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.