roberson wine agency list 2014

8/12/2019 Roberson Wine Agency List 2014

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AGENCY20


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CONTENTS2014 AGENCY LIST

CHAMPAGNE06 Veuve Borodin06 Egly-Ouriet07 Dosnon & Lepage

LOIRE VALLEY 08 Domaine des Cognettes08 Les Vignes de lAngevin

09 Chteau de la Bonnelire09 Domaine Laporte10 Grard & Pierre Morin13 Benjamin Dagueneau

BORDEAUX14 Special selection15 Chteau Beychevelle15 Chteau Hourtin-Ducasse16 Chteau Landiras16 Chteau Milhade17 Chteau des Annereaux17 Chteau Moulinet18 Chteau Falfas21 Chteau Climens21 Chteau Bastor-Lamontagne

ALSACE22 Marcel Deiss

JURA 23 Philippe Bornard24 Berthet-Bondet

BURGUNDY 25 Special selection25 Grard Tremblay26 Daniel Etienne-Defaix26 Petitot27 Pierre Guillemot27 Christophe Vaudoisey28 Chavy-Chouet

31 Buisson-Charles32 Thomas Morey33 Marc Morey34 Alexandre Jouveaux35 Nadine & Maurice Guerrin

BEAUJOLAIS35 Dupeuble36 Jean-Paul Thvenet37 Charly Thvenet38 Julien Sunier

RHONE VALLEY 41 Vignerons dEstezargues42 Romain Duvernay43 Roche Buissire

LANGUEDOC44 Zlige-Caravent44 Orbiel & Frres45 Le Grand Noir45 Mas des Dames46 Mas Coutelou

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CONTENTS2014 AGENCY LIST

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49 Domaine des Laurieres49 JL Laurens50 Peyre Rose

ROUSSILLON53 Chteau de Corneilla

PROVENCE

54 Chteau Minuty54 Chteau dEsclans55 Domaine Maubernard56 Domaine de Trvallon

ITALY 57 Rivani57 Castello di Querceto

SPAIN58 Marqus de Reinosa58 Pesquera

AUSTRIA 59 Ebner-Ebenauer

LEBANON60 Chteau Musar

CALIFORNIA 61 Copain62 Kutch Wines65 Lioco

66 Jolie-Laide66 Moobuzz67 Arnot-Roberts68 Hirsch Vineyards71 Broc Cellars72 Matthiasson Wines75 Smith-Madrone76 Corison

79 Viano Vineyards80 Mount Eden Vineyar81 Tatomer Wines82 Domaine de la Cte85 Sandhi85 Piedrasassi

OREGON86 Bergstrm Wines

ARGENTINA 87 Vistalba87 Bodega Lurton

NEW ZEALAND88 Clark Estate88 Felton Road

PORT89 Taylors

COGNAC89 Pierre Croizet


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VEUVE BORODINCHAMPAGNE, FRANCE

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Veuve Borodin is made exclusively for Roberson Wine by theChampagne house of Boizel, and a visit to their HQ in Epernayalways sees Cliff Roberson welcomed back like a long lost familymember no surprise when you consider that we have beencommissioning Veuve Borodin since our company was foundedin 1991 and Cliffs relationship with Evelyne and Christophe goesback long before that.

Boizel have been crafting Champagne sincealways had a great reputation in France and northe UK market was never that important for ththat they were happy to develop the Veuve Bous. The blend for our Brut cuve is always 40%Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay, giving wbe the perfect balance between weight and ele

03BVB White NV Brut Champagne 75cl 103DVBR Ros NV Brut Ros Champagne 75cl

EGLY-OURIETCHAMPAGNE, FRANCE

Although he is the fourth generation to run his family domainein the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, Francis Egly is the rst toestablish the house at the very top of the Champagne tree. Along

with his close friend Anselme Selosse, Egly has set the standardfor a new generation of Grower Champagnes that have emergedin recent years to challenge the dominance of the famous houses. The estate consists of 11.7 hectares, with vines in the Grand Cruvillages of Ambonnay (8ha), Verzeney (1.4ha) and Bouzy (0.3ha).It is these predominantly Pinot Noir vineyards that Egly uses tomake most of the wines in his stellar range, but there is another2ha plot of Pinot Meunier in the 1er Cru village of Vrigny, fromwhich he makes the famous Vignes de Vrigny arguably the

nest expression of the Pinot Meunier grape. Francis farms his vineyards organically and ilower yields than the vast majority of wine-m

(less than half the typical level). The wines areproportion of unned and unltered base wineblends left to age on their lees for many yearsalmost six years and the vintage wines almost low and the wine-making in general is amongst in the region. The resulting wines show astonbreadth, all of them with the capacity to age spewithout reason that Egly-Ouriet has become onereference-point producers.

03EOVV White NV 1er Cru Brut Vignes de Vrigny Champagne 75cl

03EOBT White NV Grand Cru Brut Tradition Champagne 75cl 03EEBVP White NV Grand Cru V.P. Extra Brut Champagne 75cl

03EBNVV White NV Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Champagne 75cl

03EGC04 White 2004 Grand Cru Millsime Champagne 75cl 7

03EC02EO White 2002 Grand Cru Millsime Champagne 75cl 8

03CCEO99 Ros NV Grand Cru Brut Ros Champagne 75cl 4

03CCE0M Ros NV Grand Cru Brut Ros Champagne 150cl 10


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03BDLN White NV Rcolte Noire Champagne 75cl 2

03BDLNM White NV Rcolte Noire Champagne 150cl 4

03BDLNJ White NV Rcolte Noire Champagne 300cl 12

03BDLE White NV Rcolte Brute Champagne 75cl 2

03BDRRB White NV Rcolte Brute Champagne 150cl 4

03BDLB White NV Rcolte Blanche Champagne 75cl

03BDLA White NV Alliae Champagne 75cl

03DDLR Ros NV Rcolte Ros Champagne 75cl

DOSNON & LEPAGCHAMPAGNE, FRANCE

Arriving at Dosnon & Lepage is reminiscent of visiting anartisanal domaine in Burgundy. Located in the Ctes-des-Barvillage of Avirey-Lingey, this set-up is a far cry from the glitzytasting rooms and manicured lawns of the big Champagnehouses in Reims or Epernay. Instead, Davy Dosnon is atthe centre of the grower movement, which has found realmomentum in this south-eastern outpost of the worlds mostfamous wine region. Davy grew up in the area before leaving for Burgundy, wherehe studied wine-making and worked at Domaine Rossingol-Trapet. After returning to his native region, Davy apprenticedat Moutard and Serge Mathieu before deciding to go it alonefrom the 2007 vintage he inherited the familys two hectares

of vines and supplemented that with 5 hectarlocal family, all of it farmed organically. Davys wines are considered amongst thebest, something that comes as no surprise to witnessed his meticulous approach to wine-mare pressed in an ancient basket press beffermentation and maturation in Burgundy barwines with a sense of richness and depth. Theall made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnayreceives a low dosage in order to maintain ththat is inherent in the fruit. The resulting pro4,000 cases) is a range of wonderful Champsome of the best value in the region.

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DOMAINE DES COGNLOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE

LES VIGNES DE LANLOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE

Muscadet is a wine that fell out of favour with internationalbuyers for many years, but the recent renaissance of wine withgreat acidity and food-friendly character has prompted renewedenthusiasm for this classic region. The Perraud family has beenmaking Muscadet for six generations, with brothers Vincent andStphane taking over the estate in 1990. Their 28 hectares arein and around the village of Clisson, one of the areas designatedcrus and considered by many to be the nest terroir for growingMelon de Bourgogne. Farming is certied organic and thebrothers are good friends with local producers like Domaine delEcu and Domaine de la Ppire, both renowned members of the

natural wine scene. While Cognettes is at the mend of the natural scale, they use very little SOlittle as they can. They also pick by hand - a rawhere most producers are desperate to cut costhe price-points demanded by supermarket bumeans a serious compromise on quality). Once natural fermentation has completed, thstainless steel tanks on its lees (sur lie) until thwhen it is bottled. The result is a wine full ofand steely, saline minerality that conjures unearby Atlantic Ocean.

The natural wine movement has a fascinating history, withvarious people instrumental in its evolution. Jules Chauvet andthe Gang of Four in Beaujolais were responsible for much ofthe development on the production side, but who was goingto sell the wines made by these (and other) mavericks? Stepforward Jean-Pierre Robinot, owner of a wine bar (called LAngeVin) in Paris and the man who (along with his contemporaryFranois Morel) brought natural wine to the French capitalduring the 1980s. Fast forward to the turn of the millenniumand JP decided that it was time to move back to his native LoireValley, to make wine with all the passion and conviction thathe had sold it with. So, in 2001 he bought various parcels ofChenin Blanc and Pinot dAunis in the Jasnires and Coteaux

du Loir appellations. Today he has 5.5 hectaaround 1500 cases.Robinot is an amazing character. Conversationwith energy and his devotion to and passion fomovement is undeniable. Most importantly opurity and complexity of his wines is stunning is the benchmark example of this fascinating while his long levage Chenin Blancs have iand depth on the palate. Bistrologie and Coand dAunis respectively, made in an immestyle, and both are incredibly drinkable. The a complex and intense Chenin Blanc aged forbarrels, a true Grand Vin of the natural wine sc

02C13COG White 2013 Slection des Cognettes Muscadet Svre et Maine Sur Lie 75cl

02CONC11 Red 2011 Concerto Pinot d'Aunis Vin de France 75cl

02BIST10 White 2010 Bistrologie Chenin Blanc Vin de France 75cl

02CHDL08 White 2008 Charme du Loir Chenin Blanc Vin de Table 75cl

02LDSI03 White 2003 Lumiere du Silex Chenin Blanc Vin de Table 75cl

02SYMP03 White 2003 Symphonie Chenin Blanc Vin de Table 75cl

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02B13TSB White 2013 Sauvignon Blanc Touraine 75cl

01P12CRB Red 2012 Chteau de la Bonnelire Chinon Rouge 75cl

CHTEAU DE BONNELOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE

LAPORTELOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE

Since they purchased the Chteau de la Bonnelire in 1976, thePlouzeau family have established themselves as one of the mostimportant families in Chinon. The beautiful property was fullyrestored by Pierre Plouzeau, who replanted the dilapidatedvineyards and built a modern winery, while sending his son Marcto learn the wine-making trade. In 1999 Marc took over and heimmediately set about converting the 20 hectares of vineyardsto organic viticulture (certied by Ecocert), as a key part of hisgoal to craft pure and elegant wines that speak of the terroiron which they are grown. There are three types of soil at the

estate gravel, clay (both excellent for Cabeint (perfect for Sauvignon Blanc), spread acand Touraine appellations. In the winery, low intervention is the orderfermentations are natural and spontaneous, wto chaptalisation or any other additions witof conscientious doses of SO2. The wines arraised in stainless steel tanks, maturing in tcellars of the familys beautiful chteau befortime for the following years harvest to arrive

Founded in 1850, Domaine Laportes 30 hectares have longbeen among the most important in the Sancerre appellation,with Ren Laporte being chairman of the Sancerre AOC forfteen years throughout the 1970s and 80s a period whenthe regions wines became established among the most famousnames in the wine world. Today it is owned by Henri Bourgeois,a highly respected vigneron who also owns an eponymousestate in the neighbouring town of Chavignol. The domaine (which is currently undergoing conversionto organic viticulture) covers some of the best terroir in the

appellation, including prime parcels on the silex soils of Le

Rochoy and the Kimmeridgian marl of Lenot to mention the prime Pinot Noir vineyarwhich is situated overlooking the mighty Rparcel is vinied separately and the wines areto the soils on which they are grown. Les Gmade from grapes grown on limestone and mRochoy is from silex soils. Laportes nest Le Comtesse is from their parcel of Mohas the potential to age gracefully for at leathe wines are fermented and aged in tank, w

fermentation ensuring they stay classically fre02B12SGR White 2012 Les Grandmontains Sancerre Blanc 75cl

02B12SGH White 2012 Les Grandmontains Sancerre Blanc 37.5cl

02B12SRO White 2012 Le Rochoy Sancerre Blanc 75cl

02B12SCL White 2012 La Comtesse Sancerre Blanc 75cl

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There are some wine regions so beautiful that they inspireawe on arrival and Sancerre is certainly one of them. Thevillage of Bu is particularly striking - a sea of vines set onwhat looks like a 120 angle - the incredibly steep slopes andstony soils are reminiscent of the Mosel Valley. The soil here

is Kimmeridge Clay, a combination of limestone and claythat infuses the wines with searing minerality and a level ofconcentration that gives serious potential for ageing. The Morin family are one of the stalwarts of the village,having been here for generations, but it is only since Grardtook over the domaine that they have moved away frompolyculture to focus all of their energies on growing grapesand making wine. Before he assumed control in the 1960s,the Morin family made plenty of wine, but they were alsowell known in the local area for the quality of their Chavignolgoats cheese and were cultivating various other cropstoo. Grard changed all this, acquiring new vineyards andreplanting some existing parcels, in addition to improvingthe facilities at the domaine. Today, Domaine Morin stands at around 10 hectares andGrards son Pierre has been in charge since 2004, when hereturned from studying in Dijon and working at domaines inBurgundy, Bordeaux and Australia. He immediately beganthe process of eliminating chemical treatments from theviticultural regime and by 2009 the domaine was run alongorganic lines (although the amount of hoops that must be jumped through for official certification doesnt appeal toPierre). The vineyard area is divided equally between oldvines (50+ years old), 30-50 year old vines and young vines(under 30), which enables Pierre to maintain an averageyield of around 40 hl/ha very low in an appellation where50+ hl/ha is considered to be a small crop! Pierres attention to detail in the vineyard has been mirroredin a meticulous approach to vinification and he has instituted

a policy of vinifying all of his many parcelmakes for a fascinating tasting at the domadifferences between gravel rich and clay ricthemselves in distinctly different blending his estate Sancerre cuve. This wine is vin

steel tank and is full of the mineral freshnessbut thanks to spending several months on lea real sense of weight on the palate. Therevineyard wines, the first of which comes frevered site Chene Marchand. This south-sits on gravelly limestone soils and, while trelatively young (25 years old), yields are kwine shows genuine power and concentratioPierres best wine comes from an incredib

the winery, where the south-west facing vinin 1950 by his next-door neighbour. Monsthe village blacksmith and has long since great workshop in the sky, but the Morin the vineyard after his passing and Pierre dthe wine after the man responsible for this small part of the wine is matured in used barwith the tank component, before being bottunfiltered the result is one of the appellatworthy wines, full of saline minerality and d In addition to his benchmark white wines, Pfan of Pinot Noir and he dedicates significproducing two excellent examples. Planted clay-rich sites, the estate Pinot is fermented awooden barrels (2-4 years old) for 12 monthis a vibrant and juicy red wine with great vThe best of his Pinot vineyards is a site callefrom which Pierre makes a single vineyardtwo years in new and one year old barrelbottled without filtration. It is a rich and sil

GERARD & PIERRE MLOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE

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02B13SBM White 2013 Sancerre Blanc 75cl

02B12SBM White 2012 Sancerre Blanc 75cl

02M11SBM White 2012 Sancerre Blanc 150cl

02B12SCM White 2012 Chne Marchand Sancerre Blanc 75cl

02B12SOM White 2012 Ovide Sancerre Blanc 75cl

01P11SRM Red 2011 Sancerre Rouge 75cl

01P10BCH Red 2010 Bellechaume Sancerre Rouge 75cl

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great capacity to improve with age and demonstrates whatPinot is capable of in this part of the appellation. Despite the reputation of the Morin family and their trackrecord of producing top class Sancerre wines, one of the moststriking things about Pierre is his humility. His experiencesof working in other French regions and, perhaps mostimportantly, in Australia, have given him an international

outlook and an open mind, but he has deep rValley and is a man who is very proud of from. This pride has driven him to do as mudemonstrate the quality of his terroir througthanks to a young son and daughter who lovas much as possible, it seems that Domaineven brighter future ahead of it.


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BENJAMIN DAGUENLOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE

Rebel. Iconoclast. Legend. All words (and there are many morebesides) that have been used to describe Didier Dagueneaudown the years. The last one legend is the one you will hearmost often nowadays, since Didiers tragic death in a microliteaccident back in 2008. Since then, his son Louis-Benjamin hasbeen thrust into the limelight as the new head of this world-famous domaine and has continued the work that his fatherbegan back in the early 1980s.When Didier arrived in Saint-Andelain to set up his owndomaine in 1982, it was not as an outsider or a newcomer - his

family had been making wine in the village for generations but,rather than join the family winery he decided immediately toset-up his own, separate domaine. Didier was heavily criticalof what his family were doing (the rst of many vignerons hewould insult and fall-out with during his career) and declared thathe was going to make the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Thatwould involve doing things differently to the wine-makers he wassurrounded by in Pouilly-Fum.Didiers rebellious streak was in evidence throughout his

career. He was always open to trying new ideas in the vineyardand winery, but was never afraid to take what he wanted froma practice and discard the rest. Over the years he convertedhis vineyards to organic farming and then started to work

with biodynamics, before deciding to cut omore extreme of Steiners ideas and revert baakin to organic+. In the winery he experimand zero SO2 during the mid-1990s, but wenconventional doses of sulphur as he decided aged the way he expected. Wide-ranging expeled to Didier deciding that he liked new oak fothe wines to breathe during their levage, boaky avours that the barrels imparted so hecooper to develop large (450 and 600 litre) sihad a very low toast. He also developed smalin an elongated, cigar-like shape, which keepthroughout the levage and thus need less aggrLow yields and oak ageing give weight a

Dagueneau wines, but it is their unmistakabclarity that separate them from all of the avethat surrounds them. Benjamin seems to havperfectionist streak of his father (although not and wild beard that Didier was famous for) anwines he has produced since taking over has bHaving learned his trade working alongside Dwine world can rest assured that Pouilly-Fumwill continue to go from strength to strength.

02B12PFP White 2012 Blanc Fum de Pouilly 75cl

02B12BRD White 2012 Buisson Renard Blanc Fum de Pouilly 75cl

02B12PSB White 2012 Pur Sang Blanc Fum de Pouilly 75cl

02B12SIL White 2012 Silex Blanc Fum de Pouilly 75cl

02B11SIL White 2011 Silex Blanc Fum de Pouilly 75cl

02K08JDB White 2008 Les Jardins de Babylone Juranon 50cl 6

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SPECIAL SELECTIOBORDEAUX, FRANCE

01A11FCF Red 2011 La Fleur Chadenne Fronsac 75cl

01A09GA6 Red 2009 Chteau Petit Bois la Garelle St Emilion Grand Cru 75cl

01A08FRP Red 2008 Frank-Phlan St.Estphe 75cl 17

01A08CPL Red 2008 Condences de Prieur-Lichine Margaux 75cl

01A08CL6 Red 2008 Chevalier de Lascombes Margaux 75cl

01A98BA6 Red 2008 Chteau Batailley Pauillac 75cl 301A08SEH Red 2008 Sgla Margaux 37.5cl 1

01A06SEG Red 2006 Sgla Margaux 75cl 2

01A06DRE Red 2006 Chteau d'Armailhac Pauillac 75cl 3

01A06HBG Red 2006 Chteau Haut-Bages Averous Pauillac 75 2

01A06COM Red 2006 Rserve de la Comtesse Pauillac 75cl 2

01A01CM6 Red 2001 Clos du Marquis St. Julien 75cl

01ALAB98 Red 1998 Chteau Langoa-Barton St. Julien 75cl

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CHTEAU HOURTIN-DUBORDEAUX, FRANCE

The team at Chteau Beychevelle are responsible forproducing one of St Juliens best wines, but their project inthe generic Bordeaux appellations Grand Bateau is anopportunity for them to apply their expertise to an altogethermore affordable range. Made from fruit grown in high qualityvineyards throughout the Bordeaux region, the Grand BateauRouge is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon.Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tank and levage is

done in a combination of tank and barrel (woak to add depth and texture), before being b15 months. Grand Bateau Blanc is a blend oBlanc and 25% Smillon, with 3/4 of the juicebarrels. The wine then spends 6-7 months in sbefore being bottled. These are rich and characterful wines, withpedigree and typicity, that represent wonderful

Chteau Hourtin-Ducasse has been a wine-making estatefor hundreds of years its name is derived from the familiesthat owned it during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today the 24hectare property is owned by Michel Marengo, who overseesthe work at the estate with his wife Marie-Noelle and theiroenologist Marc Quertinier. Located along the appellationborder with Pauillac in the prime Haut-Mdoc village of Saint-Sauveur, the wines of Hourtin-Ducasse have been classied asCru Bourgeois since 1932 and represent some of the best valuein all of Bordeaux.

Farming follows the lutte raisonne methodmany organic and even some biodynamic printo. The wines are fermented and aged in oldthe results are pure, restrained and classic Clblend that reects the make-up of their vinCabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% CWhile Hourtin-Ducasse is a wine that drinks young, it ages very well and really gets goingthe vintage.

01A11GBA White 2011 Grand Bateau Bordeaux Blanc 75cl 02C12GBB Red 2012 Grand Bateau Bordeaux Rouge 75cl

01A07HD Red 2007 Chteau Hourtin-Ducasse Cru Bourgeois Haut-Mdoc 75cl

CHTEAU BEYCHEVBORDEAUX, FRANCE

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MILHADEBORDEAUX, FRANCE

Located at the southern end of the Graves appellation is Chteaude Landiras, the most important property in the village of thesame name. The beautiful chteau was built in 1306 and duringthe 17th century it was home to Jeanne de Lestonnac, a ladywho would go on to become a Catholic Saint by establishing areligious order called the Company of Mary (she was canonisedin 1949). While Landiras was a well respected vineyard in its day,over the years it fell into a state of disrepair until it was purchasedin 2008 by the Pelissi family. Their investment in rebuilding thewinery from scratch paid immediate dividends when the 2009vintage was awarded the Coup de Coeur in the Guide Hachette.

The 20 hectares of vineyard are split betwof red varieties (75% Merlot, 25% Cabernetof white (70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Smraisonne viticulture practiced. In the winerunderstated and traditional with a focus on vitality and freshness imbued by the Graves tin oak barrels, but only a small amount of themresult is fresh and vibrant wines that showcasethe regions gravelly soils. This is an exciting quality but producing wines that offer great v

The Milhade family have been making wine in Bordeaux since1938 and can now count ve right bank properties in theirportfolio, including some of the most venerable chateaux andvineyards in satellite appellations like Lalande-de-Pomerol,Puisseguin-St-Emilion and Lussac-St-Emilion. Ever since thecompany was founded by Damase Milhade, the family havecontinued to develop their portfolio of properties and improvethe quality of wines they produce in 2009 Hubert de Bouardof Chteau Angelus was brought onboard as a consultantand the most recent vintages reect his preference for well-

structured but silky smooth wines.All of the wines in the Milhade range are m

expression in mind and this is reected in the of each. Damase is vibrant and youthful wiupfront fruit, while Tour dAuron shows expression of the Bordeaux Suprieur appehas elegant tannins and plummy fruit reminisprestigious neighbours across the border inVieux-Barrail and Lyonnat both age superbly wclass and structure that many a St Emilion wou

01A10LAN White 2010 Chteau de Landiras Blanc Graves 75cl 01L11CLW Red 2011 Chteau de Landiras Rouge Graves 75cl

01A08DM6 Red 2008 Chteau Damase Bordeaux Suprieur 75cl

01A09DMH Red 2009 Chteau Damase Bordeaux Suprieur 37.5cl

01A06LYO Red 2006 Chteau Lyonnat Lussac-St. Emilion 75cl

01A02LYO Red 2002 Chteau Lyonnat Lussac-St. Emilion 75cl

CHTEAU DE LANDBORDEAUX, FRANCE

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01A08DA6 Red 2008 Chteau des Annereaux Lalande-de-Pomerol 75cl

01A06DA6 Red 2007 Chteau des Annereaux Lalande-de-Pomerol 75cl 01A10DAH Red 2010 Chteau des Annereaux Lalande-de-Pomerol 37.5cl

01A11DEM Red 2008 Chteau des Annereaux Lalande-de-Pomerol 150cl

CHTEAU MOULINEBORDEAUX, FRANCE

Wine has been made at Chteau des Annereaux for over500 years, during which time it has become well-establishedas one of the most important producers in the Lalande-de-Pomerol appellation. Today it is owned by the Hessel family,who farm almost 23 hectares, split between plantings ofMerlot (85%), Cabernet Franc (11%) and Cabernet Sauvignon(4%). Viticulture is organic (certied by Ecocert since 2007)and vinication is low-intervention, so although the wineryis modern and fully equipped with stainless steel tanks for

fermentation and oak barrels for levage (25%there is no recourse to micro-oxygenation, usany other modern scientic techniques.The wines are classic right bank Bordeau

structured with eshy dark fruit, attractive inwith potential to mature in the cellar for manyat Chteau des Annereaux has wonderful pediin farming techniques is now allowing the Hethe best out of this fabulous property.

Purchased in 1971 by Armand Moueix, Chteau Moulinetand its 18 hectares of vines is today owned by Marie-Jos andNatalie Moueix. Since this latest generation took control of theproperty, they have invested heavily in improving everythingfrom the viticulture through to the equipment in the winery.Having previously employed Denis Durantou as consultantwine-maker, in 2009 they began working with StphaneDerenoncourt well known as the right man to help Bordeauxestates maximise the potential of their terroir and reect it in

the nished wines and are now recognised aof the best value wines in the prestigious Pom Unusually for this part of Bordeaux, Cabernea leading role in the nal blend (30%), witmade up of Merlot (60%) and Cabernet Francis aged in oak barrels for 18 months (50% oand the result is an elegant, silky Pomerol wibright minerality.

01A08MP Red 2008 Chteau Moulinet Pomerol 75cl 2

CHTEAU DES ANNERBORDEAUX, FRANCE

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1988 was a busy year for the Bouchet family. FranoisBouchet decided to step down from his role as inspector forthe Biodynamic certication body Demeter and establishhimself as a vineyard management consultant, while hisdaughter Vronique and her American husband John

Cochrane were searching for a wine estate to call their own.Bouchet helped them with their search, which culminated inDecember of that year when they took control of ChteauFalfas, the most historic property in Bordeauxs Cte deBourg appellation. Within months, Franois was convertingtheir vineyards to biodynamic farming, before heading overto Burgundy to do the same for Domaine de la Romane-Conti, Domaine Leaive and Domaine Leroy. Bouchet carvedout a successful career as the leading practitioner of applyingSteiners agricultural theories to vineyards, and although hepassed away a few years ago, Vronique continues to upholdthe familys reputation for conscientious farming. The fact that Chteau Falfas was the first Bordeauxproperty to embrace biodynamics (20 years before Pontet-Canet made headlines for doing the same thing) is lost onmost Bordeaux enthusiasts. Of course, what happens in thesatellite appellations like Cte de Bourg often flies underthe radar (proving just how easy it is to forget that thereare 8000+ chteaux making wine in Bordeaux), but thiswasnt always the case. Back in the 14th century, Falfaswas owned by the Lords of Lansac, who swore allegianceto the English Crown and proudly exported their wines tothe court of Edward III during the Hundred Years War. Thereputation of Falfas was further enhanced in 1612, whenthe Sires de Riveaux took ownership of the estate and builtthe magnificent chteau that still stands today. For manyyears the estate continued to produce wines that werewidely respected, but following the successive devastationsof powdery mildew, phylloxera, two world wars and a global

economic crisis, by the second half of the 20glory of the Cte de Bourg (as Bernard GiFalfas) had fallen upon hard times. When Vronique and John arrived in 88, of vineyard was the first thing they set abou

once biodynamics was firmly in place they other improvements too. The chteau was rewinery updated, though not with the fancycommon at other chteaux. The plan at Fathe fruit as good as it could be, before praintervention approach to wine-making that terroir to shine. Concrete tanks are used forwith wild yeasts, no chaptalisation, enzconcentration, and no filtration before bottlwine-making regime across the whole rangeincludes a tank aged second wine called LFalfas and a cuve called Le Chevalier, whicnew oak. The estate wine bottled simply asspends 11 to 14 months in barrel (depending30% of which are new. This elegant, silky wharmonious and a fantastic reflection of the It is this terroir (and the fact that it is farmethat separates Falfas from the majority of in the Cte de Bourg and Bordeauxs oappellations. Situated less than a mile fromof the mighty River Garonne and backing many tributaries, the Falfas vineyards are aby woodland, making it a place of fantas(and thus perfect for biodynamics). The sCalcaire Astries a clay and silica top-deep limestone base, rich in fossilised oysresponsible for infusing the wines with wand minerality. The vineyard is planted toCabernet Sauvignon (25%), Malbec (15%

CHTEAU FALFASBORDEAUX, FRANCE

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Climens, dubbed The Lord of Barsac, undoubtedly deserves itsreputation as one of the top chteaux in Barsac and Sauternes.The propertys distinct terroir, marked by its hilltop positionand the presence of limestone subsoil, led the Lurton family(the present owners) to remove what little Sauvignon Blanc andMuscadelle remained and plant the vineyard to 100% Smillon.They feel the estates terroir lends itself perfectly to thecultivation of this variety and that the character of the estate isbest expressed through Smillon rather than as a blend. The wines themselves show this to have been a good decisionand the quality of their second wine, Cyprs de Climens, has

improved dramatically as a result. Hand-haraged in precisely the same manner as Chtea24 months in 35-45% new oak barrels), Cypdetermined second wine from a blend of lessea wine made from the second round of pickinand selected barrels that dont quite t the proGrand Vin. When you consider that yields fare regularly as low as 7hl/ha, it is no surprishas the great richness and power that reectperfection undertaken by Brnice Lurton and

Wine of Kings is an oft used term in French wine, usuallyreferring to an appellation or an estate that was the preferenceof one king or another. Chteau Bastor-Lamontagne, however,was quite literally the kings wine - it belonged to Louis XVuntil he gave it to the head of the Bordeaux parliament in 1711.The reputation for making excellent sweet wines at the estate

was established in the 18th century when the Larrieu family

(owners of Haut-Brion at the time) took ovand its 56 hectares of Smillon (80%) and S(20%) located in the commune of Preignac. Trespected source of excellent value Sauternescombination of steel tank and barrel, before b15 months in oak (25% new).

02E10CCL White 2010 Cyprs de Climens Barsac 75cl 202E10CCH White 2010 Cyprs de Climens Barsac 37.5cl

01A07BLA White 2007 Chteau Bastor Lamontagne Sauternes 75cl 01A07BLH White 2007 Chteau Bastor Lamontagne Sauternes 37.5cl

CHTEAU CLIMENBORDEAUX, FRANCE

BASTOR-LAMONTAGBORDEAUX, FRANCE

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Jean-Marie Deiss is one of the wine worlds mavericks andunquestionably one of Alsaces nest producers. His single-minded devotion to quality and terroir expression have causedinnumerable run-ins with the authorities and his fellow vigneronsdown the years, but when he was officially enlisted to help writethe modied appellation legislation that accompanied the shiftfrom AOC to AOP in 2012, it was a demonstration that hisprinciples are nally being respected. The domaine was founded by Marcel Deiss in 1947, but itwas after Jean-Marie took control in 1973 that things beganto change. By the 1980s, Jean-Marie was sure that his beliefin wine as an expression of terroir was being hindered by therigidity of Alsaces appellation laws so he decided to defythem. Convinced that eld blends of the classic Alsacianvarieties yielded more complex wines from his Grand Cru sites

than the legally required mono-varietal wines,regulations and blended his wines in the sammakers had done in the region for hundredsthe appellation laws were introduced in the 1garnered acclaim from every corner of the glrunning dispute with the authorities ensured never out of the public eye. He took full advanto promote other philosophies that he holds dyields, biodynamic farming and fermentatiyeasts. Finally, in 2005, the authorities relenDeiss to (legally) use the words Grand Cru ochanging the AOC regulations in the proceDeiss is a wine-maker of incredible integritya superb range of wines that reect the concomplexity of the man who makes them.

MARCEL DEISS ALSACE, FRANCE

02A12PBB White 2012 Pinot d'Alsace Alsace 75cl

02A11PBB White 2011 Pinot d'Alsace Alsace 75cl

02A12RMD White 2012 Riesling Alsace 75cl 02A11RMD White 2011 Riesling Alsace 75cl

02A11GHD White 2011 Gewrztraminer Alsace 75cl

02A09MDS White 2009 Schoffweg Alsace 75cl

02A07ARD White 2007 Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru Alsace 75cl

02A09MMD White 2009 Mambourg Grand Cru Alsace 75cl

02A09SMD White 2009 Shoenenbourg Grand Cru Alsace 75cl

01Q08BMD Red 2008 Burlenberg 1er Cru Pinot Noir Alsace 75cl

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The village of Pupillin feels like it sits on top of the world.High in the Alpine hills of the Jura (up to 600m), this smallwine-making community consists of just eleven domaines andis the self-proclaimed world capital of Ploussard. Despite itssmall size, the commune of Pupillin is home to some of the Juras nest wine-makers and Philippe Bornard is one of thevillages most respected names. Having inherited the familys 7hectares, Philippe decided in 2005 to stop selling the wine tothe local cooperative (where, to be fair, he had been the wine-maker for over 20 years) and start bottling it under his ownlabel. Its a label that has since become iconic - the orange foxesrelate to the phrase Beau Renard, which means handsome foxand sounds like Bornard when you say it quickly! Philippesneighbour, close family friend and wine-making legend PierreOvernoy not only persuaded him that he should bottle his ownwine, but also introduced him to a natural method of workingin the vineyard and winery. Philippe, and his son Tony who nowworks alongside him, farm their land biodynamically and will becertied from the 2012 vintage.

Bornards reds exhibit a delicious balance and complexity. The Ploussard La Chamadewith a combination of red berry fruit and earthLe Ginglet is made from the other indigenTrousseau, which has a bit more structure notes, while still bright on the palate with incrThe whites include a Chardonnay called Lesname relates to a specic parcel and levage used Burgundy barrels), with Burgundy-likepalate. Les Marnes is an altogether differentSavagnin, the classic white variety of the Juran oxidative style by spending ve years agbarrels without topping up. It is an incrediblecomplex and intense, with white owers, nminerality that runs into a long, long nish.The Jura is one of the wine worlds most fa

at the moment and it is artisanal wines likerepresent the best that this beautiful part of Fra

PHILIPPE BORNAR JURA, FRANCE

02PB11GD White 2011 La Gaudrette Chardonnay Ctes-du-Jura 75cl

02PB07MA White 2007 Les Marnes Savagnin Ctes-du-Jura 75cl

02PB11CM Red 2011 La Chamade Ploussard Arbois Pupillin 75cl

02PB10CM Red 2010 La Chamade Ploussard Arbois Pupillin 75cl

02PB11GI Red 2011 Le Ginglet Trousseau Arbois Pupillin 75cl

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Despite coming from a family of wine-makers in a bygone age(his great-great grandfather made the wine at Clos Vougeot),when Jean Berthet-Bondet and his wife Chantal bought theirten hectare domaine in 1984 they had no direct experience ofmaking wine. They set about the task of becoming vigneronsand over the last thirty years have built a reputation for makingsome of the Juras best wines. With 5 hectares, they are alsoone of the most important landowners in the Chteau Chlonappellation (the jewel in Juras crown). Viticulture here has been fully organic since 2010 andfermentations take place with wild yeasts. Crmant du Jurais made using the traditional method and is 90% Chardonnay

planted on marl soils (the balance is Savagdistinctly Champenois character and complex Jura Chardonnay is grown on gravel and maplanted in the late 80s. The 12 months of lein Burgundy barrels (around 10% of which result is an elegant wine with a long, creamthe Chteau Chlon is aged for six years soor) and the result is a powerful wine of increNuts, dried fruit, grass, white owers and cuthemselves after time in a decanter, to reveaunique and has the capacity to age for a centu

BERTHET-BONDET JURA, FRANCE

02BB12CJ White 2012 Crmant du Jura 75cl 1

02BB12CC White 2012 Chardonnay Ctes-du-Jura Classique 75cl

02BB07CH White 2007 Chteau Chalon 62cl 30

02BB06CH White 2006 Chteau Chalon 62cl 31

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SPECIAL SELECTIOBURGUNDY, FRANCE

02G11ACC White 2011 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chatenire Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey 75cl

02G11EBA White 2011 Saint-Aubin Les Ebaupins Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey 75cl

02G07BOU White 2007 Meursault 1er Cru Les Boucheres Maison Deux Montille 75cl

01E09VRC Red 2009 Vosne-Romane Domaine des Chezeaux 75cl

01E08GCB Red 2008 Gevrey Chambertin Cuve Tradition Domaine Alain Burguet 75cl

01E08NVV Red 2008 Nuits-Saint-Georges Vieilles Vignes Domaine Robert Chevillon 75cl

01E00VCP Red 2000 Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Nicolas Potel 75cl

Domaine Grard Tremblay is among the best estates in thecharming village of Poinchy, nestled amongst some of the nestPremier Cru vineyards in the Chablis region and a short hopacross the river from the Grand Crus. Grard, his wife Hlneand their son Vincent run their 35 hectare family domainetogether, producing racy and elegant wines that show superbtypicity and offer excellent value for money.The village Chablis comes from 15 hectares of 20 year old vinesand is vinied and matured in stainless steel tanks, preserving asaline minerality that is as classic as Chablis gets. The Premier

Cru Montmains comes from 40 year old vinmatured in oak barrels (20%), as is the Vaud(30%). The results are weighty and complex incredible freshness and vitality. The gravity-fed winery was recently renGrard to vinify his various parcels separatelyexpression of his Kimmeridgian soils - its noClive Coates made Tremblay one of only niproducers to be given two stars in his Wines o

GERARD TREMBLABURGUNDY, FRANCE

02G13CVT White 2013 Chablis 75cl

02G13CTH White 2013 Chablis 37.5cl

02G13C1T White 2013 Montmain Chablis 1er Cru 75cl 02G13CMT White 2013 Montmain Chablis 1er Cru 37.5cl

02G10CHV White 2010 Vaudsir Chablis Grand Cru 75cl

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DANIEL-TIENNE DEBURGUNDY, FRANCE

Daniel-tienne Defaix is one of those wine-makers that believesa wine should never be released until it is ready to drink. Thanksto low yields, prolonged lees contact and a policy of no ningor ltration, it can often be many years before his bottlings seethe light of day. They are well worth the wait, however, witha richness and concentration that is only matched by a smallhandful of other artisanal growers in Chablis. The 28 hectare domaine is based in the village of Milly andthe Defaix family have been making wine from this land for

over 400 years. Fermentations are spontaneorare in Chablis) and intentionally slow, withstrictly controlled to protect aromatics and buwines from this early stage. All fermentationthe whole range of wines take place in stainmonths on the lees (with monthly btonnageto build weight and texture into the wines, buthem from oxidation and intensify the inty mthe hallmark of these complex and age worthy

02G09DVV White 2009 Vieilles Vignes Chablis 75cl

02G02CVD White 2002 Vaillons Chablis 1er Cru 75cl 02G05CGD White 2005 Les Grenouilles Chablis Grand Cru 75cl

PETITOTBURGUNDY, FRANCE

The village of Corgoloin lies just to the south of Nuits-St-Georgesand the beautiful buildings that make up the Domaine Petitot havebeen in the family for eight generations. Despite a long history inthe region, it is only the past three generations that have madewine here and today it is Herv and Nathalie Petitot that run the9 hectare family estate. Previously much of the wine had beensold to the towns ngociants, but a gradual shift towards domainebottling has kept Domaine Petitot under the radar until recently. Viticulture is lutte raisonne and yields are kept low, so the

fruit is always of great quality and this shows in the wines the

Ctes-de-Nuits Villages wines in particular most concentrated of their appellation. Therfrom the Ctes-de-Nuits Villages appellation: awhite that is 100% Chardonnay and a red froBoncourt vineyard that sits in a prime spot in there is Les Poisets a silky smooth Nuits-a vineyard that is just yards from Les St-Gegrapes are destemmed and fermented in tank b12 months maturing in barrel, 8% of which are

de-Nuits and 15% for the Nuits-St-Georges.

02G12SCP White 2012 Secrets de Chardonnay Cte de Nuits-Villages Blanc 75cl 01E12CNP Red 2012 Les Monts de Boncourt Cte de Nuits-Villages 75cl

01E11NPP Red 2011 Les Poisets Nuits-Saint-Georges 75cl

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PIERRE GUILLEMOBURGUNDY, FRANCE

Guillemot is an important name in the village of Savigny-ls-Beaune. For years they were a family of ngociants, buyingbarrels of wine from around the Cte dOr and expertly blendingthem before selling them to customers across France. Thenphylloxera hit Burgundy in the late 1800s and was followedswiftly by mildew and the ravages of two world wars. By the timethe dust had settled in the mid-1940s, merchants were havingtrouble sourcing good quality wine, so Pierre Guillemot decidedto make the jump from buying, blending and selling wine togrowing and making it. From 1946 the various properties ownedby the family in the centre of the village were turned over tothe production of their own wines. Guillemot had an extensivecontact network, and so he became a contemporary of men likeArmand Rousseau, Henri Gouges and the Marquis dAngerville,by bottling his own wine and selling it under his own label.Today the estate totals 8 hectares in size, split between

Bourgogne Rouge, village and Premier Cru Saplot of Corton Grand Cru. The eponymous Pthe great characters of the Cte de Beaune, bretirement it is his son Jean-Pierre in charge,by his son Vincent. Despite the generationaldomaine has no plans to move away from thmethods that have served them so well.Viticulture is traditional, following the lutte rThe fruit is destemmed on arrival at the domafermentation in 600 litre wooden cuves, the reaged in barrel for 18 months (the 1er Cru seesvillage wine is all second and third year). The Pinot Noirs that couple delicacy and elegancpure red fruit. Despite their lightness of toucprodigiously, as anyone that has visited the domregularly pull out 20+ year old bottles) will be

01E11GSB Red 2011 Savigny-ls-Beaune 75cl

01E11GGP Red 2011 Les Grands Picotins Savigny-ls-Beaune 75cl

01E10GAS Red 2010 Aux Serpentires Savigny-ls-Beaune 1er Cru 75cl

01E11GRC Red 2011 Le Rognet et Corton Corton Grand Cru 75cl

CHRISTOPHE VAUDOBURGUNDY, FRANCE

Dating back to 1804, there are numerous branches of the Vaudoiseyfamily making wine in the village of Volnay, but it is Christophe that hasdeveloped the most prominent reputation in recent years following a

string of Coups de Coeur awards in the Guide Hachette. After takingover 11 hectares from his father in 1985, Christophe became the8th generation to make wine at the domaine. After building a brandnew winery in 2008 he was able to marry a traditional approach toviticulture with modern equipment for his vinications and, while goodbefore, the results have been superb since.

In the vineyard Christophe follows the lutte raisfollowing harvest, the fruit is 100% destemmeda spontaneous fermentation. levage takes pla

new) and all of the reds undergo 18 months mbottling without ning and ltration. The villageand Pommard show wonderful typicity and thfrom both villages have wonderful potential toThese are silky smooth, elegant wines that exudclass that Volnay is famous for.

01E11VOL Red 2011 Volnay 75cl 01E11POM Red 2011 Pommard 75cl

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Wine is a way of life in Burgundy; a trade passed fromgeneration to generation and something that many youngpeople grow up with as a preordained career. So it was withRomaric Chavy, though his official training started earlier thanit does for most. At the age of twelve Romaric started wine

school and throughout his teenage years and early twenties,he apprenticed at wineries all over the world includingDomaine dAupilhac in Montpeyroux and Radford-Dale inSouth Africa, not to mention down the road with his godfatherFranois Mikulski in Meursault. By his mid-20s, Romaric wasready to assume control of the familys 13 hectare domaineand since then he has established himself as one of the mostexciting young wine-makers in the Cte dOr. One of the first things that Romaric wanted to change washis father Huberts policy of selling most of their productionto the ngociants in nearby Beaune. The fact that the vastmajority of the domaines wines would end up being bottledwith someone elses name on the label meant that Chavy-Chouet was a label that most Burgundy enthusiasts hadnever heard of, so Romaric terminated these agreementsand is now bottling almost everything under his own name.And the name is one that carries some weight in the Cte deBeaune, where the Chavy family have been making wine forhundreds of years. Romarics uncle Phillipe and his fatherscousins Alain and Jean-Louis all run their own domainesin Puligny-Montrachet, where Romaric lives and has oneof his barrel cellars. The winery (and other barrel cellar) is just over the village border in Meursault, which is wherethe Chouet part of the domaines name comes into play.Romarics mother was a Chouet, but her mother was partof the Ropiteau family, with Burgundian roots dating backto the 16th century and an esteemed wine-making traditionall of their own. Family histories are a complicated affair inBurgundy and Romarics is no exception!

The domaine holdings are spread across Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, St AubinPommard. Among their parcels are prime sincluding Enseignres (village vines thatfrom Btard-Montrachet Grand Cru) an

Folatires and Champ Gains. In MeurClos Corves de Citeaux (a monopole vheart of the village), a fantastic parcel of1er Cru holdings in Charmes and Genethe best sites in the village. In addition to hprofile vineyards, Romaric also has a sizeaFemelottes, a Bourgogne Blanc designateis within the commune of Puligny and siadjacent to the Les Reuchaux vineyard (whas Puligny Villages). This superb vineyard amake a single vineyard Bourgogne Blanc thbest value wines in all of Burgundy. Farming at the domaine follows the lmethodology and wine-making is done traditional lines. All the whites are whole bwhile the reds are 100% destemmed, withfermentation for the whites in barrel and the tank. None of the wines are fined or filteredkept to a minimum, with 2550% used for thcrus and old barrels for the Bourgognes. All of Romarics wines are approachable inretain more than enough tension and balanage superbly. On many occasions Romaric by pulling old vintages from the cellar thatbeautifully thanks to their natural concentratand recent vintages (2008, 2010 and 2012 promise to do the same. The wines from Pdelicacy, elegance and oral complexity thatappellation, while the Meursaults are differe

CHAVY-CHOUETBURGUNDY, FRANCE

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02G12BFC White 2012 Les Femelottes Bourgogne Blanc 75cl

02G12MCB White 2012 Clos des Corves de Citeau Meursault 75cl

02G11MCH White 2011 Clos des Corves de Citeau Meursault 37.5cl

02G12MMC White 2012 Clos des Corves de Citeau Meursault 150cl

02G12MCN White 2012 Les Narvaux Meursault 75cl

02G12MCC White 2012 Charmes Meursault 1er Cru 75cl

02G12MCM White 2012 Charmes Meursault 1er Cru 150cl

02G12PEC White 2012 Les Enseignres Puligny-Montrachet 75cl 02G11PEH White 2011 Les Enseignres Puligny-Montrachet 37.5cl

02G12PEM White 2012 Les Enseignres Puligny-Montrachet 150cl

02G12PCG White 2012 Champ Gains Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

02G12PFC White 2012 Les Folatires Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

02G12PFH White 2012 Les Folatires Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru 37.5cl

02G12PFM White 2012 Les Folatires Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru 150cl

01E12BRC Red 2012 La Taupe Bourgogne Rouge 75cl

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and highlight the two styles that are prevalent in the village -Romarics Narvaux is full of inty minerality, while the ClosCorves de Citeaux has more weight and a buttery textureand the majestic Premier Cru Charmes pulls both theseelements together.

It is rare to find new domaines in Burguones that have actually been around for ceyoung wine-maker of Romarics calibre at thlittle doubt that Domaine Chavy-Chouet wilfrom strength to strength.


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BUISSON-CHARLEBURGUNDY, FRANCE

Located in the heart of Meursault, Domaine Buisson-Charlesbegan estate bottling under Michel Buisson, but it is since hisdaughter Kate and her husband Patrick Essa took over that thewines of this fabulous estate have begun to receive internationalrecognition. Their 5.5 hectares of old vines are almost all in thevillage (there is a bit of red in Volnay) and can be found in someof the very best climats Les Charmes, Goutte dOr and LesBouchres to name but three - and that doesnt even includetheir 100+ year old parcels of Meursault villages. Patrick also takesAligot very seriously and the domaine is well known for producingone of the best examples of the grape in all of Burgundy.

Wine-making is very traditional at Buisson-Cbelieves steadfastly in long fermentations toand complexity into his wines, so nothing is the MLF and it is often not complete before myear following harvest. All of the wines are vway, as Patrick believes that it is the vineyarvinication that should do the talking - limitelong lees contact imbue the wines with a seintensity and the texture that Meursault is falow levels of new oak make sure that the terris given ample opportunity to shine.

02G11BAB White 2011 Bourgogne Aligot 75cl

02G11MVV White 2011 Vieilles Vignes Meursault 75cl

02G10MVV White 2010 Vieilles Vignes Meursault 75cl

02G11MGB White 2011 Goutte d'Or Meursault 1er Cru 75cl

02G11MBC White 2011 Charmes Meursault 1er Cru 75cl

01E11BRB Red 2011 Bourgogne Rouge 75cl

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THOMAS MOREYBURGUNDY, FRANCE

Chassagne-Montrachet is home to some of the most talentedwine-making families in the world and one of the most importantis the Morey family, who have lived in the village since 1643.Thomas Morey grew up working for his grandfather Albert andthen for his father Bernard, before he and his brother Vincentdivided their portion of the family holdings in time for the 2007vintage. Thomas combined his inheritance with that of his wifeSylvie (ne Lamy, of St Aubin) and rented some additionalhectares, so the total size of the domaine is now 13 hectaresspread across six villages most of it, of course, in Chassagne. The style of Thomas wines is characterised by precision andgenuine terroir denition he makes six different PremierCrus from the village, each with a distinct personality. He isa strong believer that the most important work is done in thevineyard and is one of Burgundys most fastidious and talentedviticulturalists, a reputation that has led to him being employedby the Domaine de la Romane-Conti for many years to lookafter their vines in Le Montrachet Grand Cru. Since the

expansion of his holdings there is no time tanymore, but thanks to his experience there awith his grandparents about the way they useddecided in 2011 to convert his domaine to org Once in the winery, the white wines are fermand aged for at least twelve months, with occawhile the red wines follow a relatively soft fermentation temperatures and limited puncorder to maintain a supple texture and avoidThomas prefers to bottle his wines with low l(usually around 35ppm), so he never doses their vinication. Throughout maturation thoa regular programme of small doses to reachthere is no need to add any more at the bottlin The results are superb wines that balance wewith beautiful minerality and purity. Theyexamples of top ight Chassagne-Montrachet

02G11BTM White 2011 Bourgogne Blanc 75cl 02G11CTM White 2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 75cl

02G10CTM White 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet 75cl 2

02G11TMM White 2011 Morgeot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

02G10TMM White 2010 Morgeot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

02G11CBM White 2011 Les Baudines Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

02G10CBM White 2010 Les Baudines Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

02G11CEM White 2011 Les Embrazes Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

02G10CEM White 2010 Les Embrazes Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

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MARC MOREY BURGUNDY, FRANCE

This nine and a half hectare estate was founded after theFirst World War by Fernand Morey, who began his career as avigneron with a couple of hectares in Chassagne-Montrachetand purchased a 19th century coaching inn right in the centreof the village as a family home and winery. His son Marctook over in 1944 following his fathers death, expanding thelandholdings and introducing domaine bottling, establishingMarc Morey et Fils as a respected name in the village. Todayit is Marcs daughter and son-in-law Bernard Mollard thatrun the estate with their daughter Sabine. During the 90sBernard oversaw a dramatic improvement in quality and,following the modernisation and expansion of their wineryin 2003, the domaine has continued to go from strengthto strength. Sabine has assumed much of the wine-makingresponsibility in the past few years and has continued with her

fathers preference for elegant, perfumed winability to improve with age.The domaines vineyards are spread across Cand St Aubin and viticulture is lutte raisonattention to detail paid to their farming and Savery closely with the Chambre dAgriculture in the village in order to improve their methovinication is traditional, with a low-key bto11 months of levage in a maximum of 30%Yields have steadily decreased in recent yeahas been richer, more concentrated wines thperfume and delicacy. This is an impeccable has proved herself as one of the most talentmakers in the region.

02G10MMV White 2010 Les Vergers Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

02G08MMM White 2008 Morgeot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl 3

02G08MMC White 2008 Les Caillerets Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl

02G07CHM White 2007 Les Chenevottes Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 75cl 3

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ALEXANDRE JOUVEBURGUNDY, FRANCE

Alexandre Jouveaux used to work in the world of fashionphotography (for Chanel, no less) but, as is often the case,he decided to give up the bright lights to embark on a secondcareer as a vigneron in Burgundys Cte Mconnais. His smalldomaine of 3.5 hectares is spread across four vineyard plotsin the village of Uchizy, all of which would be entitled to theMcon-Uchizy appellation if Alexandre wanted - he hatespaperwork so much that he is happy to label them as Vin deFrance! The quantities he produces are tiny (500 cases intotal), so the wines are always very strictly allocated.Having arrived in the mid-1990s, Alexandre quickly attainedhis wine-making qualications. He bought his rst plot ofvines in 99 and until he had enough vines to make a living, hecombined work at the domaine with teaching at the local wineschool. Eventually, after piecing together 3.5 hectares, hedevoted himself full time to being a wine-maker and put into

practice his philosophy of minimal interventhimself as a peasant wine-maker and says, their wines with common-sense; they press them in wooden vats and leave them. Thisthe way he does things once his biodynamic hand-picked. The juice ferments in old Burgthen rests on lees for a year to 18 months, witwhen absolutely necessary - in miniscule amof the bottling. There is never any btonnagesay, the wines are not ned or ltered.The signature through Alexs wines is theirfreshness and acidity (think Chablis ratherThey offer an amazing wake up call for paoverblown Pouilly-Fuiss and the sea of Mcon Chardonnay.

02GAJC12 White 2012 Combarnier Vin de France 75cl

02GAJR12 Ros 2012 Ros Vin de France 75cl

02MOAJ12 White 2012 Le Mont Vin de France 75cl

02MOAM12 White 2012 Le Mont Vin de France 150cl

02MOAJ11 White 2011 Le Mont Vin de France 75cl

02GAJ012 White 2012 O12 Vin de France 75cl

02GAM012 White 2012 O12 Vin de France 150cl

02GAJO10 White 2010 O10 Vin de France 75cl 1

02GAJP12 White 2012 Prety Vin de France 75cl

02GAJM12 White 2012 Prety Vin de France 150cl 4

02GAJP11 White 2011 Prety Vin de France 75cl

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DOMAINE DUPEUBBEAUJOLAIS, FRANCE

Situated in the hamlet of Le Breuil, Domaine Dupeuble hasbeen making wines there since 1512. Today, the whole family isinvolved in the viticulture, wine-making or commercialisationof their wines at the 42 hectare estate.While much of this part of Beaujolais is dominated by

ngociants and large scale producers churning out sub-standard nouveau, Dupeuble is of the quality driven persuasionmore commonly found in the crus to the north. Viticulture on

the south facing 50-100 year old vines is luttevery grape here is manually harvested, withused and no chaptalisation or ltration. This to nd nowadays, with so much Beaujolais pnegociant companies that rely on high yields,yeast B71 to churn out wines that taste the sNot at Dupeuble, where the wines are succuvibrant red fruit with wonderful clarity and pu

01HD12TO Red 2012 Les Tonnelires Beaujolais 75cl

MAURICE & NADINE GUBURGUNDY, FRANCE

Located in Vergisson, the highest village in the Pouilly-Fuissappellation, Maurice Guerrin created the domaine in 1984and today it stands at 35 parcels spread across 14 hectares inMcon-Vergisson, St-Veran and Pouilly-Fuiss. While many ofthe wines from this famous appellation have become broader,oakier and riper in the past couple of decades, Guerrin hasdeveloped a justied reputation for producing steely, mineral-laced Chardonnay wines from some of the best vineyard sitesin the region.In the vineyard they follow the practice of lutte raisonne and

the approach to vinication is largely traditiand St-Veran are fermented and aged in tank, wFuiss (from the superb single vineyard Les highest and steepest in the region) ferments anfor 12 months (15% new oak). This family dwith old vines and a conscientious vigneron thof the best value wines in the Cte Mconnanew winery recently completed and Mauricgraduated from wine-making college, there is wines will continue to improve.

02G12MVR White 2012 Les Rochers Mcon-Vergisson 75cl

02G12STV White 2012 Saint-Vran 75cl 02G12GPF White 2012 Les Crays Pouilly-Fuiss 75cl

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JEAN-PAUL THVENBEAUJOLAIS, FRANCE

The words legendary producer are often bandied around in thewine trade, but Jean-Paul Thvenet is the genuine article. Ithas been a long road back for the quality minded wine-makersof Beaujolais following years of Nouveau-induced oblivion, butin recent years the trade has woken up to a renaissance thatbegan back in the 1980s thanks to a small group of friends. TheGang of Four, as they became known, was a tightly knit groupthat included Marcel Lapierre, Guy Breton, Jean Foillard and Jean-Paul Thvenet. Following the teachings of their mentor Jules Chauvet, they set about producing terroir driven wines ofcomplexity and quality that were a stark contrast to the insipidmass-produced wines of the large negociant companies. Todaythey are legendary gures who have inspired a new generation tomaximise the potential of Beaujolais granite soils. Their opennessand generosity in sharing knowledge has transformed the regioninto a hotbed of wine-making talent and written the names ofthese pioneers into history. Jean-Paul, or Paul-Po as he is known to his many friends, is the

third generation at the ve hectare family domaalongside his talented son Charly. As with anproducer, the vineyard is where much of Jeanfocused. Farming is organic and yields are veryvines (one plot is 110 years old). After rigorouundergoes fermentation by carbonic maceratio6-8 months maturing in Burgundy barrels. It gothat only natural yeasts are used and there aremanipulations whatsoever (with the exception used at bottling). The wines are bottled unnand quantities are tiny, with only 2,000 cases domaine each year.The Morgon Tradition is an excellent exampbut it is the Vielles Vignes cuve for whichfamous. Made from his oldest parcels, it is richages like quality red Burgundy and is truly onegreat bargains. Finally, there is a lightly sparklincalled On Pte la Soif! Beaujolais answer t

01H13GJT Red 2013 On Pte la Soif! Sparkling Gamay 75cl

01H12MTT Red 2012 Tradition Morgon 75cl

01H11MTT Red 2011 Tradition Morgon 75cl

01H13MVV Red 2013 Vieilles Vignes Morgon 75cl

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CHARLY THVENEBEAUJOLAIS, FRANCE

Following in the footsteps of his father Jean-Paul Thvenet (andMarcel Lapierre, where he did much of his training), Charly iswell established as one of the leading young guns in Beaujolais.In addition to spending a lot of time working at the familydomaine, Charly farms 3 hectares of 80+ year old vines in thevillage of Regni, where he has been making wine under his ownlabel since 2007. He decided to work with Regni because hefelt that it was an underrated appellation with massive potential.The Cru is adjacent to Morgon and while it shares much of thesame terroir (pink granite and clay), the vineyards are rich inalluvial stones and sit at higher altitude (350m), imbuing thewines with a fresh acidity and a bright mineral character.In the vineyard, Charly follows the same principles as Jean-

Paul, with organic and biodynamic farming to old vines from which he takes tiny yields fruit. While neither Charly nor his father arAB or Demeter, they are members of the AssNaturels (AVN) and Charly feels this offers framework for good practice. Once the fruit reit is meticulously sorted before a prolongecarbonic maceration, followed by maturationBurgundy barriques. The wine is bottled unnwith minimal addition of sulphur. Charly looktannin and bottles his wine a few months latewith the result a weightier, meatier and richer

01H11RCT Red 2011 Grain et Granite Rgni 75cl

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When Julien Sunier arrived in Beaujolais in the mid-2000s,he was a man with a plan. Burgundy born and bred, Julientrained as a wine-maker before working as assistant toNicolas Potel and Christophe Roumier before he was headhunted by Mommessin (owners of Clos de Tart Grand Cru),

to set up a new operation for them in Beaujolais. Julien madethe journey south with big ideas, chief among them beingthe renovation of a ruined farmhouse atop a hill in the villageof Avenas, which he planned to turn into a house and winerythat would enable him to, one day, start his own domaine.His partner (at the time) opened her own restaurant thatspecialised in organic produce and natural wine, so Julienbecame ensconced in the artisanal Beaujolais wine scene,working for Mommessin by day and making influentialfriends by night. Before long, Julien had befriended the local wine royalty.Marcel Lapierre and Jean-Paul Thvenet (and their sonsMathieu and Charly respectively) became mentors andconfidantes, helping Julien to realise his dream of running hisown domaine by renting him some land and introducing himto another star grower Yvon Mtras whose family wouldrent him some more. With a makeshift winery completed(built, like the renovations on the house, entirely by Julienhimself) and a hectare of land in each of Morgon, Fleurieand Regni, Julien quit his job and, from the 2008 vintage,Domaine Julien Sunier was born.Right from the start, he was obsessed with the quality of

his fruit. All of the vineyard parcels he took over had beenfarmed organically for years by some of the regions finestviticulturalists, so all he had to do was maintain the healthof these beautiful vineyards something he threw himselfinto with gusto. He has a deep attachment to nature and theland, believing sincerely that natural and organic methodsare critical not just to the health of his own fruit but also in

maintaining the health of the local environm In Morgon, where he farms parcels belothe Lapierre and Thvenet families, the smagnesium and decomposed granite, imppower and savoury richness into the fini

Fleurie parcel is an old vine site that sits granite soils that imbue the wine with the aromatics that are the hallmark of the appelpiece of the domaine is a beautiful site inBeaujolais crus, Regni, which forms the granite slope he shares with Charly Thvenof many vignerons in the region that belieappellation with massive potential. In the winery, Julien follows much of thphilosophy laid down by local legend Julput in to action by the Gang of Four (LapFoillard and Breton). Following harvest the ffermentation tanks and sealed so that the frua carbonic maceration. Once this process is copens up the tanks and begins punching dobuild in some extra body and texture beformoved into old Burgundy barrels (all of whfrom his friend Christophe Roumier). No (let alone anything else) is added during thethe wines will be bottled in the spring followinvariable capturing the bright fruit and savof his pristine grapes. Julien is an intense and driven guy, which ianyone visiting his beautiful farm and witnand winery that he has built by hand. He ifor the potential of Gamay when it is treateand the quality of his wines has immediateinto the top bracket of Beaujolais producerYork Times editorial placed his wine second

JULIEN SUNIERBEAUJOLAIS, FRANCE

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01H12MJS Red 2012 Morgon 75cl

01H12MSM Red 2012 Morgon 150cl

01H12FJS Red 2012 Fleurie 75cl 1

01H12FSM Red 2012 Fleurie 150cl 3

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in a comprehensive tasting). His grounding and friends inBurgundy have ensured that his focus is on farming the bestpossible fruit so that he can communicate the nuances of histerroir through his wines and the different character of each

cuve is testament to the achievement of thfor the first few years as a rising star, Julvintages have proved that he has most defin


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VIGNERONS DESTZARHNE VALLEY, FRANCE

While many of Frances co-operative wineries go out ofbusiness or struggle to sell their uninteresting plonk, theCave in Estzargues shines out as a co-op with an artisanalapproach to wine-making, making some of the best valuewines in the Rhne Valley. Theirs is a very different approachto the normal co-operative model, and things began to changeback in 1989 when Jean-Franois Nicq arrived to take overas wine-maker. Rather than continuing to blend everythingtogether, J-F decided to vinify the members productionseparately, highlighting the individual terroir of the tenmember estates. By the end of the 1990s, everything wasbeing made in a hands-off, natural way organic farming, noyeasts, no enzymes, no new oak and no SO2 before bottling.The results were fantastic and following Nicqs departure toset up his own domaine (Les Foulards Rouge), his assistantdouard Laffitte took over, continuing to along the same

lines. When douard left to set up his own dMonde) he was replaced by Denis Deschamoverseen the continual improvement at this of co-ops. Plein Sud is one of the few wines made at Emade from a combination of fruit from multthis Viognier (with a touch of Roussanne) is aand textured example of Southern Rhne whitPierredon is a classically styled Ctes-du-Rhof juicy dark fruit and a savoury complexity twinner with red meat dishes. Domaine dAnthe most well known of Estzargues membbecause of the memorably artistic image of a bThe wine has been rightly hailed for years byone of the best value wines in the world, thaand complexity that belies its price tag.

02JEPS13 White 2013 Plein Sud Blanc Ctes-du-Rhne 75cl

01JEPS13 Red 2013 Domaine Pierredon Ctes-du-Rhne 75cl

01JEPS12 Red 2012 Domaine Pierredon Ctes-du-Rhne 75cl

01J13VAE Red 2013 Domaine Andezon Ctes-du-Rhne Villages Signargues 75cl

01J12VAE Red 2012 Domaine Andezon Ctes-du-Rhne Villages Signargues 75cl

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ROMAIN DUVERNARHNE VALLEY, FRANCE

The Duvernay family founded their negociant business in 1904and over the years have become one of the most reliable andwell-known in the Rhne, supplying base wine for some of theCtes-du-Rhnes most famous producers, including the lionsshare of the Ctes-du-Rhne made by Etienne Guigal. Basedin Chteauneuf-du-Pape and with access to fruit from some ofthe oldest vineyards in the Rhne Valley, Romains connectionsafforded him such fantastic fruit that he decided the time wasright to vinify and bottle the best of it under his own label. Hecovers a number of the regions best loved appellations, but hisstar turns are the aforementioned Ctes-du-Rhne blends anda Chteauneuf-du-Pape that offers wonderful value for money.

Romain makes his Ctes-du-Rhne Blangrown on limestone soils, vinifying and matGrenache Blanc (65%), Viognier (25%) and Rin temperature controlled stainless steel tafreshness. The red a blend of Grenache (70and Mourvdre (5%) is made in much the swhite. The Chteauneuf-du-Pape is a blen(75%), Syrah (15%) and Mourvdre (10%) thtank (for 9-12 months) - unusual for an appelare usually matured in barrel or foudre, but ththat retains beautiful purity of fruit and muchthan your average Chteauneuf.

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01D13CRW White 2013 Blanc Ctes-du-Rhne 75cl

01D12CRW White 2012 Blanc Ctes-du-Rhne 75cl

01D12CRR Red 2012 Rouge Ctes-du-Rhne 75cl

01D11CRR Red 2011 Rouge Ctes-du-Rhne 75cl

01J09CND Red 2009 Rouge Chateauneuf-du-Pape 75cl 18


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LA ROCHE BUISSIRHNE VALLEY, FRANCE

While the 18 hectares of vineyards at Roche Buissire havebeen farmed organically (and certied by Ecocert) since1980, the production was being sold to the local cooperativeuntil Antoine Joly began taking the reins from his father in2000. As he grew into the role of vigneron, Antoine quicklydecided that he wanted to make wine as naturally as possibleand by 2003 the approach had been changed to minimiseinterventions (many of their cuves are now completelysulphur free). In the past decade Antoine and Laurence haveestablished Roche Buissire as one of the Rhne Valleys mostinteresting wineries, specialising in Grenache and Syrah basedwines that exude freshness, vitality and drinkability.While most of the Roche Buissire range is made under the

Ctes-du-Rhne appellation, the rst wine in Petit Jo is bottled as Vin de France. It is young vines and is a blend of Grenache (70%)named for Antoine and Laurences son. The wvibrant, full of life and incredibly quaffable de soif. Slightly more serious, richer and witPetite Jeanne (named, you guessed it, afterwhich is an 85/15 split between Grenache anthe Syrah dominated cuve Le Claux is ma50+ year-old vines and bottled completely sresult is a rich but fresh wine full of pure dasavoury depth, with enough structure to impopen up beautifully after an hour or two in a d

01PTJO Red NV Petit Jo Vin de France 75cl

01PTJE12 Red 2013 Petite Jeanne Ctes-du-Rhone 75cl 01RBLC10 Red 2011 Le Claux Ctes-du-Rhone 75cl

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ORBIEL & FRRESLANGUEDOC, FRANCE

Orbiel & Frres is a range of Languedoc wines created exclusivelyfor Roberson Wine. Ten of the best co-operative cellars in theregion joined forces and invited ying wine-maker Hugh Ryman

to take his pick of their fruit, in order to create a range of winesfor Roberson that offer unbelievable value for money.The white is a blend of Marsanne (90%) and Sauvignon Blanc(10%), while the red is a 50/50 combination of Grenache andSyrah. Both were fermented and matured in temperature

controlled stainless steel tank, to protect thebright fruit avours. To perfect the blends, oworked closely with Hugh, who despite hav

over the world for years is probably best knoinspiration behind the lm A Good Year starriWhile he might not be as handsome as Russbetter wine-maker and we believe his Orbiestand head and shoulders above anything else

02LORB12 White 2012 Marsanne / Sauvignon Blanc IGP Pays d'Oc 75cl 01LORR12 Red 2012 Grenache / Syrah IGP Pays d'Oc 75cl

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ZLIGE-CARAVENLANGUEDOC, FRANCE

Luc Michels family have lived in the isolated village of Corconnefor hundreds of years, but while his grandfather tended thevineyards all his life, Luc grew up in Montpellier where his fatherhad gone in search of white-collar work. In 1999 Luc and his wifeMarie decided to take a leap of faith, trading in their busy citylives to move home and become vignerons. While they learntthe ropes the harvest was sold to the local co-op, with their rstdomaine bottled vintage coming in 2005.In the rst few years Luc formed a strong viticultural and wine-making philosophy. When he rst took over the vineyards he spoketo his neighbours to get advice. Alarmingly their recommendationscame in chemical and mechanical form bag after bag of additivesfor the vines, a procession of machines each one more destructivethan the last. Luc and Marie didnt have 50 years of traditionin a tiny wine-making village, so they were shocked to see howunhealthy and destructive their neighbours ways of workingwere. Luc immediately rejected these ideas and searched for analternative that would enable him to work in a similar way to his

ancestors, culminating in the adoption of biody Its not just in the vineyard where Luc does tDuring the 00s, Pic St-Loup started to get amaking some of the Languedocs most attracproducers used lots of new oak to give theiinternational avour, but Luc wasnt interestework entirely without wood, because his priorfreshness and vitality in his wines - everythand matured in concrete or steel tank. Anothresented was his contemporaries obsession whad led to them ripping up old vineyards ofvarieties, particularly Cinsault and Carignanheavily in Lucs wines. Alicant Bouschet fo(80%) of Manouches, blended with old-vmake a Vin de France wine that is wonderfugarrigue strewn hillsides. Ellipse is bottledLoup designation and is a blend of Syrah, Carthat is among the nest in the appellation.

01AZCE10 Red 2010 Ellipse Languedoc Pic Saint-Loup 75cl 01AZCM12 Red 2012 Manouches Vin de France 75cl


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MAS DES DAMESLANGUEDOC, FRANCE

When Lidewij Van Wilgen decided to leave her high ying job atan Amsterdam advertising agency and become a wine-maker in

the Languedoc, she knew it wasnt going to be easy. In fact, thetrials and tribulations that she endured led to the publishing ofa best selling book (Het Domaine) in her native Holland, butmore than a decade on from her life changing decision, Mas desDames is rmly established as the leading winery in the town ofMurviel-ls-Beziers.After purchasing the beautiful 14 hectare domaine (replete

with 18th century farmhouse) in 2002, Lidewij converted thevineyards to organic cultivation and set about making wines thatwould reect the beautiful terroir she had found. Within a fewyears she was receiving plaudits from many of the wine worldsmost inuential critics and, before long, the locals that had

turned their noses up at her when she arrived were knocking on

the door to nd out her secret! The fact is, th just conscientious viticulture, low yields an

wine-making that lets the quality of the fruit s Lidewijs white wine is a Grenache Blanc, cwith plenty enough body to make it a wondseafood and white meat dishes. The sumptuo10% sees some maturation in oak) is reministyle of Bandol, which is perhaps thanks to tthe GSM blend. The star turn at Mas des Dwine La Dame is a Grenache, Syrah andthat is the very essence of Languedoc wine. Feffortlessly delicious, it is stunning value foroffers. Finally, La Diva completes the rang(very) old vine Alicant Bouschet, Grenache

would age superbly if it wasnt so drinkable in

02K12MLD White 2012 Blanc IGP Pays d'Oc 75cl

18A12MDR Ros 2012 Ros Cteaux du Languedoc 75cl

01L11MDD Red 2011 La Dame Cteaux du Languedoc 75cl

01L09MLD Red 2009 La Diva IGP des Coteaux du Murviel 75cl

LE GRAND NOIRLANGUEDOC, FRANCE

Le Grand Noir is a project pioneered by three industry experts ying wine-maker Hugh Ryman, renowned journalist Robert Joseph and label designer Kevin Shaw. The results are winesthat are not only delicious, but also accessible to drinkers thatare more familiar and comfortable with a new world style ofpresentation. The fruit for all of the wines comes from the

Minervois region and Hugh has crafted blenforward and unashamedly easy to drink. The white is a blend of Chardonnay (85%) anwhile the red is a classic Grenache (60%), SMourvdre (5%) blend. Both wines are fermestainless steel tank and provide outstanding v

02L12GNC White 2012 Chardonnay / Viognier IGP Pays d'Oc 75cl 01LGSM12 Red 2012 Grenache / Syrah / Mourvdre IGP Pays d'Oc 75cl


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When we first visited the Mas Coutelou winery in the hilltopvillage of Puimisson in the Languedoc, Jeff Coutelou wassurprised to see us. No one from the English speaking worldhad ever knocked on his door before and he was confused asto how we had even heard of him and his wines. The answer

to that question involves a revelatory glass of Syrah at arun-down wine bar in Grenoble, but the point is that MasCoutelou was a long way off the radar of anyone that didntfrequent the natural wine bars of Beziers, Paris or Tokyo (orGrenoble!). The tasting that followed was a procession of some of themost vibrant, refreshing and drinkable wines we had evertasted and best of all the entire range offered incrediblevalue for money. It was immediately apparent that we haduncovered a gem and a few weeks later this was confirmedwhen the first shipment arrived, as Jancis Robinson madetwo of the wines her joint Wine of the Week, and salesexploded overnight. The fact that, four vintages later, thewines are sold out long before the next years allocationarrives, is testament to the quality and value that set MasCoutelou apart. There are other things that set Mas Coutelou apart,particularly from the sea of commercial producers that areso commonplace in this area of France. Back in the 1980s,when organic accreditation was first introduced for wineestates, Mas Coutelou was certified on the very first day an easy decision for the authorities as there had neverbeen a single chemical used on any of their vines. Nowadays Jeff also uses some biodynamic practices on his ten hectareestate, although he prefers to follow his own instincts ratherthan slavishly follow the Demeter guidelines. One area of biodynamics that he is very much in agreementwith is the importance of vineyards as diverse microclimates,where other plant, animal and insect life should be

encouraged as much as possible. There arein the local monoculture of chemically faharvested vineyards that are in really bad shthat genuinely upsets Jeff. In fact, things hain one area that he ripped up an entire parc

replanted the land with olive trees so that insects will have somewhere to go. Jeffs deep connection to the land is undersfamily have been farming these vineyards Up until relatively recently though, the land by a local bourgeois family and the Couteworked for them. When Jeffs grandfather gammy leg, the family fretted about his pothis father into agricultural work, but it turnblessing in disguise. He trained as an accouup enough money to buy the vineyards thatalways worked, giving the land to his fathercreation of Mas Coutelou in the process. Jeff is proud to call himself a peasant amost of the year is on toiling away in the vphone contact takes place in a short windowbefore he heads off into the vineyards and imin his viticulture. Harvest is always on the elikes to maintain vibrant acidity and freshnand feels that over-ripeness can reduce variethe grapes that he works with. Most of the vare indigenous to the region, although therCabernet Sauvignon vineyard from which hcrop each year as he is intent on using local gCoutelou wines. As part of this commitmengrafted over a parcel of Merlot to create anold varieties that used to be common in thehave recently all but disappeared. The vineyand includes various clones of Muscat, Ca

MAS COUTELOULANGUEDOC, FRANCE

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01LPMB12 White 2012 PM Blanc Vin de France 75cl

01MCCB12 White 2012 Carignan Blanc Vin de France 75cl

01L7PO13 Red 2013 7 Rue de la Pompe Syrah Vin de France 75cl

01LVDA13 Red 2013 Vin des Amis Vin de France 75cl 01LCLA12 Red 2012 Classe Vin de France 75cl

01LVHA12 Red 2012 La Vigne Haute Vin de France 75cl

01L12SCS Red 2012 Cuve Spciale Syrah Vin de France 150cl

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Blanc, Oeillade (a mutation of Cinsault) and Castets (analmost extinct variety). The fruit will eventually be used tomake various micro-cuves, but Jeffs primary motivationfor this parcel was to preserve these varieties for otherpeople to take cuttings and propagate their own plantingsin the future. In the winery, Jeff is very much an advocate of naturalmethods. All his fermentations are spontaneous, there arenever any additions and minimal (or zero) SO2 is used.Everything is fermented and aged in tank and visiting thewinery is like entering an Aladdins cave, with numerous

projects on the go at any one time. The corede la Pompe (a Syrah) and Vin des Amis Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault) are madeall the other cuves are subject to change. In Jeff might make a wine he calls Flambadoyear the same fruit might be treated differenas Classe. Likewise, there are always one-Carignan Blanc, 5SO Cinsault and Syrah that he produced in 2013. The only thing wat the start of each vintage, is that everythintastes fantastic!


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DOMAINE DES LAURLANGUEDOC, FRANCE

JL LAURENSLANGUEDOC, FRANCE

The Cabrol family have been at Domaine des Lauriers since1969 and today Marc Cabrol farms 45ha in the Picpoul de Pinetappellation, planted to eleven different varieties. Of course, it isthe Picpoul itself (or Piquepoul is it is called locally) that is themain draw and Domaine des Lauriers is rightfully known as oneof the areas best sources.In an appellation still dominated by co-operatives, it is a

pleasure to discover the wines of an artisanal producer. Marcpractices very conscientious viticulture and is a member ofTerravitis, a collection of wine-making estates that adhere to

responsible, environmentally friendly viticultpromote bio-diversity on their estates.In the winery, everything is done to ensure ththeir steely freshness, so the grapes are press45mins after being picked, there is no pumpis gravity fed) and temperature control is uthe fresh fruit aromas and avours. This is aof a traditional crisp, dry, white wine that is rightfully enjoying a surge in popularity.

While most Champenois will tell you that Dom Perignoninvented sparkling wine, natives of Limoux insist that the famou

roberson wine agency list 2014

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