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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.

Wine Heroes

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  • <a href="https://wine-republic.co.uk/product/1993-picolit-livio-felluga/">1993 Picolit, Livio Felluga</a> Wine Republic Heros Dessert Wine, Port & Dessert Wine

    1993 Picolit, Livio Felluga

    £16500

    Picolit is Friuli’s noblest wine, but its origins are still a matter for debate. It is only since 1750, thanks to the writings of Count Fabio Asquini, that we have any accurate documentation of this “nectar produced by the meagre berries of the bunch.” The peculiarity of this odd, delicate vine is the partial fertilization of its flowers. This means that only a few, very concentrated berries ripen in each bunch. A complex wine the color of old gold, Picolit marries sweet and acidulous sensations, releasing a pervasive aroma of candid peel, vanilla and spring flowers. In the past, Picolit was the wine of Europe’s nobility.

    In the glass the colour is an intense golden yellow. The nose is complex, captivating, and ripe with sweet sensations; it has notes of Calla lily, white rose blossoms, ginger, dates, quince jelly, trifle, sultana grapes, dried figs and white cherry. The palate is rich, full, persistent and lasting; the powerful tastes of honeycomb, a fruit blend of apricot, syrup and yellow peach, layered with hints of cream and crème brûlée. These flavours fade into an elegant, sapid vanilla ice cream finish.  Picot is truly an age worthy with old examples hard to find – This stunning 1993 vintage rivals any Sauternes.

    Purchase & earn 165 points!Add to Basket
  • <a href="https://wine-republic.co.uk/product/champagne-collet-cuee-no-21-nv/">Champagne Collet Cuvee No. 21</a> Wine Republic Heros Champagne & Sparkling Wine

    Champagne Collet Cuvee No. 21

    £16995

    Champagne Collet, established in 1921 as part of the oldest Champagne cooperative in the Grand Cru village of Aÿ, is proud to celebrate its 100-year anniversary. To celebrate its centenary, Champagne Collet has made a commemorative bottling called “Cuvée n°21”. It is a blend of 21 of the Champagne House’s best years dating back to 1961. Aged for 7 years in Collet’s century-old chalk cellars, this wine is exclusively sourced from the Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages of Cramant, Ambonnay, Mailly, Avize, Hautvillers, Villers Marmery, Vertus, Verzenay and Chouilly. This one-of-a-kind Champagne was made in very limited quantity and will never be seen again.

    Disgorged and blended in 2021 this rare Champagne is comprised of the 21 best vintage which includes: 1961, 1969 1971, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, & 2012.

    Refined bouquet of fresh honeysuckle, buttered toast and almonds. Incredible aged characteristics in this blend. Tiny, delicate bubbles with rich and decadent flavours of caramel, roasted nuts, nectarine and candied ginger. A very long, elegant and silky Champagne.

    Purchase & earn 170 points!Add to Basket
  • <a href="https://wine-republic.co.uk/product/1991-occhio-di-pernice-avignonesi-375ml/">1991 Occhio di Pernice, Avignonesi, 375ml</a> Wine Republic Heros Dessert Wine, Port & Dessert Wine, Red Wine

    1991 Occhio di Pernice, Avignonesi, 375ml

    £19500

    The Occhio di Pernice is made from Sangiovese grapes, locally known as Prugnolo Gentile.   It undergoes the same process as the Vin Santo, resulting in a wonderful array of liquid caramel, candied berry fruits and plum marmalade.

    The winemaking process is fascinating and starts with the grapes being carefully placed in small wooden boxes.  They are then laid out on straw mats to dry and only pressed the following spring. The winemaker receives only small amounts of juice, but it is full of extracts and with a very high density (Oechsle).  The grape must is then sealed for 10 years in used wooden barrels called Caratelli where it vinifies and matures in them without the barrels ever being opened. The Occhio di Pernice Vin Santo then matures in the bottle for a further six months before release.

    The name Occhio di Pernice means “eye of the partridge” in German and is derived from the amber colour of the grapes as they ripen.

    Purchase & earn 195 points!Add to Basket
  • <a href="https://wine-republic.co.uk/product/2019-chardonnay-vine-hill-vineyard-kistler/">2019 Chardonnay ‘Vine Hill Vineyard’, Kistler</a> Wine Republic Heros White Wine

    2019 Chardonnay ‘Vine Hill Vineyard’, Kistler

    £19500

    2019 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.

    Purchase & earn 195 points!Add to Basket
  • <a href="https://wine-republic.co.uk/product/2017-vina-ardanza-reserva-la-rioja-alta-jeroboam-gift-box/">2017 Viña Ardanza Reserva, La Rioja Alta  *Jeroboam Gift Box*</a> Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2017 Viña Ardanza Reserva, La Rioja Alta *Jeroboam Gift Box*

    £21800

    A magnificent Jeroboam (3L) of 2017 Viña Ardanza Reserva packed in a beautiful Gift Box.

    La Rioja Alta’s Viña Ardanza Reserva is one of the finest Reserva’s available and a benchmark for the region.  Every vintage is outstanding and never fails to elicit a smile upon drinking.    La Rioja Alta is the gold standard for traditional bodegas: a winery that ages their wines the old-fashioned way, meaning three years in barrel with two rackings a year, followed by three years in bottle.

    The 2017 comprises 78% Tempranillo from Fuenmayor and Cenicero blended together with 22% Garnacha from the famous ‘La Pedriza’ vineyard in Tudelilla.

    “The nose stands out for its power, a highly complex blend of spicy and balsamic aromas of sweet liquorice, patisserie, vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee and nutmeg, and notes of stewed red fruits. Outstanding balance, pleasant freshness and great structure in the mouth, with supple, round tannins. Very pleasant mouthfeel. An ample aftertaste of spicy notes, sweet liquorice and ripe fruit makes Viña Ardanza 2015 a timeless wine, with tremendous laying-down potential and one of the best vintages of the XXI.” Head winemaker – Julio Saénz

    Purchase & earn 218 points!Add to Basket
  • <a href="https://wine-republic.co.uk/product/2012-the-caley-cabernet-shiraz-yalumba/">2012 ‘The Caley’ Cabernet & Shiraz, Yalumba</a> Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2012 ‘The Caley’ Cabernet & Shiraz, Yalumba

    £22400

    This is the first vintage of Yalumba’s Cabernet/Shiraz-based flagship wine, The Caley.  Named after Fred Caley Smith, grandson of Yalumba founder Samuel Smith, who was a horticulturist that had a profound impact on the development of Yalumba’s vineyards. In the early 1890’s he spent 18 months trekking across the USA, Britain, Europe, the Middle East, India and Sri Lanka, observing and reporting on scientific and horticultural developments. His detailed letters, sent home every few days, underpinned the way the vineyards were managed and laid the foundations of sustainable viticulture at Yalumba today.

    At the time of blending, the winemaking team made the following tasting notes … Deep garnet red in colour, fruit is at the core of the bouquet, all red and black currants – overlaid with savoury herbs, green spices, cedar and pipe tobacco. The palate is of sophisticated precision with a refined line. Long and textured it captures the concentrated flavours and presents them with a silken grace. Under all that supple, fleshy muscle, the wine has a strong spine, structured to last and last.

    The Caley has been sourced from three outstanding vineyards of the Coonawarra and Barossa regions. The Ming D block of the Yalumba Coonawarra vineyard provides 52% of the Cabernet Sauvignon of the blend. This 2.7ha plot was planted in 1992 with two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon selected for structure and depth of flavour. This block differs from the ubiquitous Coonawarra terroir, with a higher content of clay than the other blocks on The Menzies Estate. The Shiraz is sourced from the Burgemeister “Linke Block” between Nuriootpa and Angaston. Planted in 1901, these Shiraz vines run east-west and are on a single wire trellis. The soil is a red-brown earth in the Light Pass loamy fine sand family. There is also a component that comes from the 1971 Yalumba Horseshoe Block in Eden Valley.

    Purchase & earn 224 points!Add to Basket
  • <a href="https://wine-republic.co.uk/product/2015-vina-ardanza-reserva-la-rioja-alta-jeroboam-gift-box/">2015 Viña Ardanza Reserva, La Rioja Alta  *Jeroboam Gift Box*</a> Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2015 Viña Ardanza Reserva, La Rioja Alta *Jeroboam Gift Box*

    £24500

    A magnificent Jeroboam (3L) of 2015 Viña Ardanza Reserva packed in a beautiful Gift Box.

    La Rioja Alta’s Viña Ardanza Reserva is one of the finest Reserva’s available and a benchmark for the region.  Every vintage is outstanding and never fails to elicit a smile upon drinking.    La Rioja Alta is the gold standard for traditional bodegas: a winery that ages their wines the old-fashioned way, meaning three years in barrel with two rackings a year, followed by three years in bottle.

    The 2015 comprises 78% Tempranillo from Fuenmayor and Cenicero blended together with 22% Garnacha from the famous ‘La Pedriza’ vineyard in Tudelilla.

    “The nose stands out for its power, a highly complex blend of spicy and balsamic aromas of sweet liquorice, patisserie, vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee and nutmeg, and notes of stewed red fruits. Outstanding balance, pleasant freshness and great structure in the mouth, with supple, round tannins. Very pleasant mouthfeel. An ample aftertaste of spicy notes, sweet liquorice and ripe fruit makes Viña Ardanza 2015 a timeless wine, with tremendous laying-down potential and one of the best vintages of the XXI.” Head winemaker – Julio Saénz

    Purchase & earn 245 points!Add to Basket
  • <a href="https://wine-republic.co.uk/product/1993-vin-santo-avignonesi-375ml/">1993 Vin Santo, Avignonesi, 375ml</a> Dessert Wine

    1993 Vin Santo, Avignonesi, 375ml

    £25000

    No one does Vin Santo like Avignonesi!  Crafted from only the best Trebbiano and Malvasia, the Vin Santo is dried for several months on reed mats and aged for a decade in caratelli, small 50-litre oak barrels, owing much of its character to the madre, a century-old yeast.

    The 1993 Vin Santo has a glowing brownish amber colour in the glass with an inebriating nose of fig jam, roasted apricots, smoke, and tar, a sumptuous, viscous palate of dates, figs, and dried apricots. A refreshing, invigorating acidity which maintains the balance.   Enjoyment phase: now until 2033

    Purchase & earn 250 points!Add to Basket
  • <a href="https://wine-republic.co.uk/product/2012-the-caley-cabernet-shiraz-yalumba-magnum/">2012 ‘The Caley’ Cabernet & Shiraz, Yalumba – Magnum</a> Wine Republic Heros Red Wine

    2012 ‘The Caley’ Cabernet & Shiraz, Yalumba – Magnum

    £47500

    This is the first vintage of Yalumba’s Cabernet/Shiraz-based flagship wine, The Caley.  Named after Fred Caley Smith, grandson of Yalumba founder Samuel Smith, who was a horticulturist that had a profound impact on the development of Yalumba’s vineyards. In the early 1890’s he spent 18 months trekking across the USA, Britain, Europe, the Middle East, India and Sri Lanka, observing and reporting on scientific and horticultural developments. His detailed letters, sent home every few days, underpinned the way the vineyards were managed and laid the foundations of sustainable viticulture at Yalumba today.

    At the time of blending, the winemaking team made the following tasting notes … Deep garnet red in colour, fruit is at the core of the bouquet, all red and black currants – overlaid with savoury herbs, green spices, cedar and pipe tobacco. The palate is of sophisticated precision with a refined line. Long and textured it captures the concentrated flavours and presents them with a silken grace. Under all that supple, fleshy muscle, the wine has a strong spine, structured to last and last.

    The Caley has been sourced from three outstanding vineyards of the Coonawarra and Barossa regions. The Ming D block of the Yalumba Coonawarra vineyard provides 52% of the Cabernet Sauvignon of the blend. This 2.7ha plot was planted in 1992 with two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon selected for structure and depth of flavour. This block differs from the ubiquitous Coonawarra terroir, with a higher content of clay than the other blocks on The Menzies Estate. The Shiraz is sourced from the Burgemeister “Linke Block” between Nuriootpa and Angaston. Planted in 1901, these Shiraz vines run east-west and are on a single wire trellis. The soil is a red-brown earth in the Light Pass loamy fine sand family. There is also a component that comes from the 1971 Yalumba Horseshoe Block in Eden Valley.

    Purchase & earn 475 points!Add to Basket