Showing all 11 results

• White Wine

  2020 The Broken Fishplate Sauvignon Blanc, d’Arenberg

  £1595

  A flashy sauvignon blanc offering lashings of tropicals such as passionfruit and gooseberry on the highly aromatic nose, boosted by an undercurrent of fresh cut grass and asparagus. The palate is refreshingly crisp and mineral. Vibrant citrus-like acid is a real feature. But this is accompanied by the generosity in flavour and a hint of added texture through some very light-handed oak treatment and a small dose of wild ferment. Balanced and long, served chilled this wine will hit the spot on a warm, sunny day.

  Despite being a good match for fish, the name has nothing to do with them! A fishplate is a term for the nylon plates that collect grape bunches on a harvester and often break when navigating around the steep, windy vineyards.

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• White Wine

  2020 ‘1753’ Viognier, Château de Campuget

  £1695

  An elegant Viognier with hints of nectarine, ginger and honeysuckle. Precise, crisp and balanced on the palate, with a roundness of generously structured fruit and a long, elegant finish.

  The vineyard that this Viognier comes from is situated 15 kilometres south of Nîmes, near the village of Manduel, in the heart of the ‘Appellation d’Origine Protégée’ of the Costières de Nîmes. The average age of the vines is about 25 years. The main characteristic of the vineyard is the soil, which is formed of ‘gress’, an accumulation of rounded pebbles that have been deposited by the overflowing Rhône River thousands of years ago. These pebbles allow the vines to grow in the best possible conditions and due to this natural soil filter; the vine’s roots can easily draw the necessary water for their growth. The vines also benefit from the Mediterranean sunshine, which brings the grapes to perfect maturity and allows them to be picked at maximum phenolic maturity which assured elegance in the resulting wine.

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• White Wine

  2019 Viognier, Origin, Saint Clair

  £1750

  An elegant wine displaying prominent notes of white peach, nectarine and fragrant almond blossom laced with impressions of clove and nutmeg spice. Rich and creamy on the palate through to a fresh and spicy finish.

  The grapes for this wine are grown in Saint Clair’s vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels region of Hawkes Bay.

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• Red Wine

  2017 The Laughing Magpie, d’Arenberg

  £1995

  This 2016 Shiraz/Viognier has a rather dark appearance with a vivid purple hue suggesting a complex dry red.  The nose is particularly intense, with peppery spice, hints of fragrant flower and perfume aromas, plus nectarines, apricots, ginger and herbs from the small parcel of viognier that the Shiraz is co-fermented with.  On the palate, the Shiraz is more dominant with sweeter fruit characters like blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry. The palate is rich and generous and soft silky tannins.

  The Kookaburra is a native Australian bird famous for its distinctive laughing call, Chester’s young daughters named them “Laughing Magpies”. The Magpie plumage is black with a stripe of white feathers, representing McLaren Vale’s first ever blend combining the (black) Shiraz and its white partner, Viognier.

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• White Wine

  2011 The Hermit Crab Viognier/Marsanne, d’Arenberg

  £1995

  The 2011 Hermit  has an Incredibly fragrant nose full of sweet apricot and gingery spice. The palate is luscious and generous but has great acid which tightens the wine, adding freshness and a clean crisp finish. Slight pithy feel which builds on the spice notes. Lovely as a fresh stand-alone drink that still exhibits some mouthfeel, or equally well adapted to enjoy with a range of foods from freshly shucked oysters through to spicy Thai style dishes.

  Many of McLaren Vale’s vineyards are on free-draining soils underlain with limestone, formed by the calcareous remains of the local marine fauna. One such creature was the Hermit Crab, a reclusive little crustacean that inhabits the cast-off shells of others. The Osborn family thought the name appropriate for this, McLaren Vale’s first-ever blend of Viognier and Marsanne. “Hermit” is also an abbreviation for the French appellation of Hermitage, where the Marsanne grape variety dominates.

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• White Wine

  2022Viognier, Ktima Gerovassiliou

  £2695

  This is one of the best Viogniers made outside the Northern Rhone. Barrel fermented in new French oak and aged on its lees, this is a fresh, concentrated, aromatic wine, bursting with complex flavours of peach, orange, lemon jasmine, herbs and pepper.

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• White Wine

  2021 Viognier ‘Age of Grace’, Lismore

  £2800

  Lismore 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.

  This Viognier is a reflection of Samantha’s obsession with how the special soil, climate and a mysterious sense of place come together to produce an extraordinary wine that tells you its story. The vines are grown on rose-quartz soils in Elgin, which is a cool, high altitude plateau. The region offers a lengthened ripening period which brings the grapes late into the season, often three to four weeks later than traditional wine-growing areas in South Africa. This provides the opportunity to develop deep complexity and concentration.

  In the glass, the 2021 Age of Grace Viognier is an expressive wine that seduces you with beautiful perfumes of honeysuckle and orange blossom and a textured palate of apricot, kiwi and pineapple. A sensual and exotic experience. Barrel fermented and aged. Enjoy it now or allow it to gain complexity with further cellaring.

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• White Wine

  2015 The Virgilius Viognier, Yalumba

  £3750

  Yalumba, the pioneer of Viognier in Australia, has devoted 20 years to the growing and making of this rare and exotic Rhone variety.   The Virgilius is Yalumba’s most distinguished Viognier – a wine that shows power with restraint. As Yalumba’s most premium and enchanting white wine, it is loved by wine lovers looking for something beyond the more conventional offering.

  The 2015 Virgilius Viognier opens with intense aromas of early season just-picked apricots, cardamom and fresh ginger. Lifted ginger spice is layered on the palate with mineral texture and complex apricots and cashew nut savouriness. The trademark Viognier lusciousness of the palate is clearly evident in this wine. It is complex while at the same time showing purity and restraint that will unwind slowly in the glass to begin a sensory journey.

  At its best with food, The Virgilius complements a wide range of flavors, particularly dishes with spice and richness.

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• Red Wine

  2020 Syrah, The Language Of Yes, Randall Grahm

  £4350

  Randall Grahm is a legend of California winemaking, renowned for his trailblazing work with Rhône Varieties in the Central Coast. ‘The Language of Yes’ is his latest project, an attempt to capture the essence of Old World wines through the ‘uniqueness of the vineyards and the (mostly) sunny disposition of California’.

  This is a deliciously complex Syrah, marked by its lively acidity and layers of vivid pepperiness, black olive, violets, liquorice and white flowers. Smooth and textured with a long finish.

  The Syrah and Viognier grapes come from the single vineyard ‘Rancho Réal’, in the Santa Maria Valley which is one of the coolest sites where vines are successfully grown in California. Here, the vines enjoy a particularly long growing season, thus developing an impressive degree of complexity and articulation. For example, the formation of ‘Rotundone’, the molecule that imparts the peppery quality to wines, is favoured by cooler climates, lower light conditions and a long hang-time on the vine.

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• White Wine

  2018 Condrieu ‘Les Terrasses de l’Empire’, Georges Vernay

  £7295

  A benchmark Condrieu – pure peach and apricot aromas are lifted with hints of acacia flowers. Full and creamy with a distinctive mineral expression and a subtle Condrieu saline complexity supporting the ripe stone fruit flavours. This is a pure expression of a very fine Viognier.

  The grapes from this wine come from a patchwork of small plots covering four hectares in the lieu-dits of Sainte Agathe and La Caille located in the heart of Condrieu. The vines are planted on steep south-facing granite, biotite terraces where the use of machines is impossible; therefore the vineyard is maintained manually and sustainably, without the use of weed killers or insecticides. The average age of vines is 35 years.

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• White Wine

  2017 Condrieu, Chaillées de l’Enfer, Georges Vernay

  £10500

  “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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