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.
Wine Heroes
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2017 Condrieu, Chaillées de l’Enfer, Georges Vernay
£10500Add to Basket“I liked the wines that came from the slopes, I found those from the plains very average”. These words of Georges Vernay sum up his contribution to Condrieu. Thanks to Georges, the abandoned, steep slopes here were given new life in the 1960s. In fact, this determined man had the genius intuition to cultivate vines on the “chaillées”, or terraces, aptly known as the “chaillées de l’Enfer” (terraces from hell)!
On the nose, the 2017 reveals exquisite floral notes, like old rose and peony, as well as a fruity side. The palate shows finesse and elegance, with the floral character of the nose accompanied by hints of spice. This is a balanced Condrieu with beautiful length, complexity and pureness. Drink now to 2030
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2008 Moon Select Chardonnay, Flowers
£12500Add to BasketFlowers are pioneers of the Sonoma Coast region and make extraordinary Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Perched on top of soaring coastal ridges that border the Pacific Ocean, Flowers’ estate vineyards were some of the first planted on the “extreme” Sonoma Coast in 1991. Flowers’ vineyards rise up just two miles from the rugged Pacific Ocean cliffs at elevations of 1,150 to 1,875 feet. The maritime breezes and coastal fog cool the vineyards during the heat of summer allowing fruit to fully mature with fresh, complex flavours and lively acidity resulting in wines with a distinct coastal minerality and bright natural acidity.
Moon Select is the ultimate expression of the vintage and showcases the best barrels from the Camp Meeting Ridge vineyard. Only 280 cases produced were produced of the 2008 vintage. The 2008 is now mature and developed. On the nose, it has aromas of butter, lemongrass and ripe apricots. Caramel and brioche are abundant on the palate – that coastal acidity is still present as is the precise structure. Very rich and textural. The finish is savoury and long. It’s a stunning glass of wine.
Grapes were harvested in the early morning hours to ensure the fruit arrived at the winery at cool temperatures. The grapes were pressed as whole clusters and the juice allowed to settle for 24 hours before a gentle gravity transfer to French Oak barrels. After 100% native yeast fermentation, the wine continued to mature in-barrels: 100% French oak, 35% new for 14 months to allow the true expression of the vintage and varietal to stand out.
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2020 Blanc Etc, Domaine Didier Dagueneau
£12700Add to BasketPouilly Fumé and Sancerre are the global benchmarks for Sauvignon Blanc, and there is no bigger name or more highly regarded producer in the area than Domaine Didier Dagueneau. Now under the guidance of Didier’s talented son Louis-Benjamin, the wines still follow his ethos that authentic Pouilly Fumé requires healthy fruit from low yielding, old vines to produce the purest, and most intense and vibrantly fresh wine. That’s not to say these wines are typical of the appellation. Given the severely low yields and approach to élevage, Dagueneau wines emphasise a creamy texture rather than bracing acidity, and combine mineral flavours with exotic fruits to supreme effect.
Previously labelled as Blanc Fumé de Pouilly, now reborn as Blanc Etc… and looking better than ever. Generally speaking this is the most approachable wine in the range, and since Louis-Benjamin came aboard the wine is now far closer in quality and class to the other releases. While each of the other wine focus on a single soil type or terroir, Blanc etc… blends some young vine parcels on their Saint-Andelain hill with two parcels planted on flinty clay and limestone white clay soils nearby. It was fermented in a mix of new and three-four year old barrels and then matured in both wood and tank.
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2001 Riesling Auslese, Ürziger Würzgarten Goldkapsel, Dr. Loosen
£14500Add to BasketThe Ürziger Würzgarten vineyard is blazing red and insanely steep, it fills a picturesque amphitheatre formed by a dramatic bend in the Mosel river. Although it is directly adjacent to the vineyards of Erden, this site produces a completely different kind of wine, with exotic, spicy aromas and a mesmerizing earthiness. No other vineyard on the Mosel produces wines so bursting with tropical fruit flavours. Many of the Dr Loosens estate’s oldest vines are found here.
This Auslese is which means selected out of the harvest is a luscious, medium-sweet wine made from clusters of very ripe grapes that have been partially affected by botrytis. This classic example is now 20 years old and in majestic condition. Stored since purchase many moons ago in our cellar and last sampled in 2019 with its sister the 2001 Riesling Auslese, Wehlener Sonnenuhr – both were extraordinary.
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2020 Pouilly Fume Pur Sang, Domaine Didier Dagueneau
£14900Add to BasketPouilly Fumé and Sancerre are the global benchmarks for Sauvignon Blanc, and there is no bigger name or more highly regarded producer in the area than Domaine Didier Dagueneau. Now under the guidance of Didier’s talented son Louis-Benjamin, the wines still follow his ethos that authentic Pouilly Fumé requires healthy fruit from low yielding, old vines to produce the purest, and most intense and vibrantly fresh wine. That’s not to say these wines are typical of the appellation. Given the severely low yields and approach to élevage, Dagueneau wines emphasise a creamy texture rather than bracing acidity, and combine mineral flavours with exotic fruits to supreme effect.
Pur Sang is a superstar in the Dagueneau cellar, and is widely considered one of the great white wines of the world.
Pur Sang translates as thoroughbred, this wine coming from a densely planted, 30-year-old vineyard called La Folie, five kilometres north of Saint-Andélain. Hidden between two parcels of woodland, the vineyard – whose name literally translates as `madness` – is named for the local farmers who thought Didier Dagueneau was crazy when he purchased the land, which was not a vineyard and was full of huge boulders. It was not even registered as part of the Pouilly-Fumé appellation. But Didier had done his homework, as not only was La Folie an historical Pouilly vineyard, but its vein of pure flint, as well as its gently sloping, south/south-east exposure, made it potentially one of Pouilly’s finest. Very pale colour, aromas recall grilled pink grapefruit with a hint of white peach – beautifully expressive. Palate is full, having a rich, floral, complex, aromatic core, creamy texture, and a satisfyingly long finish.
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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.
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2017 Chardonnay ‘Vine Hill Vineyard’, Kistler
£22500Add to BasketKistler Vineyards are one of California’s aristocrats and produce world class Chardonnays. They are some of our favourite wines on earth – real desert island wines!
Kistler is a single clone chardonnay house – that means one heritage Californian selection of Chardonnay planted across fifteen vineyards, from Carneros to Sonoma Valley, to the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. From those sites they produce eleven vineyard designate Chardonnays. Kistler is wholly dedicated to the ideal of wines of site. It’s an unparalleled approach in the new world.
The Vine Hill vineyard is planted in a pure sand soils and produces Chardonnay of precise concentration, energy and verve with stone and orchard fruit toned aromas capped by a penetrating minerality. It’s an exceptional example of the tension that can be created between density and lift.
