Charles Lea's Wine List
Wines I Like - Autumn
There are new releases from many of the Champagne growers that are worth looking out for, and I love to try all of these - more fun than sticking to a single brand, just as you don't want to drink the same wine all the time. Current favourites as we head into the cooler months include the Barnaut Blanc de Noirs and the last bottles of LOT 04 Extra Brut Champagne Ullens - Domaine de Marzilly NV which is now expansive and calm with a patinated nuts and dried fruit character. If you prefer a fresher more vivid style, check out Marc Hebrart's 'MES FAVORITES' or Franck Bonville's 'Unisson'.Autumn and it's game season - a roast partridge is one of the great gourmet treats of the season (and the year) and it's cheap too. I pair it with Pinot, and Piero Incisa's recent visit for our 35th anniversary tasting has inspired me to drink more of his translucent wines - try the latest release of the CHACRA Cincuento y Cinco ('55') which is brimming with immediate appeal while the more serious 2021 would ideally stay a little longer in the cellar.
Italy continues to provide a lot of our more regular red drinking, whether it's Gianfranco Sabbatino's 'Peloro Rosso' from the north-eastern tip of Sicily, or the Chiantis from Poggerino and Castagnoli, or the 'minor' wines from Piemonte, the Dolcettos, Barberas and Langhe Nebbiolos. The northern Rhône is a great source of youthful, vibrantly expressive and texturally lush wines from the Syrah grape - the lesser wines from Côte-Rôtie producers who make some 'vin de Pays' alongside. Another relative newcomer to the range is Marzio Abbona's 'Papa Celso', a definitive Dogliani Dolcetto.
BARNAUT 'Blanc de Noirs' Brut Grand Cru Bouzy Champagne NV
Champagne France 12.5% White
Pinot Noir. Vegetarian
£40.95 £38.50 by the bottle £38.50 £36.95 in a case of 6*
A big, full-blown, powerful blanc de no...(read more)
MES FAVORITES Vieilles Vignes Extra Brut Mareuil-sur-Aÿ Champagne Marc Hébrart NV
Champagne France 12.5% White
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir.
£43.95 £39.95 by the bottle £39.95 £37.95 in a case of 6*
75% PN from Mareuil, 25% Chardonnay als...(read more)
LOT 04 Extra Brut Champagne Ullens - Domaine de Marzilly NV
Champagne France 12.5% White
Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier.
Another year of bottle age has opened this even more and the last few bottles are well worth snapping up - this is a perfect autumn treat. 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. More of a wine than a Champagne - there's e...(read more)
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2020 CONDRIEU Les Ravines Domaine Rémi Niero
Northern Rhône Rhône France 13.5% White
Viognier.
Not as expressive as 19, but a slight change in style detected, more linear & precise. Peach & melon notes, with mineral salinity too, finish off with a floral violet tone, really impressive.
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2021 GRÜNER VELTLINER Manni Nössing
Alto Adige Italy 13% White
Grüner Veltliner.
Manni's Grüner Veltliner is a pure joy to taste. His fruit comes from his high vineyards at between 660-700 metres of altitude in the beautiful Eisaktaler Valley. More Austria and 'The Sound of Music' than what you...(read more)
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2021 SOAVE CLASSICO Roccolo del Durlo Le Battistelle
Veneto Italy 12.5% White
Trebbiano di Soave, Garganega.
From a single vineyard on volcanic soils in the heart of Soave Classico. The Dal Bosco family are doing great things, cultivating some of the oldest vines in the region, on steep slopes that have led to the use of Eroica...(read more)
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2022 PINOT GRIGIO Ramato Friuli Colli Orientali Azienda Agricola Visintini
Friuli Venezia Giulia Italy 13.5% White
Pinot Grigio. Vegan, Vegetarian, Certified Organic
Oliviero never stops finessing how he makes this perennial favourite of ours. Again this year he has reached new heights. The detail increases annually and his use of Amphorae for a small proportion of the juice adds pur...(read more)
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2022 RIBOLLA GIALLA Friuli Colli Orientali Azienda Agricola Visintini
Friuli Venezia Giulia Italy 13.5% White
Ribolla. Certified Organic
From the hills north of Venice this fresh bright white is loaded with wild flowers and citrus and the tang of crisp pineapple. Yet there is nice weight, with good balance and length, great freshness to the fruit and some...(read more)
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2021 OSTREA Vernaccia Di San Gimignano Mormoraia
Tuscany Italy 13% White
Vernaccia.
The vineyard here is laden with bits of ancient oyster shells from the times when this part of Italy was under the sea, and this is where the name Ostrea comes from. As you might hope there is a good mineral line coursin...(read more)
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2020 SAINT JOSEPH Domaine Graeme & Julie Bott
Northern Rhône Rhône France 12% Red
Syrah.
If there was a wine region that is in focus and a region of the moment then St Joseph could lay claim. There are two distinct styles, north & south. The G&J Bott Saint Jospeh Rouge is most definitely the north. 3...(read more)
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