We have selected six wine merchants to work with, who we believe to offer a fantastic quality of wine and fantastic customer service. Every month, I choose six of my favourite bottles from one of our merchants, and will provide you with my tasting notes for each, so you can be assured of what you're buying. These wines are not readily available in the shops, and bring a little something extra to the table. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
Bruce Palling, Wine Editor - The Week Wines
£119.40 £150.00
With its easy flavours of strawberries and raspberries that leap from the glass, this is a delightful sparkling rosé. There is even a hint of cranberry in the aftertaste, which is surprisingly long for such a reasonably priced wine. Coming from Treviso in the Veneto, it has been completely organic for some time and is made from top quality fruit. The grapes are Glera and Raboso, which are mainstays of this region. It is gently sparkling and due to its low alcohol level is ideal to kick off the festivities and leave you still standing some hours later.
Please order by 18 December 2018 to ensure Christmas delivery.
£155.40 £179.40
Chile is more known for its Cabernet Sauvignon that its Sauvignon Blanc, but this wine should rapidly rectify this. Hand harvested from vineyards in the San Antonio Valley, it is harvested from four vineyards planted on steep terraces overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It is certainly similar to the New Zealand version of this wine but it has more steeliness and focus, which makes it more serious rather than overtly floral. It’s a perfect wine to enjoy as an aperitif, or serve with shellfish or oysters.
Please order by 18 December 2018 to ensure Christmas delivery.
£174.00 £210.00
This is the second wine of San Leonardo, hence the reasonable price from one of its greatest vintages. It is perhaps the greatest “Super Tuscan” outside of Tuscany, with its vineyards located between Verona and Lake Garda in northern Italy. My first experience of it was the superb 1997 vintage, which is still drinking brilliantly. Super Tuscans are essentially a Bordeaux blend, which in this case is Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a touch of Carménère, a relatively obscure variety now mainly found in Chile. A beautifully smooth and harmonious wine with the power to take on any Christmas turkey or roast.
Please order by 18 December 2018 to ensure Christmas delivery.
£179.40 £215.40
This wine really impressed me. Made by boutique Beaujolais producers in the Chiroubles region, it is their first vintage and consists of a mere 400 cases. It is made from pinot noir grapes from the Maconnais, which is located between the great Burgundy vineyards and Beaujolais. It has remarkable depth and a lovely fruit-driven mid palate and could easily be mistaken for something considerably grander from the more famous Burgundy region to its north. It was aged in oak for 12 months and is completely ready to drink. It has far more power than you would expect and is sophisticated enough to grace a Christmas table, enhancing any bird that comes its way.
Please order by 18 December 2018 to ensure Christmas delivery.
£119.40 £131.40
Viognier is best known in northern Rhône, where it is the sole grape used to make the exotic and expensive Condrieu. This bottle from a family run estate in the Languedoc has the giveaway perfume of violets and apricots with a slightly heady aroma reminiscent of spring flowers. It is one of the few great grape varieties that doesn’t need bottle age to put its best foot forward. It’s a difficult varietal to get right but it is worth the effort because of its unique nose and taste. This wine would pair beautifully with warmly spiced mince pies.
Please order by 18 December 2018 to ensure Christmas delivery.
£83.70 £93.00
This is a real treat and a bargain to boot, as a portion of the vineyard is literally surrounded by the fabled Chateau d’Yquem, which sells for hundreds of pounds. Nearly half the output of the 2016 vintage was lost to frost in the Spring, which has added to the concentration of this vintage. The wine is aged 12 months in oak barrels handed down from d’Yquem.
The wonderfully sticky texture and sweet unctuousness of Sauternes is caused by “Noble Rot”, which is a fungus that attacks the grapes just before harvest. Chateau Lafon is elegant and not overpoweringly sweet – the perfect partner for your dessert course or a rich Christmas fruitcake. A half bottle is ideal for between four to six people. Due to its limited availability, the Château Lafon will only be available in a case of six half bottles.
Please order by 18 December 2018 to ensure Christmas delivery.
£152.50 £178.70
The 12 bottle mixed case includes 2 bottles of each of the following wines:
La Jara Frizzante Sparkling Rose, Treviso, Italy, 10%
Sauvignon ‘Kuda’ Kalfu, Leyda Valley, Chile 2018
Terre di San Leonardo, Trentino, Italy 2015
Bourgogne Pinot Noir Château de Javernand, Burgundy 2016
Viognier Domaine Preignes le Neuf, Beziers, France 2017
Chateau Lafon Sauternes 2016 (half bottle)
Please order by 18 December 2018 to ensure Christmas delivery.
