Along time back, before the focus was firmly placed on cooler climate Australian vineyard sites, a good friend introduced Simon to the wines of an enterprising estate in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria specialising in the production of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The name of the estate was Curly Flat and the vintage was 2004.
Si...
Read more
Simon has been monitoring releases of 2008 vintage Champagne closely as this slightly unheralded vintage has much to offer, as evidenced by the 2008 Larmandier-Bernier,Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru, ‘Terre de Vertus’ .
Simply put, a warm spring and summer with a notably cool August delivered fruit in very fine condi...
Read more
We are pleased to offer the latest vintage of an Atlas UK exclusivity: the McLaren Vale Syrah from Toby Bekkers. In writing an offer like this, it is sometimes difficult to describe clearly just how impressed I am by a particular wine. Fortunately, my thoughts coincide with those of wine critic Matthew Jukes, whom I quote below. You might r...
Read more
Innovation plays an important part in pushing quality higher. Name a wine region and there is always someone trying something new. In the Loire Valley, Alphonse Mellot is one such winemaker and he is something of a trailblazer in Sancerre. Wine critic Michel Bettane once wrote that the Mellot family had pushed themselves to the peak of grea...
Read more
When sourcing 14 vintages of Stonyridge for an upcoming tasting, we were presented with the chance to acquire a limited quantity of mature stock. You might recall that we have offered the 2008 and 2009 Stonyridge previously, but the chance to purchase perfectly stored, more mature stock at a stunning price could not be passed up. How stunning? L...
Read more
Towards the end of last week we bought a parcel of 2008 Barolo from Conterno-Fantino, a lesser known producer who has quietly been receiving glowing praise from a number of critics. Antonio Galloni recently commented that Conterno-Fantino is ‘one of a handful of properties that deliver outstanding quality throughout their entire range&rsqu...
Read more