Wines £20 - £30

The spring and summer of 2017 saw significant rainfall, especially through July and August. Hail also presented a problem for wineries on the Beamsville bench. However, September was a very pleasant month with unusually warm, dry days that continued into October. Given the late season warm temperatures, ripening of grapes continued well into October with some processing occurring in November. Overall, 2017 was a good vintage for wineries in Niagara. The early weather problems did slow the growing process at the start of the season, however, ideal temperatures and conditions later towards harvest quickly brought the grapes to ideal ripeness. Expect the 2017 vintage to display a cool climate style wine with fresh acidity and bright fruit.

The 2017 Estate Pinot Noir offers aromas of dark cherry, red currant and earth. A classic, light bodied, cool climate pinot noir with notes of tart red fruit and vanilla on the palate. This pinot also has pleasant tannins and a long finish.

Westcott Vineyards

Château de Lamarque

Crozes-Hermitage is situated on vineyards around the hill of Hermitage. 95% of the blend is made from Marsanne and the rest Roussanne. Maturation is carried out partly in oak for 12 months delivering a full, round, fresh and rich style with delicate oak aromas.

E.Guigal

Robust and generous, this Gigondas is characterised by its power and structured tannins.

A blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre from vines with an average age of 40 years. Low yields of 32hL/hectare ensure this is a wine with great concentration. Maturation is two years in oak foudres, 50% of which are new oak.

E.Guigal

Hermandad Chardonnay shows a pale yellow colour with greenish highlights. The nose is concentrated and intense with citrus, pineapple and green apple aromas, interwoven with vanilla notes from the oak and some mineral characters from the soil. With a great concentration and elegance, on the palate the first impact is ripe, well balanced by the natural acidity, with rich white fruits and toast bread, and light notes of vanilla. Its finish is long and persistent

Bodega Los Haroldos

The Hunter Valley gets all the attention when it comes to Australian Semillon but every now and again a little gem such as this crosses our path and reminds us that other Australian regions are also putting out truly world class Semillon. This is very definitely a case of blink or you'll miss it. Made in tiny quantities, it's already sold out in its native Australia so grab some while you can.

Flaxman's Semillon is dry grown and handpicked from a 1/2 acre (0.2 hectares for the metrically-minded) block planted in 1929. This wine is a wonderful example of how elegant and beautifully floral semillon can be. Drinking beautifully now, but will age beautifully also.

Flaxman Wines

This wine is a blend from grapes grown on the stony soils of the Gimblett Gravels. The vines in the Ngakirikiri, Twyford and Omahu Gravels vineyards are now approaching 20 years of age and cropped at low levels to produce grapes of the highest possible quality. Intensive viticultural practices such as shoot and bunch thinning and leaf plucking were employed over the course of the growing season to further maximise the vineyards' potential.

Rich aromas of black fruit and fragrant spicy oak dominate this sumptuous red wine. The palate is full-bodied with incredible concentration of supple, rich ripe fruit, smooth ripe tannins, beautifully integrated oak and great complexity.

Esk Valley

Tim Atkin's Argentinian White wine of the year, beautifully elegant, slightly understated White Bordeaux style. Texturally rich yet with really fine minerality, this is seriously classy

A Bordeaux inspired blend, ripe blackberry fruit, damson and warming spice with subtle flavours of pencil lead, dark chocolate, cardamom and black pepper.

The final blend is 20% of each grape variety taken from 3 different vintages, it is then aged in French oak for 12 months

Beautiful, brilliant garnet colour. The nose is fine and delicate with aromas of black fruit, tobacco and vanilla. The palate is generous and smooth, with velvety tannins imparting outstanding balance. The finish is rich yet gentle at the same time, with more oaky flavours on the back of palate. A very fine wine, with all the signs of beautifully ripened grapes and perfectly mastered ageing.

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

Chateau Cissac

Château Dauzac is a 5th growth Grand Cru Classé wine with 49 hectares of vineyard in a single continuous block. Labastide Dauzac is their second wine and is produced on clayey gravel conducive to the best expression of Merlot and the intensity of Cabernet Sauvignon, Labastide Dauzac is characterized by its great suppleness and fruitiness. True to the Margaux terroir, Labastide Dauzac is a well-balanced wine.

The 2016 vintage is extremely rich and precise without being excessive, revealing bright fruit and a dense and complex raw material. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon gives it an exceptional acidity/alcohol balance that is an indication of a great vintage.

Appearance: purplish red with purple tints.

Nose: the fruity nose is underlined by spices.

Palate: the attack is full, immediately conveying the pedigree of this balanced, complex wine. A precise Margaux with a fresh finish.

Château Dauzac

White flowers and apricots aromas. Juicy and fresh, on the palate. Lively finish with dry apricots notes.

Caves Yves Cuilleron

Nose: Powerful nose dominated by red berries and delicate oak aromas.
Palate: Powerful attack. Round and supple tannins.

E.Guigal

Comprised of varietals that flourish in Paso Robles’ distinct growing region, Troublemaker consists of Syrah, Grenache, Mourve'dre Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. Syrah is the backbone of the wine, setting the stage for a fruit-forward style and a full body. Sweet and bright red fruit flavors of Grenache blend with the rustic and lively flavors of the Mourve'dre. The Zinfandel adds its signature zing to round out the blend and Petite Sirah contributes to the deep ruby color.

This intensely rich wine is deep purple in color and radiates aromas of black fruit, cherry and spicy black pepper. On the palate, loads of vanilla, caramel and black current gracefully evolve into soft supple tannins and a signature zing that balances the wine.

Hope Family Wines

Red fruits, cherry and strawberry with delicate oak aromas on the nose. In the mouth a structured tannic wine with flavours of blackcurrant buds and vanilla. Remarkable freshness with notable and refined tannins.

E.Guigal

A nose full of the aromas of blackberries, raspberries and liquorice. The palate serves up ripe fruit, spice and pepper alongside a healthy measure of soft ripe tannins.

Gigondas LaCave

Blazing red and insanely steep, the Ürziger Würzgarten (ERTS-ih-ger VERTS-gar-ten) vineyard fills the picturesque amphitheater formed by this dramatic bend in the river. It produces wines with exotic, spicy aromas that are bursting with tropical fruit flavors. The estate’s oldest vines are found here.

Intensely fruity, floral nectar hits the palate, there's vibrant acidity set against sweet tangy flavours of tangerine, peach and honey.

Dr. Loosen

A wine of great distinction with a cellaring potential of a decade or more. The use of super ripe Verdicchio grapes combined with a long maturation give a remarkably aromatic nose paired with a palate of astounding richness and suppleness.

Monacesca

After hand-harvesting the grapes were crushed and left in a stainless steel tank with the skins for 7 days. Fermentation was spontaneous using indigenous yeast which was followed by a malolactic fermentation, and then battonage. The finished wine stayed on the fine lees in 500lt tonneaux for 9 months to get enough energy for the time in the bottle. No filtration and a one-time addition of sulfur promise natural drinking pleasure. Today and tomorrow. Now and later.

Andreas Gsellmann

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

Floral nose of linden and verbena, and fresh apricot with a hint minerality. The palate is smooth, the liveliness of aromatic acid fruit creating a refreshing balance on the finish.

Classic Provence rosé, expressive and aromatic, blending fresh cherries and floral notes alongside more exotic fruits then finishing with a soft round palate packed with peach and raspberry.

Grus is named after a constellation visible above the Elqui Valley, whose clear skies are prized by stargazers. It’s a blend of Syrah, Garnacha, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot, grown at over 1700 metres altitude, where the grapes become fully ripe without losing their refreshing acidity.

Vineyard: The Elqui Valley forms a corridor between the cool Pacific of northern Chile and the Andean mountains in the east of the country. The vineyards are at altitudes between 1700 and 2200 metres. Up here summers are hot and sunny, winters cold, and the daily diurnal temperature range is extreme. Rainfall can be as low as 100mm per year. Soils are decomposed granite from the Andes with a high mineral content. All of these factors combined lead to thick skinned grapes.

Viticulture: Whilst uncertified the farming of the grapes was both organic and biodynamic

Winemaking: The grapes are foot trodden in stone lagares prior to vinification. Reta feels this is necessary to gently extract the flavours, and tannins from the thick skinned grapes. Fermentation is with wild yeast and the wines are then aged in concrete eggs for 12months. Made naturally with no other additives.

Tasting Notes: Fresh red fruit, violets, pepper, granite and a whole lot of minerality. Vibrant and expressive on both the nose and palate. Silky smooth finish, which Reta attributes to ageing in concrete egg.

Vinedos de Alcohuaz

This wine is made with grapes coming from two different plots, Les Longeroies and the En la Poulotte. Les Longeroies, located on a hill side facing south-east at an altitude between 268 and 312 meters, is very steep at the top of the vineyard and then gradually gets flatter in the lower part. This plot is one of the best in Marsannay. En la Poulotte is located in the village of Couchey, just South of Marsannay