Red Wines

This wine is closely connected to the greatest wine of Valpolicella: Amarone. After pressing the dried grapes from which Amarone is made, the Valpolicella wine is passed over the still warm marc of Amarone. A second alcoholic fermentation begins which increases the alcoholic content and the wine becomes richer in colour, bouquet and body.

100% Pinot Noir still red wine made only in the best vintages from some of the best sites in Bouzy. Paul Bara is the man who wrote the book on Bouzy. The reference wine for Bouzy rouge. In spite of his doctor's disapproval, Louis XIV preferred the good wines of Champagne to any other and the wine of Bouzy was thus one of the items in the King's inventory ledger at the Court of Versailles.Paul Bara's Bouzy Rouge is one of the best in this category of still red wines. It is made from old vines of more than fifty years in age that are grown in a vineyard with ideal exposure. The grapes are harvested and sorted by hand on a sorting table, ensuring that only the ripest and healthiest of them go into the wine. Bouzy Rouge is then fermented and matured in stainless steel vats until reaching its full potential. The resulting red wine makes a sensational partner for light grilled meats, roasted veal in herbs or country-style ham. Maison Paul Bara is a member of the famous Académie des Vins de Bouzy. The following review for 2008 vintage 'A limpid red, a côtes-de-nuits nose, very elegant, a real bouquet of red fruits and smouldering vine prunings. The mouth of this pinot noir is silky, balanced, taut. A fine age-worthy example of un-oaked coteaux champenois from 50 year-old, south-facing vines.' 18/20 points (top-scoring Coteaux Champenois rouge), Jean-Charles Chapuzet, Terre de Vins, May/June 2017.

Whilst this is a very old property and chateau the former owners, Sarah and James Wilding (since 2008), have in a very short time established themselves among the very top producers of this highly regarded appellation. In July 2020 the property has changed ownership under the direction of Jean-Philippe Manches. With a relatively small vineyard area of just 6.5 hectares of very old and established vines to tend to, the care and attention to detail here has been very impressive yielding widespread critical acclaim. All of their vineyards are located very close to their winery and chateau and their vineyards are all farmed organically (not certified). For vinification after hand picking into small cases and careful sorting the vinifications are made in a classic way with ferments taking place in cement tanks and then ageing in a mixture of foudres and barrels keeping the wine on lees until bottling around 9-12 months after harvest. These are wines of purity and generosity evident from very old vines. The wines demand some time to show their best (as most top Morgon wines do). From old vines grown at the very top of the most renowned terroir of Morgon, the Côte du Py, on the crushed blue schist of the ancient volcano. Predominantly de-stemmed, followed by a 2-3 week fermentation and maturation in a mix of barrique and larger format oak. This shows excellent depth and concentration coming from very small yields yet also very fine tannins and notable freshness with excellent balance and is showing very well even at this young age.

2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge 375ml & 750ml & 1500ml - due April 2022“Enchanting and complex nose of red fruit, tobacco leaf, licorice and delicate spices. Super-sensual palate that’s rich and refined, with so many nuances that you could spend hours studying it. Stunning interplay of ripe fruit with raw-meat and smoked-bacon character. Very long, silky finish that makes it hard not to take another gulp. Sustainable. Drink or hold.” 95 points, James Suckling, February 2022.”Moving to the 2019s from bottle, beautifully pure notes of cassis and black cherries as well as new leather, candied orange, and violets emerge from the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape, a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant 2019 that has perfectly ripe yet substantial tannins. Do your best to hide bottles for 4-5 years (or more), and it will evolve for two decades in cold cellars.” 93 points, Jeb Dunnuck, March 2021

Dark glistening red. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and dark berries, baking spices, garrigue and candied flowers, and a smoky mineral flourish appears as the wine opens up. Sappy, sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering juicy black raspberry, cherry and lavender pastille flavors joined by hints of allspice and bitter chocolate. Smooth and seamless in texture, showing superb finishing clarity, gently gripping tannins and strong, spicy persistence. This is a somewhat more brawny wine than usual for Laurent Charvin, but it still retains the domaine's trademark balance and energy.' (94-96) points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous, December 2019.

2019 Chateauneuf-du-Pape rouge “Julien Barrot”‘Beautiful nose of black fruit with licorice, spice and a hint of raw meat. So accessible, thanks to the very fine tannins that fill out the generous body exactly. This glides over your palate. So many subtle spicy and meaty nuances at the long, refined finish. Drink or hold.’ 94 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com, March 2022. ’Lavender, pastis and warm stone notes liberally infuse a core of steeped cherry and plum paste flavors in this red, with everything knitting steadily through the finish, which features an encore of grippy, mouth-coating fruit. Textbook, gutsy-edged Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2023 through 2035.’ 94 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, October 2021. ‘The classic release from this great estate, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Julien Barrot is 60% Grenache, 19% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah and other permitted varieties. Black cherries, blackberries, graphite, peppery garrigue, and ample chalky minerality define this beauty, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a wonderful mid-palate, building structure, and outstanding length. It's a great 2019 that needs 2-4 years of bottle age to integrate its structure but will have 10-15+ years of prime drinking.’ 92+ points, Jeb Dunnuck, March 2021.

Beautifully ripe Estate Pinot Noir from the Awatere Valley in Marlborough that is rich and full bodied whilst still being silky and soft.  Seductively scented with aromas of dark cherries and sweet spices.

Lessona’s soil, with its ancient marine sands, restores finesse and a delicate touch to the wines from this corner of Piedmont.This wine is made from the best grapes selected from our parcels of land in Lessona.   VARIETIES: Nebbiolo 85%, Vespolina 15%

A great Italian variety, a soft medium weight style of red for easy drinking with food. Rich dark cherries, freshly crushed red fruits with a little olive on the bouquet; the palate is soft & juicy with a touch of orange peel & a core of raspberry flavour. A completely integrated mid weight red wine that appears seamless finishing with chalky savoury tannins.

Made in small volumes only in the best years, this comes from plots chosen on the high plateau of galets roules. This wine is made from the very first parcels of vines planted when the family purchased Mont-Redon back in 1923, from a superb plot of very stony soils planted solely to syrah and grenache when the estate was first starting its journey of recovery back from the devastation of phylloxera. ’Starting with the 2016 vintage, there is a special cuvée called le Plateau (de Mont Redon), which comes exclusively from the galets. It sees more oak and a higher proportion of new oak, but because of the concentration in the 2016 and 2017 vintages, it's not especially noticeable. The wine is a step above the large-production cuvée tradition in quality, but it's yet to be released. It's in keeping with the wine-making philosophy espoused by Pierre Fabre, who told me, "Color for me isn't quality-linked, it's style-linked. Most important is complexity and length." These aren't big, extracted wines but wines that feel comfortable and balanced.’ Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate, August 2019. ‘A finished blend but still in tank at the time of my visit (this new cuvée spends 18 months in oak and then 18 months in tank prior to bottling), the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape le Plateau comes from selected parcels of galets roulés on the plateau of Mont Redon. The blend is 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, and the result is a top-notch effort, boasting explosive aromas of cherries, cocoa and baking spices. Full-bodied, silky, rich and long, it's buttressed by the structural elements of the oak, without being swamped by wood at all. Drink 2020-2035.’ (93-95) points, Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate, August 2019.

This is a single vineyard Montepulciano from the DOCG of Colline Terramane. A powerful yet elegant wine with typical varietal notes of cherries and plums that demonstrates beautifully the enormous potential of Montepulciano and the skill of Villa Medoro in translating the esoteric to the ethereal.

In the heart of Irpinia originates Rubrato, a wine that expresses the pleasure of Aglianico in its youth.

85% Grenache, 9% Syrah and 6% Mourvèdre, from 70+ year-old vines in two lieu-dits in the north of the appellation, in roughly equal proportions. Notre-Dame-des-Pallières is a south facing site at about 200m, whilst Pallière et Pied-Gu is north-facing and at 300m. The fruit from Notre-Dame-des-Pallières is fully de-stemmed, that from Pallière et Pied-Gu fermented as whole bunches and each parcel is on skins for about 25 days. Malo is completed in tank and then 60% of each parcel is transferred to 228L barriques for 16 months, before blending and bottling. This first vintage of Gigondas by Pierre Fabre and his team at Mont-Redon is a resounding success. Top notes of garrigue and spice overlay a deliciously voluminous palate of red forest berries. The tannins are fine and silky and the wine finishes long and clean with refreshing acidity. Remarkably good now and will cellar for a decade or more. ‘Dark, bright-rimmed ruby-red. Ripe red fruit, floral and exotic spice scents show sharp definition and take on garrigue and incense nuances with air. Sweet, seamless and lively on the palate, offering juicy raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors and a subtle touch of vanilla. Clings with strong persistence on the sappy finish, which features supple tannins and a strong echo of spicy red fruit.’ (91-92) points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous, February 2020. ‘This producer's first Gigondas is a terrific debut. The 2017 Gigondas Reserve Mont Redon—a blend of 85% Grenache, 9% Syrah and 6% Mourvèdre—comes from the lieux-dits of Pied Gu, Pallière and Notre Dame des Pallières and was aged in a mix of lightly used Burgundian pièces and tank. Perfumes include scents of violets, lavender, cherries and vanilla, while the full-bodied palate is lush and creamy, ending long, with hints of cracked pepper and salted licorice. Drink 2019-2028.’ 91 points, Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate, August 2019.

A deep red colour with hints of purple. Superbly intense and complex, the wine has notes of cassis, blackberry and blueberry fused harmoniously with notes of sweet spices like nutmeg and cloves. Ageing in French oak barrels gives it vanilla, and sweet tobacco. A dense wine with tannin structure that combines the elegance and concentration. The finish, thanks to the oak, is a wonderful mixture of violet and forest fruit.

This 100% Lambrusco di Sorbara is sourced born from a 12.5 acre vineyard in the “Cristo” locality of Sorbara, the original vineyard owned by Cavicchioli family. Sorbara is a naturally low yielding grape variety which flowers with great difficulty and the vine is often sterile.