Domaine Crémant de Limoux Les Graimenous 2009

From the Languedoc-Roussillon region, Domaine Laurens release only their best wines as vintages and they last well too. This wine is a "tête de cuvee" - literally "head of the pressing", it means that only the first (gentlest) press of the grapes has been used. An exceptional wine with an intense nose of citrus and dried fruits, with a touch of honey and green apple, this is a well judged blend of 60% Chardonnay, 5% Mauzac, 30% Chenin Blanc and 5% Pinot Noir. Strong, round, well structured and with a long finish, drink now to 2014.

Nerleux Crémant Blanc NV

From the same producer as the Saumur Blanc (see white wines), Wine has been made at Domaine de Nerleux – “Nerleux” is old French for the black wolves that once roamed this area - since the seventeenth century. This great value fizz has a lovely yeasty nose, with aromas of apple, pear and grapefruit. To taste, there is lots of fruit and fresh acidity. Made with a blend of Chardonnay (30%)  and Chenin Blanc (70%), this wine makes a perfect aperitif or goes equally well with seafood. Ref DNNV

Vineyard website -
www.domaine-de-nerleux.com

Domaine de Nerleux Crémant de Loire Rosé    NV    

Rosé sales are growing rapidly in the UK at the moment (the market has doubled over the past two years). Wines like this make it easy to see why. Made from the Cabernet Franc grape, this is a great pink fizz from Elisabeth and Regis Neau, the owners of Nerleux.  Salmon coloured, this wine is made by the traditional method (secondary fermentation in bottle). The wine has aromas of raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrants, while the mouthfeel is very smooth, with lots of tiny bubbles to stimulate the palate. Ideal as an aperitif or with fruit desserts. Great Summer quaffing. Ref DNCR 

Vineyard website -
www.domaine-de-nerleux.com

Georges Gardet Champagne Brut Special NV 

The Gardet family vineyards are spread over 7 hectares in the "Premier cru" areas of Chigny les Roses, Ludes and Rilly la Montagne. The remaining grapes are bought from around thirty negociants with whom Gardet has long standing relationships. Made from all three of the classic champagne grapes (Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay), the wine is blended with about 15% of reserve wines (kept from the previous vintage and aged in oak) in order to maintain a consistent style. The wine is then lightly filtered and bottled between February and May, before being aged for at least four years.

It has a fine mousse and an elegant nose which shows the mature fruit to advantage. On the palate, it displays great complexity and a long finish.

Gardet make about a million bottles per year, and are enjoying a growing reputation in the UK, as well as other European countries as well as America. It is the house champagne for the Dorchester in London as well as the 5* Longueville Manor in Jersey.

http://www.champagne-gardet.com/

More Rosés coming soon !!

Currently sold out !!

Domaine de Miselle Soleil d’Automne 2005

Situated in the extreme south west of France between Bayonne and Toulouse, Domaine de Miselle is a small (28ha) property producing some outstandingly good value wines. This dessert wine is made from late harvested grapes (100% Petit Manseng) and is a light gold colour. It has a subtle floral bouquet with notes of marmalade and brioche. On the palate one can detect honey, candied fruit and apricots.  The owner, M Chevallier, is rightly proud of this wine and it is unbeatable value at £7.95 for a full 75cl bottle. Drink with foie gras, Roquefort, fresh fruit salad or chocolate desserts. Ref DMSA05

Domaine de Grange Neuve Monbazillac 2001

This 50cl bottle comes from the classic dessert wine appellation of Monbazillac near Bergerac. Made from small parcels of late picked grapes (the grapes become more shrivelled with therefore a lower yield but with much more concentration) this wine is made from a mix of Muscadelle, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. It is luscious and rich with a backbone of fine acidity. Ref DGNM01

Vineyard website -
http://www.grangeneuve.fr/

Domaine Crabitan – Bellevue Ste Croix-du-Mont 2005

Classic dessert wine from Bordeaux – but Bernard Solane has the misfortune to be on the “unfashionable” side of the Garonne, and thus his wines retail at a fraction of the price of the better known appellations nearby. Notwithstanding this, how he can sell the wine at so low a price remains a mystery as he gets the grape pickers to make up to six sweeps through the vineyard every harvest to ensure the grapes – which inevitably ripen at various speeds - are all perfect!

Made from Semillon grapes, the nose provides apricot and citrus flavours, while the wine itself is fresh and luscious but never cloying, with real structure and acidity. He’s only made 13,500 bottles of this vintage, and we only have 240 of those. When it’s gone, it’s gone!   

Domaine La Madeleine Saint Jean La Maison Jaune 50cl 2010

Marseillan, the home of the famous vermouth Noilly Prat is situated just 25 miles west of Montpellier, where the Canal du Midi enters the Bassin de Thau.  Marseillan is a beautiful little fishing port. It is here that the family run domaine of Madeleine Saint Jean is situated. Consisting of 30 hectares of vines, it has been in the family for many generations, and they grow a wide range of grapes, ranging from familiar reds like Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, to the frankly obscure Marselan, l’Arinarnoa and l’Egiodola. The whites include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Muscat petit grain. It is run by two brothers, Max and Jeremy, together with their sons. Jeremy is responsible for viticulture and vinification and has wide experience both in the Languedoc and the Rhone which he brings to bear in his winemaking here.

This is labelled "Vendanges d'après", which refers to late date of harvesting, when the grapes are super-ripe.  It is made from 50% Viognier and 50% Muscat and although it is not fortified, such is the ripeness of the grapes, that it weighs in at an amazing 16%!

It has a superb nose of ripe Muscat grapes, orange zest and spice, while on the palate it is rich, concentrated, and packed with exotic fruit flavours. The unctuous sweetness is balanced by excellent acidity and there is a long aromatic aftertaste.  Definitely a dessert wine, and one that would actually go extremely well with chocolate, which is notoriously difficult to partner with wine. It can also be drunk as an aperitif and also goes surprisingly well with cheese, especially Roquefort. Ref DMSJLMJ10

Weingut Sepp Moser Chardonnay Trockenbeerenauslese 2008

37.5cl What a mouthful! What does it all mean? Weingut Sepp Moser is the producer. Trocken means "dry" but doesn't refer to the style of wine but the condition of the grapes when they were picked. Beeren means berries or grapes . Finally auslese (literally "harvested from") indicates that the wine is made from grapes that have been individually selected. From the warm southern Neusiedlersee region of Austria, this amazing sticky is from Apetlon which, influenced by the nearby lake, encourages noble rot which in the best years can rival the world’s finest sweet wines.A luscious and honeyed wine, with a intense nose and apricot and spice flavours on the palate.The wine has immense concentration and length and whilst drinking magnificently now will continue to evolve for the next 15 to 20 years.Chardonnay as you have never tasted it before! Ref SM08

Vineyard website -
 www.sepp-moser.at

Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla Pedro Ximenez sherry NV 

Made from 100% Pedro Ximenez grapes, this is an absolute revelation. An opaquely dark mahogany colour, the nose seduces with intense dried fruit aromas of raisins, prunes and dates, coupled with brown spices of nutmeg and clove – altogether reminiscent of Christmas cake! Unctuous sweetness marries well with the intense and complex flavours freshened by a slice of acidity.

One of the most exceptional of the small, independent sherry houses, Fernando de Castilla was revitalised in 1999 by Jan Pettersen, a Norwegian gone native with a passion for top quality sherry with 15 years experience at Osborne. After taking over the cellars of the Sherry shipper Jose Bustamante, located next door to the main facilities of Fernando de Castilla, Jan quickly established Fernando de Castilla as masters of the production and ageing of fine, unblended, untreated Sherries.

The wine is fortified to 17 degrees alcohol and aged in the classic solera system for an average of 12 years.

www.fernandodecastilla.com

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Krohn Colheita Port2000 

Port matured for a long time in barrels (as opposed to vintage port which is matured principally in bottle) is generally marketed as tawny port – and will come from a number of different vintages. However, if the grapes are from a single year and it has spent at least seven years in barrels it can be sold as Colheita port. Krohn are a small family-owned Port house run by brother and sister Jose and Iolanda Carneiro. Long renowned for the quality of their sublime Colheitas, they produce a remarkably complete range for a small house and each wine excels in its category. This (unfiltered) wine from 2000 is a great introduction. The wine is ready for drinking and is smooth, silky and elegant in texture with balanced acidity; dried figs and raisin flavours mingle with chocolate, honey, caramel and sweet, dried apricots to provide an unforgettable taste with a long and elegant finish. The wine has all the colour and richness typical of the excellent 2000 vintage combined with mellow, spicy characters from 9 years in cask.