News
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06/09/2011
We are now distributing Wooing Tree. This is fabulous Pinot Noir from Central Otago that has been out of circulation in the UK for a while and is definitely worth seeking out.
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06/09/2011
Henry Butler's interview with Raul Bobet has just been posted. This is the link to part 1
See the interview here...
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24/08/2011
A taster of Henry Butler's coverage of Castell d'Encus with footage of the rock fermenters and the surrounding terrain. It gives an idea of how high the vineyards are.
Lots of other enlightening footage is available on Henry's blog www.winebox.tv
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04/08/2011
We took a group over to Catalonia in July to witness the goings on at Castell d'Encus and show them why we are so excited about this new project and their wines.
Read an account of the trip here...
We are waiting for Henry Butler to post footage, including an interview with Raul Bobet, on his blog www.winebox.tv but have to content ourselves for the time being with a review of Easyjet's wine offering that he shot on the journey to Barcelona.
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02/08/2011
Castell d'Encus "Quest" 2008 Costers del Segre
Recommended by Steven Spurrier in "Spurrier's World" Decanter
"Rich, smooth black fruit spice and minerals, complex, balanced and very individual. Drink 2012-2018."
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22/07/2011
Mâcon-Solutré-Pouilly "Sur le Mont" 2010 by Domaine Cheveau
"Wine of the week" on jancisrobinson.com
"An inviting nose with a hint of creaminess, hazelnuts and juicy yellow peach. Gentle roundness and weight, apricot tang and crisp apple. This really opens up and spreads across the mouth. Backbone of minerality. Real intensity. Tense acidity. Long. Superb."
Read the full review here...
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07/06/2011
Ermita del Conde's Viña Sulpicia tinto is featured in the "Weekday wines" section of Decanter, July 2011
"The winery was only built five years ago, but this wine is produced from old vines planted at an altitude of 900m. The restrained use of oak helps bind it all together, resulting in a fresh, juicy wine, with red and dark fruits, fine tannins, and a scattering of spice"
We are looking forward to the arrival of Ermita del Conde 2008 later this summer.
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03/06/2011
JF Merieau's Fleuve Blanc 2005 Vouvray has been reviewed by Simon Woods.
" A completely different style of Chenin, with rounded citrus, apple (cooked and fresh) and slightly-undercooked cake mixture flavours pepped up by intriguing notes of warm roof tiles (bit pretentious, but, hey), burnt sugar and beeswax, and with a real undercurrent of the soil running through the wine. Rich but elegant, and a wonderfully complex and tasty treat. S+"
See the video of Simon tasting Fleuve Blanc here...
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23/05/2011
JF Merieau's Cent Visages Malbec has also been reviewed by Gary Vaynerchuk on wine library tv, although it is the 2007 vintage. We currently stock the 2008, which is in very much the same mould.
See episode #982 here...
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19/05/2011
Simon Woods has reviewed two of our wines on his blog Drinking Outside the Box
He tasted Domaine la Graveirette's 2009 Côtes du Rhone on 18th March and JF Merieau's Cent Visages Malbec 2008 on the 20th April. Both wines were very well received.
You can visit Simon's blog here...
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07/04/2011
The latest releases from Dominio do Bibei have reached our shores. We have Lalama 2007 and Lapola 2009 available now. Other new releases from Spain include a range of wines under the Villa de Musas label from Navarra and Pierres from Rioja, both of which offer an excellent quality/price ratio.
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02/04/2011
Bodegas Forjas del Salnes is one of the newest additions to our range. His Albarinos are fabulous, however he is also doing great work with indigenous red varietal wines. Fiona Beckett had a preview of the wines recently and wrote this in The Guardian
"And adventurous wine drinkers in the Hampshire/Berkshire area might like to head for Caviste of Overton, Odiham and Hungerford to try the 2009 Bastion de la Luna (£17.50; 12.5% abv) from Bodegas Forjas del Salnes, in the famous white-wine-producing area of Rias Baixas (better known for its albariño). It's a fresh, elegant, peppery young red made from the Galician varieties of caiño, loureiro and espadeiro, and would go well with squid, swordfish or hake."
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28/03/2011
At the Caviste spring tasting the 2009 Alluviale Blanc and 2008 Alluviale attracted lots of attention. No wonder Air New Zealand have picked up the red for their business class passengers. There were also previews of the new vintage of Lalama and the wines of Ludovic Chanson. Naissance, a fantastic 2009 Beaujolais-Village from Domaine Cheveau sold out.
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14/03/2011
We visited France and Spain earlier this year to see our existing producers and some new prospects. We have new vintages of Dominio do Bibei on the way - Lalama 2007 and Lapola 2009. Also from Galicia and equally exciting are the wines of Bodegas Forjas del Salnés, which should be hitting our shores in May.
Great new Montlouis from Ludovic Chanson (see below) is now available as well.
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10/03/2011
Metis 2009 is currently "Best Buy" in the April edition of Decanter
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26/02/2011
Patrick Piuze's Terroir de Fyé is written up by Anthony Rose in the Independent on Saturday
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01/02/2011
Ludovic Chanson's Montlouis wines are a new addition to our list. We first tasted his wines at Millesime Bio in Montpellier at the end of January and we were struck by their purity and precision.
Read Jim Budd's blog about him here
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24/12/2010
Quinola has received a great note from the Wine Advocate (#188)
" Less than 400 cases were produced of Quinola’s 2007 Garagewine. The wine is 100% Tinta de Toro sourced from 90 year old vines planted on sandy soil. It was fermented and aged in new French oak for 21 months. Purple/black in color, it offers up an enthralling nose of earth, mineral, violets, exotic spices, and a confiture of black fruits. Dense, layered, but nicely proportioned, this succulent offering will evolve for 5-7 years. Impeccably balanced and exceptionally long in the finish, it will offer a drinking window extending from 2015 to 2027." 94 points
Stunning wine and only a few bottles left! 2008 is due to be released in early summer.
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11/12/2010
Domaine Cheveau's Macon Pouilly-Solutré and Patrick Piuze's Fourneaux 1er Cru are featured in Jancis Robinson's "75 sure-fire whites."
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04/12/2010
Jonc Blanc and Susterris Negre by Castell d'Encus feature in Jancis Robinson's "100 sure-fire reds".
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30/11/2010
Metis Sauvignon Blanc and J-F Merieau's Fleuve Blanc Vouvray are included in Decanter's top 50 wines for Christmas.
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27/11/2010
Manchester's Hanging Ditch are putting on a wine dinner with Pete Schell from Spinifex.
7.30pm Wednesday 1st December kitchen@circle
For more details visit their website here..
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26/11/2010
Jancis Robinson has named Lalama by Dominio do Bibei as her Wine of the Week.
Luckily new stock has just arrived!
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11/11/2010
Camille Savés NV, Gueule du Boa 2006 by J-F Merieau and Boundaries Cabernet Sauvignon by Rusden have been written up by Imbibe in their November/December issue.
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10/11/2010
Pete Schell from Spinifex is visiting the UK at the beginning of December
There are events in the pipeline - news to follow!
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09/11/2010
Get a flavour of Dominio do Bibei from these Youtube clips:
Peer inside the winery and see an interview with Laura Lorenzo (in Spanish) View...
A dizzying glimpse of the vineyards View...
"Pretty wild!" indeed
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29/10/2010
Patrick Piuze is Wine of the Week for Jancis Robinson
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11/10/2010
Allen Meadows of burghound.com gives Patrick Piuze a stellar review.
Meadows states that the "...quality levels he has achieved are nothing short of sensational..."
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04/10/2010
Jancis Robinson reviews the wines of Patrick Piuze on her website (purple pages).
Jancis describes Patrick as a "...truly thrilling new producer..." who "...quite clearly has a magic winemaking hand."
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30/09/2010
New Merchant Targets Independents
Drinks Business interview us and Ben makes some interesting observations.
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16/09/2010
Some pictures from our portfolio tasting at Kettners
Henri Chapon showing wines from J. Merieau
Ben Llewelyn in full flow Raul Bobet of Castell d'Encus
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13/09/2010
Drinks Business write an article about Metis.
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13/09/2010
Metis, as featured here in Decanter, is the latest addition to our list.
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01/09/2010
The Wine Gang review a selection of our wines this month.
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29/08/2010
Bob Tryer of The Sunday Times writes up Domaine du Pech and their wine "Le Pech Abusé" in his On the Bottle column in the Style magazine.
He describes it as a "remarkably fragrant and intriguing blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot."
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23/08/2010
Imbibe feature the news of our launch portfolio tasting at Kettner's, 28 Romilly St, London on Thurs 16th September.
See the feature here.
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13/08/2010
Joanna Simon has named a trio of our wines as her wines of the week.
See www.joannasimon.com for her notes on 2009 Domaine Cheveau Mâcon Solutré-Pouilly, Sur Le Mont, 2005 P J Druet Bourgueil, Les Cents Boiselées and 2008 Ermita del Conde Tinto.
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We made the front page of Off Licence News on the 6th August!
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Dominio do Bibei's Lalama is "Splash Out Red" Wine of the Month in August's issue of Decanter
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Our official launch will take place on Thursday 16th September at Kettner's, 28 Romilly Street, London between 10am - 5pm. It's a fruit day according to the biodynamic calendar!
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Gran Cardiel Rueda is "Best Value White" Wine of the Month in July's edition of Decanter
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Ben, Rupert and Tom bared nearly all as wine waiters in the buff at the Semillons event at Vinopolis in aid of Everyman, the UK's leading prostate and testicular cancer campaign.
Catch an eyeful at http://www.semillons.co.uk
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Due to demand we are going to receive another small parcel of Quinola. This batch will be in rather smart 3 bottle cases.
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I spoke to David from Dominio do Bibei and he informed me that Lalama 2006 had received 93 points from Robert Parker. The following 2007 vintage, which we should receive later this year picked up 94 points, while their top red Lacima scored 95. As of the 10th of May we still have a few cases of Lalama '06 up for grabs and a handful of bottles of Lapola.
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Our next shipment of Gran Cardiel will be under screwcap.
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