Red Wine

Fresh black cherries and cassis notes of the nose. With a juicy palate showing soft tannins with more red fruit flavours, and a touch of spice on the finish.

Produced from the estate's young vines (average age 10 years) growing in vineyards overlooking the Camargue and strewn with smooth pebbles from the Durance river valley. After harvesting, the grapes are chilled for 3 days before a natural ferment at controlled temperatures. Unoaked and ‘croquant’. Aromas of red bramble fruits and woodland herbs The palate has mature raspberry, blackberry and redcurrant fruit, juicy acidity and supple tannins.

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is located on Bordeaux’s Left Bank, in the world-renowned Pauillac appellation. Under the 1855 Classification, which Napoleon III requested for the Exposition Universelle de Paris, Pichon-Lalande falls under the Deuxièmes Grands Crus Classés, or Second Classified Growth category.

Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and Pichon Longueville Baron were once one large property. At the time of Baron Joseph de Pichon Longueville’s death in 1850, his estate was split between his two children: his daughter Virginie who married the Comte de Lalande (Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande) and his son Raoul who inherited the title of Baron (Château Pichon Longueville Baron).

Edouard and Louis Miailhe, descendants of an old Bordeaux family of vineyard owners and wine brokers, purchased Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in 1925. May Eliane de Lencquesaing, Edouard’s daughter, inherited it in 1978 and ran it until 2007. It was under her ownership that Pichon Comtesse’s reputation as a prized Pauillac wine flourished and earned its “super second” reputation (referring to its Second Growth classification). The consistent quality, year after year, was simply indisputable. The château's seminal 1982 vintage even garnered the perfect score of 100 points by wine critic Robert Parker.

These 6 bottles were acquired upon release by Chris for his personal cellar and have spent their lives in bond before being transferred to our cellars in November ‘24. On intial inspection the bottles have a uniformed fill level at base neck, with good capsules and clean labels.

A pioneer in the Uco Valley, Bodega Piedra Negra was established in 1996; François Lurton was the first person to plant vines in the foothills of the Andes Cordillera, at an altitude of 1100 m.a.sl., in semi-desert conditions in the middle of what would become the Geographical Indication of Los Chacayes (the poor, gravelly, alluvial soil is reminiscent of Pessac-Léognan in Bordeaux!). Drawing on expertise acquired all over the world, he immediately introduced environmentally friendly growing methods, and his 99 hectares of vines are managed organically and in adherence to biodynamic principles. In addition to Argentine selections of Malbec, the estate also grows French selections of the grape (known as Cot)

The malbec was fully fermented in 225-litre French oak barrels with a revolving system & post-fermentation maceration for one month in the barrel before Malolactic fermentation with weekly bâtonnage. The Cot was fermented in concrete tank before transfer to French first use oak barrels for the Malolactic fermentation and ageing. Aged 24 months in new French oak.

Deep red-garnet colour. Intense red fruit notes, balanced with complex coffee notes from the aging in oak. Complex & full bodied with ripe tannins highlighting the red and black fruits with floral notes showing great length, with mocha nuances on the finish.

Produced from a small (0.49 ha) plot of 50 to 68 year old vines, this is classic Chambolle. Hand harvested and fermented using only indigenous yeast it then underwent maturation in 35% new oak barrels.

Maison Roche de Bellene

Maison Roche de Bellene

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.

Declassified to Vin de France, as opposed to the more usual Côtes-du-Rhône due to its production method, a blend of 55% Grenache, 30% Cinsault and 15% Clairette (a white grape).

All fruit is organic, harvested by hand, partly de-stemmed and co-fermented with native yeasts in open-top concrete tanks. As with all Texier wines, no extraction techniques are employed, aged in concrete for 12-18 months, unfined, unfiltered and bottled with only the smallest amount of sulphur. The blend of red and white grapes producing a joyfully bright wine, with crunchy red fruit, beautiful texture from the concrete fermentation, and incredible purity and drinking pleasure.

Readers will find a rich, flamboyant wine in the 2016 Barde-Haut. There is not a ton of subtlety here, but I am not sure that matters all that much given how immensely pleasing the 2016 is. Crushed rocks, graphite, lavender, blackberry, plum, and violet infuse a Saint-Émilion that offers tremendous textural richness as well as vibrancy. Most importantly of all, the 2016 is flat-out delicious. This is a decidedly opulent, dark Saint-Émilion with all of the elements impeccably balanced. I loved it. Drink 2021-2036.

96 points, Antonio Galloni

Lastly, the 2016 Château Barde-Haut might end up being the best wine ever made at this address from the Garcin-Lévêque family, and it certainly ranks with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Dense purple-hued with awesome notes of cassis, black cherries, spring flowers, damp earth, and violets, it hits the palate with incredible purity and precision, a deep, multi-dimensional texture, sweet tannins (from ripe fruit, not sugar), and a building sense of minerality that shows on the finish. It has the depth of fruit and elegance to shine even today yet will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and evolve for two decades.

95+ points, Jeb Dunnuck

The 2016 Barde-Haut has a crisp and well defined bouquet, very pure, with black cherries, blueberry, violet and a touch of crushed stone, all very focused. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, silky smooth in texture with pure black cherries, raspberry and light orange rind notes towards the finish. This represents an impressive follow-up to the 2015. Tasted at the Barde-Haut vertical at the château. Drink 2025-2045.

94 points, Neal Martin

Chateau Barde Haut

Situated in the Haut Medoc, sandwiched between Margaux and St Julien, Chateau Beaumont has long been a favourite of ours, producing classic Bordeaux from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with just a dash of Petit Verdot. It’s a property with a long history dating back to the 1770s whilst the Chateau itself was built in 1854. Over the years ownership has passed between some of Europe’s wealthiest families but it now rests with Grands Millesimes de France, falling ultimately under the control of Suntory and Castel.

Chateau Beaumont

Very impressive Cabernet dominated Bordeaux, packed full of black plum fruit, rich tannins and excellent potential.

Chateau Cissac

Owned by siblings Louis and Marie Farbre who were early pioneers of organic viticulture in the Languedoc, Château Coulon sits on a hill near the village of Cruscades close to the Via Aquitania, a Roman road which links the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. The vineyard extends over smooth, rounded pebbles deposited by the river Orbieu and refreshing winds assist in the organic management of the estate..

A concentrated and savoury red from the deep south of France. This Corbières shows intriguing savoury and herbal aromas of bitters and thyme. The palate is full of morello cherry fruit and carries through savoury flavours to the finish. Fantastic with charcoal-grilled lamb, rosemary potatoes and a green salad.

Famille Fabre Ch. Coulon

Chateau Ksara is Lebanon's oldest winery, founded by Jesuit monks in as a 27 hectare plot 1857 and claims to have produced the first dry red from Lebandon. Now with 440 hectares the vines are farmed almost organically, with no pesticides or herbicides allowed.

Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and a bit of Petit Verdot with 12 months barrel ageing. Up front there are bold raspberry and blackcurrant flavours that give way to leathery, spicy notes. There is a touch of vanilla from the oak and the rich, mellow tannins are complemented by a refreshing acidity on the finish.

"In this wine, fine and rich tannins partner with powerful black-plum and black-currant fruits. Densely textured while also having swathes of rich fruits, the wine shows both a firm side and one that offers total deliciousness. As it matures, both these aspects will come together. Drink from 2027."
Roger Voss - 97/100, Wine Enthusiast

Château Mercian is the oldest established winery in Japan, starting out in 1870 having sent two young men to France to understand wine making in the European tradition. Indeed the descendants of these two men are still growing grapes for Mercian today.

“Muscat Bailey A” is a Japan’s indigenous grape variety born by crossing Bailey and Muscat Hamburg. It has been widely grown in Yamanashi Prefecture since its creation in 1920. It is thick-skinned, late budding and grown on overhead trellis. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in stainless steel tanks for about 14 days. The wine is then split in to two portions, half is aged in tank and half in oak barrels for 17 months.

The wine is a brilliant ruby colour. Fresh aromas of red fruits such as raspberries and strawberries, sweet aromas reminiscent of cotton candy, and notes of vanilla derived from barrel fermentation are blended together. The wine is well-balanced with a vibrant acidity and soft tannins.

The appellation is located on the left bank of the Rhone, between Orange and Avignon, in Chateauneuf du Pape at the highest point of the appellation, on the Fargueirol plateau.

The terroir is characterised by large rolled pebbles that store the generous sun of Provence during the day and restore it at night. The height of the pebbles is about 2 metres, underneath there is a clay bench where the roots of the vine draw their water needs – a truly exceptional terroir.

70% Grenache. 20% Syrah. 5% Mouvedre, 5% Cinsault.

Deep purple in colour with a violet rim. Nose – a perfectly clean nose with an explosion of aromas of black fruit, exotic spices, roasted coffee and hints of cocoa. One can also distinguish some liquorice and violet flavour that combines perfectly well. On the palate this wine is very generous. The tannins are there, silky and ample, ready for the palate but also promising a great future.

Chateau Fargueirol

Good fruit concentration and weight with an open quality. Complex notes of plums and black cherries with a hint of cocoa and cloves.

The wine has lots of warm black fruit and plum aromas, with cinnamon, spices, pepper and a hint of vanilla. The palate is concentrated with damsons, red fruit, spice and stony minerality with a very elegant and warm finish. The mouth is initially very silky but gives way to some mouth watering acidity and firm tannins.

Domaine Chante Cigale

Pronounced, classic Cabernet Franc leafiness with blackcurrant fruit on the nose followed by robust, crunchy currant fruit on the palate with firm tannins.. Vibrant, young acidity provides freshness through to the finish. Best enjoyed with a good lunch.

Founded by Lenz Moser and now run by his grandson Nikolaus, Vitikultur Moser is one of thepioneers of Austrian wine who did much to put the country back on the map after the infamous“anti-freeze” scandal of 1984.

This light, juicy, cherry fruited red from the far east of the country just 1km from the Hungarianborder is made from Zweigelt which is something of an Austrian speciality. It can produce a range ofstyles but this sees it at its most lipsmacking – youthful, joyous and exuberant.

A fine, pure and elegant nose, with Morello cherry, blackberries aromas and a hint of spice. Subtle oak emerges on a layered savoury palate balancing the liquorice flavours and juicy dark fruit notes, all surrounded by a silky structure with round and fine tannins, leading to a long finish.

Famille Bourgeois Sancerre

100% País, from dry farmed vines which are estimated to be over 150 years old. Grapes are hand picked and destemmed and put in to open top wooden tanks where slow alcoholic fermentation takes place over 18 days with soft pump overs to avoid extraction. Malolactic fermentation takes place and the wine is aged in concrete eggs and old French oak barrels for 18 months. Red fruit aromas such as cherries and wild herbs, with an earthy hint. The palate shows firm and gentle tannins, structured and balanced, an elegant and complex wine that is reminiscent of Chile´s native forest.

A vibrant Pinot Noir from Chateau Burgozone on the Danube river. Soft and juicy it is easy drinking but retains good Pinot Noir character.