By Jack Chapman on 24/04/2024
When I first joined Lea & Sandeman, not even four years ago, Larmandier Bernier’s magnificent Vieilles Vignes du Levant 2011 was £80 a bottle – I drank a lot of it. I wish I’d drunk more.
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).
By Caroline Tanner on 11/03/2024
An address in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ is a prestigious one to hold in the Champagne region, not only because you are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Philipponat and Billecart-Salmon but the vineyards are also recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
By Charles Lea on 08/03/2024
Last night saw the 19th time that L&S has sponsored the City Fine Wine Challenge quiz evening at One Great George Streeet. Teams of City luminaries competed for the Patrick Sandeman Trophy, and this year, in an upset of the long-standing dominance of headline sponsor FNZ, the quiz was won by the team from JP Morgan, who were clearly on fire! A late note addition - the final net figure for this year's CFWC was £203,797.
By Caroline Tanner on 05/03/2024
The Italian tasting is a moment in the L&S calendar that we all look forward to. This year, on a dull February day, a gang of Italian winemakers descended on Foyles bookshop, bringing a splash of Mediterranean/Alpine sunshine to London.
By Caroline Tanner on 06/02/2024
‘One of the most electrifying discoveries for me (at the L&S Champagne tasting in May) was Champagne Roger Coulon. The very first taste of the first wine on the table set my spine tingling. These are exhilarating, idiosyncratic wines.’ Tamlyn Currin – JancisRobinson.
By Ophelia Hirst on 02/02/2024
After many years of loving the wines of the Northern Rhône (and placing many orders for them!) I excitedly boarded a plane to Lyon to make my way to the Marché aux vins d'Ampuis (one of the largest wine fairs in France, focused entirely on the Rhône), at the epicentre of Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu.
By Caroline Tanner on 07/12/2023
Wine critics can be creatures of habit and it’s always interesting when a new wine manages to break the mould and gain recognition for new regions or styles.
By David Porter on 06/12/2023
2022 is a wonderful vintage in Burgundy. For both reds and whites, top winemakers have not put a foot wrong. It’s no surprise that we found winemakers so smiley - the quality is superb, and for the first time in a while, they have some quantity too.
By Eve-Marie Letondel on 05/12/2023
We are always happy to read about others enjoying our wines and below we've picked out a selection of recent press reviews - here are the highlights of bottles that have recently caught the attention of the critics. How to choose festive fizz: from artisan to the best bargains, Fiona Beckett, The Guardian MARC HÉBRART Selection Extra Brut 1er Cru NV £35.