24 hours with Albert Jané By Caroline Tanner on 10/08/2023 Our day’s trip to visit Albert Jané, winemaker on the northeast coast of Spain, comprised a whistlestop tour of his four different projects: Acústic in Montsant, Ritme in Priorat and Autòcton and Mas Vilella, both based around his family home in Tarragona. Read more
The Emperor’s New Clothes – and a humbler offer By Charles Lea on 06/07/2023 Neal Martin's latest article on the Vinous website is timely and, in a most measured and reasonable way, lays out how an apparently well-motivated individual is capable of making all the right noises about quality of wine and how to achieve it, so that the back story sounds plausible, while marketing it entirely on price. Read more
Summer Drinking Series: White Bordeaux By Caroline Tanner on 05/07/2023 We’re diving into the Lea & Sandeman cellars to find the perfect wines for your glass this summer. Chances are, if you’re thinking about buying Bordeaux at the moment, you’re probably planning to open it in 5-10 years’ time. Read more
Summer Drinking Series: Riesling By Caroline Tanner on 21/06/2023 We’re diving into the Lea & Sandeman cellars to find the perfect wines for your glass this summer. Talk to a sommelier, or a member of the wine trade, and it’s likely that they’re happy to wax lyrical about Riesling. Read more
Celebration of Spring: highlights of our tasting By Caroline Tanner on 25/05/2023 Last week Lea & Sandeman took over the 6th floor of the flagship Foyles bookshop, to host our ‘Celebration of Spring’ tasting. Alongside a selection of standout spring wines, the event also presented the first opportunity to taste through our recently-bolstered range of ‘grower’ Champagnes, with 15 different Champagne growers on show and over 70 different cuvées being poured. Read more
Champagne – What’s in a Blend? By Charles Lea on 19/05/2023 The major Champagne houses have a long history of leveraging their access to vast resources to create exceptional blends. With a wide array of vineyards, grape varieties, and reserve wines at their disposal, they can ensure a consistent and high-quality product year after year. Read more
Champagne: the jigsaw of the market By Charles Lea on 19/05/2023 Following on from the explanation of the various classifications of producer of Champagne ('Champagne - NM, ND, CM, RC, MA, or RM - what and why?'), this is how the pieces fit together in terms of their place in the market. Read more
Decoding Champagne – NM, ND, CM, RC, MA, or RM – what and why? By Charles Lea on 19/05/2023 Following our 'Celebration of Spring' tasting, where we showcased our range of 'grower' Champagnes, Charles Lea is sharing some of the secrets of Champagne on our blog. First, a brief breakdown of the label codes found on Champagne bottles, which can help clarify the origin of what's in your bottle. Read more
Day 4 – Bordeaux 2022 Tour By Angus Barcroft on 27/04/2023 Angus Barcroft from our private clients team gives us an insight into day four of Bordeaux en primeur tastings: Day 4 Today we had another early start that saw us heading up the D2 road for a day of tasting along the left bank in Saint-Julien, Pauillac & Saint-Estèphe. Read more
Day 3 – Bordeaux 2022 Tour By Tom Lorimer on 26/04/2023 Tom Lorimer from our private clients team takes us through the third day on the road in Bordeaux: Day 3 A fairly straightforward itinerary for the team today: work out how to open boot the on our over-designed hire car, mop-up the rest of the right bank, and then head north to start tackling the vast expanse of the left bank. Read more
Day 1 & 2 – Bordeaux 2022 Tour By Jack Chapman on 25/04/2023 And we’re off, scouting Châteaux for the best of Bordeaux 2022. Our head of Private Clients, Jack Chapman is sending us his notes and impressions, giving us a verbal tour of some of the finest wines of Bordeaux’s right bank, and the team’s take on the mystifying 2022 vintage. Read more
Jack Chapman: What to expect from 2022 Bordeaux By Jack Chapman on 14/04/2023 I am going out on a limb with this blog entry, to say that you probably don’t need me to tell you that Lafite, Mouton, Margaux and Haut-Brion will probably be exceptional in the 2022 releases. It is, by now, far from a secret that we’ve got an outstanding vintage on our hands. Read more