Showing all 6 results

• Red Wine

  2017 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sanford

  £7200

  The Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is where it all began. In 1971 this was the first vineyard planted in what became the world-class, cool-climate Sta. Rita Hills appellation.

  Bright, ruby red, the 2016 Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir entices with aromatic spicy red fruits, complemented by notes of wet stone and dried herb. The palate delivers earthy raspberry flavours with lush, silky texture. The bright acidity and supple tannins give the wine great structure and length. To allow the vineyard to shine through, the winemakers take a gentle approach in the cellar, using traditional Burgundian techniques.

  The wine was aged in French Oak barrels (35% new) for 14 months where it gained concentration, while allowing the tannins to soften. This wine is drinking well now, but has the balance and structure to age beautifully for the next 12 to 15 years.

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• Red Wine

  2012 3D Pinot Noir, Clifton Brewer

  £7950

  This is an outstanding Pinot Noir from the renowned Brewer-Clifton.  The 3D vineyard is nestled between Lafond and Ampelos in the Santa Rita Hills and was the first vineyard planted by the Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton in 2007.     It is pure and elegant on the nose with expressive aromas of red cherries, candied raspberry and strawberry.  The palate is expansive with flavours of sweet fruits, tea leaf and fine spices.  Lovely structure and precision here. Incredible finesse and purity.

  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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• Red Wine

  2008 Andromeda, Sean Thackrey

  £10500

  Andromeda is a Pinot Noir from the famous Devil’s Gulch Vineyard in Marin County and is made by Sean Thackrey who is often called a mystical and an iconic winemaker because of his winemaking techniques and lack of detail about his wines and the success he has had. In fact, unlike 99.9% of wine producers in the world, who broadcast the minutiae of their vineyard practices and technical methodology on press materials and on their websites, Thackrey releases no such information, believing that the wines speak for themselves and that everything else is none of our business. A trip to his website on which he offers no information on his own wines but instead offers texts from the history of winemaking that come from his extensive collection of books and manuscripts. All this is very refreshing and all the more so because of how wonderful his wines are.

  The 2008 Andromeda is an interpretation of Pinot noir you won’t come across very often. The unique array of aromas include cut flowers, ponzu and green grass. The flavours are unusual and challenging to describe and rather befitting this quirky, talented winemaker. The wine does not follow the usual flavour profile of Pinot Noir but does offer some tasty black cherry and berry fruit. A leafy, green note runs consistently through the taste profile as well as oak-derived vanilla. 

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• Red Wine

  2019 Pinot Noir ‘Terra de Promissio’, Senses

  £10900

  A rich, structured Pinot Noir with complex aromas of smoky red and black fruits, roasted herbs, conifer forest and exotic spice through to a palate of impeccable balance.

  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.

  The grapes come from Charles and Diana Karren’s vineyard, a couple who are incredibly passionate about growing grapes. The single vineyard ‘Terra de Promissio’ translates as ‘the Land of Promise’ and it has an ideal terroir for growing Pinot Noir. Located in the Petaluma Gap subregion, the combination of the sandy loam and Adobe clay soils, the south-westerly sun exposure, hill elevation, vine density of 5×7’ spacing and the wind and fog of the Petaluma Gap, allows the grapes to have an extended hang time.

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• Red Wine

  2019 Pinot Noir ‘MCM88’, Senses

  £12950

  A rich, concentrated Pinot Noir with aromas of black raspberries and pomegranate layered with hints of lavender, rose oil and wild sage. Black fruits and mineral notes lead to an earthy finish with a floral lift.

  The grapes for the MCM88 come from the famed vineyard formerly known as Keefer Ranch, which produces an exuberant single vineyard Pinot Noir, from the block originally farmed by Kosta Browne. The grapes come from a very special block, now known as Perry Ranch, which produces a bold style of Pinot Noir with great concentration and richness.

  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.

  Purchase & earn 130 points!Add to Basket
• Red Wine

  2019 Pinot Noir ‘Day One’, Senses

  £18500

  Classic 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.

  Purchase & earn 185 points!Add to Basket