Cotes-du-Rhone, Domaine St Cosme, Gigondas, France ‘07
Each: £9.85
DECEMBER OFFER - A dozen for £106 (£8.83 each)
Straight up delicious, crunchy, precise and round Syrah, to quote or misquote the man himself, Louis Barroul. Louis works much majesty with Grenache in the more interesting hills around Gigondas. On the, relatively, less creative soils of general Cotes-du-Rhone land he prefers to work with the less capricious Syrah. We’re rather glad! Cracking wine and at a more than fantastically reasonable price.
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Barolo, Massolino, Piedmont, Italy ‘04
Grapes: Nebbiolo
Each: £26.50
Good classic stuff. Franco Massolino heads the current generation of a family that have been working these vineyards since 1894. Bucking the all too prevalent trend of change for change’s sake, Franco has implemented only restrained fine tuning to family techniques for the modern world. The family’s vineyards at the heart of Barolo around Seralunga d’Alba produce grapes that demand traditional winemaking techniques and reward with long lived beauties that grow into themselves.
Wine true to the traditional style and all the better for it.
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Terra di Siena, Sesti, Castello di Argiano, Tuscany, Italy '01
By the Bottle: £27.50, By the Dozen: £300 (£25.00 each)
The Sesti family live in the most beautiful spot in the most beautiful part of one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Giugi Sesti and his English wife, Sarah, fled the hustle and bustle of
Terra di Siena is the Sestis’ obligatory Super Tuscan. A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon that has quietly developed no mean reputation. For me Super Tuscans can be a big disappointment, more about dressing than content, but this wine delivers. The Terra is not just a
Giugi’s approach to winemaking involves minimum intervention and as such the wine will throw a crust. This is good. The wine will benefit from being decanted both to avoid the chewy bits and to get some air to that delicious juice.
Peachy Canyon, Incredible Red Zinfandel, Paso Robles, California '05
Grapes: Zinfandel
Owners Doug and Nancy Beckett are both former schoolteachers who moved to Paso Robles from the Southern California area in 1988. Peachy Canyon Winery is located in the heart of Paso Robles wine country. Nestled in the Santa Lucia Mountains at Mustang Springs Ranch, the winery exemplifies the contrasts of a region which is ideally suited for growing Zinfandel.
They have 18 hectares of vineyards and are particularly renowned for the individuality and vibrancy of their Zinfandels. Incredible Red is a blend of different vineyards and is dominated by strawberry and raspberry aromas with a hint of black pepper. Round and supple, it is well balanced, with good acidity.
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A Mano, Primitivo, Puglia, Italy ’06
Each: £6.95
A Mano is the love child of ex-pat American Mark Shannon and Elvezia Sblachiero, citizen of the world. The ever ticking clock of experience has put them firmly on the crest of the wave coming out of one of
Primitivo has been the star of the ongoing detective drama surrounding the true identity of
The A Mano team have sought only the highest quality grapes and built relationships with growers that reward quality. The results show through in the wine. Good full flavoured stuff, juicy and with a nice Zinfandel zip to it.
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Meursault, L’Ormeau, Yves Boyer-Martenot, Burgundy, France ‘05
Grapes: Chardonnay
By the Dozen: £265 (£22.08 each) or Individually : £24.50
Great stuff.
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Puligny-Montrachet, Vieilles Vignes, Vincent Girardin, Burgundy, France ‘04
Each: £22.00
Over the last 20 or so years Vincent Girardin has managed to build one of the most dynamic, young, successful companies in all
Vincent’s style is aggressively new. His wines are clean, ripe and well supported by intelligently integrated wood handling. Definitely Burgundy but new
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