New Arrivals

The 2015 La Dame de Montrose produced by the prestigious Château Montrose, represents the second wine of this renowned estate situated the Saint-Estèphe appellation of Bordeaux.

Tasting Notes 

An intense deep red colour, the second selection of Château Montrose is marked by the terroir: a powerful and expressive nose with complex aromas of black fruit, fine oak, toasty and smoky. The attack on the palate is rich and full. The mid palate, round and completely in harmony, reveals supple and silky tannins. Good length, with aromas of very ripe fruit on the finish. 

Production

2015 started with a colder winter than in previous years. The start of the season, mild and quite sunny, favoured early bud burst. Quick and uniform flowering took place at the start of June thanks to the exceptional climatic conditions. June and July were dry, marked by water stress leading to a clear slow-down in the development of the vine.  Véraison took place early and in a very uniform way between 21 July and 10 August.  The showers in September gave us the measure, once again, of the qualities of our terroir: drainage was perfect, and the Cabernet Sauvignon on the plateau bordering the estuary 
benefited from a very beneficial drying wind.  Harvest started from15 September with an increased team of pickers and continued at a sustained pace until 8 October when picking finished.  The grapes were of very good quality, and we further strengthened our ultra-precise plot selection, which sometimes involved several passes through a plot in the search for optimum 
ripeness.  In the cellar, the reception line allowed for precision work: 3 sorting tables for bunches preceded double sorting of the berries, optical then by hand.  The vinification, respectful of the identity of our terroir, was tailor-made in tanks of sizes adapted to each of the 55 batches that make up our blending palette. To these were added 7 batches resulting from the precision work carried out at the press.  At the time of blending, the richness of the batches allowed us to be extremely precise in the selection for the grand vin, the most drastic in 15 years.  The first tastings put this vintage among the great years of Château Montrose. 

Producer

The producer of the 2015 La Dame de Montrose Saint-Estèphe is Château Montrose, a prestigious Second Growth estate located in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of Bordeaux. La Dame de Montrose is the château’s second wine, crafted with the same care and terroir expression as the Grand Vin but designed to be more approachable in its youth.

Château Montrose has a long-standing reputation for producing structured, age-worthy wines and is currently owned by the Bouygues family, who have invested significantly in sustainability and precision winemaking.

Specifications

Tasting Notes 

Intense aromas of blackcurrant jelly, black raspberries, and Black Forest cake are intertwined with subtle hints of cedar, lilac, pencil shavings, and crushed rocks. On the palate, it presents a medium to full-bodied profile, featuring ripe, finely grained tannins and a vibrant core of crunchy black fruits, in a lingering mineral finish.

Production

From September 19th to October 7th. Hand harvesting in several passes, according to the level of maturity of the plots. Meticulous sorting in 
the vines and in the vatroom.  Gentle vinification by infusion. Cold maceration. 
Maceration period from 30 to 35 days decided by daily tastings.  Aged in barrels and casks.

Producer

The producer of Chevalier de Lascombes Margaux is Château Lascombes, a historic Second Growth estate located in the Margaux appellation of Bordeaux. The wine is crafted as the château’s second label, offering a more approachable expression of the estate’s terroir while maintaining the elegance and structure typical of Margaux wines.

Château Lascombes itself dates back to the 17th century and is currently owned by Lawrence Family Wine Estates, with Axel Heinz—formerly of Ornellaia and Masseto—at the helm as CEO and winemake

Specifications

Moreish and delicious in equal doses!

Tasting Notes

An intense purple appearance offers up aromas of raspberry, pomegranate, black cherry, purple plum, chocolate and spice.  Layered beneath this are hints of barbequed meats, grilled mushrooms and black olive tapenade.  On the palate the wine is richly textured and mouth filling with powerful, but fine grained tannins that give a silky finish with exceptional length.

The Season

A mild spring was followed by a warm summer and early autumn.  Meticulous vineyard management meant our crops achieved optimum ripeness and were able to be harvested in excellent condition, in advance of the inclement weather that affected the second half of April.   

The Vineyard & The Vines

The vineyard is located within the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury, on free draining, north facing terraces carved out of New Zealand’s Southern Alps by an ice-age glacier.  It benefits from being in the lee of the Teviotdale Range, giving maximum protection from the Pacific’s easterly breezes and thus creating a unique mesoclimate.  The vines are over 30 years old, with a large proportion planted on their own roots.  The soil is free draining and of low fertility, resulting in naturally reduced vine vigour.  This produces low yields of optimally ripened, high quality, flavourful grapes, which fully express the qualities of this unique terroir.  The vineyard has warm days, but the nights are amongst the coolest in the Waipara Valley, drawing out the ripening period of the grapes, while still retaining good natural acidity.

Harvest & Wine Making

Traditional Burgundian winemaking methods were used to make this wine.  We picked the various blocks at different stages, depending on their maturity, aiming for a range of red and dark fruit flavours.  Approximately one third of the grapes were put at the bottom of the fermentation vats as whole bunches, with the balance being destemmed on top, retaining as many whole berries as possible. The vats were kept cool over the next few days to help extract the soft, silky tannins from the pinot noir skins.  After approximately a week the must started to ferment naturally.  During fermentation, the floating cap of grape skins was gently plunged twice daily.  When the fermentation finished, the grape remnants were left to steep in the wine for up to a week to help extract a different range of tannins that add structure and depth.  The exact duration of this period was determined by daily tasting.  Subsequently the wine was gently pressed off and put into oak barriques (30% new) from selected artisan Burgundian coopers.  In the summer after harvest, when the weather warmed, the wine underwent a natural malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation.  After maturing for 18mths in these barriques, the batches made from the many different plots and clones of pinot were carefully blended in varying portions to produce the most complex and balanced wine possible.   

Accolades

• " ... Full body, with firm and polished tannins and a juicy finish. It’s quite ripe and opulent with a softness and plushness.”

  - James Suckling Wine Reviews, www.jamessuckling.com, USA
• 95/100

  “… Youthful, powerful, enticing … . A quality wine from start to finish … ”

  - Cameron Douglas MS, camdouglasms.com, NZ

Specifications

Fine, expressive white Burgundy!

TASTING NOTES

Expressive and very appealing sandalwood spice on the nose, the palate is ripe and concentrated with pithy citrus notes and a pleasant twist of acidity on the finish.

 Production

The Vallets source only the best quality Chardonnay grapes from Auxey-Duresses in the Côte de Beaune. Traditional practices remain in both in the vineyard and cellar. Grapes are hand-harvested, no artificial yeasts are used and the wine is fermented and aged in barrel for at least 12 months with regular batonnage to stir the fine lees. The wine is racked a month before bottling.

Producer

Founded in 1864 by Pierre Bourée, Vallet Frères is now in the hands of the fourth generation of the family, Jean-Christophe Vallet. The family owns vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin including the entire monopole of Clos de la Justice and in the Grand Cru of Charmes-Chambertin. Vallet Frères also act as a négociant sourcing the best grapes from growers in other parts of Burgundy, with whom it has worked closely for decades.

The wines it produces are complex, fine and authentic examples of Burgundian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Vallet family’s wines have been imported by Boutinot for over 40 years and are distributed to top independent wine merchants and Michelin-starred restaurants throughout the UK.

A Note on Sustainability

Vallet Frères is keen to work in an as environmentally friendly method as possible, using techniques such as regular maintenance of the soil by ploughing, applying the minimum of phytosanitary treatments and the controlling of vine vigour and yields through careful pruning. The Vallets tend their vines very traditionally and advancements in the vineyards have been limited: for example, only manure has been used as fertiliser for the last half a century which has encouraged wild asparagus to grow amongst the vines. Harvesting is manual, as the family is opposed to the use of mechanical techniques.

Specifications