Outstanding new vintage 2019 Barolo from a classic producer. Giacomo Fenocchio has a reputation for producing classic traditional Barolo with traditional long maceration times, of up to 40 days on skins with natural indigenous yeasts. 

The result is a group of stellar Barolos that can age for between 10 to 20 years in good cellaring conditions and which offer exceptional value for money. The style is savoury all the way from the clean, fresh, earthy note to the rich mushroom, truffle, tar and roses notes that typifies great Barolo. This wine punches above its weight for its price and will age gracefully.

Classic Graves from an exceptional vintage which favoured the left bank. This shows hallmark cassis and bramble fruit with lovely ripe tannins and keen balancing acidity. Entry level Bordeaux at it's best.

Winemaker Corey Ryan named Marschall Shiraz in homage of the late David Marschall, a martial artist , actor and demolition expert, whose legacy lives on through his vineyards in Barossa Valley's Tanunda and Ebenezer districts. And grapes from those two areas make up the backbone of this deeply fruity, dry, full bodied Shiraz, which is one of the outstanding reds in the Sons of Eden range. A great wine from a great new-ish brand, which highlights the potential of the world's most famous Shiraz region.

Eden Valley born, Barossa winemaker Corey Ryan cut his teeth at Henschke before moving to Villa Maria in Auckland, New Zealand, and then returning home to create the Sons of Eden brand with an old buddy. This outstanding wine is the result of their partnership and is one of the pinnacle reds in the Sons of Eden range - a wine that will surprise with not only its power and intensity but also its balance and elegance. 

Zephyrus Shiraz is named after the Greek God of the West Wind, who is depicted as a majestic horse, which makes the artwork extremely apt on the label of this outstanding Shiraz. IT’s made from grapes grown in both the Eden Valley (45%) and the Barossa Valley (55%), which combine their, respectively, cooler and warmer climate attributes, which gives this wine its lively acidity and full bodied power. The wine was fermented using varying proportions of whole bunch clusters from 10% to 60% with 20 to 25 days on skins followed by pressing into French oak barrels, 45% new and 55% seasoned. It spent 15 months in oak and was bottled without fining or filtration so it ticks the vegan friendly box

This deep purple, dry, full bodied Shiraz has powerful ripe black fruit flavours and spicy notes that give this varietal its distinctive appeal.

A top shelf wine that you don't have to dig too deep to afford. 

Vallformosa, is a family owned operation that has been around for 150 years. 

Appearance: Pale yellow with greenish reflections in the glass

On the Nose: Good aromatic intensity of fruity aromas, including green apple and fresh herbs like fennel welcome the nose. These fruiter elements also combine with notes of white flowers and citrus in the bouquet to offer complexity.

On the Palate: Vallformosa Cava is a bright sparkling wine with fine persistent bubbles. The palate is balanced and dry while soft, resulting in well balanced acidity and a fruity aftertaste.

About Cava...

Cava is one of the great sparkling wine secrets of the world and you could call it poor man's champagne because it's made the same way, only with slightly shorter aging time and therefore a little less complexity on the palate. Still, given that it costs a fraction of the price and has had its secondary fermentation in the same bottle that you buy it in, this really is superb value for money.

It can be made with grapes grown anywhere in Spain. These days, producers are allowed to use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to make cava but this one is from the traditional Spanish grapes, namely, Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada, each of which combines to create a fruity but dry and lightly yeasty fresh taste. A stunner at the price and an extremely fresh, refreshing dry bubbly. Awesome value for money.

Beronia Reserva is made from a selection of the best grapes from the oldest Tempranillo vines, plus some Graciano y Mazuelo. After a spell undergoing cold pre-fermentation maceration and controlled fermentation with periodic pumping over to extract the desired colour and aromas, the wine spent 18 months in mixed French and American oak barrels to create the unmistakable 'Beronia Style'. Lastly the wine was left to rest in the bottle a further 18 months before being released to the market.

Atractive and intriguing on the nose it displays nutty aromas – roasted almonds, walnuts – followed by notes of plum primarily but also ripe fruit and a pleasant hint of white pepper, which all add complexity and freshness. Full bodied the palate, the wine displays balanced acidity. The flavours are mostly of ripe fruit, whilst the finish is sweet and smooth, bringing to mind cacao and roasted hazelnuts.

Winery

Tapiz is one of the new and successful wineries in Argentina. Our success is based on our great terroirs, our brand new equipment and technology and, above all, our strong and experienced team. Winemaker Fabian Valenzuela was joined by Jean Claude Berrouet in 2012. Jean Claude is the recently-retired winemaker of Petrus, having presided over 44 vintages at this revered Bordeaux winery. We are proud that Jean Claude chose to work with us exclusively in Argentina.

We are a 100% family business, that started 10 years ago with a clear mission:  to produce the best wines and olive oils possible, protecting the environment and preserving regional cultures.

Our terroir defines us and our products are our finest expression of this identity. We are convinced that to achieve these goals, we must produce our grapes, so that every year each segment remains its style and quality.  We have 8 vineyards in the best and most representative wine areas, Globalgap and Good Manufacturing certified, allowing us to have lines with specific characteristics of each region.

Tasting Notes

The aromas and flavors of fresh fruit such as apple, pear, and peach are amalgamated with mineral touches and orange peel. French oak adds notes of caramel and honey. It is a long-lasting wine in the mouth.

93 Points James Suckling

Technical Information

Vineyards: San Pablo Estate  

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay.

Average Vineyard Altitude: 1350 Metres 

Fermentation: Pre-fermentative cold maceration. Alcoholic Fermentation is carried out in new and second use French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation.

Aging: 6 to 8 months of barrel.

Alcohol: 14.0% 

Shiraz Grenache Mataro blend

Deep crimson with violet hues. Lifted aromas of blueberry, blackberry, mulberry and Satsuma plum, with nuances of lavender, rose petal, violets, pepper and brown baking spice. A complex palate of blue and red fruits with hints of anise and white pepper, supported by bright acidity, fine tannins and excellent length.

Pierre Gonon is one of the great domaines in the St Joseph appellation. This 100% Syrah comes from the great granite rich slopes that the region is known for. The nose is smoky and rich, with spiced cherry hints. On the palate, this wine offers prune, Morello cherry and violet flavours. This smoky, juicy Rhone brings a long finish and excellent tannin structure. An excellent expression of the region.

Legal academic, property dealer and vigneron, Rene Rostaing crafts some of the finest Cote Roties on the market today. He has owned 2 hectares in the Côte Blonde and La Landone since the 1970s but fortune has blessed him through his inheritance of four hectares of superbly sited vineyards from his father in law Albert Dervieux and another 1.4 hectares of particularly old vines from his uncle Marius Gentaz. He now has 7.4 hectares which in Cote Rotie terms is a significant holding. Rostaing is firmly in the modernist camp of Cote Rôtie producers, destemming the majority of his fruit and being one of the first producers to ferment using vinomatics (horizontal automatic vinifiers). However he dislikes the overt taste of new oak and uses a maximum of 15% in the maturation process. All the wines are bottled unfiltered.

100% Syrah from the Northern Rhone's appellation of St. Joseph which is famous for its powerful wines. The palate offers Oodles of blackberry, black currant and plum fruit that meld with spicy savoury and herbal elements.  The finish is long with black tea and toasty notes.

ZENKURO - This is New Zealand's first ever sake, handcrafted since 2015, in Queenstown.  Our fresh, Premium grade junmai style of sake is pure, nothing added, but give a unique twist with the use of Manuka timber, NZ's own miracle tree.

Our brand is Zenkura - while 'zen' means all, 'kuro' means black - a simple but powerful combination born in NZ.  We start with water from the snow-capped Southern Alps and special sake rice that has been milled to remove the outer 40%, leaving only the best part of each grain for the fermentation to begin.

18% ABV.

The Wine:

Tinto Joven; 96% Tempranillo, 2% Garnacha, and 2% Viura.
Rioja Alta, vineyards of Ábalos and San Vicente de la Sonsierra.
A blend of native varieties from our vineyards located in the Rioja Sonsierra region. The varieties combine to create a clear definition of a young, fresh, and fruity wine.

WINEMAKING:

Process: Carbonic maceration (whole bunch maceration). This allows us to transmit all the fruitiness of the grapes to this wine. Fermented at a controlled temperature (26º). The fermentation process proceeds normally and quickly. Natural stabilization and bottling.

The Producer:

Abeica is winery currently under the watch of the fourth generation - with the fifth already cutting their teeth. Do not for one second though assume that this historic connection bears the weight of conforming to brand Rioja.  During the 1990's the winery was successful at home and abroad. Growing year -on-year, buying in grapes from neighbouring properties to fuel their growth.  The four siblings, Isabel, Ricardo, Pachi and Raul decided to pull back from this and return to a true family project using only their own vines and their combined skills.  Vineyards are mainly clay-calcareous between 450-590 metres and enjoy the protection of the Sonsierra mountain range. Vintage employs the entire extended family to hand pick and bring in the harvest to the gravity-fed winery. Fermentation is generally whole bunch under carbonic maceration. There is a refreshing hands - off approach, letting nature do the work which leads to freshness across the range. It truly feels like Rioja with the light let in.

This big, powerful lush velvety red from California is made from one of the most popular grapes in that vast, warm wine region, namely Zinfandel. 

Also known fondly as Zin, it's one of California's most successful red grapes, which thrives in the hot dry climate and makes beautiful full bodied wines, such as this. 

The Zinfandel grape is also widely grown in southern Italy where it's known as Primitivo because it is one of the first to ripen (hence, 'primi' for first) and it is grown in eastern Europe where it's called, variously, Tribidrag,  Crljenak Kaštelanski and Kratošija. DNZ analysis has shown that the grapes known by these names are all genetically identical to the Croatian Crljenak Kaštelanski and Italian Primitivo.