Harpers Wine Trends for 2016: Future Proof

The crystal ball reveals itself in this month's Harper's where 3D wines and our boutique wines from Revancha in Argentina are part of the predictions for forthcoming wine trends in 2016.

Read the full article here:
http://www.harpers.co.uk/sectors/insights-what-will-blaze-the-way-for-on-trade-trends-in-2016/528735.article

Wine of the week: Revancha Peon, jancisrobinson.com

This week's wine of the week on Jancis Robinson is the Revancha Peon, as tasted by Julia Harding MW.

Decanter magazine rates Ataraxia Chardonnay 'Outstanding' and calls Serenity a 'Must-try' Red in top 20 wines under £25

New-to the Bancroft list in 2014, Ataraxia is sweeping the floor in Decanter Magazine. Kevin's wines are so hot right now you can barely touch them!

Remirez de Ganuza: Decanter Magazine's Top 25 Riojas on the shelves

Sarah Jane Evans MW rates our Remirez de Ganuza Reserva 2007 as one of her ‘Top 25 Riojas on the shelves’ in this month's Decanter magazine...Read the full list here.

Remírez de Ganuza, Reserva 2007
17/20pts (90/100pts)
A producer that uses well-chosen vineyards and detailed grape selection in the winery to produce bold, expressive, new-wave wines. Oak ageing is apparent here – it simply needs time to mature.
Price: £52-£65 Bancroft, Berry Bros & Rudd, Hedonism
Drink 2016-2020
Alc 14.5%

Revancha scoops 92 points in Wine Enthusiast

We're delighted to announce that Revancha has scored 92 points in this month's edition of Wine Enthusiast for their Gran Revancha - the 'King'.

Well done team!

"Revancha is a new line of wines from esteemed winemaker Roberto de la Mota. This blend Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc. On the nose it is spicy, lightly herbal and deep in fruit. A tight palate shows raw tannins and flavors of wild berry and oak-based coconut. Dry, flashy and a bit rough on the finish this will benefit from a few more years in bottle. Drink through 2020."

Bancroft is the exclusive agent for Revancha in the UK.

Decanter's Andrew Jefford on lessons from Simčič's Opoka Rebula, Slovenia

Jefford on Monday: Lessons the Bottles Taught Me

Some wines please; others both please and inform. The wines below are some of those which taught me most this year. I've quoted vintage and producer's name, but it's not always the named wine itself which matters so much as what that wine represents.

Bush vines in Swartland (Image: Andrew Jefford)

1) 2009 Opoka Rebula, Simčič, Slovenia
I criss-crossed the Italian/Slovenian border with two Dutch colleagues at fruit-blossom time, savouring the haunting strangeness of the grape the Slovenians call Rebula and the Italians Ribolla Gialla. The lesson: just how diverse the world of white wines in fact is. This is a comprehensively open, rich, softly chewy wine evoking an eerie world of allusions: cheese, meat, straw, mushrooms, yellow fruits, honey, umami. If you could drink the past, this is surely how it should taste.

 

Reproduced from Decanter.com 

Read the full article here.

The Guardian top 20 whites for Christmas: Las Colinas del Ebro Garancha Blanca and Hay Shed Hill Chardonnay

David Williams has recommended his top twenty winter whites this week in The Guardian. Of these twenty, two are ours...

Las Colinas del Ebro Garnacha Blanca, Terra Alta, Spain 2013
(£8.25, Oddbins)
A subtle Catalan white for the fish course or lighter pork and chicken dishes that is gentle in aroma (white fruits and flowers) but is wonderfully textured and mineral in the mouth: it’s rare to find this sort of graceful, gastronomic, complex dry white for this sort of price (the same producer’s succulent red, also £8.25 at Oddbins, is pretty good, too).

Hay Shed Hill Chardonnay, Western Australia 2013
(£13.95, thewinesociety.com)
A great find by The Wine Society, this is high-end chardonnay at a very competitive price, very much in keeping with the current Australian fashion. It’s a wonderful combination of fresh apple fruit and the savoury flavours of oak: crisp, clean, elegant but with enough depth for the main Christmas meal.

Read the rest of the article here.

Champagne Press for Moncuit and Paillard - in Imbibe and on Galloni

We're bubbling over with joy with some recent Champagne press for Pierre Paillard and Pierre Moncuit this month.

Giles Fallowfield recommends Champagne Pierre Paillard Millesime grand Cru Bouzy Brut 2004 as one of his top seven picks of the year in Imbibe's Champagne Special supplement.

Viña Pedrosa calls the shots: 91 points in Wine Spectator

Furst Silvaner Independent Success

This week Anthony Rose from The Wine Gang listed the 2011 Rudolf Furst Silvaner Pur Mineral from Franconia as one of the 50 best wines of this year offering good value for money. They showcased all 50 at this year’s London Wine Fair with all of them receiving significant praise.

Rose praised the Silvaner in his report in the Independent, saying that is was ‘a dry white of considerable stonefruit flavours and great elegance’.

The Pur Mineral range from Fürst is crafted from grapes grown in stony soils and requiring intensive hands on work. This bone dry wine was created to demonstrate the purity of the grapes it is made from and displays great elegance and minerality. It pairs brilliantly with seafood dishes or poultry and perfectly with asparagus or alternatively it is a great match to Sushi.

   

Award-winning Australia:Hay Shed Hill

With a medal haul at the International Wine Challenge and mentions in the best 100 Australian Wines, Ray Jordan’s Top 100 reds and the Aug/Sept Wine Companion, Hay Shed Hill and its sister brand Pitchfork are the new high fliers on the Australian Wine scene and rightly so.

International Wine Challenge 2014

Hay Shed Hill put in a sterling performance at this year’s wine challenge and came home weighed down by their silverware with both the Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay being ranked among some of the best wines in the world.

          HAY SHED HILL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012

                                     - SILVER MEDAL

       HAY SHED HILL BLOCK 2 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010

                                     - SILVER MEDAL

       HAY SHED HILL CHARDONNAY 2013

                                     – COMMENDED

        HAY SHED HILL BLOCK 6 CHARDONNAY 2013

                                    – COMMENDED

Pitchfork picks up plenty of points: 93 and 91 apiece

The Pitchfork Shiraz and Pitchfork Cabernet Merlot have made an appearance in this month’s issue of Australia’s Wine Companion, earning a place in James Halliday’s Top Value Wines Under $20.

Highly regarded as the authority on his native land’s wine, the Aussie rates the Pitchfork Cabernet Merlot as one of his best value buys of the summer:

“Good colour; the fragrant bouquet introduces a wine with a juicy intensity that energies and lengthens the palate, and continues onto the aftertaste.” 91 Points

Pitchfork’s Shiraz fares even better, raking in an impressive 93 points. The veteran wine judge finds it to be a “very attractive, juicy light-to-medium-bodied Shiraz, with vibrant red and black fruits; spice and pepper, the tannins silky, the oak subtle.” 

Cederberg Private Cellar scoops top awards at SAWi (South African Wine Index)

Peter du Toit from Cederberg reports:

 

During holiday season, you might find yourself around the dinner table discussing your favourite wine of the year. Soon enough discussions will become heated and propensity to agree will wane.

Ten Minutes by Tractor Pick of the Pinots in Square Meal Magazine

In the recent issue of Squaremeal Lifestyle (Autumn 2013), Ten Minutes by Tractor's 2010 Pinot Noir has been listed as one of the Pick of the Pinots by Jane Parkinson in her article "Pinot Envy".

Top 100 Blue Gold Medal for Schild Estate

The string of awards just keeps on growing for Schild Estate’s 2012 Grenache Mourvèdre Shiraz. On the back of winning multiple medals since its release, this fantastic wine has just been awarded a Top 100 Blue Gold medal at the Sydney International Wine Competition, 2014 and is in the running for the Best Value Trophy Award next March.

Bon Pasteur 2010 highly recommended by Decanter Magazine

Ch Bon Pasteur 2010 has been highly recommended by Decanter in their recent Pomerol 2010 article in the December 2013 issue.

Bodegas Altanza's Gran Reserva 2005 pick of the issue in Imbibe

Bodegas Altanza's Gran Reserva 2005 has been featured on the "For your cellar" page in the latest issue of Imbibe magazine.

Pierre Paillard Brut NV Grand Cru listed in the Top 100 Wine Spectator wines of the year!

Pierre Paillard's Brut Grand Cru NV has been selected as one of the top 100 most exciting wines of 2013.

We are shortlisted as a finalist in the first ever Harpers’ French Wine Awards!

Bancroft Wines was recently shortlisted as a finalist in the first ever Harpers’ French Wine Awards in the Best Distributor/Supplier for French Wine category.

Steven Spurrier recommends Muratori's Rosé Franciacorta in Decanter Magazine

Muratori's Rosé Brut Franciacorta is featured in Steven Spurrier's article "Spurrier's World" in this month's Decanter magazine.