Selection
Selection
Ampeleia 2018 Kepos Costa Toscana Rosso
Italian Red
Bright ruby in colour, this red wine brings fresh cherry, plum, raspberry and floral notes. Tension, salinity, tannins and fruit appear on the palate. Fruit comes from three vineyard sites at different elevations, with soils ranging from stony to volcanic. The wine is organic, and its grapes are grown biodynamically under Demeter certification. It contains thirteen percent alcohol.
Les Cortis 2020 Xylofaune
French Red
Made entirely from Mondeuse, this red wine undergoes carbonic maceration as whole clusters and ferments with indigenous yeasts. Ageing lasts twelve months in tank and 500-litre demi-muids. The six-hectare estate lies near Belley, west of the Massif des Bauges in Savoie. Its clay-limestone parcels are cultivated according to biodynamic practices. The finished wine contains 10.5 percent alcohol.
Merkin Vineyards 2020 Shinola Orancia
American White
Made from the white grape Malvasia Bianca, this skin-contact wine is deep gold in colour and comes from Buhl Memorial Vineyard in Yavapai County. The grapes ferment on their skins for ten days in stainless steel. Honeyed melon, honeysuckle, orange peel, citrus oil and lilac are present. The profile is layered, with some astringency on the finish.
La Frenz 2022 Reserve Chardonnay
Canadian White
Light lemon in colour, this Chardonnay presents light stone-fruit aromas. It is dry and medium-plus bodied, with a smooth, thicker mouthfeel and a buttery texture. Tropical fruit, butterscotch and sweet spices are also present. Fruit comes from the Naramata Bench in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. It can develop in bottle for up to five years under the winery's cellaring guidance.
Doudet-Naudin 2022 Bourgogne Chardonnay
French White
Pale, brilliant gold in colour, this Chardonnay shows ripe fruit, quince, broom and rennet apple, with white peach, bergamot, exotic fruit and a light citrus presence. Clay and chalky marls underlie the regional Bourgogne vineyards. Grapes are harvested by hand, pressed pneumatically and vinified at controlled temperatures. The must settles in stainless-steel vats, and maturation continues in stainless steel for eight months.
Penfolds 2020 Bin 23 Pinot Noir
Australian Red
Cranberry red in colour, this Pinot Noir brings wild raspberry, strawberry conserve and a faint green-olive note with daphne, azalea, camellia, rose, rosewater, saffron and toasty oak. Cold lamb, forest floor, strawberry pips, pomegranate and rhubarb appear with cola, bergamot, graphite and wet-riverstone minerality. Fruit comes from Tasmania, Henty and the Adelaide Hills. Maturation lasts seven months in French oak barriques, twenty-four percent new.
Pacina 2019 Donesco Toscana Rosso
Italian Red
Made entirely from Sangiovese, this dry red comes from younger vines at the Pacina estate in Tuscany. Fermentation and malolactic fermentation take place in concrete, and ageing lasts approximately twenty-four months in concrete and stainless-steel tanks. The wine is neither fined nor filtered, and selected yeasts are not added. Total sulphur is ten milligrams per litre. The vineyard work is organic, and the finished wine contains 14.5 percent alcohol.
Nicosia 2020 Lenza di Munti Etna Rosso
Italian Red
Brilliant ruby in colour, the wine combines eighty-five percent Nerello Mascalese with fifteen percent Nerello Cappuccio. Floral notes and red fruit appear in a lively, smooth profile with strong minerality and an intense fruity finish. The grapes come from volcanic soils on lava terraces at an average elevation of 720 metres. Fermentation lasts ten to fifteen days in stainless steel, and ageing includes four months before bottling plus five to six months in bottle.
Raúl Pérez 2020 Ultreia Mencía
Spanish Red
Ripe red fruit appears with balsamic and mineral notes, while the palate is fresh and balanced, with soft tannins and a persistent finish. The wine is made entirely from Mencía grown around Valtuille in Bierzo. Fruit is selected from the upper rows of the parcel, fermented in open vertical vats and aged for twelve months in neutral barrels. The finished wine contains 13.5 percent alcohol.
Le Grappin 2023 Beaujolais-Villages
French Red
Whole clusters from fifty-year-old, gobelet-trained Gamay vines are fermented semi-carbonically in concrete for several weeks. The wine is then pressed into an oak vat for nine months of ageing before being racked and bottled without fining, filtration or added sulphur. Granite and schist underlie the Les Raisses site in Lancié, next to Fleurie. Retained carbon dioxide gives the finished wine a slight prickle, and alcohol is twelve percent.
Echo Bay 2017 Synoptic
Canadian Red
Merlot makes up thirty-nine percent of the blend, with twenty-two percent Cabernet Franc, fourteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eleven percent Malbec, seven percent Carménère and seven percent Petit Verdot. The grapes are destemmed, gently crushed and fermented separately, then spend four to five weeks on skins. Barrel ageing lasts eighteen months, with twenty percent new oak. The vineyard is farmed organically, with additional biodynamic preparations. Production totalled 360 cases, and alcohol is 13.8 percent.
Poplar Grove 2018 Merlot
Canadian Red
Medium ruby in colour, this blend contains eighty-nine percent Merlot, four percent Malbec, three percent Petit Verdot, two percent Cabernet Sauvignon and two percent Cabernet Franc. Cranberry and red cherry meet sage, red raspberry, bramble and vanilla. Medium-plus tannins and acidity provide structure, while sweet tobacco and piecrust appear in a lengthy finish. The wine spends twenty-one months in French oak and one year in bottle.
Poplar Grove 2017 Merlot
Canadian Red
Merlot forms eighty-five percent of the blend, joined by seven percent Malbec, five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and three percent Cabernet Franc. Fruit, baked flavours and chocolate appear in a dry profile. The wine spends twenty-one months in barrel, using twenty-five percent new oak and seventy-five percent one-to-three-year-old barrels, then another year in bottle. It comes from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.
Poplar Grove 2016 Merlot
Canadian Red
Glimmering ruby in colour, this blend combines eighty-nine percent Merlot with eleven percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Blueberry and aged leather appear in the aromas, while dark chocolate, dark cherry and bay leaf define the palate. The wine is light yet well structured. Hand-picked berries are sorted, cold-soaked for four days and fermented in stainless steel. Ageing lasts twenty-one months in French oak, followed by one year in bottle.
Poplar Grove 2015 Merlot
Canadian Red
Dark ruby in colour with a subtle brick edge, the wine has marzipan, baking spice, dried fruit, vanilla and strawberry-jam aromas. Black plum, dried cherry and black pepper appear with soft, velvety tannins and a medium finish. The blend is eighty-eight percent Merlot, five percent Cabernet Sauvignon, five percent Cabernet Franc and two percent Malbec. Ageing lasts twenty-one months in French oak.
Poplar Grove 2011 Merlot
Canadian Red
Deep maroon in colour, this Merlot combines plum and leather aromas with coffee and mocha flavours. Dates, black cherry and black liquorice appear in a long, lingering finish. The wine spends twenty-one months in French oak and another eighteen months in bottle. Its texture is polished, while blackcurrant, blackberry, tobacco, lingonberry, spice and earth are also present in the profile.
Poplar Grove 2010 Merlot
Canadian Red
Prune, jam, coffee, meat, saddle leather, black olive, tomato purée and a light barnyard note appear in the aromas. The palate is full, round, dry and slightly tannic. Earth, caraway, roasted meat, cocoa, cedar and vanilla are also present. This Merlot comes from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. The overall profile is warm and chunky.
Poplar Grove 2009 Merlot
Canadian Red
Cassis and vanilla aromas accompany plum, black cherry and chocolate flavours. The palate is rich and full, with rounded, light tannins. Tobacco, liquorice, cedar, mint, cocoa, kirsch, orange peel and dried herbs are also present. Made entirely from Merlot, the wine spends eighteen months in French oak and another eighteen months in bottle. It comes from Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley.
Castellare di Castellina 2023 Chianti Classico
Italian Red
Ruby red in colour, the wine presents red fruit, liquorice and subtle vanilla aromas. Its fruity structure is soft and long, with a refreshing, mineral finish. The blend contains ninety percent Sangiovese and ten percent Canaiolo. Vinification takes place in vats with alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, followed by seven months in French oak and a further seven months in bottle.
Poplar Grove 2021 Syrah
Canadian Red
Deep purple in colour, this blend contains ninety-seven percent Syrah and three percent Viognier. Black cherry, violet and black pepper appear among the aromatics, while black raspberry, dark plum and vanilla are present in the flavours. The tannins are firm, the acidity is medium, and the finish is long and oak driven. The wine spends fifteen months in French oak and six months in bottle.
Poplar Grove 2020 Cabernet Franc
Canadian Red
Medium ruby in colour, this Cabernet Franc has ripe blueberry, black tea and eucalyptus aromas. Tart cranberry, Bing cherry and cedar appear in a medium-bodied profile with bold tannins, bright acidity and a long, balanced finish. The wine is dry, made entirely from Cabernet Franc and aged in oak for twenty-one months. The fruit comes from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.
Voerzio Martini 2023 Bricco Cappellina Langhe Arneis
Italian White
Straw yellow with green reflections, the wine is bright, with a fresh and harmonious aroma and intense flavour. Made entirely from Arneis, it does not undergo wood ageing. Apple, gooseberry, flowers and an unusual perfumed spice appear alongside fresh acidity, light effervescence and mineral notes. Orange and blackberry add further fruit detail to this white wine from Piedmont.
Quinta da Falorca 2019 Traditional Blend Tinto
Portuguese Red
Deep ruby with violet reflections, the wine offers ripe red fruit, mild spice and a light touch of wood. The palate is full-bodied, with lively but integrated tannins, balanced acidity and a long finish. The blend combines Touriga Nacional, Rufete, Jaen, Alfrocheiro and Tinta Roriz. Half matures for six months in used barrels, followed by nine months in bottle.
Rust Wine Co. 2022 South Rock Vineyard Zinfandel
Canadian Red
Blackberry and pepper shape a bold, jammy profile with smooth texture. The Zinfandel comes from South Rock Vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. This historic twelve-acre site lies at the southern tip of the bench on a gentle east-facing slope, where morning sun and afternoon mountain shade mark the vineyard setting.
1006 Vins de Loire 2023 Smalt Sauvignon Blanc
French White
Sauvignon Blanc parcels lie in Touraine's Controis-en-Sologne, on clay over limestone under a temperate climate with oceanic influence. The vines are about thirty years old. Grapes are hand-harvested, slowly pressed and fermented spontaneously. Maturation takes place in a tank. The wine is fresh and fruit-driven, with exotic, floral and citrus aromas and a rounded palate.
Salvajes de Gredos 2023 Marino Blanco
Spanish White
Straw in colour, the wine carries ripe fruit, dried flowers, fine-lees character and dried herbs. The palate is juicy and varietal. Albillo Real comes from seventy-five-year-old vines in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, rooted in sandy soil over granite. The vineyard is managed organically without herbicides or insecticides, and horses are used in place of machinery.
Laurent Saillard 2022 En Famille
French Red
Côt and a small portion of Pinot Noir form this Loire red blend. Blueberry and rose appear in a pure, supple profile with a compelling fragrance. The colour is dark without corresponding weight, and the wine contains 11.5 percent alcohol. Côt, another name for Malbec, is the principal grape in the blend, with Pinot Noir used in a smaller amount.
Arnaud Lambert 2023 Les Parcelles Chenin Blanc
French White
Almond, Granny Smith apple, honeyed flowers and mineral notes appear in a dry, delicate profile with present acidity. The wine is made entirely from Chenin Blanc grown on tuffeau limestone with sand and clay topsoil. Natural fermentation remains below seventeen degrees Celsius. Ageing lasts six to eight months in stainless steel, followed by light filtration and the first sulphur addition at bottling.
Le Vigne di Zamò 2021 Orange Zero Malvasia
Italian White
Floral notes, peach, apricot and citrus appear in a dry, fresh profile. The palate brings soft tannins and a mix of dried apricot, blood grapefruit and fresh herbs. A textured profile also includes bitter marmalade, pleasant bitterness, dried flowers and roasted stone fruit. Made entirely from Malvasia, this orange wine comes from Friuli-Venezia Giulia and contains 13.5 percent alcohol.
Château Croix-Mouton 2020 Bordeaux Supérieur
French Red
Deep garnet in colour, the wine offers blackcurrant, blackberry, spice and toasted notes. The palate is medium bodied, with concentrated fruit and a soft texture. The tannins are light and integrated. It is dry and round, with red and black fruit. The wine spends three to four months on its lees, divided between barrels and tanks.