Staff Picks

A vibrant red wine with aromas of dark cherry, rich red forest fruits and floral notes of lavender and violet. The palate has hints of white truffle, hazelnut, and warm spices with glimpses of anise and clove, rounded off with herbaceous undertones. The finish is gripping, velvety and lingering.

Country: Lebanon

Region: Mount Lebanon and Bekaa Valley

Grapes: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Grenache & Mourvèdre

ABV: 13.5%

Produced at the historic Monastery of St Jean, whose building dates back to 1696. 75% of the grapes are from the Monastery’s own vineyards in Khenshara & Ajaltoun at 1000m altitude on the Maritime side of Mount Lebanon. The remaining 25% is Cabernet Sauvignon from the Bekaa Valley.

Astonishingly good Riesling from an outstanding New Zealand producer. Concentrated, explosive in the mouth! Dry, flavoursome Riesling with honeysuckle notes, aromatic nectarine, baked peach, apricot, lime and preserved lemon. One glass will not be enough!

Country: New Zealand

Region: North Canterbury

ABV: 15.5%

Grapes: Riesling

Read Wine Advocate Erin Larkin’s wonderful review of Pegasus from latest trip to the South Island

'From there, I went to Pegasus Bay, and it was here that I was so impacted. This is an iconic Riesling producer—Rieslings worth crossing the ocean for. They age slowly and gracefully, employ botrytis as a textural aid and are thundering examples of Riesling from New Zealand. I can’t overstate that. These are collectors’ wines. I have seen older examples in Australia over the years, served blind, that have taken the room by storm. My thanks to Winemaker Matt Donaldson for the afternoon; it took us in directions I think neither of us expected.'

Pegasus Bay Riesling Bel Canto 2022 – 94 points.

The 2022 Bel Canto Dry Riesling leads with loquat, kumquat and orange rind. In the mouth, the wine is floral, detailed and full—it is actually quite wide, spreading to all corners of the mouth, leaving a trail of fine chalky texture in its wake. Really good. Textural. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Erin Larkin Wine Advocate

Intense and bright picota cherry colour. The nose is clean and intense, lots of black fruits, candy and floral notes.  A medley of plum, strawberry, black cherry and black currant with undertones of white pepper, earthy notes, and a very pleasant balsamic end with a hint of sweetness. This is elegant, crisp with mineral undertones and notes of rosemary and cedar that emerge as the wine evolves – not to mention the sweet but vibrant tannins that promise a bright future.

Country: Spain

Region: DO Manchuela, La Mancha

Grapes: Garnacha

ABV: 14%

Vegan/Vegetarian

Organic

As the lands starts to rise, inland northwest of Valencia, you will find Roselia Molina heading up Bodegas Altolandon. The property consists of 120 hectares with the winery resting right in the centre, not only making it aesthetically satisfying but also extremely practical. At 1,100 metres above sea level, the altitude serves to benefit the grapes with large diurnal variations which encourage even ripening and also helping retain their natural acidity. Organic methods are used to manage the vines utilising only natural fertilisers and some green pruning to further guarantee the quality of fruit prior to hand-harvesting. The grapes are vinified as naturally as possible with native yeasts and little other intervention. The wines are then aged in French oak and some in clay amphora to retain purity, but build complexity.

This is very exciting!!! Red wine from Rondo Grapes grown in Chiswell Green, so this is as local as it gets guys! Gorgeous, deep ruby colour. Elegant aromas of Morello cherry, violets and cloves. Juicy, fresh acidity, with flavours of bitter cherry and raspberries on the palate with silky tannins. Only 400 bottles produced, so grab it while you can.

Country: England

Region: St Albans, Hertfordshire

Grapes: Rondo

ABV: 12%

Food Match: Great with hard cheese such as pecorino or parmesan and cured meats.

Estate grown by Wimbushes Vineyard, St Albans

Produced by the winery at Thurston Place, Suffolk

Wimbushes Vineyard St Albans

Andy and Karina Harrison decided to plant an acre of vines on their beautiful Chiswell Green property about 9 years ago, as a hobby. In 2018 they appointed Suffolk winemaker (and ex-surgeon) Michael Rhodes to turn their Solaris and Rondo grapes into wine.  In recent years, due to careful vineyard management by David Savage and the vines maturing healthily, the fruit and their talented winemaker, they have produced some seriously good English wine. These wines are produced in very small quantities, so we do tend to limit the amount of bottles purchased by any one household.

This expressive, barrel-fermented Viognier seduces you with the beautiful perfume of honeysuckle and orange blossom and a textured palate of apricot, kiwi and pineapple.

Country: South Africa

Region: Western Cape

Grapes: Viognier

ABV: 13.5%

Lismore Wine

This viscous, mouth-filling wine offers notes of toast, red and green apples, caramel and almond.

Fermentation in new French barrels and 5 months battonage until bottling.

Country: Spain

Region: Rioja

Grapes: Garnacha Blanco

ABV: 14%

The grand master of white Rioja, Abel Mendoza never fails to impress with his uniquely complex, old vine wines from small plots planted high up in the Alavesa. Tim Atkin MW often scores between 94-95 for this wine and past vintages received 95 points from Robert Parker. Sublime and a must for anyone serious about their wine.

Stunning, white Burgundy at its best! 

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Chardonnay

Burgundy is renowned for a jigsaw of small plots, fitting side by across the rolling cotes and cru with many different owners - the result of equal inheritance. While some heirs want to make wine, others prefer to live their lives elsewhere, meaning their plots go unloved. Enter Patrice du Jeu, a Parisian restaurateur with the dynamism and energy to revive such plots. Together with family and friends, he managed to buy several parcels in excellent terroirs of the Côte de Beaune including Santenay, Chassagne Montrachet and Mercurey. Joining with white Burgundy expert Jean-Baptise Alinc the wines of these heirs - Les Héritiers - are both technically competent and beautifully crafted.

A ripe and intriguing nose of wild berries, blackberry compote, graphite and tobacco. These delights follow through onto a palate with layers of dark black fruits, brown spice and subtle oak. The freshness of the Petit Verdot complements the richness of the Cabernet and Cinsault, creating a wine of concentration and structure with the potential to evolve beautifully over the next 10 years. After decanting the wine evolves nicely, showing notes of crushed-rock minerality amongst the layered and complex fruit.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cinsault

Food Match: A braai of course! Good steak, bashed and barbecued with a sprinkling of rock salt and grilled veg

The wine is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cinsault from estate-grown fruit. The grapes are picked as early as possible and rushed to the cellar where it is not crushed only destemmed, hand sorted and transferred to tank. Fermentation occurs naturally without the addition of any yeasts after a cold soak of about 3 to 5 days. As soon as fermentation starts the grapes are given soft pigeage twice daily during the first week and then once every few days just to keep the cap wet. When the desired extraction is achieved the wine gets drained and pressed in a tiny hand operated basket press and transferred into 225l french oak barrels of which 50% new for 22 months before bottling unfined and with only a light filtration.

A nose of raspberry, cranberry, black liquorice, and exotic tea notes. The palate has red cherry, plum, and boysenberry, subtle hints of espresso and cocoa nib underpin notes
of spice and toast. Firm yet integrated tannins and bright acidity drives a long finish.

Country: USA

Region: Sonoma County, California

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Pinot Noir