Aromatic and intense, lovely aromas of wild red berries, blossom, nutmeg and hints of sandalwood. Fresh, fruity and well balanced with sensations of raspberries, vanilla and cinnamon.

Bodegas Manzanos

Aromatic and intense, lovely aromas of wild red berries, blossom, nutmeg and hints of sandalwood. Fresh, fruity and well balanced with sensations of raspberries, vanilla and cinnamon.

Bodegas Manzanos

La Reine de l'Arenite, meaning ‘Queen of the Arenite’ refers to the terroir of pinky, crumbly sandstone of the La Madone vineyards, rated as one of the best vineyards in Fleurie. At up to 450m altitude and with soils still untouched by phylloxera, goblet trained vines on the east and south east facing vineyards lie below the Chapel of the Madonna at the top of the hill. Gamay Noir vines range from 40 to 90 years of age. Grapes are hand-picked and whole-berry fermented for 8-10 days (traditional maceration carbonique) followed by a further 2 or 3 days on the skins to assist with aromas. No use of cultured yeasts. Pressed after an 8-10 day cuvaison. First press wine was returned to vat and left for 8 months before bottling.

Very pretty indeed, a heady perfume of freshly picked irises and peonies drifts above the crushed berry fruit nose. Ripe tannins and fresh acidity support a palate of Morello cherries, strawberries with wonderful savoury finish.

An elegant Fleurie where mineral notes complement ripe fruit and spicy nuances. Inimitable finesse and a persistent finish with well balanced tannin and acidity. Velvety, elegant and floral.

Grapes are sourced from Taittinger’s own vineyards including the superb grapes grown in ‘Les Folies’, surrounding the Château de la Marquetterie. A "green" harvest is carried out on the selected plots of vines to ensure the fruit offers optimum sweetness and aromatic maturity. Only wines from the first pressing are used and defined lots are vinified in small volumes lot by lot, with certain lots of Chardonnay vinified in large oak casks to give added weight and creaminess. Folies de la Marquetterie is a blend of 45% Chardonnay and 55% Pinot Noir. Slow ageing for 5 years in bottle brings the flavours of this Champagne to perfect harmony. This wine is made to be a creamier style, making it particularly suited to food pairing.

Deep yellow with golden highlights and fine, delicate bubbles. It has an intense, fruity bouquet with aromas of peaches, apricot jam and subtle hints of toasted brioche and vanilla. On the palate is it full-bodied, fruity and graceful with golden peach flavours. The long finish is distinctive with light toasty notes.

Dark yellow with light orange reflexes. Fully ripe dried tropical fruit, charming Veltliner spice and well balanced and a light tannic structure.

A blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, drawn from 12 of the best vintages available in Maison Gardet's cellars. A blend that reflects the knowledge passed from generation to generation since the founding of the estate.

Champagne Gardet

Easter Fizz Offer

£35 when you buy 2 bottles,

or £31.50 when you buy 6 bottles.

Robust, mature & biscuity style of Champagne from a small family-owned company whose insistence on the very highest level of quality has afforded them an international reputation.

1/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Pinot Meunier, 1/3 Chardonnay, with 25% aged in barrel.

Champagne Gardet

An enticing nose of white peach and pear with hints of fresh lime and gooseberry. Fresh and light zesty citrus notes and crisp acidity lift a textured, medium-bodied palate.

Azienda Agricola la Battistina

La Battistina, situated in the north west region of Piedmonte, is an estate situated around the town of Gavi, and considered one of the best sites in Gavi. The vineyards are south facing with chalky and mineral soils, which allow the Cortese grape to ripen to its fullest. The wine is aromatic, with zesty citrus, lime and pineapple notes with a hint of minerality. The weighty fruit gives this wine an immensely long finish.

La Battistina

A classic Chardonnay from Southern Burgundy - fine buttery and floral notes on the nose and a wine of substance and finesse on the palate. Some creamy textural notes up front reveal the discreet presence of oak, whilst on the finish there is some underlying minerality and a hint of citrus zestiness that provides long lasting flavours.

Maison Roche de Bellene

Maison Roche de Bellene

Kick-ass Gewurz, bursting with spice and more than a hint of lychees

Robust and generous, this Gigondas is characterised by its power and structured tannins.

A blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre from vines with an average age of 40 years. Low yields of 32hL/hectare ensure this is a wine with great concentration. Maturation is two years in oak foudres, 50% of which are new oak.

E.Guigal

Although this Bodega was established back in 1886, it had remained under our radar until last year when their Predilecto and the stunning Pancrudo showed up at a tasting I was attending. Since that lightbulb moment, we’ve tasted across their range and really love this Burgundian style blend of Viura and Tempranillo Blanco, released in its second year (hence 2 Ano) after some modest ageing in oak.

If these things matter to you, it was recently awarded 92 points by Tim Atkin MW in his annual Rioja report.

The Gómez Cruzado winery dates back to 1886 when Angel Gómez de Arteche started to produce and bottle his own wine in Haro, at the very heart of Rioja Alta. This was in the day when the wine trade between Rioja and France passed along the Tudela-Bilbao line, and the key Rioja wineries were located around the station of Haro. The winery sits just 100m from the station to this day.

The Gómez Cruzado winery dates back to 1886 when Angel Gómez de Arteche started to produce and bottle his own wine in Haro, at the very heart of Rioja Alta. This was in the day when the wine trade between Rioja and France passed along the Tudela-Bilbao line, and the key Rioja wineries were located around the station of Haro. The winery sits just 100m from the station to this day.

One of Gomez Cruzado's ‘Terroir Selection’, Pancrudo is an expression of selected vineyards around Badarán, in southern Rioja Alta. Here the high elevation, limited yield, red iron-rich soil, northern exposure and continental climate produces a wine with distinctive character. The old bush-trained Garnacha vines are planted in red ferrous-clay soils in the rolling hills of Badarán (near the upper Najerilla), due south of Haro. The vineyards are north-facing at around 650m altitude. The grapes are hand-harvested into 200kg crates, and are sorted by hand at the winery. After fermentation in stainless steel, gently plunging the cap, malolactic fermentation takes place - 65% in new French oak, and 35% in egg-shaped concrete tanks. The resulting wine is blended and bottled.

Awarded 96pts in Tim Atkin MW's Rioja 2022 Special report

Bodegas Gomez Cruzado

The Gómez Cruzado winery dates back to 1886 when Angel Gómez de Arteche started to produce and bottle his own wine in Haro, at the very heart of Rioja Alta. This was in the day when the wine trade between Rioja and France passed along the Tudela-Bilbao line, and the key Rioja wineries were located around the station of Haro. The winery sits just 100m from the station to this day.

Produced from grapes cultivated in the highest parts of the Ebro valley. Predominantly Garncaha (65%) from Alto Nejerilla, in the area between the towns of Badarán, Cordovin and Cárdenas where the vines grow in red ferrous clay soils; and Tempranillo (35%) from Samaniego, and the white limestone soils of Sierra Cantabria. Hand-harvested into 200kg crates with a selection of bunches at the winery. Garnacha and Tempranillo are destemmed and vinified separately. They undergo cold fermentation with native yeasts, and a short maceration. Then the two wines are assembled and refined in concrete for around 5 months.

Bright and aromatic with cherry and berry characters and a hint of liquorice. The palate is complex with layers of plum, bramble and forest fruits, all supported by fine tannins, and long and elegant on the finish.

Bodegas Gomez Cruzado

Weingut Oliver Zeter

With the grapes harvested at the end of Ocotber the long ripening season ensures a brilliant, luminous, deep golden colour with flashes of gold and green. An outstanding, elegant and balanced wine with captivating fragrances of white flowers, minerals, citrus, white fruit, pear and apple overlaid by subtle honey. The fine acidity melds well in the richness of the body and in the long aftertaste of mineral and fruit.

Terredora di Paolo

Top quality, biodynamic, Gruner Veltliner from the Terrassen single vineyard - seriously concentrated!

Citrus and herbal aromas - with typical spicy Veltliner notes and hints of green pepper and cucumber. The palate has mineral and flinty characters, oriental spice, and fresh citrus acidity on the finish.

Temopranillo & Garnacha. Aromas of sun-drenched cherries, raspberries, fragrant blooms, licorice and exotic spices fill the glass. Perfectly balanced acidity and tannins create a sauve and sophisticated mouth feel. Enjoy year round from a summer BBQ to a hearty winter stew or just with some hard cheeses, crusty bread and great friends.

A blend of grenache and Pinot Noir, the wine is silky, fruity, with a surprisingly long lingering finish. This wine is equally welcomed at the dinner table, the pícnic table or wherever good friends congregate. It is the natural accompaniment to Mediterranean cuisine.

100% Muscat of Alexandria, the wine is suave and sophisticated and finishes with a bright clean acidity. Ideal as an aperitif or perfect for seafood, roasted white meats, fish and semi hard cheeses.

Bacchus is rapidly gaining recognition as the UK’s “signature” grape variety, producing aromatic and frequently quite intense styles of white which have been compared to Sauvignon Blanc. Blended here with 25% Chardonnay it has been both toned down and fattened up to give a really well balanced, lightish white, ideal for summer drinking.

Hermandad Chardonnay shows a pale yellow colour with greenish highlights. The nose is concentrated and intense with citrus, pineapple and green apple aromas, interwoven with vanilla notes from the oak and some mineral characters from the soil. With a great concentration and elegance, on the palate the first impact is ripe, well balanced by the natural acidity, with rich white fruits and toast bread, and light notes of vanilla. Its finish is long and persistent

Bodega Los Haroldos

A full bodied, rich wine with ripe black fruits flavours supported by rich cherries and juicy plums, there are also hints of violets and vanilla, great texture and long finish.

Falasco Wines

A delicious red made from premium parcels of wine. Generous, flavoursome and elegant with dark and red berry fruit flavours.

Weingut Horst Sauer is named after its owner. Both Horst and his daughter Sandra (who joined the winery in 2004) are winemakers at their 37 hectare estate in Franken - situated near Wurzburg (between Frankfurt and Nuremberg). Their vineyards are focused around the ‘Erste Lagen’ (prime) sites of Escherndorfer Lump and Escherndorfer Fürstenberg. Escherndorfer Lump is a steep south-facing slope protected from cold north-eastern winds, with a top layer of limestone-rich soil.

This is the exquisite Escherndorf am Lumpen - a ‘Grosse Lage’ vineyard plot (a classification given to the best German vineyard sites) first recorded in 1655. This is on the steepest slopes of the Escherndorfer Lump vineyard where the vines are over 30 years old.

Franken Riesling is considered to be the most masculine expression of the variety from Germany (in stark contrast to the femininity of the Mosel) yet from the grand cru (GG site) this full bodied, bone dry Riesling is impressive in its structure and concentration.

Concentrated, spicy Alsace wine with a characteristically opulent bouquet, a fruity intensity on the palate and a long, dry finish.

Hugel

ucked away on a tributary of the Mosel, Andreas Adam’s immaculate south-western facing vineyards owe a certain amount to the inhospitality of the region. The steep slopes antd harsh working conditions encouraged many younger folk to abandon their family estates in the 1970s and 80s and seek an easier life in the cities – Andreas’s parents included. By the time Andreas had graduated from Geisenheim, prices had dropped to a level which allowed him to assemble 5 ha of prime vineyard on which to work his magic. This is classic “off-dry” German Riesling, beautifully aromatic with notes of lime and grapefruit. Serve with light starters or, personally, I’d have it just on its own as an aperitif.

The wine shows concentrated marzipan and citrus notes, with underlying hazelnut and lime notes, which adds to layered complexity. The wine is seamless, with flavoursome and long finish.

Beautiful fruit purity of limes and ripe gooseberry, with tropical, floral and fine herbal notes, ruby grapefruit and white pear drop on the finish. This is cool climate Sauvignon Blanc – vibrant, mineral, elegant, balanced and delicate, with a long, layered and complex finish.

Iona

Its green gold color has some bright and luminous reflects. Its nose is quite expressive and complex. It evolves all along the tasting. It opens beautifully on exotic fruits, green mango, citrus, honey and a hint of menthol. The mouth is powerful, round and harmonious. One can taste fresh grape but also a refreshing and sharp minerality. It is a particularly long lasting wine.

Famille Bourgeois Sancerre

Supple, medium-bodied Pinot Noir showing delicious lifted fruit, made from fine outlying vineyards, together with fruit sourced from the villages of Santenay, Auxey-Duresses, Savigny, Chorey les Beaune and Ladoix.

The Mellot family’s wine trade pedigree extends as far back as 1513 and their name has been associated with Sancerre since Cesar Mellot was appointed Louis XIV’s “wine counsellor, presumably a pretty good gig to have back in the 17th century – probably less so 100 years later. Suffice to say that the family survived the wrath of Madame Guillotine and are now one of the Loire Valley’s most respected players. Some 50 miles to the west of Sancerre, Reuilly is classic Loire Sauvignon country, its wines mineral and mouthwatering and providing the perfect foil to seafood or goat’s cheese.

This red is 100% Monastrell, cultivated organically in chalky limestone soils at around 700 metres altitude. Low rainfall and plenty of sunshine are perfect for this variety. With no sulphites added during production - this low intervention wine is also low in histamine.

Bright cherry and floral aromas lead to a palate of ripe bramble and blueberry fruit, supple tannins and fresh acidity.