Drinking Wines

All wines marked with an * are Daily Drinker  wines.

Sparkling

Vintage	Wine		Case size	Price Duty Paid
NV	Prosecco, Cipriano di Venezia, Veneto, Italy Notes:		6x75cl	£54.00
NV	Gosset Brut Excellence, Champagne, France Notes: The quality is immediately apparent in this non-vintage wine from one of the greatest, and yet lesser-known, champagne houses. The aromas are rich and broad and bready. The palate bursts with mature flavours and the finest mousse: a sure sign of quality. Try any of Gosset’s wines for profound champagne experiences.		6x75cl	£150.00
NV	Champagne Prestige 1er Cru, Larnaudie-Hirault, Champagne, France Notes: Pale lemon in colour with a smallish bead rising vigorously The nose is clean and notes of toast accompany the fresh and crystallised fruit aromas, principally apple. There's a slight earthiness here and a distinct whiff of walnut; cocoa and spice emerge with warming. The mousse is nicely fine and there is some mild and very fine minerality wound through the fruit. Acidity is just medium, the dosage not the lowest, meaning this is not bone dry, but is very easy to drink and enjoy. Long and delicious with a lemon finish.		6x75cl	£144.00
NV	NV Cuvée Réserve Rosé, Champagne Philipponnat, Champagne, France Notes: There a good, rich wealth of red fruits to be found on the nose here, including redcurrants and a hint of toast. The mousse is very fine indeed, the whole palate fresh and crunchy and, more importantly, absolutely delicious. Real zip here. Lovely stuff.		6x75cl	£180.00
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White

Vintage	Wine		Case size	Price Duty Paid
2006	* Bourgogne Aligoté, Guy Amiot, Burgundy, France Notes: Pale straw lemon colour.   This has something of the earthy mineral aromas that one thinks probably defines this variety. There are herbal nuances to the rich and pure nose. The fruit is all about pears and there are notes of nut, as well as dried lime flowers.   There's a creaminess to the fruit here, possibly resulting from the antiquity of the vineyard. Rich fruit, but with very good freshness. The medium acidity is juicily citrus. There's that hint of earthiness again, plus rather delicious apple and pear fruit. This is very satisfying. Top Aligoté, as usual from this source.		12x75cl	£117.00
2008	* Pinot Bianco, Cantina Andrian, Alto-Adige, Italy Notes: N.B. This was tasted at 10 degrees C and could be consumed a little warmer.   A pretty wine in the glass; pale-but-pronounced lemon yellow.   A nose aromatic with ripe yellow fruits. There are spiced pears, a slightly lactic note, like fresh fruit stirred into Greek yoghurt, plus notes of nectarine and dried fruit skins. There's a delightful sweetness to the aromas. Grilled hazelnuts; the merest hint of something herbal.   Nice richness of fruit on entry, but this lacks nothing in structure. Spice and dried fruit skins again appear in the mouth. There's an orangey aspect to the fruit and, particularly, the acidity. Length is nice and there are mild mineral sensations to be found - like pumice dust - around the finish. Balance is notable, with the acidity rising to the fore gradually throughout the wine's length. A peary thing, this, and a very lovely one. Hint of bitter almond left in one's mouth after swallowing/spitting.		6x75cl	£67.50
2008	* Gavi del Commune di Gavi Granée, Bene di Batasiolo, Piemonte, Italy Notes: A cool blast of spiced, fresh pear and green apple nose, with hints of fennel, lemon grass and fresh herbs: lime leaves perhaps.   Beautifully cool palate (coolness becoming something of a theme, I think!). I found sugared almonds and pears. This is a very long and controlled palate, with a touch of spice about it.   N.B. Some time after opening, I noted that the nose had taken on a dominant aroma of very ripe grapefruit.		6x75cl	£60.00
2008	* Canforrales Lucia Airen, Bodegas Campos Reales, La Mancha, Spain Notes: I found a pretty, pale lemon liquid in the glass. A clean nose of ripe lemons and other fresh citrus aromas; perhaps a hint of Satsuma and green orange. A nutty note, too. Very fresh palate; there's acidity running right through this. Lovely drive through the palate to a long finish shrouded with fine granular minerals. Nice earthy expression at the end. Lemon fresh and lively wine. Good, cool, linear shape in the mouth. Lemon and lime fruit.		12x75cl	£72.00
2008	* Pecorino Le Merlettaie, Ciu' Ciu', Marche, Italy Notes: A pale but pronounced lemon yellow colour in the glass.   I found a rich nose, one of delicious yellow fruits: super-ripe pears; yellow melon; hints of apricot and sweet nut. There's a lovely richness of fruit on the palate, fruit that is quickly joined by a fine, almost pumice/ash-like minerality.   The palate is nutty and that richness quickly becomes checked by the structure: that minerality and the fine, medium acidity, almost cached beneath the ripe fruit. The structure gives the palate shape. There's much more than mere fruit going on here. Definite herbal wisps and a distinct stoniness. There seems to be a complexity of soil influence in this wine. A long wine. The fruit adheres tackily to the tongue long after it's swallowed. Highly unusual mouthful, bright, rich and choc-full of character. Drink with oily fish, chicken dishes (even creamy ones) and, perhaps, pork chops. On its own or with seafood wouldn't be a bad idea, either.		6x75cl	£60.00
2006	Sauvignon Blanc, Oak Valley, Elgin, South Africa Notes: The nose is quite aromatic, but lacks the extravagance of many kiwi examples. There are smoky, nettly aromas, along with scents of green orange and lemons. Complex, with really good ripe fruit. This is fresh, but not overly so. Leafy, crunchy and juicy wine. Long, with that green orange finish. Fabulous stuff and living proof that South Africa can produce among the world's best Sauvignons.		6x75cl	£49.50
2006	Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi Classico, Vigna delle Oche, San Lorenzo, Marche, Italy Notes: This is paler than the 2005 that we previously stocked, but still a positive lemon-gold hue. A rich nose meets the taster, giving up complex aromas of fresh, crystallised and dried fruits: pineapple; apricot, and peach. Very ripe nose. The peaches have warm furry skins! They are friends of yellow cherries. A membrillo hint, plus a wisp of fennel/liquorice. The palate's rich, too. Really good definition here. There's an earthy note to this concentrated and very long wine. Intriguing flinty mineral flavours. Acidity is barely medium, but there's quite enough to keep this fresh. This is one delicious, big mouthful; a touch meaty. Powdered minerals at the end and a fabulous finish. Different to the '05, but no less stunning a drinking wine.		6x75cl	£60.00
2007	* Marsanne, Domaine de Montmarin, Vin de Pays de Côtes de Thongue, France Notes: N.B. This was tasted at 14 degrees C, but is so rich that one could chill it down to 8 or 9 degrees without losing aroma/flavour intensity.   This is a wine for flavourful chicken and pork dishes.   The colour is a pronounced pale lemon yellow. Really ripe fruits on the nose: dense, medium intense dried fruit aromas. Tropical fruits: a bit of mango, perhaps even a hint of lychee. A slightly peppery scent. Nut, too.   A very rich wine across the tongue showing rather creamy lychee fruit. Really decent length here, with quite enough freshness at the end to prevent it being flabby. This is almost a touch oily, but, importantly, it finishes very clean. This comes across like a liqueur of yellow fruits, delicious but filling.		6x75cl	£39.00
2006	* Vini Estremi Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle, La Cave du Vin Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle, Valle d'Aosta, Italy Notes: A delicious, berry-ish nose giving of aromas of tangerine fruit, along with wisps of smoke. There are floral notes of almond flowers, as well as clean ripe pears. This is rich in the mouth and very mineral. Clean and compact. The tangerine fruit appears again on the palate, as well as a nutty nuance. This is long and very juicy and highly intense at the end, with an aftertaste of citrus fruit and ripe apples. Just fabulous wine.		6x75cl	£70.50
2007	Roero Arneis, Negro, Piemonte, Italy Notes: The nose is smoky, with a suspicion of Chablis like flint about it. It's also very nutty and covered with ripe apple fruit. In the mouth, this is compact and structured and nutty; balanced, with medium, well covered acidity. Long and even a bit age-worthy, with delicious pure pear and apple fruit. Near parallel shape. Very long, with a full, complex finish.		12x75cl	£120.00
2008	* Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Fattoria Nicodemi, Abruzzo, Italy Notes: N.B. I tasted this wine unchilled at 21 degrees C. Take it out of the fridge half-an-hour before consuming and drink on its own, or with chicken and salads.   The first aromas I identified in this wine were wet almonds with hints of Plasticine. Believe me, this is not as bad as it sounds! On the contrary, I smelled this and wanted to dive straight in. After the aforementioned nut-and-modelling-clay, I also found pear and apple fruit, some dried; lemons, with spice notes. This is very nutty smelling and a touch floral: yellow blossom.   There's a lovely weight of fruit in the mouth. Dried fruits marry with tangy acidity and the rather metallic minerals at the back of the palate. There is a touch of fresh grip to this long wine and a lemon lift at the back.		12x75cl	£111.00
2007	* I Graniti Vermentino di Gallura, Pedra Majore, Sardinia, Italy Notes: N.B. This wine is made from vineyards that are cultivated organically.   Pale straw yellow in colour with a green tinge.   A bright, brilliant, clean nose. I found fresh, ripe apples, as well as almonds and flowers, some of which are dried (chamomile?). There are mineral aromas, too. And perhaps some of the fruit is dried, reminding me of those slices of dried pear and apple that one can buy in those hand-knitted health shops. Ripe lemons. Spice. Perhaps a hint of pine.   This is cool and really very nutty and choc-full of grippy, fine, slightly earthy minerals. This is a really fresh mouthful of wine, the effect of the medium acidity being ameliorated by the refreshing minerality, which comes across like salted lemons. I love the shape of this in the mouth; it's very linear and straight. A concentrated wine that leaves the tongue coated with a fine, powdery deposit: terroir, I think!		6x75cl	£75.00
1995	* Muscadet "L" d'Or de Luneau, Pierre Luneau Pepin, Loire Valley, France Notes: N.B. Initially, I tasted this rather warmer and then drank it later on at 14 degrees, which thought was spot on.   The colour is a bright lemon/straw: very young looking for a white wine of this age, but the firm acidity - a salient feature of Muscadet - has probably helped fix the colour to some extent.   The nose is ripe, cool and full of mineral interest. The fruit is that of green apples and is backed by spiced mineral and aromas of powdered rock. There's a hint of dried flowers, as well as notes of cereals and, oddly, clean leather. This still exhibits excellent fruit concentration.   The palate is predictably cool and there's good integrated grip. That acidity comes across as really lemony and juicy; rather more than medium fresh and well covered by the fruit. Showing lemon and salted melon fruit, this wine is long and really lively.		6x75cl	£76.50
2006	Verdelho, Pyramid Hill, Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia Notes: This offers a wonderfully clear and clean nose, completely unoccluded by oak, and giving up aromas of ripe pear juice and herbal hints. Apples are in there, too, plus hints of fennel, maybe, and pepper.   The palate is rich-but-crisp and of spiced pears; crunchy-ripe, with a very slight aniseed twist. Medium acidity is quite enough to keep this fresh. Satisfyingly long and crunchy at the end, I would drink this as an aperitif, with chicken, salads or hard cheese.		12x75cl	£105.00
2005	Riesling Beblenheim, Trapet, Alsace, France Notes: A rich nose and a toasty one, full of lime fruit undercut by slate minerals. This is rich, with big mineral stamp: very slaty. Concentrated, but highly structured palate. Balanced and persistent. Very long, with that lime fruit filling the middle palate and medium plus acidity lifting the finish. This is quite a masculine example and a fine one.		6x75cl	£84.00
2008	* Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Terassen, Domaine Wachau, Wachau, Austria Notes: N.B. At 12%, this is another white of modest alcohol. 12% abv used to be the norm for many wines, but now seems like a Weightwatchers portion.   I tasted this at 19 degrees: perfect for evaluating a white wine. But I think this would benefit from refrigeration: 12 degrees would be about right.   This is pale in the glass and there are some obvious fine bubbles (CO2) in suspension.   A lovely fresh, clean nose here. There are hints of peppery spice – a characteristic of this variety – to the ripe pear fruit. I found some dried fruit, too, and a herbal note: sage?   This is noticeably pétillant and the ripe fruit is all about those peppery pears. Acidity is just medium, although the palate gains in juiciness throughout. Then I found some slate minerals. This is nicely long and, whilst not bone dry, welcomingly refreshing. There’s gentle grip at the end. I find it summery, like orchards in a full state of ripeness.		6x75cl	£54.00
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Rosé

Vintage	Wine		Case size	Price Duty Paid
2008	* Txacoli Rubentis, Ameztoi, Geraria, Spain Notes: N.B. This is 100% Ondarrabi Beltzer.    The colour is a pale salmon pink and the wine has evident fizz. On the nose, I found expected aromas of peach, with wisps of red fruit; a spice that I couldn’t identify, plus something entirely unexpected that I could only dub garlic?! There are also floral aromas.   A dry wine, with quite a gentle fizz to it. There are distinct mineral notes to the lemon flavours and lemon acidity. As with the (more common) white Txacoli, this is one lively wine and perfect for cleansing the taste buds before a meal or simply for consuming in the heat of a torrid summer (whatever that is).		12x75cl	£117.00
2006	Rosé (organic), Casa Agricola Roboredo Madeira (CARM), Douro, Portugal Notes: Here we're almost getting into the realms of what in Bordeaux would be called a clairette, somwhere between a red and a white wine.   The colour is an intense and rather beautiful cherry red. The nose reminds one of a plate of fresh summer berries, red and black, as do the flavours on the palate. This is big wine: a real fruit salad mouthful. Presented to my family over dinner on the Isle of Wight recently, it met with universal approval.		6x75cl	£51.00
NV	* Brachetto d'Aqui Spumante Conte di Gropello, Terre da Vino, Piemonte, Italy Notes: A lovely, summery nose of floral raspberry and strawberry aromas A lovely nose, the aromas of which almost define summertime. I found raspberries and strawberries in profusion, along with a distinct aroma of rose petals.   In the mouth, this is gently fizzing and semi-sweet. There are those delightful strawberry flavours that linger nicely on the palate.   N.B. Okay, okay; so it's a rather concise tasting note. But then this is a wine that's not supposed to be complicated in any way. It is purely a thing of pleasure and what's wrong with that? "Unashamed" sums up the joy to be had in its consumption.		6x75cl	£63.00
2007	Rosé, Château de Pibarnon, Bandol, France Notes: The pale "onion skin" colour of the "pink" Pibarnon utterly belies the wine's concentration and intensity - almost meatiness - in the mouth. The aromas and flavours suggest nut and red, ripe fruits. The palate gives a weight of fruit that makes this very much capable of accompanying food, whilst fresh enough to be enjoyed on its own. Forget frivolous pink wine; this is something altogether more serious...and it's one that won't have a problem being forgotten until the no-doubt glorious English summers of '09 and even '10.		6x75cl	£93.00
2008	Bandol Rosé, Domaine Tempier, Bandol, France Notes: Very pale in colour, somewhere between salmon and onion skin A clear nose showing hints of spice to the bright red berry fruit. Wild plums This is concentarted a linear in the mouth. There are nutty touches from the Mourvèdre, which makes up 50% of this blend. This is wonderfully fresh and very long in the mouth. Above all, it is thoroughly delicious. Not sure, however, that it'll be worth the money until it's been cellared for a year or two. Will last 4 or 5 easily, I'd have thought.		12x75cl	£204.00
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Red

Vintage	Wine		Case size	Price Duty Paid
2007	* Malbec, Achaval-Ferrer, Mendoza, Argentina Notes: There's a great intensity of colour in the glass: a very deep ruby-purple. Glass nose-ward and one is met by aromas of ripe fruits that include plum and cherry. There's a touch of creaminess about the nose, along with hints of pepper. This goes into the mouth creamy and plush. There's fine control to the palate which, I am sure, speaks of the altitude of the vineyards and the day-night temperature contrast, warm days followed by cool nights, lending aroma and finesse. Tannins are fine, medium and slightly nutty and I located minerals that resemble the finest sand. Beautifully long. A structured, fresh and plummy wine.		12x75cl	£150.00
2008	* Canforrales Clasico Tempranillo, Bodegas Campos Reales, La Mancha, Spain Notes: N.B. This wine is made to be consumed young, but can be consumed with pleasure over the next year to eighteen months. It can be drunk with cured and white meats, simple red meat dishes and salads.   Good colour: a very deep ruby purple.   A clean nose of fresh black secondary fruit. I find the freshest black cherries and plums. There's a note of dark chocolate here, almost chocolate fudge, and a hint of the burnt edges of a gingerbread.   Palate, too, exhibits clear, fresh fruit. Crunchy fresh flavours of black cherry and plum. This is very mineral and has some quite grainy, solid tannin in support. A greatly textured wine, long and highly structured.		12x75cl	£81.00
2007	* Barbazzale Rosso, Cottanera, Sicily, Italy Notes: N.B. This is 91% Nerello Mascalese, with a 9% splash of Nero d'Avola.   The nose is full of rich, black fruits - plums and their crunchy skins when they're just ripe - as well chocolate notes. Raspberries intersperse the plums.   This goes into the mouth cool, supple and medium weight and then starts to pick up juiciness and grip and intensity. There's a little, fine, integrated tannin here. The fruit is black plum and those tangy skins. Great freshness here to this essentially hot climate wine. Great length, too.		6x75cl	£72.00
2008	* Marcillac Lo Sang del Païs,, Domaine du Cros, Midi-Pyrénées, France Notes: A very deep ruby purple in the glass.   Really fresh and crunchy nose of spice and blackcurrants a couple of days from ripeness, along with a suggestion of purple flowers. Raspberries, possibly salted ones. Maybe a lick of liquorice. Is there a hint of earth here? I think so.   The palate is very cool, crisp, with lovely fresh concentration. If you look hard for tannin you can find a very little, powdery stuff, but it's slight to say the least. There are distinct flavours of nuts here; almond paste, perhaps. A long wine and a wine of real charm. The tannins become more evident right at the finish.		6x75cl	£49.50
2005	* Aglianico Contado, Di Majo Norante, Molise, Italy Notes: This sits in the glass and rather glowers at the taster being, as it is, a very deep, ruby/garnet colour.   The complexity of this wine is immediately apparent. I found mineral notes to the rich, new leather-shrouded, milk chocolate tinted, meaty black fruit.   The palate is rich in turn. There's a great deal of structure here,mineral underpinnings and a delightful freshness of acidity that runs right through it. Additional structure is added by the fine, tacky tannins. Notice the great energetic crunch at the end. A grippy wine is one that takes the tongue and makes it feel as though a grapy vice is gently squeezing it and grip is what I found here. There's great purpose to this fabulous red.		6x75cl	£67.50
2007	* Nero d'Avola Rossoibleo, Azienda Agricola Gulfi, Sicily, Italy Notes: The colour in the glass is a very deep ruby purple.   The nose is fresh and quite complex, of crisp black cherry fruit showing fine purity. There are hints of liquorice, tobacco and, perhaps, chestnuts. A touch of earthiness, with wisps of bonfire smoke and dark chocolate. Touch of meat.   The palate finds satin-smooth black cherry fruit with very good integrated freshness. Acidity is medium and quite citrus. There are some fine tannins in evidence. This is knit and long and there's good grip at the end. Quirky and lipsmacking!		12x75cl	£114.00
2008	* Feteasca Neagra Caloian, Crama Oprisor, Romania Notes: N.B. Being sort of claret-weight, I would drink this with beef, lamb, venison, cottage pie, beef burgers, spaghetti bolognaise and only moderately gamey game.   The colour is a beautiful, very deep ruby-purple.   This gives up a fresh nose of crisp black fruits. There's a hint of pepper and other dry spice to the crunchy black cherries and plums accented by a touch of dark chocolate.   A fresh, pure fruit palate. Rich and fine, slightly tacky tannins and there's a hint of the alcohol (14%abv) at the end. Medium weight, with good juice at the back. Juicy finish. Plum crunch and nut.   Later on: cold apple and blackberry pie, plus putty/wet paint aromas.		6x75cl	£48.00
2007	* Reserve Carmenère, Vina Tabali, Limari Valley, Chile Notes:		6x75cl	£57.00
2006	Morellino di Scansano, Trevvalle, Toscana, Italy Notes: N.B. This wine is oraganic and 90% Sangiovese, 7% Merlot and 3% Alicante (a red grape with coloured juice: one of the very few) A fresh nose with hints of spice framing ripe fruit of red plums and cherries, a touch creamy. There are notes of the biscuit tin. The palate is fresh and very long and dusted with very fine ripe, mild tannin. Fresh red fruits hide an arrow of crisp acidity arcs across the tongue and nails it to the full, grippy finish. With breathing, the nose plumps up and starts to take on bramble aspects, as well as aromas of smoke and black cherries. The palate retains its freshness, but the entry fills out. Tannins are nutty; acidity fresh, almost citrus. Lipsmacking stuff!		6x75cl	£60.00
2006	Meandro Tinto, Quinta do Val Meao, Douro, Portugal Notes: A brilliant nose, as ever, here. Soaring aromas of red and black fruits: plum and bramble. There are also nuances of grilled meat and smoke.   The palate offers great complexity already. Punctuating the rich, meaty fruit are spicy (peppery) flavours and the long finished is wreathed in mineral terroir. There are some grainy tannins here thaht suggest this would be best enjoyed with a large chunk of something that was recenlty walking the earth.		6x75cl	£90.00
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