- Lea & Sandeman Wine Merchants

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 £35.95 | £33.50 Review: 'Grower champagne – champagne that’s made by a single producer rather than sourced from dozens of growers – is bang on trend because it has a better back story and more individuality. You can support an independent too. The London wine merchant Lea & Sandeman specialises in them and this is just lovely. An elegant champagne for sipping rather than swigging.' The best Christmas wine for 2023, Will Lyons, The Sunday Times LANGHAM ESTATE Culver Classic Cuvée Brut £30.50 £27.50 | £28.50 £24.50 Review: 'Tommy Grimshaw makes excellent sparkling wines and the Culver is bracing and refined, with floral notes and white apple, finishing soft and clean.' FRANCK BONVILLE Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru Champagne Franck Bonville NV £40.95 £37.50 | £37.75 £34.95 Review: 'An excellent substitute for a Christmas grande marque, this 100% chardonnay has top notes of apple blossom and a succulent, biscuity finish.' 2022 CHINON Les Granges Domaine Bernard Baudry £19.95 | £17.95 Review: 'A polished cabernet franc from one of the Loire’s most revered domaines, replete with blackcurrant and delivering a long, leafy finish.' The 25 best wines to enjoy this Christmas – from red for the turkey to bargain champagne, Victoria Moore, The Telegraph FOSSILE Brut Fleury-la-Rivière Champagne M & G Heucq NV £32.50 £29.95 | £29.95 £27.50 Review: 'Explore in Champagne and you can find seriously good wines with character and so much joy for not much more than the cost of a supermarket bottle. From a family producer in the Marne valley, this is made with 50 per cent pinot meunier (but tastes lighter). Incredible value and a delight.' 2022 LEA & SANDEMAN White Burgundy £17.95 | £16.50 Review: 'From a single vineyard, an immaculate and tantalising white Burgundy, as you would expect from Lea & Sandeman.' Festive reds 2023, Jancis Robinson OBE MW, JancisRobinson.com 2020 CHÂTEAU LES VIEUX MOULINS Cuvée Pirouette Côtes de Blaye £15.95 | £14.25 Review: 'Crazily underpriced. Well made with real vitality and harmony. So many wine drinkers I know would prefer this to a sweeter, riper, more concentrated wine.' 2022 LA CUVÉE DES CIGALES Domaine Borie la Vitarèle £16.95 | £15.50 Review: 'Expressive and interesting Grenache/Syrah blend. Obviously terroir-driven. Bone-dry finish but not at all heavy. Their ‘easy-drinking wine’ but it’s jolly good.' 2020 RIOJA ALAVESA Sierra de Toloño £17.95 | £16.50 Review: 'Edgy and very modern in a good way – verging on natural. Really lively wine that may upset some preconceptions about Rioja. Fun and transparent.' 2021 MOYA MEAKER Pinot Noir Elgin £27.50 | £24.50 Review: 'From one of South Africa’s coolest wine regions. So appetising that I was tempted to swallow it when tasting it.' 2021 BARDA PINOT NOIR Bodega Chacra £28.50 | £26.50 Review: 'Transparent garnet. Quite rich and gamey on the nose but with real personality. Like licking basalt! A worthwhile addition to the Pinot Noir canon.' 2020 SAVIGNY LES BEAUNE Fourneaux Domaine Joël Remy £30.50 | £27.50 Review: 'Pure red cherry fruit. No artifice. Dry and fresh enough to taste distinctly Burgundian. Lightly bitter but well made and persistent.' 2019 MARSANNAY Champs Perdrix Domaine Derey Frères £44.95 | £37.50 Review: 'Quite a rich nose with real structure and with fruit in the middle. Long, subtle and, in a Burgundian context, good value.' Festive whites 2023, Jancis Robinson OBE MW, JancisRobinson.com 2022 TOURAINE LES SAUTERELLES Domaine de Pierre, Lionel Gosseaume £14.50 | £12.95 Review: 'Classic Loire Sauvignon Blanc that’s a little lighter and drier than many an NZ Sauvignon. Gooseberry flavours with verve and grit. 2021 RIESLING Trocken Weingut Braunewell £16.95 | £14.95 Review: 'Blend from several vineyards and several soils. Light and steely for those who treasure acidity – the last grapes weren’t picked until 11 November.' 2022 GODELLO 'MG' Ribeira Sacra Pazo da Maga £17.95 | £15.95 Review: 'Real excitement from almost impossibly steep Galician vineyards, with lots of lime flavour and structure. So appetising and interesting. Very long and complete.' 2021 ACÚSTIC BLANC Acústic Celler £20.75 | £18.75 Review: 'Mainly Garnacha Blanca grown in the hills of Catalunya just outside Priorat. Much more structured than most white Grenache-based wines.' 2021 GOUVEIO Quinta da Romaneira £22.50 | £20.25 Review: 'Firm, confident and distinctive wine from higher vineyards in port country. Still youthful with lots of citrus elements. ' 50 best red wines for winter, Jane MacQuitty, The Times 2020 CHOREY LES BEAUNE Les Beaumonts Domaine Joël Remy £29.50 | £26.25 Review: 'My kind of red burgundy with all the poised, polished, perky, cranberry fruit you’d expect from a great domaine like Joël Remy. Enjoy this stylish, brightly fruited, softly oaked sip (just 20 per cent is aged in new oak barrels) with baked ham or even turkey.' A guide to non-vintage Champagne, Tom Hewson, Decanter MES FAVORITES Vieilles Vignes Extra Brut Mareuil-sur-Aÿ Champagne Marc Hébrart NV £43.95 £39.95 | £39.95 £37.95 Review: 'Old vines and low yields seem to give an impression of age and depth in this wine, even if there are no old reserves and no oak here. Full of dried pear, ginger and sweet grapefruit peel, complex with spiced apple tart and brown bread toast, this is saturated with flavour and detail but not at all heavy; superb value. 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay from old vines in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in the Vallée de la Marne. 50% each from the 2019 and 2018 vintages.'

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