvesting, the grapes are kept on their skins for between eight hours and three days depending on the vintage, before fermentation with native flora. Vinification for all dry wines is done in 1200 litre wooden barrels, with constant topping up to minimize oxidation, the wines staying on their fine lees until the day of bottling. The differences between the two soils types are rendered beautifully clearly because of the identical winemaking; the Battenfeld-Spanier wines from limestone soils quiver with energy and cool minerality, the Kühling-Gillots on red slate tend towards more to tranquillity and warm, fluid minerality.

B Quinterra, Riesling, Kühling-Gillot

B Nierstein, Riesling, Trocken, Kühling-Gillot

B Hipping, Riesling, Grosses Gewachs, Kühling-Gillot

B Pettenhal, Riesling, Grosses Gewachs, Kühling-Gillot

B Molsheim, Riesling, Trocken, Battenfeld-Spanier

B Zellertal, Riesling, Trocken, Battenfeld-Spanier

B Kirchenstuck, Riesling, Grosses Gewachs, Battenfeld-Spanier

B Zellerweb am Schwarzen, Herrgott, Grosses Gewachs, Battenfeld-Spanier

B Frauenberg, Riesling, Grosses Gewachs, Battenfeld-Spanier

F Spatburgunder, Battenfeld-Spanier

F Hohen-Sulzen, Spatburgunder, Battenfeld-Spanier

KUHLING-GILLOT & BATTENFELD-SPANIER

RHEINHESSEN

WEINGUT KELLER

Klaus Keller gained a very serious reputation for making top-flight German Riesling in dry, fruity and sweet styles but it is in recent years, under the guidance of Klaus-Peter Keller that this estate has gone positively inter-stellar.The whole range rests upon highly attentive vineyard management and farming, and then sensitive, invisible winemaking. The Keller’s top sites in the Rheinhessen are now joined by Schubertslay, an own rooted, historical site in the Goldtropchen vineyard that produces wines that truly need to be tasted to be believed.

These wines sell out on release. For details of upcoming allocations please contact your account manager.

PFALZ ÖKONOMIERAT REBHOLZ EXCLUSIVE

A great name in German wine circles and the leading estate of the Pfalz, Ökonomierat Rebholz represents the region at its most detailed, precise and pure. If the Pfalz is often known for producing full-bodied, fruit-forward wines, Hansjorg Rebholz’s wines come as a crisp and pure breath of fresh air. Never chaptalising or de-acidifying, nor allowing his wines to soften through malolactic fermentation, the Rebholz style aims to be as transparent a translation of vintage and site as possible; the house style, honed now over three generations, is bone dry, crystal clear, pure and unadulterated. Possessing some of the finest vineyard sites in the Pfalz on a smorgasbord of different soils, Hansjorg and his team craft a broad range of wines. Riesling sits at the core making up 40% of the plantings, supported by some of Germany’s finest and most focussed Pinot Blancs, a concise selection of top level Spätburgunders and some truly classy, balanced Sekts. All of the dry B wines we import are fermented and aged in steel, with a minimum of intervention, resting upon fine lees until bottling, which is done without fining and the lightest of filtrations. The results are long, intense, pure wines that often require, and are always capable of, extended ageing.

B Weisserburgunder, Trocken, Okonomierat Rebholz

B Riesling, Trocken, Okonomierat Rebholz

B Riesling Im Sonnenshein, Grosses Gewächs, Okonomierat Rebholz

B Riesling, Ganzhorn, Grosses Gewächs, Okonomierat Rebholz

B

FURST

BADEN

BERNHARD HUBER EXCLUSIVE

Described by World of Fine Wine as “one of the most important wine producers in Germany of the past 20 years” Bernhard Huber’s small, family owned estate sits to the east of the famous Kaiserstuhl in the Baden village of Malterdingen. It was a great loss to Germany’s winemaking fraternity when Bernhard very sadly passed away in June 2014. Often described as the German Godfather of Pinot Noir, Bernhard used to ascribe the fact his wines are often mistaken for Burgundy to the cool often wet Malterdingen weather and its limestone soils, very similar to those found in the Côte d’Or. Records show that Cistercian Monks brought Pinot Noir to Malterdingen almost 700 years ago, planting the Wildenstein parcel in the Bienenberg vineyard. As today’s Burgundian Grand Cru sites prove, when it comes to Pinot Noir, the Monks had an eye for terroir. Today the estate is run by Bernhard’s son Julian Huber, with the same winemaking team that was there in Bernhard’s time. With almost a decade of vintages under his belt now, it is becoming increasingly obvious that he’s imbued with a similarly prodigious talent to his late father. A frequent visitor to Burgundy, Julian represents a very bright, outward looking future for this illustrious estate. A restless desire to fine tune an already winning philosophy in producing wine of great spark and definition, both for Pinot Noir, and increasingly Chardonnay too. The full range Grosses Gewachs are offered as part of Germany En Primeur and sell out on release. To register interest please contact your account manager.

B Malterdinger, Weiss, Bernhard Huber

B Chardonnay, alte Reben, Bernhard Huber

F Malterdinger, Spatburgunder, Bernhard Huber

FRANKEN RUDOLF FÜRST

The Fürst family is said to have been involved in winemaking since the 17th century, during which time Spatburgunder vines have been a constant presence in Burgstadt. The sudden death of Rudolf Fürst in 1975 saw his son Paul take over, a tenure that saw the estate’s holdings increase in size from 6 acres to almost 40, and now Paul’s son Sebastian is taking the reins. As an estate known primarily for its outstanding red wines (though the whites are also very good), its primary holdings are the Centrafenberg Vineyard in Burgstadter itself, a red standstone, moderately steep, due south facing vineyard from where they produce both Centgrafenberg Cuvess and the Hunsruck or Hounds Back, a slightly ridged portion of the vineyard that they refer to as the fillet of Centgrafenberg.

F Pinot Noir, Klingenberg, Fürst

F Pinot Noir, Bergstadter Berg, Fürst

BIRGIT EICHINGER

BIRGIT EICHINGER

KAMPTAL

BIRGIT EICHINGER EXCLUSIVE

Weingut Birgit Eichinger was founded in 1992 and now comprises fifteen hectares of prime Kamptal vineyards. Their style is one of full bodied purity, best played out in Eichinger’s exceptionally salty, richly textured Grüner Veltliners that hail from a range of volcanic loess and loam slopes. Winemaking is precise and modern, seeking purity and freshness through almost exclusive use of temperature controlled stainless steel for fermentation and ageing. Well-regarded amongst her peers, Birgit is a member of a renowned group of women winemakers in Austria which serves as a close network where, in a male dominated industry, they can support one another, exchange know-how and expertise, and develop new cuttingedge practices in the vineyards and the cellar. The estate is a member of the eminent Österreichische Traditionsweingüter (OTW), the union of Austria’s top wineries.

B Grüner Veltliner, Strass, Birgit Eichinger

B Roter Veltliner, Ried Strasser Stangl, Birgit Eichinger

B Gruner Veltliner, Ried Strasser Gaisberg, Erste Lage Birgit Eichinger

B Gruner Veltliner, Ried Kammerner Lamm, Erste Lage, Birgit Eichinger

B Riesling, Ried Gaisberg, Erste Lage, Birgit Eichinger

B Riesling, Ried Heiligenstein, Erste Lage, Birgit Eichinger

CARNUNTUM

WEINGUT DORLI MUHR EXCLUSIVE

Weingut Dorli Muhr was established in 2002 in partnership with leading Portuguese winemaker Dirk Niepoort. An early pioneer in the Carnuntum region, Dorli spotted great potential here, particularly of the magical Spitzerberg hill, and set about slowly buying-up and tending old, formerly abandoned plots and planting new vines. The climate is largely warm and dry, and in deciding to focus on Blaufrankisch Dorli has brought acclaim to the region and positioned her small twelve-hectare estate as arguably the finest red wine estate in Austria. In 2015 she converted the estate to fully organic viticulture, with the subsequent appointment of Lukas Brandstatter as winemaker has seen quality rise to a new level. In 2019, not only did Dorli become the sole owner of the estate (with updated labels for the 2017s), Ried Spitzerberg was finally recognised as an Erste Lage – recognition at last that it is one of Austria’s prime vineyards. An extraordinary, steep site, the vines are planted on hard limestone and exposed to constant cooling breezes that maintains freshness and minerality in the wines. Harvest is carried out entirely by hand and fermentation and ageing take place in large, traditional Austrian fuders with varying proportions of whole bunches. Samt & Seide is the principal wine of the estate; a pure Blaufränkisch which translates as “Velvet & Silk”. It is a blend of various parcels of vines across the Spitzerberg hill. It is an elegant and invigorating wine that absolutely over delivers on its price. As well a host of other stunning reds, including a straight Syrah, the estate also produces a Grüner Veltliner in limited volumes. It is a textured, savoury, spicy style thanks to a little skin contact and a touch of Riesling in the blend.

D Rosé, Weingut Dorli Muhr

F Zweigelt, Weingut Dorli Muhr

F Carnuntum, Weingut Dorli Muhr

F Samt & Seide, Prellenkirchen, Blaufrankisch, Weingut Dorli Muhr

F Ried Roterd, Blaufranksich, Weingut Dorli Muhr

F Kranzen, Ried Spitzerberg, Blaufrankisch, Erste Lage, Dorli Muhr

F Liebkind Kobeln, Ried Spitzerberg, Blaufrankisch, Erste Lage, Dorli Muhr

F Obere Spitzer, Ried Spitzerberg, Blaufrankisch, Erste Lage, Dorli Muhr

F Ried Spitzerberg, Blaufrankisch, Erste Lage, Weingut Dorli Muhr

F Sydhang, Syrah, Muhr van der Niepoort

WEINGUT DORLI MUHR

FELTON ROAD

CENTRAL OTAGO

FELTON ROAD

Felton Road is a boutique winery situated in Bannockburn, Central Otago. Here, small pockets of vineyard shadowed by snow-capped mountains have a unique microclimate that enables the production of fine wine even here on the outer limits of sustainable wine production. The hot days, cool nights and long dry autumns play a vital role in this. The winemaking philosophy here is a ‘softly, softly’ approach – at no point in the viticulture or winemaking processes is the human hand allowed to make its mark too heavily. Felton Road work in tandem with nature using organic treatments, manure, and plant cover crops to ensure natural biodiversity in the vineyards. Low yields are achieved through hand pruning and all picking takes place by hand. In the cellars Burgundian barrels are used for the oak-aged wines and bottling takes place without fining or filtration. The result is pure, light touch, vibrant wine.

B

B Felton Road, Block 2, Chardonnay B

B Felton Road, Block 3, Chardonnay

B Felton Road, Dry Riesling, Central Otago

F Felton Road, Bannockburn, Pinot Noir B

F Felton Road, Cornish Point, Pinot Noir, Central Otago B

F

F Felton Road, Block 3, Pinot Noir, Central Otago

F

F

MARTINBOROUGH

PALLISER ESTATE EXCLUSIVE

Pioneers and part of New Zealand’s wine-growing heritage, Palliser estate harvested their first grapes in 1989 and started exporting in 1991. Ever since they have won world-wide recognition for the consistency and outstanding quality of their wines, picking up a whole string of competition gold medals along the way, not to mention the accolade of being voted Exporter of the Year by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. The success of their wine-producing policy gained recognition in 1998 when they became one of the first three wineries in the world to be certified to International Environmental Standard ISO 14001. The estate spans some seven vineyards on the Martinborough Terrace, a small but very special area of land located at the southern end of New Zealand’s North Island. Framed by the Ruamahanga and Huangarua Rivers which helped carve out the Terrace centuries ago, the land is a stony silt loam overlaying varying depths of ancient free draining river gravels. The climate is dry, with frosts and strong winds being the main challenge. These are wonderfully intense, elegant wines that reflect their dry, sun-kissed origins. They are generous, charming and beautifully balanced. Palliser’s founder and all-round New Zealand wine legend, Richard Riddiford, very sadly passed away in 2016. As sad a loss as this was for those around him and many in the New Zealand wine industry, Richard would have been mightily proud of the great legacy he left behind. His long time Lieutenant, Pip Goodwin, who joined Palliser’s winemaking team in 2004, has now taken the reins and looks set to lead Palliser to even greater heights. One of Pip’s first changes was to install the brilliant Guy McMaster as head winemaker and viticulturist. Smaller batch plot selections and fermentations, gentler extractions and conversion to organic viticulture are all measures that are already taking these wines to greater levels of refinement and precision.

B Pencarrow, Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough

B Palliser Estate, Riesling, Martinboroug

B Palliser Estate, Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough

B Palliser Estate, Pinot Gris, Martinboroug

B Palliser Estate, Chardonnay, Martinborough

B Palliser Estate, Noble Late Harvest, Riesling

F Pencarrow, Pinot Noir, Martinborough

F Palliser Estate, Pinot Noir, Martinborough

AUSTRALIA

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

MOUNTADAM

Established in 1972 as one of Australia’s pioneering Chardonnay producers, Mountadam was founded by the late David Wynn, without question one of the most significant contributors to the Australian wine industry and an important part of the Mountadam story. In selecting the land for the Mountadam vineyard, Wynn was the first to recognise the potential of a cool, elevated site to produce wines of great elegance and structure, landing on an area in the High Eden sub-region of the Eden Valley. At 550m above sea level, Mountadam is to this day the highest estate in South Australia and harvest can take place a full month later than in the lower Eden and Barossa Valleys. Current owner David Brown bought the Mountadam estate in 2005 and one of many significant investments included the instalment of Con Moshos as head winemaker, following a distinguished 23-year career making fine wines at Petaluma, which helped to cement Mountadam’s reputation as one of the region’s finest producers. As of 2019, Phil Lehmann has taken over as winemaker after winemaking posts at Peter Lehmann, Yalumba, Teusner and WD Wines. The Eden Valley wines are gently made and lean towards cool climate, old world charm, the Barossa valley wines veer more towards new world generosity and roundness.

B Mountadam, Riesling, Eden Valley

B Mountadam, Pinot Gris, Eden Valley

B Mountadam, Chardonnay, High Eden

B Mountadam, 550, Chardonnay, Barossa

B Mountadam, Marble Hill, Chardonnay, High Eden

F Mountadam, 550, Shiraz, Barossa

F Mountadam, 550, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa

F Mountadam, The Red, High Eden

F Mountadam, Patriarch, Shiraz, High Eden

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

TURON WINES EXCLUSIVE

Turon White is a young gun set to flourish. From his base in the cool Adelaide Hills, he and his wife Alex established Turon Wines to produce intense, pristine, and elegant expressions of the cool climate varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah in particular. He has meanwhile fallen for the Gamay grape and sees huge potential for it in the region. At 500m above sea level, the property stretches across two ridgelines. The steep, cool, east facing ridge is used for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and the warm, north facing slope for Gamay and Syrah. Though this is a young project, Turon has impressive experience working for some of the region’s top estates. First at Petaluma, and latterly at the acclaimed The Lane Vineyard for the past ten years, where he served as head winemaker from 2019–2023. In January 2024 he took the bold step to break out and go it alone, focusing 100% of his efforts on growing and establishing the Turon brand as the best of the Adelaide Hills. They are already listed in many of Australia’s finest restaurants, and in 2023 Turon won the “Australian Pinot Noir Challenge”, achieving the best in show award for the Adelaide Hills. This is quite the achievement and speaks to the long-term commitment Turon is making to produce the best quality, small-batch wines possible. He describes their winemaking approach as “low-fi”, meaning that they pick on acidity, keep it no fuss in the cellar, and shoot for a crisp, paredback, complex style. Moreover, as they expand, they are improving vine density to maintain a low but high quality yield and a healthy ecosystem, all worked according to organic and biodynamic principles. As one of the few phylloxera-free regions in the world, vines are all planted on their own rootstocks. The wines are categorised as either “Hills” or “Limited” – reflecting accessibility and ageing potential, respectively. Since 2020, Turon Wines has been rated a 5-Star winery by the respected Halliday Guide. Justerini & Brooks is delighted to represent Turon Wines exclusively.

B Chardonnay, Hills Range, Turon Wines

B Chardonnay, Limited Range, Turon Wines

F Gamay, Hills Range, Turon Wines

F Pinot Noir, Hills Range, Turon Wines

F Syrah, Hills Range, Turon Wines

F Pinot Noir, Limited Range, Turon Wines

F Syrah, Limited Range, Turon Wines

NAPA VALLEY

BAND OF VINTNERS EXCLUSIVE

Finding high quality Napa Cabernet at a truly affordable price point is not the easiest of tasks, so coming across a project like Consortium has been a total joy – an affordable Napa Cab blend made by some of the best heads in the business. The project involves four illustrious Napa winemakers, a sommelier, wine exec and wine importer who have pooled their resources, talents and relationships to access some of Napa Valley’s best, sustainably-farmed fruit. With the winemaking knowhow of Stephane Vivier (Hyde de Villaine and Long Meadow Ranch) Dan Petroski (Larkmead and his own label Massican), Mark Porembski (Anomaly and Zeitgeist) and Barret Anderson (Jackson Family Vineyards) it is no surprise that this is exceptionally well crafted and not without a certain integrity. They are a seriously well-connected bunch, so the fruit hails from top sites, their own projects and little known vineyards of great potential. The style is generous yet easy going, full of Napa charm, ripe cabernet fruit and savoury tobacco tones. As Elin McCoy from Bloomberg notes “it compares with Napa Cabs selling for twice the price.”

F Consortium, Band of Vintners, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

NAPA VALLEY

CAIN CELLARS EXCLUSIVE

March 2021: Many will have heard about the terrible 2020 Californian fires and how our friends at Cain were affected. On Tuesday 29th September the Glass Fire that had been burning on Napa’s eastern hills crossed the valley and took hold on Spring Mountain. Cain sits right at the very top of Spring mountain, surrounded by forests, and it wasn’t long before they were engulfed by the fire. Within the space of a few hours they’d lost 7 out of 8 buildings, including their entire 2020 and 2019 production. But somehow, astonishingly, not a soul was lost, and while the very periphery of the vineyard saw damage, very little harm came to the core of the vines. As such, as Chris and Katie have told us themselves, the people remain, and the place endures. Cain will be back; and there will be wine in 2021.

Cain Five, whose precipitous vineyards high on Spring Mountain have been carefully nurtured by the intellectual and erudite Chris Howell for over 20 years now, continues to fly just under the radar of the trophy hunting Californian wine purchaser. After all, they don’t chase points and they don’t make blockbusters. Theirs is an endeavour of a more subtle nature. Which is probably why we’re such big fans. Chris Howell’s vision has always been to express the particular characteristics of the site the grapes come from. This he has done through very careful vineyard management and a deeply impressive understanding of the sites he works with. Harvest when it comes is often earlier than his peers, bringing into bright focus the specific terroir the grapes come from, not just the sun they ripen under. The estate wine, Cain Five, a classic Bordeaux blend is produced entirely from a very special hilltop site. Up at 2000ft on Spring Mountain the vineyards are steep and difficult to work. The soils are sandstone and shale with pockets of clay. The differing exposures are almost Piedmontese in their multitude – each one producing grapes of a slightly different character and complexity. Amongst the vines Chris allows wildflowers, cover crops and wild herbs to grow, adding to the specific sense of place while enriching and protecting the soil. Keeping manipulation to an absolute minimum and certainly eschewing any of the “corrective” practices you sometimes hear about in Californian winemaking, Chris produces some of the most elegant, complex and refined Californian Cabernet we know of. The estate also make Cain Concept which is absolutely not a second wine. Following his philosophy of producing wines the represent ‘place’, Cain Concept is produced from grapes grown on the “Benchland” – the sloping vineyards at the edges of the valley itself, home to some of Napa’s most well-known wines. All the winemaking expertise that Chris has built up in producing Cain Five is poured into Cain Concept. As WoFW says, “this is high quality fruit, yet the wine is offered at about half the price of Cain Five, which makes it something of a bargain”. Finally, Cain Concept is a two vintage blend inspired by wines from the turn of the 20th Century, a wine that gives Chris an outlet for young vine Cain Five fruit, and an introduction to the Cain style at an affordable price. Blending two vintages together is stroke of genius – this wine is far more complex, nuanced and alive than you’d believe possible for a Napa at this price.

F Cain Cuvée, Cain Cellars, Napa Valley

F Cain Cellars, Cain Concept, Napa Valley

F Cain Cellars, Cain Five, Napa Valle

F Cain Cellars, Cain Five, Napa Valley

NAPA VALLEY

DI COSTANZO EXCLUSIVE

Up-and-coming star Massimo di Costanzo is fast garnering a reputation as one of the Napa Valley’s most exciting young talents. With a small but growing roster of excellent single vineyards, Massimo is building a presence on the Napa scene block by block, based purely on the brilliance of his wines. Having worked stints in Europe, he got his big Napa break alongside Andy Erickson at Ovid, which eventually led to a position as day-to-day winemaker at Screaming Eagle; a position he held through the much lauded ’06 and ’07 vintages. The wines that Massimo produces fit firmly into the mould made famous by other Californian greats such as Ridge Monte Bello and Corison – structure, minerality, freshness and natural depth are all hallmarks of the Di Costanzo style; they are wines that evoke a more classic era of Napa production. Regularly name-checked by Antonio Galloni as one of his favourite sub $100 bottles, these are quite simply some of the most interesting wines coming out of the valley today. Alongside Massimo’s original Coombsville vineyard Farella, and the Moon Mountain Montecillo, Massimo produces DI CO from the Raphael vineyard – an earlier drinking value option produced with all the care and attention of the Di Costanzo bottlings.

F Di Costanzo, DI CO, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

F Di Costanzo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Farella Vineyard, Napa Valley

DI COSTANZO

NAPA VALLEY

DOMINUS ESTATE

This is a Christian Moueix venture in California that was quick to achieve cult status. Its fame is such that demand far outweighs supply of the limited production Dominus wine. Its stablemate, Napanook, is made from the same vineyard, with the fruit tending to come from the sunnier and riper side of the East-West oriented vines and is a similar Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot blend. It generally has marginally softer tannins and, although designed for earlier drinking, will still cellar well for a decade or more.

F Dominus Estate, Othello, Napa Valley

F Dominus Estate, Napanook, Napa Valley

NAPA VALLEY

FERREN WINES EXCLUSIVE

Ferren Wines is the solo project from winemaker Matt Courtney and represents some of the most exciting Chardonnay being made in California today. The style here owes much to the 8 years Matt spent as righthand man to Helen Turley at Marcassin, though with increased emphasis on elegance and less reliance on new oak. Pulling fruit from some of Sonoma’s greatest sites (including some that he was bottling chez Marcassin), Matt crafts exceptionally tactile Chardonnay of real impact and depth using traditional Burgundian techniques. Bold and powerful yet also long, nuanced and classy, these micro bottlings are over here for the very first time and we’re delighted to be exclusive distributors for them. Beware, available quantities are minuscule.

B Ferren Wines, Sonoma Coast, Chardonnay

B Ferren Wines, Lancel Creek Vineyard, Chardonnay

NAPA VALLEY

FROG’S LEAP EXCLUSIVE

There is so much to talk about with Frog’s Leap and not enough space to do it justice here. Since its inauguration in 1981 this Rutherford icon has been the source of some of Napa’s most traditionally made, restrained and terroir driven wines – qualities it continues to embody to this day. There’s no winemaking wizardry, no added gloss, instead the focus is firmly and squarely on the vineyards, rooted in the belief that healthy soils make for good grapes. John was a pioneer in so many ways, a full decade ahead of the curve when it came to organics and regenerative agriculture, a passionate believer in dry farming, and a great advocate for social equity for his vineyard workers. Having proved beyond doubt that the good way can be both financially sound, and result in better tasting fruit, he is today quite rightly seen as a figurehead of the increasingly popular movement towards true sustainability. These are enjoyable wines to drink. In the winery, new oak is kept to a minimum, extractions are gentle and alcohol levels are pleasingly moderate, rarely topping 13.5%, even in the Rutherford Cabernet. At a philosophical level, little has changed here since the first organic harvest back in 1988. The Rutherford Cabernet, the estate’s flagship wine, is a supremely confident yet restrained example full of Rutherford dust aromas and noble cabernet fruit, yet it remains recognisably Napa with a core of velvet cloaked tannins and mocha notes. Vintages dating back to the late 80s are still drinking beautifully. The full range comprises a pungent and leafy tank aged Sauvignon Blanc, a richer barrique aged Chardonnay from cool Carneros, a classic Zinfandel field blend that is a model of restraint and sophistication and a suave, and rather gorgeous Merlot that proves why so many of the world’s great wines contain this much maligned variety. With a winery motto impossible not to love “Time’s fun when you’re having flies”, this family affair proves that the good route can also be a profitable one – and the results are some of Napa’s best value and most satisfying wines. We’re delighted to be importing them exclusively for the UK on- and off-trades as of early 2021.

B Frog’s Leap, Sauvignon Blanc

B Frog’s Leap, Chardonnay ‘Shale and Stone’

F Frog’s Leap, Zinfandel

F Frog’s Leap, Merlot

F Frog’s Leap, Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon

FROG’S LEAP

FROG’S LEAP

RHYS VINEYARDS

SANTA CRUZ

RHYS VINEYARDS EXCLUSIVE

Kevin Harvey’s Rhys Vineyards has built up a near cult-like following in just a decade of releases. His bottlings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah from both the Santa Cruz Mountains and now also the Anderson Valley in Mendocino are rightly seen as amongst the very top echelon of wines produced anywhere in the United States. Everything about them speaks of attention to detail and a deep commitment to making great wine. In the often-steep vineyards, vine density is extremely high and as a result farming is entirely manual and very labour intensive. In the winery, vinification is carried out at a micro-level in tiny 4ft square vats: fermentations are native and everything is gravity-fed without pumping, fining or filtration. In essence, the wines are given kid-gloves treatment, and then aged in almost neutral French barrels, so better to promote the site-specific characters of the vineyards in the portfolio

B Rhys Vineyards, Alesia, Santa Cruz Mountains, Chardonnay

B Rhys Vineyards, Horseshoe Vineyard, Chardonnay

F Rhys Vineyards, Alesia, Santa Cruz Mountains, Pinot Noir

F Rhys Vineyards, Family Farm Vineyard, Pinot Noir

F Rhys Vineyards, San Mateo, Pinot Noir

F Rhys Vineyards, Anderson Valley, Pinot Noir

F Rhys Vineyards, Bearwallow Vineyard, Pinot Noir

F Rhys Vineyards, Horseshoe Vineyard, Pinot Noir

F Rhys Vineyards, Porcupine Hill, Pinot Noir

F Rhys Vineyards, Skyline, Pinot Noir

WALTER SCOTT

OREGON

WALTER SCOTT EXCLUSIVE

In the decade since their first bottling, this husband and wife team has created a reputation for producing some of Oregon’s most exciting wines. They are hard to come by, produced in tiny quantities, and beloved by critics. We would go so far as to say these are some of the most immediately impressive Chardonnays we’ve come across from the New World and so we were delighted when they offered us a direct allocation, putting these on British soils for the very first time. Today, with the reputation they’ve built, they are one of the very few who can buy fruit from the iconic Seven Springs vineyard and other local land-owners are only too happy to have the likes of Sojeau or X-Novo appear on a Walter Scott label. In a region dominated by Pinot Noir, the focus here is split evenly between Pinot and Chardonnay and it is with the latter that Ken and Erica are most pushing the boundaries of what people thought Oregon could produce. Côte d’Or inspired, taut, mineral and focussed Chardonnays are the order of the day at Walter Scott, while their excellent Pinot’s are wines of structure, balance and complexity.

B Walter Scott, La Combe Verte, Chardonnay

B Walter Scott, Cuvée Anne, Chardonnay

B Walter Scott, Seven Springs, Chardonnay

F Walter Scott, La Combe Verte, Pinot Noir

SANTA RITA HILLS

DEOVLET

Ryan Deovlet’s style, described by William Kelly as “Santa Barbara’s answer to Vincent Dauvissat ”, is for light touch, aromatic, relatively high acid wines that offer up crystalline flavours and plenty of savoury complexity. Alcohols are generally low and new oak usage tends to be no more than 20–30%. For the Pinots, whole cluster is judiciously, never dogmatically, employed. The whites begin their fermentations at cool temperatures in steel tanks and, once invigorated, are cooled before going to barrel to complete their fermentations. With access to some of the very top sites in the Santa Rita Hills AVA, Ryan’s wines speak clearly of their origins. The reds range from floral, mineral, red fruited delicacy in the Zotovich (from sandy soils), to the more savoury, powerful, earthy complexity with La Encantada and the flowing, tender red fruited grace and depth of Sandford and Benedict. For the whites, Zotovich offers up a racy minerality, while Sandford & Benedict offers more dimension and richness. Both finish with a fine crisp salty nuttiness that speaks more of the old world than anything overtly ‘Californian’. The Santa Barbara offerings tend to hail from lighter soils and are approachable earlier, but maintain the same sense of poise and tension as the other wines – they are both tremendously drinkable and manage to hold your interest right to the end of the bottle.

B Deovlet, Chardonnay, Sanford & Benedict Vyd

B Deovlet, Chardonnay, Zotovich Vyd

B Deovlet, Chardonnay, Zotovich Vyd., Sta. Rita Hills

F Deovlet, Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County

F Deovlet, Pinot Noir, Sanford & Benedict Vyd, Sta. Rita Hills

F Deovlet, Pinot Noir, Zotovich Vyd., Sta. Rita Hills

F Deovlet, Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vyd, Sta. Rita Hills

SONOMA DESIRE LINES

A micro project shining a light on some of California’s most arresting vineyards. When Cody and Emily Rasmussen set up Desire Lines in 2014, their aim was to craft transparent, site-specific wines with an emphasis on vibrancy and freshness. Over the past decade their quest has seen them forge relationships with some of the Golden State’s most singular vineyards. Today, their range of wines includes a remarkable Sauvignon Blanc from high in the Mayacamas mountains, a Carignan dominant blend from the famous Evangelho vineyard in Contra Costa county, whose sandy soils are home to ungrafted vines planted in the 1890s, and a pair of Syrahs, both of which include a drop of Viognier. Of these last two, Winds of Change is a multi-site blend that represents an ode to the state’s coolest and windiest sites, while Shake Ridge is grown in the Sierra foothills by viticultural legend Anne Kramer. In his day job Cody is associate winemaker at the famed Bedrock Winery and it is here that he makes his own label wines. The philosophy behind Desire Lines is derived from a love of wild processes and remote sites, a wish to let the natural voice of a vineyard have its say. What this means in the cellar is spontaneous fermentations across the board, plenty of whole bunch use in the reds, barrel fermentations for the whites and ageing in primarily old and neutral oak casks. Nothing is fined or filtered prior to bottling. Pressed to remark on any single thread that might tie most of his vineyards together Cody was succinct, “Coastal cool and mountainous” –which would be a pretty good way to describe the wines he makes; these are vivid, expressive and hugely drinkable wines full of character and soul. For a refreshing look at what California can produce, these Desire Lines’ bottles deliver on all fronts.

F Kick Ranch, Sauvignon Blanc, Desire Lines

F Evangelho, Red, Desire Lines

F Winds of Change, Syrah, Desire Lines

F Shake Ridge, Syrah, Desire Lines

SWARTLAND

DAVID & NADIA EXCLUSIVE

David & Nadia Sadie are a young husband and wife team whose thoughtful, sensitive approach to viticulture and winemaking has set them out as one of the Swartland’s shining stars. Their quest to nurture and restore low yielding old vineyards is an effort to breathe new life into the region’s enviable stock of old vines and shine a light on the qualities of the beautiful Swartland at large. More than that though, they are also establishing new vineyards, which they have planted to Grenache – their flagship variety along with Chenin Blanc. Once in the winery, the grapes see a cool soak before spontaneous fermentation and ageing in a combination of concrete and neutral French oak. Extractions are gentle and aim for light, lifted fruit, freshness and perfume. The core range comprises four wines: Aristargos, a beautiful Cape White Blend, Elpidios, a Grenache-based Mediterranean blend, and two single varietals – Chenin Blanc and Grenache. At their heart, the core wines are based on vineyards grown in the decomposed granite soils of the Paardeberg, bringing freshness and minerality, blended with schist, iron, and clay based sites, which build complexity. At the top of the quality pyramid are three single vineyard Chenin Blancs: Hoe-Steen, Skaliekop and Plat’Bos, each a faithful reflection of a different underlying soil type (iron-rich clay, shale, and decomposed granite, respectively). From humble beginnings, David & Nadia are now recognised as one of the Cape’s very top producers.

B Aristargos, David & Nadia, Swartland

B Chenin Blanc, David & Nadia, Swartland

B Skaliekop, Chenin Blanc, David & Nadia, Swartland

B Hoe-Steen, Chenin Blanc, David & Nadia, Swartland

F Elpidios, David & Nadia, Swartland

F Grenache, David & Nadia, Swartland

DAVID & NADIA

RALL WINES

SWARTLAND

RALL WINES EXCLUSIVE

Donovan Rall is one of the key figures in South Africa’s explosive “New Wave” movement. One of the original garagista producers in the Swartland, Donovan can now proudly say that he makes some of the most highly sought-after wines in the country. Well-travelled, affable, and ambitious, he trained at the University of Stellenbosch in viticulture and oenology with David Sadie, amongst others, then worked in wineries across Europe and Australia before returning to South Africa in 2007 to join Eben Sadie in the Swartland. A year later, Donovan had six barrels tucked away under his own name, and the inaugural Rall White was born. Immediately awarded 5-Stars in the Platter’s Guide, Donovan grasped the opportunity to strike out on his own and he has never looked back. Rall’s roster of small batch, subtle and sensitively produced fine wines have been a veritable hit parade thus far, and cemented his place at the highest level of South African wine. Fermentations are natural and spontaneous with no interventions, and ageing takes place in various vessels including concrete, cask and amphora depending on the variety. Although primarily Swartland based, Donovan also takes prime fruit from the Piekenierskloof, Darling and Stellenbosch regions, and is much in demand as a consultant to other projects.

B Grenache Blanc, Rall Wines

B White, Rall Wines

B Chenin Blanc, Noa, Rall Wines

B Chenin Blanc, Ava, Rall Wines

F Cinsault, Rall Wines

F Syrah, Rall Wines

F Red, Rall Wines

F Syrah, Ava, Rall Wines

SWARTLAND

WOLF & WOMAN EXCLUSIVE

Occasionally we are lucky enough to stumble across a bright, exciting young producer whose approach and attitude immediately instils confidence. Rarer though, is realising that they have yet to release their first vintage and their delicious, characterful and terroir driven wines are still a tiny, part-time project. For the time being at least. Well, this is exactly what happened when we met Jolandie Fouché in 2019. A Swartland native, Fouché’s goal is to produce wines that reflect her origins in a style “that I like to drink myself.” For now just two wines, the Chenin Blanc is a 50/50 blend of granite and iron based vineyards, which combines freshness with aromatics, while the Pinotage is a long way from your average overworked example, coming from 49 year old dry-farmed bush vines planted on granite. Produced firmly in the new wave style, Jolandie includes 25% whole bunches in the fermentation, with the balance whole berries to maximise fruit purity and perfume. The cap is wet once a day with no punch downs whatsoever – a very gentle approach to avoid extracting tannin. Both wines are fermented naturally and bottled after 10–11 months in neutral 300L cask, unfined and unfiltered. 2018 was the first vintage of this exciting new project and we are delighted to be the first to bring these wines to the UK. Dubbed Tim Atkin MW’s “Most Exciting White Wine Discovery of the Year” in 2019, Jolandie Fouché is going places, and will soon be adding new cultivars to create a small but beautifully formed range. Reflecting on the name for her project, Jolandie took inspiration from the poet Clarissa Pinkola Estés whose work includes the line: “Some days I am more wolf than woman, and I am still learning how to stop apologising for my wild”.

B Grenache Blanc, Wolf & Woman, Voor-Paardeberg

B Chenin Blanc, Wolf & Woman, Swartland

C Grenache Rose, Wolf & Woman, Swartland

F Pinotage, Wolf & Woman, Swartland

F Syrah, Wolf & Woman, Swartland

HEMEL-EN-AARDE

STORM WINES EXCLUSIVE

Storm Vineyards are a relatively recent addition to the South African fine wine scene, having released their first vintage in 2014. Formerly head winemaker at Hamilton Russell, Hannes Storm produces beautiful Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in a hands-off fashion, and is the only producer to bottle Pinots from each of the three sub-regions of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley; namely, the Valley, Upper Valley and Ridge. A respected viticulturist, he established a number of the top vineyards in the region himself, and is now proud to work exclusively with his own, estate-grown fruit. Inspired by Burgundy, the Pinots are fragrant and dashing, with a purity of fruit and restless energy we’ve not seen before in South Africa. The Chardonnays are pure class, offering, in the case of the Vrede, sunny fruit and dancing complexity, while Ridge is an altogether cooler, more mineral bottling of great precision. Hannes places an enormous amount of attention on picking times, and ferments small batches naturally in stainless steel, before ageing in Burgundy barriques for a year. An average of 25% new oak is employed across the range. Believing that the wines need time to show at their best, they are released after 15 months in bottle, at the beginning of their drinking window. Small production, attentive viticulture, minimal intervention in the cellar, and continued reverence to the terroir and vintage conditions means fabulous wines of distinct personality and character.

B Chardonnay, Ridge, Hemel en Aarde, Storm Wines

B Chardonnay, Vrede, Hemel en Aarde, Storm Wines

F Pinot Noir, Vrede, Hemel en Aarde, Storm Wines

F Pinot Noir, Ignis, Hemel en Aarde, Storm Wines

F Pinot Noir, Ridge, Hemel en Aarde, Storm Wines

PATATSFONTEIN WINES

MONTAGU PATATSFONTEIN WINES

Named in homage to the sweet potato farm that once sat on this extreme site in the arid, slate-rich Little Karoo, the principal Patatsfontein vineyard is located approximately 180km inland from Cape Town in a little-known region called Montagu. The talented Reenen Borman (of Boschkloof fame) has taken this formerly unknown area to levels nobody quite expected. First introduced to Montagu by Chris Alheit in 2014 on his hunt for heritage vineyards for Cartology, Reenen took over in 2015, gradually restored the vineyards, and is now producing truly unique expressions of Chenin Blanc and Colombard in South Africa. The extreme nature of the climate, elevation and high proportion of slate in the soils bring an initially reductive, mineral feel to the wines. Patatsfontein Wines has evolved to mean more than just Montagu though, as Reenen uses the brand to adopt small, special parcels of vines wherever they may lie. For this reason, the Sons of Sugarland label has been brought in to the Patatsfontein fold, as it represents the highest, coolest site in Stellenbosch’s Polkadraai Hills. The Syrah has found favour as one of the most exciting in the country – a product of 100% whole bunches and solely concrete vinification and aging. More varieties and distinctive vineyards are expected to join the Sons of Sugarland project in due course. Meanwhile, Kottabos is a jovial reference to an ancient Greek parlour game (hence the beautiful mosaicstyled labels) in which wine lees was thrown at targets whilst uttering the name of the object of one’s affection. The red is produced from Grenache and Syrah and aged in a combination of concrete and oak to harness a lighter, fragrant and drinkable style, jovial in nature but with seriously good quality fruit. The white is a pure Chenin Blanc which sees some skin contact to showcase the variety’s distinct textural qualities.

B Steen

B Patatsblanc

F Syrah, Sons of Sugarland

F Syrah, Sons of Sugarland

F Wit Versnit

FAMILIA CASSONE

MENDOZA

FAMILIA CASSONE EXCLUSIVE

The Cassone family first arrived in Argentina from Piedmont in the 19th century. Entrepreneur Roberto Cassone started making wine in the 1950s in very small quantities and passed down his knowledge and enthusiasm for wine to his son and current owner, Eduardo Cassone. In 1998 Eduardo, together with his wife and sons, built a small winery in Mendoza with which they could fully exploit the old family vineyards. The majority of the vineyards are 90 years old and are located in the prime Drummond area of Luján de Cuyo in Southwest Mendoza, 950 metres above sea level. The wines are fermented in their hightech winery before ageing in French oak barrels. These are wonderful wines that marry modern freshness of fruit with structure and complexity.

B Familia Cassone, Chardonnay, Finca La Florencia

B Familia Cassone, Torrontes, Finca La Florencia

F Familia Cassone, Finca La Florencia, Malbec

F Familia Cassone, Malbec, Obra Prima, Mendoza

F Familia Cassone, Obra Prima, Coleccion, 2015

RAPEL VALLEY – MAIPO & LEYDA

OCHAGAVIA EXCLUSIVE

The founder, Silvestre Ochagavía was a man of enterprising spirit who, on visiting Europe to study the new trends in winemaking, returned with the first noble grape varieties from Bordeaux, thus becoming the father of modern Chilean winemaking. Today, Viña Ochagavía vineyards are located in the most re-owned Chilean valleys. They benefit from a temperate climate ensuring an even ripening of the grapes, which ensures a high concentration of aromas and flavours.

B Don Silvestre, Sauvignon Blanc, Ochagavia

B Don Silvestre, Chardonnay, Ochagavia

B Don Silvestre, Reserva, Sauvignon Blanc, Ochagavia

B Don Silvestre, Reserva, Chardonnay, Ochagavia

D Don Silvestre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rose, Ochagavia

F Don Silvestre, Merlot, Ochagavia

F Don Silvestre, Reserva, Carmenere, Ochagavia

F Don Silvestre, Reserva, Merlot, Ochagavia

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