Villa La Pagliaia is the sister estate of neighbouring San Felice. It produces a similarly full-flavoured and spicy style of Chianti Classico Riserva but in a slightly more traditional style - and offers exceptional value.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Archetypal Chianti with bramble fruit notes as well as cedar and spice aromas.

Palate

The palate is richly-flavoured and complex with black cherry, plum and dried fruit characters, along with notes of spice, leather, pepper and liquorice. Supple tannins and bright acidity lead to a rich, savoury and satisfying finish.

Production

The grapes come from Villa la Pagliaia's 350-400m altitude vineyards around Castelnuovo Berardenga, in the south of the Chianti Classico zone, and are hand-picked. The vines are on average 25 years old - yielding about 1.5kg of fruit per vine - 'guyot' trained and planted in pliocene soil with 25% rocky clay. Fermentation and maceration on the skins is carried out at a controlled temperature of 28 to 30 degrees Centigrade and lasts for 18 to 20 days. This helps to extract the required amount of fruit, colour and tannins. This is followed by malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. The wine is matured for 24 months in Slavonian oak barrels.

Producer

The Villa La Pagliaia property in Castelnuovo Berardenga, around 15km from Siena, has a long and aristocratic history. The elegant 18th Century villa is amidst a striking landscape of vines, olive groves and cypress trees. Their vineyards, here in the south of the Chianti Classico region, are at 300-450m altitude, with clay and limestone soils.

Fruit from these, predominantly Sangiovese, low-yielding mature vines (over 25 years old) - combined with traditional vinification methods overseen by neighbouring property (and sister estate) San Felice - ensures consistent production of very classic and quietly impressive wines.

Specifications

Salice Salentino is made from 90% Negroamaro, an indigenous grape of the region. A wine with body, spiciness, and light oak notes.  

Tasting Notes

Dense, purple-tinged ruby red; rich bouquet, with notes of dried plum and cherry; generous and complex in the mouth, with excellent structure, and a finish exhibiting the pleasant, bitterish note typical of the Negroamaro grape

About the Wine

Salice Salentino DOC rosso is the most typical red wine appellation of the Salento, the extreme south of Puglia. It is a blend of the area’s traditional grape varieties, the Negroamaro and a smaller part of Malvasia nera. State-of-the-art vinification and a few months ageing in oak barrels have given it its lively ruby hue, fragrances of dark berry fruit, full body, and lingering finish with a classic bitterish note.

Production

Vineyards trained in the “Salento gobelet” style, in Salento’s typical reddish clay soils; vines average 5,000 per hectare and yield 80-90 q./ha

Grapes are harvested between the first and the second week in September. The must macerates 8-9 days at 28°C in stainless steel; the vinification style is designed to bring out the freshness of the fruit and to highlight its varietal characteristics.

After a brief stay in glass-lined vats, the wine matures 3-4 months in one-year old small oak before being bottled.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"One of our wee crackers - dusty soft tannins with a touch of both smokiness and spice mingling round the plum & cherry fruit. It’s super soft and smooth but with an attractive cherry bitterness on the finish - a hallmark of the dominant Negroamaro grape in Puglia. Great flavours and mouthfeel for a paltry £13.99 - could easily pay a fiver more for this and it would still be great value. Great for everyday/school day drinking!" Tasted 1 January 2024

Specifications

Sassoalloro is pleasant, particularly soft and balanced, with extremely silky tannins.

Tasting Notes

It shows a beautiful compact ruby red color and at the opening it spreads hints of black pepper and fruity notes of blackberry and cherry in alcohol, combined with floral aromas of violet, graphite and earthy hints. The taste is decidedly full and responsive, with great balance.

Jacopo Biondi Santi Castello di Montepò Sassoalloro is a bright, dynamic Sangiovese with an impressive pedigree. The name Sassoalloro (first vintage 1991) references a volcanic boulder on which legends have been built. 

Producer

The Biondi Santi family has earned a place in the tradition of Italian wine thanks to the lively and passionate inventiveness that has distinguished it since the very beginning. The roots of this brilliant adventure go back to the 1800s, when Ferruccio Biondi Santi planted the first Montalcino vineyard with vines of a selected clone of Sangiovese, called Sangiovese Grosso or Brunello: it was the first step towards a new way of making wine that would soon in the history of Italian wine. Today it continues to improve under the leadership of Jacopo with the future secure thanks to help from his children, Tancredi, Clemente and Clio.

Biondi Santi is the historic cellar that has its roots in time and has marked the history of Brunello di Montalcino; a brand that has become the owner of several estates in the magical terroir of China, including that of Castello di Montepò near Pancole, where the Sassoalloro grapes are grown, a grandiose version of pure Sangiovese Grosso that oozes territoriality from every drop.

The Wine

A wine, in some ways, new to the tradition of Biondi Santi. Fermented and aged for about 14 months in Tronçais oak barriques, a short period that comes out of the company schemes which provides for long aging. A wine to drink practically immediately, but with a life potential that can reach 15 years.

Specifications

Approachable everyday drinking red. The perfect juicy food wine - with pasta, pizza and tomato sauces.

Tasting Notes

Appealing aromas of fresh red fruit and a touch of black pepper spice. A fresh, medium-bodied style with red and black berry fruit characters, and a hint of spice balanced by tangy acidity.

Producer

Established in 2003, Adria Vini is a winemaking venture jointly owned by Boutinot and Araldica Castelvero, the leading co-operative in the Monferrato hills of Piemonte. Our aim is to produce authentic, well-priced still and sparkling wines from local grape varieties. All aspects of production, from grape selection through to vinification, maturation, blending and bottling are meticulously overseen by Araldica's winemaking team of Claudio Manera and Lella Burdese - assisted by Boutinot's Tony Brown MW. We source from a range of private growers and cooperatives, with whom we have long term relationships, principally in Veneto, Friuli, Lombardy, Sicily, Puglia, Abruzzo and Sardinia.

Production

Produced from Sangiovese grapes from the Salento peninsula in southern Puglia. Traditional vinification in stainless steel tanks, with six days spent on skins. No oak ageing.

Specifications

The Whole Shebang is a truly exciting wine. It’s a multi-vintage blend, which is aged in a solera system. 

Tasting Notes

It’s made from, predominantly, old-vine Zinfandel, but there is literally “the whole shebang” in here with white grapes, and other varietals, included to ensure the quality and balance of the wine is maintained. 

Lots of berry fruit intermixed with lavender, pepper and meaty black cherry and black currant flavours emerge from this satisfying, round, expansive, generous red.

Producer 

Press Reviews

"A Mediterranean blend of Zinfandel, Carignan, Alicante Bouchet, Syrah and assorted mixed blacks fermented with native yeasts and aged in primarily neutral containers (15% in new French oak), it is a California version of a high-class Cotes du Rhone. Lots of berry fruit intermixed with lavender, pepper and meaty black cherry and black currant flavors emerge from this satisfying, round, expansive, generous red. An outstanding, killer value that should provide pleasure over the next 1-2 years. If there is a better value in California wine, I would like to know about it." - The Wine Advocate.

"This multi-vintage, multi-variety blend is made with an in-house solera system to produce consistency (and as such the cuvée will change every nine to 12 months). It is made with declassified fruit from the Bedrock vineyard. The blend is predominately Zinfandel, Carignan, Petite Sirah, Mourvèdre, Alicante Bouschet, Grenache, Syrah and Barbera, aged in French oak. Annual production is 8,000 cases. Really interesting nose! Well melded and fascinating. So much more interesting than the average Cabernet Sauvignon. Fresh and ripe and beautiful. Long. VGV" - 17/20 jancisrobinson.com.

Specifications

Tasting Notes

The wine shows an intense ruby-red color with purple hues. The smell of red fruits recalls cherry, sour cherry, raspberry and blueberry. The scent will outline light spicy notes of coffee and black pepper.

Producer

Since the Renaissance and beyond, Cafaggio's conca d'oro vineyards—which can also be translated as "golden shell," "golden bowl," or "golden basin"—have been renowned for the exceptional wines they produce at an altitude ranging from 300-400 meters above sea level and encompassing a surface area of about 60 hectares.

The conca, as its name suggests, is a steep, naturally occurring amphitheater with a southern exposure that is perfect for the growth of grapes that will be transformed into wines with intense flavor, distinct structure, and significant aging potential.

The conca d'ora is situated in the center of Panzano commune, one of the five Chianti Classico DOCG villages (the only five townships where Chianti Classico can be produced today) where Chianti was first manufactured.

The soil types, in combination with the height and exposure, offer the vines exceptional vigor as their roots look for the water table, making the estate's vineyards one of the most sought-after quality wine-growing locations in all of Tuscany.

Cafaggio is an active participant in the 1995-founded Unione Viticoltori di Panzano (Panzano Grape Grower and Winemaker Union), a group that supports and aids in the promotion of the township's wineries.

Review

Specifications

A fresh, approachable style of Chianti Classico with vibrant, juicy red fruit. Villa la Pagliaia lies in the south of the Chianti Classico zone, adjacent to sister property San Felice.

Tasting Notes

Aromas of ripe plum and cherry with spicy, savoury notes. This is a fruit-forward style of Chianti - the palate is bright and sappy, with redcurrant and bramble fruit providing fresh acidity, and supple tannins giving structure. A juicy finish with a touch of black pepper.

Production

The grapes come from the estate's own 350-400m altitude vineyards in the Chianti Classico zone, near Castelnuovo Berardenga. The vines are on average 25 years old (yielding about 1.5kg of fruit per vine) - 'guyot' trained and planted in rocky clay soil. Fermentation and maceration on the skins lasts for 8-10 days (at 28-30ºC) followed by malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. Matured in Slavonian oak casks for 10-12 months. 

Specifications

Tasting Notes 

The Shiraz (Rhône Valley) lends a tight, fresh structure with aromatic and seasoned undertones. Petit Verdot (Bordeaux) contributes a rich berry character and the Sangiovese, in true Italian style, adds fruity flavours with flair on the palate. The result is a bold, charming, seductive and ultimately elegant wine.

Vineyards

Shiraz (Eikendal): 20 year old block planted at the top of the farm overlooking False Bay, planted in a north/south row direction, 3 333 Vines/ha, under irrigation. Petit Verdot (Eikendal): 12 year old block planted next to the Shiraz. Planted in a north/south row direction, 3 333 Vines/ha, under irrigation. Sangiovese: 19 year old block from a producer in Stellenbosch. Planted in a north/south row direction, 3 333 Vines/ha.

Vinification

All three cultivars are handpicked and cooled down. Only destemmed and not crushed. 10-15 day cold soaking before spontaneous fermentation. Shiraz: one pump over per day. Petit Verdot: two punch downs per day and Sangiovese: one walk through per day. After fermentation the wine is allowed to settle clean. Shiraz and Petit Verdot go into 500ℓ old Burgundian barrels and the Sangiovese will be blended into the previous vintage Charisma. All three cultivars are handpicked and cooled down.

Only destemmed and not crushed. 10-15 day cold soaking before spontaneous fermentation. Shiraz: one pump over per day. Petit Verdot: two punch downs per day and Sangiovese: one walk-through per day. After fermentation the wine is allowed to settle clean. Shiraz and Petit Verdot go into 500ℓ old Burgundian barrels and the Sangiovese will be blended into the previous vintage Charisma – meaning, for example, in Charisma 2018 the Shiraz and Petit Verdot are 2018 vintage but the Sangiovese is the 2019 vintage. The idea with this is to blend that beautiful freshness and Italian passion into the wine.

Accolades

92pts | Tim Atkin

"In its way, this is every bit as impressive as the Janina Chardonnay and could be viewed as its value-for-money twin. Made from the unusual trio of mostly Syrah with 17% Petit Verdot and 30% Sangiovese, it’s floral and refined with red cherry and raspberry fruit and filigree tannins. 2022-28"

Specifications

Sourced from a 6 hectare plot on the Campogiovanni estate, where the vines naturally produce a brighter, more approachable and early ripening style of Sangiovese well suited to Rosso di Montalcino.

Tasting Notes

Nose

An inviting nose, warm and open, with ripe cherry and blackberry fruit combined with cedarwood and spice notes

Palate

The palate has rounded plum and red fruits balanced by fresh acidity. Spice and savoury characters and fine tannins lead to an elegant finish.

Producer

The Tenuta Campogiovanni is a sister estate to Agricola San Felice, and is located on the southern slope of the Montalcino hill, near San Angelo in Colle.

This 65ha estate comprises 19ha of vineyard across three separate parcels - amongst olive trees, woods and fields. Production here (and 14ha of vineyard) is strongly focused on Brunello, with the remainder largely used for Rosso di Montalcino. Campogiovanni Brunello is amongst the very best in the region.

1990 saw the first production of a Riserva, entitled Il Quercione, made from fruit rigorously selected from the vineyard of the same name and made only in exceptional year.

Production Method

These 6 hectares of Sangiovese vines were planted in the 1990s on the Campogiovanni estate. The vineyard is at a 250-300m altitude, south to southeast-facing. After a 12-day maceration, and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel, the wine was matured for 12 months in Slavonian oak botti, followed by a further 2 months in bottle.

Specifications

From the heart of the River Dão - a classic profile, colour and flavour of the region.

Only 6823 bottles produced

Tasting Notes

A full-bodied and elegant wine, extremely well-balanced with red fruit aromas. Ripe red fruits, such as cherries and raspberries, floral and earthy notes, in addition to menthol and spice touches. Fruit forward backed up by a good core of moderate tannins. It’s a lip-smacking, delicious wine with a finish that lingers in the mouth. 

Production

Quinta Vale das Escadinhas is also known as Quinta da Falorca. In the hands of the fifth generation of the Figueiredo family, the winery is located in the heart of Dão - Silgueiros - and is essentially dedicated to the production of DOC wines using principles of sustainable agriculture. There are thirteen hectares of vineyards that produce red varieties, such as Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Afrocheiro, Tinta Pinheira and Jaen, and white varieties, such as Encruzado and Malvasia. Since 2000 the winery has been producing its Premium wine, Quinta da Falorca, and has several wines with 95 points on the Robert Parker scale

They are among the secret heroes of the international wine world. In his wines, wine lovers will find the individuality that is often lost in times of increasing globalization of wine taste: authentic, traditionally prepared wines with a radiant regional character, made from indigenous grape varieties in a small edition.

At Falorca, they always bring the Traditional Blend to the market after 4-5 years. This is purposefully kept off the market until they start drinking at their best especially as the Touriga is a grape with great aging potential and needs time to mature. The vineyards are on average 40-year-old vines with some vineyards over 70 years old. These contain over 30 different Touriga clones and this important genetic strain is carefully preserved by grafting cuttings from existing old vines onto new roots.

One of the reasons Quinta da Falorca wines are among the very best Portuguese wines is because the Falorca vineyards are able to produce ripe tannins and sugar levels in Touriga Nacional at 13-13.5% alcohol so the wines remain unprecedentedly elegant and don't become alcoholic bombs. 

Specifications

Villa Cafaggio Chianti Classico Riserva is obtained exclusively from Sangiovese grapes. Grown on land owned by the estate, the vineyard, situated in Panzano in Chianti, extends along the sunny slopes of the 'Conca d'Oro' (Golden basin), a wine- growing area of great value.

Tasting Notes

Nose

This opens with aromas of black-skinned berries, leather, and baking spices.

Palate

Silky, with nutty fruit and a hint of bitter chocolate character. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a long finish.

Producer

Since the Renaissance and beyond, Cafaggio's conca d'oro vineyards—which can also be translated as "golden shell," "golden bowl," or "golden basin"—have been renowned for the exceptional wines they produce at an altitude ranging from 300-400 meters above sea level and encompassing a surface area of about 60 hectares.

The conca, as its name suggests, is a steep, naturally occurring amphitheater with a southern exposure that is perfect for the growth of grapes that will be transformed into wines with intense flavor, distinct structure, and significant aging potential.

The conca d'ora is situated in the center of Panzano commune, one of the five Chianti Classico DOCG villages (the only five townships where Chianti Classico can be produced today) where Chianti was first manufactured.

The soil types, in combination with the height and exposure, offer the vines exceptional vigor as their roots look for the water table, making the estate's vineyards one of the most sought-after quality wine-growing locations in all of Tuscany.

Cafaggio is an active participant in the 1995-founded Unione Viticoltori di Panzano (Panzano Grape Grower and Winemaker Union), a group that supports and aids in the promotion of the township's wineries.

Review

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Nose

Ripe, deliciously berry, slightly earthy and herbal aroma. The medium-bodied taste repeats the berry aromas of the fragrance. The wine also has a slight smokiness, a hint of pine, cranberry and sour cherry. 

Palate

In the mouthfeel, the wine is fruity, because the acidity and slightly drying tannins give the whole thing an edge. The wine leaves a ripe cranberry and lingonberry aftertaste, slightly astringent. The earthy flavours and aromas become more pronounced as the wine matures and develops. Oak maturation also adds spicy and vanilla notes.

Producer

Since the Renaissance and beyond, Cafaggio's conca d'oro vineyards—which can also be translated as "golden shell," "golden bowl," or "golden basin"—have been renowned for the exceptional wines they produce at an altitude ranging from 300-400 meters above sea level and encompassing a surface area of about 60 hectares.

The conca, as its name suggests, is a steep, naturally occurring amphitheater with a southern exposure that is perfect for the growth of grapes that will be transformed into wines with intense flavor, distinct structure, and significant aging potential.

The conca d'ora is situated in the center of Panzano commune, one of the five Chianti Classico DOCG villages (the only five townships where Chianti Classico can be produced today) where Chianti was first manufactured.

The soil types, in combination with the height and exposure, offer the vines exceptional vigor as their roots look for the water table, making the estate's vineyards one of the most sought-after quality wine-growing locations in all of Tuscany.

Cafaggio is an active participant in the 1995-founded Unione Viticoltori di Panzano (Panzano Grape Grower and Winemaker Union), a group that supports and aids in the promotion of the township's wineries.

Specifications

 Please contact Alan directly if you are interested in these wines - as En Primeur they are currently in barrel and not in stock. 

An unparalleled and unique wine.

Imeneus

The myth says that Imeneus, offspring of Aphrodite and Bacchus, was a young Athenian of modest social standing but of extraordinary beauty. ​He fell in love with a  young noble girl. While she was travelling to Eleusis, she was captured by pirates with her handmaids; among them was also  Imeneus,  who was mistaken for a  girl. While the captors were sleeping, he slew them all and brought the girls back safe to Athens. For his courageous deed,  he was awarded the hand of his beloved. For this reason, the ancient Greeks invoked Imeneus as a bringer of happiness in marriage.

Introducing Fattorie dei Dolfi

Born from ancient family vineyards and the infectious passion of a career-change winemaker, Fattorie dei Dolfi is a relatively young estate with a remarkably bright future. Giovanni Dolfi initially pursued a very successful career as a horse trainer during which he had the opportunity to meet the Queen Mother and began working for Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta, the owner of the legendary Tenuta San Guido which produces Sassicaia. Through this connection, he was introduced to the estate’s winemaker, Giacomo Tachis, who is regarded as the father of Sassicaia and was named Decanter’s Man of the Year in 2011. From then on Giovanni’s fate was sealed and it was only a matter of time before he and Giacomo began exploring how to unlock the potential of his family’s century-old vineyards close to the city of Pisa. 

Most of Fattorie dei Dolfi’s plots are surrounded by woodland which helps to shield the vines from contamination from other forms of agriculture and preserves a high degree of biodiversity. As well as creating a very low incidence of disease, this also means the estate does not need to use any chemicals on the vines. To allow the remarkable quality of the fruit to shine through, Giovanni uses a light touch in the winery as well with his wines ageing in oak barrels previously used for Sassicaia. The estate’s top wines will be produced in tiny quantities of a few thousand bottles a year, making them highly attractive for investors and collectors of fine and rare Italian wines.

The Imeneus red is crafted using the Prugnolo Gentile grape which is the Sangiovese clone typically used in Montalcino. Imeneus is a more serious red that ages in oak barrels for up to 36 months. This bottling is a true collector’s wine with a remarkably complex flavour profile and high investment potential.

Tasting Notes

Imeneus is an earthy, spicy wine. Smooth and mellow with hints of iron. The tannins are quite crunchy with this wine. 

Colour

Joyous ruby red, velvety and brilliant.

Fragrance

Full, rich and persistent with hints of fragrant fruit in perfect harmony with sweet spices that give it complexity.

Flavour

It has exceptional skills of elegance in order to be truly unique, aristocratic and with a closing of great length and cleanliness.

Giovanni explains it best: ‘I hope that my drinkers could imagine themselves standing on the hills of Poggio ai Venti with me, feeling the warmth of sunshine, the mild sea breeze on their faces, hear the chirping of the birds in the quiet woods around and see a grey hare rush through the vineyards. All these feelings of harmony and equilibrium are inside my wines.’

Bottles Produced

• Vintage 2008: 1419 (no more available).    
• Vintage 2009: 1452 (no more available).    
• Vintage 2010: 1709 (no more available).
• Vintage 2011: 1450 (no more available).
• Vintage 2012: 1452.

Specifications