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Rioja Tinto, Vina Ilusión, Rioja
£14.95
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Six years later, they released their first wine. In order to select the best sites for their Pinot Noir, they dug 60 soil pits and subsequently selected ten clones to plant on five different rootstocks tailored to the different soil profiles. Burn Cottage is distinguished in Central Otago as the first and only estate in the region to have practised biodynamics since day one. This was Ted Lemon’s one stipulation for his involvement. The winemaking at Burn Cottage is best described as ‘minimal intervention’. There is no addition of yeasts or bacteria for fermentations, with minimal sulphur use and no filtration before bottling
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Simply one of the best Argentine Chardonnays we’ve ever tasted, this stunning, under-stated wine is verging on ethereal. The nose is fresh and delicate with notes of apple blossom, peach and mandarin and just the faintest suggestion of oak. The palate is pristine and precise, tidy and stylish. The amazing fruit quality at Juanfa’s disposal, the complete lack of malolactic fermentation and the fact that only 15% of the wine is aged in French barrels for 12 months, makes for a wine that is simultaneously lean and luscious.
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De Loach Heritage Pinot Noir
Established in 1973 by Cecil De Loach, a firefighter from San Francisco, De Loach was purchased by Burgundian Jean-Claude Boisset in 2003. His son Jean-Charles Boisset saw the similarities of the Russian River Valley with his native Burgundy and the potential that the region held for producing fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. One of his first decisions having acquired the estate was to convert the seven hectares of vineyard surrounding the winery to biodynamic farming.A Californian vineyard with a Burgundian winemaking philosophy. This Pinot Noir has mouth-watering flavours of cherry and strawberry, it is accented beautifully with just a touch of spice and earthiness.Californian Pinot Noir can be eye-wateringly expensive, so this represents outstanding value.
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An unoaked blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, this is a delightfully light, juicy and vibrant wine with enormous gluggability! Bags of fresh cherry and strawberry flavours and very light tannins combine to make a wine that is so easy to drink. On hot days it's really good served chilled, straight from the fridge - just watch out you don't drink it too quickly!
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