Grape: Chardonnay 

Soil: Steep slopes composed of a sandy marl and limestone.

Age of the vines: 31 years old

Maceration Process: Whole bunch pressed, lightly crushed. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrels, "sur lies" without "batonnage".

Pressing: Pneumatic press

Total elevage: 14 months 

Oak used: 25% New french oak  from Tronçais and Allier forests. Light and long soft toast.

Operations performed during ageing: One racking before bottling

 Filtration:  ining followed by light filtration

Biodynamic. 

100% Cabernet Franc. 

Germain’s calling card is drawn from the domaine’s many parcels in Saumur. These varied sites grow on tuffeau/limestone soils around the communes of Varrains, Chaintres, Dampierre and Saumur. The vines range from 10 to 70 years old (with the average at around 30) and include the domaine’s ‘home’ vineyard, Le Clos, a site ploughed by the family’s Ardennais draft horse. Germain harvests by hand, employs cold soak infusion for some parcels and carries out the wild yeast fermentation and maturation mostly in tank. Aside from a minor 10 ppm SO2 at bottling, the wine sees no additions. Packed with youthful Saumur joie de vivre, this is a pure, elegantly floral red with perfumed dark cherry, anise and graphite notes and a juicy, supple, mouthwatering personality that pairs beautifully with cheese, paté, pork chops and roast chicken. In other words, the perfect bistro wine (that goes with every course)! The colour of the label this year is a kind of bluish slate.

WINE MAKING

Fruit was sourced from three sites in the Wairau Valley.  60% of Clones 95 and 40% of Mendoza were used.  No sulphur was added to the juices at the point of extraction which then were fermented spontaneously in a combination of seasoned French oak (90%) and stainless steel (10%).  

TASTE

Aromatics of ripe yellow citrus, nectarine and brioche.  A finely textured palate with an array of flavours from Meyer lemon to stone fruits with a lively acid to savour.

FOOD MATCH

All kinds of soft cheeses, white meats and rich seafood such as koura (crayfish) and smoked warehou.  

ACID: 6.5 g/l
pH: 3.48
ALC: 13.0%

A lovely ripeness and aromatic impact, scents of fresh quince and pear then apple and fruit spices. Youthful, vibrant and enticing. On the palate a dry wine with flavours of pomaceous fruits framed by lees and mineral qualities, there’s youthful tautness that gives a palate squeeze and crunch. Salivating, lengthy and well made, a reflection of vintage and excellent wine making. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2028.

93 Points Excellent
Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

Aromatic Pinot Gris is a real treat when it’s as dry and fresh as this vibrant, young white from Blue Earth Estate in Te Muna Valley. All grapes were hand picked and the wine was fermented to less than 1 gram of residual sugar, which makes it absolutely bone dry in taste and style. Flavours of white pears, fresh crisp red apples and a little citrus all run through each sip. Drinks well now and can hold for a further three to four years, evolving in that time but it’s made to enjoy now, so why wait? Joelle Thomson

From Skypunch vineyard, which lies on the slope next to Home vineyard on Black’s Ave.  We’re leasing and managing  Julianne and Conor’s vineyard here and we’re excited.  In conversion to organic with BioGro 5202.

Aromas of preserved lemon citrus, flint, almond, cardamon, and ginger. The palette is structured and vibrant with unique saline tension. Flavours of new season pear and apricot, white peach and vanilla bean. Un-fined, unfiltered.

Savitar is one of the great Shirazes from McLaren Vale, made with grapes grown on the Lopresti Vineyard's Chinese Block, located at the south end of McLaren Vale, about four kilometres east of the coastal town of Port Willunga. The vines struggle here, producing low yields of fruit with tiny berries which are full of black fruit flavours with dried herb, black olives and an earthy structure of dark smokiness, making this a power packed wine. 

It's named after a mythological dragon like creature, in homage to this wine's bold flavours and powerful length. It's an impressive wine for now and will undoubtedly age for the long haul - think a decade at least. 

The winemaking

Grapes for Savitar Shiraz are selected by hand from the Lopresti Vineyard in McLaren Vale, a site where they struggle and deliver in small volumes. This is regarded as outstanding raw material. They are fermented and the wine pressed before being transferred to oak barrels where it remains on light lees for 18 months before blending. 

Grape varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasting notes:

Deep ruby red colour with violet highlights. Fruit driven with aromas of black cherry and blueberry. Delicate notes of mint, black pepper and liquorice appear when agitated. Good texture on the palate with ripe tannins. Long finish. Full, fresh, dense and silky mouthfeel.

Food matches: Tuna in red wine sauce, steak “Bordelaise” grilled on vine stalks, Pyreneens cheese with dark cherry marmalade; Serve between 16° and 18° C.

Winemaking: Traditional winemaking methods with a minimum of 6 months of ageing in French oak barrels. De-stalked grapes – alcoholic fermentation in vats at high temperature (30-32°C) with daily pumping over – maceration (3 weeks) – malolactic fermentation in vats.

Soil: Sandy and gravelly.
Climate: Oceanic, mild and humid.
Aging: The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 6 months.

Meticulously crafted in exceptionally limited quantities, this is the second release of Whitehaven's 'Samantha' Cuvée, a wine which celebrates Greg and Sue’s daughter Samantha, as she continues the legacy that her parents created together.

This elegant Méthode Traditionnelle is sustainably produced, from 100% Marlborough Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fruit (Chardonnay dominant) and is produced in accordance with Méthode Traditionnelle practices. Enjoy crisp, dry, delicate flavours balanced with lees age derived complexity, finishing fine, clean and long.

Produced in very limited quantities, this is the perfect bubbles to share with friends or to celebrate a special occasion. 

This Pinot Gris is characterised by ripe stone fruit, particularly white peach and nectarine notes, with hints of floral and ginger spice characters. The mouth feel is very textural – dry and weighty with fleshy stone fruit and fine textured tannins that give a long balanced profile. A serious style of Pinot Gris to be enjoyed now or cellared for up to 5 years.

Combining lovely fruitiness with an attractive freshness and characteristic minerality, Chablis is a wine region with global renown. Domaine William Fèvre’s vineyards sit on Kimmeridgian subsoil and enjoy ideal exposures for the production of a very fine wine.

The nose reveals a fleshy and elegant bouquet with citrus, white fruit and floral aromas. The palate is fresh and supple, underscored by stony minerality.

Domaine William Fevre has led the Chablis revival over the past decade with its refined, full bodied, dry white wines, all 100% Chardonnay, of course, as this appellation is devoted entirely and solely to this great white grape variety.

Soil type

Limestone, clay and silt. Sandy gravel.

Grape variety

100 % Syrah.

Average age of vines

35 years.

Winemaking

Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats at high temperatures. 3 weeks maceration in vats.

Ageing

18 months in oak barrels.

Average yield

40 Hl / hectare. The vines are mainly on steep slopes from the villages of Gervans, Mercurol, Larnage et Crozes-Hermitage.

Appearance : Dark and deep colour.

Nose : Red fruits, cherry and strawberry with delicate oak aromas.

Palate : A structured tannic wine. Aromas of blackcurrant buds and vanilla.

Overall : Remarkable freshness with notable and refined tannins to due long oak ageing.

Bright, tangy riesling in a medium-dry style with green apple, oyster shell, lime zest/citrus and quince flavours supported by mouth tingling, fruity acidity. Good purity and a lingering finish.

Green apple on the nose, with tangy fruit, citrus, peach and nectarine on the palate.  With vibrant acidity and aromatic intensity, this off-dry wine has the ability to reflect the terroir.

Peach

Apple

In creating its range of sakes, shôchu and mirin in Kyôto, Takara Shûzo first and foremost produces prestigious sakes according to processes that its artisan brewers have perpetuated since 1842.

The new Shirakabegura brewery 白壁蔵 in Hyôgo offers this well-balanced Kimoto Junmai 生酛純米 sake, brewed according to the traditional Kimoto-Zukuri process, a slow and rigorous brewing process, the same one since the Edo era!

With its sweet and mellow rice aromas, close to the flavours of melon, enjoy it well-chilled with white meats and fish or for a refreshing aperitif.