£33.50
The name of this unusual Bourgogne Pinot Noir refers to the latitude of Burgundy, and it is a blend of out best Bourgogne Rouge, Cote de Nuits Village, Marsannay and Vosne-Romanee.
Maison Marchand-Tawse£37.95
Strikingly smooth to taste and beautiful to behold in its iconic Bristol-blue glass bottle, this original, multi-award-winning 6 O’clock Gin was born in 2010, perfected from an old family gin recipe.
It has a soft and citrusy flavour, led by juniper, carefully balanced with coriander seed, angelica root, orris root, winter savory, elderflower and orange peel, all lovingly distilled for a deeply-delicious taste experience.
£37.30
Modest and passionate about his vineyards, Abel and his wife Maite have been making understated wines in San Vicente since 1988.
Lying in the shadow of the Sierra Cantabria, Abel has vineyards in the finest parts of the Alavesa. His knowledge and understanding of the soils is enthralling and to taste in his cellar can be an education on the effects different soils have in different years. He wants only to express the fruit and the soil and unlike many Riojans, he leaves it more or less at that. He does not want to stamp the wines with any particular style or mark of his own other than his respect for the very natural quality of the grapes and for the magical places that they were grown.
Straw yellow. Intense aromas, floral, very perfumed, with good fruit expression in the foreground, and well integrated wood notes of balsamic and dried grass. In the mouth it has superb acidity with a bright, smooth, silky and pleasant finish.
£27.30
Modest and passionate about his vineyards, Abel and his wife Maite have been making understated wines in San Vicente since 1988.
Lying in the shadow of the Sierra Cantabria, Abel has vineyards in the finest parts of the Alavesa. His knowledge and understanding of the soils is enthralling and to taste in his cellar can be an education on the effects different soils have in different years. He wants only to express the fruit and the soil and unlike many Riojans, he leaves it more or less at that. He does not want to stamp the wines with any particular style or mark of his own other than his respect for the very natural quality of the grapes and for the magical places that they were grown.
Cherry red, purple and traces of violet. Subtle notes of cocoa, liquorice, and balsamic. It enters the mouth dry and structured.
£43.80
Modest and passionate about his vineyards, Abel and his wife Maite have been making understated wines in San Vicente since 1988.
Lying in the shadow of the Sierra Cantabria, Abel has vineyards in the finest parts of the Alavesa. His knowledge and understanding of the soils is enthralling and to taste in his cellar can be an education on the effects different soils have in different years. He wants only to express the fruit and the soil and unlike many Riojans, he leaves it more or less at that. He does not want to stamp the wines with any particular style or mark of his own other than his respect for the very natural quality of the grapes and for the magical places that they were grown.
A very classy and compelling wine. Deeply coloured with a pure, intense bouquet of crushed fruits, spice and oak. Elegant oak aging enhances the wine’s complexity and class.
£16.95
Tradition is hardly sufficient a word to sum up the Perrier family who have lived and worked in the Alps for more than seven generations. Their wine style and dedication to local varieties such as Jacquère has not wavered and like their mountains, they remain resolute. And all the better for it. These are wines are stunning, different and enthralling creating flavour and palates that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Jacquère is a grape variety native to Savoie and is THE wine to have with fondue or raclette.
White gold colour with hints of green. Fresh almond, hawthorn and citrus fruit on the nose. A lively attack on the palate but rounds out with lovely mineral notes and orange zest. Excellent balance between fruit and acidity.
£21.50
A man of conviction but by no means a zealot, Eric Texier likes to push the boundaries. Despite having no experience or contacts in wine, Eric decided to give up his career as a nuclear engineer and study winemaking in 1992, interning with Jean-Marie Guffens at Verget in Mâcon. Lacking the network to buy his own vineyard, Eric did his time with established winemakers then made négoce wines with the fruit of like-minded purists. Although he considers his approach to viticulture to be that of an old-fashioned paysan, don’t be fooled. Eric is more of a pioneer than he would have you believe. His fresh take on an old terroir has been instrumental in reviving appellations of the Northern Rhône that would otherwise have been lost. The estate consists of two very distinct terroirs - Brézème in the Drôme (left bank of the Rhône) and the Ouvèze valley in the Ardèche (right bank). Brézème is a limestone hillside facing south, the last ridge of the Vercors Massif at the mouth of the Drôme river, whilst the Ouvèze valley, on the Ardèche side, marks the geological separation between the Massif Central and the Cévennes, where the vineyards facing south, are granitic with a mixture of schist and gneiss on its surface and islands of limestone.
£67.50
£26.00
Dark plum, leather and delicate violet aromas, plus notes of woodsmoke and brown spice. A full, firm and ripe red with rich, powerful flavours. All balanced by ripe tannins, complex savoury notes and a long finish.
£10.95
The Brachetto variety may have originated in Provence, but today it is grown in much larger quantities in Italy, in particular in Piemonte. The Brachetto vine is delicate, giving low yields from which sweet red wines with the colour and flavour of strawberries are produced. The grapes for Alasia Brachetto d'Acqui are sourced from vineyards in the Monferrato hills in the south of the province of Asti.
Bright and aromatic with fresh crushed raspberries, violets and dried rose petals. The palate is juicy and lightly sparkling, and bursting with fresh grape and red berry fruit. The sweetness is perfectly balanced by mouth-watering acidity and a delicately fragrant finish.
£13.99
Attractively aromatic with fresh red fruits, floral notes, and hints of sweet spice. The palate offers ripe plum and damson characters balanced by a lightly earthy, savoury complexity with finely-grained tannins.
£16.50
Sometimes on our travels we taste wines made from near extinct varieties and frankly begin to understand why natural selection is a thing. However, the Albillo variety which Bodegas Arrayan are known for is the real deal. This is a genuinely interesting grape and can make wines with a proper ‘spark’. Style wise it’s akin to a rich Albarino, perhaps an Albarino/Pinot Gris cross, delicious stuff. Interestingly (to me anyway) the grapes are hand harvested before being foot trodden with the juice remaining in contact with the skins for a couple of days before spontaneous fermentation in steel tanks. It’s then given 7 months in old 500 litre French oak barrels to add some texture but very little in the way of oak character. Jancis Robinson MW had this to say of the 2018 vintage: Bright stone-fruit nose, with some attractive fennel character. There’s a little touch of honey which I’m reliably told will increase with time. The palate is pretty exciting with chalky texture and bright acidity. It’s not racy, but very persistent with a fresh mineral finish.
£13.50
Forget any notions of quaint, long-established family wineries, Guillaume Letang is a “driving winemaker” (like a flying winemaker but more prone to homesickness.) Originally from northern Burgundy but now based in Macon, he scours southern France for odd little exciting plots of vines on which he can work his magic. Venturing off piste a few years ago, he came across a fabulous parcel of old Carignan vines from which he has moulded this hearty but beautifully balanced red. Treat it to a plate of game or a rustic stew and watch it come to life,
£19.95
Semillon, Muscat and Pinot Gris were vinified separately. They are picked in the morning, destemmed, fermented on skins for 10 days, pressed gently, and aged in old barrels and steel.
With up-front aromatics and florals, it starts out all skinsy and tropical with notes of tangerine and stonefruits. Refreshingly dry on the end for an easy-drinking finish. Textural and interesting, fun and chewy.
£15.40
One of my favourite white discoveries of last year; crisp, fresh and elegant with classic varietal character and a mouthwatering finish. - Chris Connolly
£31.50
£45.00
A complex nose showing notes of black cherry, plum, violets, coffee and raisins. The palate is smooth and rounded, with a richly-textured mid-palate and a medley of spice, dried fruit characters and supple tannins. The wine remains elegant, being so beautifully integrated and sweetly rich, but with a long and complex, dry finish.
£14.29
£18.50
NOSE
Lightly alcoholic, zesty orange with complex herbal scents harmonized with a touch of vanilla
BODY
Intense orange top with herbal and woody body notes, pleasantly bittersweet and salty
TEXTURE
Velvety and rounded, with long-lasting orange and wood memories
FINISH
Herbal, long and pleasant with a typical bitterness
£15.95
Arboleda is a relative newcomer to the Chilean wine market but its founder, Eduardo Chadwick, has been around for a while as the fifth generation of the family behind the Errazuriz label. With the confidence that comes of so much experience and a multi-million dollar bank account he set up Arboleda as more of a niche producer, crafting vineyard specific wines from sustainable vineyards. Syrah probably isn’t the first variety you think of when considering Chilean wine but I think it’s got a great future here, particularly at the mid to higher end of the market. This is gloriously full with ripe, soft tannins but still retains a classic Syrah acidity on the finish to add freshness.
£365.00
Baron de Sigognac are heirs to centuries of knowledge and tradition; The Sigognac house is one of the oldest in Armagnac. Something of a rarity in the region Baron de Sigognac own all its own vineyards, its distillery, its ageing cellars and its bottling line, allowing complete control over all aspects of producing the finest spirit.
Every year Baron de Sigognac makes sure they keepe a few of the best casks for extra long ageing. After many years of following this policy they have an almost unique cellar containing well over a 1000 casks of vintage Armagnac.
£105.00
Baron de Sigognac are heirs to centuries of knowledge and tradition; The Sigognac house is one of the oldest in Armagnac. Something of a rarity in the region Baron de Sigognac own all its own vineyards, its distillery, its ageing cellars and its bottling line, allowing complete control over all aspects of producing the finest spirit.
Every year Baron de Sigognac makes sure they keepe a few of the best casks for extra long ageing. After many years of following this policy they have an almost unique cellar containing well over a 1000 casks of vintage Armagnac.
£79.50
Baron de Sigognac are heirs to centuries of knowledge and tradition; The Sigognac house is one of the oldest in Armagnac. Something of a rarity in the region Baron de Sigognac own all its own vineyards, its distillery, its ageing cellars and its bottling line, allowing complete control over all aspects of producing the finest spirit.
Every year Baron de Sigognac makes sure they keepe a few of the best casks for extra long ageing. After many years of following this policy they have an almost unique cellar containing well over a 1000 casks of vintage Armagnac.
£79.50
Baron de Sigognac are heirs to centuries of knowledge and tradition; The Sigognac house is one of the oldest in Armagnac. Something of a rarity in the region Baron de Sigognac own all its own vineyards, its distillery, its ageing cellars and its bottling line, allowing complete control over all aspects of producing the finest spirit.
Every year Baron de Sigognac makes sure they keepe a few of the best casks for extra long ageing. After many years of following this policy they have an almost unique cellar containing well over a 1000 casks of vintage Armagnac.
£13.99
£3.55
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Aromas of ripe bramble fruit, plum and a touch of spice. Generous on the palate with fresh red cherry and blackberry leaf characters - supple tannins give structure, all rounded off with a touch of spice on the juicy finish.
£29.50
Stéphane Bourret and his team have improved La Bastide wines’ quality beyond recognition. Despite the pressure of the many tourists ready to buy almost anything at any price, he has chosen a path of quality and hard work. All of the 28 hectares estate is now run using biodynamic methods and the results are a joy to behold, with many of their wines awarded great accolades in the national and international wine press. ‘Estagnol’ is produced from their best vineyards and improves after 3 or 4 years cellaring.
£11.99
Barbadillo’s Finos are more Manzanilla-like in style, but are aged in Bodegas with less exposure to the cooling sea breezes. The flor in the barrels grows vigorously in these cellars so the wine is a little more nutty and toasty than the more appley and yeasty Manzanillas of Sanlucar.
£12.65
£18.99
PX, as it is better known in its abbreviated form, is the very richest and stickiest style of Sherry to be found. The Pedro Ximénez grape is picked and sun-dried to produce very concentrated sugars in the raisined grape. The result is an ultra sweet wine with a treacly texture and flavour. It is often enjoyed poured over vanilla ice cream.
£7.15
£15.35
Fruity with hints fo ripe cherry and red fruit on the nose. On the palate this is full-bodied and round with more red fruit and a poised acidity
Azienda Agricola Marco Porello£12.95
The palate is rich and generous with juicy cherry and more plum fruit, and meaty, spicy notes beneath. Soft oak tannins offer an extra dimension to the texture. A refreshing smack of fruity acidity on the finish gives plenty of definition to the ripe fruit.
£95.80
Barolo Liste is a signature wine of Piedmont, cultivated in the small, prestigious zone of Liste within the Barolo zone.
Nebbiolo grown in calcareous-clay soil gives this pure expression of Barolo its intense, garnet red color, with a few orange highlights. Its nose is moderately intense with notes of wild fruit, liquorice, tobacco and cocoa.
The vineyard carries its 35 years well and enjoys ample sunshine from the east.
On the palate it is dry and full-bodied with a velvety persistence that marries well with the great Piedmont culinary tradition. It is an ideal accompaniment to braised meats and truffle dishes.
95/100 - The Wine Advocate
£14.50
From Chris- "I was properly bowled over when I tasted this a couple of weeks ago. Whilst the prices of top end Bordeaux place them well out of reach of mere mortals, many properties further down the food chain have struggled in recent years and countless Chateaux have simply thrown in the towel in the face of competition from across the globe. Others, have seen it as an opportunity to raise their game as Michael Regaud has done here. An investment programme started by his father in 1979 has seen quality levels consistently outperforming those of their neighbours – this is “proper” Bordeaux but at an accessible level."
Full-bodied, supple wine with soft tannins and a fruity finish
£15.25
You may be more familiar with Carménère as a Chilean wine, but the variety actually originated in Bordeaux. After phylloxera, its temperamental nature and difficulty in reaching full ripeness meant it wasn’t replanted and, for all intents and purposes, became extinct in France.
Fortunately, some vines had already made their way to Chile, where, during the 1980s and ’90s, cracking wines labelled as “Chilean Merlot” began appearing in the UK. These wines were clearly different from true Merlot — at first this was put down to clonal variation or climate — but later research revealed they were, in fact, Carménère. Since then, the grape has been making a quiet comeback in its homeland.
Michel planted a small vineyard of Carménère around 12 years ago. In particularly hot years, enough grapes ripen fully to produce a single-varietal wine. The previous release was in 2018 (they’re keeping rather quiet about the possibility of a 2025). After four weeks of maceration during fermentation, the wine rests on its lees for 12 months in steel, developing an inky dark colour, loads of forest and dark fruit on the nose, silky tannins, and a touch of liquorice on the palate. It really is excellent — rich and complex, far beyond what its modest 12.5% ABV might suggest.
£3.10
A straw-coloured bitter which initially seems sweet, but a complex dry, hoppy taste soon predominates.
Probably the best example of the traditional Black Country style of bitter. No better partner to a lunchtime snack!
NB- Please note due to excessive breakages we can only offer local delivery for the mighty Bathams'
£16.25
Gautier Marion is the fifth generation of the family to manage Domaine de la Couvette, tucked into the gently undulating countryside of Southern Beaujolais. If you could picture what a quintessentially small French producer should look like then Gautier's property would come very close. He takes great pride in making wines in the traditional carbonic macerated style using his trusty, old concrete vats, which he uses to age the wines as well. Respecting not only the winemaking traditions, but also their 11 hectares of land and the vines that are up to 50 years old, they demonstrate their commitment by making a fully organic Beaujolais.
Light yellow in colour the wine has a fruity, floral and mineral nose, and citrus notes. An elegant subtle Chardonnay that is supple, balanced and delightfully fruity.
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Dominique Romy and his son Nicolas cultivate their vines naturally according to the Terra Vitis requirements, so as to preserve the biological balance of the soil. Vines are grown in an old fashioned manner, with grass between rows and Green Harvest being practiced to lower yields and to increase the quality of the grapes.
£18.95
A light aromatic wine with an abundance of juicy red fruit aromas. Bright and flavoursome with supple tannins that are beautifully integrated. The acidity is just right to keep the wine lively and refreshing.