2022 Chianti Classico, Castello di Volpaia, DOCG

Sangiovese

The Volpaia Chianti Classico shows wodnerful purity of fruit and is a very elegant, balanced wine.  The complex nose shows fresh cherry and strawberry fruit with typically earthy nose and whiffs of spice.  The palate is open with elegant, silky fruit and herbal notes mingling with a delicate floral character and perfectly poised tannins. Delicious now but with the ability to age, this is a wonderful introduction to the wines of this top notch Tuscan estate.

£27.95

2022 Clos Le Comte Cuvee Emilie, AC Sauternes

White Blend

The Clos le Comte is a tiny, organically farmed vineyard that produces wonderfully elegant Sauternes.  The grapes are harvested after several passages through the vineyard ensuring that only the very ripest grapes are selected.  Wonderfully ripe, concentrated and complex fruit aromas. The rich bouquet shows notes of dried fruits, almonds, apricots, fresh citrus and peach blossom. Well structured on the palate with a viscous density resulting from the high levels of botrytis. Beautiful acidity gives excellent lively freshness to the spicy notes on the long finish.

£40.00

2022 Defesa Tinto Touriga Nacional/Syrah, Esporao, Alentejano

Touriga Nacional

The Defesa Tinto is an inviting blend of Touriga Nacional and Syrah coming from young'ish vines planted on Granite and Schist soils.  The wine is open and immediately enjoyable with a mass of spice-tinged, black fruit aromas which follow on to a rounded, fruit filled palate that is rich and creamy.  The well balanced finish is softly textured, supple and long.

£13.95

2022 El Chivo Merlot, Central Valley

Merlot

Round and pleasing wine with a fine aromatic persistence, highly supple tannins, silky and very fleshy.

£9.95

2022 El Chivo Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley

Sauvignon Blanc

This vineyard is located in  the Valle Central in Chile at the foot of the Andes, with a winegrowing area covering 114,000 hectares with very varied soils.  A very easy drinking Sauvignon Blanc with typical aromas of gooseberry and citrus fruits, lovely balanced acidity and a crisp clean finish. 

£9.95

2022 Frankenstein Blend, Charles Frey, AC Alsace

White Blend

The Frankenstein white is a blend of Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Muscat and Pinot Gris grown in granite rich Grand Cru vineyards of Frankstein.  Alsace wine law forbids blending for Grand Cru wines so this cracking wine is only classified as AC Alsace despite the quality of fruit going into it.  Exotic, bold and full of character, this complex and aromatic white blends floral notes, ginger spice and tropical fruits such as Mango, lychee and ripe pear.  Although naturally aromatic the finish is dry and mineral tinged with a surprising delicacy courtesy of the granite rich soils of Frankstein.

£32.00

2022 Hunting Hill Chardonnay, Kumeu River, Half Bottles

Chardonnay

The 2022 Chardonnay Hunting Hill is an impressive, focused style. It has a sense of energy, being almost buoyant with the movement of a skimming stone across your palate. There's a powerful core of fruit here and it has plenty of substance within its no-more-than medium-bodied core before kerpow! It fires home with an almost spicy kick. Clever oak use, reminiscent of toasted nuts, meets restrained flavors of lemon and lime bitter and nectarine fruit. A wine that's still in its cocoon so give it time. It may even have the edge of Maté's... Big call. 2024-2035.

£29.00

2022 Kumeu Village Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

The Kumeu Village Pinot Noir is an excellent value introduction to the wonderful wines from this property.  Lifted red fruits on the nose lead to a fresh and fruity palate with a hint of chalky tannins. 

£18.95

2022 Monbazillac Domaine de l’Ancienne Cure, Half Bottle

Semillon

The Domaine de l'Ancienne Cure Monbazillac is an aromatic and complex dessert wine that is blended from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle and is among the best of the region. It's a rich, sweet 'liquoreux' wine with aromas of dried fruit and honey. It can be drunk as an apéritif or with blue cheese or fruit desserts.

£12.95

2022 Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Domaine de Durban

Muscat

Aromas of apricot, peach, Seville orange and ripe pear come to mind when sampling Domaine de Durban Muscat Beaumes de Venise, an exemplary dessert wine.

£13.95

2022 Nuits St. Georges ‘Les Allots’, Gilles Remoriquet

Pinot Noir

Gilles Remoriquet is forever looking for ways to improve the wines from his 12.5 hectare sustainably farmed domaine, whether that means a dedicated trip the Jura to see a specialist about selecting the right blend of manure, or investing in a second sorting table which eliminates under-ripe berries by flotation, he is not one to rest on his laurels. Cuvaisons in concrete vats are long, giving a light colour yet concentrated yet elegant fruit flavours. Wines are fermented with natural yeasts and never see more than 30% new oak, allowing the fruit to shine through.

£52.00

2022 Pinot Gris, Domaine Mader, Hunawihr

Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio

Mader is a tiny, high quality wine producer based in Alsace, in the village of Hunawihr. All the vineyards are grown organically without the use of any chemical treatments and has been certified by Ecocert since 2007.

£23.00

2022 Pinot Noir Crepuscule, Idun, Elgin

Pinot Noir

The Crepuscule Pinot Noir by Idun in Elgin shows a very light ruby colour with bricky tints to the rim.  The delightful  nose shows Brambles, rose petals, ripe cherries and strawberries. The palate is wonderfully fresh with red fruits and cherries that are delicate and integrated.

£26.95

2022 Pojega Valpolicella Ripasso DOC Classico Superiore

Red Blend

The Rizzardi Pojega is an utterly delicious example of this style of red wine, showing a wonderful depth of fruit and terrific balance.  Made from a traditional blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone and Merlot the wine shows great concentration of dark and red fruits, but also lovely freshness and a harmonious finish.  The addition of 10% Amarone (which now has to be done by law for Ripasso's) simply adds to the complexity without detracting from the elegant freshness which seems to be the hallmark of the wines from this historic estate.  This is the kind of wine which doesn't disappoint, no matter what your taste.

£22.00

2022 Pombal de Vesuvio, Qta do Vesuvio, DOC Douro

Red Blend

Quinta do Vesuvio is part of the mighty Symington Family Estate.  The Pombal de Vesuvio has pretty floral aromatics on the nose that  mingle with milk chocolate notes and dark fruits.  The palate is opulent and open with more dark fruits and black cherry characters, clove spice and peppery tannins balanced with fine tannins.  Delicious now but with the abaility to age further in bottle.

£24.95

2022 Rioja Garnacha, Bodega Alegre Valganon, DOCa Rioja

Grenache/Garnacha

This 100% Garnacha is elegant, refined and a perfect representation of the winemaking philosophy at Bodega Alegre Valganon.  Medium-bodied with enticing red and dark fruit characters, including cherry and raspberries, alongside a whiff of wood and spice. The finish has well-integrated, delicate tannins and a beautiful lift.  Complex yet approachable, this wonderful expression of Garnacha from the high altitude vineyards of Rioja Alta is a great wine to try if you have had enough of the big, gutsy modern styles packed with fruit and oak that have become very popular in recent years.

£31.00

2022 Saini Vineyard Chenin Blanc, Leo Steen

Chenin Blanc

This utterly delicious Chenin Blanc from Leo Steen deftly balances weight and richness with delicacy and drinkability.  Varietally precise with crisp green apple, pear and citrus fruit and hints of honeyed richness, this wonderful food wine is so enjoyable now, but will continue to provide drinking pleasure for years to come. 

£30.00

2022 Samartzis ‘S’ Single Origin Syrah, Central Greece

Syrah/Shiraz

£16.95

2022 Samartzis Kontoura Barrique, PGI Thiva

Kontoura

£18.95

2022 Samartzis M Merlot/Mouhtaro, PGI Central Greece

Red Blend

£17.95

2022 Savagnin Blanc, Domaine Badoz, AC Jura

Savagnin

Domaine Badoz are 10th Generation winemakers in the Jura and know a thing or two about the unique, foodie wines of this part of France.  This Savagnin shows typical citrus and green apple characters mixed with a complex hazelnut and spice notes.  Ageing in old wood gives texture and body yet the acidity is keen and fresh, making this a fabulous food wine, especially with Comte Cheese and other regional dishes. 

£38.00

2022 Txakoli, Bodegas Katxina, DO Getariako Txacolina

Hondarribi Zuri

Made with the indigenous Hondarribi Zuri grape variety, this wonderful Txakoli (pronounced cha-co-li) is a brilliantly zesty example of this intriguing wine.  Bodegas Katxina strive to produce the healthiest fruit possible with which to make clean, crisp and enjoyable wine.  The grapes are harvested at optimum ripeness in October and are pressed very gently to protect the delicate fruit characters of the grape.  Following a cool fermentation the wine sits on it's lees for 3 - 4 months at 4 degrees celsius helping to retain it's gentle spritz.  Super fresh, with lovely aromatics and crisp, zesty finish, this is a great aperitif style and also perfect for shellfish dishes.

£17.50

2022 Yantra, Tenuta Sette Cieli, IGT Toscana

Red Blend

A sophisticated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from a mixture of the properties younger vines and also 'off cuts' from their top wines.  Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and the wine is aged for 7 months in tank and a further 3 months in bottle prior to release. There's plenty of blackcurrant and red and dark berry fruits, hints of graphite and a tantalising herbal note.  This delicious red shows a lightness of touch that belies it's complex nose.  Delicious now after a decent decant but with the potential to age for a good 4 - 5 years.

£26.95

2022/23 Loidana Blanc, Marco Abella, DOQ Priorat

White Blend

The Loidana Blanc is a new addition to the fabulous range of Priorat wines from the Marco Abella in Priorat.  This stunning blend of Garnacha Blanca, Picapoll, Viognier and Macabeo is fermented in oak and then lees aged in stainless steel.  This complex white wine shows impeccable balance with exotic fruit notes such as Quince and stone fruits alongside fresher, more mineral characteristics and beautifully poised acidity.  It's not surprising that this wine is so delicious as Marco Abella place a great emphasis on quality, hand-picked fruit frmo their perfectly sited, biodynamic vineyards in and around the famous village of Porrera.

£24.95