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The right glass is important to get the best-tasting experience — the same with the right decanter.
This Axium gives your wine the perfect conditions to breathe and for the aromas and taste to develop. Designed for all red wine and full-bodied whites.
Key facts
Le Sol is always a magnificent wine and a moment in time but this 09 is something rather special. An opaque black core with a dark garnet rim. Redolent with black cherry, blueberry, melted liquorice, wild thyme and, of course, black pepper. This is intensely flavoured with layers of fine ripe tannin. The flavours just go on and on. A remarkable vintage.
Le Sol (french: the soil) is born of the renowned Gimblett Gravels viticultural appellation with its gravelly soils attracting the sun in summer and insulating the vines in winter. The vines are planted in the stoniest parts of the vineyard to a heritage clone of Syrah brought to New Zealand in the 1840s. Intensively hand managed, the grapes reveal a deep and dark Syrah with purple hues. Le Sol is always aromatically pure with a luscious yet elegant mid-palate and a distinctive fine tannin finish.
The Paringa Chardonnay is the estates top chardonnay wine and a single vineyard wine.
The nose is highly perfumed with a complex array of white peach, pear combining with vanilla, nougat and almonds. The palate is classic cool climate with white fleshy stone fruits, citrus notes and a savoury nutty oak flavour that is so seductive. The rich and textured mouthfeel gives way to a lingering balanced finish.
The name ‘The Paringa’ denotes the single-vineyard origin of this wine. Lindsay McCall planted the first vines on the Paringa Estate vineyard in 1985, with ten acres being under vine by 1990. From this site fruit of distinction is born from a combination of red volcanic (Ferrasol) soil, a north-facing aspect and altitude of 146m on Paringa Road, Red Hill South. In creating this wine viticulture and winemaking practices are approached with the intent of preserving a pure expression of the site from the soil through to bottle.
Charlie Melton uses the traditional Australian technique for their sparkling red, as pioneered by Seppelts at Great Western. The base wine is aged for around two years or so in oak and then tirage bottled and left on lees for up to four years. This gives a complex aromatic of fruit sweetness and classic autolysis character and fine bubble. An important factor is the liquering dosage as this degree of sweetness ensures they will develop for decades.
This 2002 Sparkling red was disgorged in August 2005 so has had a further 16 years in bottle. It is an incredible bottle of wine and still has decades to go! Rich black cherry and plum on the nose with a delightful charry element. It has a fine mousse with powerful red and black fruits. Spicy, dense with a beguiling sweetness. It has a tight, dense core of rich fruit. Off-dry and has fabulous intensity and complexity. Fabulous!
A rich and opulent wine, showing intense aromas of ripe dark berried fruits with a hint of bitter almond. Beautifully concentrated deep fruits are layered with nuances of elegant oak and savoury notes, through to a smooth palate, with supple tannins and a fine, lingering finish.
Roccolo Grassi’s Amarone della Valpolicella is produced from a four-hectare, southeast facing vineyard in the heart of the DOCG, from vines with an average age of 40 years. The vines are grown at 200 to 250 metres above sea level in volcanic-basaltic soils. The vines are trained on a pergola system, at a density of 3,000 vines per hectare and yield 1.5 to 2.0 kilograms per vine. The grapes are manually harvested at the end of September into trays to preserve the quality of the fruit.
Red WineLes Aromes de Pavie is the second wine of Château Pavie and is made in the Pavie mould of impact and power – the iron fist around a distinctly rich velvet glove approach.
It’s an excellent quality Saint Emilion Grand Cru and we particularly like and agree with Robert Parkers tasting note: ‘the 2015 Arômes de Pavie reveals a beguiling nose of smoked meats, fragrant earth and sautéed herbs over a core of warm red and black plums, cherry compote and blackberry pie plus a waft of dried lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals very fine and ripe yet wonderfully firm tannins plus a seamless backbone of freshness supporting the generous fruit, finishing long with wonderful restraint and elegance.’
Enjoy!
Red WineThe Sesti estate is located in the heart of Tuscany, in the Castello Argiano, originally built in 1200. The castle is part of a chain of sight and defense castles, each in sight of the others, built along the Orcia river
Giugi Sesti grew up in Venice and much of his life has been dedicated to the study of astronomy, on which subject he is a published author. For thirty years Giugi organised an opera festival in Tuscany, whilst refurbishing the hamlet of the Castello di Argiano and its 102 hectares. Now primarily run by his daughter Elisa, the winery Sesti makes world renowned Brunello and seriously good Rosso di Montalcino.
This 2018 Brunello is jaw-droppingly delicious right now, savoury, well structured, rich, full-bodied with blackberry, herbaceous and spicy notes on the nose and the palate.
This is an incredible vintage of Chateau Montelena’s flagship Chardonnay.
In the glass it has a bright gold in colour and is incredibly aromatic, the ripeness of the vintage is most pronounced initially; melon, perfume, and orange blossom slowly give way to fresh peach, honeysuckle and apricot. There is very little overt oak influence on the nose, although it comes across subtly in the background as pie crust and toast.
On the palate, it’s the suppleness and silky mouthfeel that strike first, although there’s abundant mango and citrus with Meyer lemon here as well. The minerality is chalky and distinct, a beautiful contrast that layers in with the acid adding both complexity and depth.
The finish is exceptional: There’s slightly more wood on the transition to the finish, surfacing as baking spice and crème brûlée. However, they’re handily overwhelmed by notes of Asian pear, mango and pineapple— absolutely delicious. In time, expect hazelnuts and almonds to appear.
Mount Pleasant, based in the Hunter Valley, was established in 1921 by the legendary winemaker Maurice O’Shea, from 16.3 hectares of adjoining parcels of land, which he named Mount Pleasant.
Aromas of ripe black and red berried fruits, supported by savoury and spice elements lead to intense fruits on the palate. Exquisite acidity and a distinguished tannin profile are hallmarks of the 1921 Vines Shiraz.
The Old Paddock vineyard is an easterly facing site and was the perfect location for Maurice O’Shea’s first Shiraz plantings at Mount Pleasant in 1921. Sheltered from the winds and hot afternoon sun, the fruit from this block is famed for its impeccable structure and intensity. The vineyard is cultivated using sustainable techniques, such as employing mulch to nourish the vines and growing cover crops to increase the biodiversity in the soil.
Tinto Pesquera is a world-famous wine, highly sought after and each release is eagerly anticipated by fans around the world.
The Millenium grapes come from Viña Alta, where Alejandro Fernandez planted its first vines in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is located at an altitude of more than 800 meters.
This is only made in special vintages. So far that means just 1996, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009 and now 2015. It’s also the only Pesquera wine aged in French oak, as opposed to American. Grapes from a single plot at 900 m, with 30 months in barrel.
In the glass, it is intense with lush red cherry, coffee, spice and barrel aromas. The palate is concentrated with sweet ripe black fruits leading to a silky, elegant mid-palate that is warm and exotic.
Charles Melton Wines has produced premium Barossa red wines since 1984. Charlie and a small band of Barossa winemakers turned their winemaking efforts to what was then considered a couple of unfashionable varieties: Shiraz and Grenache. These wines were initially styled on those from the Rhône but are now considered leading examples of the varieties in their own right. The wines have always attracted national and international recognition, and an enduring commitment to dry-farmed vineyards and careful crafting of the wine will ensure that this continues.
This phenomenal wine was made from dry farmed old vine Shiraz, has a very deep colour with a toasty nose – some high-quality oak lifting the bouquet. A hint of sweet plums, strawberries poking through. Good firm tannins but with sufficient middle palate weight to match. The spiciness shows through onto the palate with a food-friendly savouriness being knit together with the traditional Barossa richness and sweet fruit finish.
The Chimney Rock Estate is blessed with a diversity of soil and topography that breeds complexity into the wines. To the east, steep hills and shallow soils bring density and power. On the north end, the proximity to the Palisades brings with it ripeness and purity of fruit. To the south, proximity to the bay brings breezes that add the nuance of cooler climate – adding hints of dried herbs and mint. It is this diversity that has enabled the winemakers to represent the quintessence of Stags Leap District – the tension between grace and power, the balance of finesse and muscle.
This the 35th vintage of this wine, opens in the glass with abundant aromas of blackcurrant and cherry, with hints of mocha, vanilla and floral. On the palate it is rich and savoury with plum and black cherry flavours and hints of dried fig, vanilla, and floral. On the palate this wine is smooth and viscous in the midpalate, full-bodied, and the tannin structure is firm but very polished. Recommend decanting.
Mixed Cases, White WineEach Explore 4 case tackles a new theme: This one is a selection of Sauvignon Blanc that won’t break the bank.
Sauvignon is the most popular white wine in the UK and for good reason, it’s easy to drink and you know what you are getting.
But there is another more adventurous side to Sauvignon Blanc, the one where winemakers push the envelope in terms of vineyard locations, the use of oak and wild yeasts. These are the ones we focus on with this selection.
Here’s what’s in the case:
2021 Outer Limits Sauvignon Blanc, Montes, Aconcagua Valley, Chile
The Outer Limits wines were born out of Aurelio Montes’ desire to push Chilean viticulture in a new direction. The 45 hectare Zapallar Vineyard in the Aconcagua Valley was Montes’ first venture into the ‘outer limits’. Due to the balance and concentration in the Outer Limits wines, they can be enjoyed now or allowed to age for a few years, rewarding with a wonderfully complex bouquet.
2020 ‘Summer’ Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc, Harry Hartman, Western Cape, South Africa
his knockout wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc from Harry Hartman Wines is made from fruit picked in the premium regions of Elgin and Bot River. Elgin fruit has a higher level of acidity adding to the more citrus notes and making the wine more linear. Botrivier fruit is more rounded, with bigger tropical notes.
2019 Taihoa Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Astrolabe, Marlborough, New Zealand
This is a unique New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the fruit for this wine is grown by Paddy and Anna Trolove at Taihoa Vineyard on Marlborough’s southern Kēkerengū coast. It is an outlier, both geographically and in a winemaking sense, to the typical sauvignon blanc wines of Marlborough; it is all about complexity, texture and age-worthiness.
2019 Sancerre Cuvee Silex, Domaine Serge Laloue, Loire, France
Serge Laloue has always been one of our favourite winemakers in the Loire, making incredible Sancerre. This we think is their finest Cuvee, crafted by Franck Laloue the Sancerre Silex has intense aromas of smoky graphite with mineral notes of oyster shell that are complemented by zesty orange peel and Mirabelle plum. This fresh, supple cuvée delivers concentrated citrus flavours through to a bright and uplifting mineral finish.
Paringa’s and arguably Australias top Pinot Noir – made from barrels which were selected as clearly superior at the time of blending and bottling. The wine has rich powerful aromas of spice and dark cherry, combined with charry oak, secondary barrel-ferment mocha/coffee characters that will integrate further to become more Burgundian like with bottle age. On the palate the wine has rich ripe fruit, firm fine-grained tannins helping provide excellent texture and length.
