Christmas Bottled

Launching the festive season with appropriate sparkle, here's a round up of our favourite wines for the season:

Say it with Champagne...

Pierre Paillard Bouzy Brut Grand Cru NV 

Elegant, refined, light and refreshing. 

This was selected as one of the top 100 most exciting wines of 2013 and received 92 Points from Wine Spectator:

 

"Shows lovely balance, with a satiny quality to the refined mousse and mouthwatering acidity meshing with pure notes of poached quince, lemon mousse, white cherry and fresh ginger. Offers a lightly chalky finish. Disgorged January 2012. Drink now through 2020. 6,000 cases made." 

92 Points. Incredible value, quality, grower Champagne - this has to be your go-to Champagne choice for all of this year's festivities.

Party on:

Two house whites, two house reds, two prosecchi. Just add canapés.

The proverbial stocking-filler: These fairytale offerings from Domaine de Mus are a sure fire way to fill your fast-moving product lines whilst giving your customers something a little different:

Rousanne-Vermentino VdP d'OC 2013 *NEW*
Jancis Robinson describes the Roussanne-Vermentino as "Smoky, off dry, with real beginning, middle and end. Lots of juice and greengage fruit."

Malbec, VdP d'OC 2013 *NEW*
This shows off with bags of ripe, pure red fruit, spice and a little mocha on the nose which carries through to the palate. Well balanced with fine tannins, good concentration and texture.

 

The Wild South Sauvignon Blanc 2013 is an intensely fragrant wine, showing true Marlborough character. Aromas of lychee and gooseberry blend harmoniously with notes of fresh citrus peel. Lemon and lime nuances give this wine a delicious zing.

 

Showing a warm initial lift of fresh ripe cherries and yellow plums, the Pinot Noir 2012 warms in the glass to show rich nuances of pear and cinnamon. Balanced tannins and acids carry this richness through to the palate with lingering notes of violets and thyme.

Ca Degli Ermellini Prosecco - the ultimate aperitif. Floral, appley and honey aromas. Crisp and well-balanced.

De Stefani Prosecco Metodo Zero NV

A clean, fruity lively prosecco with golden apple notes. 

Christmas Day...

Snow whites:

Paul Pillot, Chassagne-Montrachet Les Mazures, Côte de Beaune 2011 

Paul Pillot, the third generation of the Pillot family, took over the domaine in 1968 with just one hectare of vines and soon established himself as a top producer of first-class Burgundy. Paul?s son, Thierry, now runs the domaine, with his sister Chrystelle, and has overseen the expansion of the domaine to a total of 13ha. It is always a pleasure to taste with Thierry and his warmth and genuine character seem to resonate in his wines. 

 

Ataraxia, Chardonnay, Walker Bay, South Africa, 2013

As has become the norm in crafting Ataraxia Chardonnay, a minimalist, non-interventionist winemaking approach, geared to reflect sense of place and expression of terroir, was adopted. This wine is 100% barrel fermented and carefully matured in specially selected small French oak barriques sourced exclusively from Burgundian coopers. Fortnightly batonnage was employed throughout the 9 month maturation period. The result is a Chardonnay that is New World in provenance but Old World in stylistic leaning. A chiselled, focussed wine that effortlessly manages to be both subtle and intense. The palate is penetrating and profound yet graceful and poised. A forceful mineral acidity is beautifully balanced by a subtle yet compelling intensity of fruit. A classic length, creaminess and intriguing complexity defines this stylish, world class Chardonnay.

Erre Punto Blanco, Remirez de Ganuza, Rioja Alavesa, 2011

Made from 40% Malvasia and 60% Viura, the Erre Punto Blanco is aged on its lees for 7 months with batonnage to build extra complexity.

Three Kings:

Reserva Rioja and crowd-pleasing Malbec

Gift-boxed in attractive wooden cases, the Remirez de Ganuza 2007 is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 5% from the skins of Viura and Malvasia that are added during fermentation, and 10% Graciano, that are around 40 years in age. It is aged in 95% French and 5% American oak for about 25 months.

Bodegas Altanza, Lealtanza Reserva Limited Edition 2008
Medium oaked wine. 12 months in French new oak barrels. The nose on this is a complex and elegant blend of red fruit, raspberry and liquorice tempranillo aromas, combined with a little spice that comes from its ageing. Powerful and fresh this shows great acifity tannic sturcture. It is sweet toothed overall and it has the qualities of a lively, young wine that will gradually round up in the bottle as time goes by.

Luigi Bosca Malbec D.O.C Single Vineyard Malbec 2011
One of the first and still most revered single vineyard Malbecs in Argentina that comes from the 80-year-old vines of the Vistalba vineyard. This Malbec is delicately spiced, with notes of mocha and blackberries and has an elegant, yet firm structure.

Desert wines...

Simcic Leonardo 2008: This Solvenian sticky made from indigenous Ribolla grapes this is the ideal way to round off these seasonal festivites.

Luigi Bosca Granos Nobles Gewurztraminer Reserva 2011 as recently recommended by Fiona Beckett in her Guardian column. 

And... A Tacchino Moscato d'Asti. Perfect with Pannetone, fruit cake or instead of pudding itself. Sweet citrus and yellow apples with soft bubbles and only 5.5% alcohol. Romina Tacchino sends us traditional Italian Baci di Dama to the office every year and this is the perfect accompaniment.