Selection
Selection
Jane Eyre 2021 Côte de Nuits-Villages
French Red
Redcurrant and raspberry fruit are joined by cocoa powder, tea and spice. The texture is fine and light. The wine used considerably less whole-bunch fruit than earlier vintages, and its volume was forty percent of previous vintages. Fresh and savoury notes are present, with fruit in the background. It was bottled at the end of August. Pinot Noir is the sole grape.
Domaine Eric Boigelot 2018 Pommard En Boeuf
French Red
Red berries, plum skin, crushed rock and a gentle iron note are present. The texture is grippy and the finish savoury. The En Boeuf vineyard sits on a steep hillside in the valley leading from Pommard toward Saint-Romain. Its south-southeast exposure receives full sun, while cool valley winds cross the site. The Pinot Noir vines are between thirty and forty years old.
Château d’Arche 2010 Sauternes
French Dessert
Pear, apple and floral notes are present. The palate is fresh and sweet, with candied orange, apricot jam and subtle smoky notes. The blend is ninety percent Sémillon and ten percent Sauvignon Blanc. Harvest ran from September 30 to October 31, with grapes picked by hand in three to five successive passes. Vinification took place in temperature-controlled vats. Oak maturation lasts twelve to eighteen months, with one third of the barrels renewed.
Domaine Duroché 2022 Bourgogne Chardonnay
French White
Ripe apple, chalk and white flowers are present. The texture is supple and round, with a clean, refreshing finish. Chardonnay comes from the Grands Champs parcel in Gevrey-Chambertin. The grapes are lightly crushed before pressing. The must ferments and matures primarily in used demi-muids on fine lees. The colour is pale yellow with golden reflections, and alcohol is twelve and a half percent.
Terralsole 2017 Brunello di Montalcino
Italian Red
Floral character and a menthol note are present in both aromas and flavours. The palate has balsamic character and tannins that are decisive yet gentle. The wine is made from organic, hand-picked Sangiovese Grosso grown in the Pian Bossolino and Fonte Lattaia vineyards. Maturation lasts at least five years in French oak. Production comprised twelve thousand bottles.
Henri Chauvet 2023 De Cendre et d’Âme Côtes d’Auvergne
French Red
Seventy percent Gamay and thirty percent Pinot Noir grow on a steep, south-facing site with weathered basalt and fractured limestone. Spontaneous whole-cluster fermentation takes place in stainless steel, with ten to twelve days of maceration. The cap is worked three times. After pressing, the wine rests on its lees for twelve months in used 228-litre barrels. It is bottled without fining or filtration, with minimal added sulphur. The vines are certified organic by Ecocert.
Sequoia Grove 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Bright black cherry, blackberry, baking spices, chocolate and toasted vanilla are present. The palate has intense blackberry flavours and round, smooth tannins. The blend is eighty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eight percent Merlot, six percent Cabernet Franc, and one percent each Syrah, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Grapes are hand-picked and the berries hand-sorted. A one-to-three-day cold soak precedes fermentation. Maturation lasts twenty months in French oak, half new.
Fortemasso 2019 Barolo DOCG Castelletto
Italian Red
Clear ruby-red colour has a delicate lightening at the rim. Redcurrant, cherry, dried rose petals and white pepper are present. The palate is lively, fresh and juicy, with savoury character, tension between tannin and acidity, and a salty, persistent finish. Nebbiolo grows on east- and southeast-facing slopes in sandy, limestone-rich soil. The vines use Guyot training, and grapes are harvested by hand into small crates.
Bret Brothers 2022 Pouilly-Fuissé Climat En Carementrant
French White
Chardonnay comes from a 0.55-hectare parcel at about 350 metres beneath the Roche de Vergisson. The vines are fifty to sixty years old and face south on clay-limestone soil with a high limestone content. Grapes are harvested by hand and pressed as whole clusters. Vinification and maturation take place entirely in 228-litre barrels for eleven months. The vineyard is farmed organically.
Monte Antico 2021 Toscana IGT 3 L
Italian Red
Grapey fruit, wood, cloves and floral notes are present. Baked cherry, tart plum, strawberry, rounded fruit, eased tannins, barrel notes, earth and almond skin add further detail. The blend is eighty-five percent Sangiovese, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Merlot. Fermentation and maceration each last fifteen to twenty days. Maturation includes Slavonian barrels and barriques. Alcohol is thirteen percent.
Domaine des Marnes Blanches 2022 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay Empreinte Sous Voile
French White
Fresh walnut, curry and dried apple appear in the aromas. The palate is firm and taut, with salinity and oxidative complexity. The finish is very long. Chardonnay grows on pink and grey Lias marl at Sainte-Agnès. The grapes are pressed directly into neutral barrels; one fifth of each barrel is left empty to encourage flor. Ageing under flor lasts thirty-four months. Alcohol is 14.5 percent.
Moussé Fils L’Or d’Eugène Perpetual Blanc de Noirs Brut NV
French Sparkling
Fine, persistent bubbles accompany fruit, freshness and a full palate with a long finish. This Blanc de Noirs combines eighty percent Pinot Meunier with twenty percent Pinot Noir from Cuisles, Jonquery and Châtillon-sur-Marne. The blend draws on a perpetual reserve. Slow alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by six months on fine lees. Malolactic fermentation is completed, and the wine is filtered without fining.
CheckMate Artisanal Winery 2021 Fool’s Mate Chardonnay
Canadian White
The aromas include brioche, Meyer lemon, orange blossom and flint. Crème fraîche, crisp stone fruit and freshly baked bread appear on the palate, with a long mineral finish. Orchard fruit, melon, pear, nectarine and vanilla provide further detail. Fifty-four percent of the Chardonnay was aged in French oak barriques, twenty-five percent in foudre and twenty-one percent in a concrete egg.
Moulin Touchais 1985 Coteaux du Layon
French Dessert
Gold colour accompanies sweetness, intense richness and acidity in a full, opulent texture. Baked apple, apple jelly, pink pineapple, flowers, honey and grapefruit are present. Confit peach, pear and toast add further detail, alongside a savoury hint and a phenolic finish. The wine is made from Chenin Blanc in Coteaux du Layon, Loire Valley, and contains 13.5 percent alcohol.
Château Mauvinon 2020 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
French Red
Black cherry, plum, hazelnut, chocolate and dried flowers are present in the aromas. Blackberry and liquorice appear on the palate. The profile is structured and intense, with powerful, silky tannins and a long, smoky finish. The blend is seventy percent Merlot and thirty percent Cabernet Franc. Grapes are hand-picked and sorted. Vinification uses small containers; maturation lasts twelve months in French oak, with half of the barrels renewed.
Speri 2013 Vigneto Monte Sant’Urbano Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Italian Red
Spiced plum, pipe tobacco, crushed mint, leather and smoke appear with dried cherry, raspberry compote, star anise and graphite. Fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity accompany the full-bodied, velvety palate. Prune, raisin, dark spice and cedar add further detail. Sweet softness is present in the finish. The grapes are dried for more than 100 days. The wine contains 15 percent alcohol.
Zenato 2004 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Italian Red
Ruby red colour accompanies smoky dried-fruit aromas. Ripe berry, tar, cedar, Indian spice and cola appear with ripe cherry. The palate is rich in fruit and chewy, with lingering sweetness; the wine is very long lasting. Corvina comprises 80 percent of the blend; Rondinella and Sangiovese each comprise 10 percent. Rich extract, structural acidity, balance and depth are also present.
Domaine A.F. Gros 2011 Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas
French Red
Bright summer berries meet gravel and freshly ground black pepper. Crisp, ripe cherries and sweet spice accompany blueberries and crushed stone in a clean finish. The Aux Réas lieu-dit lies immediately south of the Clos des Réas premier cru, a Gros-family monopole. This village-level red Pinot Noir comes from Burgundy, France, and carries 13 percent alcohol.
Bischöfliche Weingüter Trier 2021 Scharzhofberger Riesling Großes Gewächs
German White
Freshly cut apple, white peach and Korean pear meet a silky texture. Floral and spice nuances appear in the finish. Elderflower, lemon sorbet and a touch of whipped cream are also present. The dry Riesling comes from a mid-hill section of Scharzhofberger known internally as Mittlerer Josef. Fermentation takes place in a traditional oak cask.
Champagne Fleury Fleur de l’Europe Brut Nature NV
French Sparkling
Brilliant gold colour accompanies honey and acacia aromas. The palate is broad and generous, with freshness, tension, salinity and a long mineral finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay form the blend. The vineyards are certified biodynamic, and the grapes are harvested by hand. The wine receives zero dosage and spends at least three years on the lees.
Quarles Harris 2003 Vintage Port
Portuguese Fortified
Vibrant red berry and cassis aromas accompany raisins and cloves. The palate is rich and full-bodied, with smooth, ripe tannins and a long finish. Ripe plum and spice meet concentrated sweetness in a clean, mouth-filling profile. The fortified wine comes from Portugal's Douro region, carries 20 percent alcohol and uses Touriga Nacional within its blend.
Quinta Vale D. Maria 2005 Vintage Port
Portuguese Fortified
Violet, dark-red and purple hues introduce mature dark-red fruit. Blackberry, black cherry, plum jam and cassis appear with rock rose. Power and balance accompany finesse and a long, fruity finish. The fruit comes from a single south-facing vineyard in the Rio Torto valley, within Portugal's Douro region. Around eight hundred cases were produced from this vintage.
Maria Rigol Ordi Màgnum Cupatge Dos Mil Divuit Reserva Brut Nature 1.5 L
Spanish Sparkling
Pale yellow colour carries light golden hues. Fine, creamy bubbles accompany floral notes, Mediterranean herbs, pear, green apple, grapefruit, peach and apricot. The texture is light and silky. The family winery is based in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, where it preserves manual riddling and hand disgorgement. Its Cavas use traditional Penedès varieties and are made for extended ageing.
Martin’s Lane 2020 Simes Vineyard Pinot Noir
Canadian Red
Black, spicy fruit meets a silky palate, with bright acidity and a dense profile. Two parcels of a cool, north-facing East Kelowna vineyard supplied the fruit. Granite-based soils sit over fine silt. Wild fermentation used 70 percent whole bunches for 28 days, followed by 17 months in extra-tight-grain Austrian and French oak. Organic certification began with this vintage.
Anthonij Rupert 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
South African Red
Tea leaf, violets, dark Christmas cake and black cherry form a layered nose. The palate is rich, with brewed tea, tomato leaf, spice and cedar. The wine is structured, balanced and long. Cabernet Sauvignon comes mainly from Franschhoek, with a smaller portion from Groenekloof in Darling. Fermentation uses wild yeasts, and maturation lasts twenty-four months in French oak, sixty percent new.
Barbacan 2016 Livèl Valtellina Superiore Valgella DOCG
Italian Red
Concentrated red cherry and black plum appear with firm tannins and a long finish. Nebbiolo comes from the Livèl vineyard in Valgella, set between 550 and 600 metres above sea level. The site faces south and has sandy, siliceous soils with mica schist and granite intrusions. Its old vines are harvested by hand, and fermentation uses indigenous yeasts.
Domaine Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet 2018 Cornas
French Red
Syrah comes from shallow granitic sands on a south-southeast-facing vineyard at 450 metres. The altitude brings freshness to the wine. Vinification takes place entirely in wood, followed by two years in oak barrels. The family has worked as winegrowers for six generations, and its thirty hectares lie in the northern Rhône, centred around Crozes-Hermitage. The wine carries fifteen percent alcohol.
Clos des Vignes du Maynes 2020 Mâcon-Cruzille Manganite
French Red
Gamay comes from vines planted in nineteen fifty-three on limestone soils. Whole bunches undergo semi-carbonic maceration in wooden vats. The wine is bottled without fining, filtration or added sulphur. Lifted tart berry and floral tones meet a soft texture. The parcel lies in Mâcon-Cruzille in Burgundy's Mâconnais, and the finished wine carries 14.5 percent alcohol.
Château Cabrières 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
French Red
Dark cherry, fig and dried cranberry appear with light leather and spice. The wine is full bodied and tannic, with 15.5 percent alcohol. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault form the blend. Red plum and kirsch are also present, along with freshness and a spicy finish. Part of the wine was aged in barrels for twelve months. The vineyards belong to Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône Valley.
Paolo Scavino 2018 Barolo Bricco Ambrogio
Italian Red
Camphor, purple flowers, dark-skinned berries and spice appear with raspberry, truffle, cherry in spirits and liquorice. The palate is full bodied and enveloping, with velvety, fine-grained tannins. Nebbiolo comes from Bricco Ambrogio in Roddi. Dark fruit, cherry and plum are also present, and the mouthfeel is broad, long and polished. The wine contains 15 percent alcohol.