£158.40 £174.00
This is one of the best value Château-bottled clarets available anywhere. Predominantly from the Merlot grape with smaller percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Château Carignan has been owned for the past decade by Andy Lench, who has raised the quality to its current high level. It has an exhilarating plummy core but with superb focus and a satisfying aftertaste reminiscent of a far more expensive claret. This would partner perfectly with white or red meats and not disgrace anyone’s Christmas dinner.
Order by Tuesday 17 December to guarantee Christmas delivery.
£112.20 £118.20
This is the personal blend of British wine merchant Mark Savage MW, who only produces several hundred cases annually with a slightly different blend each year. His objective is to create an “upmarket house wine”, which as a description, is far too modest. If only all house wines had this sophistication. This particular vintage is fresh and mouth filling, which Mark puts down to the 10% of Petit Verdot grapes, which adds backbone to the usual Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Sagesse means wisdom in French, hence the charming woodcut of an owl on the label. Mark also makes an excellent white varietal wine.
Order by Tuesday 17 December to guarantee Christmas delivery.
£150.00 £164.40
I have tended to avoid the Tempranillo grape from Spain, mainly because for my taste, they tend to be over alcoholic fruit bombs. Then along comes this bottle from Toledo in the middle of Spain, to demolish my prejudices. Esther Pinuaga started her career as a business consultant in Colorado but returned to Spain to help run the family business. This is a beautifully balanced wine, which appears to be fully mature and capable of matching any Christmas offering from beef to turkey. Esther practices low intervention techniques to create this organic wine, which is remarkable value for such a high quality luscious product.
Order by Tuesday 17 December to guarantee Christmas delivery.
£195.96 £215.40
"This is a beautiful example of the joys of Pinot Noir – a simple, easy to drink red Burgundy at a reasonable price. Located right on the edge of Pommard in the Côte de Beaune, this is the fourth generation of the Cyrot family, who have produced wine in this vicinity for the past century.
This parcel comes from just under 4 acres located right next to the Pommard appellation. After fermentation, half of the wine is transferred to oak barrels to give it a touch of spiciness, while the remainder in stainless steel barrels develops some minerality and freshness before being blended together for bottling. The nose has an attractive perfume with some smokiness and minerality in the palate. It is not particularly complex but is charming and easy to drink with no heaviness. Serve with poultry or duck - it's very drinkable."
Order online now, or call Corney & Barrow on 020-7265 2530 and quote “The Week”.
Phone lines are open Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm.
£129.96 £143.40
"What a pleasant surprise – a delicious thirst-quenching wine made from 150 year-old ungrafted País grapes, which first arrived in Latin American with the Conquistadores in the sixteenth century. Due to the spread of the phylloxera disease in Spain, it no longer exists there, but fortunately it is the second most widely grown grape variety in Chile after Cabernet Sauvignon.
The País grape, or more accurately, Listan Prieto, is quite fragrant and silky, which is why I initially mistook it for Pialade, a wine made by Emmanuel Reynaud, the greatest wine producer in the Southern Rhone. Frenchman Damien Laurent trained in Bordeaux before moving to Latin America with his Chilean wife, where they have their own boutique winery in the Maipo Valley. Polemico is made from grapes they purchase in the nearby Itata Valley, which they vinify using only natural yeasts and no added chemicals. Only 400 cases are produced annually.
The wine itself is supple and bright and would be an ideal accompaniment to chicken or veal dishes - or simply drink by itself. Suitable for vegans."
Order online now, or call Corney & Barrow on 020-7265 2530 and quote “The Week”.
Phone lines are open Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm.
£168.96 £186.00
"Some people think that Côtes-du-Rhône is merely a generic wine without any particular individual attributes, like say, Beaujolais. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially if it is called Tardieu-Laurent. The Tardieu family are famous for sourcing very old parcels of fruit rather than owning any vineyards themselves.
The blend here is a mixture of 60-year-old Grenache and 30-year-old Syrah grapes, which are not exposed to any oak or filtered, which results in an intense pure fruit-driven wine which has more power than is usual from such an appellation. Pair this wine with strong flavours – in my case, it was exceptional when paired with beef cheeks. The 2017 vintage is relatively small, but with exceptional ripeness and fine tannins.
This wine is suitable for vegans."
Order online now, or call Corney & Barrow on 020-7265 2530 and quote “The Week”.
Phone lines are open Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm.
