WHITES
Ontañon Vetiver Blanco 2018/21 £8.95
DOC Rioja This wine is aged according to the typical white Rioja method – 4 months in American oak.
Opulent aromas of pear and jasmine, with tropical notes and well-integrated oak. The palate is poised with pineapple, vanilla and crisp lemon acidity – and brioche notes on the finish.
Domaine Jouclary Grenache Gris 2023 £9.95
IGP d’Oc A pale-skinned mutant of Grenache Noir, this intriguing wine is very fruity with flavours of peach and mango, leading into almond and marzipan, and finishing with a twist of lime zest and very good length.
Domaine des Lauriers Cuvée Baptiste 2022 £9.95
AOP Picpoul de Pinet A perfect blend of Vermentino and Picpoul, full of flavour from extended ageing on the lees in tank, followed by a touch of oak ageing. If you like Chablis, you’ll love this!
Domaine Pré Baron Sauvignon Blanc 2023 £9.50
AOP Touraine Classic Sauvignon aromas of elderflowers and hedgerows lead into a racy mouthful of blackcurrant leaf and gooseberry fruit.
Heaphy Sauvignon Blanc 2023 £9.75
Nelson, New Zealand This racy new wine is a different take on the usual NZ sauvignons. There is a maritime, leafy nose leading into juicy, green and red apple fruit, a hint of gooseberry and crisp citrus finish.
Pierre Cros Les Costes 2022 £9.95
AC Minervois This fabulous white is made from Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, Muscat and Grenache Gris. It has an enticing floral nose with good concentration, stone fruit flavours and an underlying minerality, which finishes with a hint of lemon zest and great length.
Clos Bagatelle Blanc 2022 £10.50
AOP Saint Chinian Crafted from 60% Roussanne, with Carignan Blanc, Grenache Blanc & Vermentino from a limestone terroir with gentle oak ageing. Concentrated fruit, floral and mineral with superb balance and an almond finish.
Domaine Girard Chardonnay Elevé sur lies fines 2023 £11.50
IGP d’Oc Grown at high altitude, in the areas adjacent to Limoux, this Chardonnay is then left on the lees in 500L oak barriques, adding a creamy texture. All the style of Pouilly-Fuissé at half the price!
Domaine des Terres de Chatenay Fontenay 2022 £13.50
AOP Viré-Clessé Made from 70-year-old Chardonnay vines on a terroir of fossilised oyster shells, this is rich, round and complex with good balancing acidity. This has some of the style and complexity of a Meursault. Comparable Viré-Clessés of this quality retail around £19 a bottle…
Waterkloof Circle of Life White 2023 £9.50
Stellenbosch, South Africa This wine club favourite is made from a blend of Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. It is a marvellously complex, minerally, concentrated white, with flavours of greengage and gooseberry.
Daschbosch Mossiesdrift Steen 2022 £11.50
Breedekloof From 60-year-old bush vines, this Steen (aka Chenin Blanc), a product of very low yields and careful vinification with barrel ageing for 8 months is a stunner! It is very concentrated with intense yet restrained mango, apple and green plum fruit balanced by taut acidity and great length.
Wildeberg White 2021 £12.95
WO Franschhoek From ancient Semillon bush vines, fermented in new and older oak, this has a complex smoky, honeyed nose. On the palate it’s rich, concentrated with terrific mouthfeel, exploding with layers of flavour, creamy, mineral and citrus and very long. Up there with top Graves and 1ier Cru Chablis!
REDS
Domaine Jouclary Grenache Noir sans sulfites 2023 £9.95
IGP d’Oc This is a new wine from Pascal Gianseni in Cabardès, which involves scrupulously clean vinification to avoid the addition of sulphur. The result is a beautifully pure wine. A beguiling, perfumed nose of wild strawberries which leads to soft, fresh summer fruits with a hint of mint, and good length.
Domaine des Lauriers Cuvée Guillaume 2022 £9.75
IGP d’Oc Made from 55% Syrah & 45% Grenache, and 20% of the wine is aged in older oak barrels to produce a soft, juicy blackberry/cranberry compote of flavours that is all too easy to drink!
Domaine Girard Pinot Noir Pech Calvel 2021 £11.50
IGP d’Oc This complex Pinot Noir is made from high altitude vines and spends a few months in oak. Pale in colour but intense in flavour! Silky, elegant, complex, strawberries & hints of mushrooms. Lovely!
Château Jouclary Les Amandiers 2022 £9.95
AOP Cabardès Made from 50% Merlot, 30% Syrah and 20% Grenache, aged in 2-year-old barrels, this is a sumptuous mix of blackberry, woodsmoke & liquorice in the Bordeaux style.
Château Lamothe-Vincent Intense Rouge Medaille d’Or 2018 £8.95
AOP Bordeaux A blend of 70% Merlot with 30% Petit Verdot, gently oak-aged this is a concentrated, complex wine brimming with blackberry, damsons, dried figs, and a touch of tobacco at the finish. Winner of the coveted Bordeaux winemaker of the year in Guide Hachette!
Domaine Girard Cuvée Néri 2019 £11.95
AOP Malepère Made from 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc from the best parcels, and with the judicious addition of 10% Malbec with 7 months on oak. It has an intense nose of cassis and hints of cedar. This leads into a rich mouthful of concentrated fruit, with spice, cinnamon and cloves, soft tannins and great length. Winner of the prestigious Guide Hachette Coup de Coeur for three consecutive years…
Domaine Boutinot Les Côteaux 2022 £8.50
AOP Côtes du Rhône Villages Made from mainly Grenache with some Syrah from six adjacent villages including Cairanne & Seguret. This is full of juicy, soft gluggable fruit – Côtes du Rhône Villages at its best!
Domaine Boutinot Cairanne Côte Sauvage 2021 £11.95
AOP Cairanne Made from 50-year-old 60% Grenache with 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre & 10% old vine Carignan, which is oak-aged. It is rich, concentrated and sumptuous, bursting with intense flavours of dark fruits, morello cherry, hints of liquorice and chocolate, held together with soft, ripe tannins.
Montressor Capitel della Crosara 2020/21 £11.50
DOP Valpolicella Ripasso Made from the Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grape varieties by the Ripasso method, this is a soft, ripe, intense mouthful of morello cherry fruit and raisins with hints of cinnamon and wood smoke.
San Felice Il Grigio Chianti Classico Riserva 2019/20 £13.50
DOCG Chianti Classico Made only from their best grapes, this is aged in both Slavonian & French oak. There is red cherry and blackberry on the nose with hints of tobacco. It is velvety with black cherry and damsons on the palate. Lush and complex!
Rippa Dorri Crianza 2020 £10.50
Ribera del Duero Made from 100% Tinta del Pais (aka Tempranillo) with 12 months ageing in 70% French and 30% American oak barrels, this has gorgeous silky blueberry/blackberry fruit and soft ripe tannins.
Walter Bressia Sylvestra Malbec 2021 £10.50
Uco Valley, Argentina This is made from old vines, with a little bit of oak ageing, it is deep in colour, with an aromatic meaty nose with hints of violets. On the palate there is great concentration, loads of soft bramble and blueberry fruit with hints of cedar and tobacco.
Rubrum Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 £8.95
Coonawarra Referring to the iconic Coonawarra “terra rossa” soil, this is classic Cabernet Sauvignon, full of dark cherry and cassis fruit with notes of eucalyptus and finishing with smooth tannins.
Waterkloof Circle of Life Red 2020 £9.50
Stellenbosch, South Africa An organic wine, with fantastic balance, poise and elegance! Paul Boutinot’s award-winning red is handcrafted from Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot. There is a plummy/herbaceous nose with hints of pepper. In the mouth there is gorgeous plum and blackberry fruit with a hint of spice and soft tannins at the finish.
Ontanon Rioja Reserva 2015 £12.50
DOC Rioja Medium/deep colour with an expensive oaky nose, concentrated with gorgeous fruit, soft tannins and great length. A perfect successor to the great 2010. Even better in 5 years!
Emiliana Salvaje Syrah-Roussanne 2021/22 £10.95
Casablanca Valley, Chile This organic wine is made with no sulphites from 97% Syrah with 3% Roussanne. It is deep purple with a wonderful, perfumed nose of raspberries and violets.. On the palate it is concentrated, silky-smooth, and very elegant with gorgeous blackcurrant and blueberry fruit.
FIZZ
J Laurens Les Graimenous 2022 £11.95
Crémant de Limoux
Using the methode traditionelle, this is made from 60% Chardonnay, 30% Chenin Blanc, 5% Pinot Noir and 5% Mauzac. It has a fresh yeasty/bready nose, so redolent of champagne, and a lively, creamy texture with hints of apple and brioche.
Champagne quality at an amazing price, it is just perfect as an aperitif or on its own!
PORT
Krohn LBV Port 2017 £13.50
A beautiful deep ruby colour, this Late Bottled Vintage Port has wonderful spicy black fruit aromas, and on the palate it has vibrant plum and blackberry characters layered with more spice, fresh acidity and firm tannins. A full and rich style with impressive length.