A newcomer to the Artisanal Gin Market, named after Saint Amans, a small village in the department of Tarn-et-Garonne in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France and home to its producers. A gin that is smooth, fruity, floral and with a touch of spices.

Tasting Notes

From our own garden and the region of Saint Amans, we have selected the very best ingredients and botanicals for our gin. Grown from the same loving earth as the grapes themselves.

This gin is comprised of 18 different botanicals, including classic Juniper and, a French specialty, Espelette Pepper plus an extra hit of fresh raspberries for fruit and colour. Each of these components adds their special touch to the blend, truly defining the taste and character of our beloved Saint Amans

This floral gin is best served neat or paired with the following premium Indian tonic waters: Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light, Artonic or London Essence.

Producer

The South of France is a haven for winemakers; the climate producing some of the world's finest grapes. It is the love of these grapes that have formed the basis for our precious gin. Proudly named after the small hamlet in which we live, our gin is the result of a long-lived dream to create something sustainable and with purpose. Something to bring people together. Equally complex as it is balanced, we hope you will enjoy drinking it as much as we have enjoyed making it!

A Labour of love

In France, respecting the land and its produce is of great value. It seeps into everything we do and instills pride in what we create. For us, the botanical garden we have grown embodies all of this. Nestled between vineyards in the heart of Saint Amans, it is the home of our gin and a source of its ingredients.

The Perfect Match

Our partnership has brought together two very complementary interests; Anne's love of growing fruits, flowers and herbs alongside Jean-Louis' life-long fascination with 'marc de raisin' (a winemaking derivative - spirit of the grape). It's this harmony of skills that has laid the perfect foundation to create our gin.

Specifications

A newcomer to the Artisanal Gin Market, named after Saint Amans, a small village in the department of Tarn-et-Garonne in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France and home to its producers. A gin that is smooth, fruity, floral and with a touch of spices.

Tasting Notes

From our own garden and the region of Saint Amans, we have selected the very best ingredients and botanicals for our gin. Grown from the same loving earth as the grapes themselves. Our gin is comprised of 18 different botanicals, including classic Juniper and, a French specialty, Espelette Pepper. Each of these components adds their special touch to the blend, truly defining the taste and character of our beloved Saint Amans.

This floral gin is best served neat or paired with the following premium Indian tonic waters: Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light, Artonic or London Essence.

Producer

The South of France is a haven for winemakers; the climate producing some of the world's finest grapes. It is the love of these grapes that have formed the basis for our precious gin. Proudly named after the small hamlet in which we live, our gin is the result of a long-lived dream to create something sustainable and with purpose. Something to bring people together. Equally complex as it is balanced, we hope you will enjoy drinking it as much as we have enjoyed making it!

A Labour of love

In France, respecting the land and its produce is of great value. It seeps into everything we do and instills pride in what we create. For us, the botanical garden we have grown embodies all of this. Nestled between vineyards in the heart of Saint Amans, it is the home of our gin and a source of its ingredients.

The Perfect Match

Our partnership has brought together two very complementary interests; Anne's love of growing fruits, flowers and herbs alongside Jean-Louis' life long fascination with 'marc de raisin' (a winemaking derivative - spirit of the grape). It's this harmony of skills that has laid the perfect foundation to create our gin.

Specifications

Fine, full-bodied white Burgundy.

Tasting Notes

Expressive, almost exotic aromas and flavours with a lovely touch of oak that adds a slightly nutty character to the lush, ripe Chardonnay fruit. Rich but restrained, there is a real finesse and elegant balance to this very classy white Burgundy.

Production

Grapes are grown on the limestone and clay soils of Solutré and Vergisson. Fermented in barriques, this wine then spent 12 months in a mixture of new and older French oak.

Producer

The 14.5 hectare Domaine G. Saumaize (formerly Domaine des Maillettes) is now wholly run by Guillaume Saumaize, follwing the recent retirement of his mother, Annie. Tending to more than forty parcels of vines (up to 80 years old) spread across four Mâconnais communes (Vergisson, Davayé, Solutré and Prissé), he produces Pouilly-Fuissé and a range of other Mâcon AOC wines.

In 2018, the Saumaize family invested in a new barrel cellar, giving them much more flexibility to vinify individual parcels of grapes separately and thus express their terroir even more clearly. The Chardonnays are classically styled, with part or full vinification in oak for richness and complexity.

Specifications

Pure, fruit-forward and fine.

Tasting Notes

Vibrant aromas of green apple and citrus. The palate is complex with ripe citrus and pear fruit, pithy grapefruit notes and an appealing stony edge to the long finish. The grapes were picked early to maintain their freshness.

Method of Production

Produced from the family's 19 hectares of vines growing in 'terres blanches' - chalky clay - soil. Vineyards are worked sustainably, organically where possible. It was cool-fermented in stainless steel and aged upon its lees for 5 to 6 months.

Producer

The small village of Maimbray, just to the north of Sancerre itself, is home to both Domaine Roblin and to Domaine du Pré Semelé. In fact the Roblins are just across the road from the Raimbaults and share a similar story of two brothers – 4th generation Matthias and Emile in this case – taking over from their father and implementing new ideas to move the family domaine forward.

They have a total of 19 hectares of vines with a terroir made up of Kimmeridgian and Portlandian chalky clay (Terres Blanches) soils, spread across 45 separate parcels of vines, on the slopes around the villages of Maimbray and Sury-en-Vaux. Their vineyards are planted with 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Pinot Noir, and in the winery their intervention is minimal: gravity does the work of pumps, and the wines see long lees ageing. The wine style is very pure, fruit-forward yet fine, and really top quality.

Sustainability

Vineyards are worked with the greatest of respect to the environment; no chemical pesticides or herbicides are used; carbon dioxide emissions are kept as low as possible; there is crop cover between rows of vines to help combat soil erosion, and green harvesting is practised to restrain yields and improve ripeness. Although not yet HVE accredited or certified organic, the Roblins employ many of the practices of both.

Awards

Gold Sommelier Wine Awards 2017 - for the 2015 vintage 

Specifications

Top white Châteauneuf worthy of the name.

Tasting Notes

A stylish white with inviting warm, spicey aromas. The full-flavoured palate suggests poached pears and white peaches and a long, lifted finish.

Production Method

The domaine is located in the heart of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape terroir with the typical stony soil of “galets roulés” (rolled pebbles). A large part of the vineyard is located on the famous plateau de Cabrières, close to Château Montredon. Grapes for the white are from a 5 hectare vineyard in Travaillon. The soils of the vineyard are made up of clay and chalk covered with a layer of the pebbles, which naturally keeps yields low. Vines are 40 years old, the pruning method is Cordon Royat and harvesting is all by hand. Alexandre produces 5 times more white wine than the other producers in Châteauneuf. Manual grape harvest with selective sorting. Fermentation at low temperature (66°F) 21 days in stainless-steel vats. Lees aging for up to 6 months. No malo-lactic fermentation in order to maintain a good acidity level. The wine is bottled early to keep as much freshness and aromas as possible. Approximately 20% of each grape variety (Clairette, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc) was used.

Producer

Domaine Chante Cigale is located within the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and has been owned by the Sabon Favier family for several generations. Consisting of 41 hectares, the domaine benefits from old vines, some of which are veritably ancient at over 100 years old. Alexandre Favier took over from his father, Christian, and is part of a new wave of producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, combining modern technical expertise with time-honoured winemaking practices.

Alexandre is lauded by notable journalists including Steve Danzier and Jancis Robinson for his deftly-made and reasonably-priced wines. Domaine Chante Cigale has also built a reputation for specialising in white wines, of which they produce more than any other estate in the appellation.

A note on Sustainability

As you might expect from someone born and raised on an estate named after singing cicadas, Alexandre Favier keenly promotes the biodiversity of his vineyards. He is very conscious of his role as guardian of his land for future generations and Chante Cigale is currently in conversion to full organic status.

Specifications

Classic single domain Pouilly-Fumé.

Tasting Notes

Floral and herbaceous, this is a concentrated wine with great elegance, complexity and power. Really special!

Production Method

The grapes are sourced from 30-year-old Sauvignon Blanc vines grown on the hill of St Andelain in a mix of Silex and Kimmerigian clay soils. The individual parcels are vinified separately. The grapes are gently pressed pneumatically. Prior to fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the must is naturally clarified by cold stabilisation and some of the grapes are macerated on the skins for a short period to maximise flavour complexity. Either wild or selected yeasts are used, depending upon the conditions - indigenous yeasts are believed to add more character. The fermentation is cool and slow over 3 weeks and the wine remains on the fine lees. The gravity-fed cellar is on two levels and is fully temperature controlled.

Producer

Robert Poirier established the La Renardière domaine close to a small wood with a healthy population of foxes ('renardière' translates as foxhole). He was a pioneer with a passion for modernism; he cleared the hillsides, planted vines in the Kimmeridgian marl, introduced new pruning methods, and won the estate’s first medals. A firm believer in the potential of Pouilly-Fumé, he expanded the estate over the years and even opened a wine bar named "Au Pouilly" in Nevers.

Eugene Bouchie bought a vineyard from the neighbouring château, on the same Saint Andelain hill as La Renardière, where the soils are composed of flinty clay and limestone. In the early 1900s, the marriage of the children of these two producers created the domaine as it stands today and it is the blending of the two terroirs which gives the La Renardière cuvées their complexity.

A Note on Sustainability

The estate undertakes disease and pest control measures by maintaining natural balance ("lutte raisonnée") and works the soil in a traditional way.

Awards

• Silver in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2019 - (2018 vintage)
• Silver in the IWSC 2018 - (2017 vintage)

Tasting Notes

The bolder Michaut style deftly added to the more restrained style of Vau-Lignau to create a textural, elegant white.

Nose

Lightly toasted buttery oak on the nose.

Palate

The palate is complex and mineral yet ripe with plenty of fresh Chablis acidity. A wine which merits its Tastevinage award will be long-lived; expect at least five years' drinking.

Production Method

The lieu-dit of Vau-Ligneau (meaning little valley) is one of Chablis' more recent promotees to Premier Crus status, elevated for consistently producing superior quality wines. Chardonnay grapes are grown on 40-year-old vines in Kimmeridgian soil with a south-easterly exposure (giving a more mineral style than the Premier Cru Beauroy which comes from south / south-westerly vineyards). A deep layer of white clay gives the wine length, finesse and elegance. 20% of the wine is fermented in oak barrels (228l & 600l), the rest in stainless steel. The oaked proportion remains in barrel for 11 months.

Producer

Domaine de la Motte is a 25 hectare, family-run winery handed down from father to son since 1950. Now under the stewardship of Bernard Michaut, an ex-chef, who works with his son Adrien. Their winemaking is meticulous and the wines are benchmarks for the region. They are fastidious about producing concentrated, mineral and very precise wines which reflect the particular terroirs of Chablis, with vines on both Portlandian and Kimmeridgian soils. Motte's wines are regularly chosen for the Tastevinage label, a rigorous selection by the Confrérie des Chevaliers de Tastevin of wines they regard as offering the best of the region in terms of quality and style.

Specifications

A classic Chablis from vines grown on the famous Kimmeridgian clay, and from the2013 IWSC French Wine Producer of the Year.

Tasting Notes

From a warmer vintage, this shows riper yet still mineral fruit with added depth from a small (around 10%) addition of oak-aged wine into the blend. This is very typical of the Motte style and gives richness and balance to the wine. A deliciously precise expression of classic chalky Chablis terroir.

Production Method

Grapes are machine harvested to preserve the freshness and purity of flavour. Pneumatic pressing immediately after harvest is then followed by a gravity settling period of 24 hours in stainless steel vats. Fermentation takes place in thermo-regulating stainless steel tanks for approximately 15 days at 21 degrees Celcius. The wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation in stainless for approximately 5 weeks at 20 degrees. Following this, the wine is racked between December to January, and it is fined between February and March. Cold stabilization at -3 degrees for 5 days before filtration and finally bottling.

Producer

Domaine de la Motte is a 25-hectare, family-run winery handed down from father to son since 1950. Now under the stewardship of Bernard Michaut, an ex-chef, who works with his son Adrien. Their winemaking is meticulous and the wines are benchmarks for the region. They are fastidious about producing concentrated, mineral and very precise wines that reflect the particular terroirs of Chablis, with vines on both Portlandian and Kimmeridgian soils. Motte's wines are regularly chosen for the Tastevinage label, a rigorous selection by the Confrérie des Chevaliers de Tastevin of wines they regard as offering the best of the region in terms of quality and style.

Specifications

A complex and elegant Haut-Médoc, from a good vintage.

Tasting Notes

Drinking beautifully now, this has a classic Médoc cigar box nose, followed by a textured, fleshy, plum fruit and aniseed-scented palate.

Production

From a total of 32 hectares of 30 year old Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot vines, planted on gravelly soils. After harvest, grapes are manually sorted to ensure optimal maturity. Temperature controlled open fermentation in concrete vats, with extended maceration and regular pumping over.

Producer

Château Lanessan has belonged to a succession of eight generations of the Bouteiller family since the 18th century. You might assume such a longstanding family to be traditional and staid, but in fact they are very open and receptive to new influences. In 2009 they employed winemaker Paz Espejo (who came to Bordeaux from her native Spain in the 1990s) to inject new vigour into the estate. Paz’s goal is to “grow excellent fruit while remaining loyal to our fantastic terroir”. Working alongside oeneologist Eric Boissenot and advised by Hubert de Boüard of Château Angélus, she has made significant changes in the vineyard and in the cellar that now are being reflected in the quality of the wines.

Sustainability

In 2011, Château Lanessan joined the Environmental Management System launched by the CIVB to promote sustainable and environmentally-friendly viticulture and in 2014, it was certified HVE Level 3.

Specifications