Showing 16–30 of 59 results

• Red Wine

  2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Gnarly Head

  £2350

  This Cabernet Sauvignon is a bold wine grown from some of the oldest vines in California. Gnarly Head’s untamed vines produce full-flavoured grapes, dense with aromas of black cherry, juicy blackberry, peppercorn and charred oak. This dense and jammy wine boasts a bold tannin structure and a generous finish for those who like unique, big wines with a little eclectic edge.

  This Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from grapes grown in the Lodi region of California and aged in American oak barrels, lending to its rich and complex aromas of spice and smoke.

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• Red Wine

  2020 Old Vine Zinfandel, Gnarly Head

  £2350

  This bold Old Vine Zinfandel from Gnarly Head is a rich and intense wine with a deep ruby colour. The nose is full of dark fruit aromas with a touch of spice. On the palate, this wine is full-bodied with ripe tannins and a long finish.

  Made from vineyards with 100+ year-old vines.

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• Red Wine

  2016 Counoise “Eagle Point Ranch”, Benevolent Neglect

  £2650

  Counoise has been part of Rhône blends for centuries but it is rarely seen as a varietal wine. Organically farmed from a tiny plot in Ukiah, Mendocino County, this is a light-coloured and medium-bodied wine with aromas of redcurrants, raspberries, and red cherries.   Intense and concentrated in structure with flavours of ripe, dark raspberries, black liquorice, wild thyme and dry-aged beefsteak. Smooth, friendly texture sort of like a silky California Pinot Noir.  We will serve this slightly chilled as it brings the best out of the grape variety.  48 cases produced!

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• Port & Dessert Wine

  Starboard Batch 88, Quady

  £2695

  Batch 88 is an easy drinking port-style wine with ripe fruit and nutty elements, that place it somewhere between a ruby port and a tawny port. It is warm, smooth and rich with a chocolate raisin character. Delightfully warming by itself, Batch 88 also pairs well with cheeses or with chocolates.

  Why does Quady call its “port” Starboard?

  Port is a geographic term for fortified wines that come from the Douro River Valley in Portugal. Starboard, the nautical term for right, (as opposed to port – left) is unique to our place, the San Joaquin Valley, California, on the other side of the world from Portugal.

  Quady use the same grape varieties and similar methods as in the Douro, but their climate is warmer and the soils different. Instead of 140 proof fortifying brandy, they use a neutral grape spirit of 190 proof. 60 gallon barrels are used instead of the 140 gallon pipes used in Portugal. Starboard matures earlier and has a riper more voluptuous flavour.

  The grapes in Batch 88 are primarily Tinta Roriz. The vineyard is managed to give loose bunches and a small crop. Several different vintages aged an average of five years are used in the blend. In the port business this type of blend is called “Vintage Character.” The first year this wine was made in this style was 1988, thus the nickname Batch 88.

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• Red Wine

  2017 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Peterson Winery

  £2695

  This wine is primarily made with Zinfandel with a little dollop of Petite Sirah, Carignan and Grenache.

  The subtle berry and toasty oak aromas belie the delicious, mouth-coating flavours that follow. The luscious fruit is seamlessly balanced by the oak and restrained tannic structure, though to a long, seductive finish.

  The Dry Creek blend, is a wine which reflects the overall Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel terroir, as opposed to a single-vineyard character. The grapes come from five carefully selected vineyards -Funsten, Bradford Mountain Estate, Bernier, Forchini, and the West vineyards, which are located throughout the appellation. Each vineyard has its distinctive soil type and microclimate, providing a cross-section of Dry Creek Valley typicity.

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• Red Wine

  2019 Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon, Le P’tit Paysan

  £2800

  Le P’tit Paysan Cabernet Sauvignon offers intense blackberry, dark cherry aromas, chocolate, herbaceous and toasty notes on the palate. Medium-bodied, well-balanced with moderate and integrated tannins that give structure and liveliness to the wine.

  Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from two vineyards, a 44-year-old vineyard planted in the calcareous alluvial deposits of the San Benito River and a 25-year-old vineyard east of Gilroy, which grows in deep, extremely sandy soils against the foothills of the Diablo Range. The Petite Verdot from the Paicines AVA and grows in rocky alluvial deposits above the Tres Pinos arroyo. All three vineyards experience the warm days and cold nights typical of the Central Coast, allowing these late-ripening Bordeaux varieties to be picked at high acidity and moderate sugars. Fermented whole berry in several lots with endemic yeasts, pressed after approximately 20 days. Aged for 11 months (3% new) French barrels. Pairs well with steak, duck, game, hearty stews, ribs, and dark, rich sauces.  Drink now to 2035

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• White Wine

  2011 Le Cigare Blanc ‘Beeswax Vineyard’, Bonny Doon

  £2995

  Le Cigare Blanc is the white wine of Bonny Doon’s Le Cigare Volant series, which pays homage to the complex Rhones of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.   The great white Cigare is not unlike the great white whale; rarely seen, difficult to catch, yet its name is legend. It’s a rich, savory wine with greater power and extraction than one typically finds at Bonny Doon.

  In the glass it is pale gold with green-gold highlights,  a very strong impression of melon, along with Asian pear, pineapple and grapefruit pith, and in the mouth, very rich, sporting a certain modicum of tannin; this bodes exceptionally well for great longevity. The wine’s unique flavours will pair exceptionally well with hard cheeses, seafood (lobster especially), roasted poultry, and savoury vegetarian strudels or gratins. Paired with sushi served with freshly grated wasabi will also be a profound revelation.

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• Red Wine

  2015 Old Vine Carignan, Calder Wine Company

  £3500

  The 2015 Carignane is built from two great sources in Mendocino County, both farmed by the father-son team of Don and Darrin Colombini. The primary source is the Rovera vineyard, planted in 1942 in the sandy, quartz-flecked soils of the eastern bench of Redwood Valley. The Rovera vines have incredibly small clusters and berries, with correspondingly low yields—less than 2 tons per acre in 2015. This gives the fruit tremendous intensity and depth, backed by lightning-rod acidity. The Cemetery vineyard planted 1954, is dry-farmed in almost pure gravel and contributes bright cherry fruit and aromatic lift.

  The resultant wine features vivacious blackberry and raspberry aromas inflected with iron-like mineral complexity. Carignane has an intensely savoury edge to its fruit: stones, smoke, and celery seeds, evoking the wild herbs and rocks of its homeland in the Priorat of Spain. The palate is rich and generous, with plenty of structure from Carignane’s characteristic acidity and tannin.

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• Red Wine

  2012 Syrah Le Pousseur, Bonny Doon

  £3500

  Bonny Doon Vineyards’ 2012 Syrah, “Le Pousseur,” is made from Syrah grapes grown in some nice Central Coast spots – 48% Alamo Creek Vineyard, 18% Bien Nacido Vineyard, 18% Spanish  Springs Vineyard and 16% Ventana Vineyard. These are cool-climate sites and the website states that with “a fair amount of whole clusters included, this is a savory Syrah of great restraint.”

  Randall Grahm writes that he finds Le Posseur “enchanting and captivating rather than overpowering.” He labels it as a “feminine” Syrah. I don’t make it a habit to argue with a winemaker about his wines, but I was taken to task once for the use of the term “feminine” as a sexist way to describe a wine. PC or not PC, it does not strike me as feminine. Maybe it’s feminine in a masculine way. Or masculine in a feminine way. Maybe it’s just a wine having a crisis of sexuality. Or maybe it’s just a Syrah of great restraint. It retails for $26 and 2,126 cases were produced.

  Under the screw cap is a wine which is opaque indigo. Big blueberry fruit dominates the nose with a savory undercurrent. It is possibly the fruitiest nose I’ve experienced from a Bonny Doon red, which usually lean savory. The palate shows dark fruit too, with just a hint of that black olive note Grahm’s wines often exhibit. Very nice acidity and a good tannic grip top off an entirely enjoyable experience. The oak touch is nice, just right in fact.

  90 points from PlanetGrape.com: “Seductive notes of red rose, lilac, raspberry and cherry mingle with earthy notes of game, bacon and underbrush. Smooth and silky. Decant to let oxygen do its thing.” (02/2015) According to the winery: “We’ve been in a nice aromatic groove of late with Le Pousseur, largely in virtue of the string of very cool vintages, and sourcing our fruit exclusively from cool climate sites. The ’12 Pousseur (who is to say why) is still in a Marlon Brando-like bit of a sullen funk, but there is no question that underneath that brooding exterior, there beats the heart of a Wild One. The Alamo Creek component (possibly in virtue of its extremely gravelly soil) seems to add a strong mineral/earthy/bloody note, not utterly unreminiscent of Cornas. With more air, you begin to gradually discern the characteristic anise/licorice character that typifies Syrah. On the palate, the wine has a refreshing acidity, tannins well-resolved and is remarkably savory with an exceptionally long finish. This wine is still amazingly young and will benefit from several years of ageing (if you can wait). If you can’t wait, decanting is well advised.”

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• White Wine

  2012 Columbia Valley Chardonnay, L’Ecole No.41

  £3500

  Aromas of butter and toast are joined by mango, poached pear and Spanish almonds. The wine underwent surlie aging and was stirred for six months, which accounts for the rich entry and buttery mid-palate, but there’s not as much of the oak flavours that were hinted at in the nose. Instead, the theme is carried by apricot and sweet pear with a bite of Golden Delicious apple in the finish.

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• White Wine

  2021 Chardonnay ‘Reserve Selection’, Raymond Vineyards

  £3500

  Steeped in rich family history, Raymond vineyards can trace it’s origins in winemaking back to the days of the ‘old’ Napa Valley.   Founded in 1970, Raymond vineyards produce high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay

  This 2020 Chardonnay ‘Reserve Selection’ has fragrant aromas of tropical and stone fruits that lead to notes of honeysuckle, accentuated by a touch of toasted almonds. This is a beautifully balanced wine with bright acidity and a creamy texture with a hint of minerality on the finish.

  The grapes come from the estate vineyards in Jameson Canyon and selected Napa Valley growers. The estate vineyards are planted on rolling hills at the southern end of Napa Valley. The growing conditions in the Jameson Canyon are very similar to Carneros, the neighbouring appellation just west of the Napa River. Winds flow through Jameson Canyon, bringing the cooling influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean and providing a long, cool growing season which enhances and concentrates the intensity of the varietal characteristics. A proportion of grapes are harvested from vineyards in Carneros and the Napa Valley which lend more texture and structure to the blend.

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• White Wine

  2021 Chardonnay, Black Stallion

  £3500

  The Black Stallion Estate Winery Chardonnay opens with aromas of yellow apple, crème brûlée and hints of apricot, pear and oak. The flavors are tantalizing notes of citrus, dried apricot, and pineapple. The Chardonnay from Los Carneros provides the bright acidity, citrus notes, and lean backbone of the wine, and the Chardonnay from the warmer growing regions contributes riper, fuller-bodied character. Vanilla aromatics from oak and floral perfume from the fruit precede ripe fruit flavors balanced with bright acidity and a rich mid-palate weight creating a multi-layered, complex wine with a lingering finish. Sip this wine on its own or pair alongside aged cheeses, fresh salad, shellfish or grilled seafood.

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• Red Wine

  2009 Columbia Valley Syrah, L’Ecole No.41

  £3750

  L’Ecole Nº 41 has been producing premium, handcrafted varietal wines in the Walla Walla Valley since 1983 in the historic Frenchtown School in Lowden, Washington.

  This luscious and balanced Syrah presents fruity aromas of ripe blackberry, earth and spice. The wine shows rich black currant, kalamata olive and black peppercorn through a finely textured mineral finish

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• White Wine

  2019 Linda Vista Chardonnay, Matthiasson

  £3750

  Steve Matthiasson is a bit of a legend in Napa Valley and this wine is made from the Linda Vista Vineyard in the Oak Knoll region of Napa Valley.  Oak Knoll is regarded as one of the classic Chardonnay spots in Napa as the cool winds and clay soils preserve zesty acidity and freshness, while the Napa sun provides richness and ripeness.

  Steve leased the vineyard in 2011 and set about making a classic Napa Chardonnay.  To get complexity, completeness and balance in his Chardonnay, Steve harvests grapes a number of different times during the ripening period to achieve a diversity of ripeness, the earlier harvests contribute acidity and minerality, and the later harvests contribute flesh and richness.

  This 2019 Linda Vista Chardonnay has an exotic nose of Golden Delicious apples, yellow peaches, musk melon and honey that leads through to the palate. The medium acidity is balanced by pleasant fleshiness, finishing very clean with a hint of minerality. Refreshing and with moderate alcohol, this wine is all about pleasure, begging to be drunk up, with some oysters or a roast chicken and a big smile.

   

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• Red Wine

  2016 Zinfandel ‘Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard’, Peterson Winery

  £3800

  This Mountain-grown Zinfandel opens in the glass with tempting notes of opulent dark berries, spicy black pepper and a rich mineral essence, underpinned by beautifully integrated oak nuances through to a long, elegant finish

  The grapes are ‘Estate Grown’ from the Bradford Mountain Estate vineyard. Overlooking the western edge of Dry Creek Valley, the vineyard spans six and a half hectares on the very top of the 385-metre peak that Fred cleared and planted in the 1980s. The well-drained, red-clay soil, combined with sunny days and cool nights, produces small, intensely flavoured grapes. This wine encapsulates all of the best qualities found in mountain-grown Zinfandels from the Dry Creek Valley appellation: the poorer soils and cooler nights harness and preserve more of the bright acidity and freshness in the grapes. More sunlight hours at the higher elevation means thicker-skinned fruit which translates as darker, richer fruit. The key characteristics of mountain-grown Zinfandel are that it has a peppery quality and more intense black fruit characteristics.

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