Stocktake Sale 2024

Albet i Noya Lignum Negre  is an organic red wine made by  Albet i Noya  with the  Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha Tinta and Merlot  varieties in the  D.O. Penedès (Catalonia). A family project in the  Penedès  region, this winery is now run by the fourth generation and has become a pioneering winery in organic vineyard cultivation. This working philosophy was started by  Josep Maria Albet i Noya  in 1979 and has continued with the recovery of native pre-phylloxera varieties and the meticulous study of all the plots according to their orientation, altitude and soil composition....

Brambly blackcurrant leaf and cassis vie with a heady violet perfume for prominence on the bouquet. The palate is effortlessly sleek and suave with understated elegance being the watchword. Perfectly ripe fruitcake flavour can be found, along with cassis and brambles, cedar spice and delicious subtle succulence contributing to the warm, comforting texture. Harmony of fruit and wood is superb. Layered, textured, complex and refined, it lingers long on the palate. Undoubtedly a wine for the ages, which will mature with distinction.  #2017D

James Suckling 91 points.   The 2016 vintage was voted White Wine of the Year by the Italian Sommelliers Association in 2019. This is a dry and medium bodied Grechetto with refreshing acidity. The fruit is ripe and characterized by yellow peach, nectarine, ripe Asian pear and meyer lemon. There are underlying floral notes of acacia and hawthorn and finishes with a pleasant chalky minerality. Variety: 100% Grechetto First vintage produced: 1989. Training Techniques: Spurred Cordon, Guyot with vine density of 5.000 vines per Ha. Yield per hectare 8-9 tons. Aging: 3 months in steel and minimum 3 months aging in the bottle Aroma: intense...

Variety: those that best express the potential of the vintage. This year it was Trebbiano, Grechetto  and chardonnay. First vintage production: 2012 System of growing: Guyot with a density of 6000-9000 plants ha. Yield per hectare 50-60q Aging: 6 months in French oak barrels and at least 4 months in bottle Aroma: surprising complexity that ranges from light notes of anise and green fern to citrus and spices that go from vanilla to white pepper. A mentholated note gives an exquisite mineral sensation and a touch of acacia honey to finish Taste: round and soft, at the same time fresh with delicate flavors. Extraordinary long persistance...

Winery Note: The Col Mountain Grenache project has been revelatory for us. The deep red and incredibly rocky soils of this special vineyard combine with the moderately warm climate to produce Grenache with brilliant raspberry and red cherry vibrancy and a seductive rose aroma. Spice, pomegranate and rhubarb elements add complexity. This is a medium weight wine of excellent harmony and purity that shows terrific balance between fruit intensity and delicacy. It is a smooth and flowing wine. It has become a personal favourite, for it buys in to the “warm climate Pinot” nature of fine, fruit pure Grenache. Delicious!   #NEWBINDI

This new project has given us the opportunity to enjoy making another Macedon Ranges Chardonnay, this time from the north of the region on granite soil. The grapes come from 25 year old vines and the wine is made in the usual Bindi way; 100% wild yeast barrel fermentation, 30% new oak, and ageing for ten months on solids and lees. The wine is bright and combines citrus, white flowers, nectarine and complex nutty/mealy elements. The palate is fresh, tight, chalky, gently creamy and intense. It will gain increased texture and complexity with five years cellaring and be delicious beyond.   #NEWBINDI

#Vert

Tasting note Colour : Yellow with shiny green flecks. Aroma : Very intense, fruity and floral, with a slight hint of oak that is very well-integrated. Flavour : Fruity, elegant sensation in the mouth, dense, full and with good acidity at the end and a long aftertaste.

WINERY NOTE: White wines usually play a minor role in Tuscany. We are all the more proud of our Il Bianco, which gets even better with each year. We harvest the grapes for this wine, 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Radda, only in the early morning hours so that they arrive nice and cool in the cellar. There we let them ferment spontaneously after twelve hours of contact with the mash at 16 degrees. By preventing the malolactic fermentation, we get a wonderfully fresh wine, which thanks to the five-month aging on the yeast (⅓ in barriques, ⅔ in steel tanks) has an excellent structure. Gooseberry and grapefruit aromas at the beginning and floral...

Wine Advocate 94-96 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2020 Berliquet is composed of 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc, weighing in at 14.5% alcohol. It is aging in French oak barrels, 50% new. Deep purple-black colored, it trots casually out of the glass with effortlessly flamboyant scents of stewed black cherries, warm plums and baked blackberries, plus hints of chocolate mint, violets and licorice with a touch of fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is very tightly wound with layers of ripe black fruits and earthy accents, framed by finely grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing...

93-95 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Tour Saint Christophe stampedes out of the glass with powerful scents of baked blackberries, stewed black plums and boysenberries, followed by suggestions of cedar chest, mocha, tar and fertile loam, with lifted wafts of licorice and cardamom. The full-bodied palate is rich and densely packed with juicy black fruits, supported by velvety tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long and opulent." 05/21. 95-96 Points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com: “Full-bodied and creamy with lots of spice and walnut character....

    "The 2021 Diana Madeline is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (91%), Merlot (4%), Cabernet Franc (3%) and Malbec (2%). The only other time since the first 1995 vintage of this wine (formerly labeled as the Cabernet Merlot) that the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon has crested 90% or higher was the 2016 vintage, which saw 93% Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2021 vintage in Margaret River was an interesting one, with several climate curveballs thrown at viticulturists during key times during the harvest season. Here, the fruit was handpicked on biodynamic fruit and flower days across five picks from the middle of March to the Super...

WA 100. The very deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Maya is shy and restrained to begin. With swirling, it begins to reveal beguiling notes of fragrant earth, lavender, garrigue and Sichuan pepper, giving way to a core of wild blueberries, boysenberries, black raspberries and black currants plus a hint of iron ore. The palate is full-bodied, revealing itself in slow-releasing layers of black and blue fruits with exhilarating earth and mineral sparks, framed by firm, beautifully ripe tannins and bold freshness, finishing on a persistent ferrous note. As cerebral as it is downright hedonic, this Maya is simply jaw-dropping. LPB Jan 2021. #100...

AUSTRALIA'S BEST VALUE WINERY 2022....JAMES HALLIDAY. DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS 2022.....Trophy, World's Best Cabernet. James Suckling 98/100 Perth Royal Wine Awards 2021, Gold Medal. James Halliday 97 points. RAY JORDAN, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN WINE GUIDE 2022, 95 points. From the estate's first plantings; matured for 18 months in new and used French oak. Deep, vivid crimson purple. Fascinating bouquet that has the bay leaf I often find on the back palate/finish of quality cabernet sauvignon; also cassis (no surprise) wrapped in a fine gauze of oak and pliable tannins. Line, length and balance are all attributes of a classic...

Tim Atkin 90 points. Made from 100% Cabernet Franc, this unique Rosé displays flavours of ripe strawberries, cassis and candyfloss with a seductive spicy finish. Handpicked and gently pressed to obtain the perfect, subtle pink hue the Delaire Graff Cabernet Franc Rose is a firm favourite. 

Burghound 89 points/Outstanding Top Value. "A ripe, fresh and nicely layered nose features notes of apple, lemon rind and that lovely quinine-iodine character that clearly identifies this as Chablis. The palate impression is quite rich with fleshy and plump middleweight flavors that are supported by good underlying tension that carries over to the clean, dry and bitter citrus finale. I wouldn't describe this as exactly classic in style but it is refreshing and well-made. Worth a look." BH Issue: 92 Outstanding Top value Tasting note: "A ripe, fresh and nicely layered nose features notes of apple, lemon rind and that lovely...

"Classically composed and gorgeously styled, the wine shows cassis, dark cherry, spicy oak, olive and subtle cocoa characters on the nose." -Sam Kim, Wine Orbit AWARDS AND ACCOLADES 5 stars, 95 points - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit #95

Organic. 95 Points - Outstanding - Cameron Douglas Master Sommelier. " Complex, mineral-laden, detailed and seductive bouquet. Aromas of ripe dark red cherry, wet clay and limestone mineral and earth layers, raspberry and scents of roses and sweet air. Youthful and equally complex on the palate with firm textures of tannins and acidity contrasted by a core of ripe red berry flavours and mineral. Chalky tannins carry a limestone flavour, some wood flavours and leesy complexities begin to emerge after several minutes in glass. A delicious wine, complex and layered, needs to be cellared for some time to bring together all the qualities it...

James Halliday Wine Companion 92 points. No details other than a touch of nero d'Avola in the mix, and there's certainly a lovely black cherry-jubey-cola lift among the more meaty-reductive-savoury notes. While more medium-bodied, the tannins are firm and there seems to be a lot of charry oak drying and clipping the finish. 92 points. Jane Faulkner Published 01 August 2020.

LANDS END APRIL "Includes 10% grenache. The old vines range between 35 and 160yo, all situated in the Eden Valley, open-fermented, 14 days on skins, matured in French oak (20% new), 250 dozen made. It is a highly fragrant wine, the grenache contributing to the fresh red and black cherry fruits." JH 96 Aug 2020 Very small parcels of fruit from vineyards up to 100 years old are hand-picked, fermented with some whole-bunches and blended to make this traditional Barossan wine. Racked once during elevage of 12 months in larger barrels (some new) and always with a small addition of Old Vine Grenache for balance. Showing all the richness...

A charming wine and one of the finest Prelude Vineyards releases to date. There’s a fineness to this, subtly from the aromas and flavours to the palate. Medium bodied, supple tannins, a skein of acidity tying everything together and lengthening the palate. It’s a little deceptive, too, because there’s plenty of detail yet it's lovely to drink now. So I did. 95 points. Jane Faulkner Published 06 July 2023

Wine Advocate 94 points. Their second wine in the Bordeaux sense is the 2018 Macán Clásico, which in the cooler and late year (they picked between October 2nd and 14th) fermented in stainless steel and matured in 50% new French oak barrels, 10% American oak barrel and 40% used ones for 12 months. The wine has moderate ripeness and alcohol (14%) in a fresher, subtler and more elegant year with good freshness (a pH of 3.75) and balance. It's young and creamy, a baby that will improve as it burns down that fat. Separating the press wine by quality and aging it separately seems to have increased the precision. It has to be...

Winefront 93 points. Reflecting the mixed planting of old vines, a complex and intriguing aromatic mix of atypical muscat aromas with white peach and nectarine, honeydew, lemon sorbet and grapefruit pith. A firm palate of ruby grapefruit astringency combined with nervy acidity, homemade lemonade sweet and sour balance give a truly eclectic, unconventional white wine.

Nestled in Damery, just a few kilometres from Épernay, Maison Maurice Choppin has been working the unique terroirs of the Marne Valley for more than 7 generations. Proud of his family heritage and his humble approach to living things, Benjamin Choppin makes natural and distinctive wines that are powerful, well rounded and balanced. Inspired by the "Belle Champagne", he values its exceptional heritage and shines the light on the work of the winemaker.

JH 95 From the east-facing bottom block, Selectiv'-harvested, primary fermentation in grape bins, 65% of the must (cuvee) 35 days maceration, the other portion on skins for 16 days, the combined parcels matured in French hogsheads (30% new) for 17 months, 190 dozen made. It flaunts its sexy oak in a devil may care reprise. James Halliday Published 01 August 2020. #MAX

97+ Points - Gary Walsh Wine Front " The winemaking and style of these 2017 reds is probably the best I’ve seen from this venerable old winery. Hats off to Adrian Sparks and Jim Chatto. This is a mix of Rosehill and ‘Estate’ fruit, with a sneaky, but very clever addition of 6% Pinot Noir. It’s now being made in a way that O’Shea would approve of, I suspect. It’s a beautiful wine, excellence in simplicity and verity of fruit, rather than industry in the winery. Perfumed, so fine and long, effortless flow and sense of grace, with an amalgam of mixed berries, spice, aniseed, and earth, supple but...

Noon Eclipse is predominantly Grenache (80%+) with smaller proportions of Shiraz and Graciano. The grapes come from the three Noon ‘home’ vineyards in McLaren Vale. The grapes are hand-picked and fermented in small, open vats with hand-plunging to help extract colour and tannins.

CHARACTERISTICS: Favorita  is one of the few typical white grapes from Piemonte. It is very similar to the Vermentino grape. Once Favorita was considered a table grape. Then, in the ‘80s some wineries started to make wine from it, with good results. Wine drinkable when young but also with a good structure, as the vines grow in a solid soil suitable for great Nebbiolo for Barbaresco: complexity and persistency are granted. TECHNICAL NOTES: Our philosophy is to limit the cellar winemaking operations in order to preserve as much as possible the grape fruits. The fruit cluster is crushed, pressed, left one night decanting at cold...

Cellar Door Price 75aud. The Reschke history and its close relationship with Coonawarra began in 1906 with the establishment of a prime Hereford stud in the heart of the region. It is this cattle grazing heritage that is reflected in the Reschke bull logo, and the names of the premium Reschke wines. The ‘Reschke Special Reserve’ is a limited-release Cabernet Sauvignon that has been crafted specifically for friends and family of Reschke. The fruit is sourced from a selection of our very best Estate Grown grapes in the heart of Coonawarra, resulting in the production of a truly exceptional wine. This rich and fruit-driven parcel of...

WINERY NOTE: What started as a mishap has become our signature style. Years ago, our Pinot Gris spent some unplanned time on skins, resulting in a beautiful colour, and a richer texture. We still follow this technique (with a little more precision!) today, making our iconic blush Pinot Gris. A sure favourite, this wine suits all palates and is great with or without food. WINE NOTES Colour: pale salmon tinge naturally derived from Pinot Gris skins Aroma: red and yellow apple, nashi pear, orange blossom Palate: lemon and orange citrus, red apple, white florals

100% Chardonnay. Bianco Bianco is a naturally semi-sparkling wine made for Rocca delle Macìe in the province of Trento, within one of the most suitable areas for the cultivation of grapes intended for the production of spumante. Once harvested, the Chardonnay (100%) grapes are fermented without the skins, and then the base wine undergoes natural second fermentation. Bianco Bianco is fresh and fragrant, with overtones of just-ripe fruit. It has a fine, persistent bead that makes it suitable both as an aperitif and as an accompaniment to fried vegetable or fish platters.

#FRASS

OWC 6. James Suckling 95 points. This is the Californian venture of Gonzague and Claire Lurton (owners of such reknowned Bordeaux estates inter alia as Durfort Vivens, Haut Bages Liberal). Cabernet Sauvignon 85% , Merlot 9 %, Cabernet Franc 6% Winemaker Notes Continuing the string of great vintages, 2014 completes the trifecta of extremely high quality growing seasons. The 2014s exhibit a great purity of place, with generous fruit and elegant textures The 2014 shows the purity and excellence of our Cabernet Sauvignon. Subtle and energetic plum and currant aromas follow through to a georgously harmonized palate of wonderfull fruit and ultra...

This vintage not rated yet but here is the review for the 2022: "The best iteration of Mencía in the country. Think cool-climate syrah in a more savoury, mellifluous guise, smattered with dried thyme, fennel and peppery tannins, a twine of attractive astringency. A sphere of blue-fruited succulence expands across a fullish girth with energy, drive, length and immense joy. Great drinking!"  - 95 Points - Ned Goodwin MW , Halliday Wine Companion 2023. 100 dozen made.   THE VINEYARD Sourced from approximately 10-year-old vines at Oliver’s Taranga Vineyard Seaview, McLaren Vale. WINEMAKING Picked...

Each presentation box contains 3 bottles, one bottle each of La Joie, La Muse and Le Desir 2019. LA JOIE (WA 99 points) The 2019 La Joie is an elegant expression that offers power, freshness and expressive, floral character. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, it has a deep ruby color and opens slowly from black cherries and blueberries to accents of violets, ground coffee and licorice. The full-bodied palate has generous, grainy tannins, detailed, perfumed flavors and bright acidity, finishing with an alluring iron character. 2,500 cases were made. LA MUSE (WA 99 points) The 2019 La Muse is a...

Wine Advocate 95 points. Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux tasting. The 2012 Vieux Château Certan has a potent, smoke, cooked meat, Cabernet Franc-scented bouquet that is beautifully defined—quintessentially Pomerol. You want typicité? Come right here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite gentle as it sashays across the mouth. The acidity is very well judged and leads to an elegant tobacco tinged finish. Alexandre and Guillaume Thienpont have produced one of the finest wines of the Right Bank in 2012, one that is up there with the greats. NM Oct 2016.