Superstars

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.

Vegan.  Whole bunches are pressed gently as soon as they arrive in the cellar and are fermented and aged in oak barrels, 55% of which is new oak, for fifteen months.

The Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino is their flagship wine and reflects more than 30 years of working in harmony with nature within the terroir of Montalcino. It is a wine that expresses the Montalcino territory with purity and tradition. Drinking window: 2023-2033.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Sangiovese

Concentrated aromas of red berries, sweet liquorice, red berries, tobacco, forest floor and minerality. Rich and textured palate full of almond and smoky flavours. Complex, layered with mulberry and savoury, meaty notes with a long, dry finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Malgas, Swellendam, Western Cape

Grapes: Syrah , Touriga Nacional, Mourvédre, Trincadeira and Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 14,5%

Food match: Grilled lamb chops, ratatouille

Sijnn is prounounced 'sen', or 'seine'

Certified IPW sustainable

David and Rita Trafford discovered the Sijnn land in Malgas in 2000. The soil and landscape reminded them of Portugal and they were immediately intrigued. A purchase agreement and 200 soil profiles later, 10 hectares were planted and the name Sijnn Wines was appropriated fittingly so as the word Sijnn; is derived from the Khoisan word meaning riverbank. Sijnn is on a plateau of slate and pebbles, about 15km from the southern oceans of Africa. A new winery was built at Malgas in time for the 2015 harvest. Most vineyards are on alluvial deposits on the Bokkeveld shale base – balancing intensity, structure and aromatic complexity and finesse. These very poor, complex soils encourage a deep root system, and low growth/ low yield giving intense, complex wines of character. “Low Profile” refers to 200+ profile holes dug to
determine the best sites to plant vines, and is a blend of earlier drinking vats.

Aromas and flavours of citrus fruit, passion-fruit and greengages, cut grass with a hint of dried herbs. It has a crisp, dry finish and a lingering after-taste on the palate.  

Country: Australia

Region: Margaret River

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc

Passel Estate, founded by Wendy and Barry Stimpson, is in the heart of the spectacular Margaret River region. Their six hectares of vineyards are surrounded by an impressive granite outcrop and a pristine nature reserve of ancient flora. Sea breezes from the Indian Ocean provide calming relief in the hot summer months and this special location not only produces some of the region’s finest wine grapes, but also provides sanctuary to the endangered Western Ringtail Possum, whose collective noun is a "Passel”!

Food Match: We love this wine for its complexity of aromatics and concentration of flavours on the palate. White fish with fresh asparagus or Samphire is a great pairing.

A stunning example of Hunter Semillon.

Cut grass and lime zest nose with a clean and zippy palate and fresh fruit flavours of sherbet, lemon, passion fruit and lemon. Lovely long finish.

Country: Australia

Region: Hunter Valley

ABV: 11%

Grapes: Semillon

The nose is fragrant and full of ripe black fruit along with hints of cocoa, leather and liquorice. On the palate it is generous and full bodied, smooth yet firm tannin and a very long finish seasoned with sweet spice and toasty oak. This Cabernet expresses the distinct regional profile of Margaret River. 

Country: Australia

Region: Margaret River, Western Australia

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

Food Match: Rump steak

A wonderful dark red colour, with purple reflections. The bouquet is very expressive with notes of meatiness, black plum skin, bitter and sour cherry, liquorice and chalky notes. It is a wine with beautifully integrated oak, finesse and a very long finish.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes:  Pinot Noir

Food Match: Poultry and red meats, spring rolls, grilled ribs and braised pork.

Stunning, perfumed nose, dark and intense colour. Concentrated blackberry, bramble fruit and liquorice characters on the palate with a precise structure and very long finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 14.5%

Drinking window now - 2045

Food match: red meat, braised meat, game and cheese.

A bold inky Graciano, with burst of black current cherry and raspberry with delicious savoury notes of herbs and added depth of cocoa.

Country: USA

Region: Paso Robles California

Grapes: Graciano

ABV: 13%

Food Match: barbecue meats and mature cheese

Crafted with 30% whole-cluster fermentation and aged for nine months in neutral barrels, this wine retains its natural vibrancy. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur, it offers a pure and textured expression of this rare Spanish varietal.

Deep garnet  colour with flecks of pomegranate. Sweet strawberry, meaty and smokey tar aromas with black cherries and ripe wild berries. Full-bodied and concentrated with round and silky tannins. Juicy, long and savoury finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 14.5 %

Food Match: Braised beef or venison dishes with a rich red wine sauce.

Undicicomuni" refers to the 11 (undici) communes (comuni) that make up the Barolo appellation, the Nebbiolo grapes for this wine come from across all 11 communes. Fermentation and maceration takes place for three weeks in stainless steel at a controlled temperature. Then there is 26 months of aging in large wooden casks followed by a further 6 months in concrete tanks.

A serious and complex white from the Douro Valley.  Notes of citrus, stone fruit, vanilla and subtle spice, with vibrant acidity and a long, elegant finish.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro

Grapes:  Rabigato, Códega de Larinho, Viosinho, Arinto and others

ABV: 12.5%

Food match: Grilled fish, seafood risotto, white meats or cheesy pasta.

Rich, concentrated and ripe with aromas of black berries with a hint of tobacco, full-bodied with a wonderfully rich finish of ripe red fruits, vanilla and chocolate. A super Super Tuscan made with 100% Malbec.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Malbec

Intense nose, full of beautiful ripe fruit. Bold, mature and elegant, with excellent tannin structure and length. Very complex.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

Grapes: Merlot: 60%, Cabernet Sauvignon: 17%, Cabernet Franc: 16%, Petit Verdot: 7%

ABV: 14.5%

Food match: Game meat and wild mushrooms

An elegant, poised and precise, balanced wine that integrates oak while preserving freshness and terroir expression.

Region: Burgundy

Appellation: Chassagne Montrachet

Grape: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

Domaine Regnard’s Chassagne-Montrachet Blanc is 100% Chardonnay, grown on clay limestone soils rich in iron oxide, lending mineral tension and structure. Hand-harvested fruit undergoes fermentation and full malolactic conversion in oak, with 12 months’ ageing (40% new) followed by three months in stainless steel.

Complex, dark and brooding full bodied red from the Douro. Firm and structured with notes of sweet spice, black cherries and chocolate.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro

Grapes:  Tinta Amarela (Trincadeira)

ABV: 13%

A fresh and aromatic nose with red and black fruit (blackberries, cherries) and some vanilla notes. A fine tannic structure, elegant, yet bold and concentrated with a long and silky finish.

Country: Spain

Region: Aranda and Ribera Burgalesa, Ribera del Duero

Grapes: Tempranillo 88%, Garnacha 10%, Abillo Mayor 2%

ABV: 14.5%

Food Match: Slow roast leg of lamb with roast potatoes and Mediterranean vegetables. 

A perfumed nose, with notes of wet stone. The perfect balance of sweet mulberry, red cherry and strawberry fruit, with some herbal (Eucalyptus and Pine) undertones, and a lovely lifted finish. This is beautifully balanced and delicious, and will be even more so in 3-5 years’ time.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise 

Grapes:  Pinot Noir

Food Match:  Roast duck or partridge

The nose has layers of citrus and stone fruit aromas, and hints angelica, acacia flower and allspice. Flavours of lemon, yellow apple and nectarine follow through onto an elegant, balanced palate with delicate notes of greengage, papaya, yellow apple and passion fruit. The wine is light to medium bodied, with a fleshy texture and vibrant, integrated acidity. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Western Cape

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Chenin Blanc 53%, Chardonnay 24%, Semillon 19%, Viognier 4%

The blend is composed of signature white varieties from each property: Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Viognier. Semillon, matured in oak, provides structure and age-worthiness-drawing on Boekenhoutskloof's long-standing reputation for this grape. Old bush vine Chenin Blanc from the Swartland adds depth, texture and opulence, while cool-climate Chardonnay brings lift and precision. Viognier lends a subtle aromatic richness.

Tim Atkin's review: A new addition to the consistently impressive Boekenhoutskloof range, this is a pan-regional blend of Swartland Chenin Blanc complemented by 24% Chardonnay, 19% Semillon and 4% Viognier from elsewhere. Inspired by the whites of the southern Rhône, it's stony, savoury and lightly wooded, with aromas of laurel, thyme and white flowers and a palate of pear, citrus, peach and wet stones. Drink 2026 – 2031

This Barolo is delightfully fresh and elegant. Along with its full and deep bodied centre it shows notes of  violets, menthol, warm spices like cardamom and dried fruits all rounded off with fine tannins and minerality that leave you wanting another glass.

Country: Italy

Region: Barolo, Piemonte

14% ABV

Grape: Nebbiolo

Food match: cheeses, cured meats, stewed and grilled meats

This wine has the ability to evolve over 15 + years

It pours an intense ruby red with hues of garnet, with an intense aromatic range: blackcurrant, tobacco, coffee and graphite. This wine has a lingering taste and is warm, powerful, spiced, with balanced and velvet-smooth tannins.

Country: Italy

Region: Umbria

Grapes: Sagrantino

ABV: 15%

Food Match: Game, roast, stewed and braised meat, aged cheese

Made from the best selection of grapes grown exclusively in a vineyard on the hills of Colcimino. The oldest vineyard in Bevagna (Pg) situated in Colcimino at 350 m heigt, exposure West on sandy clay-calcareous. Plant density: 4000 per hectare.

An immensely pleasing Bordeaux! Leather, dried lavender, blackberry, plum, and violet infuse a Saint-Émilion that offers tremendous balance as well as vibrancy. This wine is just delicious and we love it!

Country: France

Region: St Emilion, Bordeaux

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes:  80% Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc

A deliciously unique blend, with lime and rose petals, green apple, orange zest, backed with toasted almond characters, multi-layered and charmingly complex. Reflecting Pieter’s focus on overlooked, high-quality vineyards.

Country: South Africa

Region: Western Cape

Grapes: Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Fernão Pires, Semillon and Verdelho

ABV: 13.5%

The combination of fruit from 17 Western Cape sites, including Grenache Blanc (Piekenierskloof), Clairette Blanche and Fernão Pires (Swartland), plus Semillon (Elgin) and Verdelho (Voor Paardeberg), brought together in this defining blend created from Pieter's conscious brain. His favourite barrels, tank selections and varietals from a range of different sites across the winelands, then aged 10 months in old French oak.

Winemakers don't come much more creatively brilliant than the genius that is Pieter Walser. He's the sort of man that's had more fantastic ideas before breakfast than we manage in a whole week and that talent shines through in his wines. Each comes with a story often as captivating as they are mystifying so we've asked him to record a few to give you an insight into the magic behind the vino!

Round and elegant wine with classic, subtle buttery notes balanced by juicy acidity. A top quality white Burgundy with more than 10 year aging potential.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 12.5%

Rich and textured from spending 12 months in oak barrels. Aromas and flavours of stone fruit, citrus and vanilla with a long and mineral finish.

Grapes: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Aligoté

Country: Ukraine

Region: Kyiv, Odesa

ABV: 12%

Food pairing: 

"BIOLOGIST craft winery” from the Kyiv region creates unique and unmatched wines. They have rented vineyards in the Odesa region (the majority of nowadays wines are made from these grapes) and a 1.5-hectare vineyard in the Kyiv region, which is experimental and biodynamic.

Rich, complex and voluptuous Chenin stony soils, with a warm, dry climate and sea breeze unique to the Malgas region of South Africa. Fresh fruit and complex mineral  flavours, this wine carries on for a long time on the finish. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Malgas, Swellendam, Western Cape

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

ABV: 14%

Sijnn is prounounced 'sen', or 'seine'

Certified IPW sustainable