Te Mānia’s vineyards, established in 1990, are located near the beautiful coastline of Tasman Bay on free draining, stony clay loam soils which have proved excellent for producing wine grapes of exceptional quality. Te Mania is a two-time winner of the prestigious Bragato Trophy for Best of Show.


Nelson Riesling 2024
When young our Riesling produces fresh, lively wines which are great for relaxed summertime drinking; however this wine also has a wonderful ability to age, allowing a wider spectrum of flavours to unfold.

Nose: Honeysuckle and citrus/lime characters on the nose with some underlying mineral notes.  

Palate:  Luscious and juicy sweet apple is balanced beautifully with fresh lemon zest. Some delicious honey notes and a long fresh finish.
Vintage:  Fruit was hand harvested with the grapes being whole bunch pressed and the juice cool fermented to preserve primary fruit characters.

Diet: This wine is suitable for a vegan diet.

Winery notes: 

Te Mānia Syrah is a single vineyard wine made from grapes grown in Hawkes Bay.  One of the finest Syrah growing areas in New Zealand

Tasting: Lovely dark berryfruit and peppery aromas with some spice and earthy notes. On the palate vibrant dark berryfruit with spicy / peppery notes supported by fine tannins and a long finish.  Excellent drinking with savoury dishes.  

Wine Making: The grapes were hand picked, destemmed, crushed and then transferred to traditional small open top fermenters. The fermenting juice and skins were then plunged by hand to break up the cap as the wine macerated and fermented.  The must or fermenting wine was then pressed to separate the skins and transferred to a mix of 20% new and old French oak barrels. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in spring in French oak barrels where it was aged for 11 months before bottling.

Diet: This wine is suitable for a vegan diet.

Analysis: Alcohol 12.5%, Acidity 5 g/L , Residual Sugar Nil 

Made from 89% chardonnay and 11% chenin blanc.

The winery has written: "Our Clarksburg Chardonnay unveils a symphony of flavors with crisp green apples and succulent pears taking center stage. Enveloped in the subtle embrace of lemon meringue, a touch of toasty vanilla imparts a warm, comforting nuance. Crafted through meticulous barrel fermentation in new French oak and sur lies aging, this Chardonnay emerges as a masterpiece of complexity and textured elegance. Blending our selection of Clarksburg Chenin Blanc introduces a refreshing note of crisp honeydew melon."

ABV: 14.5%

A field blend of organically grown Sauvignon Blanc (33%), Riesling (33%) and Gewurztraminer (33%). Hand harvested and whole bunch fermented as one and left to its own devices and in peace until bottling with no additions apart from a touch of sulphur dioxide – 100 % orange.

Field Notes:
Vineyard | Brawn Vineyard Estate
Picked | 27th March 2024 a Leaf Day
Skin Time | 108 days
Alcohol | 12%
TA | 4.5
pH | 3.66
RS | 0
Colour | orange
Palate | breakfast negroni impersonator | fresh | saline | juicy tannins
Ben Says | “Perfect late at night at the bar with quiet conversation, thoughtful prose and slightly secret intent”
Bottle Date | 6th November 2024 a Fruit Day
Bottles | 4945

Intent on making the very best Côtes du Rhône Rosé we can, we search for varieties naturally suited to rosé; Grenache Noir for body, Cinsault for freshness and a touch of spice from a drop of Syrah. This wine is HVE3 sustainable certified.

Production

Our hunt for specific plots that would deliver the best grapes with the right balance and flavour profile led us to the south of the Côtes du Rhône where we found ripeness and aroma to balance the freshness found in plots from northern villages of the Southern Rhône valley. As with previous vintages, Les Cerisiers is again made in the same way as the best rosés of Provence, uses the ‘rosé de presse’ method as soon as the grapes are picked. This very gentle pressing extracts as much aroma and flavour as possible with the least amount of tannins. The wine is both pressed and vinified at cool temperatures (of no more than 16Intent ) in stainless steel vats to preserve these delicate aroma, flavours and colour. The wine is grown and vinified sustainably, achieving HVE3 certification

Tasting notes

An elegant, truly gastronomic rosé from our home in the Rhône. A classic salmon pink rosé with delicate perfumed aromas of rosehip syrup, wild berry blossoms and cherries on the nose. Full flavoured, ripe and beautifully balanced with acidity, there’s elegant, textured, berry fruit on the palate with a twist of raspberry freshness to lift the finish. Deliciously balanced and moreish.

Food match

As with rosé from neighbouring Provence, Les Cerisiers should not be seen only as a delicious apéritif but a match for light dishes - a simple charcuterie plate or grilled salmon and prawns. It also pairs well with more complex dishes; Bouillabaisse, the classic southern French fish stew, or even Red Thai Chicken Curry, a spicy bean tagine or a mushroom and aubergine lasagne.

Although famed for its red wines, white wines have a long heritage in the southern Rhône valley, where the locals enjoy an occasional glass at the start of a warm evening. La Fleur Solitaire is a solitaire amongst the rubies of our Boutinot Rhône range; a white Côtes du Rhône made from traditional southern Rhône white grape varieties.

Production

Following an experiment with a micro cuvée crafted from seven barrels back in 2009, we now source grapes from selected vineyards in the southern Rhône. Each parcel is picked separately in the cooler early daylight hours for gentle pressing that same morning, and each is fermented at a low temperature. To a base of Grenache Blanc, we blend Viognier along with co-fermented pairs of Roussanne/Marsanne and Bourboulenc/Clairette. Over the years we have increased the proportion vinified in stainless steel, with just under a third of the wine now vinified and matured for 6 months French oak barrels (mostly 3rd fill but some new) to add complexity and creaminess.

Tasting notes

Proper white Côtes du Rhône; fresh, medium-bodied, vinous. The nose is pretty and delicate, with a waft of fennel tops and hints of hedgerow flowers. The flavours are nuanced and refined rather than overt. Careful use of oak adds texture and structure without masking the freshness of this very drinkable white.

Food match

A lovely apéritif, and delicious with lighter dishes such as grilled asparagus drizzled with olive oil and toasted almonds or a goats cheese salad. Fish and chicken are a perfect partner; especially grilled halibut or cod, or a creamy chicken dishes such as the French Poulet à l’Estragon (chicken in a tarragon sauce).

Each vintage, from our base in Cairanne, we are able to select exceptional Grenache and Syrah from the best Côtes du Rhône Villages to make Les Coteaux, which we then enrich with classified wine from Séguret and Sablet.

Production

Common practice in the Côtes du Rhône is to bottle the best cuvées as a single, named, village wine and the rest as more basic Côtes du Rhône Villages. Boutinot’s philosophy, on the other hand, is to start with the intention of making the very best Côtes du Rhône Villages possible by sourcing wine from the vineyards of named villages, and enriching them with a small proportion of barrel-aged wine from Sablet and Séguret. Boutinot's Côtes du Rhône Villages 'Les Coteaux' is therefore a selection of the best Grenache Noir and Syrah from some of the 17 named Côtes du Rhône Villages. We source wine from a number of growers with exceptional terroir and so have the flexibility to select only the very best fruit each vintage (rejecting parcels which do not meet our high standards). Mostly unoaked, a small proportion (15%) is part-aged for up to 20 months in a few new, but mostly older, oak barrels to bring depth and subtle notes of complexity.

Tasting notes

Immediately impressive, this wine reveals its class from the start. Brambly fruit underpinned by subtle oaky nuances, lovely sweet spice - warm star anise with a touch of cinnamon. This classic Côtes du Rhône Villages is enriched with specially-selected parcels from Séguret and Sablet.

Food match

A delicious accompaniment to hearty food: grilled meats, meaty sausages with mash or, as would be served in France, with puy lentils; shepherd's pie, mushroom ragoût or simply a good pizza.

This Grillo by Cantine Fina reveals a bouquet of white peach, Mediterranean herbs and even kiwi notes. On the palate the wine is pleasantly fresh and juicy, with a mineral quality and orchard fruit flavours as well as aromas of white flowers. The beautifully long finish is raised by a touch of bitter musk. A truly beautiful Grillo in this price range!

Grape Varieties: 100% Viura

Type: White Wine Crianza

Alcohol Content: 12.5% vol.

Serving Temperature: 14º - 16º

Production: 

Made 100% from Viura (Macabeo) grapes. The hand-harvested grapes are selected from old vines sourced from their own vineyards and are made in a very traditional winemaking style.

It has spent 4 years in oak barrels, been racked twice a year, been fined with fresh egg whites, been bottled unfiltered, and been followed by some ageing in bottle before being released.

Tasting Notes: 

Pale gold in colour. Aromatic and complex-scented nose of mature fruit, some dry honeycomb, and a citrus touch, floral and nutty with hints of oak. The palate is complex and developed, with good acidity that opens out very well and finishes dry.

Notes: With good ageing potential, it will drink well through 2027. It goes well with all kinds of fish, grilled seafood, and white meats, as well as with pasta dishes.

THE WINERY

The family-owned bodega López Heredia, one of Rioja’s oldest and most traditional establishments, was founded in 1913 by Rafael López de Heredia. Three generations later, the Lopez de Heredia family continue to devote themselves to producing exceptional and unique wines. Located in the heart of the Rioja Alta region, Viña Tondonia is a beautiful vineyard and one of the most spectacular in Haro, with over 100 hectares situated in a shell-like depression on the right bank of the river Ebro; the soil is alluvial clay with a high proportion of limestone. The grapes from Viña Tondonia are always used in making their highest-quality wine. 

Ethereal, fresh, appealing to both the nose and the palate, Pédesclaux’s second wine is a flower that unfurls as you approach. Thanks to its reliance on a high proportion of Merlot, the wine is soft and gentle, with a delicious, silky texture. It has intense, compelling and savoury fruit aromas and, year after year, beautifully calibrated scents of white flowers, violets and small red berries. Exhibiting a more high-spirited elegance yet nonetheless showing remarkable length, Fleur de Pédesclaux is a delight. In the mouth, it is fresh, subtle, packed with fruit and beautifully smooth tannins, with a long finish. In this more floral expression, the marvellous complexity of our terroir is once again evident, but in a mouth-watering style that is instantly festive.

The Terroirs
Garonne gravel on subsoil of limestone

The Grape Varieties
59 % Cabernet-Sauvignon, 36 % Merlot, 3 % Petit Verdot, 2 % Cabernet franc

Château Cos d’Estournel Les Pagodes de Cos 2018 is the elegant second wine from the historic Château Cos d’Estournel, a Deuxième Cru of Saint-Estèphe founded in 1811 by Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel, famed for his global reach and distinctive pagoda-topped chateau. The vineyards sit on classic left-bank gravel and clay-limestone soils that provide excellent drainage and structure, nurtured for refined ripeness and balanced acidity. Vinification is traditional, with careful sorting, temperature-controlled fermentation and around 12 months in French oak to lend subtle spice and texture. The 2018 blend is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, showing concentrated black- and red-berry fruit, spice and silky tannins with a long, fresh finish — a poised, compelling Saint-Estèphe second wine.

Chillable red from one of Argentina's most famous wine families.

Violet tones, Intense aroma of fresh red fruits, such as raspberry, cherry, and strawberry.
Freshness with a smooth finish. Fruity flavors and a silky texture.
Elegant on the palate.
Variety: 100% Criolla.

If you fancy a smooth and very fruity red wine to enjoy with delicately flavoured food like pasta or white meat, Legaris Roble is the perfect red wine to choose.  This Ribera del Duero, made from 100% Tinta Fina (Tempranillo), also displays touches of vanilla from the time it spent in oak.  Pure fruit in your glass. Don't over-think, just relax and enjoy it, calmly.  

Origin
This wine is made from estate-owned vineyards in Villafranca del Duero, specifically from vineyards close to the left bank of the river Duero where the valley foothills begin their gentle undulations and scenic meanders. This is where the river is at its widest and most fierce. The combination of location, orientation, and calcareous soils – gravelly loam and river stones from the riverbed – highlight the expression of the Verdejo variety in this location by intensifying its aromas.  

DO Rueda
DO Rueda is located in the central zone of the drainage basin that forms the river Duero and the high plateau whose gentle undulating topography is subject to the Atlantic winds. The DO is between 700 and 800 metres above sea level extending over areas in the provinces of Valladolid, Segovia, and Ávila. Its relief, gravelly soils, and continental climate make this an ideal region in which to make white wines, especially from the Verdejo variety.