- Details
- Written by Henry Conway
- Category: News
- Hits: 1458
Consistent winner and all-round great juice: it's the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. Lovely stuff from a great producer who we should feature a little more of.
In 1974, San Francisco land-use attorney Jess Jackson and his wife Jane Kendall Wadlow Jackson converted an 80-acre pear and walnut orchard in Lakeport, California to a vineyard and sold wine grapes to local wineries. In 1982, a downturn in the grape market led them to produce their own wine instead of selling the grapes, and the Kendall-Jackson brand was established. That label now continues under the umbrella company, Jackson Family Wines, that Jackson later created.
In the 1980s, Kendall-Jackson rejected the California wine industry's trend toward vineyard-specific wine labeling. It ignored the concept of terroir in favor of blending wines from different regions to achieve desired wine characteristics. They reversed that direction in the mid-2000s, along with a push to upgrade their quality.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay 2016 @ £15.95 - Buy it here!
This Chardonnay bursts with tropical flavors such as mango, papaya and pineapple with citrus notes that explode in your mouth. These flavors delicately intertwine with aromas of green apple and pear to create depth and balance throughout. A hint of toasted oak rounds out the long lingering finish.
Not much chardonnay has this much appeal but the USA know how to pull them together. Cheers!
- Details
- Written by Henry Conway
- Category: News
- Hits: 1474
We featured this a few days ago at a tasting of ours and this blew people away! So much in fact that we are currently out of stock... but that's not going to stop me making this our wine of the day.
In a little village nestled in the dramatic rugged hills of the Catalan countryside is Celler de Capcanes. It was into this wild landscape that Jurgen Wagner walked, in the mid-1990s and never left. Entranced by what he found and the potential at the co-operative, he had no option but to stay. Over the last 25 years he has breathed energy into this venerable operation, instilling pride in the natural wealth that is their vineyards. The potential of the diverse terroirs in these vineyards is captured and expressed so clearly in the delicious Garnachas and blends that Anna Rovira, the winemaker, and Jurgen together conjure up. As an example of how excitement, focus and dynamism can be bred into a co-operative born in the early 20th Century, Capcanes shines.
Working with Garnacha predominantly but with vineyards of Samso (Cariñena), Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca scattered over sites on the hills that rise up around the village giving altitudes ranging from around 250 to 550 metres. They are pressing their growers to cultivate organically
Celler de Capçanes, Mas Collet 2016 @ £11.95 - Buy it here!
Medium deep red with violet, ripe cherry flavours and blueberries. Smooth well integrated oaky, toasty aromas. Medium bodied, fruit driven, fine ripe sweetness with good acidity which is perfectly balanced with the round ripe tannins culminating in a long ripe fruit finish.
Don't worry, it will be back in stock soon. And then it'll disappear just as quickly all over again! Cheers!
- Details
- Written by Henry Conway
- Category: News
- Hits: 1525
Such awful weather yesterday! It's lovely to finally have the sun out in full force again today. Another good thing about today: the lounge is open!
Come and grab a glass or a bottle and maybe a platter of cheese or meat. Come and relax in the warmth this afternoon from 12pm until 10pm today.
I know where I'd rather be than out there... cheers!
- Details
- Written by Henry Conway
- Category: News
- Hits: 1373
Never fear, the wine of the day is here! Valpolicella is an undying classic and today we will honour it in just the way it deserves.
Alpha Zeta was started in 1999 when Liberty Wines set out to produce a range of modern, fruit driven wines from the hills outside Verona. Working with leading New Zealand winemaker, Matt Thomson, our aim was to work with growers (rather than buy bulk wine, which is standard among most wines from Verona at this price) to obtain ripe grapes (by reducing yields and picking later) and then, using Matt's expertise, preserve these flavours in the finished wines. The result is a realisation of the potential inherent in Veronese viniculture.
The vineyards are situated in the hills outside Verona in the Valpantena Valley. Cool currents blow down the valley from the foothills of the Dolomites, moderating the climate and enabling the grapes to ripen slowly. This helps the grapes to retain their aromatic compounds and acidity. The soil is poor and chalky so the vines are put under stress which helps to produce superior quality fruit.
Alpha Zeta 'V' Valpolicella 2017 @ £9.50 - Buy it here!
A lively, youthful ruby wine with fresh cherry aromas that develop into a rich cherry pie character in the mouth. Body comes from soft, supple tannins that match the concentrated fruit through to the characterful finish.
Absolute beauty at a low and eye catching price. You'll be back for more in no time I can assure you! Cheers!
- Details
- Written by Henry Conway
- Category: News
- Hits: 1295
Simple but amazing. Hugel have been producing wine for so long and with so much finesse and skill that they are essentially the metre stick with which everyone else measures their quality. Let's have a read!
Hugel & Fils, founded in 1639 in picturesque Riquewihr, Alsace, France, is still 100% family owned and managed by the 12th consecutive generation of the family.
The family owns a 30 hectares estate of prime sites in Riquewihr, mostly classed Grand Cru, and buys grapes from a further 110 hectares farmed under contract. The Hugel estates are planted with only the noble Alsace grape varieties, with vines averaging 35 years of age.
Hugel production averages 110,000 cases per year, of which around 90% is exported to more than 100 countries worldwide, where “Alsace” is often synonymous with “Hugel”. Hugel wines, with their distinctive yellow labels, express the pure varietal character of Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat and Pinot Blanc, all of which have no “make-up” from oaking or sweetening.
Famille Hugel 'Classic' Gewurztraminer 2015 @ £16.95 - Buy it here!
Deep lemon yellow colour, young and lively with abundant green hints. A fresh, open, expressive bouquet, fruity and aromatic, agreeably perfumed but not excessively, the fine characteristics of Gewurztraminer are displayed with lots of charm and delicacy. We discover with pleasure true aromas of passion fruit, mango, fresh pineapple, as well as very floral touches of rose, jasmine, acacia blossom, pistachio and fresh almond.
Genuinely amazing and if you've never tried a Gewurztraminer they you're really in for a treat. Cheers!
- Details
- Written by Henry Conway
- Category: News
- Hits: 1397
I thought showing off something a bit older was a nice idea and, of course, everyone loves a bit of port. Smith Woodhouse are the ones for us.
Smith Woodhouse was founded in 1784 when Christopher Smith, Lord Mayor of London, created a small company to ship Port from the Douro valley. Shortly after, he was joined by the Woodhouse brothers. The amalgamation of the Smith and Woodhouse families over 200 years ago gave this highly reputable company its name.
Another brand in the Symington family portfolio and, while it might not have top-flight status, it is without doubt a pretender with five members of the Symington family currently engaged in the management of Smith Woodhouse.
Smith Woodhouse Port comes from the Upper Douro in the Rio Torto district. The majority of the Port is still produced using the ancient tradition of treading the grapes by foot in stone lagares. Smith Woodhouse Port is mostly sourced from the Madalena vineyard producing smooth, well balanced and delicate fruit flavours.
Through the last 200 years, this small Port Company has built a reputation for outstanding Vintage Ports.
Smith Woodhouse 1977 Vintage Port @ £99.95 - Buy it here!
Dark fruit notes of blackberries and black cherries combine with a thick silky texture and ripe tannins to make this a port to savour as it matures.
This is what port is all about. Cheers!
