By Derek Robertson on 17/10/2024
It is still day three of this trip as the Northern Rhône disappears in the rear view mirror. After a hasty dash down the motorway we head off west to Pont Saint Esprit and the little village of Saint Nazaire in the Gard.
By Derek Robertson on 17/10/2024
First things first: the 2023 vintage in the Rhône has produced some exceptional wines and if, like me, you enjoy ripe fruit-forward wines, then you are in for a real treat. I spent five days travelling north to south, visiting almost every estate we work with and a few that may be interesting for the future, as we like to keep an eye on the up and comers too.
By Jack Chapman on 16/10/2024
After a recent fishing trip in the Highlands, it became entirely clear to me that I had failed to manage my Champagne stocks. We were a party of 12 and consumed 24 bottles over the week – a figure which may initially seem hedonistic, but in real terms, was just three glasses a day (with the odd bottle to celebrate catching a big salmon, a stash which predictably went untouched!).
By Caroline Tanner on 17/07/2024
Last week, at the prestigious Industry Awards for the International Wine Challenge, we were thrilled to bring home the prizes for the London Regional Retailer of the Year, Small Multiple Site Retailer of the Year and Sparkling Retailer of the Year.
By Caroline Tanner on 03/07/2024
A Guide to Enjoying Chilled Red Wines This Summer When summer rolls around, most of us instinctively reach for crisp whites and rosés to keep cool. But we shouldn’t overlook the array of red wines that are perfect served at that ‘top step of the cellar’ temperature.
By Jack Chapman on 03/07/2024
A tiny part of the wine market as a whole (as explored in Charles Lea's blog here), grower Champagne has a disproportionate share of characterful, remarkable wines, thanks to the passionate vignerons behind the wines. We're shining a spotlight on our portfolio of grower champagnes this year, each month highlighting a different producer - this month: Larmandier-Bernier.
By Angus Barcroft on 26/06/2024
A tiny part of the wine market as a whole (as explored in Charles Lea's blog here), grower Champagne has a disproportionate share of characterful, remarkable wines, thanks to the passionate vignerons behind the wines. We're shining a spotlight on our portfolio of grower champagnes this year, each month highlighting a different producer - this month: Franck Bonville.
By Charles Lea on 06/05/2024
As anticipated, the 2024 L&S Champagne and Sparkling tasting generated quite a buzz, with press reports from Tam Currin for JancisRobinson.com (see Grower Champagnes, Finding Value), and Anne Krebiehl for Vinous.com (see Champagne the 2024 Spring Preview). "The grower-champagne movement has achieved something that the grand houses can only dream of.
By Jack Chapman on 24/04/2024
A tiny part of the wine market as a whole (as explored in Charles Lea's blog here), grower Champagne has a disproportionate share of characterful, remarkable wines, thanks to the passionate vignerons behind the wines. We're shining a spotlight on our portfolio of grower champagnes this year, each month highlighting a different producer - this month: Nicolas Maillart.
By Jack Chapman on 24/04/2024
We are currently out there to truly get to grips with what the vintage has in store, but prior to that, I’d like to report the information (or indeed the rumours!) we have heard. 2023 had the potential to be a large vintage.
By Jack Chapman on 23/04/2024
I am currently sitting, slightly jaded from a full week of claret tasting, wearing a Pichon Baron polo shirt (paid for with my own money – we are totally incorruptible at L&S…) and thinking about what I can pen to give you the greatest insight possible into the 2023 vintage.
By Charles Lea on 09/04/2024
In 2009 one group of like-minded 'grower-Champagne' producers ('Terre et Vins de Champagne') got together to put on a tasting which focused to a large degree on the vins clairs (the still wines) from the 2008 vintage, before they were bottled for the prise de mousse (the second fermentation in bottle which produces the bubbles).