2020 Classique Sauternes Ginestet (500ml)
Regular price £16.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%The classic dessert wine - elegant, fresh and very moreish.
Tasting Notes
A classic botrytis nose; rich in honey and sweet floral tones with hints of citrus marmalade. The palate is rich and smooth with similar sweet floral and honeyed apricot flavours but with a faintly citrus note in the finish which makes it very moreish.
Production
Grapes are sourced from vineyards within the Graves district of Bordeaux. Botrytis (noble rot) is allowed to affect the grapes, concentrating their sweetness and flavour. The grapes are hand-picked late in the vintage and, on average, it takes 3 passes through the vineyard to ensure that the maximum quantity of grapes has been beneficially affected by botrytis. The grapes are treated very carefully during pressing so as not to damage them and to maintain their delicate characteristics.
Producer
For over a decade Boutinot has been in partnership with leading Bordeaux négociant Ginestet, to offer high-quality wines from a selection of châteaux in key appellations as well as consistently fine, benchmark Bordeaux wines.
Sustainability
As both a négociant and a producer of its own wines, Maison Ginestet has long been convinced of the need to work the land in a viable manner and it places substantial emphasis on partnerships with sustainable agriculture-accredited winegrowing estates. Some growers are fully organic, and Ginestet is certified to bottle wines made from organically grown grapes.
In 2006, Maison Ginestet set up an international wine school at its Carignan-de-Bordeaux site. Through the Ginestet Wine Academy, Maison Ginestet shares with its commercial partners the expertise it has gained over more than a century of producing and marketing Bordeaux wines.
Awards
- Silver at the 2017 International Wine Challenge - 2016 Vintage
Specifications
Year | 2020 |
Bottle Size | 500ml |
Cultivar | 75% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon, 5% Muscadelle |
Country | France |
Alcohol content
|
13.5% alc vol
|
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 9.8 units |
Type | Dessert Wine |
Cellaring Potential | Awaiting info |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Dietary Information | Vegetarian, Vegan, Sustainable farming |
Food Matches |
The ultimate dessert wine - serve chilled with a host of fruit or cream based desserts. Try also with blue cheeses such as Roquefort or Stilton. Or serve it as the French also do, as an apéritif, or with pâté based canapes.
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Origin |
Bordeaux, France
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Lustau Pedro Ximénez San Emilio Solera Familiar NV
Regular price £31.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Vanilla ice cream will never be the same again!
Tasting Notes
Colour
Ebony in colour with iodine highlights.
Nose
The aromas are reminiscent of figs, raisins and dates.
Palate
Enormously sweet, velvety and soft on the palate, well balanced, with a very long finish.
Producers
During the early years, Bodegas Lustau operated as an Almacenista'. The Lustau family began bottling their own sherries and exporting by 1950. In the 1980s they expanded their range and introduced the Almacenista range concept of buying and maturing casks from small bodegas to share excellent quality names and styles with enthusiasts around the world.
In 1990 the winery was bought by the family-owned Louis Caballero group. Bodegas Lustau is considered a world-class benchmark for top-quality wines. Lustau produces all styles of sherry, from Manzanilla through to Pedro Ximénez, as well as special bottlings, single cask, VOS and VORS sherries. The En Rama range, produced from select barrels from each of the three towns, is a highly anticipated release each spring.
Lustau has, over the years, won multiple medals and trophies, including Best Spanish Winery' and Best Sherry Producer' at the IWSC and the Len Evans Trophy for consistency (won in 2011 and 2016) at the IWC. Current cellar master Sergio Martínez took charge of the winery's oenological team in 2016, after more than 14 years' worth of experience with Lustau. Sergio has been awarded the Best Fortified Winemaker' Trophy by the International Wine Challenge three years in a row, following in the footsteps of the late Manuel Lozano who had won this award seven times. In 2022, Lustau celebrated its 125th birthday with a special release of three sherries in their Anniversary Collection, including a Manzanilla Pasada Papirusa, Amontillado Solera del Castillo, and a Vintage Sherry Añada 1996.
Production
Pedro Ximénez grapes are laid out in the sun after picking until they are practically raisins. After that, the fermentation starts slowly and its halted to maintain all the natural sugars.
The resulting wine ages for 12 years in contact with the air in Jerez de la Frontera.
Specifications
Year | Non Vintage |
Bottle Size | 750ml |
Cultivar | Pedro Ximénez |
Country | Spain |
Alcohol content
|
17% alc vol
|
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 12.8 units |
Type | Fortified Wine - Sweet Sherry |
Dietary Information | Vegan & Vegetarian |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Food Matches | Serve with rich desserts, cakes and pastries, or pour over vanilla ice cream. A perfect companion to strong blue cheeses. Ideal as a digestive. |
Origin | Jerez |
Appellation | Jerez |
2016 Château Le Pey Médoc (375ml Half Bottle)
Regular price £8.79 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%This good-value Bordeaux, produced by the Compagnet family, shows wonderful, deep rich berry fruit with an excellent smooth texture and firm spicy structure. This was a particularly wonderful vintage!
Tasting Notes
Palate
Deep rich ripe berry fruit with an excellent smooth texture, firm tannins and good aging potential. The aftertaste is fruity and spicy.
Producer
Over the last four decades, the Compagnet family has built their reputation on the sheer quality of their wines, as well as the great value for money they provide.
Château Le Pey has a total of 49 hectares of vines and is the oldest and most important property of the Compagnet family. The château was classified a Cru Bourgeois in 2003 and is now a member of the Cru Bourgeois Alliance. Françoise and Claude along with their children Olivier and Pierre, cultivate, vinify and commercialise 100% of the production so it is a real family affair.
The soil at Château Le Pey is made up of clay and limestone and the vineyards are planted with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot. The terroir lends itself to the rich, earthy flavour of the wine and with 12 months’ ageing in French oak barrels (25% new).
Chateau Le Pey is made up of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot and comes from a vineyard area of 32 hectares. The soils here are clay and limestone and the average age of the vines are 20 years of age. The wine spends 12 months in oak of which 25% is new. This Château is situated just north of St-Estèphe.
Awards
- SILVER MEDAL - Concours General Agricole Paris 2016 (2015 Vintage)
- 91 points Wine Enthusiast - from the superb 2015 vintage.
Specifications
Year | 2016 |
Bottle Size | 750ml & 375ml (half bottle) |
Cultivar | Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot |
Country | France |
Alcohol content | 13% alc vol |
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 9.75 units |
Type | Red Blend |
Cellaring Potential | Drink from 2019 |
Food Matches |
This wine goes perfectly with all red meats and cheeses. |
Appellation | Médoc |
Origin | Bordeaux |
Lustau Fino El Puerto En Rama Sherry Spring 2021 Release (500ml)
Regular price £19.59 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Intensely yellow with flecks of gold, it’s almost as if it has captured the sunshine.
Tasting Notes
Nose
On the nose, Fino El Puerto En Rama is like a breeze off the Atlantic, bringing with it notes of roasted almonds, hay and citrus.
Palate
Bone dry on the palate, with more briny character and a nutty bitterness in the tail.
Production
Lustau’s Fino El Puerto En Rama Sherry Spring 2021 Release was matured in the coastal town of El Puerto de Santa María. The consistently mild weather here is perfect for maintaining the yeast growth (known as ‘flor’) that gives Fino its distinctive flavour. Having spent five years ageing beneath the flor in American oak casks, it is bottled without filtering, fining or treatment of any kind.
Producers
Founded in 1896, Lustau has been a standard bearer for Sherry for more than a century. For more than the last few decades, it has been applying a boutique concept to its winemaking, building up a selection of some thirty wines from its own Soleras and others chosen from the stocks of the small Almacenista producers, independent Sherry artisans. These are aged in all three of the cities of the Sherry area: Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Now Lustau has taken this quality approach a step further, releasing two Finos and a Manzanilla all En Rama. “En Rama” means “from the branch”, the idea being that this is Sherry in its rawest and most natural form, straight from the barrel with no filtering or fining. For us, this is the finest way to drink Sherry.
Specifications
Year | Non Vintage |
Bottle Size | 500ml |
Cultivar | Palomino |
Country | Spain |
Alcohol content
|
15% alc vol
|
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 7.75 units |
Type | Fortified Wine - Dry Sherry |
Dietary Information | Vegan & Vegetarian |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Food Matches |
It makes a stunning accompaniment to sashimi, tuna tartar, Marcona almonds, preserved lemon and quinoa salads, green olives and anything with capers in it. But we also recommend tasting it side by side with the other two wines in the range, just to experience the Sherry terroir or this collection.
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Origin | Cadiz, Andalucia |
Appellation | Jerez |
2019 Helmut Lang Goldmuskateller Eiswein (375ml Half Bottle)
Regular price £38.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Tasting Notes
Colour
Vivid, goldish-yellow reflexes.
Nose
Variety of honey flavours. Caramelised almonds. Exciting complexity from pear, peach, and lychee.
Palate
The well-integrated sweetness seems light-footed. High acidity supports the taste without coming to the foreground. Delicate frost flavour in the aftertaste.
Producer
The Langs have been cultivating around 18 hectares in Illmitz, the heart of the Seewinkel in the Neusiedler See wine-growing region, for three generations. The microclimate of the Seewinkel and the partially pure sandy soils create the best conditions for viticulture in the region.
His son, Helmut Jnr, has caught the wine bug too, and now in his mid-20s, is training to take over eventually from his dad. Helmut’s speciality is sweet wines, both from botrytised but also frozen grapes.
In the past, this area of Austria was consistently blessed, year after year, with ideal conditions for the production of sweet wines – both from botrytis-affected and frozen grapes. But times have changed. In recent years the opportunities for Eiswein, which require a minimum nighttime temperature of minus 8 Celcius, have been very rare. Botrytis has become more difficult too: drier conditions increase phenolics and thickness of skins, so these grapes are much less sensitive to the botrytis fungus so vital for the ‘noble’ sweet wines. So paradoxically, harvest dates for these kinds of wine have become later and later.
But somehow Helmut manages to turn out the same great sweet wines year after year, even if quantities are much reduced. It’s astonishing how apparently filthy grapes, still on the vine in January, looking black and very sorry for themselves can transform from ugly duckling to beautiful princess; perfumed and diaphanous. It is a mystical transformation, but one which Helmut manages with great experience and huge skill. His vineyards are located on the Eastern side of the lake around Illmitz. The vines are immaculately trained and all located in the National Parkland which surrounds the lake.
Accolades
-
Chardonnay BA 2016
- IWC London: Bronze medal (86 Points)
- IWC London: Silver medal (92 Points)
- IWC London: Gold medal (95 Points)
Specifications
Year | 2019 |
Bottle Size | 375ml |
Cultivar | 100% Goldmuskateller |
Country | Austria |
|
|
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 4.31 units |
Type | Dessert Wine |
Dietary Information |
Vegetarian & Vegan |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Origin | Illmitz |
Appellation | Burgenland |
Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Réserve Exclusive Brut
Regular price £35.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%The Iconic Blue Label | Fresh & Dynamic
Tasting Notes
Réserve Exclusive Brut is an iconic Champagne that perfectly encapsulates Nicolas Feuillatte house style. Representing the entire Champagne appellation, every inch of the region comes together to reveal a glorious showcase: light, fresh and vibrant Champagne, effusing intense, expressive fruit, while extensive cellar-ageing brings appealing maturity to perfect style and consistency.
Aromas of juicy pear and crunchy apricot merge and weave in a beguiling fusion around a mass of delicate bubbles, gradually unleashing their true character over time.
Simple in its complexity, refreshing and impulsive, it is fabulously versatile with wildly contrasting flavours, and the ideal partner to pre-dinner nibbles, where Réserve Exclusive Brut encapsulates true Champagne spirit to perfection.
Blend
Aged for 3-4 years in our cellars.
The Chief Winemaker adapts dosage levels to each Champagne in order to enhance its flavours and aromas. The choice of reserve wine is crucial and takes into consideration a whole range of factors, including the proportion of cru wines, year of harvest, grape varieties, and vinification and ageing methods, in order to guarantee the intrinsic style of each Champagne.
Medals & Accolades
- Gold Medal - Sakura Japan Women Wine Awards 2021
- Silver Medal- Mundus Vini Spring Tasting 2022 & Champagne Masters 2022
- Silver Medal 92/100 - International Wine & Spirit Competition 2022
- 92/100 - Wine Spectator December 2022
- 91/100 - James Suckling Tasting June 2022
Specifications
Vintage | N/V |
Bottle Size | 75cl, 37.5cl & 20cl |
Cultivar | 20% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 40% Meunier |
Country | France |
Alcohol content | 12% alcohol |
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 9 units |
Type | Champagne |
Cellaring Potential | For immediate enjoyment |
Allergen Information | Contains Sulphites |
Food Matches |
Simple pleasures - Smoked salmon toasts, Ripe 18-month Beaufort cheese Relaxing Interlude - Marinated chicken and spring vegetable wrap, Rhubarb tarte tatin Fine Dining - Sauteed king prawn and coriander, Fish and coconut milk parcel, Sea bass sashimi Best served at 7-8C |
Origin | Champagne - France |
Appellation | AOC Champagne |
Lustau East India Solera Sherry (500ml)
Regular price £21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%East India Solera is a sweetened Oloroso. The name refers to the East India Company, a British trading company that transported cotton, silk, spices, tea, saltpetre and other commodities from the East Indies. As a fortified wine (which lasted longer), sherry was taken along as ballast and to serve the ship’s crew on its transatlantic journey.
Tasting Notes
Colour
Dark mahogany in colour with green-amber edge.
Nose
It offers vibrant notes of maple syrup, brown sugar, shoe polish, raisin and chocolate beer nuts, all very well integrated.
Palate
On the palate, it is smooth and rich at the beginning, full of prune and burned oranges peel flavours. Provocative spicy notes appear just before the nuttiness and terrific acidity cuts through the sweetness. With a truly unforgettable finish.
Production
Each wine (Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez) is matured, separately in its own solera for 12 years. Once blended together, the resulting sherry is returned to a 45-cask solera for a further 3 years ageing. In centuries gone by, casks with sherry were lashed to ships sailing for the Indies and were found to develop an extraordinary smoothness and complexity. Lustau has revived this style of sherry in the East India wine.
Producers
Founded in 1896, Lustau has been a standard bearer for Sherry for more than a century. For more than the last few decades, it has been applying a boutique concept to its winemaking, building up a selection of some thirty wines from its own Soleras and others chosen from the stocks of the small Almacenista producers, and independent Sherry artisans. These are aged in all three of the cities of the Sherry area: Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Now Lustau has taken this quality approach a step further, releasing two Finos and a Manzanilla all En Rama. “En Rama” means “from the branch”, the idea being that this is Sherry in its rawest and most natural form, straight from the barrel with no filtering or fining. For us, this is the finest way to drink Sherry.
History
In the 17th century, they started to notice that the wine actually improved after such a trip, becoming smoother and more complex. This can be explained by the constant movement (i.e. more interaction with air and wood) and by the exposure to high temperatures. East India Sherry which was brought back after a trip became very popular (and expensive), just like East India Madeira. Even whisky was ‘improved’ this way.
The tradition faded in the 19th Century with the introduction of steamships, but the idea had a small revival in 1958 when a butt of Valdespino Solera 1842 was shipped on the Ben Line and compared to bottles that had stayed at home. The improvement was clear.
Awards
- Gold Mundus Vini
- IWSC Silver 2020
- Decanter Silver
- 90 points Wine Enthusiast
- 90 points Decanter
Specifications
Year | Non-Vintage - Average age 15 years |
Bottle Size | 500ml |
Cultivar | 80% Palomino & 20% Pedro Ximénez |
Country | Spain |
Alcohol content
|
20% alc vol
|
Units of Alcohol | 10 units |
Type | Fortified Wine - Sweet Sherry |
Dietary Information | Vegan & Vegetarian |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Food Matches |
This wine is a perfect companion to light desserts and cakes, but can also be served with creamy cheeses or foie-gras. Try it also on the rocks with a slice of orange, simply delicious. Serve slightly chilled, between 10 – 12ºC.
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Origin | Cadiz, Andalucia |
Appellation | Jerez |
Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut Rosé Champagne NV (375ml Half Bottle)
Regular price £22.87 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%The Drinks Business Gold Medal Winner
'Aged on the lees for 3-to-5 years in cellars dug out of ancient Gallo-Roman chalk pits, this rosé Champagne is serious, and seriously delicious. Displaying a medium ‘vieux rose’ hue and narrow cordon, the wine exudes summer pudding fruits and fresh bread notes. On the palate, the wine shows finesse in its light body, zippy acidity and ‘crackling’ mousse texture. Nicely balanced with good length. Quite vinous, this wine is a lovely aperitif but will also work well with wild salmon or even light desserts.' Patricia Stefanowicz MW
Tasting Notes
This champagne has a special place in the history of the House. It is from a family plot of Pinot Noir in Cumières that this precious red wine comes, giving our blend a unique personality.
Colour
An elegant light pink colour with shards of gold. Extremely delicate, lively and regular bubbles.
Nose
The first aroma reveals gourmet aromas of cherries and red currents, followed by notes of blood orange after aeration.
Palate
Delicately straightforward in the mouth. Flavours of wild strawberries enhanced by notes of mint produce a freshness combined with a very pleasant sweetness.
History
Founded in 1825, Joseph Perrier has been owned and run by the same family since 1888. Current director Benjamin Fourmon represents the 6th generation. Champagne Joseph Perrier owns 21 hectares of vineyards, situated in the heart of the region on the right bank of the River Marne, around Hautvillers and Cumières – two villages classed 93% in the ‘échelle des crus’.
They are mostly planted with Pinot Noir but include 2 hectares of Chardonnay. The cellars stretch over three kilometers and date back to the Gallo-Roman period. The chosen name for these cuvées is no accident, nor any false claim to grandeur - ‘Cuvée Royale’ alludes to the historic relationship between Joseph Perrier and Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, as the royals’ Champagne of choice - probably the highest honour any Champagne House can hope to earn.
All the wines are made with a keen focus on freshness and purity, a theme which runs right through the range and really shows its worth in the vintage cuvées which show impressive energy and poise and remarkable ageing potential. Aside from the royal connection, Joseph Perrier has been associated with some pivotal events, which represent great human achievements, from the celebrations around Concorde’s inauguration in 1976 to, more recently, the Noble Prize in Medicine.
Aged for 3 years, the Cuvée Royale Brut of Maison Joseph Perrier brings together more than 20 different vintages with great terroirs such as Cumières, Damery, Hautvillers and Verneuil.
Accolades
- Gold Medal - The Drinks Business
- Vinum: 17/20
- The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships: Silver
Specifications
Year | Non-vintage |
Bottle Size | 375ml |
Cultivar | 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier, of which about 10% is red wine from our own vineyards in Cumières. |
Country | France |
Alcohol content | 12% alcohol |
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 9 units |
Type | Champagne |
Cellaring Potential | For immediate enjoyment |
Allergen Information | Contains Sulphites |
Dosage |
7g/L |
Food Matches | With its strong personality based upon a vinous and robust fruity heart combined fresh fragrances, this wine is perfect as a summer aperitif, or as a partner to white meats, a dish of wild salmon, and desserts that are not too sweet. |
Features | Vegan and Vegetarian |
Origin | Champagne - France |
Appellation | AOC Champagne |
2017 Sepp Moser Pinot Blanc Trockenbeerenauslese
Regular price £35.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Delightful dessert wine from one of Sepp Moser's best single vineyards.
Tasting Notes
Aromas of honey and stone fruit. The palate is opulent with exotic fruit characters balanced by fresh, bright acidity and a lengthy finish.
Production
Pinot Blanc grapes are sourced from the 3 hectare single vineyard of Fuchsenloch. Considered one of Apetlon's best vineyards, the black gravelly soils here are planted with Pinot Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Scheurebe (Sämling 88). The grapes are crushed and destemmed, with immediate pressing. Spontaneous fermentation takes place in old oak barrels.
Producer
The Sepp Moser Estate was founded by the famous Austrian wine producing pioneer, Lenz Moser. Lenz Moser's son, Sepp Moser, began operating under his own name in 1987 and handed over the direction of this family-owned estate to his own son Nikolaus in the year 2000.
The Sepp Moser Estate comprises of 50 acres of vineyards in two prominent wine regions; Kremstal (22 ha) and Neusiedlersee (28 ha). In the Kremstal, Nikolaus produces an international range of varieties as well as the ever more important local varieties of Gruner Veltliner and Riesling. The reds are produced on the gravelly soils of the warm southern Neusiederslee village of Apetlon. All Sepp Moser wines have been organic (and all estate wines biodynamic) since 2007.
Sustainability
The Sepp Moser estate produces a wide range of wines every year thanks to its vineyards in two diverse regions. There is one main aim in the cellar: the quality of the grapes shall be brought with as little influence as possible to the bottle. The grapes in the Sepp Moser vineyards are harvested by hand and at the cellar of the Atrium House Nikolaus Moser emphasizes gentle vinification and tries to interfere as little as possible with the process so that each wine can develop its own individual style. The fermentation starts spontaneously, and the maturing of the wine takes place on its own.
In 2006, Nikolaus officially moved the estate to biodynamic viticulture – one of the first to do so in Austria – and became Demeter certified. 2009 saw the release of Sepp Moser’s first certified organic wines. Nikolaus is very keen to reduce the amount of copper and sulphur used in the vineyards, and this year saw a reduction of two thirds over what was sprayed previously. He composts all the estates' pomace and vine trimmings, and there is an ongoing effort to plant trees around the vineyards.
Specifications
Year | 2017 |
Bottle Size | 375ml |
Cultivar | 100% Pinot Blanc |
Country | Austria |
Alcohol content
|
11% alc vol
|
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 8.25 units |
Type | Dessert & Fortified Wine |
Cellaring Potential | Awaiting info |
Features | Vegetarian, Vegan, Biodynamic, Sustainable |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Food Matches | Partner with desserts such as crêpes. |
Origin | Burgenland |
Appellation | Apetlon, Burgenland |
Equipo Navazos, I Think Amontillado, Montilla (375ml Half Bottle)
Regular price £19.49 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%This amontillado is a rare and exclusive treasure, with just 1,000 375ml bottles available, each drawn from a single cask that boasts an average age of 15 years. Its elegance and finesse are unmatched, and with a natural alcohol strength, it remains unfortified, preserving its authentic character.
Tasting Notes
This embodies finesse with its rich, gourmet and wonderfully unique character. The perfect Amontilado from DO Montilla-Moriles, combines elegance with complexity and has a sensory appeal which shows a definite sense of place.
Production
The white chalky soils of the hills South of Montilla (Sierra de Montilla) and surrounding Moriles (Moriles Altos) are ideal for the cultivation of Pedro Ximénez grapes which produce the traditional wines for which Andalucía is well known among wine lovers. The Montilla-Moriles appellation, located in the province of Córdoba some 200 km away from Jerez, have produced for centuries these traditional wines.
Producers
Equipo Navazos was born out of a group of friend’s passion to share the authentic, traditional wines of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Montilla … legitimately some of the greatest wines of the world!
These wines come from soleras and individual casks that remain, relatively neglected by the market in corners of many of Andalusia’s most prestigious bodegas. These unexpected yet fortunate findings have been made available to wine lovers around the world in limited quantities under the La Bota series (consecutively numbered editions, with the date of each saca or withdrawl date on the label) … in doing so respecting generations of expertise and care for these rare and beautiful wines. Today their efforts are increasingly focused on producing their own exceptional wines, such as Florpower, that truly express the character of Sanlúcar and its unique terroir. Outside of Andalusia, Equipo Navazos have collaborated with winemakers including Dirk Niepoort and Sergi Colet to develop authentic and individual wines that never fail to impress.
Accolades
Specifications
Year | Non Vintage |
Bottle Size | 375ml |
Cultivar | 100% Pedro Ximénez |
Country | Spain |
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|
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 6,18 units |
Type | Fortified Wine - Dry Sherry |
Dietary Information | Vegan & Vegetarian |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Food Matches |
Raw oysters, cheeses of medium to intense flavour, charcuterie, spicy Asian food.
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Origin | Cadiz, Andalucia |
Appellation | Jerez |
2021 Château Tirecul La Gravière, AOP Monbazillac (50cl) [Organic]
Regular price £27.50 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Make no mistake, we are in world class territory. Robert Parker compared the sweet wines of Tirecul as the most notable sweet wines from anywhere in the world.
Tasting Notes
Intense richness and bright acidity. Driven by orange peel marmalade and saffron aromatics.
Production
No one’s really sure why concentration comes from older vines, but here it is in evidence. 175g/l
Producer
Robert Parker compared the sweet wines of Tirecul as the most notable sweet wines from anywhere in the world. A lot is written about terroir, soil and microclimates. You often question how much of it is true, how do people know exactly why the wines work out the way they do? At Tirecul however, you can really see it in front of you. There aren’t many estates where you can see all the vineyard in one block. At the bottom of the hill it is too open, and the top of the hill it is too windy. It’s only in two little pockets that the fog sits to create the conditions for some truly phenomenal botrytis wines. It’s a bit of a Goldilocks site, all the quirks of nature are ‘just right’ (I haven’t tried any Tirecul in my porridge, but I am going to now).
90% of the 9ha vineyard is planted with an even split between Semillon and Muscadelle, the latter is a fascinating variety, often in the background but it can be the real star of the show. The balance is Sauvignon Blanc and the recently allowed Chenin. The exact blend of the sweet wines is unknown because the grapes are picked when they are showing the best elements of botrytis and fermented together. Bruno Bilancini has run the estate since the early 1990s, in the last few years has also produced very good dry white and red which are showing real promise.
Sustainability
Bruno Bilancini took over the estate in 1992, and has treated the environment with utmost respect since then. It was in 2009 that Chateau Tirecul started to convert to organics, with all wines beyond 2012 being certified as well as vegan.
Specifications
Year | 2020 |
Bottle Size | 500ml |
Cultivar | 60% Semillon, 40% Muscadelle |
Country | France |
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|
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 6.25units |
Type | Dessert Wine |
Cellaring Potential | Awaiting info |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Dietary Information | Vegan, Vegetarian, Sustainable farming |
Food Matches |
Foie Gras and a clear conscience!
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Origin |
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Appellation | Monbazillac AOC |
Amontillado Del Castillo Almacenista Sobrinos De Antonio Caballero, Bodegas Lustau NV (500ml)
Regular price £37.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%This exclusive solera of Amontillado consists of 38 casks. It is aged for an average period of 18 years, in the cellars of the Castle of San Marcos in the coastal town of El Puerto de Santa María.
Tasting Notes
Colour
Beautiful bright amber colour with coppery reflections.
Nose
This wine shows aromas of hazelnut praline and candied orange zest with nuances of furniture polish and smoked wood in the background.
Palate
Dry, pungent and flavoursome, with refreshing acidity. Enormously nutty with a delicious salty spiced touch and an extremely long aftertaste.
Producers
During the early years, Bodegas Lustau operated as an Almacenista'. The Lustau family began bottling their own sherries and exporting by 1950. In the 1980s they expanded their range and introduced the Almacenista range concept of buying and maturing casks from small bodegas to share excellent quality names and styles with enthusiasts around the world.
In 1990 the winery was bought by the family-owned Louis Caballero group. Bodegas Lustau is considered a world-class benchmark for top-quality wines. Lustau produces all styles of sherry, from Manzanilla through to Pedro Ximénez, as well as special bottlings, single cask, VOS and VORS sherries. The En Rama range, produced from select barrels from each of the three towns, is a highly anticipated release each spring.
Lustau has, over the years, won multiple medals and trophies, including Best Spanish Winery' and Best Sherry Producer' at the IWSC and the Len Evans Trophy for consistency (won in 2011 and 2016) at the IWC.
Current cellar master Sergio Martínez took charge of the winery's oenological team in 2016, after more than 14 years' worth of experience with Lustau. Sergio has been awarded the Best Fortified Winemaker' trophy by the International Wine Challenge three years in a row, following in the footsteps of the late Manuel Lozano who had won this award seven times.
In 2022, Lustau celebrated its 125th birthday with a special release of three sherries in its Anniversary Collection, including a Manzanilla Pasada Papirusa, Amontillado Solera del Castillo, and a Vintage Sherry Añada 1996.
Specifications
Year | Non Vintage |
Bottle Size | 500ml |
Cultivar | 100% Palomino |
Country | Spain |
Alcohol content
|
21.5% alc vol
|
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 11 units |
Type | Fortified Wine - Dry Sherry |
Dietary Information | Vegan & Vegetarian |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Food Matches | Serve as an apéritif, with “tapas” and nuts, or to accompany dishes such as consommés, foie-gras, cold and smoked meats, a cheeseboard, and even rich flavoured fish or seafood dishes. It is a wine that pairs perfectly with spicy Asian cuisine. |
Origin | Jerez |
Appellation | Jerez |
2020 Helmut Lang Beerenauslese Chardonnay (375ml Half Bottle)
Regular price £25.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Tasting Notes
Full-bodied. Velvety, strong body. Subtle freshness. Ripe composition of pear, apple and honeydew melon. Light buttery tones. A delicately bitter spicy note supports the sweetness very elegantly. Long strong finish.
Wine
These black and mouldy grapes manage to produce an amazing, sweet, dessert wine at the hands of Helmut. Think pears, apples and Honeydew. A slight butteriness and a hint of spice.
Producer
The Langs have been cultivating around 18 hectares in Illmitz, the heart of the Seewinkel in the Neusiedler See wine-growing region, for three generations. The microclimate of the Seewinkel and the partially pure sandy soils create the best conditions for viticulture in the region.
His son, Helmut Jnr, has caught the wine bug too, and now in his mid-20s, is training to take over eventually from his dad. Helmut’s speciality is sweet wines, both from botrytised but also frozen grapes.
In the past, this area of Austria was consistently blessed, year after year, with ideal conditions for the production of sweet wines – both from botrytis-affected and frozen grapes. But times have changed. In recent years the opportunities for Eiswein, which require a minimum nighttime temperature of minus 8 Celcius, have been very rare. Botrytis has become more difficult too: drier conditions increase phenolics and thickness of skins, so these grapes are much less sensitive to the botrytis fungus so vital for the ‘noble’ sweet wines. So paradoxically, harvest dates for these kinds of wine have become later and later.
But somehow Helmut manages to turn out the same great sweet wines year after year, even if quantities are much reduced. It’s astonishing how apparently filthy grapes, still on the vine in January, looking black and very sorry for themselves can transform from ugly duckling to beautiful princess; perfumed and diaphanous. It is a mystical transformation, but one which Helmut manages with great experience and huge skill. His vineyards are located on the Eastern side of the lake around Illmitz. The vines are immaculately trained and all located in the National Parkland which surrounds the lake.
Specifications
Year | 2020 |
Bottle Size | 375ml |
Cultivar | 100% Chardonnay |
Country | Austria |
|
|
Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 4.5 units |
Type | Dessert Wine |
Food Matching | Pairs perfectly with desserts and cheeses - serve at between 8-10C |
Dietary Information |
Vegetarian & Vegan |
Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
Origin | Illmitz |
Appellation | Burgenland |