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By a bit of luck we've managed to get a stonker of a bottle back into the shop. This Amarone went down an absolute treat the first time and we expect it to do the same again! Let's have a read...
The Torre del Falasco wines are the standard bearers of this co-operative, situated in the Valpantena, northeast of Verona. Known as the ’valley of god’ to the ancient Greeks, this area is well-known for its high quality red wines, due partly to the soils but also because of the cool breeze that blows down the valley from the foothills of the Dolomites. Run by Luca Degani since 1995, the Cantina di Valpantena is now one of Italy’s best co-operatives, with 700 hectares of vineyard producing excellent quality fruit. Matt Thomson makes some of the Alpha Zeta wines here and has worked closely with them since 1999.
The grapes for the Amarone are grown on the steeply terraced hillside vineyards belonging to the co-op, where soils are chalky and poor.
The summer brought abnormally high temperatures and a prolonged absence of rainfall. A providential downpour on 17th July, with 25mm of rain, managed to restore water reserves and bring the vegetation back into a state of equilibrium. In addition, abundant and much-needed rainfall at the beginning of September - about 80mm - changed the macroclimate substantially, bringing with it significant differences in day and night-time temperatures that produced a wide range of aromas and helped to retain acidity.
Once picked, the grapes dried for at least four months in the Valpantena drying centre where temperature and humidity are controlled to ensure slow, even drying. During this period, the grapes lost 40% in weight. After drying, the grapes were fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at between 18-22°C with maceration for 20 days. Once fermentation was complete, the wine matured in French oak barriques for 18 months before bottling.
Torre del Falasco Amarone della Valpolicella 2012 @ £28.95 - Buy it here!
Deep ruby in colour, this wine has aromas of plums, spice and dried fruit compôte, which give way to a solid tannin structure that supports the concentrated, dried-cherry fruit character. Long and spicy on the finish, with a bitter cherry-chocolate twist characteristic of good Amarone.
Come grab a few of this beautiful beast. We love it!
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In honour of the weekend finally being here, we thought we would show off a wine which has finally returned to us after a long wait: The Colombo & Fille Côtes du Rhône Blanc! A rising star from the Rhône and one of the youngest from the region. Made in limited quantities by Laure Colombo, this boutique label is an inspired and personal story best told by Laure herself:
"Growing up in Cornas has not always been an easy thing! I would have loved to take the tube to go to school, to spend my Wednesday afternoons at the public gardens and to feed the pandas at the zoo before sunset.
My parents never pushed me to follow in their footsteps and become a winemaker like them. Instead, I chose to travel - maybe because of all those bottles from around the world! I travelled until one smoggy morning in New Delhi I realised that the magic potion from my childhood was taking hold! I was missing the vines and the cellar that were so familiar to me. It's when you are far away that the things that are so common become so precious! Without noticing it my roots were coming back.
Since that morning, the magical potion has invaded my entire person and the passion had become a reality. That is how Colombo & Fille was born! Nothing more."
Colombo & Fille Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2016 @ £13.95 - Buy it here!
A lively blend of Clairette, Roussanne and Bourboulenc from vineyards in the heart of Côtes du Rhône near Cairanne. Intense floral aromas, crisp, fresh citrus characters and a vibrant finish.
Come and grab a few. We're stoked to have it back!
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Final case of this is in the shop! Don't miss your last chance to get your hands on a couple of bottles of this truly amazing chardonnay. Let's find out a bit more...
When La Crema was founded in 1979, the Russian River Valley had yet to establish itself as one of California’s most important regions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The first few vintages at La Crema were devoted to learning the intricacies of cold-climate viticulture and winemaking along with the task of procuring first-class vineyards for fruit.
In 1993 Jess Jackson bought La Crema and, with the help of winemaker Dan Goldfield, elevated the quality of the wines and enhanced the winery’s reputation as a top producer in California for Burgundian varieties. Over the intervening years, La Crema expanded its collection of vineyards to include some of the most esteemed sites in not just the Russian River Valley but also Sonoma Coast, Green Valley, Fort Ross-Seaview, Mendocino, Carneros and Monterey.
With the 2012 vintage, the winery ventured outside of California to acquire Pinot Noir from Oregon’s famed Willamette Valley. The unifying factors with all of these sites are their cool, windy climates and marine-based soils. The winery has also explored other varieties and is known for producing one of the finest Pinot Gris in the state.
La Crema’s vineyards are all harvested by hand. The winemaking techniques are primarily traditional to ensure that the wines are true to both the variety and the terroir. The Chardonnays are whole-cluster pressed and fermented and aged in French oak on the lees with bi-monthly battonage to add texture and complexity. The Pinot Noirs are cold soaked for five to eight days before fermentation in small, open-top fermenters and aging in a combination of new and used French oak barrels. As with the Chardonnay, La Crema’s Pinot Noirs are pure, accurate and reflective of their origin.
La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2014 @ £21.95 - Buy it here!
This wine opens with layered aromas of vanilla, yellow plum, fresh peach blossom and ripe citrus. On the palate are flavors of locally grown Gravenstein apple framed by hints of sweet spice and shortbread. The end result is a broad, juicy, and beautifully balanced mouthfeel.
Only 12 bottles of this are available and it was wildly popular in the first place. Get down here and soon!
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And we're back from quite a nice and relaxed weekend. On Friday we had one of our amazing wine tasting evenings and this time we focused ourselves on Australia. The brilliant people down-under are known to produce some amazing wines. These two, for example, are some of the absolute best on offer...
Robert Oatley Vineyards is the reincarnation of the Oatley family winemaking dynasty. Wine is 'in the blood' of the late founder Bob Oatley and his eldest son Sandy, leader of the family business founded upon a four decade passion for grape growing, wine making and marketing - the combination of which has seen the Oatley family rise to the top of the Australian winemaking scene. With interests spanning the world of competitive sailing, tourism, hospitality and of course, wine - the family produces wines both of immediate appeal and cellar-ability, with satisfying flavours over an elegant frame, under a variety of stylish labels including Robert Oatley, Wild Oats, Pocketwatch, Four in Hand, Montrose and Craigmoor.
Over forty years of nurturing grapevines and making wine has taught the Oatley family many lessons. Site selection is paramount, that 'sense of place', as where you choose to grow your grapes is vital to both style and quality. The Oatley approach is to overlay this philosophy with an outstanding team of grape growers and wine makers, using the best possible equipment, to allow them every chance of producing a winner. The task is clear: to craft wines that have varietal clarity, focus and which reflect their provenance - in a very modern fashion. Wines of character and integrity.
Director of Winemaking, acclaimed vigneron Larry Cherubino, achieves this via a myriad of vineyards across the length and breadth of Australia's wine regions. His winemaking team is lead from the Oatley's winery at Mudgee, with further on-location experts and facilities in Margaret River, McLaren Vale and Yarra Valley. Vineyards are tended as organically as possible and wines are made with minimal intervention, reflecting a dedication to sustainable grape growing and wine production practices.
Robert Oatley "Finisterre" Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula 2012 @ £21.95 - Buy it here!
An excellent Pinot Noir from the sought-after Mornington Peninsula, near Melbourne. The grapes are hand pricked and sorted and matured for 9 months in French Oak. Crisp, ripe, rich red fruits with complex spicy and gamey notes and a silky body.
Robert Oatley "Finisterre" Chardonnay, Margaret River 2015 @ £21.95 - Buy it here!
Reminiscent of a white Burgundy, this wine displays aromas of nectarine and lemon peel. The palate is rich and complex with citrus and melon fruit, minerality and finely integrated oak characters.
Both of these are only available in small quantities so don't even think about waiting around!
Cheers!
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As it's such a lovely day today we thought a nice offer for you would go down a treat. How does 15% off when you buy 2 or more bottles of the Seifried Estate Nelson Pinot Noir 2014 sound? Wanna know a bit more first? Oh go on then!
From small beginnings in 1973, when Hermann Seifried and his New Zealand wife Agnes first planted grapes in the Moutere Valley near Nelson, this is a family business with a focus and passion for beautifully crafted wines.
2016 marks 40 years since the family's first grape harvest, and with all three Seifried children now fully involved in the business, over 250 hectares of sustainably accredited Estate owned vineyards, and exports to over 20 countries around the globe, there is indeed reason to celebrate.
Seifried is a family business sharing their wines with the world and is home to the fabulous 'Sweet Agnes' Riesling - NZ's most awarded dessert wine. 
Seifried Estate Nelson Pinot Noir 2014 @ £14.95 - Buy it here!
"Fruity, fresh, varietal and very inviting bouquet of fresh dark cherry and light red fruits, some plum; baking spices of cinnamon and vanilla. Dry, fruity and flavourful with light red fruits of plum and cherry,light toast oak layer, medium+ acidity and fine tannins. Balanced and well made." 90 Points - Cameron Douglas MS, November 2015
So whenever you get at least two bottles of this stunning pinot noir we'll give you 15% off. That's something anyone can enjoy! Cheers!
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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Whether you have someone to spend it with or not, you can always count on us to have something to help out the occasion: Gin.
The story of Broken Heart gin is about remembering a friend. Two German friends, Joerg and Bernd, were living in Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand. Both of them were philosophers and Master Distillers, and set out to make a superb gin together. Sadly, Bernd unexpectedly fell ill and tragically passed away. To commemorate his friend and to mark a new beginning, Joerg released Broken Heart gin. Broken Heart is London Dry gin distilled in a small pot still with wheat and molasses base spirit.
Broken Heart Central Otago Dry Gin @ £35.95 - Buy it here!
Eleven botanicals are added, including juniper, coriander seed, lemon peel, lavender, cardamom, cassia, cinnamon and angelica. The New Zealand alpine water gives this gin a captivating purity, and it is well balanced at 40% ABV. The aim was to make a perfumed and crisp gin to drink at dusk, cherishing those ‘moments in between’. We're huge gin fans and this one really does take the gold for best in show. A truly wonderful example of what gin can be.
