Focus on Burgundy
A favoured region that has remained sadly neglected. We’ve put together a selection of case deals to redress this truly sorry situation!
| White Burgundy Chablis, Domaine Denis Race, France '06 ** By the Dozen £128 Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara, Chardonnay, California '06 ** By the Dozen £184 Meursault, Boyer-Martenot, Burgundy '06 ** By the Dozen £244 Puligny-Montrachet, Les Charmes, J-L Chavy, Burgundy '06 ** By the Dozen £260 Meursault, Jean-Philippe Fichet, Burgundy '05 ** By the Dozen £295 | £11.90 £10.67 £17.00 £15.33 £22.50 £20.33 £24.00 £21.67 £27.50 £24.58 |
| Red Burgundy Morey-St-Denis, Pierre Amiot, France ‘04 ** By the Dozen: £240 Pommard, Domaine Billard-Gonnet, Burgundy, France ‘02 ** By the Dozen: £265 Volnay, Comte Armand, Burgundy, France ‘05 ** By the Dozen: £270 Gevrey-Chambertin, Humbert Frères, Burgundy, France ‘05 ** By the Dozen: £285 Chambolle-Musigny, Hudelot-Noellat, Burgundy '02 ** By the Dozen: £324 | £22.50 £20.00 £24.50 £22.08 £25.00 £22.50 £26.50 £23.75 £30.00 £27.00 |
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The List - November
Where to look for what
Fizzzzz - Classic Champagne and an alternative or two
Quaffers - Everyday prices, exceptional wines!
Whites
Sauvignons - and suggestions
Aromatic Whites - at least vaguely, anything but Chardonnay
Chardonnay - or empathetically structured
Pink - For the hardy?
Reds
Italians - from Barolo through Brunello via San Fransico
Rhone, Rioja and Relatives - from warmer, Mediterranean hugging climes or similar international hotspots.
Merlot, Cabernets and other Bordeaux beauties - just a taste of what we can find for you
Pinot Noir and likeminded neighbours - Pitfalls and peaks, we've chosen the latter for you .
The Larder - Tasty treats to accompany any fine tipple.
Offers for November - You can't afford not to!
December Offers
In keeping with the general feeling of belt tightening bravado we've beefed up our offers to squeeze every ounce of pleasure from your pound;
► Quaffers - exceptional wines at everyday prices and
► Stars - affordable luxury
We continue the offers on a bijou selection of red and white Burgundy. A favourite area that has been sadly neglected on the list. Worry not these are all highly recommended and truly delicious!
► Focus - on Burgundy
Stay tuned for our festive selection of gifty ideas, to follow over the next weeks or days even....
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Giaconda, Nantua Les Deux, Chardonnay Roussane blend, Beechworth, Victoria, Australia ‘05
Grapes: Chardonnay and Roussanne
Each: £32.00
Depth of concentration, complexity and focus in remarkably long lived wines.
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Meursault, Jean-Philippe Fichet, Burgundy, France ‘05
Grape: Chardonnay
Each: £27.50
DOZEN OFFER - £295 (£24.58 each)
Number two on my list of favourite White Burgundy producers. If Yves Boyer-Martenot works his magic by bringing a signature acidity to his wines Fichet is a master of the individual terroirs from which he gets his grapes. A stunning range – the full selection can be discussed if you’d like to explore further – this is almost a tribute to Meursault and draws mostly from three beautifully situated parcels on the southern slopes of the village: les Cloux (60-year-old vines); les Chaumes de Narvaux, just above Boucheres and Gouttes d’Or; Limouzin, directly below Genevrières, plus a little Criots. Sites that happily produce wines in their own right Fichet blend is magnificent.
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Puligny-Montrachet, Les Charmes, Jean-Louis Chavy, Burgundy, France ‘06
Grape: Chardonnay
Each: £24.00
DOZEN OFFER - £260 (£21.67 each)
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Bourgogne Chardonnay, Henri Boillot, Burgundy, France ‘05
Grape: Chardonnay
By the Dozen: £220 (£18.33 each)
or by the bottle : £20.00
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Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara Chardonnay, California ‘06
Grape: Chardonnay
Each: £17.00
Jim Clendenen is a giant in the US wine industry. After a brief year out in France Jim returned to California, graduated in Pre-Law at UC Santa Barbara and then chose to turn his back on a seemingly obvious career path. Bitten by the wine bug, he worked in the Zaca Mesa winery before establishing Au Bon Climat in 1982. The estate has prospered, its reputation seemingly enhanced with every vintage and Jim is deservedly recognised, not just by himself, as a pioneer force in Californian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
This is the ABC house Chardonnay. Made with Californian fruit in a Burgundian style.
If only for the fashion statement you have to visit Jim Clendenen’s website www.aubonclimat.com.
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Rully, Montmorin, Jean Chartron, France ‘07
Grape: Chardonnay
Each: £14.85
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Macon, Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon, Burgundy, France ‘07
Grape: Chardonnay
Each: £12.40
The vineyard may be different but the style and commitment to quality remain. Effortlessly stunning wine. Clean, focused racy stuff with a wonderful balance and easy seated complexity – you can see the influence of a top Meursault producer but at Macon prices.
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Chablis, Domaine Pascal and Didier Picq, France ‘05
Grapes: Chardonnay
Each: £11.90
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Volnay, Comte Armand, Burgundy, France ‘05
Grapes: Pinot Noir
or by the bottle: £25.00
A noble and ancient estate run, for almost ten years now, by the equally quiet and assured Benjamin Leroux a truly annoyingly capable youth of thirty something. Leroux is a vociferous proponenet of biodynamic viticulture and his wines some of the finest examples of what these mysterious practices can achieve.
Great stuff, if perhaps not quite as approachable as the Humbert Grevrey.
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Sauvignon Blanc and suggestions...
Newly delivered in their own right! We thought there is such demand we'd pull all the Sauvignons into their separate section. We've also added two alternative suggestions for those that really like the style but want to try something different.
| NEW - Tinpot Hut, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand '07 ** By the Dozen £107 Allan Scott, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand '07 Sancerre, Domaine de Brosses, Loire Valley, France '07 ** By the HALF Dozen £60 Jules Taylor, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand '07 | £9.95 £8.92 £10.00 £11.50 £10.00 £11.45 |
Love the sauvignon style but fancy a new direction, try
| Pinot Grigio, Corte Giara, Veneto, Italy '07 Loimer, LOIS, Gruner Veltliner, Austria '07 | £6.95 £7.95 |
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Gevrey-Chambertin, Humbert Frères, Burgundy, France ‘05
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Each: £26.50
Goes without saying that this is a fine example of its kin. Gevrey’s style is for fuller, more masculine wines. This is true to that pigeon hole but where structure can often dominate this has a very attractive balance with its feminine side.
Seemingly a tad youthful the ’05 is such a phenomenal vintage that whilst there is potential to age this wine it really is drinking now. Ripe fruit and tannins put a stunningly soft and seductive velvet cover on a structure that supports a deceptive complexity.
Forget the waffle – ’05 is stunning, one of the best vintages in my lifetime and this is a great example and will never disappoint.
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Pommard, Domaine Billard-Gonnet, Burgundy, France ‘02
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Each: £24.50
Pommard, one of the classic Burgundy appellations is a small village in the Côte de Beaune district of the Côte d’Or. The vines here, almost exclusively red, grow on steep uneven slopes of clay-dominated soil, which climb high into scrub covered hills. The resultant wines tend to be well structured, meaty, and more powerful and tannic than other Pinot Noirs from the neighbouring appellations. This means that whilst Pommards can be drunk young they also have excellent potential for aging.
Domaine Billard-Gonnet has about ten hectares of classic Pommard vineyard and make wines that reek of authenticity. The ’02 has age under its belt and shows the developing potential of the village.
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Morey-St-Denis, Pierre Amiot, Burgundy, France ‘04
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Each: £22.50
By the Dozen: £240 (£20 each)
A fine eight-hectare estate that has been run by the new regime of Pierre's sons Didier and Jean-Louis for five years now. Classic Morey-St-Denis, a halfway house between its masculine neighbour to the north Gevrey-Chambertin and the more feminine Chambolle-Musigny to the south. A great combination of natural potential well harnessed by a skilled winemaking duo.
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Beaujolais-Villages, Dominic Morel ‘07
Grapes: Gamay
Each: £8.50
By the HALF Dozen: £46 (£7.67 each)
There is also a very fine Fleurie. By the Half Dozen: £66 (£11.00 each) or Individually: £12.00
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Chateau Tour de Biot, Bordeuax, France ’05
Grapes: Cabernets and Merlot
Each: £7.60
Claret with flavour and focus – a pair far too often neglected but mastered here.
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Rosso di Montalcino, Pietroso, Tuscany, Italy ‘04
Grapes: Sangiovese
Each: £13.35
This is benchmark Montalcino that shows the potential that has lead neighbours to produce many a flashier beast stamped with the signature of their creators. Pignatti’s is there in the tribute to the soil, region and vineyard that have allowed him to make such a fine tipple.
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Meursault, Yves Boyer-Martenot '06
Grapes: Chardonnay
Each: £22.50
DOZEN OFFER - £244 (£20.33 each)
Boyer-Martenot is a star. One of my top three White Burgundy producers, his are the most approachable (and affordable). Boyer's Meursault’s are true to the traditional unctuous, buttery style for which the village is renowned but add a signature seam of crisp, fresh, yet somehow generously juicy acidity. This acidity supports, enhances and invigorates rather than countering the wines’ naturally generous opulence.
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Chablis, Domaine Denis Race, France ‘06
Grapes:Chardonnay
Each: £11.90
DOZEN OFFER - £128 (£10.67 each)
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Chardonnay - or empathetically structured
Chardonnay or similarly physique'd creations.
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Aromatic Whites
Or everything bar Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay
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Cremant de Bourgogne, Louis Bouillot, Perle Noire NV
Grapes:Pinots Noir (mainly) and Meunier
Each: £11.00
HALF DOZEN OFFER - £60 (£10.00 each)
Made in the Methode Traditionale (as Champagne) the Pinot grapes give an extra weight and flavour.
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