The Ad Hoc range of wines from Larry Cherubino is designed to be your ‘go-to’ wines – dependable, high quality and fit for any occasion. This 2021 Chardonnay is an inviting and creamy wine with green apple, melon and citrus aromas enhanced by buttered brioche and a lovely freshness on the finish. The fruit was handpicked, whole bunch pressed, fermented with natural yeasts and aged in new two year old French oak prior to bottling.
Wine Heroes
This page is dedicated to our wine heroes – the wines, winery, winemakers that have shaped our vinous journey over the past 20 years.
We followed, bought and collected all the wines that feature on this page for many years and their quality vintage upon vintage is without question.
In short, these are the wines we drink, and we hope you will love them as much as we do.
Showing 1–15 of 33 results
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2022 Chardonnay, Xanadu
£2495Add to BasketThis highly awarded, modern, sophisticated and striking Chardonnay displays all classic Margaret River hallmarks.
This intense, pure and aromatic Chardonnay displays aromas of fresh nashi pear, white stone fruits, citrus zest with underlying hints of oyster shell and a subtle saline minerality. Intertwined and balanced oak sits in the background bringing complexing nougat and nutty notes.
The palate is medium-full-bodied with white fleshed stone fruits and pears flowing through. A bright natural acidity from the Gingin clone is ever-present displaying fresh citrus juice and kaffir lime, giving a beautiful mouthwatering freshness. The powerful fruit is balanced by a backbone of ripe phenolics which gives the wine generosity, poise and persistence.
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2021 Chardonnay, Ktima Gerovassiliou
£2595Add to Basket2021 was an excellent vintage, being cited as perhaps one of the best of the past 20 years in Epanomi. Perfumed aromas of melon, ripe pineapple and lemon combine with toasty butterscotch notes. Opulent, with a richly oaked texture, beautiful balance and spicy minerality on the finish.
The wine spent 7 months in French oak, which enhanced the creaminess and rich texture of this wine.
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2020 Chardonnay, Lismore
£3200Add to BasketLismore Estate is based in Greyton within the Overberg region of the Western Cape of South Africa. It’s here with the Sonderend mountains as a backdrop that winemaker & proprietor Samantha O’Keefe makes her fabulous wines. ‘ I had a farm in Africa….’ The opening line of Karen Blixen’s classic memoir Out Of Africa comes to mind when you hear Samantha’s amazing story. A native Californian, Berkeley educated, Sam realised her dream and bought a mountain in Africa.
In December 2019 Samantha’s farm, home, cellar and just-opened wine cellar was all lost in a bush-fire. Samantha has proven herself to be one of the winemaking stars of South Africa and gaining respect from all around the world. The day this tragedy took place Samantha was receiving calls from winemakers all around the Cape, giving her some of their top grapes and asking her to make the wine in their cellars in order for her to continue making wine and not miss a harvest. A remarkable woman making remarkable wines.
The 2020 Lismore Chardonnay is delicious in the glass. The nose is a complex, expressive bouquet of citrus and tropical fruits layered with brioche, honey and walnut. The palate is carried through by a distinct minerality and crisp acidity through to a lingering citrus finish.
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Champagne Collet Brut NV
£3750Add to BasketA bright golden Champagne with a fine stream of bubbles and complex aromas of white flowers, lemon zest, quince and white peach. Delicate hints of spice, anise and herbs are layered with rich notes of puff pastry. A refreshing palate with gentle bubbles, a balanced texture and a wonderful crunch of freshness on the finish.
A blend of over 100 Crus, this cuvée is a true voyage of the senses across the terroir of Champagne, from the Marne Valley to south of the Aisne. The composition was completed with 35% reserve wines in order to preserve the consistency of the Champagne Collet house style, year after year. This cuvée reached full maturity after a minimum of three years of bottle ageing in the historic, limestone cellars in Ay, which are centuries old.
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2021 Estate Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, Talbott
£3750Add to BasketTalbott Vineyards is defined by its iconic Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, where the conditions are ideal for exceptional, cool-climate Chardonnay. Located in the northern area of the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in Monterey County, it has been designated one of California’s Grand Cru vineyards by Wine Enthusiast in 2016, for its ability to produce exceptional wines year after year. The vines were first planted in 1972 at an elevation of 168 metres and cover 228 hectares. Due to the proximity of the Pacific Ocean and the east-to-northeasterly exposure, cooling fog and frequent ocean breezes temper the warm sunshine, giving Sleepy Hollow one of the longest growing seasons in California and allowing each grape to develop concentrated flavours.
A bright, elegant Chardonnay, with aromas of Pink Lady apple, juicy pineapple, pear and caramelised brown sugar. Unctuous and opulent on the palate, with refreshing acidity offering beautiful balance to the ripe tropical fruit.
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MV Cuvee Chérie Demi Sec, Nyetimber
£3795Add to BasketA unique English dessert sparkling wine.
Light golden hues illuminate this delicately effervescent wine. Aromas of pure lemon and Acacia honey are followed by a hint of tangerine. The palate of lemon curd is balanced by crisp acidity and a clean, pure structure.
With a silky texture and refined decadent feel, this is the perfect partner for creamy desserts. At only 12% abv it would also make a wonderfully risqué accompaniment to high tea.
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Demi-Sec, Champagne Collet
£3995Add to BasketThis delicious sweet style champagne has light aromas of meringue and praline that are swirled in delicate notes of violet and stewed fruits, through to a beautifully balanced palate with sustained freshness and fine, sweet flavours. Notes of candied citrus and candied strawberry are complemented by a warm touch of white pepper in this light Champagne which develops on the palate over time.
An assemblage of over 100 Crus, this cuvée reveals a broad array of aromas reflecting the diverse terroirs of the Champagne region. The composition is completed with 35% reserve wines in order to preserve the Collet style year after year. The blend comprises 50% Pinot Meunier from the villages of the Marne Valley and the Ardre Valley, which brings tonicity, richness and tension to the wine. The Crus of the Aisne make a tender and round wine and punctuate the assemblage with exotic fruit notes. 30% Chardonnay from the Sézannais region adds enjoyment and harmony and the Crus of southern Epernay contribute tonic citrus notes. 20% Pinot Noir from the Côte des Bar contributes structure and tension.
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2011 Chardonnay, Dog Point Vineyard
£4100Add to BasketThis 12-year-old Chardonnay was recently released by Dog Point as a part of their museum release program. It’s simply stunning, liquid gold in a glass. Aromas of limestone, lemon and white flowers waft from the glass. The palate is full of flavour, layered and intense. Spicy with a buttery feel. The finish is long and intense. This will continue to age gracefully for another 10 years. Simply magnificent.
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NV Classic Cuvee, Nyetimber
£4150Add to BasketThe signature wine of Nyetimber is a classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier and is a perfect balance of elegance and intensity. The blend includes wines from all the Nyetimber vineyards and also from several vintages.
The pale-golden hue and fine bubbles make the flagship Classic Cuvee Multi-Vintage the ideal occasion-ready drink – whether it’s toasting a big birthday or simply finishing a busy week. Following extensive ageing in the Nyetimber cellars (usually more than three years), the Classic Cuvee Multi-Vintage has distinctive toasty and spicy aromas. A palate of honey, almond, pastry and baked apples gives it a hint of decadence. Intense yet delicate, elegant yet complex – it’s no wonder it’s consistently crowned one of the best English sparkling wines.
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2018 Chardonnay ‘Clonal Selection’, Kershaw
£4750Add to BasketAn exceptional Chardonnay from the amazing cool-climate region of Elgin. Restrained, mineral style focussed on elegance with a white fruit character, some oatmeal and some complexity gained from percipient applied wood. Only 15982 bottles and 70 Magnums.
The grapes come from eight to 10 small parcels of vineyards in several locations in the Elgin Valley. Elgin is the coolest wine region in South Africa and is situated on an inland, hexagonal-shaped plateau, at an altitude of 300 metres. The region is surrounded by mountains and lies just over six miles from the Atlantic Ocean, which brings occasional sea-borne mists. February is the hottest month of the year, with daytime temperatures peaking at 23°C and night-time temperatures dipping to 14°C. The benefit of this cooler climate is that the grape cluster stays connected to its roots for longer, so it develops complex characteristics and achieves physiological ripeness more gradually, resulting in lower sugar levels and consequently lower alcohol levels.
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2018 Chardonnay ‘G.P.S Series’, Kershaw
£4750Add to BasketRestraint, minerality, freshness of fruit and a chiselled edge reflect limestone’s soil properties. This 2018 reveals clean, bright aromas of lemon blossom, wet chalk and powdered stones. Penetrating intensity, animated acidity with a rich mid-palate weight; this wine has purity of fruit – orange peel, yellow cling peaches and grapefruit peel – with complexing oatmeal and lemon cream biscuits to crème fraiche textures and a long finish. Only 2128 bottles were produced.
The G.P.S. (Grape Positioning System) series is made from exciting small parcels of fruit selected from carefully chosen vineyards outside the Elgin Valley. The Chardonnay grapes come from a small parcel of vines which are grown as a single vineyard block in Lower Duivenhoks River district, in the Western Cape. The pure limestone soil is something of a rarity in the Western Cape; it is a soil in which Chardonnay flourishes and produces elegant, fresh wines. The Dijon clone CY95 vines thrive in this warm Mediterranean climate, which is tempered by the Atlantic Ocean and the nearby Duivenhoks River. The wide diurnal temperature ranges create a long hang time during which the grape cluster stays connected to its roots for longer, developing complex characteristics and achieving physiological ripeness more gradually, balanced by natural acidity.
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2011 Piccadilly Chardonnay, Grosset
£4850Add to BasketSince the first release of Grosset Piccadilly in 1993, these wines have made a powerful statement about the potential of the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills, a sub-region so cool that it is often considered marginal for table wine. ‘It’s a sub-region that takes time to understand’, says Grosset, ‘and the wines can be exquisite’.
There’s a delicacy about the 2011 Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay that is rare with Australian chardonnay: it is delightfully fragrant with white flowers and fresh herbs. The palate is fresh, vibrant and tangy with intense white peach and nectarine flavours that show depth and purity. There’s succulence, a taut structure, and bright zesty acidity to finish. Although restrained, the wine builds in the glass.
Only 600 dozen produced
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Brut Réserve Champagne, Charles Heidsieck
£4900Add to BasketThis is an extraordinary Champagne and in recent years the best non-vintage Champagne in the world. This statement is backed up by dozens of gold medals, trophies and winemaker of the year awards it wins EVERY year around the world. In short this is what Champagne is meant to be – extraordinary.
In the glass it has a radiant pale gold colour with fine, persistent bubbles. The nose is characterised by complex pastry aromas, with an opulent combination of ripe apricot, mango and greengages, dried fruits, pistachio and almond. The palate begins with a silky-smooth sensation, developing into ripe fleshy apricot, melon and enticing plum pastry notes and delicate spice. There is a perfect balance of freshness and generosity.
Charles Heidsieck has built exceptional relationships with the best growers across Champagne. Precise selection of grapes takes place from 60 specific sites. Vineyards which are integral to producing grapes that sustain the house style are Oger for Chardonnay for its texture, floral notes and ageing ability, Ambonnay for Pinot Noir for its power, vinosity and fruit, and Verneuil for Pinot Meunier for its acidity, body and aromatics.
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2009 Piccadilly Chardonnay, Grosset
£5500Add to BasketSince the first release of Grosset Piccadilly in 1993, these wines have made a powerful statement about the potential of the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills, a sub-region so cool that it is often considered marginal for table wine. ‘It’s a sub-region that takes time to understand’, says Grosset, ‘and the wines can be exquisite’.
Followers of the Grosset Chardonnay will notice a consistency of style especially between the most recent three vintages of the wine. Jeff sees these as a return to the clearly defined style that he made in the 1990s: finer, lean, tighter and slightly lower in alcohol. Often shy and restrained on release and needing patience and time to reveal themselves, the Piccadilly Chardonnays come into their own by being more age-worthy than most of their peers.
The 2009 Grosset Chardonnay is exuberant with tangy white peach and nectarine flavours, vibrant, juicy fleshy texture and zingy acidity that cleanses. There’s impressive integration of oak and fruit at a young age, the richness and concentration you’d expect, plenty of weight and a lively raciness that binds it all together.
The Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay is handpicked, barrel fermented in French barriques and then left to mature in those barrels for nearly twelve months, followed by a further twelve months in bottle before release. After 11 years in bottle this wine is singing from the rooftops and just shows the magnificence of the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills.
Only 590 cases produced.
