Wine
Wine
Domaine des Marnes Blanches 2022 Chardonnay En Quatre Vis Côtes du Jura
French White
Chardonnay comes from vines about forty-five years old on marl soils. The certified-organic vineyard also uses biodynamic practices. Grapes are harvested by hand with selection, then undergo alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in 500-litre demi-muids with indigenous yeasts. The wine remains in demi-muids for twelve months and receives very little sulphur at bottling. It is a still white with twelve and a half percent alcohol.
Maison En Belles Lies 2021 Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Rouge
French Red
Pinot Noir grows on clay-limestone soils in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune. Harvesting is manual, with selection into small twenty-kilogram boxes and a yield of about forty-five hectolitres per hectare. Whole clusters undergo fermentation in wooden vats for twenty-four to twenty-eight days. The wine then spends fifteen months in used 228-litre barrels without added sulphur before being bottled without fining or filtration. Alcohol is eleven and a half percent.
Azienda Agricola Tinessa 2019 Ognostro Rosso
Italian Red
Dark berry fruit appears with spice, cinchona bark, Mediterranean herbs and undergrowth. The palate has freshness and integrated tannins. Aglianico is the sole grape, grown in Campania. The vineyard covers one and a half hectares at 400 metres. The wine contains fourteen and a half percent alcohol and matures in concrete and amphora. Production totals 1,500 bottles.
Veronica Ortega 2023 Kinki Bierzo
Spanish Red
Pale ruby colour accompanies raspberry, redcurrant and tart strawberry, with floral, herbal, saline and citrus notes. The palate has freshness, firm tannic structure and mineral character. Mencía is joined by Doña Blanca, Palomino, Godello and Alicante Bouschet from a single old-vine parcel. The varieties ferment together with whole stems, followed by eight months in 800-litre amphorae. Alcohol is eleven and a half percent.
Podere Forte 2019 Villaggio Rocca d’Orcia Orcia DOC
Italian Red
Brilliant ruby-red colour accompanies cherry and raspberry, with floral and spice notes. The palate is juicy and flowing, with tannins, length and a saline finish. Sangiovese is the sole grape. The wine contains fourteen percent alcohol and matures in wood for fourteen to sixteen months. Its six-hectare site has fissile schist with clay, lies between 320 and 480 metres, and is farmed biodynamically.
Barbacan 2021 Söl Valtellina Superiore Valgella DOCG
Italian Red
Red fruit, mushroom and carnation are present with a savoury palate. The Söl vineyard covers one and a half hectares at 450 metres, with southeast exposure and sandy soil. The grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed and gently pressed, with spontaneous fermentation in steel and fifty days of maceration. Maturation includes three months in steel, twelve months in barrel and nine months in bottle.
Lopez de Heredia 2014 Vina Bosconia Reserva Rioja DOCa
Spanish Red
Intense ruby colour has light brick edging. Ripe red fruit, floral notes, lavender and withered leaves accompany vanilla, cinnamon, clove, leather, coffee, tobacco and balsamic notes. Wild berries, earth and integrated oak are present with sinewy tannins, acidity and a long finish. The blend is eighty percent Tempranillo, fifteen percent Garnacha, three percent Mazuelo and two percent Graciano. Ageing lasts five years in American oak, with two manual rackings each year.
Champagne Pierre Paillard Les Parcelles Bouzy Grand Cru Extra Brut NV 375 mL
French Sparkling
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay come from Bouzy Grand Cru, where south-facing slopes meet chalky subsoil. Baked apple, brioche and cream are joined by floral, orchard-fruit, citrus and chalky mineral notes. Light-gold colour and a tangy palate are present, with a low-dosage, refreshing style. The family vineyard covers eleven hectares in Bouzy, on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims.
Hammeken Cellars 2009 Oraculo Ribera del Duero
Spanish Red
Deep ruby colour accompanies black cherry, toasted oak, cigar box, game, tobacco and Asian spice. The palate is dense, layered and succulent, with soft, velvety tannins and a long finish. Tinta del Pais comes from vines eighty to one hundred and fifty years old. Fermentation lasts twenty-five days in cement, and ageing lasts twenty-four months in new 500-litre French-oak barrels. Production totals 7,452 bottles.
Black Hills 2022 Nota Bene Okanagan Valley
Canadian Red
Dewberry, black cherry, herbal notes and floral lift are joined by redcurrant, sweet mint and raspberry blossom. The palate is rich and fresh, with fine-grained tannins. The blend is forty-six percent Merlot, thirty-six percent Cabernet Sauvignon and eighteen percent Cabernet Franc. Wild yeasts conduct fermentation, and ageing lasts eighteen months in French-oak barriques and puncheons, forty-seven percent new. Alcohol is fourteen and a half percent.
Chateau Patache d’Aux 1995 Medoc Cru Bourgeois
French Red
Ruby colour has a thin orange rim. Blueberry, violet and anise are present. The palate has fresh acidity, ripe tannins, sweet-and-sour character, forest floor and leather. Dark colour, spice, menthol, vanilla, black fruit and discreet tertiary notes are also present. Tannins are polished, and the finish is fresh. This red wine comes from the Medoc appellation in Bordeaux.
Remoissenet 2015 Cotes de Nuits-Villages
French Red
Cherry, raspberry and mint form the aromatic profile. The palate is suave and fine-grained, with black cherry, dark raspberry and spice. Pinot Noir gives red and black berry flavours, fine tannins and a smooth finish. This red Burgundy comes from the Cotes de Nuits-Villages appellation. The flavours are bright and lifted, and alcohol is thirteen and a half percent.
Moulin Touchais 2005 Coteaux du Layon
French Dessert
Yellow fruit, honey and a dry botrytis core are present. The palate has richness, acidity and a rounded texture. Chenin is the sole grape. The wine comes from Coteaux du Layon in the Loire Valley, contains ninety grams per litre of residual sugar and thirteen and a half percent alcohol. Candied-fruit notes are also present in this still white dessert wine.
Comm. G.B. Burlotto 2017 Barolo DOCG
Italian Red
Deep ruby-red colour accompanies ripe berries, cherry, delicate spice, violet, lavender and mineral notes. Dried rose is also present. The palate has fine, structured tannins, acidity, softness and a persistent red-fruit and spice aftertaste. Nebbiolo comes from Verduno in Piedmont. Total skin contact lasts two weeks, alcohol is fourteen and a half percent, and the wine is dry.
Ricasoli 2020 Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG
Italian Red
Intense ruby colour accompanies ripe plum, spice and toasted notes. The palate has silky tannins, present acidity and a long finish. Sangiovese comes from estate vineyards at 400 to 490 metres on sandstone, galestro and alberese soils. Fermentation and skin contact last fourteen to sixteen days in stainless steel. The wine ages for twenty-two months in 500-litre tonneaux, thirty percent new, and alcohol is fourteen and a half percent.
Domaine Rebourgeon-Mure 2018 Beaune Premier Cru Les Vignes Franches
French Red
Fleshy raspberry and redcurrant appear with violet. The palate adds cherry, redcurrant, blueberry, plum, lily, cornflower, mineral notes, liquorice and mild tobacco. Tannins are fine, and the finish is long. Pinot Noir grows on clay-limestone soil at 240 to 260 metres, with south to south-east exposure. The vineyard lies on a gentle, stony slope facing the rising sun. Its name recalls tax exemptions granted to winegrowers who restored the slope after war and plague.
Voerzio Martini 2020 Barolo DOCG
Italian Red
Garnet-red colour has light amaranth reflections. Spiced, floral and fruit aromas are joined by vanilla. The palate is full and soft, with balanced tannins, cocoa, very ripe fruit and persistent character. Nebbiolo grows at 400 metres on Sant'Agata marl with clay, fine sand and limestone. Fermentation lasts fifteen to twenty days in stainless steel. Ageing includes about twenty-four months in 500-litre French-oak casks and a further six months in 25-hectolitre French oak.
Maison En Belles Lies 2019 Aloxe-Corton
French Red
Soft plum, raspberry, jasmine and rose blossom form the aromatic profile. The palate shows griotte cherry and fresh, crunchy tannins. Pinot Noir comes from old vines on red soils in Aloxe-Corton. No sulphites are added, and work in the vineyard and cellar is conducted as naturally as possible. Sweet spice and chocolate are present, and the finish is long. Vineyard and cellar decisions follow lunar and planetary calendars.
Concha y Toro 2019 Gravas del Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto
Chilean Red
Deep red colour is accompanied by fresh red-fruit and spice aromas. The palate has intensity and depth, with fine, velvety tannins. The blend is eighty-six percent Cabernet Sauvignon, ten percent Cabernet Franc and four percent Merlot. Grapes come from the Puente Alto Vineyard at 650 metres, where soils are rocky, alluvial, deep and poor in nutrients. Fermentation lasts eight days in stainless steel, followed by ten days of post-fermentation maceration and fourteen months in French oak.
Giodo 2019 La Quinta Toscana Rosso IGT
Italian Red
Bright ruby colour has brick-red reflections. Barrel spice, cherry, strawberry and clove are present. The palate is fine and substantial, with polished, saline tannins, delicate creaminess and juicy character through the finish. Sangiovese comes from vines seven to twelve years old at 400 metres. Fermentation lasts seven days in stainless steel, with twelve days of skin contact. Ageing includes twelve months in tonneaux and large oak, followed by concrete.
Montes 2020 Wings Carménère Apalta
Chilean Red
Deep red colour has purple undertones. Blackberry and blueberry are joined by bell pepper, black pepper and sweet French-oak notes. The rounded palate is smooth, with a long finish. The blend is eighty-five percent Carménère and fifteen percent Cabernet Franc. Fruit comes from hillside blocks at the Apalta estate in the Colchagua Valley. Ageing lasts sixteen months in French oak, with eighty percent new barrels. Alcohol is fourteen and a half percent.
Manvi 2020 Happiness Toscana Rosso IGT
Italian Red
Dark fruit, ripe black cherry, plum and cassis are joined by vanilla, baking spice and cedar. The palate is full-bodied and velvety, with bright acidity, integrated tannins, dark chocolate, earth and a long finish. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot make up the blend. The wine is aged for three to four years in oak and bottle, and production is limited to no more than one thousand bottles per vintage.
Cakebread Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
American Red
Fresh smoky cassis, blackberry and boysenberry appear with cedar, black-tea spice and sweet oak. The palate is concentrated, with black fruit, firm structure and a long savoury finish. The blend is seventy-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, sixteen percent Merlot, four percent Cabernet Franc and two percent Malbec. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, followed by twenty months in French oak, thirty-five percent new. Alcohol is 14.2 percent.
Hamilton Russell Vineyards 2023 Chardonnay Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
South African White
Pear and lime appear with a tight mineral character. Bright natural acidity runs through the wine, and the finish is long, dry and mineral. Chardonnay grows on low-vigour, stony, clay-rich soils derived from shale. The wine is fermented entirely in 300-litre French-oak barrels and aged for nine months. Alcohol is 13.22 percent, and production totals 3,848 twelve-bottle cases.
Cordero di Montezemolo 2020 Funtanì Barbera d’Alba Superiore DOC
Italian Red
Dark ruby-red colour has a purple core. Ripe blackberry, black elderberry, blackcurrant and savoury spice form the profile. The palate is full-bodied and juicy, with balance, velvety tannins and a long finish. Barbera comes from an old vineyard near a spring in La Morra. Ageing includes more than one year in wood and a further year in bottle. Alcohol is fourteen and a half percent.
H. Billiot & Fils 2015 Millésime Brut Grand Cru Champagne
French Sparkling
Fine, persistent bubbles accompany brioche, rose blossom, baked apple, red berries and mint. The palate is crisp and fresh, with multilayered fruit and mineral notes in a long aromatic finish. This Grand Cru Brut combines seventy percent Pinot Noir and thirty percent Chardonnay from Ambonnay. Vinification takes place without malolactic fermentation, preserving freshness within the wine's rich profile.
Nittardi 2020 Ad Astra Maremma Toscana Rosso DOC 1.5 L
Italian Red
Plum and red-berry aromas are joined by liquorice. The blend combines Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by twelve months in French-oak barriques and tonneaux and several months in concrete. The vineyards lie at Mongibello delle Mandorlaie in southern Maremma, on predominantly sandy soils rich in limestone and clay.
Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Muncagota Riserva Barbaresco
Italian Red
Floral notes of brushwood, mint and eucalyptus balance body and tannic structure. The wine is entirely Nebbiolo, grown on calcareous limestone in the Muncagota MGA. Fermentation takes place at thirty degrees Celsius with twenty-eight days of skin contact and complete malolactic fermentation. Ageing lasts at least thirty months in twenty-five- to fifty-hectolitre oak barrels. Alcohol is fourteen and a half percent.
Roagna 2019 Langhe Rosso
Italian Red
Fresh fruit, pressed flowers and roses accompany good concentration, balanced acidity and a firm backbone. Young Nebbiolo vines are used. Fermentation takes place in wooden vats with a pied de cuve made from indigenous yeasts and lasts about ten days. Submerged-cap maceration lasts at least two months. Maturation uses neutral oak and concrete tanks for about five years.
Bernabeleva Rompepalos Rancio
Spanish Red
Dried citrus peel, toasted almond, chamomile, wild herbs and layered savoury spice sit alongside freshness and mineral character. This oxidative red is made entirely from Garnacha. Ageing takes place in criaderas and demijohns using an established solera. Alcohol is eighteen percent. The wine comes from San Martín de Valdeiglesias in the Vinos de Madrid area.