Bancroft Wines at SITT Spring Tastings 2017

We sent teams to both SITT Spring events, in Manchester on Monday 27th February and London on Wednesday 1st March, and had a marvelous time showcasing our selected wines to visitors, both familiar and new. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to taste with us - we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Some members of the Bancroft team at SITT London

Below is a list of all of the bottles that made an appearance on our table at both events, including some new listings:

Sparkling

Champagne Gratiot-Pillière Tradition Brut NV

Lambrusco di Modena, Cantina della Volta 2009

White

Grillo, Il Folle 2015

Hartenberg Riesling 2014

Cheninsolite, Alex Cady 2014

Sin Palabras Albariño, Adegas Castro Brey 2015

Garnatxa Blanca, Herència Altés

Sa Fita, Es Fangar 2015

Ribolla, Marjan Simčič 2015

Ataraxia Chardonnay 2015

Red

Saumur Champigny Tuffe, Chateau du Hureau 2012

Elena Walch Pinot Nero 2015

Garnatxa Negra, Herència Altés 2015

Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Hartenberg 2013

Cotes-du-Rhone Reserve Rouge, Domaine de Grand Veneur 2015

The tempting line-up

To the Languedoc and back again: Bancroft's Mike reports...

Recently, Bancroft's very own Mike Unsworth and Managing Director Neil McAndrew recently took a trip over the channel to tour the realms the South of France in the company of some of their favourite vinous chums. Mike Unsworth reports:

"This time three weeks ago, we were stood on a plateau in the hills of the Languedoc, looking over the expansive vineyards of Domaine Cabrials. While our guests filmed the winemaker and quizzed him about a wine anorak's favourite subjects - soil types, pH levels, clonal selection and the like - we took a step back behind the camera and enjoyed a moment's rest with a cool glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

 

A friendly French duo - two new wines to our list

Two brand new wines land into our stock this week from Chateau du Cedre in South West France: 

'Blandine Le Blanc 2014' IGP Côtes du Lot and  'Marcel Malbec 2014'  IGP Côtes du Lot. In their quirky packaging and excellent value for money, these wines are set to be a sure fire hit with many of you.

 

Download the full tech sheets here.

Both Marcel and Blandine always had bright ideas and were considered visionaries in their time.
 
Marcel MALBEC left his native Belgium and cycled through France, settling in Vire-sur-Lot where he produced his first wine in 1892.
 
Blandine LE BLANC always took the time to do things right in the cellar and enjoyed watching her wines mature. Always at the height of fashion, Blandine enjoyed the finer things in life and liked to host and share her wines with friends.
 
When she met Marcel, she fell in love with this daredevil whose boots were as polished as his wines were.
 
Ahead of their time, they chose to live life together in the fast lane, working hand in glove to share their passion for their authentic French wines. 

The 'Blandine Le Blanc 2014' IGP Côtes du Lot packs a punch at only £4.84, blending 60% Colombard with 40% Ugni-Blanc to create a tropical, aromatic white with spicy undertones.

Our new 'Marcel Malbec 2014' IGP Côtes du Lot is as pure as it gets, offering up lashings of plum and blackberry, and that velvety, soft, round mouthfeel that makes Malbec so seductive.

Bancroft takes to the Languedoc with Domaine de Mus, Domaine de l’Hortus and Viranel

New recruit Ben McVeigh-Whitaker reports...

Bancroft's Ben, Mike, and Jason with Camilla from the Somerset Wine Company, Toby Webster from Black Dog Wines, Phil Innes from Loki Wines in Birmingham, Nick Underwood and William Mason.

Last week, Bancroft visited the Languedoc with 5 lucky customers to visit three of our producers and witness the harvest in action. It is always a treat to go and visit the wineries, see the terroir and meet the people behind the wines. But to see the harvest in action was very exciting. There is a sense of excitement all around, with picker in the vineyards, tractors and vineyard machinery buzzing around the country lanes, fully ripe grapes everywhere you look, and a great sense of anticipation in the air!

Up Coast and Personal - Cool climate coastal wines for spring and summer

The moderating effect of cool coastal breezes can create unique microclimates perfect for cultivating top quality grapes - often in regions you might not suspect. Here at Bancroft we represent many producers found in regions where oceanic influences play a key part in striking that delicate balance between phenolic ripeness and acidity.

Loving the Languedoc: great value wines with heritage

The Languedoc-Roussillon is a hidden gem often overlooked yet at Bancroft we have been championing the region’s wines for many years, with fabulous producers who offer an unparalleled wealth of riches for the eagle-eyed, price-conscious consumer. A revolution in winemaking in the region coupled with cheap land means that quality, consistency and variety has never been better. Unperturbed by harvest time hail and liberated by the introduction of the Vins de Pays AOC, producers can take advantage of the vast swathes of scrubland at their disposal and play. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Muscat and Malbec, Viognier and Grenache rub shoulders, side by side often in the same vineyard. Unusual blends offer top quality at basement prices and unexpected varietals off er a new take on old favourites.

Don't miss out on what the Languedoc can offer: variety, value for money and heritage. We have selected  some of our favourite wines from the region with wines that offer great variety, good value and heritage.

Life through Jason's wine glass: Sud de France Languedoc-Roussillon trip January 2015

Last month Bancroft's Jason Busby headed down to the South of France for vinous explorations and all manner of interesting food. A foodie as much as a wino, here he reports on his findings, provides an insight into how we source our wine and what we look for as well as visiting a few of our current suppliers...

"the Langedoc-Rous is a hidden gem with great value wines that are over looked by the more well-known areas of Bordeaux and The Rhone."

"This was a well organised trip by the Sud de France team where approximately 150 wine buyers from around the world - America to China, Germany to Brazil congregated for the the Languedoc-Roussillon tasting of 1500 wines coupled with the Biologique festival both at the expo in Montpellier.

Domaine Cady receives GOLD at the Concours Général de Paris

New to our list this year, Alex Cady's Cheninsolite 2012 was awarded a GOLD medal last week at the Concours Général de Paris.

 

93 Parker Points for Domaine de l'Hortus

We're proud to report that three of our Domaine de l'Hortus wines recieved some serious accolades from The Wine Advocate's Jeb Dunuck this weekend (eRobertParker.com, #211, Feb 2014): 

Stock is very limited so snap these up while you can!

Domaine de l’Hortus « Grande Cuvée » blanc 2012: Rating 93.

“It is a rich, fleshy wine that offers up ample buttered peaches, brioche, crushed rock-like minerality and hints of nuttiness on the nose. This flows to a medium to full-bodied, texture and beautifully layered white that has impressive delineation and cut integrated acidity and a big finish. Classy all aound, it’s a serious effort to enjoy over the coming 1-2 years.”

Domaine de l’Hortus “Grande Cuvée » rouge 2011: Rating 92.

 

“Deeper and richer, with loads of blackberry and black raspberry fruit supported by pepper, olive, violets and meaty notions, the 2011 Pic Saint Loup « Grande Cuvée » is medium to full-bodied, deep, layered and has gorgeous purity of fruit … It is already drinking beautifully, yet should evolve nicely for upwards of a decade.”

Bergerie de l’Hortus rouge 2012: Rating 90.

 

“It over delivers and it’s reminiscent of a Cote-Rotie with its white pepper, olive, underbrush, blackberry and even hints of bacon fat on the nose. Medium bodied elegant and beautifully seamless and silky, with fine tannin and good acidity, it should be enjoyed over the coming 3-5 years.

Decanter Panel Tasting: Vintage Champagne - Pierre Paillard, Bouzy Grand Cru 2004

This month our Pierre Paillard Bouzy Grand Cru 2004 is mentioned as 'recommended' in the Decanter Vintage Champagne Panel Tasting - January 2014 Edition, p.70...

The panel of tasters - Michael Edwards, Nancy Gilchrist MW and Ronan Sayburn MS, give the Paillard Bouzy Grand Cru '04 the following tasting notes:

"Very fruit forward with notes of lemon curd and zest. The palate has melon flavours and is clean and youthful."

Points awarded: 16 (86)

Drink: 2016-2020

Day 3 Southern Rhone, By Jason Busby

Just two estates but quite far apart and another two favourites of mine as well as Bancroft for over a decade.

Yves Gras of Domaine Santa Duc, Gigondas and other appellations. What can I say? Biting wind whistling down the valley when we arrived (maybe the Mistral) at the quaint homestead on the outskirts of Gigondas with Yves's new Eco friendly tasting room and office looking more like a space station next to the 18th century farm house, actually doesn't look out of place.