Bouscasse represents the most open and polished wine from Alain Brumont's extensive holdings in the region. The vines are planted on hillsides with yellow and white clay layered over fissured limestone. Bouscasse is meant to reflect the history of the region, made in the style of the 18th century heyday of Madiran.

The wine is big and bold, packed with both fruit and tannins. It has great structure and a dense dusty tannic character that promises great aging but which will be drinking now with a dcent decant.

Tannat 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 35% and Cabernet Franc 25%

The commune of Savigny les Beaune is located above between Aloxe Corton and Pernand Vergelesses, in the north of the Côte de Beaune.

Savigny produces exclusively almost red wines (90%) under the village and premier cru appellations. The vineyard shows an east and north-east exposure and is situated between 220 and 360m. The Dominode vineyard is very suitable to Pinot Noir because the soil is deep and benefits for a large variety of fallen rocks from the top of the hill.

The grapes bear small little dark red berries. The bunches are destemmed; they macerate in open vats during 4 weeks helping the subtle terroir to reveal itself. After devatting, the wines are aged in oak barrels during 18 months.

Food pairing - roasted salmon, roasted chicken, grilled red meat : beef, lamb chops, osso bucco, stew, ragout, bœuf bourguignon, duck, partridge, quail, deer, young wild boar, teppanyaki beef, mashed potatoes with salted butter, Cîteaux, Mont d’Or.

Intense purple red color. Intense nose of flowers (violet) and black fruits (black cherry, blackcurrant) combined with peppery hints. Full on the palate with a nice fruity and spicy aftertaste.

55% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre grown in the Côtes du Rhône apellation in cobblestone-clay and clay-limestone soils.

Grapes were destemmed with daily racking. Wine aged on fine lees in vats with controlled oxygen levels.

Food Pairing: Spicy food, red meat in sauce, cheese.

"Richly fruited and instantly appealing, the wine shows dark plum, cherry, warm spice and roasted nut aromas, followed by a generously expressed palate that's succulent and silky. It's soothing and comforting with loads of tasty flavours. At its best: now to 2028" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Feb 2024

Domaine des Pothiers makes wines from Gamay Noir, the Beaujolais grape, only this producer is in the Cote Roannaise, in the northern Loire Valley. Eclipse is a pale pink sparkling wine made solely with Gamay Noir, using the Methode Ancestral technique; the oldest winemaking method to create sparkling wines via a fermentation in the bottle. This style is now affectionately known in wine circles as Pet Nat; an abbreviation for petillant natural, due to being naturally sparkling following its second ferment in the bottle. Unlike champagne, which is made this way, pet nat is not disgorged, so this style retains lees and therefore a touch of cloudiness. 

This bubbly is medium dry with 9% ABV, and really well balanced by crisp zingy acidity and savoury flavours. A great aperitif style.

This great Champagne is made by the Epernay based producer, Champagne Lombard, and it is staggeringly good quality with amazing balance and complexity for this price. 

Smooth, zingy, citrusy and beautifully toasty. A rare good deal. 

How is it possible to roll all these flavours into one affordable wine? Ask the Famille Perrin, one of the great winemaking families in southern France, who create this complex, fruity, earthy and fresh Cotes du Rhone from a blend of Grenache (mainly from their Prébois vineyard in Orange), Syrah from further north in Vinsobres and Mourvèdre. While many less interesting Cotes du Rhone are made from a straightforward blend of Grenache and Syrah, the addition of the dark, mocha-like flavours of Mourvèdre add depth, richness and smooth soft velvet mouthfeel. 

The grapes in this wine were destemmed and fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks between 150hl and 190hl. Extraction is done by pumping over and the frequency is determined by tasting. The separate component wines are transferred partly to oak barrels and partly to stainless steel vats for a year's maturation, prior to blending. 

The result is outstanding dry red wine flavours with rich soft fruit appeal and a long finish; all to be hoped for from the family who own Chateau de Beaucastel.

This is a great young red with medium term ageing ability and especially fresh and consistent thanks to being sealed with a screw cap.

The Domaine des Espiers is located in the heart of Vaucluse, between the banks of the Ouvèze and Dentelles de Montmirail. This is an excellent value Cote du Rhone with smooth tannins, warm berry fruit flavours and a medium body. 

The Seguinot family has been in Chablis since at least 1590 and this estate is now managed by Daniel Seguinot and his daughters, Emilie and Laurence. It covers 20 hectares on a south west facing slope in this most northern region in Burgundy. 

Thee family makes four different wine styles from Chablis, ranging from Petit Chablis and  Chablis to the two Premier Cru, Fourchaume, and Homme Mort.

This wine offers very good value for money and highlights this classic traditional home of the much loved Chardonnay grape.

This classic French rose is pale, dry and hails from Provence. It is pronounced ‘X’ and, yes, its flavour more than hits the spot if you love the flavours of refreshing dry pink wine from the Mediterranean - and let's face it, who doesn't?

This wine comes from the historical city of Aix-en-Provence and tastes of red fruit flavours such as summer berries, held together by a medium body and zingy finish. Its label features two Mandarin ducks, which are birds who famously stay together for life. 

Organic wine, a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. An intense nose of spiced berry pie, pastry, and sweet cloves. Light initially in the mouth, filling out through a generous drying mid palate featuring roasted game, anise, fennel, and olive. An increasing spiciness and garrigue to a long full finish with chewy fine tannins. A bold 15% alcohol. Our own import, making it superb value.

Chateauneuf du Pape is definitely the most famous and arguably the most prestigious of the Southern Rhone 'Cru' wine appellations, covering 3,200 hectares of vines across 5 communes (about three times the size of Martinborough).

Wine was made here from Roman times, but became famous when the Pope moved to nearby Avignon in the 14th century.  With the Papacy in town and beyond to royal courts the wines have been favourites ever since. The best vineyards are on gentle hill slopes, with deep clay & limestone soils with large rounded river stones 'galets' on top. By rules inacted in the 1920s, no vineyards were to be planted on land that was not arid enough to support plantings of both lavender and vines!

Domaine Juliette Avril is a family winery of four generations in the heart of Chateauneuf - growing for centuries in the region and one of the original families that combined forces to create the rules of the first appellation in 1928.  The vineyards are the classic mix of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and small amounts of the other 10 grape varieties permitted. An impressive half of the vines are over 50 years old.

Winemaking

Temperature controlled ferment in steel, aged in high quality demi-muid (600L) barrels for 12 months, with a light filtration.

Perrier Jouet Champagne is a smooth and creamy, full bodied champagne made from grapes grown in over 70 villages in the Cotes du Blancs in the Champagne region; a Chardonnay dominant part of the region, which comes through in the creamy rich taste. 

This Champagne house was established in 1811 by Pierre-Nicolas-Marie Perrier, who added the maiden name of his wife, Adèle Jouët, to the name. They settled in the town of Épernay, where the company owns vineyards Aÿ, Avize, Cramant and Mailly. Many of the holdings are planted with Chardonnay, which brings delicacy and freshness to this lovely sparkling style. 

Winemaking
Crafted in the heart of the Jura, Domaine Maire’s Grand Minéral Chardonnay is made using fruit from clay and limestone soils that lend natural tension and minerality. The 2021 vintage is vinified without oak, allowing the purity of Chardonnay and Jura’s terroir to take centre stage. Fermented and matured in stainless steel with extended lees contact, the wine combines freshness with a gentle savoury depth.

Bouquet
The nose is clean and expressive, showing green apple, citrus peel and pear alongside subtle notes of almond, white flowers and crushed stone.

Palate
Bright, textural and dry, the palate delivers zesty citrus, crisp orchard fruit and a chalky mineral core. A subtle nuttiness lingers beneath the fresh fruit, balanced by vibrant acidity and a long, saline finish. Elegant and refreshing with a distinct Jura edge.

Food Pairing
Perfect with Comté cheese, roast chicken, or trout almondine. Also pairs beautifully with creamy mushroom dishes, seafood gratin or a vegetable tart.

Tasting notes:

Brilliant garnet red color. The nose reveals nice aromas of ripe fruits (strawberry, blackberry) with delicate coffee notes. Harmonious and elegant on the palate, offering a round structure, full of red and black berries.

Food matches:

Red meat, poultry, pasta and cheese.

Winemaking: Optimum ripeness of the grapes - de-stalking and crushing of the grapes – a part of the harvest benefits from a “flash détente” process to enhance an optimum level of color and fruity aromas – the other part follows a traditional alcoholic fermentation in vats with 2 rack and return per day.

Soil: Coming from different regions of the Languedoc (The Aude, the Herault and the Gard) where each offers a different type of soil (schist, marls, chalk and clay).
Climate: The hot and windy Mediterranean climate, along with the interesting diversity in the soils of these 3 areas, result in powerful and fruity wines.
Aging: Long maceration (3 weeks) with micro oxygenation before malolactic fermentation in vats to develop the color and to supple the tannins.

Produced in the Maconnais region of Burgundy, Macon-Villages is vinified with no oak contact to retain the elegant aromas and clean, fresh character that this region is prized for. The vineyard soils have a high percentage of chalk and limestone which impart nuanced minerality.

GRAPES:
100% Chardonnay

TASTE:
This wine shows floral, apple and citrus aromas with fresh, clean flavours and mineral notes.

PAIRING:
Perfect as an aperitif or with shellfish, crab cakes or goat cheese.

DISTINCTION:
Clean and vibrant unoaked Chardonnay.