Counoise has been part of Rhône blends for centuries but it is rarely seen as a varietal wine. Organically farmed from a tiny plot in Ukiah, Mendocino County, this is a light-coloured and medium-bodied wine with aromas of redcurrants, raspberries, and red cherries. Intense and concentrated in structure with flavours of ripe, dark raspberries, black liquorice, wild thyme and dry-aged beefsteak. Smooth, friendly texture sort of like a silky California Pinot Noir. We will serve this slightly chilled as it brings the best out of the grape variety. 48 cases produced!
2016
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2018 Le Secret de Lestrille Bordeaux Superieur, Château Lestrille
£2695Add to BasketOpulent, “Worthy of a grand cru”, according to the Hachette Guide, this pure Merlot is aged in new barrels, a glass of rich, powerful wine with a beautiful balance between roasted aromas and intense black fruit flavours. With velvety tannins and well-integrated oak, the dark berry flavours are complemented by hints of cigar box and a smooth, elegant finish.
2016 has been lauded as an excellent and classic vintage in Bordeaux and this wine certainly lives up to the hype.
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2016 Tinta Barocca, Momento
£2750Add to BasketCherries, cassis, roses and cinnamon joined by porcini mushroom and soy make this an alluring and complex nose added to by the ripe phenolic grip and textured coating palate. The balance between lifted and bright primary red fruit notes and that savoury gravitas mimics high-end Pinot Noir. Tightly wound and complex, this wine can age beyond 2025.
This wine is a tribute to all old vine Tinta Baroccas of South Africa, which for a long time have supported some beautifully fine ‘red blends’ but seldom got the recognition they deserve. A blend of three special vineyards all aged over 40 years – of origin Bot River, Stellenbosch and Swartland – grown on a soil combination of Bokkeveld shale, decomposed granite and clay.
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2016 Directors`Cut Cabernet Sauvignon, Heartland Wines
£2750Add to BasketMade by Ben Glaetzer from 70+ year old vines this wine is Heartland’s most powerful expression of Langhorne Creek’s classic varietals. Only the best fruit makes the Directors’ Cut.
The 2016 vintage of Directors’ Cut Cabernet Sauvignon gives a very clear understanding of the power and finesse of Langhorne Creek. Here the fruit of old vines are showcased by Ben Glaetzer’s refined winemaking and matured in the finest oak to bring the intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon to the forefront. Look for delicate floral and herbal notes to act as a counterpoint to the raw majesty of the fruit.
Ben reckons this might be the finest vintage he has ever seen from Langhorne Creek. Only time will tell. Harvest was more generous than the previous few years, with above-average quantity and quality. Total degree days were up from the last three years, with wonderful ripeness levels recorded leading to amazing fruit intensity. This may supersede the 2012 vintage for overall quality and has led to a very happy winemaker.
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2016 Cinsault, Illimis
£2900Add to BasketThis is a stunning example of what Cinsault is capable of – intense turkish delight and cherry aromas. The tannins are soft, and it has loads of layered fruit and savoury notes.
From a dry-farmed plot of bush vines, planted in 1974, this is as delicate, fine and finessed as Cinsault gets.
Part of a trio of knock-out wines from Lucinda Heyns this year, the Illimis Cinsault all comes from Darling, a region that produces several of the best examples in the country. Lightly wooded, with 50% carbonic maceration, it’s a gentle, ethereal, floral style with fine tannins and some supporting grip. 93points – Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com (September 2019)
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2015 KBS Single Vineyard Chardonnay, Stonier
£3395Add to BasketStonier is one of Australia’s leading producers of premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir crafted from a selection of the Mornington Peninsula’s oldest vines. Each wine showcases the region’s cool maritime climate and the winery’s unique southerly position on the edge of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
The KBS Vineyard (named after the founder Kenneth Brian Stonier) produces Stonier’s flagship Chardonnay, with notes of sweet lemon, smoked paprika, chalk, buttery brioche, white peach and a whip of sea spray. One of the Worlds truly great Chardonnays.
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2016 Zinfandel ‘Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard’, Peterson Winery
£3800Add to BasketThis Mountain-grown Zinfandel opens in the glass with tempting notes of opulent dark berries, spicy black pepper and a rich mineral essence, underpinned by beautifully integrated oak nuances through to a long, elegant finish
The grapes are ‘Estate Grown’ from the Bradford Mountain Estate vineyard. Overlooking the western edge of Dry Creek Valley, the vineyard spans six and a half hectares on the very top of the 385-metre peak that Fred cleared and planted in the 1980s. The well-drained, red-clay soil, combined with sunny days and cool nights, produces small, intensely flavoured grapes. This wine encapsulates all of the best qualities found in mountain-grown Zinfandels from the Dry Creek Valley appellation: the poorer soils and cooler nights harness and preserve more of the bright acidity and freshness in the grapes. More sunlight hours at the higher elevation means thicker-skinned fruit which translates as darker, richer fruit. The key characteristics of mountain-grown Zinfandel are that it has a peppery quality and more intense black fruit characteristics.
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2018 Château de Valois, Pomerol
£3995Add to BasketChâteau de Valois is a traditional right-bank Bordeaux from a small property with a growing reputation. Beautifully traditional they blend Merlot and Cabernet Franc grown in iron-rich soils just a stone’s throw from Chateau Figeac and Chateau Cheval Blanc.
The 2016 nose is bursting with blackberries, exotic spice and hints of smoky oak and cedar. On the palate, the texture is rich and generous, with soft tannins. The finish has a good freshness and is full of lingering ripe fruit.
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2016 Mourvèdre, Fore Family Vineyards, Benevolent Neglect
£4200Add to BasketWe’re absolutely in love with this Mourvèdre. From warm, sheltered Lake County (north of Napa) where the conditions for the late-ripening Mourvèdre are ideal. Slightly carbonic on the nose with aromas of blackberries and black cherries, violets and iris, mocha, mint, leather, earth, and game. Smooth, velvety tannins on the palate and vibrant acidity. Wonderfully fresh for a full-bodied wine – sophisticated yet extremely drinkable. Mourvedre’s reputation of wildness is present in this wine if you look for it. 56 cases produced!
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2016 Brio de Cantenac Brown, Château Cantenac Brown
£4295Add to BasketThe second wine of Château Cantenac Brown is textured and opulent with rich aromas of red fruits complemented by notes of dark chocolate. Full and round, with the red fruit aromas echoed on the palate, the tannins are seamlessly integrated through to a powerful finish.
The vineyard is managed using sustainable agriculture; strictly plant-based fertilisers are applied in moderation. The Cantenac Brown team uses traditional soil maintenance techniques to enhance the structural, chemical and biological properties of the soil. The vines have an average age of 35 years and are pruned according to the double Guyot method. They are meticulously cared for throughout the year, with pruning; removal of buds, leaves and secondary shoots; thinning out and yield control, all taking place to ensure the highest possible quality.
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2016 La Chapelle de Haut-Bages Liberal, Pauillac
£4495Add to BasketPrecise, intense and expressive wine. This second wine reflects the terroir of Pauillac and pays a fine tribute to Château Haut-Bages Libéral.
The nose is fruity, powerful, well-balanced and offers concentration. It reveals notes of cassis, blackberry and small notes of gravels/terroir associated with nice touches of strawberry/red fruits as well as discreet hints of pepper, liquorice, cardamom and spices. The palate is fruity, well-balanced and offers a good definition, juiciness, a beautiful frame as well as a good roundness. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of fleshy/juicy cassis and crushed blackberry with touches of red fruits (strawberry, cherry) as well as discreet hints of liquorice and chocolate/tonka bean. Tannins are fine and elegant.
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2016 Pinot Noir, Stargazer
£4500Add to BasketThis is the first Stargazer Pinot Noir to come from the Palisander Vineyard, purchased in February 2016. Located in the Tea Tree sub-region of the Coal River Valley, twenty minutes north-east of Hobart, it was planted with vines in 2002. It is very aromatic with a lifted nose which is firmly in the red fruits spectrum: think cranberries, red cherries and pomegranate. Light and delicate the 2016 Pinot Noir is all about crunchy red fruits and a creamy, layered texture. The tannins are lacy and delicate. Some more refined, savoury dried herb characters emerge with air. Delicious and rare only 2880 bottles produced.
Owner and winemaker of Stargazer, Samantha is a former Red Winemaker of the Year, a title won whilst head winemaker at McLaren Vale’s Wirra Wirra Vineyards. Now bringing her skills to bear on her own project she is undoubtedly going to propel Stargazer onto ever greater heights.
Stargazer pays tribute to Abel Tasman, who as an explorer and navigator, must have spent a fair amount of time gazing towards the heavens. Tasman, a Dutchman under the employ of the United East India Company was the first European to sight Tasmania (on 24 November 1642) and then the South Island of New Zealand, nineteen days later on 13 December.
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2016 ‘GSM’ Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Benevolent Neglect
£4500Add to BasketThe nose is intoxicating and perfumed, with a heavy proportion of florals, specifically violets, with nuanced, understated berry fruits and an intriguing mineral/graphite component emerging with time in the glass. The palate is sumptuous, plump and satisfying while retaining restraint, the oak beautifully integrated and suggested as a slight lick of caramel on the lengthy finish, which is all framed by restrained tannins and a lingering, mouthwatering finish of red fruits and savoury game. The guys from Benevolent make delicious, unique wines with soul.
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2018 Moppa Springs Grenache-Mataro-Shiraz, Rockford
£4500Add to BasketA stupendous blend of Grenache, Mataro and Shiraz is elegant and restrained with a subtle note of vanilla and pretty floral notes. The Grenache supplies tangy sour cherry to this blend whilst Mataro offers a savoury cocoa note and Shiraz holds it all together with a backbone of fine tannins and a touch of brambly fruit.
Moppa Springs, Ebenezer, and Kalimna, are some of the driest areas in the Barossa. This hard country is cold, wet and frosty during pruning, then hot, dry and dusty during harvest. These are the kind of tough conditions that ensure Grenache, Mataro, and Shiraz give their best.
The grapes are hand-forked into Rockford’s famed 1880’s Bagshaw de-stemmer, open-fermented and then gently basket pressed. All of the components for Moppa Springs are aged separately in a combination of seasoned American and French oak hogsheads and large vats to allow the tannins to soften and colours and flavours to consolidate.
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2016 Gran Reserva Viña Arana, La Rioja Alta
£4650Add to BasketTempranillo (95%) is the main variety and comes from three vineyards in Rodezno (Las Cuevas, El Palo and Las Monjas) It is blended with 5% Graciano from the Montecillo vineyard in Fuenmayor. The 2016 Gran Reserva is an exceptional vintage with aromas of wildflowers and berries combined with sweet spice, dark chocolate and balsamic notes adding layers of complexity to this concentrated wine.
“The 2016 harvest is one of the highest quality I have seen, with a good level of volume. The vintage was characterised by perfect grapes and Viña Arana shows an immaculate balance between all elements of the wine, showcasing the contemporary Gran Reserva style at La Rioja Alta, S.A. The nose stands out with its impressive aromatic intensity, and there is a great flavour concentration that will allow the wine to age for a very long time, and in a few years it will be superb.” Julio Saénz, head winemaker, La Rioja Alta
