Domaine Des Baumard, Cremant de Loire, Carte Turquoise, France
One of the Loire’s most lauded producers, Florent Baumard has courted controversy by pursuing his own ideas and challenging the status quo.
In a deeply traditional region, Florent’s early adoption of screwcaps and different vine trellising systems marked him out as the enfant terrible of Savennières. His mantra now encompasses a belief in the individuality of each vintage, believing it should be made with minimal intervention to allow the wine to reflect its vintage and unique character. His Savennières from the famous vineyards of Clos St Yves and Clos du Papillon are rich, yet with a balance and elegance that are unrivalled. His top cuvée of ‘Trie Speciale’ is only made in very exceptional vintages when grape quality is optimal. It is a wine full of paradox, honeyed and yet dry, rounded and yet firm. The rich fruit, tremendous weight and concentration ensure that it is a thoroughly memorable experience
Pierre Mignon, Grand Reserve 1er Cru Champagne, France
Champagne Pierre Mignon is a family owned house located in Le Breuil in the Marne Valley.
Over several generations, the family estate has grown significantly with vineyards in the Marne Valley, Côte des Blancs and Épernay. Mignon produces stylish Champagnes with a fresh, vibrant character, all of the wines are made within their own cellars where attention to detail and quality is paramount. Their fresh and vibrant character is balanced with a soft and creamy mousse to produce Champagne that is perfect for any occasion.
Chanzy, Maranges, 1er Cru La Fussier, Cotes de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Maison Chanzy is a highly respected Burgundian producer, their wines are a classical demonstration of premium vineyard sites in Côte Chalonnaise, Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits.
Their range has been carefully engineered by winemaker Max Blondelle, whose primary task is to create wines that eloquently communicate their respective terroir, whilst remaining hands-off in his approach. As such, Chanzy are one of the few Burgundy producers to achieve Haute Valeur Environnementale level 3; the most highly regarded certification for agriculture in France.
Rose de Touraine, Domaine Patrick Vauvy, Loire Valley, France
Patrick Vauvy manages 30 hectares of vines, the majority planted with Sauvignon Blanc.
The Domaine has been the hands of the Vauvy family for generations, Patrick took over and has brought new vision and an experimental style to the Domaine. He is often the last of his neighbours to harvest. Located above the banks of the Cher River, the soil is predominantly sand based giving the wines a fruit driven, immediately appealing style.
Muscadet sur Lie, Domaine des Herbauges, Cotes de Grandlieu, Loire valley, France
This family estate has been in production since 1864 and is now the largest single estate in the region.
The vineyards benefit from an exceptional microclimate; the warmth of the Atlantic brings spring early, while the huge Lac de Grandlieu acts like a giant storage heater through growing season. Fourth generation winemaker, Jérôme is committed to the sustainability of the vineyards as well as to the health of the vineyard workers he has even grassed over 100% of the vineyards to reduce the vigour of the vines and to soak up rain at harvest. Each terroir of Domaine des Herbauges expresses its own subtle nuances, and reveals specific particularities and characteristics of the AOC Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Sur Lie appellation.
Maury Domaine Lafage, Rousillon, France
Located between the sea and the mountains, half way between Perpignan and the Mediterranean coast, Domaine Lafage is one of our favourite new discoveries. Six generation ‘vignerons’, Jean-Marc and Eliane carry on the Lafage tradition, maintaining their family style of balanced, elegant wines displaying up front fruit. Their hard work has been rewarded with many accolades and medals from the Guide Hachette. What makes their estate particularly interesting is the fact that they grow a wide range of grape varieties (16) and produce an eclectic and varied range of wine styles, from crisp, clean whites to rich, fortified reds
Coteaux du Layon, Domaine des Baumards, Loire Valley, France
One of the Loire’s most lauded producers, Florent Baumard has courted controversy by pursuing his own ideas and challenging the status quo.
In a deeply traditional region, Florent’s early adoption of screwcaps and different vine trellising systems marked him out as the enfant terrible of Savennières. His mantra now encompasses a belief in the individuality of each vintage, believing it should be made with minimal intervention to allow the wine to reflect its vintage and unique character. His Savennières from the famous vineyards of Clos St Yves and Clos du Papillon are rich, yet with a balance and elegance that are unrivalled. His top cuvée of ‘Trie Speciale’ is only made in very exceptional vintages when grape quality is optimal. It is a wine full of paradox, honeyed and yet dry, rounded and yet firm. The rich fruit, tremendous weight and concentration ensure that it is a thoroughly memorable experience.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape ‘Les Safres’ Caillou, S Rhone, France
The Clos du Caillou was founded in 1895 when Elie Dussaud settled there and created an old cellar. It started as a hunting retreat and it has a remarkable history which explains its exclusion from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation upon its creation in the 1930’s. When government experts arrived at the Clos in 1936 to survey the land for its inclusion in the new appellation, they were met with armed resistance to prevent them entering the property as the secretive owners didn’t want their estate to be analysed. This is the reason for the seemingly inexplicable blank spot in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation map. As a result, the Clos du Caillou is home to some of the most spectacular terroir classified as simply Côtes-du-Rhône. The estate was purchased in the mid-1950s by the Pouzin family who decided to plant vines on the land that had traditionally been designated for hunting. They also acquired a 9 hectare plot within the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation itself. In 1995, Sylvie Pouzin took on the estate from her father and began the process of converting the vineyard to biodynamic practices. They gained their official organic certification in 2010 and since then have gone on to grow their reputation for the production of outstandingly well-balanced wines with their signature, soft velvety tannins.
Cotes du Rhone, Domaine Roche-Audran, Southern Rhone, France
Vincent Rochette comes from a long line of grape growers rather than winemakers. In 1998, he bucked that trend by investing in a cellar and the necessary equipment to allow him to vinify his own grapes, which for five generations had been sold to other winemakers in the area. Vincent is an ardent believer in the benefits of biodynamics, fully converting his estate to follow that philosophy in 2006. He uses only natural products in the vineyard and carries out all his work in keeping with the cosmic cycles of the earth, not only among the vines but also in the cellar
Cotes du Rhone Nature, Domaine Roche-Audran, Southern Rhone, France
Vincent Rochette comes from a long line of grape growers rather than winemakers. In 1998, he bucked that trend by investing in a cellar and the necessary equipment to allow him to vinify his own grapes, which for five generations had been sold to other winemakers in the area. Vincent is an ardent believer in the benefits of biodynamics, fully converting his estate to follow that philosophy in 2006. He uses only natural products in the vineyard and carries out all his work in keeping with the cosmic cycles of the earth, not only among the vines but also in the cellar
Syrah Fleur de Charlotte, Vin de Pays, France
Along with the help of Floris Lemstra at Chateau Canet, we have successfully developed the ‘Fleur de Charlotte’ selection of wines that we believe offer excellent value for money. Floris and his team are best known for their Minervois production and in this case, they have utilised the same approach, based on attention to detail, in order to produce a range of fresh, clean and easy-drinking wines that offer excellent varietal examples
Terre des Olivettes Rouge, Vin de Pays, Languedoc, France
The Caves d’Alignan is a co-operative in the Languedoc region that has a very good reputation for producing quality wines utilising modern techniques. In the past few years, Alignan has augmented its winery with the addition of modern equipment that ensures that all their wines are of a consistently high quality. Situated in the Côtes de Thongue area, the vineyards benefit from the Mediterranean climate, giving their grapes a real feel of ripeness, yet also are exposed to a northern prevailing wind.
