Christmas Day Wine Recommendations

December 11, 2013

A selection of delicious white wines, to serve with your starter 

White Wines

St Aubin  La Chateniere Domaine Gerard Thomas 2011. Burgundy £23.39

(£21.05 if bought as part of a case of 12)

- Perfect if served with Pate -

Founded after the last war by André Thomas, Gérard took over the 12 hectares of vines in 1982. He is assisted by his daughters, Isabelle and Anne, and since they have joined him, quality here has definitely risen. The wines have an amiable fruitiness allowing early enjoyment, but also enough structure to satisfy the purist. Hand harvested and pneumatically pressed to tank. Settled then transferred to oak barrel for fermentation, which lasts for 14 days at 18C. 12 months maturation with regular lees stirring for the first 6 months.  Straw coloured with a ripe nose, full of peach and apple fruit and nuances of oak. The palate is quite full, with a dense core of rich fruit flavours, well judged oak and fresh citrus acidity.
 

Gruner Veltliner Fass 4 Domaine Ott, Wagram, Niederosterreich-Lower Austria  £16.49 

( £14.85 if bought as part of a case of 12)

- Perfect with a fish starter-  

The Ott family has been growing and producing wine in the region of Wagram in Lower Austria since 1889.  Bernhard Ott is of the fourth generation and has managed the winery since 1995, when he took the helm from his father, expanding the estate to 28 ha in Feuersbrunn and Engabrunn.   Bernhard is, without question, one of Austria’s more colourful characters whose adherence to biodynamism is bordering on obsessive. The most widely recognized wine from Ott is the ‘Fass 4’.  This GV is composed of 5 small parcels that surround the Rosenberg vineyard, also mainly composed of loess with some additional gravel as well. Pale green-yellow. Anise and freshly ground green peppercorn spice up the fruit aromas of cantaloupe and apricot. Juicy peach is embedded in the creamy texture of this elegant but concentrated wine.

Macon Village, Renaud  £10.95                          

(£9.85 if bought as part of a case of 12)

- Versatile, great with fish and cold meat starters -

The award winning family team of Pascal and Mireille Renaud produce this fabulous Macon.. They lovingly tend several small parcels of vineyard in and around the Pouilly Fuissé region. We believe these wines are an exceptionally fine example of their expertise. Pascal Renaud comes from an old established family of wine growers in Pouilly. His estate covers 25 acres in the villages of Pouilly, Solutre and Davaye. Within their new cuverie, built a few  years ago, they work predominately with stainless steel and large German foudres. This is done to maintain brightness and freshness of the fruit and the purity in the expression of the terroir. The Macon Village is 100% Chardonnay with a gorgeous minerally character, stone fruit flavours and a wonderful elegance.

A selection of Red Wines, specifically chosen to match with the complex flavours in your Christmas dinner.

Clos Henri Pinot Noir, Marlborough £24.76          

(£22.30 if bought as part of a case of 12)

Clos Henri is the exciting new vineyard development in Marlborough, New Zealand begun by the internationally recognised winemaking family of Henri Bourgeois of Sancerre, France. For ten generations the family has crafted premium quality Sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir wines and in 2000 chose 109 hectares of native Marlborough pastures to continue their passion abroad.

The Pinot Noir has a very complex nose of sweet black currants, mushrooms, mocha and spicy oak can be found in the "Clos Henri Pinot Noir". The small-berried bunches have created a wine with rich layers of dark fruit and ripe tannins which are seamless.

Chateau Beaumont 2009  £15.95                                       

(£14.35 if bought as part of a case of 12)

.Beaumont has 105 hectares of vineyards and the blend typically is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon  35%, Merlot with a small proportion of Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.  Matured in oak barrels (one-third new) for between 12 and 18 months.   Bordeaux wines from the 2009 vintage are being heralded across the globe as wines of not only sheer class and purity, but for richness and beauty. Not only are the 1st and 2nd growths showing these characters, but also wines from the more generic regions like Haut-Médoc are performing brilliantly. Wonderfully fresh, vibrant with layers of blue and black fruits, the Beaumont is sheer class in 2009. full rich colour, bags of structure and supple silky tannins.  As this is still quite youthful, we recommend decanting this wine before serving with your Christmas Turkey.  

Milu.  Ribera del Duero. Spain  £10.75                              

(£9.67 if bought as part of a case of 12)

Ribera del Duero is generally speaking an area of big reputations, big wines, big oak influence. Then comes along a fresher style of Tinto del Pais, (the local name for Tempranillo). Winemaker German Blanco calls his project a 'Micro-winery ' and it is based around the village of La Aguilera in Burgos province with some vineyards based at over 900 metres. German is reviving old traditions such as foot-treading the grapes and the fruit driven wines are spontaneously fermented. Milu, which is a roble-style wine, seeing about 6 months oak ageing in French and American casks. This is a small family project of great potential and the funky labels really stand out.. A vibrant, lifted, fruit driven example of dark, semi crianza Tempranillo. This has been a big hit with our staff and regulars.

Dessert Wine / Port    

- Chosen to perfectly match with Christmas pudding

Campbells Rutherglen Muscat £11.99. Australia                     ( £10.79 if bought as part of a case of 12)

The Muscats of Rutherglen are wines of unsurpassed richness. Unique to Australia and the world, the Muscats of Rutherglen are considered the "World's Richest Wines" and bear a mark of authenticity – an oval logotype with a stylised "R" – which is only applied to the wines drawn from the great Muscat vineyards of the region. “ The "Muscat of Rutherglen" trademark assures the highest quality of wine exclusively sourced from the Rutherglen Wine Region. Campbells 'house style' is typically complex and elegant, capturing a rich purity of raisin fruit flavours.” Colin Campbell  This classification is the foundation of the style; displaying the fresh raisin aromas, rich fruit, clean spirit and great length of flavour on the palate, which are the mark of all the Muscats of Rutherglen.  Bright amber gold with copper tints. Fresh raisin fruit backed by subtle oak characters. Luscious mouthfilling raisined fruit combine with the oak flavours to produce a wine of great length. Utterly irresistible at Christmas.

Kopke 10 Year Old Tawny Port £16.99                                

(or £16.14 if bought as part of a case of 12)

In 1638 the German diplomat Cristiano Kopke founded the Douro wine shipping company that became universally recognized as the first Port house in Port wine history. In 2011 Porto Kopke will celebrate 373 years of continuous production of fine porto with grapes from its famous Quinta São Luiz with its many gold-medal winning vintages. Kopke has  five more years of development than most 10 year olds, and would qualify as a 15 Year old if it existed.  Honey coloured, with deep ambrosial flavours and wonderful richness.

“ Fine nose of toasted almonds with butterscotch & honey. Smooth, unctuous and very tasty…I liked this Kopke for the textural pleasure and pure nutty flavor that led to the persistent aftertaste.” 91 pts. Roy Hersh, FortheLoveofPort





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