Ed Durell planted the first vines in the rock-strewn, windy hills in 1979. Today, Durell Vineyard spans three AVAs: Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. The block TOR sources from lies in the famed Sand Hill section of the vineyard, which overlooks the Sonoma Valley. This 2014 Durell Chardonnay ranks among the best they have ever produced. “This has the classic seamless, almost oily palate weight and texture to it that the best Durells have but with a thread of focus that helps to pull the intensity of the palate together. This shows mandarin oranges, stone fruits and an almost cut wet grass note to it.
USA
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2014 Dolce, Far Niente
£9750Add to BasketDolce is Napa’s true Sauternes-style dessert wine. Dolce embraces the pursuit of perfection in the art of late harvest winemaking. Created in 1985 by the partners of Far Niente, Dolce stands as a standard-bearer for this type of wine in America. With a classic blend of late harvest Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc inspired by the Sauternes region, Dolce is the only American winery dedicated to producing a single late harvest wine.
After nearly three years in French oak, this luxurious vintage shows lifted and youthful aromas of orange zest, vanilla bean and butterscotch with subtle notes of minerality and oak-derived spices. The entry is juicy, and Dolce’s signature texture is lively and enduring on the palate leading to a mouthwatering finish. Flavours of orange, pear and dried apricot mingle together with rich caramel notes and hints of minerals that make this vintage a delicious expression of the season’s exceptional ripeness.
Dolce’s 20 acres of vineyard are located in Coombsville, east of the city of Napa, and are situated at the base of the Vaca Mountains, which define the eastern border of the valley. The volcanic soil is loose and well-drained, and the west-facing vineyard is protected from the prevailing winds so that the damp, morning fog of autumn (a very important factor in the development of Botrytis cinerea) hangs longer amongst the vines, often until midday. A combination of high humidity followed by drying conditions encourages, but does not guarantee, the growth of Botrytis. As it develops, its coverage is seemingly random with individual berries succumbing to Botrytis at different rates, if at all.
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2020 Chardonnay ‘Charles Heintz Vineyard’, Senses
£10500Add to BasketThe grapes for this Chardonnay come from the Heintz family, who have owned their ranch in the Sonoma Coast AVA for over 100 years. Planted in 1982, Charles Heintz produces fruit for some of the top names in California. The world-class fruit that is produced here is summed up by Robert Parker, whose assessment of the vineyard is “…one of the great grand cru Chardonnay sites in California.”
The 2020 is elegant and expressive, the palate is packed with sublime stone fruits layered with spice, cedar and candied ginger, framed by a racy backbone, with a silky texture and extraordinarily long finish.
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2009 Reva Syrah, Alban Vineyards
£12000Add to BasketEstablished in 1989, Alban Vineyards represents California’s first winery and vineyard dedicated exclusively to the varietals of the Rhône. Pioneered by John Alban at a time when anything that was neither Cabernet nor Chardonnay was barely grown in California, Alban was a groundbreaking project and has gone on to be regarded as one of the U.S.A’s best and most influential producers.
It is the Syrah releases from Alban which, justifiably, receive the most attention. Reva Syrah is Alban’s much-coveted, hard to come by top release; a 100% single vineyard Syrah which is aged in oak for 42 months before release. Upfront and highly varietal on the nose, this cult wine exudes aromas of cassis, wild herbs, violet, earth and smoke. The palate is incredibly full-bodied and decadent with immense depth and wonderful freshness. Flavours of dark fruit, coffee, toasty oak and perfumed spice build on an intense mid-palate before continuing on a long, momentous finish. We believe that this is California’s greatest example of this grape variety and will age gracefully over the next 20 years and beyond.
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2012 Hapgood Chardonnay, Clifton Brewer
£12500Add to BasketThis is a stunning Chardonnay, one with all the dials were turned up, and in a good way! It’s a full-bodied, richly textured and layered Chardonnay that has explosive aromas of honeysuckle, jasmine, lime, struck match and yeastiness. The palate lives up to the nose and offers vivid tension with a core of pineapple leading to complex tones of exotic fruits, apple tart, brioche and toasted nuts. The finish is long and textured with mouthwatering acidity that bounds well for a few more years of ageing.
At Brewer Clifton they strive to remove the winemaker’s signature, allowing the voice of the vineyard to be the overriding expression. Only neutral barrels are employed and they strive for whole cluster fermentation, interestingly the fruit from each vineyard is handled identically from harvest to bottling, allowing the true essence of each site to be expressed.
They also farm with a focus of ripening the stems of the bunch alongside the fruit, allowing the cluster to be in harmony. Working with the stems allows for wines that are structured, earthy and balanced with the exceptional Santa Rita Hills fruit. The analogy they use is roasting fish or meat on the bone, the bone offers complex flavours very different than taking it off of the bone to cook it.
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2018 Tomahawk Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District, Chimney Rock
£16000Add to BasketThis wine is made from a single vintage, from a single site and crafted to be enjoyed during a single moment in time. Tomahawk Vineyard is a cooler site located at the southern-most point of the Estate which offers a diverse array of soils. In 2018, Mother Nature gifted Napa Valley with perfect weather for the harvest — warm days and cool nights. This allowed tannins to perfectly ripen in the skins and seeds, while preserving beautiful acidity and lower sugars, which resonated well for the age worthiness and balance of the vintage.
In the glass the wine is generous and complex with aromas of cherry cola, cassis and chocolate. Some savory notes and hints of citrus zest and mint. This wine is intensely aromatic and develops in the glass as layers are revealed. The palate is full-bodied, powerful yet exhibits grace and finesse. A rich and dense mid-palate evolves into a muscular and graceful finish.
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2019 Chardonnay ‘B.A. Thieriot Vineyard’, Senses
£18500Add to BasketThis Chardonnay comes from the famed Thieriot Vineyard,over the years, the grapes from these blocks have been sold to top- class producers in the region. Vintage after vintage, this vineyard consistently produces high-scoring single vineyard wines and is renowned as being one of the premier vineyards on the Sonoma Coast.
With incredibly salty minerality, this racy style shows beautiful lemon curd, floral notes and brioche notes through to toasty, hazelnut nuances and a rich palate with flawless balance and an exquisite finish.
2019 stands out as one of the more exceptional vintages in recent memory. Cooler temperatures and stable weather throughout the growing season allowed for slow maturation of flavours without any heat events spiking sugar accumulation in the berries. Although 2019 also saw the devastating Kincade fire in Sonoma County, the fruit was harvested by then, so the smoke did not affect the grapes.
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2019 Pinot Noir ‘Day One’, Senses
£18500Add to BasketClassic aromas of mulled red and black fruits, forest floor, conifer, and spiced orange carry through to a velvety palate showing wonderful purity of fruit, a precise texture and supreme balance.
The fruit comes from the Hillcrest Vineyard, a single vineyard site purchased by Myles’ parents, Carleton Briggs and Lisa Lawrence in 1988. Located just outside of Occidental, this site borders the Charles Heintz Vineyard to the west and is home to the original Chardonnay planting in the West Sonoma Coast. It has however since been replanted to Pinot Noir, which thrives in the warm microclimate which is tempered by the cool, coastal breezes and the trademark fog that lingers over the vineyards, bringing moisture and cooling the vines. The result is a long hang-time, during which the vines slowly build aromatic complexity, concentrated flavours, superbly balanced by natural, acidity.
2019 stands out as one of the more exceptional vintages in recent memory. Cooler temperatures and stable weather throughout the growing season allowed for slow maturation of flavours without any heat events spiking sugar accumulation in the berries. Although 2019 also saw the devastating Kincade fire in Sonoma County, the fruit was harvested by then, so the smoke did not affect the grapes.
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2019 Chardonnay ‘Vine Hill Vineyard’, Kistler
£19500Add to Basket2019 marks the 40th vintage of Kistler and what a vintage it is!
“This is a gorgeous set of wines from Kistler. The 2019 Chardonnays show the pedigree of the vintage in their nuance, character and site expression.” Antonio Galloni of Vinous.com
The 2019 Vine Hill Vineyard Chardonnay as described by the winemaker: Green-tinged pale yellow. Bold aromas of freshly peeled Gravensteins, lime blossom, powdered rock, deep earthen undertones and roasted grains. Expressive and deeply concentrated while tightly wound given its low pH nature. A long lingering finish speaks to the purity of the extract. One of the best examples of the mineral tones informed by the growing medium of certain soils and a classic manifestation of the seamless tension between weight and energy from the sands of the Vine Hill Vineyard.
