Enjoy Gold-medal International Reds for just $94 a bottle, plus FREE Gifts!
【Early Bird Offer】The 2024 Christmas Wine Advent Calendar is here!
12 bottles of Year of the Snake Cabalié for just $1,388, plus FREE Gifts (Pre-order now)
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Château de Birot is an elegant, 17th-century property with vineyards perched on a high plateau looking down on the Garonne river and across to famous Sauternes. Until a few years ago, it belonged to the renowned Castéja family. They sold it and the new owners have been working hard, updating the estate. In the cellar, they discovered a forgotten batch of château wine from 2007.
Despite its 17 years’ age, it’s still tasting delicious, complex and long. It’s Merlot dominated from estate vineyards in the superior Premières Côtes, with a little of both Cabernets. After 17 years of maturing in the cellars, it has developed some sediment in bottle. A good sign. Stand the bottle upright for a few hours and carefully decant just before serving.
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Vines have been planted in this very southerly part of the Rhône since Roman times. They certainly knew a thing or two about making wine, so it’s safe to bet that this terroir is spot on for great wine! Typically, when you think of the Rhône you think of Syrah and Grenache. But award-winning winemaker Thierry Ferlay has shown that, in fact, Bordeaux's Merlot ripens perfectly in his local vineyards, not far from Châteauneuf.
Using old-vine fruit for extra intensity, he has created a silky red with plum and blackberry notes and a hint of pepper and liquorice. Easy going and fruity, it makes a delicious glassful on its own as well as a great stand by for mid-week suppers from sausages to shepherd's pie. A top choice for a barbecue too.
Scattered on the high-altitude slopes of the Cévennes foothills, lie the vineyards of Terrasses de Larzac. The top wine from there fetches £100 a bottle. Nearby are the other Languedoc crus - Montpeyroux, Pézenas and Pic Saint Loup. Tucked away among them and in the shadow of the great Mont Baudile lies a forgotten IGP, named after this towering mountain.
Cave Fonjoya boasts 90% production of this tiny area and the very finest grapes are reserved for this wine. A classic blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre, it's a sumptuous, smooth red, with polished tannins and deep black fruit with herbal nuances. Pure charm and a great partner to grilled meats, ideal at a barbecue, or with a rich, garlicky, herby casserole, veggie or not!
Touraine lies in eastern Loire, close to the Central Vineyards, and its best wines, like the Malet Réserve, comfortably give Sancerre a run for its money. For three generations the Malet family have grown top-quality grapes on classic chalk and flint-rich soils to sell to other estates. Then, in 2001, brothers Alain and Bruno Malet took control and started making wine under their own name. They now make two levels of Sauvignon: standard Touraine, and their Réserve, for which they select grapes from older vines so the wine has even greater concentration. Our Buyer Samuel was very taken with both. This Réserve has a smoky-flint, citrus and herbal aroma with stony lemony intensity. A classic with seafood or warm goat’s cheese and pear salad.
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