Superstars

Ruby red with violet reflections. Fragrant with red berries, cherries and plum. Very fresh, easy drinking and harmonious.

Country: Italy

Region: Sicily

Grapes: Nero D'Avola

ABV: 13.5%

Food match: Great with pizza, tomato based pasta and antipasto.

Straw like colour with greenish hues. Attractive aromas of nectarine, hints of lemon zest and white flower notes. The pallet has great texture and depth and finishes with beautifully balanced acidity, long and flavoursome mid pallet with rich texture reflect conditions of the vintage.

Country: South Africa

Region: Elgin

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13%

This is a Chardonnay of great purity, reflecting site and the season in which it was grown. Meticulous attention and care in the vineyard is most critical in allowing that expression. Elgin is one of the Cape’s coolest wine growing areas with favourable climatic, soil and topographic conditions.

6 bottles of one of the finest roses for a lucky recipient.

Whispering Angel Rosé

Please note that the wine will only be delivered in the pretty pink box if you live in the St Albans area. If we courier it to you, the packaging will be more robust and less attractive! :)

We love this wine! You can't miss this bottle on the shelf with its distinct tactile, voluptuous shape.  This wine is produced only in the best vintages. A deep pomegranate red; delicate floral and black cherry fruit aromas. Warm, plum and tamarind. Full bodied but soft with silky tannins and a long smooth finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 13.5%

Travaglini Tre Vigne is the result of extensive research of the best characteristics of soil, and the blend of three historical vineyards. The Nebbiolo grapes from these vineyards are harvested during the first half of October. The grapes are gently crushed and are macerated for around 15 days in stainless steel. Maturation takes place over a 40 month period; 30 months of which 80% in Slovenian Oak and 20% aged separately for 10 months in French Barrique. The rest of the aging is in bottle before release.

Powerful aromatics are redolent of ripe citrus fruits. While the palate has concentrated lychee, honeysuckle, nectarines and pineapple.

Country: USA

Region: Oregon

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Pinot Gris

Fresh red fruits, with a floral note immediately jumps out from the nose. Dark ripe raspberries, spices, lavender, hints of oak and cassis emerge after the initial blast of fruit. Beautifully balanced with nice acidity and ripe tannins.

Country: USA

Region: Oregon

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 13.5%

A top notch wild and organic Bandol!

Mourvèdre at its best! Wild flavours of fresh earth, black pepper, cinnamon, bay, cloves and blackberry. The finish is fresh and quite dry. A great way to discover Mourvèdre-dominant wine.

Country: France

Region: Bandol

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Mourvèdre 70%, Grenache 20%, Cinsault 10%

Organic

Domaine Lafran-Veyrolles is an estate with a superb terroir and is widely recognised as one of the top three producers in the appellation. Jean-Marie Castell runs this small, traditional estate with just 10ha of vines on the famous red clay soil of Bandol. The estate is nestled in the protective hillsides of the Cadière d'Azur and benefits from a maritime climate. The domaine works with minimal intervention: extremely low yields, organic viticulture and and natural winemaking including very limited sulphur dioxide.

Dark, ruby red in colour. A pervasive bouquet, which is very generous and varied, with hints of violet, raspberry and pomegranate. On the palate the wine is warm, dry, generous, well-balanced.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Sangiovese

Food Matches: Red meat, minestrone soup

As seen in the movie 'Letters to Juliet' starring Amanda Seyfried, Gael García Bernal and Vanessa Redgrave. The Carpazo vineyard is the real deal!

WOW! What a stunning wine. One of the best wines from South Africa.

A full and rich wine with great depth of flavour and character. There are aromas and flavours of ripe apricots, honey and tropical fruit with a touch of vanilla oak and crisp citrus fruit.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch (nestled between the Stellenbosch and Helderberg Mountains

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

Food Match: Fish dishes, shellfish and sushi

David Trafford is one of South Africa’s most individual winemakers. David is completely self-taught, save for a few months working a vintage in St Emilion. By trade he is an architect but in 1983 he decided to plant a small vineyard for fun. In 1991 David turned his part-time hobby into a full-time career. More than twenty years on, he is one of South Africa’s most decorated winemakers.

Label by Rita Trafford: 'Helichrysum Dreaming'

A complex bouquet of crushed rose petals, wild jasmine and fresh French herbs. The palate shows beautiful purity with layered red fruits, cranberry, raspberry, silky tannins and a long, savoury finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Walker Bay and Elgin, Western Cape

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 13.5%

70% of the grapes came from Stanford, Walker Bay and 30% from Elgin, both in the cool climate region Cape South Coast. The vines are all Burgundian, clone 115. The Stanford vineyard is close to the southernmost tip of Africa and is located in one of South Africa’s coolest wine producing regions. The maritime vineyard enjoys a long ripening season, because of the strong cooling winds that are prevalent in the summer. This microclimate is ideal for creating a long hang time, concentrating the flavours in the berries, while retaining natural acidity levels. Elgin is situated at 400
metres above sea level and ripens even later then the coastal vineyard. The vines
here, planted in shale and clay soils, produce fleshier fruit, adding weight to the final
blend.

An elegant Pouilly Fuissé showing aromas of fresh mint, peach and citrus that carry through to a fresh and mineral palate. A rich, complex and well balanced wine with remarkable vivacity on the finish.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes:  100% Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

Domaine Ferrand is situated in the village of Solutre ­Pouilly, in the heart of the Pouilly Fuisse appelation of Southern Burgundy. The domaine now comprises of just over 11 hectares of vineyards that have been passed down from Father to Son over 3 generations. Today the domaine is run by Madame Nadine Ferrand whose wines have been well reviewed by the Guide Hachette.

Single vineyard 'Dardi le Rose' is on the hill of Bussia, one of the great Barolo crus. The vines are grown at 300-350 metres above sea level, with a south westerly exposure. A small percentage of the wine is aged in Slovinian and French oak. Tino Colla describes the 2016 as the most perfect vintage of his 50 year experience. This wine is just superb. Don't miss out on getting hold of some and drinking it this festive season.

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmonte

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 13.5%

Concentration, power and elegance sum up this wine. Attractive leafy notes, dark fruits giving a fresher style.

Country: France

Region: Cahors

Grapes: Malbec

ABV: 13.5%

Cahors - the birthplace of Malbec has been an established winemaking area for centuries and a Latin manuscript from 1456 shows that the Burc family were already land owners around Cahors at that time. 5th generation vigneron Jean-Luc Burc now shares the running of this 50 hectare estate near Puy-L'Évèque with his daughters, Anne and Emmanuelle. They produce individual and characterful wines from their various vineyard parcels which encompass all of the classic terroirs of the region, both on the renowned terraces of the Lot and upon the limestone plateau above. The estate's old vines are carefully managed according to the principles of lutte raisonneé.

Aromas and flavours of pure dark red berry and cherry fruit, with intriguing notes of nuts and spices, with a touch of forest floor. Lovely fine, dry tannin and a soft, long finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch, Helderberg

Grapes: Merlot

ABV: 14.5% 

An all time staff favourite! This is the wine that will spark a lifelong interest in Nebbiolo and lead you to discover the beautiful wines of Piedmont.

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: A classic Piedmontese starter: vitello tonnato, which is thinly sliced, cold veal with a rich tuna sauce.

Elegant, with great complexity, with citrus aromas enveloped in layers of minerality and herbal hints. Full-flavoured with a creamy texture, powerful and long finish.

Country: France

Region: Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley

Grapes: Clairette 55%, Roussanne 20%, Bourboulenc 15%, Grenache Blanc 10%

ABV: 13%

Black cherries, earthy tones and hints of tanned leather. Soft, supple in texture with a ripe berries and savoury notes, juicy acidity, silky tannins. Dry, minerally, structured and very long finish . Gorgeous. Drinking window: 2023-2033.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Sangiovese

As seen in the movie 'Letters to Juliet' starring Amanda Seyfried, Gael García Bernal and Vanessa Redgrave. The Carpazo vineyard is the real deal!

Fresh and floral with red currant and raspberry hints. A very elegant and minerally example of this native Sicilian variety. Delicate, soft red fruits and a subtle garrigue-ness.

Country: Italy

Region: Etna, Sicily

Grapes: 100% Nerelo Mascalese

ABV: 14%

A very convincing, fresh, expressive bouquet with pure brambly, briary black fruit and freshly tilled earth. The palate is medium- bodied to full with crisp black cherry and blueberry fruit. The tannins are fine and edgy, while the finish is beautifully composed and contains Margaux- like femininity. This is extremely well-crafted Cabernet Franc, with a surfeit of personality.

 Country: Chile

Region: Maipo Valley

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

ABV: 14.5%

Canadian ex-ski coach, Derek Mossmann Knapp, is the enfant terrible of the Chilean wine scene. He set up Garage Wine Co. with his wife Pilar Miranda and Dr. Alvaro Pena in 2001 with the intention of being the polar opposite to the big, established companies that dominate the Chilean market.

Seductive, rich and enthralling - a brilliant northern Italian take on cool-climate Merlot.

Aromatic, spicy, mature forest fruits, notes of ripe plum and damson on the nose. Velvety and sumptuous on the palate - plum, rich vanilla and sour cherry give way to a fine, long, structured finish with ripe tannins. A full-bodied wine which exudes elegance.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Merlot

Bright, appealing deep cherry red colour  - youthful looking. Fresh and intense, with vanilla oak notes coming through- vanilla and pastry- that mix in with varietal aromas including black fruit and liquorice. Full bodied, elegant and well- balanced, with a long finish.

Pairs well with  roast meat and strong, mature cheese.

Country: Spain

Region: Ribera Del Duero

Grapes: Tinta del Pais (Tempranillo)

ABV: 14.5%

A very special limited parcel wine from talented young South African winemaker Izele Van Blerk. Drinking window 2023 - 2028. Only 1300 bottles made!

The wine spent 36 months in 2nd and 3rd fill 500L French oak barrels and 24 months in bottle before release. The grapes are from 136 very old vines!

This full-bodied wine explodes with aromas of rose petals, red cherries and raspberries with hints of lavender. The palate is focused with an undertone of cloves, dried fruit and
leather. The grippy tannin structure and zippy acidity is well integrated and delivers an intense, lasting finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 14.5%

Food match: Beef Tenderloin,
braised duck, wild mushrooms and aged Gouda.

From the true masters of Cape Cabernet - the benchmark Stellenbosch Cab. 

Red rocks and warm sand. The palate is initially firm but relents to a wine of great purity and subtlety with notes of tomato, cocoa powder, hazelnut chocolate and star anise. Overall, a heady concoction somehow assembled into a seamless red of phenomenal quality.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

Le Riche Wine

The backbone of the range, it’s a phenomenal expression of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon when it’s allowed a maritime influence, and it is this that sets it apart and marks it as truly Bordelaise. With carefully selected fruit from the cool gravelly slopes facing False Bay to the rich red granitic soils around Stellenbosch, the wine gains its complexity by expertly blending fruit from 4 specifically diverse terroirs. 

Remarkably great value for money Bordeaux. The majority of it is Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend yielding a wine with ripe and concentrated blackcurrant fruit, balanced oak and good structure. A typical St-Estèphe full of power and attitude.

Rich, dark purple in the glass with an intense perfume of cassis, plum and violets. On the palate, it is full and rich, with blackcurrant and raspberry fruit characters balancing well with soft tannins, and hint of classic St-Estèphe minerality.

Country: France

Region: St-Estèphe, Bordeaux

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Franc 7%, Petit Verdot 3%

ABV:13%

Deep purple/red colour with an opaque core. On the nose it is rich with sweet red and black berry notes, some vanilla and sweet spice. On the palate it is much weightier than the nose suggests.  Very opulent, but elegant and balanced at the same time.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 14%

Grape: Shiraz