Central Otago

To celebrate the fourth annual International Sauvignon Blanc day we are pleased to present 2 great examples of the grape that made New Zealand famous for wine production.

First off we have the deliciously distinctive 2012 Rippon Sauvignon Blanc from Central Otago.

Compared to other New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, this wine really stands out from the crowd with hints of bramble leaf, gooseberry and lime on the nose, very bright fruit flavours on the palate with lean and lively white currant, with a note of sweetness followed by a long, dry, mineral finish. This is so much more complex and edgy than most of its kind.

Both of the wines are available to buy online or from one of our shops in Chelsea, Kensington, Chiswick or Barnes.

If you’d like to follow the global conversation on Twitter, please follow the hashtag #SauvBlanc where you can also find us under @leaandsandeman .

Château Montrose is on a real roll at the moment, and while the 2012 wine is not quite up to the (Parker 100 point) 2009 (currently £2500+, nor the 2010 (£1600+), it is a great Montrose, and as Robert Parker says ‘one of the top successes of the vintage’. Yes one would like it to be cheaper yet, but that’s true of London houses too. Château Tronquoy Lalande, also made by this team, is another strikingly good wine, as of course is Montrose’s second wine Dame de Montrose.

The team at Montrose and Tronquoy Lalande -
Lorraine Watrin, Laurent Savovitch-Vuk, Yves Delsol.

Olivier Bernard, owner of Domaine de Chevalier, is also president of the Union des Grands Crus, and he has caused some anger this morning amongst Bordeaux negociants by not showing a lead by reducing his prices at all this year. That said, the wines at this property have never been better, and relative to the quality of the wines here (and the scarcity of the white, of which only 1500 cases are made), these are not expensive compared to their peers. Both red and white come highly recommended – if you want the white get your skates on! Robert Parker calls the red “One of the stars of the vintage”.

Over in Pomerol (the most successful bit of Bordeaux in 2012) there have been two releases this morning, Château Rouget is a very sensibly-priced wine from a property on the up. Parker 90-93 and really I tasted this very well too – you can’t regret having this in your cellar.

I did not make it to Château Clinet this year, but others in the group I was with did, and reported a top-notch effort. See Tim Atkin’s note (as usual click the wine name to see the detail page). I did not taste Clos l’Église either, it seems to be a wine that has broadly divided critics depending on which side of the Atlantic they come from, which may say something about the style.

2011 CAIRANNE Côtes du Rhône Villages Domaine Romain Roche

£14.50 or just £12.95 case price

Romain’s 2011 Carianne is a prime example; a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah that’s aged 80% in tank and 20% in Barrique, it offers a splendid bouquet of black raspberries, liquorice, white chocolate and lead pencil shavings delivered in a medium to full-bodied style. It is almost creamy in its seamlessness and will definitely keep you warm throughout this chilly spring with a rounded 15% ABV.

What the critics say:

‘The 2011 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne (70% Grenache and 30% Syrah) is a dense, rich, full-bodied, impressively constituted effort. This is a sensational new estate I discovered by while tasting through offerings from Philippe Cambie’s 74 different clients.‘ Robert Parker

‘More fresh and elegant than you would expect give the ripeness and intensity on the nose, it never seems heavy or cumbersome and has solid length on the finish. Impressive all around, it should be enjoyed over the coming 3-4 years.‘ (The Rhone Report – 91 Pts)

Les Dentelles de Montmirail

The terroir:

Romain is lucky in that he is able to rent some of his father’s best-placed vines, and assemble a wine from the principle terroirs of Cairanne – white limestone on the edge of the mountain to the north of the village, which is particularly good for his Syrah, ferrous clay and stones and sandy clay in the garrigue to the west, where bush-vine Grenache (up to 120 years old) is grown on arid soils.

The village and the region:

Le village de Cairanne

Cairanne (Occitan: Cairana) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France whose inhabitants were locally nicknamed leis afrontaires de Cairana, ‘the cheeky ones from Cairanne’.

The village is situated on the southern Côtes du Rhône wine route with the designation Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC. Other notable wine villages nearby are Gigondas, Rasteau, Seguret, Sablet, Beaumes de Venise, Vacqueyras.

The Cairanne is available to buy online or from any of our shops. For delivery to London postcodes in time for the weekend place your order before midnight tonight (Thursday 16th).

 Have a good weekend,

I did not taste Pavie Macquin this year, but the critics who did seem united  – Robert Parker 92-95, Neal Martin 94-96, and so on. It seems to have united both American and European critics, and as a regular favourite of ours amongst the Saint Emilions, this comes recommended.

Francois-Xavier Borie has released Haut Batailley and Grand Puy Lacoste, both of them super-attractive wines. The fact that it is evident that Grand Puy Lacoste is being discounted all the way down the chain shows once again that the market thinks that they have got the price wrong, which is a shame, for despite a rather miserable mark from Mr Parker, most other critics, including us, thought this was a humdinger, and frankly it really does offer great value to the drinker. Haut Batailley is a good-value silky-supple wine which will provide great pleasure from a young age.

Team GPL and Haut Batailley – François-Xavier Borie with technical director Christel Spinner and his daughter.

 We liked Branaire-Ducru (which was released yesterday afternoon) this year, a pretty, elegant, lifted style which plays on the elegance of St Julien rather than the muscle. This has very much been the aim here in recent years, and this feels like it will drink well from quite an early age. 2018-2030.

Jean-Dominique Videau at Branaire Ducru

 It’s neighbour, Chateau Gloria, was released this morning. As several of the critics point out this Saint Julien Cru Bourgeois has been consistently making wine of cru classé standard for several years.

Beychevelle is also out – everything I said about this last year is still true. It’s a lot to pay for a label. Draw a picture of a boat yourself and buy anything else to drink. If you want to take a punt on some loopy Oriental wanting to pay double when it’s deliverable, we are only too happy to sell it to you.

Coming up late on the rails is d’Issan, another wine the market appears not to like as the price is being savaged, again a shame that pricing cannot be more realistic, as the wine is good.

Finally Grand Mayne is a Saint Emilion which really does offer solid value.

The tasting at Pichon Lalande was a cheering experience this year, bringing to mind the wines of the eighties which never missed here. Silky and ‘feminine’ in the inimitable Pichon style, it has depth and length  – a real core too. New director Nicolas Glumineau reinforced this impression “Many properties are looking for more and more Cabernet, but for us there are great ‘feminine’ Merlots, which are an important part of Pichon Lalande. We have great terroirs for great Merlot.” This a lovely wine, and since it is offered below the price of any other vintage on the market, represents a true en primeur buy. Welcome back. The second wine Réserve de la Comtesse also deserves a mention as a relative bargain for drinkers.

Nicolas Glumineau at Chateau Pichon Lalande

The other big release of the morning is Léoville Barton. This is a good wine at a sensible price in terms of the quality of the wine and for a Saint Julien second growth. Even if it is perhaps less of a pressing en primeur buy than this Chateau has been in the past, this will undoubtedly provide much pleasure when pulled from the cellar in ten to twenty-five years from now.

Bargain hunters should look at Beauregard in Pomerol, which made a very good 2012 which Robert Parker has called a ‘sleeper of the vintage’ (see the earlier post on this expression). l’Arrosée, which is an attractive Saint Emilion from a very good terroir at a very sensible price, and Faugeres too offers solid value in a quite modern style.  Marquis de Terme is a solidly constructed lower-end Margaux Cru Classé.

Pichon Baron under Christian Seely has scaled new heights, but there is clearly a fight on to maintain a price level above Lynch Bages (let alone the old rivalry with its neighbour Lalande). This did not sell very well last year and it’s hard to see why it should be very different this year.

The Pichon Baron Team of Jean-René Matignon and Christian Seely

Calon Segur is a very good en primeur bet, and although the price is only minimally down on last year, the fact is that they got it right last year and did not really need to move. This is a wine we almost always sell out of, and since it is definitely the cheapest vintage on the market, represents real value. Added to which the property has been given new impetus buy its new owners, who have had the sense to leave winemaker Vincent Millet in place, so it will be on an upward track. Brilliant wine too, in the style of recent vintages – it is still 78% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Calon Segur – New Man in Charge Laurent Dufau with winemaker Vincent Millet

I did not get to taste Clos Fourtet, which was a shame, but by all accounts a good wine and if you are looking for a top Saint Emilion in the vintage this could be it. Parker 93-95, Tim Atkin 95: “Rich, sensuous and profound, this is very well balanced by acidity, minerality and freshness, reflecting its clay and limestone terroir. One of the three best wines of the appellation in 2012″.

The Cathiards at Smith Haut Lafitte have been making better and better wine for a decade or more now, but the samples this year left me slightly underwhelmed – but I seem to be in a minority. Red a better bet than white, by my notes and others.

At the bargains for drinkers level, Pedesclaux offers Cru Classé Pauillac at a really solid value price, as does the other property run by Calon Segur in Saint Estephe, Capbern Gasqueton, which is in the image of Calon in terms of grape mix, and a sort of mini-Calon in style too.

Port vintages are only ‘declared’ by the shippers/producers when the quality is deemed to be on the very best, and often they do not agree. The 2011 has brought a unanimity seldom seen, and as Jancis Robinson titled her article these are ‘The best 2011 reds anywhere’.

With Vintage Port representing such an infinitesimal part of the total Port and Douro table wine production, but being the focus of so much critical attention, the houses are all vying with each other to make a noteworthy effort, not only for the sales of these rare vintage wines themselves, but so the other wines in their portfolios can bask in reflected glory. The result is a delight of fantastic wines which are offered to you well below the level of anything of remotely comparable quality in the big names of Bordeaux (for example).

Thinking of Vintage Port inevitably brings Patrick even closer to mind, so for sentimental reasons we are particularly happy to be able to offer a really memorable Sandeman Vintage this year, of which Jancis writes ‘clearly a lot of effort has gone into this’. Patrick always did his best to encourage the consumption of Vintage Port, and wrote something about the 2007s which has lost none of its relevance today:

‘The next question is whether one needs to buy and lay down vintage port at all in this day and age… Well, if like me you think that a dinner party is only a dinner party if you climax with a decanter of vintage port or two (otherwise it is only really a supper party), or if like me you decant a bottle of vintage port every Friday night during the months of November and December to drink over the week-end, then you will need at least two dozen bottles a year, and assuming that there is only one great vintage every four years, you should be buying at least eight dozen bottles! Equally, if you are of the camp that ‘no longer drinks port because it gives me a hangover’, then you too should be laying down some port for when you learn to drink less before and during dinner, and appreciate something exceptional at the end of the evening. Finally, of course there are the (2011) babes whose God-parents, aunts and uncles, and parents should be buying at least two cases of six bottles (one to sell to help pay for the gap year in eighteen years time, the other to drink).’

Click here to view the full offer

Alfred Tesseron has released Pontet Canet, and this was quickly followed by Haut Bailly at a price which is significantly down from the 2011 release – will it be enough?

The de Costers of La Fleur Cardinale recently visited us at the Fulham Road and everyone was as impressed as I have been by recent vintages – I only saw the 2012 once and briefly – tasted blind, and it showed only quite well but in terms of Parker points (92-95) for price it offers good value.

Feytit-Clinet was well liked by us and by Parker too (93-95), and at £380 is in the nearly affordable end of Pomerol.

Also out are all the Haut Brion stable including the very highly rated whites, is you want any of these email me NOW.

Finally Stephan von Neipperg has released all his wine – from the good value Castillon d’Aiguilhe to the Saint Emilions Clos de L’Oratoire and Canon la Gaffeliere, and the super-cuvée La Mondotte.

A long-term customer asked me today about what he called ‘Captain Bob’s jargon’.

‘Please tell me what ‘a major sleeper of the vintage’ means! When I first saw this term, often used by Robert Parker, I thought it meant the wine needed many years cellaring. Wrong – eg Les Cruzelles 2012, where he uses the expression, but says this wine is drinkable now. Then I thought it meant an obscure, easily overlooked chateau, but this does not fit either as he has used it on classed growths.’

He is not the first person to be mystified by this, and my previous answers have not been much clearer than his own assumptions, but www.erobertparker.com does supply the answer, which is that the ‘sleepers of the vintage’ as Robert Parker identifies them, are ‘Where value and overachievement merit attention’

So now you know.

More thoughts on the market

Another merchant (who sensibly does not get involved in the en primeur circus), pointed me in the direction of Neil Martin’s thoughts on en primeur and what is currently going on in the market. It is painfully on the button, and should be compulsory reading amongst Bordeaux proprietors / brand managers / price setters. The full article will require you to sign up to the Wine Advocate website, but it’s a small price to pay. It may be difficult to get the targets (those who set the prices) to read it when he begins:- ‘It is probably mean insisting to the Bordelais that they are about as unloved as a Wall Street banker in North  Korea at the moment’.

Going back to 2006, when we were about to start selling the 2005 vintage, I looked at Jean-Guillaume Prats (of Cos d’Estournel) in some incredulity (and naivety, as it turned out) and said ‘you can’t price it that high, the people who bought the 2004 will never follow’. He said smoothly, ‘no, but other people will buy it.’ All through the selling of the 2009s and 2010s and beyond I have wondered what you do when you run out of ‘other people’. The answer for J-G is to get a really terrific job selling luxury goods for LVMH. But what about the successors? Where are their ‘other people’ coming from?

and finally…

The last time Robert Parker claimed it was a ‘Merlot year’, and that Pomerol was the most successful appellation, and that the Cabernet in the Medoc was not fully ripe, was for the 1998 vintage. This produced a period a really remarkable price distortion. At the time we knew the world had gone topsy-turvy when Château Beauregard in Pomerol came out en primeur more expensive than Léoville Barton. Now I’ve nothing against Beauregard – in fact I’m rather a supporter, but which would you rather have in your cellar now?

The fact is that Pomerol is relatively tiny, and it does not take much demand to send the prices shooting up. It’s sort of alright for the lesser-known wines, but when it comes to the top names there is a danger that you will find them offered at prices comparable to the 2009s and 2010s – and the wines are not comparable. For value the Médoc may still be the best value hunting-ground. There’s not much wrong with most 1998 Medoc crus Classés now as they approach maturity. And are the Pomerols really that great?

Lafon Rochet (£245) offers value and consistently good tasting notes from the major critics. It is down around 12% on the 2011 price, but Lafon Rochet has never been about silly pricing so this represents solid value and comes recommended.

Much the same can be said for the two minor wines from the Delon/Léoville las Cases stable, The second wine of their Pomerol Nénin, Fugue de Nénin (£160), and the really oustanding northern Médoc, Potensac (£145).

Jean-Philippe Janoueix seems to have been on top form for the 2012 vintage, and all of his wines showed well. The prices are similar to 2011, but again J-P has never been unreasonable and these offer real value. His Pomerol La Croix Saint Georges (£315) is a top-flight effort at a price that remains within the drinker’s grasp, while the Saint Emilion La Confession is a bargain at £215.

One of the surprises to me this year was that I really liked Bernard Magrez’s Pape Clement Rouge, which I normally find far to extracted and gluey. This is hardly a bargain at £555, but then again Robert Parker liked it lots too, giving it 92-95 points. My enthusiasm did not extend to the white, which Robert Parker rated as being of stratospheric quality (95-98) which is also available at £1050 per case.

Finally we have all the single vineyard wines from Jonathan Maltus, the Englishman who was the subject of Victoria Moore’s article in the Telegraph of three weeks ago, and fresh from his 2010 Le Dome being awarded 100/100 by Parker we should not have expected him to drop his price over that of the 2011 – and he has not disappointed. My favourites here are his Les Asteries and Le Dôme itself.

There are three further wines from yesterday on the list below, none of which seemed to have a sufficiently compelling reason to buy that I needed to disturb you with a mail earlier. Troplong Mondot is the big one with the really big Parker score (94-96), but there equally good mature vintages around at this price level, while Petit Village and Giscours can surely be bought later at these prices.

Market reaction to today’s releases has been muted and it is not entirely suprising, the biggest name of the three, Troplong Mondot, has a claim  – from Mr Parker at least, to be one of the stars of the vintage and the price (£595/doz) relative to the score (94-96) is not absurd compared to some – except that you can buy several vintages of Troplong for less and not have to wait so long or take the risk of an ‘in-bottle’ downgrade.

Petit Village, under the ownership of the AXA Millesimes group with Château Pichon Longueville Baron, is also obviously buoyed up by Pomerol being declared the most susccessful area in 2012, and again has released its wine at a level at which it is possible to buy several earlier vintages, including the 2009. While it is true that investment here is finally paying off, and the wine is good, this is rather running ahead of the game as far as price for notoriety is concerned.

And then there is Giscours. Now I know that this wine has a following from way back, but by our tastings this is really this is a pretty weak effort and if you buy this in preference to Talbot, for example, I think it would have to be for sentimental reasons. That said it was well-tasted by both Jancis Robinson (17/20) and Steve Spurrier (17/20).

Robert Parker has released his Wine Advocate scores scores for the 2012 vintage, and here are those for wines released so far and available in our offer, with price in £ per case in bond.

The full list can as usual be found on the Wine Advocate website http://www.erobertparker.com/

Highest score of available wines is Mouton, but stock is limited. Sadly our favourite right bank wine of the vintage, the not yet released l’Eglise Clinet, is also Mr Parker’s favourite, so even those of you who bought this last year will need to think about pre-ordering swiftly, and if you did not buy last year - send an email to get on the waiting list.

Bang for buck, or points for price, Beausejour Bécot, Rauzan Ségla and Canon stand out for me, while Talbot also gets an honourable mention.

We have not said much about Sauternes this year, a vintage in which several properties have declassified their entire production, but if you are going to buy one, it should clearly be Climens.

Mr Parker, it has to be said, is showing even more of a preference for very big, very alcoholic wines with his extraodinarily high scores for Pave, Angelus and Bellevue Mondotte, and in our view these need to be taken with a large pinch of salt unless you really know that this sort of wine is what you like.

All has now gone a bit quiet as Bordeaux prepares for one of those funny weeks in May when there are so many holidays that it is tempting for them to ‘faire le pont’ at both ends of the week and not actually turn up at all. Also the Robert Parker scores are due out tonight, so those who have not yet ‘come out’ may be spending the afternoon in prayer.

If you want some weekend reading you can catch up with the 2012 campaign blog posts so far, or see our rather short lists of recommended wines:-

• Recommended Médoc & Graves
• Recommended Right Bank

One of my favourite wines this year (with price/quality always in mind) was Talbot, which amongst some surprisingly lacklustre Saint Juliens (Lagrange, Beychevelle  – actually not so surprising for the latter), really stood out. Annoyingly this is the first vintage since 1994 that I have not actually tasted Talbot at the Château, but both the second wine Connétable and Talbot itself stood out at both my tastings and David Porter’s. This is top Talbot.

Can all this be down to the Stéphan Dérenencourt effect? They only took him on as consulting oenologist last year, so whatever they are paying him, he is worth it!

You can reproach them for not reducing their price this year, but given that last year both Connetable and Talbot sold out from many Bordeaux négociants, sticking with the same level does have a certain logic. It’s worth it. Also available in any size you like – we tend to buy quite a lot of halves for later, but you may prefer to think mags and double-mags.

2012 CHÂTEAU PALMER 3ème Cru Classé Margaux – £855 per 6-pack.

This is very good wine and has to be better value than either Angelus or Pavie that were released earlier today. Made by Thomas Durou, ex-winemaker from Tuscany’s renown Tenuta dell’Ornellaia this is great wine, at a price..?

Also out on what has turned been quite a busy day for releases, is the rather good :

2012 CHÂTEAU HAUT BAGES LIBERAL 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac – £240 per case of 12

Chateau Haut Bages Liberal.  This is quite a gentle, elegant style of Pauillac. No bluff and bluster.  Soft attractive fruit and nice bones to keep this going for few years to come. We enjoyed tasting this, as did most of the critics, although Jancis was perhaps less overwhelmed.

Made by Claire Villars, also owner and winemaker of Chateaux La Gurque and Ferrière, this will be good drinking and is sensibly priced at £240 per case.

Canon is way down in price on it’s last year’s release (over 40%) and this looks pretty good value, like it’s Chanel stablemate Rauzan Ségla. As always it did not taste particularly showy, but it has a great terroir and discreet charm which trains on well.

The glossy blackcurrant fruit style of Beauséjour Bécot deserves to find some support at this level too, I have not managed to untangle my own notes on this, but other seem to have liked it a lot.

Hubert de Bouard gets it wrong on price

When we went to Angélus, (well actually to Bellevue, which is under the same ownership, as they are doing major constructions at Angélus), Hubert de Bouard told us ‘in 25 years I think this is the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make about price’, and referred to the classification and the market. The classification refers to Angélus’ elevation to the ultra-grand status of Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé (A) last year. This classification was partly decided by the price of recent vintages, so that it has skewed the market – which is idiotic in itself. The higher the price fetched by a wine, the more likely it was to be classified higher. Now M de Bouard has clearly allowed the cranial inflationary effect of this higher classification to overrule completely any consideration for the market, and has released a price 30% higher than for the 2011. M. Perse (Pavie) who was clearly in the same quandary, waiting for M. de Bouard to declare his hand and followed with the same price immediately after.

Compare and contrast with the rather more pragmatic view taken by Jean-Luc Thunevin, who put his Valandraud on the market as a drastically reduced price, despite also being elevated in the classification.

For what it’s worth Fonbel, the most junior wine of Vauthier/Ausone stable, is offered at a price which makes it a buy for drinkers with cellars.

Tio Pepe Fino En Rama – Limited Release Offer

Fino En Rama is unfiltered, unclarified Tio Pepe taken from the middle of the cask during spring when the flor growth is at its thickest. Made in strictly limited quantities, Tio Pepe Fino En Rama is best drunk within three months of bottling.

‘En rama’ is the local jargon used by winery workers to refer to wine in its unrefined and most delicate state, prior to the normal stabilization, clarification and filtering processes that fino sherry, like many white wines, have to go through prior to bottling.

Tio Pepe is produced from Palomino Fino grown in the chalky “albariza” soil of Jerez. The Solera system, in which the wines from different years are blended, contributes to its remarkably consistent quality. It is aged under a covering of fresh, naturally occurring yeast, ‘flor’, for a minimum of five years.

The 2013 release of Tio Pepe Fino En Rama is a selection from the best barrels from two of the ancient Tio Pepe soleras: Constancia and Rebollo. Both these soleras rest in the historic Gonzalez Byass bodegas where Tio Pepe carries out its biological ageing. Tio Pepe Rebollo is the founding solera, formed of 87 barrels while the larger solera of Tio Pepe Constancia is made up of 356 barrels. Both soleras bring unique elements to this release of Tio Pepe Fino En Rama.

TIO PEPE En Rama Gonzalez Byass

We offer free nationwide delivery on all orders over £100 so do take advantage our ‘case price’ discount on any 12 mixed bottles (a case of our best selling MiP Rosé for example) from our website or drop by one of our shops in West London.

Yesterday and today saw more mostly quite low-key offering being made – some are lower than current vintages, but really not sufficiently big brands or low prices to fire this lacklustre market.

If you are buying to drink, and especially if you have your own cellar to put them in on arrival, taking advantage of our low cost duty-paid delivery, there are some wines here which you are going to think bargains when you pull them out in as little as five years time – like Claire Villars’ La Gurgue and Ferrière, two cracking wines offered at prices which work out at around £15 and £24 per bottle including all charges and VAT.

D’Armailhac and Clerc Milon, from the Mouton stable, are offered at prices which compare favourably with other vintages on the market. I tasted both these wines very well this year.

A couple of other Margaux of note today – Labegorce, which did not show terribly well when David Porter and I tasted (separately), but the other critics’ notes are unanimous in their praise, and this is a property that has offered real value in the last couple of vintages. And then there’s du Tertre, which is in the usual slightly chunky style, but good.

Finally we have all the Gérard Perse wines – all except Pavie itself that is.

We are delighted that the sun is back in the heavens and all is well, and present the rosés that have arrived so far this year. The ranges from Guillaume Philip and Domaine Sainte Lucie and Domaine des Diables are as stunning as ever. New this year is the new blend and remodelled Rosé BonBon from Guillaume’s own ‘Domaine des Diables’ (the domaine Saint Lucie belongs to his in-laws the Fabres).

You could just dive in and buy a case or two of the legendary Domaine Sainte Lucie MiP Rosé, our best selling number that flies out of the door the moment the sun ventures out (or even before):

MiP Made in Provence Rosé

Or upgrade to its slightly paler yet more savoury cousin:

Made in Provence! Premium Rosé

To mix things up a little and make life easier, we’ve also put together a super 6 bottle ‘Summer Rosé mixed case’ that can be delivered tomorrow if you live in London or in time for the weekend throughout the South East. Elsewhere you may have to wait a little longer to taste the real delicacy and joy in these juicy, fresh and subtle wines, but with spring in the air and summer round the corner, it’s time to get some in. We’ve also included the Bandol Rosé of Domaine Tempier, which has a claim to be the best rosé in the world.

Summer Rosé Mixed Case Offer

2 x 2011 BANDOL Rosé Domaine Tempier

2 x 2012 L’HYDROPATHE Élite Rosé Côtes de Provence Sainte Victoire Domaine Sainte Lucie

2 x 2012 ROSÉ BONBON Côtes de Provence Sainte Victoire Domaine des Diables

Only £103.30 including free delivery

Please remember that these prices are only available until our obligatory duty rises kick in this weekend.

All prices above are Duty Paid ex VAT, and don’t forget we offer free nationwide delivery on all orders over £100.

You can also browse our complete list of Rosé wines below.

A shame because there are some stories here – Jean-Luc Thunevin’s Valandraud (£895) has been elevated to 1er Grand Cru Classé status from this year, and is a fab wine if you are into this sort of modern style – it is done with real panache. This is a whole 40% less than last year, and I do recommend it, although you need to like this full-on style.

L’Évangile, in common with many of its Pomerol neighbours, is dramatically successful in the vintage. It has been coming up under the stewardship of regisseur Jean-Pascal Vazart, and the 2012 is a cracker – with a penetrating freshness which is uncommon in the vintage. Offered at £1150 a dozen or £575 per six bottles.

Carmes Haut Brion (£345) is under new management and has made the best wine I have ever tasted from here and which I was looking forward to recommending, but the price is a little higher than I’d hoped. The new winemaker used a technique learned while he was at Chapoutier in the Rhone, layering whole bunches and de-stemmed berries in the vats. The result is plump and dark, full of fruit and savour, an impressive wine, if not, on my tasting, massively long, but many of my Bordeaux contacts whose taste I trust have waxed lyrical about this vintage here - as well as its proximity to Haut Brion, its excellent terroir which has previously been underwhelmingly represented by the winemaking, one even suggesting that, unclassified as it is,  that it should be considered a potential future Pétrus of Pessac-Leognan! You heard it here first. Certainly its a very attractive wine which stands out in this vintage, so might be worth a punt.

Duhart-Milon was also offered this afternoon, at a price of £575 per dozen ib. A lovely wine, it is still a little hard to get one’s head round the effect of China on the market, and when one remembers that the 2008 was offered at a£275 per dozen, somehow this does does not look a steal – but – it is true that the 2008 was a bargain and we called it as such at the time, and this is a lot less than the over £900 a case prices of the 2009 and 2010 vintages at release.

The Bordeaux 2012 campaign, which has been criticised in recent vintages for its boringly slow progress, has had the sense to start briskly this year – slightly too briskly for me as I had to get to Vinitaly as well this year and the notes are far from complete.

The big release, which looks to be very much the land of reality, and is cheaper than any other vintage on the market:-

2012 CHÂTEAU LYNCH BAGES 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac £669.00 per case ib

six-bottle cases, magnums and all other sizes available to order via our website.

Last year Rauzan Segla was widely condemned for an idiotic release price which resulted in at least one large Bordeaux negociant refusing their allocation – this year – well what a difference a year makes. Offered at £420 per case in bond this morning, this is now back in touch with reality, since this is below the current price of the 2004, and level with the 2008.  It is also a very good wine in this vintage which Margaux seems to have pulled through better than many. With the 2010 at around £900, this does represent a return to more normal pricing, working out at around £45 per bottle actually delivered to your cellar (assuming you buy from us and take delivery duty-paid on arrival, and don’t go for a cheaper headline price elsewhere only to find you get charged per case delivery and all sorts of other hidden charges). At least conceivable to the drinker I would have thought? In percentage terms it has come down more than 30% on the 2011, which would be welcome elsewhere too, but as I say, the 2011 price was considered ridiculous at the time.

We have also had the release of very small volumes of Mouton Rothschild at £2800, and Petit Mouton is available at £760 per doz if anyone wants to play the Chinese market. Other wines released so far (prices per dozen 75cl bottles in bond, other sizes to order:-

2012 CHÂTEAU LES ORMES DE PEZ Cru Bourgeois Saint Estèphe £195

As ever I recommend this as a wine to buy in bulk and in magnums for big parties ten years down the line.

2012 BLANC DE LYNCH BAGES Château Lynch Bages £129 per 6 bottle case

I really liked this and thought it compared well with all but the very very best of the Pessac-Léognans – something different.

I tasted the 2012s two weeks ago, before a lightning dash to Verona for the Vinitaly fair, and have yet to go fully though my notes. David Porter also came to Vinitaly last week, came back on Tuesday afternoon, switched planes at Gatwick and went to Bordeaux to taste there for the rest of the week. By the end of the weekend we will have our full notes on all the wines digested and onto the website.

‘This beauty comes from very old Gamay vines in the noble Beaujolais Cru of Moulin-à-Vent and it’s made in exactly the same way as a Grand Cru Burgundy. It is very nearly drinking and on account of its postcode it is a phenomenal bargain. With another five years to run this is a wine that will amaze you with its skill, finesse and sensuality.’

2010 Moulin-à-Vent, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair, Beaujolais, France.

Price:£21.75 per bottle or £19.95 case price.

Tasting note:

The 2010 Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes is immediate, juicy and expressive, Really fresh with a touch of spice. So juicy and more-ish. Deep raspberry, vibrant, energy-filled wine. With a hint of black pepper on the nose, and under pinned with a clear structure for aging, the wine is a treat now and will certainly open up over the next 5 years or so.

What the critics say:

‘Very rich and sumptuous indeed. One can easily see the relation with his burgundies. And one can see that this is Moulin à Vent. AND it probably isn’t a totally silly price. Ambitious and achieved. Super clean…’ 17/20 Jancis Robinson MW OBE

‘There is good richness to the complex and vibrant flavors that are underpinned by phenolically mature structural elements and fine length. This firmly structured example displays the classic size, weight and power of a fine Moulin-à-Vent.’ 89 – 91 Allen Meadows

Beaujolais?

Not be confused with Beaujolais nouveau, the greater part of Beaujolais wines are labeled with the area’s name and are simple, drinkable wines to be consumed within a few years of bottling. But, there are ten villages whose wines are recognised for their superior aromas, flavours and ageing potential and are eligible to be labeled with the village name. Of these Cru Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent is one of the most distinguished.

Courtesy of Wills Burgundy

The winemaker:

Having left Paris in 2001 with a degree in winemaking and viticulture to take over his family’s vineyards in Burgundy, Thibault Liger-Belair set about rejuvenating the vineyards using only organic and bio-dynamic cultivation techniques. Within just a few years, he had a reputation for making top-class wines, which rapidly gained the respect of critics, collectors and drinkers alike.

A few years on, Liger-Belair bought 8 acres in Moulin-à-Vent, including 5 parcels with old vines (Vieilles Vignes) ranging from 60 to 80 years old. Instead of adopting Beaujolais’ usual carbonic maceration, he uses the Burgundian style fermentation techniques for pinot noir. The result is a much fuller wine with more richness and concentration of fruit.

From Beaujolais to Burgundy;

We have listed some of our top Burgundy picks from Thibault’s last few vintages on the website, all conveniently with tasting notes from Jancis Robinson which is perhaps testament to the sheer quality of the wines.

All our wines are available to buy online or drop by one of our shops in Kensington, Chelsea, Chiswick or Barnes.

Here’s a video of Thibault Liger-Belair:

Next door is a slightly less well favoured terroir which nevertheless produces wines from Merlot, or Merlot and Cabernet Franc, like Pomerol, and on clay soils, like Pomerol:-

We first encountered Vieux Château Gachet when we took the lush and voluptuous 2009 vintage (you may be lucky enough to find the odd bottle or two still kicking around in one of our shops).  The 2010 which turned out to be yet another top-notch Bordeaux vintage albeit with a little more classic balance.

70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested by hand, and aged in oak for 12 months (20% new).  The Vieux Château Gachet 2010 is a deep dark colour, still velvet purple at the edges; the nose is rich with cherry aromas and the soft sweetness of oak; the palate is plump and filling, dark fruits and cherry, hints of sweet spice, there are still some plump tannins but these are balanced beautifully by the fruit.  Drinking well now, it will age interestingly for another 5+ years.

All this Right Bank wonderfulness is yours for just £18.95 a bottle (£16.95 by the dozen – as always, this is also the price per bottle if included in a mixed dozen of your choosing.)

We also have the rather more solidly structured 2009 CHÂTEAU PERRON Lalande de Pomerol which we have followed for a dozen vintages and which is a long-term favourite – this is £17.95 per single bottle, £15.95 at the ‘case’ price.

Pomerol is very small and so with high demand, the prices are also high (think, Pétrus, le Pin, VCC etc.). It really is a sleepy backwater, tucked in next to the much larger Saint Emilion. It would take about twenty minutes to walk from one side to the other – so, whilst saturated with vineyard, Pomerol’s output is very small.

Lalande-de-Pomerol – is a slightly larger vineyard area to the north of Pomerol itself and is an obvious place to look for Pomerol alternatives.  The wines follow a similar formula to Pomerol proper with reliance on Merlot for immediate plump plummy fruit.  Tread with care, however, with the magic word Pomerol on the label, wines can be a little more expensive than they ought, with quality that doesn’t always match the price ticket.  Fortunately you have LEA & SANDEMAN to tread carefully on your behalf and find wines that tick all the Pomerol-esque boxes and from some of these you’ll still get change from a £20 note.

Of course, when talking claret, we should add that the excellent LEA & SANDEMAN Bordeaux 2009 and it’s seductive premium version LEA & SANDEMAN Bordeaux 2009 ‘The Director’s Cut’, both come from a vineyard in the ‘palus‘, on the banks of the Dordogne composed of clays washed downriver from Pomerol, over a calcareous bedrock which forms the main soil of Fronsac.

If it really must be Pomerol, try Château Toulifaut 2009 Pomerol (£23.95) Château l’Enclos 2008 Pomerol (£29.95), and, throwing all caution to the winds, Vieux Château Certan 2007 Pomerol (£92.95)

All these wines are available at your local LEA & SANDEMAN or for delivery to London postcodes in time for the weekend place your order on-line up until Midnight tonight.

Between 300 and 500 metres up on the steep slopes of Monte Rekewa, at the southern extreme of the Cachapoal Valley, lie the vineyards of the Tremonte Estate.  The presence of Monte Rekewa itself, as well as the Costa mountain range it forms a part of, and the distant influence of the Andes give rise to the name Tremonte.

The rocky soil is ideal for vine growing and the microclimate offers near-perfect conditions in the growing season with day-time temperatures touching 30° but much cooler at night; breezes wafting down from the Andes also serve to keep the vines cool; whilst the Rekewa river flows down from an Andean glacier to provide water for the drip-irrigation of the vineyards.

The estate is run by Norwich-born Ian Hutcheon who has been living and working in South America since the mid-1990’s.

There are four wines available from Tremonte:

Tremonte Single Vineyard Reserva Malbec 2010 £9.50 per bottle (£8.75 by the dozen)
Malbec is all the rage just now, but usually from the other side of the Andes in Argentina.  Here in Chile, especially at this altitude, there’s a touch more freshness and refreshment than you typically get in a Mendoza example.

“Dark red in colour with a midnight blue core. A velvety wine with abundant mature red and black fruit and a light toasting. A firm yet silky wine.” (L&S)

“A new producer to us (as is often the case with L&S) and, judging by this elegant but powerful Malbec, a very good one too (ditto). It’s full of plush but perfumed dark plum fruit, with plenty of gutsy tannin, but elevated by a freshening acidity that stems from its, er, elevated position in the foothills of the Andes.” www.thewinegang.com

Tremonte Single Vineyard Reserva Merlot 2011 £8.95 per bottle (£7.95 by the dozen)
Smooth and rich with nice brambly fruit, again with a refreshing touch lent by the altitude. Packed with crisp bramble fruit this is easy drinking yet not without backbone and interest.

“Dark red in colour with purple flecks, a wine of intense character with bramble fruit flavours, sweet undertones and soft, firm tannins.” (L&S)

Tremonte Single Vineyard Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 £8.95 per bottle (£7.95 by the dozen)
A really nicely defined Cab Sauv with crunchy cassis and red berry flavours. Characterised by rich blackcurrant fruit and vibrant acidity this medium bodied Cabernet is great all round drinking.

“Fervent character with full black fruit flavours, sweet undertones and firm tannins.” (L&S)

Tremonte Monte Rekewa Gran Reserva 2010 £10.95 per bottle (£9.95 by the dozen)

Tremonte’s flagship wine is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah and 25% Carmenere, aged for 8 months in new French oak.  Rich, impressive and possibly worth squirreling away for another 5+ years (if you can resist drinking it sooner).

“Inky black-red with a dark core. Firm tannins and abundant fruit produces great mouthfeel, and the evident toasting intermingles very well with the complexity of concentrated fruit flavours.” (L&S)

The Monte Rekewa was the subject of an interesting project to study the effects (on sales, probably, more than on the wine itself) of burying bottles of wine to mature underground!  Read our blog Sacrificing Wine to the Inca Gods for the full story.

All the Tremonte wines are available on-line or at any of the LEA & SANDEMAN shops. Or why not simply try a mixed case?

In other news:

Please do keep your eyes peeled for our first Rosé offer of the season, hopefully coming soon. We are keenly waiting a first convincing glimpse of sunshine as we’re sure you are!

We have also decided to keep our £100 Easter mixed case offer open till midnight this Wednesday 3rd April due to popular demand.

We’ve added 6 carefully chosen bottles at our usual 12 bottle discount rate including £10 off a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut Champagne. So that’s £20 off plus free* delivery to central London in time for Easter.

£100 instead of £120 including free delivery to central London

 2 x 2009 CHÂTEAU MONTAIGUILLON Montagne Saint Emilion

  “Very rich and velvety, the sweetness of the fruit and suppleness of the ripe tannins make this a wine that can be drunk young on the fruit or cellar-ed. 2009 Marked the family’s 60th vintage at Montaiguillon, and it is as exceptional as the reputation of the vintage suggests.”

Was £16.95 now £14.95 per bottle

2 x 2011 CHABLIS Domaine Adhémar et Francis Boudin

“Francis Boudin continues to make wines that are, for Chablis, rich and yellow gold, fatly concentrated, unoaked and pure, with a mildly buttery edge rounding out that minerally, stony ethereal Chablis character. As usual, open and with a creamy suppleness, then the mineral kicks in. Mildly saline feel, fresh and expressive.”

Was £15.25 now £13.25 per bottle

1 x  2010 MAS AMIEL Vintage Maury Domaine Mas Amiel – Half bottle

“Perfect with chocolate! Mid-depth red colour, a very rich sweet nose of red fruits with a singe of burnt richness on the palate, sweet and concentrated, a little tannin to prevent it being cloying, an interesting, long cherry-sweet finish. A bit like Port, but lighter and with a dryer finish.”

Was £12.95 now £11.95 per bottle

1 x Bollinger Champagne – Special Cuvée – Brut

“A blend par excellence, the Special Cuvée is the purest expression of the Bollinger style; of its craftsmanship and its singular conception of what a champagne should be.”

Was £41.95  now  £32.95 per bottle

Place your order by clicking here

* We actually had to add a 1 pence delivery charge as our computer wouldn’t allow delivery otherwise – our apologies!

Wishing you a great bank holiday,

The Lea and Sandeman team,

With the Oxford and Cambridge boat race kicking off ‘The Season’ on Easter Sunday, we thought a competitive Bollinger offer would be the ideal way to get things flowing.

Six bottles = £29.95 (£37.95) per bottle

One bottle = £32.95 (£41.95)

History: The name Special Cuvée was created in 1911. The idea came from William Folks, then partner of the illustrious London House of Mentzendorff. This great wine lover felt it was an insult to simply call this great wine “non vintage”. The suggestion of naming it “Special Cuvée” was immediately approved by Monsieur Bollinger.

A blend par excellence, the Special Cuvée is the purest expression of the Bollinger style; of its craftsmanship and its singular conception of what a champagne should be.

Boat Race Offer: just £32.95 a bottle instead of £41.95 a bottle or £29.95 per bottle instead of £37.95 when bought by the case of 6.

Our shops will have a couple of bottles open for tasting over the next few days in Chiswick, Barnes, Kensington and Chelsea – so do stop by for a drop and stock up before Good Friday when our shops will close for Easter weekend.

Also available online, but please check our final order cut offs for Easter delivery on our homepage.

Let the season begin!

“Montsant is a region in north-east Spain which surrounds fêted Priorat like a halo. This very delicious red, made from garnacha and cariñena, has an incredibly silky feel, and like a classic dish refined by a great chef it manages to achieve richness and lightness at once. Flavours dance: a skein of smoke, a sweet ripeness, a pretty fragrance…“ 

Spain’s 2013 Gourmets Guide has also just rated Acustic Red 2010 as one of the best wines in Spain with 9.50 / 10 points, just 0.15 of a point behind Vega Sicilia Unico Reserva Especial - one of Spain’s most illustrious (and expensive) wines!

At just £14.75 per bottle or £13.25* case price Acústic Red 2010 offers fantastic drinking at quite remarkable value.

This organically grown Grenache – Carignan combination is a rich and powerful wine that offers an intensely rich deep colour, with concentrated ripe, aromatic fruit, which contrasts nicely with the more poised and mineral driven Loidana 2007 from last week.

Reviews:

As further testament to Albert Jané’s skills, both in the vineyard and in the winery, the estate’s other wines that we have in stock have recently been given an array of accolades in the wine press:

” Guía Vino 2013 (‘Spanish Wine Guide’) the Spanish wine critic Juan Fernandez-Cuesta awarded Acustic Braó 2009  93/100 points,  placing it among the best wines in Spain.

“VINO Y GASTRONOMIA magazine highlights in “Los 300 mejores vinos” (The 300 best wines of Spain in 2012), the Auditori 2009 with a rating of  92/100 and Acustic White 2010 with 91 / 100; both among the best wines in the red and white categories respectively. “

“ At Guía Peñín 2013 - the point of reference for the Spanish wine industry - 9 wines achieved over 90 points in the DO Montsant category ”.

n.b. Acustic White was also on the wine list at the world renown 3 Michelin star restaurant El Bulli.

The owner, his vineyards & production:

This tiny production from very old vines in the DO of Montsant (neighbouring Priorat) is the pet project of Albert Jané Ubeda and his wife. Planted with Garnatxa (Grenache) and Samso (Carignan) the vines are between 25 and 70 years old, in harsh and stony soils of sand and stones.

Albert’s philosophy is to create wines that ‘express and revindicate the quality and singularity of the traditional viticulture against the globalisation of the international varieties and modern wine making style’.

Hand picked grapes, traditional vinification (small wooden press), prudent use of oak, and bottling without fining or filtration, make these some of the most exciting and expressive wines we have tasted from this upcoming region.

All of these wines are available on our website here or do drop by one of our shops in Barnes, Kensington, Chelsea or Fulham and say hello!

(*You can mix any 12 bottles of wine on our website (or more) to get the ‘case price’ for each bottle.)

Marco Abella – Loidana 2007  (on the left)

Based on Garnacha (Grenache) and Carinena (Carignan) the traditional combination for the Priorat region, Loidana 2007 is a highly approachable wine which also offers structure, complex and expressive fruit and a finely balanced minerality due to the relatively high altitude of the vineyards and the volcanic schist geology of the area.

Although Carignan is usually associated with more full bodied and heavier wines, the volcanic schist terrain where the vines grow lends a distinct and delightful minerality to an otherwise robust grape variety. The Grenache element, naturally a sweeter and riper grape variety, adds the fruit complexity to the wine.

The micro-climate at these higher altitude vineyards around  the village of Porrera keeps the grapes cooler than in the sun baked Languedoc for example, which results in a much more expressive fruit character.

This still a young estate, but with a fantastic inheritance from David’s grandfather of about twenty-three hectares of old vines on some of the best terroirs and the highest plots in Priorat.

Food pairing: Loidana is highly enjoyable on its own, but also versatile with food; David recommends pairing with poultry or pasta dishes.

Price: At just £16.75 per bottle (or £14.95 case price*) – Loidana ’07 really is great value as well as an excellent introduction to Priorat wines and promises very enjoyable drinking. Available to buy on our website here.

David presenting Loidana ’07 to L&S staff

David also produces two other superb and distinct wines: Mas Mallola 2008 and Clos Abella 2005 which would be ideal for tucking away and enjoying over the next five years.

As an interesting side note, the eye-catching labels were a gift from renown Spanish artist Josep Guinovart (a old friend of David’s grandfather) to David and his wife Olivia when they decided to build the new Bodegas in 2004.

(*You can mix any 12 bottles of wine on our website (or more) to get the ‘case price’ for each bottle.)

Wishing you a good week ahead,

The L&S Team

For us, our customers and wine aficionados everywhere, Brunello di Montalcino represents some of the highest quality yet best value fine wine available in the world today.

As ever, the inimitable Fuligni house style of purity, lightness of touch and elegance, in no way lacks concentration or intensity of fruit.

Fuligni’s wines have reached international recognition for their purity of expression and beautiful balance. In our opinion these are simply the finest wines of Brunello, epitomising all that is great from the region.

Made from 100% Sangiovese as decreed by the DOCG rules of the region, these Brunelli are made to be laid down and have a long maturation period. Riserva is only made in the best vintages and from the best fruit parcels.

When Roberto recently dropped by our office to introduce these new releases a quiet calm of appreciation descended across the room. Even though we are fully aware of the sheer quality of the estate’s wines, they really are breathtaking to taste and any fine wine enthusiast, budding or experienced, should seriously consider putting some of these down for the future.

Fuligni, Riserva 2007 Brunello di Montalcino:

This is absolutely stunning and quite possibly their best Riserva yet. Completely seamless, very fine boned and elegant. Showing amazingly well now, but clearly with the structure and depth it will last another 15 years. Incredibly silky fine tannins. Bravo!

James Suckling states the ‘2007 Brunello di Montalcinos are Superlative Quality’, and that he is ‘incredibly impressed with the richness of the wines. They are wonderfully fruity with a purity of ripe Sangiovese that is seldom seen from the vineyards surrounding the hilltop town of Montalcino. The bright fruit in the wines overshadowed their firm tannins and fresh acidities, yet they remain agile with tension…it’s never been a better time to buy and drink Brunello.’

Offer price:

£660.00 per dozen bottles inclusive of duty and Vat (£550 ex Vat/£528 In Bond)
£117.60 per single magnum* inclusive of duty and Vat (£98 ex Vat/£93 In Bond)
*Subject to minimum order of 9 litres from this offer.

Fuligni 2008 Brunello di Montalcino:

Very open and approachable, but with all the breed usually associated with this estate. 2008 was a 4* year in Montalcino and therefore contains all the fruit normally destined for the Riserva. Drink now or as Roberto Fuligni remarked, this could be kept for another 8-10 years. Particularly good value in this vintage.

Offer price:

£396.00 per dozen bottles inclusive of duty and Vat (£330 ex Vat/£308 In Bond)
£72.00 per single magnum* inclusive of duty and Vat (£60 ex Vat/£56 In Bond)
*Subject to minimum order of 9 litres from this offer.

OPENING OFFER: These offer prices are valid until 31st March 2013, at which stage the offer will close.

TO ORDER: Please email your order to sales@leaandsandeman.co.uk with final delivery instructions or call your usual branch.

DELIVERY: The wines will become available in April and May and delivered shortly thereafter.

BOND DELIVERIES: Please specify if you are ordering In Bond, together with your account details. All Bond orders will be subject to a £15 documentation and delivery charge, except for Elephant Storage account holders.

LEA & SANDEMAN
170 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9PR
T: 020 7244 0522
F: 020 7244 0533

Our wine of the week is:

2001 CHÂTEAU BARDE-HAUT Grand Cru Saint Emilion – £37.50

As a mature Grand Cru St Emilion in it’s prime for under £40 this wine was our clear running favorite.  A balance of ripeness, seriousness, age and price put the Barde-Haut 2001 a good few lengths ahead of our other contenders.

The Wine Cellar Insider: Drinking at the perfect state of maturity, with ample notes of licorice, vanilla, black cherry, earth and stone. Soft, round and packed with sweet, ripe fruit, Barde Haut remains one of the best deals available from St. Emilion.
 91 points – Tasted Nov 20, 2012.

Followed closely in 2nd by:

2006 CHÂTEAU MONBRISON Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Margaux – £29.75

Classic Margaux, this is a great wine from Monbrison which is just opening up for drinking now. We tasted this wine at our 2013 Great Southern Tasting at the Saatchi Gallery and all agreed that it was showing very well indeed. A length behind the Barde-Haut, this wine is very drinkable now, but also shows a lot of promise for the years ahead.

Decanter: Intense colour, fine floral and blackcurrant fruit, shows good lift and a lovely freshness and purity, good length, very good. 2012-20.
rating: ****

A highly impressive 3rd:

2008 CHÂTEAU VIEUX VERDOT Épigone Grand Cru Saint Emilion – £19.95

Made in an admittedly very modern style from a selection of the very best parcels this Grand Cru St Emilion is deep in colour, with really attractive fine creamy dark damson fruit. It remains balanced with a touch of oak and a nice dryness. Elegant and with lovely length it is a fabulous example of Saint Emilion.

The Épigone has won two major French wine awards and just as importantly passed the stringent Lea and Sandeman taste gauntlet.

Shhhh! The tipster’s tip-off:

2009 THE DIRECTORS’ CUT Bordeaux Lea & Sandeman – £11.95

Our 2009 Director’s Cut Bordeaux hasn’t won any official awards, but certainly between L&S staff and our customers we’re happy to give it our own ‘Medaille D’Or’ given our 25 years experience of tasting and selecting wines.

The ‘Directors’ Cut’ is a special selection made from the same vineyard as our Lea & Sandeman Bordeaux, and given a little longer in barrel, with a touch more new wood. A deeper expression of fruit and complexity put this a cut above, making it much favoured by the Directors and staff.

You can also see all the wines here.

Have a very good week.

Update: Our 2013 Bin End sale has now ended. Subscribe to our mailing list to keep up to date with our latest offers and recommendations or check out our wine of the week which we publish every Tuesday.

And a big “Thank you!”

We’d also like to thank all those who came to the NSPCC City Fine Wine Challenge last night at RIBA, who helped raised an incredible £161,000 towards Childline and the NSPCC.

We had a fantastic turn out with inspiring, but humbling words from Andy Briggs, chair of the City Fine Wine Challenge committee, as well as from Lee Mitchell, Head of Childline Schools Service who outlined the rapidly growing success of the service since it started at the beginning of 2012.

We were also pleased to award the Patrick Sandeman Trophy to Goldman Sachs who were the winners of the City Fine Wine Challenge Quiz chaired very ably (and amusingly!) by Tim Atkin, whilst many others bid generously on the 8 kindly donated lots in the auction led by Jeffrey Archer, who performed his duty of eliciting cash from the waiting crowd of financiers in a very efficient fashion. Apparently he and Chris Beatles have raised over £41m at charity auctions over the past 10 years!

We will publish the wines shown at the NSPCC City Fine Wine Challenge on Monday.

You can also read yesterday’s blog post about the event here or follow the event’s twitter hashtag #cfwc .

But don’t forget our bin end sale ends this Sunday 3rd March at Midnight!

Have a very good weekend.

Alongside the interesting selection of wines we have chosen for the blind tasting, we are pleased to present the City Fine Wine Trophy dedicated to Patrick Sandeman who we sadly lost at the end of last year. As a very active member of the NSPCC event committee and former #CFWC quiz master, we thought this decanter would be a fitting tribute to his work for the charity.

The wine quiz will be hosted by Tim Atkin, an award-winning Master of Wine, journalist, presenter and wine judge, whilst Jeffrey Archer will be auctioneer for the evening.

We will be joined by 20 tables of generous city donors who will be competing in a arduous test of wine knowledge for the Patrick Sandeman trophy. The tables include teams from: Diligenta, Friends Life, FNZ, Aviva, Assureweb, JLT Group, CLS, Goldman Sachs, Capgemini, Ridgeway Partners, CSC, KPMG, Virgin Media, Scottish Widows, Swiss Re, Deloitte, Pinsent Masons,  Brian Purves, F&C Asset Management plc, Marakon and Ernst & Young.

We’re confident that the evening will be a great success and hope to raise significant donations and awareness for the NSPCC  and their tireless work to put a full stop to cruelty to children in the UK.

Tweets about “#CFWC”

“The Pillots have made some of the best value white wines of the vintage.”
Tim Atkin MW

All prices quoted below are In Bond prices. For Duty Paid prices and all other conditions please see the LEA & SANDEMAN web-site.

Saint Aubin 1er cru Sentier du Clou 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £168)
“Lively and both rich and tight though there is not massive follow through. Very flattering.”
16 points, drink 2015-2020, Jancis Robinson MW

Puligny Montrachet Noyers Brets 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £210)
“Tight and smoky and full of fruit. Very well done! GV”
17 points, drink 2015-2021, Jancis Robinson MW

Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Champgains 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £249)
“Rich and yet with racy lift. Chalky finish. Good energy. Broad spread across the palate.”
17 points, drink 2015-2023, Jancis Robinson MW

Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Les Vergers 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £249)
“Very tight and focused. Introvert and muscular.”
16.5+ points, drink 2016-2023, Jancis Robinson MW

Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Vide Bourse 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £306)
“Lively, transparent and racy. Slow burner. But quite rich on the end. Intriguing and convincing. Complex – not a word I have written often about 2011s.”
17 points, drink 2016-2023, Jancis Robinson MW

Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Morgeot 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £249)
“Rich and round. But a good green streak too. Rather succulent. With a firm finish. Long.”
17 points, drink 2016-2023, Jancis Robinson MW
“The Pillots have made some of the best value white wines of the vintage, typified by this cashew and citrus fruit scented Chassagne. Minerally, taut and very complex, this is white winemaking of a high calibre.”
94 points, drink 2014-22, Tim Atkin MW

Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Grandes Ruchottes 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £321)
“All the wines from this Chassagne-based domaine are impressive in 2011, but this is the pick of the bunch: stylish, modern white Burgundy of a very high order. Forward. Rich and smoky, with creamy, lees-derived richness and superb definition.”
95 points, drink 2013-2020, Tim Atkin MW

The entire LEA & SANDEMAN range of 2011 Burgundy can be found on our web-site, complete with our and others’ tasting notes.

Made by the maverick team at Chateau du Cedre – this is made from grapes they buy in rather than grow themselves – 90% Malbec (also known as Cot or Auxerrois) and 10% Merlot. Deep and dark with a big smooth density and good black berry fruit character.

Food recommendation: Pascale advises this wine pairs perfectly with beef, duck breast, confit, cold cuts, cheese…

From its ancestral home of Cahors in the South West France, the 2010 Cuvée Cèdre Héritage is slightly drier and less jammy than it’s Argentinian or Chilean counterparts, but still deep, dark and highly satisfying with an equally pleasing price tag of only £10.50 per bottle or just £9.95 if bought as part of our case price discount*

http://www.leaandsandeman.co.uk/wine/2010-CAHORS-Cuvee-Cedre-Heritage-Pascal-Verhaeghe-16400-00.html

With the influx of Argentinian and Chilean Malbec wines over the past few years it would be easy to think that the Malbec grape originates from South American wine growing regions, whereas the 2010 Cuvée Cèdre Héritage Malbec is a delightful traditional reminder of the true origins of Malbec.

*You can mix any 12 bottles of wine on our website (or more) to get the ‘case price’ for each bottle.

P.s. Our Bin End Sale end finishes this Friday and there are some great bargains still to be had: 2013 Bin End Sale

There can’t be too many wine making families with a type of grape named after them, but there exists a strain of Pinot Noir called Pinot Confuron, reflecting a tradition of careful vine selection and propogation in a family history which dates back to the times of the Sun King, Louis XIV.  Today the reins are in the hands of brothers Yves and Jean-Pierre Confuron.  Notably, they use no herbicides or pesticides in their vineyards; the grapes are picked late for maximum ripeness; and all wines are fermented from whole bunches.

All prices quoted below are In Bond prices.  For Duty Paid prices and all other conditions please see the LEA & SANDEMAN web-site.

Vosne Romanée 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £276)
“Vosne drive in evidence. Lots of sweetness. Good stuff! Racy.”
16 points, drink 2015-2024, Jancis Robinson MW
“Ripe red fruit aroma with some spice. Ripe on the attack with dark liquorish fruit. Juicy middle palate. Quite rich tannins and plenty of them. A full and dense palate with a spicy aromatic finish. Good muscle to the tannic structure. All about structure. This is the most substantial Vosne Romanée I have tried. Very good. From 2016″
Sarah Marsh MW (The Burgundy Briefing)

Vosne Romanée 1er cru Les Suchots 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £543)
“Rather luscious on the palate. Some real intensity. But there is drive and persistence here too.”
17 points, drink 2017-2027, Jancis Robinson MW
“(the domaine is the largest holder in Suchots with an incredible 2.16 ha). An expressive and intensely spicy and wonderfully floral nose of black and blue pinot fruit introduces velvety and palate coating flavors that possess plenty of size and weight as well as an abundance of sappy dry extract. While the mid-palate is quite generous the finale is very serious and I particularly like the excellent depth on the stunningly long finish. This offers grand cru level quality in 2011 and is definitely recommended.”
91-94 points, drink 2025+, Allen Meadows (burghound.com)
“Deep, rich red aroma. This has velvet depth and gorgeous dark fruit. Satin at first and becomes deep crushed velvet in texture. It moves richly, yet not at all heavily. It is so very sensual. There is lovely freshness on the finish. Fine+. From 2017″
18.5 points, Sarah Marsh MW (The Burgundy Briefing)

Nuits St Georges 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £276)
“Bright cherry red. Piercing clean red fruit flavours with a bit of sweetness on the end before a bit of astringency. Quite satisfying. Unscathed by bitter/nutty notes.”
16 points, drink 2016-2024, Jancis Robinson MW
“Herbal, minty notes. Black pastille fruit on the front of the palate. Lighter body than the Vosne. Plenty of tannins, but supple tannins. Ripe, ‘jam’ fruit on the finish and a little earthier. The finish is fresh and straight. Some good energy here. Good+. From 2016″
Sarah Marsh MW (The Burgundy Briefing)

Nuits St Georges 1er cru Les Vignes Rondes 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £441)
“Here the aromatic profile is completely different with dark berries, plum, spice and violets. There is fine concentration to the velvet textured medium weight flavors that possess plenty of dry extract that successfully buffers the otherwise very firm and moderately rustic tannins on the exceptionally long finish. This is very Nuits and clearly built to age so there is no point buying this if you do not intend to cellar if for the long-term.”
90-93 points. drink 2023+, Allen Meadows (burghound.com)

Chambolle Musigny 1er cru Derrière la Grange 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £594)
“Light cherry red. Broad and spicy nose. Some energy and confidence here. It finishes a tad dry at the moment but there is much tucked in here. Lots of interest – rare for 2011 which is generally quite simple.”
17 points, drink 2018-2028, Jancis Robinson MW
“An exceptionally pretty and admirably pure nose of red currant, spice and mineral hints merges seamlessly into detailed, vibrant and utterly delicious medium-bodied flavors that echo the minerality of the nose. There is excellent balance and refined tannins on the mildly austere but beautifully lingering finale. Note however that even though the structure is fine grained it’s dense and very firm so patience will be required.”
90-92 points, drink 2023+, Allen Meadows (burghound.com)

Gevrey Chambertin 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £279)
“An attractively fresh and expressive nose speaks of newly turned earth, dark berry and a hint of the sauvage leads to intense, detailed and lightly mineral-inflected medium-bodied flavors that are supported by firm but relatively refined tannins on the dusty, mouth coating and beautifully balanced finish. This is a Gevrey villages of refinement and grace. Recommended but note that cellaring it is a must.”
89-91 points, drink 2021+, Allen Meadows (burghound.com)
“Dark and more upright aroma. Lovely energy and it is streamlined. This has tighter tannins and is pure on the finish. Dark with notes of liquorish and spice. There is a black pepper lift on the finish. Very good. I do like this. From 2017″
Sarah Marsh MW (The Burgundy Briefing)

Gevrey Chambertin 1er cru Lavaut Saint Jacques 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of six £288)
“A bit more fruit intensity than most from this stable. Some juicy fruit. Good balance. Potential for further development. Rather comforting.”
16.5 points, drink 2017-2027, Jancis Robinson MW
“The terroir really sings here and the voice of the winemaker (in the shape of 100% stems) can be heard too. Minerally, smoky, refreshing and cool, the wines from Lavaux/Lavaut are some of my favourites in 2011.”
95 points, drink 2017-25, Tim Atkin MW

Gevrey Chambertin 1er cru Craipillot 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £414)
“Pale ruby. Very light nose. Then a broad spread of fruit on the palate. Solid, even a bit stolid.”
16 points, drink 2016-2024, Jancis Robinson MW
“Warm parcel despite the influence of the Combe Lavaux. Red fruit aroma and perfumed. There is a delicacy and intensity here. Lightish body, but no lack of substance. It has elegant, woven feel. Rose hips on the long and aromatic finish. Fine+ From 2017″
18.25 points, Sarah Marsh MW (The Burgundy Briefing)

Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of six £447)
“Broad and sweet. Juicy fruit. Precise and clean. Well chiselled with some length.”
16.5+ points, drink 2017-2027, Jancis Robinson MW
“This has plenty of aromatic expression. Smooth and generous. Full and really quite rich. Plenty of substance and it is fresh and vibrant on the finish. This is a good Charmes-Chambertin and fresh on the finish. Very fine. From 2018″
18.9 points, Sarah Marsh MW (The Burgundy Briefing)

Échezeaux Grand Cru 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of six £420)
“Bright crimson. Intense level of fruit. Really quite snazzy at first. Tamped down a bit to a dry finish but it is clearly of superior quality. Lots of energy here.”
17 points, drink 2018-2030, Jancis Robinson MW
“Silky dark and more up toned aroma. So urbane on the palate. Silky texture and tannin. Threaded with freshness. Pure and aromatic, dark finish. A lovely, long rippling wine. Top notch. Very Fine. From 2018″
19 points, Sarah Marsh (The Burgundy Briefing)
“This is also exceptionally spicy with ripe aromas of earth and black currant as well as plenty of floral influence. There is excellent volume and phenolic maturity to the underlying structural elements that shape and support the relatively large-scaled flavors that culminate in a driving finish that delivers flat out phenomenal length. Note that that this beauty is a good choice only for the very, very patient among you as it’s built for the very long-term.”
92-94 points, drink 2031+, Allen Meadows (burghound.com)

The entire LEA & SANDEMAN range of 2011 Burgundy can be found on our web-site, complete with Charles Lea’s tasting notes and various wine writers’ comments.

Please note! This is a primeur (futures) offer – all prices are quoted EXCLUDING VAT. The prices are per pack as detailed – so if a wine is listed in twelve-bottle cases, the price given is per twelve, or if listed in in six-bottle cases, the price given is per six, and so on. If it looks too cheap check the case size!

Delivery Timing: this is a primeur (futures) offer. The wines are not yet physically available, but will be shipped over the course of the next twelve months. In most cases they will be delivered as they arrive with us, so if any are required by a certain date please advise us at the time of ordering.

Why L&S ‘Wine of the Week’?

This wine was a unanimous favorite by all four Lea & Sandeman shops and just reviewed by Ben from our Barnes shop:

‘We re-tasted this terrific Gruner at the last generic Austrian Wine event a few weeks ago. A scintillating effort from a top-tier vineyard and producer. Vivacious, with a purity of pale plum fruit, a touch of pepper – and a sprightly, long finish. A great match for Vietnamese Glass Noodle salads and Beetroot-cured Salmon.’

Quite an esoteric match, Ben! This bright and mineral dry white is a good aperitif and really will match with anything you’d think about having a Chablis with, and more besides – experiment!

2011 GRUNER VELTLINER Wachtberg DAC Erste Lage Salomon Undhof

For this quality it really is a snip at £16.50 (or take advantage of our 12 bottle discount £14.75) online or in-shop.

Let us know what you think!

Salomon Undhoff:

Founded in 1792 SALOMON UNDHOF is a wine estate with a long tradition. The Salomon family from the Wachau produces white wines from the best terraced Urgestein sites along the Danube River in Stein and Krems. Today Bert and Gertrud Salomon run the winery.

In these days of concern for our planet and concern for our own inner well-being we are quite used to seeking out cruelty-free meat from reputable butchers, fish from sustainable sources and reassuringly specky fruit and veg from farmers’ markets.  It is inevitable that the same concerns will start to inform people’s choice of wines, and this is expressed in the demand for organic wine.

As one, unhelpfully, asks when presented with a request for organic wine – what isn’t organic about a good bottle of wine?  You need some grapes and the best grapes you can get will be grown as naturally as possible, add some yeast (although, increasingly these days, you use the yeast that’s already helpfully growing on the grape skin) and wine comes out the other end.  In essence it’s quite simple.  In fact, the nearer you stick to that over-simplified wine-making process, the better your wine will be, which is why we say that the all the best wines are more or less organic.

But, of course, it’s not quite as simple as that.  There are all manner of vineyard treatments, a surprising amount of which are not outlawed in organic viticulture, and processes in the winery to protect the must and the finished wine.  So, imbibers have a right to ponder the constitution of their evening tipple.

The number one bogie-man “additive” of concern these days is sulphur dioxide.  “Contains Sulphites” it says on every bottle of wine on our shelves.  Sounds dangerous and scientific and not terribly good for your delicate innards.  Sulphur dioxide has been used for centuries (literally centuries – the Romans knew all about it) as an anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial agent.  The irony, in this age when we worry so much about it, is that the amounts used today are so much smaller than they’ve ever been – we now have men in white coats accurately calculating the precise minimum amount we need rather than some brawny peasant just chucking in handfuls of the stuff.  It’s perfectly allowable in any organic regime because it is next to impossible to make a stable bottle of wine without it.

Back to “Organic Wine” – all certification schemes concern themselves only with organic viticulture – that is, the vineyard itself.  Of course, the health of one’s vineyard is a vital factor in the production of good wine, but it is worth remembering that the word “organic” on the label offers no guarantees of good practice in the winery.  Indeed, we much prefer the guarantee of dealing with small, quality-conscious producers that we know well.  We tend to eschew wines labelled as “organic” believing that value, quality and taste are more important than carrying marketable wording on the label.  And small may be the key.  If you are running an enormous, factory-sized winery, shipping in grapes from hundreds of miles away and pumping wines from enormous stainless-steel tank to enormous stainless-steel tank, not to mention the need to produce a consistent product over tens of thousands of cases of wine, there will be more need to intervene in the natural process.  Smaller producers, whose grapes come from their immediate surroundings, whose wineries are compact and who can produce a diverse and interesting range can afford to intervene less.

Many of our producers practice what the French call La Lutte Raisonnée – the reasoned struggle.  It is, essentially, mostly organic except for when circumstances dictate otherwise.  If you think about it, that’s how most of us healthy types live – we eat healthy food, we exercise, we swallow various complimentary potions to keep ourselves pure and cleansed but, if we get sick, off to the Doctors’ we go and spend a week or so popping some “unnatural” pills until the infection clears up.  It’s the same with a vineyard – grow all sorts of cover crops, only use natural treatments, replace your tractor with horses, but if the vines get diseased fetch in the vine doctor with a quick burst of something restorative.

But there are those that do go the whole hog and make their wines organically.  Not to obtain any certification, or as a selling point in itself.  Indeed, none have any official certification of organicness, or seek it, and none bear the word on the label.  This is all in the pursuit of making better wine.  Consult this list here to browse from our organic/biodynamic selection.

Beyond organic viticulture is the stricter world of biodynamics.  Biodynamic farming was developed by Rudolf Steiner and concerns itself with a holistic approach to the health of the soil.  For as much as some of the methodology seems slightly eccentric, it is impossible to follow a biodynamic regime without taking scrupulous care of your vineyard and, so, the results have been encouraging and the practices continue to spread.  Ch Pontet-Canet recently became the first classed-growth property in Bordeaux to convert to biodynamic viticulture; it is gaining ground in Burgundy, check out the wines of Domaines Comte Armand and Chandon de Briailles; we also have the excellent biodynamic wines of Marcel Deiss in Alsace, Poggerino in Tuscany and Rippon in New Zealand.

Firstly we are taking £10 off each bottle of Bollinger Rosé – so £39.95 instead of £49.95!

Secondly with EVERY 75cl bottle of Billecart-Salmon Rosé we’re adding a FREE half bottle in it’s own gift bag – so £52.95 instead of £81.70!

If you’re planning on celebrating Valentine’s this weekend instead then both of these offers are available for delivery into central London. Our minimum order value for delivery is £100 so why not top up your basket with some of our current  wine offers on our website:

http://www.leaandsandeman.co.uk/content/offers.html

Or take advantage of the bin end sale to stock up on some absolute bargains!

http://www.leaandsandeman.co.uk/BIN-END-SALE-319/2013-February-Bin-End-Sale-455-02.html

Happy Valentine’s!

At our 2011 Burgundy tasting I was discussing with Will Lyons (L&S alumnus, now Wall Street Journal wine correspondent) how it is that some producers manage to get into the ‘on allocation only, cannot be bought’ category, while others making wines which rate just as highly are overlooked. Sometimes this is just down to how long a domaine has been performing well, to the extent that some whose best years are behind them are still highly regarded in the public imagination.

Sometimes it is because famous domaines have one or two wines which are from appellations like Musigny or La Romanée which means that their names appear at the very top of the ratings lists, while other producers next door whose top wine is a Premier Cru may get a better rating for that level of wine, but are still not as sought after, even though they sell at significantly lower prices. We have some of the ‘allocation only’ producers – Anne Gros, Perrot-Minot, Dugat-Py, Mugneret-Gibourg have all ‘made it’, and all thoroughly deserve their place, but for none of them was this always the case. Meanwhile we have a big stable of other producers who may well be there soon, but who, for the moment, have brilliant wines to sell at very sensible prices.

Nicolas Rossignol is arguably one such producer. Garnering plenty of praise this year, and ratings that put him up with the very best, most of his wines are almost startlingly reasonable.

Nicolas tends to price his wines according to demand and (crucially) supply, so that yes, his Beaune Clos des Mouches is priced quite high, since he has so little of this fashionable appellation, but the 2011 BEAUNE 1er Cru Reversées Domaine Nicolas Rossignol is almost as good and a complete bargain (at £210 a case IB). His Volnay Caillerets (one of Volnays premium premiers crus) is not given away (but fantastic and worth paying for, as anyone who attended our tasting will tell you),  but it is the Volnay Santenots which stands out for value:-

2011 VOLNAY 1er Cru Santenots Domaine Nicolas Rossignol £279 a case IB or £309 per case duty paid delivered - working out at £30.90 per bottle including VAT and delivery.

This is a large 2 hectare parcel, but is just as highly rated by some critics, but is offered at a price level which makes it a genuine bargain. At only £279 a case IB, this is rated 92-94 by Stephen Tanzer:

Sarah Marsh (The Burgundy Briefing) rates it even higher:

and even Jancis rates it at 17 and calls it ‘GV’ (Good Value):

So is Nicolas a new kid on the block? Not really, since we have actually been following him for ten years now, as he has gradually taken control of the family domaine and grown in stature as a winemaker.

In Burgundy more than anywhere else, the terroir and the family tradition build a wine signature. But following a family tradition blindly was never going to be enough for Nicolas, who decide to continue his studies in Chateauneuf du Pape (Domaine du Vieux Télegraphe), Bordeaux (Lafite Rothschild) and South Africa, which might explain the deep colour and the richness of his wines.

Now with a vineyard holding of almost 16 hectares, Nicolas makes an amazing range of wines from very diverse soils, so that a tasting with him is a fascinating exposition of this idea of terroir, and a clear demonstration of the role of the soil in the style of the wine. The domaine covers several villages as Volnay, Pommard, Beaune, Pernand Vergeless, Aloxe Corton and Savigny les Beaune. All of them available in the village and 1er cru appellation except Aloxe Corton. Nicolas can show how Volnay does indeed have ‘elegant feminine’ wines that follow the commonly held stereotype of Volnay, but he also shows with his ‘masculine’ Volnays that vineyards like Santenots and Roncerets are anything but girly wines. Equally his Pommards range from wines on fine clay on the foot of the slopes that resemble the Volnay stereotype, to wines grown on bedrock which require no help from whole bunch fermentation to be massive and structured – in the ‘Pommard’ sterotype style.

Tim Atkin MW also loved the wines: “This Beaune-based domaine keeps acquiring good vineyards and the quality of the wines is consistently high.”

Allen Meadows (Burghound) praises the “incredible range of wines from Volnay”

Nicolas himself, as reported by Sarah Marsh, says “I am looking for the truth; searching for purity and the expression of the soil.” When he came to our London tasting  in January to show some of his wines at our 2011 Burgundy tasting at the Saatchi Gallery, he said “2011 it is all about freshness and energy. One of the best vintages I’ve made.”

Below are some other wines with their critics’ scores:-

Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru Les Lavières 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £129)

Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru Fourneaux 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £210)

Beaune 1er cru Clos du Roy 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £240)

Volnay 1er cru Clos des Angles 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £279)

Volnay 1er cru Roncerets 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £348)

Volnay 1er cru Chevrets 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £360)

Volnay 1er cru Caillerets 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £495)

Pommard 1er cru Chaponnières 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £414)

Pommard 1er cru Fremiers 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £414)

Pommard 1er cru Épenots 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £558)

The entire LEA & SANDEMAN range of 2011 Burgundy can be found on our web-site, complete with Charles Lea’s tasting notes and various wine writers’ comments.

As per tradition (and after a false start due to a technical hitch!) we are pleased to announce our annual bin end sale is now open.

There’s plenty of great wines in there which is why we hesitate to use the phrase ‘Bin End’ – so feel free to go ahead and fill your boots, shoes and shopping carts.

Coupled with our current Valentine’s Bollinger and Billecart Salmon rosé offers, there’s plenty of other wine offers to enjoy on our website.

Keep an eye out for upcoming offers on our blog or facebook & twitter .

Happy foraging!

Craig Stapleton is an ex-US Ambassador to Prague who saw the potential for wine making in the Czech Republic, and together with his brother Benjamin Stapleton, sought out Moravian winemaker Jaroslav Springer to form a partnership that could showcase that potential.  So it was that in 2004 Stapleton & Springer was formed to grow vines around Bořetice, south of Brno.  Unusually, they have always concentrated on red wine and Pinot Noir in particular (which makes up 75% of their plantings) with the lofty inspiration of the fine wines of Burgundy.  The vineyards are tended organically, and they keenly follow the practices of the Loire Valley’s biodynamic guru Nicolas Joly.  The keen adherence to as natural a process as possible extends into the winery where sulphur dioxide usage is kept to the minimum.

The resulting wine is quite a revelation.  Firm and muscular, but not heavy, with the supple texture of classic Pinot Noir, gripping plum-skin and deep ripe cherry fruit, good brisk acidity and a refreshing finish.  It feels natural, you can see the allusion to Burgundy, it’s tasty and charming and extraordinarily good value for money.

Jaroslav Springer Pinot Noir 2009 Stapleton & Springer – £15.95 per bottle (£14.50 by the dozen)

The Auvergne region of France is famous for its picture postcard verdant green extinct volcanoes, but not really for its wines.  So, it came as quite a surprise that we could source a more than rather pleasant Pinot Noir from the heart of the region and sell it for a rather tempting price.  Although the region sits on a similar line of latitude to Bordeaux and the Northern Rhône, the higher altitude tends toward a cooler climate and Pinot Noir can thrive.  La Cave Saint Verny, the local co-operative winery, is responsible for around 40% of the region’s production.  The oenologist Olivier Mignard has been in place since 1999 and works closely with the co-operative’s members to ensure the best practice in the vineyard.  As the average holding is so small – less than 2ha – most of the grapes are hand-picked.

Charming, light Pinoty nose; light to medium palate, dry with pleasant cooked cherries, plum skins and burnt leather characters; and a nice clear finish.  Only about 5% of the cuvée is wood aged, the rest retaining the charm of pure fruit.

“This is, dear readers, the best sub-£10 wine I have consumed this year. It’s a Pinot Noir from the southern Loire region of the Auvergne. It comes from volcanic soils, at an altitude of 350-570 m, and the region sits on the 45th parallel, like the Rhone. Fresh and aromatic with sappy green notes, hints of herbs and ripe cherry fruit on the nose. The palate is elegant and textured with smooth, sappy red cherry fruit. Beautifully expressive and elegant. A pure, lighter-style red wine with no harsh edges. So drinkable.”
Jamie Goode, www.wineanorak.com

Puy de Dôme 2010 Pinot Noir – £9.95 per bottle (£8.95 by the dozen)

All prices quoted below are In Bond prices.  For Duty Paid prices and all other conditions please see the LEA & SANDEMAN web-site.

WHITE WINES
Meursault 1er cru Genevrières 2011 Domaine Rémi Jobard (case of 12 £474)
94 points
“Another delicate yet powerfully lees-derived aromatic dry Côte de Beaune white whose leesy-nutty richness is bisected by super-mouthwatering freshness bringing a seamless, restrained elegance to the underlying power and taut structure of this very fine white Burgundy.”
Puligny Montachet 1er cru Clos de la Mouchère 2011 Domaine Henri Boillot (case of six £258)
94 points
“This is a fabulous, intense, smoky and nutty wine all at the same time, with powerfully ripe, lees-derived underlying complexity behind a touch of toasty oak and gorgeously long and complex fruit and a mineral dry finish.”
Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes En Buland 2011 Domaine Daniel Barraud (case of 12 £192)
92 points
“Daniel Barraud is one of the Mâconnais’ superstars and this is why: a white Burgundy with lovely expressive aromas, a delicate subtle lees-derived nuttiness and behind it deliciously concentrated, peachy Chardonnay fruit with juicy acidity.”
Bourgogne Blanc 2011 Domaine Rémi Jobard (case of 12 £135)
89 points
“Excellent stuff this from Meursault producer Rémi Jobard, with lovely smoky fresh aromatics, intense peachy fruit and lively fine lemony acidity bringing balance and finesse. Village white Burgundy doesn’t get much better than this.”
Montagny 2011 Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot (case of 12 £111)
89 points
“From an outstanding producer of white Burgundy, this appealing Côte Chalonnaise Chardonnay shows fresh aromatics and behind them lots of full-flavoured nutty rich fruit with lively freshness and a nutty, complex aftertaste. Excellent value.”

RED WINES
Volnay 1er cru Caillerets 2011 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol (case of 12 £495)
92 points
“Fragrant and delicate on the nose, there’s more stuffing behind this seductive Côte de Beaune Pinot Noir from the accomplished Nicolas Rossignol than the aromas lead you to think, with an attractive red berry fruit flavour and opulently juicy texture.”
Marsannay Champs Pedrix 2011 Domaine Huguenot (case of six £87)
90 points
“Deep in colour, this modern style red Burgundy displays a fine fresh berry fruit fragrance, lots of juicy fresh strawberry-sweet fruit freshness and a hint of spicy oak with lively purity of Pinot Noir fruitiness in a well-crafted, balanced style. Very good for under £20.”
Fixin Petits Crais 2011 Domaine Huguenot (case of six £81)
89 points
“On the strength of this vintage, Fixin is one of those lesser-known Côte de Nuits appellations that’s very much on the up, with wines like this red Burgundy with its fresh red berry fruits fragrance, and behind it some lively raspberry fruit with juicy suppleness of texture and balance.”

The entire LEA & SANDEMAN range of 2011 Burgundy can be found on our web-site, complete with Charles Lea’s tasting notes and various wine writers’ comments.

There is an in-depth analysis of the vintage itself which concludes that one really should be indulging.
“Should you buy a few cases of 2011? I believe that you should. This is a vintage for wine lovers, rather than investors, but that’s no bad thing.”

All prices quoted below are In Bond prices.  For Duty Paid prices and all other conditions please see the LEA & SANDEMAN web-site.

Detailed notes are posted only (only?) for the top 250 wines, but that still leaves plenty of room for LEA & SANDEMAN listed Burgundies.  To Marie-Christine Mugneret-Gibourg goes the accolade of making our top-scoring wine in Tim’s list – Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 2011 Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg.  Such is the quality and such are the small quantities involved, that the Clos Vougeot is already sold out. You can, however, buy some of Marie-Christine’s other wines with confidence – Tim picks out Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg as one of his Producers to Watch - “Her wines are very fine and detailed, favouring the chisel over the sledgehammer. “
Nuits St Georges 1er cru Les Chaignots 2011 Mugneret-Gibourg (case of 12 £525) - 93 points
Vosne Romanée 2011 Mugneret-Gibourg (case of 12 £348) - 92 points

Huddled together on an impressive 95 points are our highest-scoring non-Grand Cru wines, three of which come from the same wine maker.  Yves Confuron, aside from having his own Domaine, makes the wines at Domaine Courcel in Pommard.
Gevrey Chambertin 1er cru Lavaut-St-Jacques 2011 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £573)
“the wines from Lavaux/Lavaut are some of my favourites in 2011.”
Pommard 1er cru Grand Clos des Épenots 2011 Domaine Courcel (case of six £297)
“quintessential Pommard: rich and concentrated, but with firm, slightly austere tannins.”
Pommard 1er cru Rugiens 2011 Domaine Courcel (case of six £363)
“the most Pommard-like of Pommards”

Also knocking in an impressive score of 95 points is Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Grandes Ruchottes 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £321)
“…stylish, modern white Burgundy of a very high order. Forward. Rich and smoky, with creamy, lees-derived richness and superb definition.”  2013-2020
Almost as impressive is the 94 points worth of Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Morgeot 2011 F&L Pillot 2011 (case of 12 £249)
“The Pillots have made some of the best value white wines of the vintage, typified by this cashew and citrus fruit scented Chassagne. Minerally, taut and very complex, this is white winemaking of a high calibre.”  2014-22
Tim’s observation that “all the wines from this Chassagne-based domaine are impressive in 2011” is born out out the fact that all of Laurent Pillot’s Montrachets scored 90 points or more,
Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Vergers 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £249) – 93 points
Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Vide Bourse 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £306) – 93 points
Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Champgains 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £249) – 92 points
Puligny Montrachet Noyers Brets 2011 F&L Pillot (case of 12 £210) - 90 points
not a 1er cru, this one, so offering some rather good value, as pointed out by Jancis Robinson MW.

Tim’s list of the 25 Top Producers in Burgundy has all the famous names that one might expect on it, but includes Domaines Jean-Marc Boillot and Confuron-Cotetidot, both cornerstones of the LEA & SANDEMAN Burgundy range.  As we have seen, Yves Confuron’s Lavaut-St-Jacques scored very well, but so did
Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2011 Confuron-Cotetidot (case of six £447) – 94 points
“Dark and brooding, with serious tannins and a sappy, refreshing finish.” 2017-28
Gevrey Chambertin 1er cru Craipillot 2011 Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £414) - 93 points
Vosne Romanée 1er cru Les Suchots 2011 Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £543) - 93 points
Just to prove that he doesn’t make all of his best Pommard at Domaine Courcel
Pommard 1er cru Les Arvelets 2011 Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £426) - 92 points
And you shouldn’t miss out on the ‘village’ wines either
Chambolle Musigny 2011 Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £294) – 92 points
Gevrey Chambertin 2011 Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £279) - 91 points
Nuits St Georges 2011 Confuron-Cotetidot (case of 12 £276) - 91 points

Jean-Marc Boillot’s ever-reliable ‘village’ Puligny Montrachet (case of 12 £270) scores a very respectable 89 points, with the awesome 1er cru Champ Canet (case of 12 £432) drawing in 92 points.

More excitingly, perhaps, is Tim’s list of the 25 Top Value Producers, where our range fares even better.
A&F Boudin
Chablis 1er cru Fourchaumes 2011 (case of 12 £120) - 91 points
Moreau-Naudet
Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 2011 (case of 12 £234) – 93 points
Chablis 1er cru Montmains 2011 (case of 12 £135) - 92 points
Daniel Barraud
Pouilly Fuissé La Rôche 2011 (case of 12 £183) – 91 points
another one highly recommended by Jancis Robinson MW in the FT
Pouilly Fuissé, Vieilles Vignes La Verchère 2011 (case of 12 £162) – 90 points
Pouilly Fuissé, Vieilles Vignes Les Crays (case of 12 £183) – 90 points
Domaine Huguenot
this Domaine was new to LEA & SANDEMAN at the 2009 vintage but it’s already a firm favourite and fully organic from the 2010 vintage.
Gevrey Chambertin 1er cru Fonteny 2011 (case of six £180) - 92 points
Marsannay 2011 (case of six £60) - 90 points
For sheer value and charm, the Marsannay is difficult to beat.
Hubert Lamy
Hubert Lamy has been a firm favourite with LEA & SANDEMAN for a long long time and, although better known these days, his Saint Aubins still represent excellent value for wines from the Côte d’Or.
Saint Aubin 1er cru Clos de la Chatenière 2011 (case of 12 £267) - 92 points
Saint Aubin 1er cru En Remilly 2011 (case of 12 £267) – 92 points
His foray into Puligny Montrachet wins plaudits too, though
Puligny Montrachet Les Tremblots 2011 (case of 12 £294) - 92 points

A word, in passing, for Tim’s most interesting tasting note, about the excellent Clos des Lambrays 2011 (case of six £483),
“It’s a very definite style, which some will love and others will hate, with notes of Islay malt whisky and savoury, spicy, almost meaty flavours. It will be interesting to see how the wine ages.”
95 points, 2014-22
Tastes of Islay whisky?  Frankly, that can’t be a bad thing.

The entire LEA & SANDEMAN range of 2011 Burgundy can be found on our web-site, complete with Charles Lea’s tasting notes and various wine writers’ comments.

Jancis Robinson MW, who yearly embarks on an exhaustive tour of the UK wine trade’s Burgundy tastings, wrote up her musings on the 2011 Burgundy vintage and its offerings in the FT last week and included a list of Burgundy producers to seek out for your cellar, and eight of those producers have their wines shipped by LEA & SANDEMAN.  We are glad to be so impressive.

For sheer, full-on, Côte d’Or magnificence, there is Henri Boillot.  Of course, his Corton Charlemagne (case of six £405) is “hugely rich and well sculpted” but you’d expect it to be; the Puligny Montrachet 1er cru Les Pucelles (case of six £276) is “chalky and chewy and introvert but with lots of impact”; but it is the Puligny Montrachet 1er cru Clos de la Mouchère (case of six £258) which steals the show with “Lots of fun! This is clearly a magic site. The golden ticket.”

We have always been pleased to offer Remi Jobard’s excellent traditional Meursaults and the 2011’s fare well with Jancis too, not least the “broad, sweet, rich and satisfying” Meursault 1er cru Genevrières (case of 12 £474).  But the Remi Jobard star performer, if only for value, would be the simple Bourgogne Blanc (case of 12 £135)

“Savoury, well sculpted and really precise. Dense. Really great wine for the appellation.GV”
16 points, 2013-2016

If Remi Jobard is our ever bankable Meursault producer, then Laurent Pillot takes that role for the Montrachets.  There is quite a range of Chassagnes, but Jancis seemed most pleased with his Puligny Montachet Noyers Brets (case of 12 £210),

“Tight and smoky and full of fruit. Very well done! GV”
17 points, 2015-2021

Great value is often found a little off the beaten track, in villages like Saint Aubin where Hubert Lamy continues to make superb wines.  Witness his Saint Aubin 1er cru En Remilly (case of 12 £267),

“Very toothsome and lip smacking. The nose alone really gets the saliva flowing. Juicy and precise, though this needs a bit of time in bottle. Would put many grander appellations to shame.”
16/5+, 2014-2020

But his star wine features a return to the Côte d’Or for the “almost brilliant” Puligny Montrachet Les Tremblots (case of 12 £294) – “better than some Premier Crus”.  We agree.

For lovers of red Burgundy, Jancis recommends casting an eye over what Nicolas Rossignol has to offer.  It is difficult to pick a star when nothing in the range (and quite a range it is) scores less than 16 points, so we’ll pick out the Volnay 1er cru Le Ronceret (case of 12 £348) if only because I’ve never seen curry referenced in a tasting note!

“Very intense – nose almost of curry as well as all that lovely ripe fruit. Actually it’s quite severe. Chewy and ambitious. Definitely needs time.”
17 points, 2020-2032

One for the cellar.

A new name to LEA & SANDEMAN this year is Domaine Lignier-Michelot from the Côtes de Nuits, mostly the less explored village of Morey Saint Denis.  Witness the Morey Saint Denis 1er cru Aux Chezeaux (case of six £207),

“Burly aromas with chestnut and prunes. Very round and sweet. A real charmer. You could almost enjoy this already! Really very sumptuous and attractive.”
17 points, 2014-2024

Northward to Chablis and Domaine Moreau-Naudet, who’s entry-level wines steal the show,

Petit Chablis 2011 Domaine Moreau-Naudet (case of 12 £75)
“Must be one of the very cheapest wines to be presented en primeur this month! Actually it does taste like Chablis and is as good and representative as many a Chablis from a more mass-market source. GV”
15.5 points

Chablis 2011 Domaine Moreau-Naudet (case of 12 £87)
“Smoky and attention grabbing. Lots of energy and drive but accessible already. VGV”
16 points

Both ready to drink when you get them and whilst you’re waiting for your “big and sleek”  Valmur Grand Cru (case of 12 £234) to mature.

At the southern end of Burgundy, at the northern end of the Mâconnais are the vineyards of Daniel Barraud and this is really where quality and value collide if you want white Burgundy without breaking the bank.  Everything in the range gets well reviewed but it’s difficult not to be seduced by the Pouilly-Fuissé La Rôche 2011 (case of 12 £183)

“Fine and tight and restrained. This should be really rather glorious eventually. Exciting but definitely Pouilly-Fuissé rather than Côte d’Or. (Nothing wrong with that!)”
17 points, 2016-2025

But for sheer value, if nothing else, what about the Mâcon-Vergisson La Rôche 2011 (case of 12 £96)

“Rich and also smoky. Lots of energy here. Doesn’t really taste like Mâcon (much more concentrated) though it has a honey character. Chewy mineral finish suggests a relatively long life.”
16.5 points, 2015-2020

All prices quoted are In Bond prices.

Our entire range of 2011 Burgundy can be found on our web-site, complete with Charles Lea’s tasting notes and various wine writers’ comments.

6 am Christmas Eve and all the warehouse and delivery team are at our Battersea warehouse, where the vans are being loaded with the last runs before the Christmas break. And they’ve done it!

On Friday things were looking good first thing, with all the runs fully routed. What was not in the plan was that Lazlo’s van would blow its engine twenty minutes out of Welshpool – with a full load still on. A lot of frantic activity followed, but they seem to be back on track  – I never quite know how they do it.

This year’s challenges have still not been up to the level of the ‘big freeze’, but floodwaters have made life tricky. One customer asked us two months ago if we could deliver on Saturday the 21st to Swanage, to which the answer was a breezy ‘oh yes’, which completely failed to take account of the flooded streets and the police refusing entry to the town to all but 4x4s. Still after an hour’s wait Pawel was let through, and managed to leave the delivery in what we hope is a secure area. And now we just hope the customer managed to get there himself.

Still this is all in a day’s work for these boys, who have an awesome reputation for getting the job done. One customer wrote to us (back in June, while we were enjoying what passes for an English summer) “I don’t know if he was one of your own, since we didn’t see the van (he was – this was Chris, in fine form), but because of the amount of rainfall recently the roads around where we live are flooded. He parked about half a mile away, carried the two cases through the floods (which must have come up to his knees at the very least), and arrived barefoot and soaking wet. Then he walked back again, which must have something of a relief in comparison since he wasn’t now lugging a dozen bottles…. I reckon to know a little bit about service, and this was up there with the can-do best.”

Thanks again guys, and enjoy your Christmas, you deserve it!

We are delighted to announce (better late than never) that our much-lauded L&S Bordeaux is back in stock, and so is the first shipment of the 2009 version of THE DIRECTORS’ CUT , which proved an immediate sell-out success last year. A special selection in the vineyard and in Nicolas Dabudyk’s chai, aged in a slightly different barrel selection with a touch more new wood, this is a ‘Cut’ above.

 We are also offering a new mixed case of the L&S label range, which includes

2 bottles BENEDICK Grand Reserve Brut

3 bottles 2011 LEA & SANDEMAN White Burgundy

4 bottles 2009 LEA & SANDEMAN Bordeaux

3 bottles 2009 THE DIRECTORS’ CUT Bordeaux Lea & Sandeman

all for just £138.60 – how smart is that !

The time is fast approaching… For guaranteed(*) delivery before Christmas orders need to be with us by Midnight on Sunday 16th (tomorrow) for delivery outside London, and by Thursday 20th for London deliveries.

Order today in any of the shops, or online or by email (to sales@leaandsandeman.co.uk).

If you need help with decisions, we are here to provide it today. If ordering online, why not look at our mixed case offers, especially the Christmas Hamper Case, full of vinous festive treats.

Climat No 2
Our recent offer of the ‘Climat No 2′ Loire white brought this happy response from one recipient “Arrived yesterday pm, fastest order to delivery on record. Opened a bottle and it’s delicious”. Why not give it a try?

More Sherry
We have more stock in of the Palmas Sherries, including the fantastic mixed six-bottle case. These even look rather festive. Perfect round the fire while opening presents.

There is more of the MANZANILLA La Gitana ‘En Rama’ Hidalgo as well, and yet more excitement to come on the sherry front next week with the imminent arrival of the latest La Bota releases from Equipo Navazos - of which more later.

Our Champagne offers continue to be hard to beat, and don’t forget you can buy odd bottles at our ‘case’ prices if mixed into a total 12 bottle purchase. Choose from the quality end of the spectrum of the well-known Grandes Marques, or be a little daring and follow Jancis Robinson’s recommendations in the grower Champagnes from Barnaut, Egly-Ouriet and Larmandier-Bernier.

All this and a whole warehouse-full of carefully chosen classic Clarets, sensuous Burgundies, stylish Italians and spicy Spanish, not to mention possibly the best range of ‘new-world’ Pinot Noirs, especially from New Zealand and Argentina and lots of other dark reds to warm your winter. There’s always a need for a special bottle of Sauternes or other pudding wine over Christmas, as well, of course, as the obligatory bottle of Vintage Port. (There is a bigger selection of these in the shops than on the website so ask if interested.)

Finally if you need that special little something, a nip of the hard stuff, there’s a wacky range of really top-notch products in the Spirits and Liqueurs section. This year these have been carefully chosen by our new Spirits Czar, Derek Dornan. Now manager of our Barnes store, Derek has the requisite Scottish accent and, as ex spirits buyer of Bentalls, has some form in this area. My own winter favourites are of course the Sloe Gin and Damson Vodka from the ever-excellent Sipsmith.

The cut-off for country deliveries is fast aproaching (you need to get your order in by Sunday night to be sure of getting your wine for Christmas).

Part of the problem is often just making a choice, so here is a mixed case of our favourites in our enormous range which will sort out a multitude of Christmas drinking opportunities. All of these are real treats, but still keeping the average price only just above £20, so if you are feeling super generous you could even give it away. Lucky recipients!

1 x CHAMPAGNE LEGRAS Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru Chouilly

2 x 2011 SANCERRE Chavignol Domaine Vincent Delaporte

2 x 2005 VIRÉ-CLESSÉ Sélection EJ Thévenet Domaine de la Bon Gran

2 x 2009 POMMARD Tavannes Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot

2 x 2009 CHÂTEAU TOULIFAUT Pomerol

2 x 2006 TASSINAIA Castello del Terriccio

1 x  1996 FONSECA GUIMARAENS

2009 CLIMAT NO. 2 47°23’29” N, 1°19’52” E Domaine de Pierre £12.95 single bottle, £11.95 ‘case’ price.

Loire guru Jim Budd also got very excited about it early this year, calling it ‘My most interesting wine of Loire Salon 2012′. We expected to sell it with great success in the summer, but it closed up after bottling, and has only now returned to form. Tasted again today and it’s now showing all the class and style which got us so excited in January last year. Lovely nose with twining scented aromas of lemon, elderflower, passion fruit and honeysuckle, and all this continues onto the palate with sherbety brightness in a full body. A half and half blend of Meslier Saint François with Sauvignon. And at this price a bargain too – not to be missed. A lovely aperitif, it would go well with smoked salmon or eve slightly spicy / oriental flavours.

My most interesting wine of Loire Salon 2012: Climat No 2 – Lionel Gosseaume has finally bottled his Meslier Saint-François, an old grape from Touraine which has virtually disappeared. It can be very productive and once used to be exported to Germany to make sparkling wine because of its high acidity. Lionel has blended his Meslier Saint-François, whose yield he limited to 45 hl/ha, with an equal amount of Sauvignon Blanc. It was aged for two years in an old foudre. Climat No2 has rich, very ripe opulent fruit but well balanced with marked acidity and is fascinatingly different. Very limited production – only 2000 bottles. Jim Budd.

 

‘Domaine les Yeuses Vermentino 2011 France (13%, Lea & Sandeman, £6.95/£6.50 mixed case price) Think herbs, hedgerows and citrus. If you like proper wine rather than one so mass-produced it’s all smoothed off at the edges, you’ll struggle to find a better house white at the price.’

‘Domaine Paul et Marie Jacqueson La Pucelle Rully 1er Cru 2010 (13%, Lea & Sandeman, £21.75 /£19.95) Rich, luscious white burgundy that’s shot through with bright lemon. Bring on the lobster.’

Lea & Sandeman Bordeaux 2008 France (13.5%, Lea & Sandeman, £9.50/£8.75 by the mixed case) Congratulations to L&S – if anyone is making a better own-label claret I have yet to taste it. Fresh and alert, pin-prick precise, what I want to drink with a late lunch of cold roast meat or a smart kitchen supper. From the flatlands of Fronsac and worth laying in by the case. Superb. (Bad news – we’ve already sold out of this vintage except for a few Magnums and halves, good news - the superb 2009 vintage is available at the same price.)

Château Lauriol Côtes de Francs 2008 France (13.5%, Lea & Sandeman, £11.95/10.75) Lovely, light, fresh claret, clean-cut yet with masses of uplifting red fruit. Pretty. Made me smile on both tasting and remembering.

Rippon Tinker’s Field Pinot Noir Mature Vine 2010 New Zealand (14%, Lea & Sandeman, £54.50/£48.95) Former champion skier Nick Mills has established himself as one of, if not the, best producer of pinot noir in Central Otago and this, one of his pricier cuvées, is spectacular, a thick stream of perfume with bass notes too. Pinot: the full orchestral version. (**this wine is on it’s way from bond, order now from one of the shops or from next week online.)

“I’d planned to write about several more excellent independent merchants here, but there is room only for a quick focus on one, Lea & Sandeman (shops in Chelsea, Kensington, Barnes and Chiswick, online at www.leaandsandeman.co.uk). They sell fine burgundies and plenty of smart bottles from very carefully-chosen growers through Europe and beyond, but there is also wonderful value in the likes of these two fragrant, tempting whites, Domaine les Yeuses Vermentino 2011, £6.95

and Vina Laguna 2011 Malvasia from Croatia, £9.95,

or Domaine Jean Royer Le Petit Roy, £13.75,

Chateauneuf du Pape in everything but name and a truly happy wine.

Delivery over £100 is free, and there’s a case discount (even if you mix your own) of approximately 10 per cent.”

Last weekend saw a flurry of pre-Christmas press on wines for festive consumption. In particular L&S featured in Jane Macquitty’s top 50 Winter Reds in The Times, and in Jancis Robinson MW’s review of the best sources for Christmas fizz which appeared in the Pink ‘un, as well as featuring in rather more detail on www.JancisRobinson.com.

In the still wines category, there were several mentions for L&S wines in Jane MacQuitty’s ‘top 100 wines for Christmas’. Amongst the reds were mentions for:-

2010 TERRA D’ALTER TINTO Terras d’Alter £7.95 single/£7.50 ‘case price’
‘Terrific fruity red from excellent Terra d’Alter, made from Aragonez, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet and Touriga Nacional, the latter best known as one of the leading grapes of port. All four were grown in the high Alentejo and the cooler altitude here has made a silky red whosewild, herby scent leads on to a red and black fruits-charged palate, the perfect winter warmer.’ Jane MacQuitty, The Times
This wine has a ‘baker’s dozen’ offer on it for the months of December, within the wider offer on the wines of Terras d’Alter, bringing it down to £6.93 a bottle. Have a look at the exceptional value mixed cases too.

2011 L’ATZAR Celler Mas La Mola £15.75 single/ 13.95′case price’
‘Priorat’s famous slate licorella soils and terraced vinyards continue to produce polished, yet chunky reds. L’Atzar is Mas la Mola’s second wine, made from younger vines and less successful plots, hence its keen price. Enjoy its terrific 14 per cent alcohol, bold, inky, sweet, raisin and plum spice with beef for a festive treat.’ Jane MacQuitty, The Times
What it’s makers describe as ‘introductory’ Priorat.

2010 BOURGOGNE Pinot Noir Domaine Joël Rémy £11.95 single/£10.95 ‘case price’
‘This perfect sub £11 pound Pinot Noir is made from mature, nearly 40-year-old Cote de Beaune vines with lots of lovely walk-in-the-woods, light, leafy, gamey fruit and a pleasing herb and liquorice-scented finish. Just the ticket to tuck into with a rich game casserole or shepherd’s pie. Jane MacQuitty, The Times

and in the previous week’d saturday Times, Jane rated our 2011 PICPOUL DE PINET Domaine Reine Juliette £7.95 single /£7.50 ‘case price’ a ‘star buy’. “Superior Picpoul de Pinet like this one is worth splashing out on. The zesty 2011, with oodles of of gorgeous ripe, fat lemon peel and greengage-layered fruit closing on a fine smoky, steely minerally fnish is a triumph. Best with fish of seafood or as an aperitif.” Jane MacQuitty, The Times.

And so to Jancis’ fizz recommendations.

You, of course, already know that the best source of high quality fizz at reasonable prices is Lea & Sandeman, and that while we don’t offer huge percentage discounts at this time of year, this is simply because our prices are not articficially inflated for the rest of the year.

Barnaut Grande Réserve Grand Cru Bouzy NV Champagne ‘As soon as I poured this I could smell a most agreeable light biscuity  perfume. Certainly not bone dry, nor especially tart, but elegantly balanced.  Absolutely nothing to object to. Just £22.95 if a mixed dozen bottles are  bought. 12.5%’ Jancis Robinson MW (and, with the Baker’s Dozen offer, down to only £21.19 a bottle if the free bottle of the Blanc de Noirs is taken into account).

Larmandier-Bernier, Tradition Extra Brut Premier Cru ‘Restrained nose that suggests great delicacy. Real race and structure. Very  grown-up champagne. Some Extra Brut champagnes are aggressively dry, but not this one. A very fair price (£29.95). See also from the same producer

Blanc de Blancs  Extra Brut Premier Cru NV Champagne (£31.95, very obvious filigree Chardonnay  flavours and lots of acidity) and

Terre de Vertus Non Dosé Premier Cru NV  Champagne (£36.95, really dense and intellectual).’ Jancis Robinson MW

Bollinger, Special Cuvée NV Champagne ‘Lots of character here. Bone dry with great structure and confidence. Not  that light! Lots of maturity. The gentle fizz feels as though it has had to  battle its way through great intensity of flavour. Kick of acidity on the end.  12%’ Jancis Robinson MW £34.95 Lea & Sandeman (www.leaandsandeman.co.uk, 020 7244  0533); and widely available elsewhere, usually at a higher price (and you can get this down to 31.50 as part of a mixed case online, or even down to £29.95 in the 24 bottle offer.

Pol Roger 2002 Champagne ‘This wine showed beautifully in a comparative tasting of top wines from the  superlative 2002 vintage last week.’ Jancis Robinson MW From £49.95 at Lea & Sandeman (www.leaandsandeman.co.uk, 020 7244  0533),

Egly-Ouriet Rosé Grand Cru Ambonnay NV Champagne ‘Very pale strawberry with an intriguing hint of cheesiness on the nose  (better than the usual sickly raspberry aromas). Very fine bead and admirably  dry finish. Distinctly superior. 12.5%’ Jancis Robinson MW

Jancis also mentioned, (with a price tag from a supermarket of £29.99),

Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2008 England (£26.95,single/£24.95 case from L&S) ‘First vintage to have Canadian winemaker Cherie Spriggs in charge and first since 1998 to be treated to 100 per cent softening malolactic fermentation, which is A Good Thing. Lighter nose than the Nyetimber Merret 2010 but very refreshing. Tastes like a Blanc de Blancs, although there is less than 80 per cent Chardonnay in the blend. 12%’ Jancis Robinson MW

Jean-Louis Denois £13.95 single/£12.95 ‘case price’ – our most popular non-champagne ‘méthode traditionelle’ sparkler, also got a mention from Bob Tyrer the week before in the Sunday Times. ‘Dry, appley and satifying, this is a bargain must-buy for every Christmas fridge, and a standout among the many non-champagne sparklers on the market.’

As always ‘case price’ applies to any purchase of any mix of 12 bottles or more. In addition on Champagne the case price refers to min. 6 bottle purchase even if nothing else is bought, and there are many even better deals to be had if you have a good look at the Champagne Offers on the website

Many of our customers have been very happy to be introduced to the great value wines from Terras d’Alter over the last year. Obviously we would like even more people to try them, and unsurprisingly so would the winemaker, Peter Bright. Peter’s Aussie origins are evident in the fresh fruit and clean brightness of all of these wines. There is varietal character well-expressed, and more too – mineral whites with class and length, reds with juicy fruit and fine tannins with a drinkability rare in Portugal. Peter is no blow-in blow-out flying winemaker; he has been making wine in Portugal since 1982, and he certainly knows his stuff.

Until the end of the year Peter is offering our customers, though us, a free extra bottle on every full case of all his varietal range (Viognier, Alavarino and Verdelho in white, Alicante Bouchet, Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro and Aragonez in red) as well as the Terras d’Alter Tinto. In addition we have decided to offer two mixed cases, one of reds and one of whites, with an extra bottle of his next range ‘up the scale’ the Reserva red and white. This is a great opportunity to try the range and each case is conveniently just over the minimum order for free delivery. But beware, we are coming to the end of the year quicker than you think – the cut-off for guaranteed delivery outside London before Christmas is midnight on Sunday 16th December.

Check out the full offer, but don’t miss these two mixed 13-bottle cases.

TERRAS D’ALTER WHITES

3 bottles 2011 TERRA D’ALTER BRANCO Terras d’Alter
3 bottles 2011 ALVARINO Terras d’Alter
3 bottles 2010 VERDELHO Terras d’Alter
3 bottles 2011 VIOGNIER Terras d’Alter
1 bottle 2011 TERRA D’ALTER BRANCO RESERVA Terras d’Alter

A selection of all Peter Bright’s brilliant value crisp dry whites (at the ‘case’ prices) comes with a FREE BOTTLE of the RESERVA BRANCO, all for £103.05

TERRAS D’ALTER REDS

3 bottles 2010 TERRA D’ALTER TINTO Terras d’Alter
3 bottles 2011 ALFROCHEIRO Terras d’Alter
3 bottles 2009 ARAGONEZ Terras d’Alter
3 bottles 2008 ALICANTE BOUSCHET Terras d’Alter
1 bottl 2009 TERRA D’ALTER TINTO RESERVA Terras d’Alter
Try all of Peter Bright’s immensely drinkable varietal Alentejo reds (at the ‘case’ prices) and get a FREE BOTTLE of the RESERVA TINTO.

STAR BUY in Jane Macquitty’s The Times 50 white wines for Christmas 2012. “Superior Picpoul de Pinet, like this star, is worth splashing out on. This zesty 2011, with oodles of ripe, fat, lemon-peel and greengage-layered fruit, closing on a fine, smokey, steely, minerally finish is a triumph. Best with fish of seafood or as an aperitif.”

If you feel like getting out, maybe see you for breakfast in Portobello.

Here’s another addition to our seasonal Champagnes offer. All these offers are alo available in our shops, and if you do not want to bulk-buy, then you can buy just two bottles at an intermediate price between single bottle and case.

As Jane MacQuitty wrote in The Times last year “Roederer is one of the champagne greats, owning more vineyards than any other leading house and which supplies two thirds of its grape needs. Brut Premier (40% pinot noir, 40% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier) is one of my favourite non-vintage champagnes, with a distinctively rich, honeyed, biscuity and notably full-bodied style. Celebrations were made for this.” The normal ‘case’ price will automatically be applied to any purchase of six bottles.

Don’t miss the ROEDERER BRUT PREMIER BY 24 BOTTLES  to get our lowest advertised price this winter of £27.95 per bottle when you buy 2 dozen.

These three at the ‘value’ end of his offering really deserve to be in your winter cellar – if you don’t feel like committing to a full case of one of them, why not try the mixed case of 4 bottles of each. If you live in London you could have this delivered tomorrow if you order any time today.

2010 DOLCETTO D’ALBA Bric del Salto Sottimano £11.95 (as part of a case)

Every restaurant in Piemont has a Dolcetto by the glass – it’s ‘introductory Piemontese wine’, juicy, sappy, mouthwatering and goes brilliantly with food.

As the WineGang commented on this wine at our recent tasting “From the excellent Sottimano, based in the Cotta area of Barbaresco, a joyously pure and drinkable Dolcetto. It’s all about the gorgeously ripe dark black cherry fruit and the vigorously fresh acidity, with just a touch of astringent tannin keeping it appetistingly dry and food-friendly. One for a wild-mushroom risotto on a mellow autumnal evening.”

2009 BARBERA PAIROLERO Sottimano £17.95 (as part of a case)

All mouthfilling roundness and satisfying, winter-defying depth of fruit.

“Single vineyard. 20-25 days on skins. Racked to wood. Eight months on lees. Made just like the Barbaresco. Deep crimson. Very perfumed for a Barbera. Lightly spiced and pure fruit. Fragrant and fresh and mineral. Both generous and fresh and still has that dry mineral texture. Smooth dry tannins. More red fruited than the Dolcetto. Long. Juicy and generous but it has the lovely structuring acidity and minerality to balance that generosity of fruit. 2012-2018  – 17 ”  Julia Harding, www.JancisRobinson.com

2009 LANGHE NEBBIOLO Sottimano £14.95 (as part of a case)

A ’declassified’ Barbaresco – it comes from 15 year old vines in the Basarin vineyard, but the Sottimanos don’t consider this to be old enough to make Barbaresco. It has become something of a staple in the Lea household – there’s something very satisfying it its slightly gritty grippiness and purity of spicy fruit.

“Beautifully fragrant and open. Floral and tea and just a touch of coffee. Then that real firm tannic grip, and the perfume on the palate all tied up by the structure. Chocolate texture (not taste) on the finish. Flavour all tied up in the texture too. According to Sottimano, the 2004 vintage of this wine has aged very well. 2013-2019 16.5+”    Julia Harding, www.JancisRobinson.com

MIXED CASE – 4 BOTTLES OF EACH:- £179.40

Draw the curtains, light the fire, and get ready to appreciate the total purity of Andrea Sottimano’s wine. 4 x 2010 DOLCETTO D’ALBA Bric del Salto Sottimano 4 x 2009 LANGHE NEBBIOLO Sottimano 4 x 2009 PAIROLERO Sottimano

We may be on the ‘beach’ here, but golly what a dreary day it is! It seems hardly to have got light today on the western borders of Chelsea.

Time to cheer up with the next part of our pre-Christmas Champagne offers so you can order some Pol Roger to fizz up your end of year?

Pol is on a high this year – served at the Royal wedding, and the magnificent Pol Roger 2002 vintage is still available (from £49.95) long after other houses have moved on to the 2004. And what a wonderful wine that 2002 is. Still young, though, so buy a couple of cases of the NV to drink while you wait. The normal ‘case’ price will automatically be applied to any purchase of six bottles, but don’t miss the POL ROGER ROYAL CELEBRATION to get our lowest advertised price this winter of £27.95 per bottle when you buy 2 dozen.

We also have a small amount left of our allocation of the 2002 Blanc de Blancs – another fantastic 2002 which deserves a space in your cellar. This week only offered at £59.95 per bottle by the case inc. VAT. This is the equivalent of under £270 per 6 bottles in bond, and we deliver it.

SOLD OUT

On Thursday 13^th December we are hosting our final wine dinner of 2012, in one of our favourite dining rooms in London, the private room at the River Café, with the wines of Castello del Terriccio.

Patrick Sandeman was the first ‘outsider’ (not from the estate staff) other than the consultant oenologist Carlo Ferrini, to taste these wines, back in the early ’90s. He was immediately taken with the character produced by such young vines, and immediately placed the estate’s first export order. L&S’s relationship with the Terriccio has deepened over the years since, and Pucci (aka Gian Annibale Rossi di Medelana Serafini Ferri, Terriccio’s owner) visited the shop at 170 Fulham Road shortly before Patrick left us.

Terriccio is one of Tuscany’s most beautiful estates on the Maremma coast with wonderful views out to sea, and the fresh coastal breezes and clarity of light that allow the vines to grow so healthily. The wines here have been made by Carlo Ferrini since the very beginning. He, like so many of the best winemakers, has cut back on the amount of oak used, there is a purer expression of fruit and a greater lift in these wines.

Tassinaia, the fabulous value wine of the estate, continues to enchant. It has a fleshy softness and easy appeal, but also a satisfying amount of character and density, making it a treat at a price which can still allow a weekday indulgence

Lupicaia, the top wine the estate, very much reflects the same character of Terriccio; spice, balsam, eucalyptus and depth of fruit, but with a classical balance, a restrained power. We may have been guilty in recent years of under-selling this wine, as we remembered the pricing of the early vintages, but relative to both Bordeaux and most other Tuscan greats, it does in fact remain great value.

‘Castello del Terriccio’ (destined to become known simply as ‘Castello’) is a relatively new wine to the estate, based upon Syrah, Mourvèdre, Tannat and Cabernet Franc. All the 2006s are truly gorgeous.

The most ‘junior’ wine of the estate is Capannino, made from young vines and barrels and vats which do not quite fit the blends of the other wines. As such it’s own blend can vary rather wildly from vintage to vintage, but it has always offered really striking value. The pure Merlot Capannino 2010 is another in a long line of such bargains.

Thursday 13th December 2012

7.30 pm for 8.00pm dinner

£145.00 per person to include a four course dinner and all wines.

A four course dinner in the private dining room of the famous River Café which will consist of antipasti to start and then a choice each of Primi, Secondi and Dolci or cheeses.

The red wines will be presented by Giuliana Cavazza of Castello del Terriccio.

White wine

 2011 ZUANI Vigne Bianco Collio

Red wines from Castello del Terriccio

2010 CAPANNINO Castello del Terriccio

2006 TASSINAIA Castello del Terriccio

2004 TERRICCIO Castello del Terriccio

2006 LUPICAIA Castello del Terriccio

and an older vintage of each of the three top wines.

Places are limited to only sixteen guests so please respond quickly if you would like to join in on this unique dinner in the private dining room of the River Café.

To book and pay for your tickets please call Colin Patch (colinp@leaandsandeman.co.uk) or Emerson Herdman (emerson@leaandsandeman.co.uk) on 020 7244 0522

Tickets must be paid for at the time of ordering and no refunds will be made for cancellations.

 Beaujolais Villages Nouveau from Domaine Rochette - which can be ordered on the website now for delivery on release day (for those of you in London at least) which is tomorrow, Thursday 15th Nov., or bought in the shops from tomorrow late morning.

WINE DINNERS WITH PRODUCERS : update We have a very few places left for the wine dinner with the very charming Andrea Sottimano at Quo Vadis on next Wednesday 21st November. Andrea’s Barbarescos have been getting rave reviews in recent issues of the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator – time to get in before the prices go stratospheric.

David Porter, who has been such a lynchpin the office team here for the last several years, has been quite badly hurt when knocked off his bicycle in the New King’s Road on the way to work three weeks ago, and with a broken left elbow and three fingers of his right hand, will be unable to work for some time. Our hearts go out to him (wishing him a speedy return to the office), but also to his wife Sarah who also has their two small daughter to look after. All of the rest of the L&S team are pulling togther to try to make sure that the service you have come to expect remains unaltered, but there may be moments when we have to prioritise the urgent over the next few weeks leading up to Christmas.

I am absolutely delighted that Katie has accepted to become my co-director. Katie joined Lea & Sandeman at the very start. In 1988 L&S first traded from my house at 1 Henning Street in Battersea, with a self-storage unit by Vauxhall Bridge. Katie very quickly became indispensable, keeping tight control of cash-flow, accounts, and us.

Visitors to the company in the early days grew accustomed the Patrick and I saying, with only a very small smile, that it was she who ran the company and we merely worked for her. Recently Katie has ceded some of her role in chasing late-payers (anyone breathing out with relief here had better watch out for Lindsay Field who has taken this on), but remains closely involved in the day to day management of the company and accounts.

Together we look forward to taking Lea & Sandeman to new heights.

Charles Lea

We are delighted to offer the second release of Gonzalez Byass’ rare and delicious Palmas range of sherries.

Since the 1880s Gonzalez Byass has used the Palmas system to classify its highest quality Finos. The traditional ‘palma’ chalk mark was made on the barrel to indicate wines of exceptional finesse and delicacy of aroma with the youngest given ‘una palma’ up to ‘cuatro palmas’ for the oldest and rarest casks.

Very limited quantities of these exceptional sherries are drawn from the cask in the Autumn and bottled unfiltered and unclarified – ‘en rama’. The Una, Dos and Tres Palmas are sherries originally from the famous Tio Pepe solera but that have retained their delicate coating of flor despite their increasing age. The oldest and rarest, the Cuatro Palmas, is around 40 years old and is from one of six exceptional barrels in the Gonzalez Byass cellar, two of which have now been bottled leaving only four more possible future releases.

Quantities, especially of the Tres and Cuatro Palmas, are very limited.

All are bottled in 50cl bottles.

You can of course just go to the site and type in ‘palma’ in the search field to see them all, and to add odd bottles to any order.

‘Una Palma’ 6 bottles £71.70
A six year old Fino selected from a number of casks ageing under a layer of Flor. Aromatic and delicately textured this is very dry, but less austere than many Fino with an elegance that makes it very easy to drink.

‘Dos Palmas’ 6 bottles £95.70
An eight year old Fino selected from a couple of Fino casks still retaining a delicate layer of Flor. Moving into a Fino/Amontillado style this is more intense (than the Una Palma) and much more concentrated. The flavour is fuller and drier and very long on the finish.

‘Tres Palmas’ 6 bottles £207
It is very rare for a Fino to still retain a layer of Flor after ten years but this is taken from the very small number of barrels that do. This is on the cusp of still being a Fino, and moving really into Amontillado territory, and yet the wine still retains some of the freshness and lighter body of a Fino.

‘Cuatro Palmas’ 6 bottles £299.70
An extremely rare forty five year old fino sherry (although as last year this is labelled ‘amontillado’ for political reasons) drawn from one of six casks known as ‘Museo Solera’. Deep in colour, intense on the nose, rich and nutty, this is totally awesome. Bone dry and yet richly textured with tremendous length.

The Una, Dos and Tres Palmas are fine delicate Finos to be enjoyed immediately or, at least, within 6 to 9 months of bottling.  The Cuatro Palmas may be kept for up to 2 years before opening.

Should you be tempted by more than one of the Gonzalez Byass Palmas, why not treat yourself to a mixed half-dozen…

3 bottles ‘Una Palma’ and 3 bottles ‘Dos Palmas’
£83.70

2 bottles ‘Una Palma’, 2 bottles ‘Dos Palmas’ and 1 bottle each of the ‘Tres Palmas’ and ‘Cuatro Palmas’
£140.25

To order, call your local LEA & SANDEMAN or order on-line.

Anthony Rose wrote of his experience of being part of the selection process in The Independent on Saturday “…the opportunity to join in the blending was not to be missed… Una is the most delicate, Dos more yeasty and brioche-like, Tres starting to develop nuttier, buttery notes…. For the rarest, Cuatro Palmas, we chose the nuttiest, most concentrated, amontillado-like of the six remaining barrels aged 40 plus… …Check now if you’re interested because they’ll fly.”

This year we were happy to be awarded the accolade of best Independent Champagne retailer by the trade mag. ‘Harpers’, but that pales into insignificance beside the tweet that Jancis Robinson sent out after our last tasting:- “Today’s tasting suggested nowhere better in London to buy Champagne than Lea & Sandeman“.

This was largely based on a tasting of our Grower Champagnes, but we think you will find our prices on our selected Grandes Marques hard to beat too.

PART ONE of this year’s offers is now on the website, so click away and have fun.

As Patrick wrote in his Champagne offer last year:- “Life is too short to drink bad wine, and bad champagne probably shortens your life, so drink less and drink the best you can afford!

Barnaut Grand Cru Bouzy from £21.19 per bottle inc VAT delivered

Laurent Perrier NV from £25.95 inc. VAT delivered

Taittinger NV from £25.95 inc. VAT delivered

Bollinger from £29.95 inc. VAT delivered

Laurent-Perrier Rosé from £39.50 inc. VAT delivered

WINEMAKER’S DINNER with Andrea SOTTIMANO and his stunning BARBARESCOS at Quo Vadis

On Wednesday 21^st November we are hosting a wine dinner in the private dining room of Quo Vadis, together with Andrea Sottimano.

Quo Vadis, with its top location in Soho, is one of the ‘buzziest’ restaurants around at the moment, following a mini re-vamp and the arrival of new head chef Jeremy Lee at the beginning of the year. ‘The combination of lovely Jeremy Lee, the hard-working Hart brothers and “Spitz” is the dream team of which my nights are made,’ as one well-known restaurant critic noted.

Sottimano see their wines on our website is one of the leading producers in Barbaresco, and whilst being much lauded in both Italy and the USA, the estate has until recently remained under the radar here in the UK.

‘These are very serious, beautiful Barbarescos’- Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate.

This sixteen hectare estate is based in the Cotta’ region of Barbaresco, and the Sottimano family have over the years bought outstanding vineyards in the ‘crus’ of Curra’, Cotta’, Fausoni and Pajore’. Yields are kept very low and the winemaking as natural as possible, without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilisers, using only natural yeasts and bottling without filtering or fining. All of these ‘crus’ are given exactly the same oak treatment so as to allow the individual ‘terroirs’ express their character. ‘Cotta’, the most fruit driven of the crus, comes from 25 year old vines and is characterised by red and black fruits and a hint of mint. ‘Fausoni’ from 40 year old vines is the softest and most floral with notes of mint and liquorice and with a firm core of vibrant acidity, while ‘Pajore’ is the most traditional and epitomises elegance and austerity, with wonderful balance and ripeness. These are truly singular wines that are built for the long term and will reward those with patience, but enjoyable in their youth if decanted with plenty of air.

This dinner offers a unique opportunity to become better acquainted with one of the rising stars of Piedmont, and taste across three of their top Barbaresco ‘Crus’ in three different vintages, in addition to their fabulous Barbera and highly expressive Dolcetto d’Alba.

Wednesday 21^st November, 7.30 for 8.00pm.

2010 DOLCETTO D’ALBA Bric del Salto
2009 BARBERA Pairolero
2008 BARBARESCO Fausoni
2007 BARBARESCO Cotta’
2006 BARBARESCO Pajore

Tickets are £125.00 per person, to include a three course dinner and all wines, and limited to only 22 places.

To book and pay for your tickets please call Colin Patch (colinp@leaandsandeman.co.uk) or Emerson Herdman (emerson@leaandsandeman.co.uk) on 020 7244 0522

Tickets must be paid for at the time of ordering and no refunds will be made for cancellations.

So far I have damson as the ‘signature fruit flavour’ of the vintage in red. Not that this should imply any of the aggressive bitterness of the raw fruit – I’m thinking the flavour of damson which my mother can always incorporate into sorbet or mousse or fool so that you get the depth of the flavour, but softened or sweetened, gently balanced. These are wines with enough mass, but not heavy – they are given lightness by their freshness of expression. A really top vintage along the lines of 2010 – not the dense heaviness of 2009, but something of the style of 2010, with even more really jumping liveliness. In this last sense like the 2008s, but they to not have the slightly jagged tannins of 2008. In 2011 the tannins are ‘fondus’ as they say here – melted-in, ripe and fine. But they are very present, and they give a ‘tonic’ firmness. At our big SNP tasting earlier in the year (of Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir), we wanted tasters to draw parallels between the marginally ‘bitter’ tannins of the Italian varieties and those of Pinot Noir, and it seems that this 2011 vintage is designed to show the parallels in a very clear light. Never has de Courcel Pommard Rugiens had tannins so much like a Barolo Rocche. These are wines which, whatever their likely cellaring potential, taste great now.

Nicolas Rossignol, Christophe Perrot-Minot and Thibault Liger-Belair have all expressed interest in coming to our 11th Jan Burgundy 2011 Vintage tasting, so you can believe that they think these wines are good.

The vintage is a small harvest even by the standards of 2010, but this is as nothing compared to the lack of wine in 2012. I was given examples all day long – ‘in 2011, I made five barrels of this parcel, in 2012 I’ve only one’. I hardly need say that there is going to be a shortage of historical proportions and the price of wines ‘en vrac’ (as liquid volume sold by growers to the Nuits and Beaune merchants) has already jumped up.

Tuesday’s tastings? Anne Gros, Mugneret-Gibourg, Confuron-Cotetidot, Thierry Mortet, Clos des Lambrays and Bernard Dugat-Py. Never think its all fun and games, but definitely fun to be had tasting this vintage.

It is impossible to showcase everything every time; few people, even hardened professionals, have the stamina or time to taste though hundreds and hundreds of samples on a grey Monday in October, so putting together the right selection is key.

As ever the difficult bit for us was to rein ourselves in and try to keep the tasting list short and coherent when we have so many great things we want to show-off!

Thankfully the balance on the day seemed to work – everything on the table showed brilliantly from the amazing value new 2011 CHARDONNAY Domaine Pierre Belle through to the sexy and stylish wines from Sottimano in Italy’s north western corner. Thankfully there were some excellent reactions from the journalists, many of which were almost immediately emitted to the world via Twitter, and hopefully further reports will appear in more traditional print and online formats over the coming weeks.

Of the tweeters, arguably the most effusive on the day was Joe Wadsack (you can find him on twitter under his handle ‘@vinesack’).  Amongst others he highlighted a pair of wines which we too are really excited about.  Firstly the hugely impressive 2009 SAINT AUBIN 1er Cru Frionnes Domaine Hubert Lamy here he tweeted in his inimitable style -“09 White Burg won’t last. A bit buxom & don’t have enough minerality.” as 1 D***head said to me last yr. This is sex!” – We could not agree more with the sentiment! Olivier Lamy shows how it is done with this pure and precise cracker from one of Burgundy’s unsung heroes – the village of Saint Aubin.

He also was full of praise for the stunning wines from Rippon in New Zealand – ‘The best Pinot in NZ? The last two vintages add considerable weight to the argument. Bloody love this.’

anyway how can you resist the idea of wines that come from here:-

Journalists often find extraordinary and wonderful adjectives to describe and bring to life the attributes of a wine, it is this ability to convey the excitement and impact of a taste that sets them apart from us mere mortal wine-lovers.  Somehow even when you don’t instantly recognise the word you know they are onto a good thing – and when two respected wine writers concur, it would be simply churlish to disagree! ‘Oz reckons this (LE PETIT ROY11eme-annee Domaine Jean Royer) is the epitome of flodgulence. I’m inclined to agree.’ Tweeted Joe.

This delicious Rhône red, a Châteauneuf in almost all but name - is the perfect antidote to these dark, damp days of Autumn- packed with ripe peppery fruit and a lovely, almost old-fashioned, ‘liquidity’, making it so very gluggable. Flodgulent (?) indeed.

We also showed some of our highly acclaimed Growers-Champagnes – which we will be writing about next week with some seasonal jollity in mind. These prompted Jancis Robinson’s memorable tweet “Today’s tasting suggested nowhere better in London to buy champagne than @LeaandSandeman“, which is a very kind thing to say and something you may see us quote again.

To cheer the soul on a soggy autumnal day – we would highly recommend Joe’s brilliant blog - where you will find some of the most amusing and honest writing on wine anywhere.

To all our supporters we would just say again that it is the day to day routine and sales which cheer us most in these dark times, so please do not feel you have to tiptoe around us. I will be in Burgundy tasting the 2011′s, but the rest of the team would welcome a deluge of orders.

On Thursday 4th October, a Thanksgiving Mass was held for Patrick Sandeman at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street. The last seat in this huge church was taken twenty minutes before the service began, a testament to the wide regard and affection in which Patrick was held. As Jancis Robinson put it on the day, the fact that only about a fifth of the congregation had any connection to the wine trade showed he ‘had a life’. You can read Jancis’ full report on her site JancisRobinson.com.

The whole of Lea & Sandeman was closed for the day and all the current team, accompanied by a good many ‘old boys’ attended the service.

Umm…. yes!

There’s a longer, even lovelier, version on Jancis’ website, www.JancisRobinson.com

“The shops are filled with brilliant wines, thanks to their genius for ferreting out extremely good-value grower champagnes (from small producers) as well as delicious bottles from Italy and France. It’s no accident that Lea & Sandeman has just been awarded IWC [International Wine Challenge] London Wine Merchant of the Year for the fourth consecutive time.

“Lea & Sandeman is one of the great success stories,” confirms wine writer Oz Clarke. “And I think it’s encouraged many others to have a go at setting up themselves.”

Will Lyons – The Wall Street Journal

Patrick Sandeman

Many of you have heard of the terrible news from the weekend. Many have written and emailed and we and Patrick’s family are grateful for it.

For those who have not yet heard, it is with great sadness that I have to tell you that Patrick Sandeman died in a skydiving accident on Saturday.

We are all devastated by this news and of course all our thoughts are with Patrick’s wife Katie (who has always been an important member of the L&S team) and her family.

All of us at Lea & Sandeman are committed to redoubling our efforts and continue to build on the solid foundations of the company, certain that this is what Patrick would have wanted.

Please do not feel you have to leave us in peace or tread gently around us. The routine of business is the easy part of this difficult time.

If you would like to write to Katie please do so to the Fulham Road address simply marked ‘personal’. There are also books of condolence in the Fulham Road and Barnes shops.

Patrick’s family have requested that no flowers be sent to the house.

The whole Company will be closed for the day on Thursday the 4^th of October. We will, however, do our best to deliver in the usual way - any orders received during the day via e-mail or on the website.

In memory of Patrick, his family have chosen the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust as the most suitable charity to channel donations. They will provide funds for spinally injured people to improve their lives generally and enable them to achieve their dreams. For donations please go to this site http://www.justgiving.com/patrick-sandeman-funding-extraordinary-journeys or you can donate by post to: Patrick Sandeman, Funding Extraordinary Journeys, c/o Southern Spinal Injuries Trust, 21 Chipper Lane, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 1BG. Cheques made payable to SSIT.

It is too soon for me to write coherently about Patrick, friend and partner for twenty-five years and more. We have been through so much together. Many of you will have your own memories. The articles linked to below, and more that will no doubt appear in the next few days, will give some idea of how great is his loss to us all.

The Daily Telegraph – telegraph.co.uk

Jancis Robinson OBE MW – Jancis Robinson.com

The Wall Street Journal – Will Lyons

The Evening Standard – standard.co.uk

The Evening Standard – Andrew Neather – standard.co.uk

The Independent – independent.co.uk

WineChap – winechap.com

Yours in great sorrow, on behalf of all at Lea & Sandeman

Charles Lea

Not only because he is married to the lovely Jo Mills (who he seduced at the London Wine Trade Fair some years ago), or because he was once a heroic free style skier (and still is, but a little less crazy these days), or perhaps because he is one of the few people who really understands and can explain biodynamics in a way that makes sense (without sounding like some sort of hair shirted madman), but definitely because he makes some of New Zealand’s best and most exciting wines.

If you previously thought that biodynamic viticulture was all about witchcraft and wizardry, Nick will dispel your fears. Most of them at least. And if you think that great Pinot Noir comes only from Burgundy, Nick’s Rippon Mature Vines will broaden your mind.

Join us for a three course dinner in the dining room of The Thomas Cubitt, 44 Elizabeth Street,  SW1W 9PA, and Nick will guide us through his exceptional white wines (Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer), followed by three world class Pinot Noirs, including the single vineyards wines Tinker’s Field and Emma’s Block.

Tickets are £85 per person and limited to only 28 places.

Wednesday 3rd October 2012.

7.15pm for 7.45pm

To book and pay for your tickets please call Colin Patch (colinp@leaandsandeman.co.uk) or Emerson Herdman (emerson@leaandsandeman.co.uk) on 020 7244 0522

Tickets must be paid for at the time of ordering and no refunds will be made for cancellations.

The 25th Anniversary of Lea & Sandeman is fast approaching. The official date must really be the beginning of the first month of sales, which was June 1988, even though a lot of work had been done before that. In fact the 25th anniversary of the Original Lunch, at the Café Delancey in Camden Town, really is not that far away now.

Even so we find that we were beaten to it by our friends at the River Café (of which we knew nothing twenty-five years ago) who have just celebrated their 25th Anniversary with a knockout party on a warm September evening in the Thames-side garden in front of the restaurant.

Co-founder Ruth Rogers recalled her partnership with Rose Gray, their early amateurishness, the gradual progress, some of the staff who have passed through over the years, and was joined on stage by her husband Lord Rogers and the current team. She spoke of the family atmosphere in the restaurant which had employed her children and those of Rose Gray. And of course she spoke of the sadness of the early death of Rose in 2010.

The party continued with music, Ferris wheel, Champagne and wine and lots of food, including absolutely memorable scallops cooked the wood-fired oven, spatchcocked quail (marvellously messy to eat standing with a drink in one hand) and various batches of wonderful risottos.

It will be a hard act to follow.

Once again Lea & Sandeman had to fight off stiff competition to win this award, and far from being complacent we are already thinking about how we can improve every aspect of our business in order to be in line for next year’s award.

First of all we would like you to help us celebrate by giving you a FREE bottle of our best-selling grower’s champagne Barnaut!

All you have to do is to BUY a case of six bottles of Champagne Barnaut Grande Réserve at the discounted bottle price £22.95 (£137.70) and we will give you a seventh bottle entirely FREE, but hurry as we are only making this crazy offer for orders placed this week (offer ends on Saturday 15th September).

You can ORDER online or call any one of our shops today.

At last we have found an exceptional quality and very well priced white burgundy that is good enough to carry the Lea & Sandeman label, alongside our already best selling red Lea & Sandeman Bordeaux.

Quietly introduced into our shops in the late Spring we held off making a song and dance about it as we felt the wine could benefit from a further three months in bottle. However, because so many of our regular customers discovered it and came back for more we sold out of the first batch rather quickly, and our next shipment has only just arrived in the warehouse. It is now showing really well.

Sourced from Domaine de la Denante, whose remarkably good Saint Véran we introduced last year, this white burgundy was declared at the time of harvesting as a Macon Davayé. ‘Declassified’ wines might seem two-a-penny, judging by the number of claims made by wine merchants, and most must be taken with a large dose of salts, but this is the real deal and only declassified by us so as to be labelled Lea & Sandeman White Burgundy. The proof is in the drinking.

Our brilliant value Lea & Sandeman 2011 WHITE BURGUNDY is priced at £12.95 a single bottle, and £11.95 by the dozen bottles.

We are making a limited ‘introductory’ offer at only £10.95 bottle when you buy 12 bottles during the month of September.

BUY 12 bottles at £10.95 bottle (£131.40 case).

OR *buy 24 bottles and we will only charge you only £9.95 a bottle (£119.40 per case, total £238.80)! *You will need to follow this link in order to buy at this special offer price.

OR buy a mixed case of 6 bottles each of Lea & Sandeman 2011 White Burgundy and Lea & Sandeman 2008 Bordeaux for only £118.20.

This offer will run until Saturday 29th September 2012.

Norwich-born winemaker Ian Hutcheon owns the Tremonte estate in Chile. Back in pre-Conquest times, the Incas sacrificed animals and, often, their fellow man to the Gods atop of the mountains. Ian, inspired by the ancient traditions of the Incas (and, to be a touch cynical for a moment, the more modern traditions of the PR department) has ‘sacrificed’ a few bottles from his winery to Monte Tuca. This sacrifice is, fortunately, not quite as terminal as those of the Incas.  Individual bottles are wrapped in a cloak, sealed inside small coffins and buried at the summit of the mountain.  Reportedly some 200 bottles have been buried thus. Once they have overwintered, thirsty and curious punters may ascend Monte Tuca with a map and a spade (and presumably a corkscrew) and dig a bottle up again to give it the true final sacrifice that all good bottles of wine deserve.

The wine selected for this mystic treatment is Monte Rekewa Gran Reserva, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Syrah blend and the flagship wine from his Tremonte estate, now available exclusively from Lea & Sandeman. In addition to the Monte Rekewa there is in the range a fine cassis-laden and quite crunchy Cabernet Sauvignon, a warm brambly Merlot and a rich velvety Malbec.

All the Tremonte wines at Lea & Sandeman are available un-sacrificed, but should you wish to over-winter a bottle or two at the bottom of the garden, you’ll have to provide your own coffin!

Somewhat inevitably claret was the overwhelming choice, in spite of my feeble attempts to steer my hosts towards the red burgundy selection, and a bottle of Langoa Barton 1999 promptly arrived at the table just as the grouse was served. Game chips, bread sauce, toasted breadcrumbs and lashings of gravy dressed the plate alongside the roasted game and made for a challenging foil to the Langoa. Still deep in colour and with plenty of lush fruit the ’99 is a very good Langoa which is drinking well, but ultimately a little one dimensional and on this occasion not really up to the challenge. Discussion turned momentarily to first growths, but even in clubland prices have reached such dizzy heights that we were knocked back to a mere Grand Puy Lacoste 2000. This was more fit for purpose, but it is still something of a behemoth and I could not help but feel we were drinking it before its time, impressive though it was, and that a red burgundy would have been more appropriate. A decanter of Taylor’s 1985 rounded off the evening perfectly before travelling home to Putney.

On the basis that it is much cheaper (by a long shot) to eat grouse when in season, than to shoot them, I always relish doing so at home and so we did this week-end. This time, however, I had the run of my own cellar to chose from and there was no doubt at all about what it would be. Burgundy of course. Three plump little birds were roasted until still just pink, served with a gravy reduction (plenty of amontillado sherry), buttered cabbage with pancetta and walnuts, and game chips. For me, a bottle of Domaine Chandon de Briailles 1995 Corton Charlemagne; now pale in colour, delicately scented, slightly dry with ethereal fruit and vegetal flavours this was a lovely match for the delicate gamey flavours of the grouse. But not for Mrs S, who unfortunately (or not?) has yet to develop a taste for mature red burgundy, preferring the juicy fruit of a younger wine, as she happily settled into a bottle of Mugneret-Gibourg’s 2009 Vosne Romanee.

A brace and a half of grouse and a brace of red burgundy. I cannot think of a better way to spend a Saturday evening on a bank holiday weekend. (Not forgetting the fabulous palate sharpening bottle of Tribut’s 2009 Chablis in the kitchen before dinner!).

Last night I hosted a ’shepherd’s pie and claret’ supper, something which has become a summer ritual, for nine of my closest ‘August bachelor’ friends.

Only this year I intentionally did not serve any claret, but unintentionally served some wines as a result of not taking my specs  into the cellar, which proved interesting.

Those wanting a glass of fizz before dinner were treated to my all-time favourite non-vintage (although I note that our latest batch states Millésime 2007 on the back label) Larmandier Bernier ‘Terre de Vertus’ ‘Non Dosé’, whilst those wanting white wine had Tribut’s fabulous 2009 Chablis.

The first course of crab, mango and avocado salad, lightly laced with lime juice and red chillies, was very well matched by Gaillard’s 2010 Condrieu, and quite stunning – in fact so good I was not totally surprised when it was pointed out to me that it was the ‘L’Octroi’ cuvée which I had not noticed when I pulled it from the rack, without my specs on.

My shepherd’s pie is lovingly made from scratch, with no short cuts; two legs of lamb roasted, minced by hand through my trusty ‘Spong’ added to a rich gravy made with plenty of wine and spices (cinnamon essential) and topped by a well-buttered potato mash which crisps up beautifully. This year’s ‘claret’ had everybody guessing, and it was no great surprise when I revealed that it was Italian; Villa Fidelia’s Bordeaux blend, 2000 vintage from magnum, drinking beautifully and tasting like a wine twice its price. (Note: if you own this wine take great care when decanting as it has a thick, heavy sediment).

This was followed by another two magnums. First up one of Italy’s greatest Syrah, Il Bosco 1997 Tenimenti Luigi d’Alessandro, a little dry after the sweetness of Villa Fidelia’s lush, ripe fruit, but great with the cheeses, and then a magnificent magnum of 1989 Pommard Clos des Épeneaux, Comte Armand. I have always found this wine take an age to mature and often had disappointing experiences, but the 1989 was a wonderful example of top quality mature red burgundy and drinking beautifully.

Homemade strawberry ice-cream, with fresh strawberries soaked in monbazillac and a fresh vanilla pod, were accompanied by a glass of one of the really great sweet wines, Chateau Climens 1988. So good was it that everybody wanted another, each saying that they had rarely tasted a mature Sauternes so good. The next bottle from the fridge was a second victim of my failure to wear specs in the cellar, and what should have been another magnificent bottle was marginally less so for being 1989. Fatter and broader, with barley sugar sweetness it lacked the exquisite poise and drive of the 1988, but was a fascinating comparison.

Too much already? It is August after all, and there was by now a very relaxed feeling at table so a bottle of chilled Sandeman Twenty Year Old Tawny seemed the perfect way to round off a splendid evening. That is until a bottle of Lea & Sandeman Armagnac appeared on the table too.

Washing, drying and polishing over fifty glasses first thing in the morning is really quite cathartic, and coupled with the fact that everything we drank was of such good quality I feel remarkably perky today. Looking forward to a chilled glass of Manzanilla even!

‘Does it matter what wine is poured when the intention is to seduce? And if so, what bottles might it be good to open? I ask these questions because I was browsing in wine merchants Lea & Sandeman last Friday when a chap, who I’ll call Mr X, walked in and asked for help.

“I have an important date tonight,” I overheard him say. “She likes white wine. What should I buy?” He twinkled. “My life is in your hands.” Unwisely, I interfered. I don’t know what came over me, but I gave him the most terrible advice. If wine choice matters, Mr X might well be miserably logging into match.com and cursing me right now. The American writer Jay McInerney once wrote that his friends favoured fragrant, heady Condrieu when an important date was in prospect – a good plan, so long as the Condrieu is freshly young and not heavily oaked. I had Mr X buying sancerre (a reasonable choice) for stylish ease and godello for interest (a silly idea).  What I wish I’d told him to go for is fizz, not just because Lea & Sandeman has an Aladdin’s Cave of a champagne section, but also because being handed a sparkling glass sets an upbeat tone for an evening.’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/9467801/Wine-and-the-art-of-seduction.html

White Burgundy & dressed crab

What Victoria went on to buy was a selection of wines, including the fabulous £20 white burgundy Rully 1er Cru ‘La Pucelle’ 2010 from Domaine Paul et Marie Jacquesson which she then wrote about in the Telegraph Weekend section saying:

’2010 burgundy is pretty special, both red and white. Rully can be a bit chunky but this glides, and I love the lemon meringue taste and texture that shines through the oak. “Sometimes I get this, and a dressed crab from the fishmonger next door…” said the bloke in the shop. I followed suit.’

£21.75 for a single bottle, discounted to £19.95 by the case of 12 bottles (£239.40 case)

The ‘bloke in the shop’ was our manager Sandor; a ‘top bloke’ if ever there was one and always on hand with a good suggestion, especially if there is a hint of seduction involved.

’2010 is a vintage of supreme, succulent Syrah fruit in the northern Rhône and in this tasting I tried wines I wanted to drink there and then – a hallmark of good Crozes-Hermitage.’ Jonathan Livingstone-Learmonth

Decanter Magazine’s most recent Panel Tasting (September 2012 edition) focusses on Crozes-Hermitage 2010, rating one wine out of sixty -seven as ‘outstanding’; Gilles Robin’s Crozes Hermitage 2010 ‘Cuvée Albéric Bouvet’, with an average score of 18.75 points/20 (95+pts/100).

This fabulous northern Rhône is available to order* (for delivery in October) at £215.40 per dozen (£17.95 bottle)

Stephen Brook: Lush, vibrant black and blueberry nose. Sleek and silky, concentrated, elegant acidity, lively aftertaste with lots of pepper on the finish. Classic Crozes – not too weighty or extracted but stylish and long.

Jonathan Livingstone-Learmonth: Blackberry, floral and fennel perfume. Focused, juicy black fruit palate. Liquorice, chocolate and coffee on the finish. Good typicity of terroir, good energy and life. Drink 2012- 2019.

Also and immediately available the younger vines version of this great wine, Gilles Robin’s Crozes Hermitage 2010 ‘Cuvée Papillon’ at £177.00 per dozen (£14.75 bottle).

There could hardly be a more appetising introduction to 2010 northern Rhône red than this early drinking cuvée from the energetic Gilles Robin of Mercurol. It sees no oak and is bottled in May, after light micro-oxygenation to avoid the reduction to which Syrah is prone, according to John Livingstone-Learmonth in his superb The Wines of the Northern Rhône, and the idea is to provide us with pure pleasure. I would love to drink this any time over the next two years, but can’t see much point in ageing it because it is already so pure and flattering with admirably polished tannins and lovely sappy fruit. www.JancisRobinson.com 

ORDER* the 2010 ‘Cuvée Albéric Bouvet’ by email of from any one of the shops for delivery in October 2012.

The 2010 ‘Cuvée Papillon’ can be ordered online or from any one of the shops for immediate delivery.

Anybody who bought  Gonzalez Byass’ Tio Pepe ‘En Rama’ this year will know by now what a great wine it is, and will surely be ready for yet more fabulous sherry to drink this summer!

Shortly after this year’s Tio Pepe release we were offered a tiny quantity of Hidalgo’s stunning Manzanilla La Gitana ‘ En Rama’. It was barely enough to put a few bottles into the shops (once the directors had taken their small allocation), and definitely not enough to make an offer to a wider audience. Until now that is.

Some other merchant has apparently failed to take up their allocation and we have been offered fifty cases of six bottles at a price to sell it fast, because ideally this sherry needs drinking while it is at its freshest, which really means over the next two months.

Hidalgo Manzanilla LA GITANA ‘En Rama’ Case of 6 bottles £71.70 (£11.95 bottle)

The great success of Javier Hidalgo’s ‘La Gitana’ can be attributed to both the consistently great quality of his Sanlucar de Barrameda Manzanilla Fino (lighter bodied than Jerez Fino) and the brilliant marketing with the wistful looking gypsy lady on the label. The ‘En Rama’ is even more intensely flavoured than the normal widely available version (this is La Gitana on steroids!), and at only £11.95 has to be one of the most underpriced fine wine bargains on the planet.

Selected by The Wine Gang at the London Wine Trade Fair as The Best Fortified Wine in Show with the following tasting note: Nutty, ozone, lemon and creamy quality, real sea-breeze freshness. Creamy, bone-dry, mineral freshness with salty, nutty flavours and a searingly dry finish with a flash of marmite, but so beautifully tangy.

I, for one, intend drinking at least a bottle of this every week, with salted almonds and any number of ‘tapas’, over the coming six weeks to see me through the armchair Olympics. Finally, all those years of training will pay off!

ORDER online or through any of our stores.

Victoria wrote “For me, Provencale rosé IS summer. This one is superb: as delicately refreshing as it is vanishingly pale but also tenacious so that a sense of wild strawberries, sandalwood and hay lingers long after you’ve swallowed. I much prefer it to MiP’s more expensive “premium” cuvée. What’s more it comes in crazy, St Tropez yacht‑scale, quench the thirst of the Riviera, ginormous bottles too — £26.95 for a magnum (1.5 litres); £65.75 for a jeroboam (three litres) and, left, £187.75 for a stonking six-litre methuselah.” (all these prices discounted if you buy the equivalent of a case of more)

It’s not the only rosé we stock, although its overwhelming popularity sometimes makes it seem so! On my visit to the estate last autumn, I was even treated to a flypast but the Patrouille de France – the French equivalent of the Red Arrows – a fitting salute to of the view if this Provence icon of a mountain, the Mont Saint Victoire, at the foot of which the vines of Domaine Sainte Lucie lie. (scroll down!)

In November last year I wrote about my fabulous introduction to ZALTO glassware, and six months on I am delighted that my initial excitement has not been unfounded, and is being shared by a growing number of our customers.

I have now had the chance to try a number of different wines from each of the four glasses we stock, and it has been a fascinating and fun thing to do. I recently met Josef Karner, one of the owners of Zalto who has invested large amounts in getting these glasses in front of a larger wine drinking audience. When I questioned him about his claim that these glasses can be cleaned in a dishwasher, without doing them any harm, he explained the fact that the very low lead lead content in Zalto glass makes them stronger and more elastic, and stops them from clouding. Almost all other glass makers use a high lead content to make the glass more maleable at lower temperatures and therefore easier to blow. Every one of Zalto’s glasses are mouth blown in one piece, to feather weight perfection. Any rejected as imperfect are remelted and reblown. He also explained that they are designed with angles corresponding to those of the earth so that as a result of the cosmic parallels wines will reach their greatest potential. Whatever, it seems to work!

Universal - this is really what it says, a universal glass which suit most styles of wine, especially those which are a little more full bodied or aromatic. I find it perfect for wines such as Chianti, Rhone, Riesling and Chablis, and it is a fabulous claret glass too.

White Wine – again this does the job for pretty much most white wine, but is especially good for fuller bodied and broader whites such as Burgundy and Condrieu.

Champagne – brilliant for all sparkling wines and really gives a  lift to vintage champagne, allowing the aromatics to open to the full. It is not a bad sherry glass too, and perfectly suits the measures of Fino that I like to drink!

Burgundy – with its magnificent large bowl this is a fabulous glass from which to drink Pinot Noir (especially Burgundy), Nebbiolo (Barolo and Barbaresco), and the grander Sangioveses, such as Brunello. More delicate wines, such as lighter or older pinots are, however, in my opinio better off in the Universal.

So which glasses does one buy? All of them if you can afford it, have space to store them, and the inclination to use them all, but otherwise I would suggest buying one or two and trying them out before making a decision. They are not cheap, but they are an art form, and even if you only ever buy one Zalto glass in your lifetime, you will undoubtedly find that it changes your appreciation of drinking wine, whatever wine it is.

‘There is no question that we are following the example of Latour, (who have announced they will not be releasing their wines en primeur after this year) or legitimising their commercial decision,’ Lurton told Decanter.com. ‘We are not withdrawing Yquem from the en primeur system, it is simply that we feel this is not the right moment.’

So the 2011 ‘campaign’ has reached its end – there are no more wines to wait for.

As mentioned on Friday, our recommendations can be found on the website on these two links below, and pdf versions can be downloaded by clicking the pdf icons.

Recommended Médoc & Graves -     Download .pdf

Recommended Right Bank -     Download.pdf

After yesterday’s successes for Ducru Beaucaillou and Vieux Chateau Certan, today will see the release of the stables of Léoville Las Cases and Ausone. For Las Cases this means that we also have Clos du Marquis, which used to be considered to be the ‘second wine’, but as I said yesterday about Croix de Beaucaillou, it is really a different vineyard these days, and the second wines, the ‘selections out’ are respectively ‘Petit Caillou’ for Ducru and ‘Le Petit Lion’ for Las Cases. Both of these are available on request.

Clos du Marquis is a very fine Saint Julien in its own right. Léoville Las Cases is quite simply one of the best wines of the vintage. Firm and uncompromising, it will be longer-lived than many in this vintage.

Ausone is – Ausone. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford it, don’t hold back – this is well under the price of the 2008, and is also one of the most sought-after allocations in Bordeaux. Very limited volumes available.

Today has seen another mini-avalanche of releases, including Talbot at a sensible price, and some at spectacular drops in price over their 2010 counterparts – Beauséjour Duffau Lagarosse was £2200 in 2010, and is £540 this year.

The biggest release is probably that of Ducru Beaucaillou, down to £795 from a release price of £1875 last year, and a spectacular wine which I certainly rated one of the ones I’d most like to own in this vintage. As you may have spotted in the press, Bruno Borie is pretty proud of this wine too (this is one of his advertisements which have been occupying full pages of the FT and other papers).

Also worth a look is La Croix de Beaucaillou, which used to be the ‘second wine’ of Ducru, but which is now from its own defined vineyrad – rather like Clos du Marquis’ relationship with Leoville Las Cases.

Also out today is the subtle 2011 Brane Cantenac, a property very much on a rising curve at present, and a price which makes it look a good buy too.

Finally we have limited quantities of Alexandre Thienpont’s very fine Vieux Chateau Certan, not only a cracking wine in itself, but also an en primeur allocation worth fighting for.

A 2011 primeur worth buying.

Cheval Blanc has pulled off a bit of a publicity coup of its own this morning, trumping Latour’s move by withdrawing from the primeurs system a year earlier than Latour. Like Figeac yesterday afternoon, it has achieved this by pricing its wine at a level which means that there is no real reason to buy it en primeur. Nevertheless if anyone does want it, please please buy it from L&S, we will not be beaten on price!

Gérard Perse’s big guns are out today too – Pavie, Pavie Decesse and Bellevue Mondotte.

Jean-Dominique Videau is rightly proud of this wine, and it was one of very few properties prepared to show us their 2009 and 2010 alongside the 2011. As Jean-Dominique put it ‘‘it’s not as exceptional, but the little brother is from the same family’ – and so it proved when we tasted. They made lower yields in 2011 – 37 hl/ha compared to 47 in 2009 and 42 in 2011.

Under the intelligent directorship of Jean-Michel Laporte, La Conseillante is a property which has gone from strength to strength, and in this is a wine that all the critics liked a lot – all except Robert Parker who gave it a rather measly 88-91. However Neal Martin, also on the eRobertParker website, gave it a whopping 94-96, writing that it is ‘a ‘controlled” La Conseillante” with just a elegant, beautiful finish’. At £780 it is only a little bit cheaper than the current market price of the Parker-95-rated 2008, so you have to be prepared to believe in Mr Martin to think that this is a really fantastic buy now. On the other hand the price is down over 50% on the 2010, which is sort of what we’ve been asking for all along, so on balance, this looks a not completely unreasonable buy for lovers of La Conseillante.

Also out today is Gruaud Larose at £395. I cannot get very fired up by this wine and at this price I’d simply point you at Lagrange, which is a significantly better wine, and say have a case of Sénejac with it for virtually the same money.

The second to last of the Sauternes (since we are still yet to hear from Yquem), de Fargues is out today at £780.

Today’s other releases include the rare Cos d’Estournel Blanc at £230 per six, Feytit Clinet at £380, Clos l’Eglise at £320 per six. I can’t be bothered with the rest because the prices are insane: Branon £510 – ha ha ha ha ha ha ha call the men in white coats.

‘Not just for Sherry ‘aficionados’ but also drinkers of great wines and lovers of gastronomy…’

Gonzalez Byass’ much awaited 2012 release of the very special Tio Pepe Fino ’En Rama’ coincides with the 200th birthday of its founder, Manuel Maria Gonzalez, and is a fabulous wine to celebrate this anniversary.

‘En Rama’ is taken from the heart of a selection of the best casks from each of the four ancient Tio Pepe soleras, where the conditions in particular ‘butts’ (sherry barrels) have resulted in an enhanced growth of ‘flor’, the particular flowery growth of yeast on the surface of the wine which gives exceptional finesse and delicacy of aromas to this rare wine. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, the ‘En Rama’ bottling gives customers the opportunity to drink this remarkable and intense wine in its most natural and delicate state and to enjoy its yeastier, breadier, slightly fuller flavour in its freshest condition.

While this is of course highly sought after by the growing number of sherry ‘aficionados’, it also appeals to all serious white wine drinkers and lovers of gastronomy, as it is a wine of tremendous versatility and might well almost have health giving powers!

Our stock is limited to 75 cases of 6 bottles and it is recommended the ‘En Rama’ is consumed within six months.

You can BUY individual bottles in our shops (from Wednesday of this week) at £13.95 bottle OR at only £11.95 when you buy 6 bottles (or as part of a mixed dozen).

OR you can order online.

ORDER a case of 6 bottles Tio Pepe ‘En Rama’ (2012 bottling) at £11.95 bottle (£71.70)*

*Delivery is FREE on all order over £100, or you can of course collect from any one of our stores.

I confused the hell out of those who were paying attention to this morning’s email by calling Moulin Saint Georges ‘Croix Saint Georges’. Apologies. Croix Saint Georges is a (good value) Pomerol made by Jean-Philippe Janoueix, and was recommended when it came out a week or so ago, but today’s missive was definitely meant to be about the ‘nubile’ (Neal Martin) Moulin Saint Georges, a Saint Emilion from Alain Vauthier, who is also responsible for Ausone. So that’s clear then.

The later release of the morning was Troplong Mondot, at £625.

Nénin, owned by the Delons of Las Cases, has been improving for many years, and I really liked it this year – not a silly price for this level of Pomerol.

La Mondotte, Stephan von Neipperg’s super-concentrated cuvée, is also out.

Today’s early releases have been added to by Troplong Mondot at £625.

Léoville Poyferré has reduced its price significantly, and comes recommended at £550. This is cheaper then vintages of similar quality on the market, even if not by much, but represents another allocation that its worth ‘staying in’ for, and since the wine is excellent, in the line of recent successes here, there’s not much pain in doing so.

Saint Pierre is much improved too in recent years, but is it’s brand really worth a 20% premium over Lagrange? Not sure. Nice wine though.

Finally Haut Bergey is a round and opulent wine which in its style gives quite a lot of bang for buck as a drinker.

It is very difficult to know what to make of many of the top wines which were pushed up to extremely high levels over the 2009 and 2010 campaigns – is 30% or so off enough? Probably not.

One wine which stands out is Leoville Barton, which never went as high as many of its peers, but which has come down 40% from last year’s £840 to a price at which it looks the kind of ‘banker’ en primeur buy it always was. Recommended as an allocation to keep or get in on at £480.

Other wines out this morning include a really excellent Pichon Comtesse, showing a return to form, and its neighbour Pichon Baron. Jonathan Maltus has chosen today to release his single vineyard wines which is perhaps a mistake – they deserve their moment in the sun when you look at their ratings versus prices. Oh, and at the very bottom there’s Smith Haut Lafitte white (‘one of the best three vintages we’ve ever made’ according to owner Florence Cathiard. …and Petit Mouton at a final topping-off of the morning’s outings…

Also worth having a look at my lists of recommendations:-

Recommended Médoc & Graves
&
Recommended Right Bank

These lists are updated whenever I get a moment. They are intended to be for the drinkers who want to put these wines away for future drinking pleasure rather than with an investment eye, but there’s not much point in buying wines en primeur if they will be available at the same price later, so I try to restrict to wines I think either need to be bought now because they will simply not be available later, or for wines which will be more expensive to buy further down the line.

Another major Pessac-Léognan Haut Bailly (£580) has also entered the fray, but although the prices for these reds are well down on 2009 and 2010, they are still above the prices of comparable older vintages and it is difficult to make a compelling case for any need to buy them now.

Also out today is Canon la Gaffeliere (£430).

Finally we have a release which I at first thought a joke, but apparently not. Malartic Lagraviere has released it’s 2011 red and white, at 27€ for the red and 42€ for the white. The négociant I was speaking to as I got the first email on he subject was able to tell me that he has in stock the 2003 and 2006 reds at 25€ and 23€ respectively, and the white in no less than four vintages, 2000 (25€), 1999 (22€), 1998 (22€), 1997 (20€). So this is obviously a screaming en primeur must buy. Sadly it illustrates all too well the extent to which the very high prices achieved in 2009 and 2010 have gone to the heads of those who set the prices.

This afternoon has see the release of Montrose (£780) and Lagrange (£300), and their second wines Fiefs de Lagrange (£155) and Dame de Montrose (£250).

Montrose rated for me as one of the wines of the vintage. Lagrange I rated (a rare circumstance for the vintage) the same as I rated the 2010 en primeur (93/100).

It seems that Bordeaux have decided that it’s simpler just to dump all the wines on the market and let everyone sort it out for themselves, so here we go – not much we can say about each one individually, there simply is not time. In amongst this list are everything from the rare and expensive such as La Mission Haut Brion and Haut Brion, as well as Calon Ségur which is normally difficult to buy en primeur and worth getting in the queue for (quite apart from being a good buy in its own right) right down to some of the best value wines of the vintage from Denis Durantou, including the Montlandrie we wrote so much about last year, and La Petite Eglise and la Chenade, les Cruzelles and Saintem. If you are interested in whites at double the price of a top Montrachet, then we can help with the whites from Haut Brion and la Mission, please ask.

Please consult the website for background info – there are many critics’ notes on the individual wine pages.

Some at the lower end of the price spectrum offer reasonable value to the drinker. Since they are not ‘speculative’ wines, the advantage to buying them now lies more in the fact that the margins taken ‘en primeur’ are smaller all round, so that they will be cheaper now than if you wait to buy them on arrival, but do not expect to be able to sell them for a vast profit on arrival, this is just a good way to make sure the cellar stays stocked with solidly good wines.

In amongst the huge number of wines out today, we recommend these as wines which will offer good value drinking:-

2011 CHÂTEAU FERRIÈRE 3ème Cru Classé Margaux £220
2011 CHÂTEAU HAUT BAGES LIBERAL 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac £255
2011 CHÂTEAU GLORIA Cru Bourgeois Saint Julien Château Gloria £245
2011 LACOSTE BORIE du Château Grand Puy Lacoste Pauillac £155

We are big fans of Claire Villars who makes Ferriere and Haut Bages Liberal. These wines are serious, gutsy wines which give much of what is on offer from wines and more than twice the price.