Ceresuolo di Vittoria, Gulfi, Sicily
A 50/50 blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappato di Vittoria, which were replanted by Gulfi and trained according to the traditional Alberello system. The Nero d'Avola is harvested at the end of September and Frappato in the first week of October. The two varieties are fermented separately, with a short maceration on the skins. After fermentation, the wines are blended and bottled after two months.
Ceresulo refers to the vibrant colour and perfume of the wines, with cherries bursting from the glass.
Frappato is light, perfumed and light on tannins while Nero d'Avola is richer and more full-bodied. Together they make a really interesting style of wine and Gulfi's is one of the best examples.
A delicious wine that suits outdoor eating; grilled meats from the bbq are perfect, as are cold meats and cheeses.
Pouilly-Fume ‘Pierre-Louis’, Domaine Landrat-Guyollot
Saint-Veran ‘Tradition’, Domaine des Deux Roches
This domaine is based in the village of Davayé, in the Mâconnais, and is jointly owned by Jean-Luc Terrier and Christian Collovray. Their 50 hectares of vineyards largely lie between the twin escarpments of Solutré and Vergisson and showcase the diverse terroirs of this region. The wines of Deux Roches are known for their drinkability and offer great value for money; the domaine is particularly known for its excellent Saint-Véran.
The cuvée Tradition emits a floral scent reminiscent of honeysuckle and acacia flowers. Pear, green apple, peach and apricot, are all well-integrated on the palate and reinforced by creamy notes, and a long floral finish.
Versatile with food but particularly good with roast chicken.
Chablis, Gerard Tremblay
Gérard Tremblay and his wife, Hélène, oversee a domain that they inherited in a line of five generations, but which they have mostly built themselves. With 80 acres of vines under production, most of them in the best Premier Cru and Grand Cru appellations, their list of Chablis is among the most prestigious in the region.
Their wines are mostly sold direct from the winery, or are snapped up by top restaurants, they don't often appear for retail.
This wine has all the hallmarks of great Chablis, clean and minerally but with a depth and length of flavour that lets you know you're dealing with serious a winemaker here.
Perfect with shellfish..how about a lobster salad? Or big garlicy prawns? Oh yes please!
Chateau Macquin, Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion
Wines have been made at Château Macquin since 1885, when the first cellar was developed by François-Albert Macquin. François was the first person to re-plant vines in the Saint-Émilion region following the phylloxera outbreak in the 19th century. Today, the Château is run by his grandson Denis and his wife Christine Corre-Macquin, who own 27 hectares of vines in both Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. They are involved in every vine-growing and winemaking decision to ensure the quality of their wine every vintage.
Château Macquin is located just three kilometres north of Saint-Émilion, in the small village of Saint-Georges, the smallest of all Bordeaux appellations (180 hectares). However, at its peak of 89 metres above sea level, Saint-Georges enjoys one of the best elevations on the right bank, giving the wines freshness and concentration. The south-facing vines are planted on clay and limestone soils and range from 15 to 60 years old. The vines are sustainably farmed, without the use of herbicides, fertilisers, or other harmful chemicals.
The wine is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is a deep ruby red with alluring aromas of ripe red cherry, cassis and a hint of liquorice. The palate is full bodied with silky, ripe tannins and concentrated flavours of ripe red fruits, tobacco and graphite are balanced by a lifted acidity.
Chateau Grand Village
This Chateau, situated in the Fronsac region of Bordeaux offers exceptional value for money.
It is owned by the Guinadeau family, who also happen to own Chateau Lafleur just down the road in Pomerol - one of THE great Right-Bank Bordeaux estate!
While Fronsac doesn't have quite the same cachet as Pomerol, and hence, can't command the same prices, the attention to detail and love that goes into this wine, is just the same as at Lafleur.
The soils are different here, more clay and limestone than gravel and the proportion of Cabernet Franc differs but it still gives you a snapshot of great Right-Bank Claret at an every-day price.
A perfect, posh dinner party wine; one that is bound to impress your friends and is a great accompaniment to classic roast meat dishes.
Chateau Lucas
Lussac is an up and coming satellite appellation of the renowned Saint Emilion region on the the Right Bank of Bordeaux. There is no doubt that one of Lussac's most prized properties is Château Lucas, owned by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone fame. From just 18 hectares of vines, three cuvée are produced. The top wine, aptly called Château Lucas, is produced from a 12-hectare vineyard, comprising equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc. While so much of the Right Bank focuses on Merlot, the high percentage of Cabernet Franc brings a polished lift to the cuvée, vintage in and vintage out.
A classic partner for roast lamb.
Big Flower Merlot, Botanica Wines
Really good Merlot from Ginny Povall at Botanica Wines, one of South Africa’s most respected boutique wineries. Plummy and smooth (as you would expect) but with an extra juicy dimension (called ‘deliciousness’?) that makes it stand out and makes you want to drink more of it!
A really good all-rounder, and like all Ginny’s wines, it has a lovely pretty label, so great for gifts.
Southend Chardonnay, Newton Johnson
This family farm was founded in the mid-1990s by Cape Wine Master, Dave Johnson and his wife, Felicity (Née Newton) and within the past twenty years has built a reputation for producing some of the Cape’s best Pinot Noir. Dave’s CWM thesis was on the variety. Right from the outset, Dave and Felicity’s offspring were involved and today it is very much Gordon, partnered by his wife, Nadia, who are responsible for the winemaking, with brother Bevan looking after the commercial side.
Southend is a single vineyard that is owned and farmed by Newton Johnson's neighbours, the Pringle
family. It is a notably cooler slope, a stone’s throw across the river from NJ, with less sunshine
and consequently slower ripening. It produces wines with sparkling clarity, high-toned fruit
flavours, compact structure, and vibrant acidity. They preserve these features by fermenting in
larger format casks that often ferment slowly in to the winter.
The oak is barely noticeable here, the wine is just fresh and juicy; such an elegant style of Chardonnay by one of the New World's best Chardonnay producers. If you know people who are adamant that they do not like Chardonnay, get them to taste this!
A great all-rounder, suiting simple fish and shellfish dishes as well as salads and grilled vegetables.
JCB No21 Cremant de Bourgogne, J.C.Boisset
40% Pinot Noir , 35% Chardonnay, 20% Gamay, 5% Aligoté
Jean-Charles Boisset was born into a winemaking family in Burgundy and now makes wine all over the World.
Pale and vibrant in colour, this Crémant boasts aromas of citrus fruits, almonds and white flowers on the nose. The palate has refreshing and lifted acidity, coupled with a lovely, rich texture from the lees ageing.
A great value alternative to Champagne, showing
Monteleccio, Sesti
The Sesti family are one of the best producers of Brunello di Montalcino. Based at the beautiful Castello di Argiano, they have the most beautiful property imaginable and they make wines in a thoughtful and balanced style; traditional in the best sense of the word. The grapes for this wine are selected because they are felt to be best for drinking young; so they could become Brunello but they are aged for less time. More character than many actual Brunello and for half the price, this is one of Montalcino’s best buys. Great with hard cheeses (Cornish Kern or Old Winchester?), as well as roast lamb with lots of garlic and rosemary, pasta with meat sauces and stews.
Fleurie, Didier Desvignes
Didier Desvignes is a winemaker who really epitomises the spirit of Beaujolais; he believes in treating the land with respect and nurturing each vineyard parcel to express its full potential. Everything is done by hand and farmed using organic treatments. The Gamay vines he has in Fleurie are on unique pink granite soils and make a wine of great purity and vibrancy. There are vivid aromas of violets and flavours of crushed wild strawberries and a herbal, savoury edge which makes it so good with charcuterie. You could be in a Paris wine bar, sipping natural wine and enjoying fine charcuterie, or you could be doing exactly the same at No2 Pound Street!
Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Panizzi
Situated in the picturesque medieval town of San Gimignano in Tuscany, Panizzi produce lovely organic certified, Vernaccia di San Gimignano wines of typicity and excellent value.
Vernaccia diSan Gimignano is a historically important Italian DOC, Italy’s first DOC in fact, and home to Tuscany's
leading white wines. Typically dry, fresh, crisp, and mineral, with a slightly bitter after note, these wines
are predominantly made from Vernaccia, but also permit small portions of other white varietals to be
included in the blend.
Established in 1989 Panizzi work with 60 hectares of vines spread across four vineyard sites in the San
Gimignano area; Lazzaretto, Santa Margherita, Montagnana, and Larniano. Born from research
undertaken by Giovanni Panizzi, into Vernaccia di San Gimignano, the terroir, ageing techniques and
sustainable agriculture, the company is run today by Simone Niccolai, who continues Giovanni’s legacy
and research. Sustainability is a principal focus for Panizzi. No pesticides, herbicides, or chemical
fertilizers are used during the production of their wines, from the 2020 vintage onwards they are
certified organic, though they have farmed using organic practices for many years, they also do as much
as possible by hand to limit the use of machinery and their environmental impact. All their wines are
vegan and vegetarian friendly.
Driven by identity, typicity, and quality, these wines show real focus, terroir expression, and varietal
purity.
This is the perfect, elegant wine to accompany simple grilled fish with really good olive oil.
Cotes du Rhone ‘Bout d’Zan’, Mas de Libian
Mas de Libian, a working farm (cereals, fruits and vines) since 1670, has remained in the hands of famille Thibon for its entire history. Hélène a remarkably energetic member of the family took over the viticulture and winemaking in 1995, and convinced her family to bottle their own wine rather than sell to local négociants. Her farming is entirely biodynamic since the 1960’s when her grandfather ran the farm, and the vines (averaging 40-45 years-old) are pruned for low yields and concentration. The terraced vineyards, composed mostly of galets rouges, in St-Marcel d’Ardèche (the west bank of the Rhône) provide stunning views of Mont Ventoux, the Alpilles, and the Dentelles de Montmirail.
Hélène is in her late 20s and in June this year she was selected by the French Wine Review as one of its Young Winemakers of the Year. She makes her wines in a traditional fashion following organic principles, and the vineyards have ‘pudding-stone’ soil like that found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The stones reflect sunlight during the day and retain heat during the cold nights, thus making the vines work harder to extract water and minerals from the soil.
A great wine for the price, full of real character.
Perfect with roasts, stews, bbq...you get the idea.
St. Chinian ‘La Laouzil’, Thierry Navarre
Carignan/Grenache/Syrah
Thierry Navarre has a dozen hectares of vines planted on dark brown schist terraces around Roquebrun. The achingly beautiful countryside is an amphitheatre of small mountains clad in a sea of green, a forest of small trees and bushes and the familiar clumps of fragrant rosemary and thyme which captures the scented spirit of the high Languedoc. The culture in the vines revolves around the respect for the soil, the cycles, the seasons. No chemical products are used, simply composting, natural preparation, plant infusions and working the soil. The harvest is manual and carried out by a small team.
This wine is full of red fruits, liquorice tones and plenty of herbs and spice, yet is unforced, supple and fresh.
A proper southern French wine to accompany roast lamb or great with some good sausages or a hearty stew.
Merlot 006, Aniello
A beautifully ripe and pure Merlot from Patagonia in the south of Argentina.
Aniello are one of the rising stars of Argentinian wine and are showing that Patagonia can produce World class wines. This has all the rich, ripe, plummy fruit you would want from a good Merlot, with a long smooth finish.
Really well-made; a good all-rounder and a safe bet for a gift.
Three Lions Pinot Noir, Plantagenet
