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Our
Wine List - 2005
As you can see from the list, Grand Cru Wines are
specialists in the finest small domaines of southern France.
These are not the inexpensive "house wines" of the
region, but are pioneering wines, which can hold their own
against the very finest wines produced in France, including
Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone. They have earned a place on
the wine lists of some of the world's most prestigious
restaurants:- El Bulli and Can Roca in Spain list many of these
wines, as do Jardin des Sens, Lucas Carton and Ducasse in
France. In the UK our wines can be found in many top
restaurants, including The Fat Duck, Tom Aikens, The Orrery and
Foliage.
We have access to vintages
that are no longer available at the wineries, and most of the
wines on this list are exclusive to us. As we are based in
France, we are in constant touch with the vignerons, and are
able to purchase the most sought after wines directly from the
domaines.
All our wines are stored in
London City Bond, and delivery is made directly from the
warehouse, normally within two working days for London and the
home counties.
Y
Y
Y
All the wines on the list
have been chosen by us, and we believe that they offer excellent
quality at all price levels. This is a very personal choice of
wines - we have also indicated our "Coups de Coeur"
– our very favourite wines from this list. These wines are
marked with a Y
Please click on the links below
to go to the appropriate section of the wine list, where you
will see full details of the wines and their prices.
Alternatively, please click
here to download a full copy of the current Winelist in Word
format (180KB) or contact us
for an email copy.
Alsace
Domaine Kreydenweiss, Marc and Emmanuelle
Kreydenweiss
We have known and loved Marc’s Alsace wines
for many years. The domaine is based in the village of Andlau in
the Bas Rhin, and as with Marc’s wine from the south, the
vineyards are worked on bio dynamique principles.
Marc has around twelve hectares, including
three Grand Cru sites. The vines are grown in the traditional
Alsace plantation of around 5,000 vines per hectare. The grapes
are all hand harvested, selected, and crushed in a bladder
press. Natural yeasts control the fermentation, which is in
Vosges oak foudres.
The Grand Cru Kastelberg is amongst
the best Grand Cru sites; only Riesling is grown on the small
Cru, based on a formation of Schiste de Steige, schistous slate
unique in Alsace. The wine is very fine, with mineral aromatic
flinty aromas and flavours, and firm acidity which ensures the
wine’s longevity. The oldest vines here are 60 years old, and
yields are very low. This is one of Alsace’s finest Rieslings.
Grand Cru Wiebelsberg is on an adjacent slope to
Kastelberg, but with a totally different soil formation, and
producing a very different style of wine. Vosges sandstone gives
a more "feminine" floral, aromatic, gentle style of
Riesling; more approachable in its youth, softer and more supple
in style. Marc’s holdings on the Grand Cru Moenchberg
were planted in 1984, and the wine, from Pinot Gris, is soft,
peachy, smoky and delicious even in its youth. We will be
shipping the 2001 Moenchberg in spring 2005.
The Clos du Val d’Eléon is a steep
vineyard of decomposed shale, which produces a fine blend of
Riesling and Pinot Gris, combining the mineral acidity of the
Riesling with the rich peachy and apricot flavours of the Pinot
Gris. We will be shipping the 2001 Clos du Val d’Eléon in
spring 2005.
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Per bottle |
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| Y |
2001 Riesling
Grand Cru Kastelberg, 75cl |
£27.50 |
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2000 Pinot Blanc,
75cl. |
£7.50 |
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2000 Muscat Clos
Rebgarten, 75cl |
£9.95 |
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2000 Kritt
Gewurztraminer, 75cl |
£11.75 |
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2000 Riesling
Grand Cru Kastelberg, 75cl |
£27.50 |
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1999 Riesling
Grand Cru Wiebelsberg, 75cl |
£16.95 |
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Burgundy
Dominique Laurent, Burgundy
Dominique
started his career as a pastry chef, before devoting his life to
his passion; producing fine wines. He has established
friendships with many of the top growers in the Cote d’Or, and
purchases small amounts of their top cuvées in barrique, after
the fermentation, for élevage in several traditional cellars
around Nuits St Georges, as well as in a temperature controlled
warehouse in L’Etang Vergy. Dominique purchases his own oak,
and has his barrels specially constructed, and is only too happy
to explain the virtues of his "magic casks" to all and
sundry.
As well as
his very extensive range of top "Crus", Dominique
produces excellent quality red and white burgundy at more
affordable prices. The Bourgogne Chardonnay has excellent
balancing acidity, and a hint of oak, to balance ripe chardonnay
fruit. The reds require a few years ageing to show at their
best, and we are lucky to have stocks of the 1996 and 1997 which
are drinking very well now. The Cuvée Spéciale is a
selection of his finest casks, mainly aimed at the restaurant
trade, and offers excellent value for money.
Dominique
also works with conjunction with Michel Tardieu to produce a
range of wines from the Rhone, Luberon, Costières de Nîmes,
and a number of Languedoc Roussillon appellations.
We also
have an extensive range of his Village, Premier and Grand Cru
Burgundies from recent vintages, please enquire for details.
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Per bottle |
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2001 Bourgogne
Chardonnay, 75cl |
£8.95 |
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1997 Bourgogne
Rouge Cuvée No. 1, 75cl |
£8.95 |
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1997 Bourgogne
Rouge Cuvée No. 1 Cuvée Spéciale, 75cl |
£12.25 |
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1996 Bourgogne
Rouge Cuvée No. 1, 75cl |
£9.95 |
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Domaine Millot, Burgundy, Jean Marc Millot
Jean Marc
has around seven hectares of vineyards, covering some of the
most prestigious Crus in the Cote de Nuits, and including twelve
appellations. His yields are low. The grapes are de-stemmed, and
undergo a cool pre-fermentation maceration before traditional
vinification, with around two weeks’ cuvaison. The wines are
aged in wood, with part of the Bourgogne Rouge and Cotes de
Nuits Villages being aged in cuve.
The 2001
Bourgogne Rouge has delicious raspberry fruit, firm classic
pinot, with good length. Drinking well now. The 2001 Côtes
de Nuits Villages is always one of our favourite cuvées,
and offers maybe the best value in the whole range. Ripe
raspberry cassis fruit, supple and delicious. Classic light
elegant burgundy at an affordable price. Jean-Marc has several
parcelles within the appellation, including a single Clos, La
Foulque, which is a bloc of almost 2 hectares, including some
very old vines.
The 2001
Vosne Romanée is a step up in class, with a good weight of
perfumed fruit, and more extract and concentration. The wine is
from two parcelles; Les Violettes, and Les Hautes Mézières.
Jean-Marc has only 21 ares of this appellation, including a
parcelle of very old vines, so quantities are always limited.
Jean-Marc has vinified parcelles of Vosne Suchots since
1997. His holdings are at the lower end of the vineyard, with
older vines, and with a naturally low yield. This is a vineyard
that has been in the family for a long time, but which was
previously en fermage to another producer. The 2001 shows more
depth and complexity than the village wine, with very perfumed,
ripe fruit, and great class. The 2001 Echézeaux has
rich, ripe raspberry fruit, with powerful, ripe structured
flavours and a long finish. Jean-Marc’s parcelles are in the
lieu-dit Echézeaux du Dessus (next to Grands Echézeaux), the
Poulaillers, and next to Clos St Denis. He has nearly one
hectare of this appellation. The 2001 Clos Vougeot
is firm, with a good weight of fruit, good structure and length,
and will need two to four years to show its potential. Jean-Marc’s
parcelle of a mere twenty one ares is near the Chateau.
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Per bottle |
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2001 Bourgogne
Rouge, 75cl |
£8.50 |
| Y |
2001 Cotes de Nuits
Villages, 75cl |
£11.75 |
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2001 Vosne
Romanée, 75cl |
£16.50 |
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2001 Vosne
Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru, 75cl |
£20.95 |
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2001 Echézeaux
Grand Cru, 75cl |
£26.50 |
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2001 Clos Vougeot
Grand Cru, 75cl |
£30.00 |
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2000 Bourgogne
Rouge, 75cl |
£8.50 |
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2000 Cotes de Nuits
Villages, 75cl |
£11.75 |
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Jura
Jacques Puffeney, Arbois, Jura
Are we mad
to list wines from one of the most under-sold regions in France?
It appears that people either love or hate the classic wines of
the Jura, and we fall into the first category. Jacques Puffeney
has seven and a half hectares, and produces one of the finest
Vins Jaune that we have ever tasted.
Unlike
many producers of Vin Jaune, whose wines are faintly
oxidized in style, Jacques Puffeney produces a wine with
wonderful purity of fruit, and an elegance rarely associated
with this style of wine. Older vintages of his wine have almost
the flavours of very fine old white Burgundy. The Chardonnay,
also aged in wood, is floral and nutty at the same time, with
the traditional Jura "twang". The Trousseau
Bérengère is Jacques’ finest cuvée of red; soft, fruity
raspberry flavours, light but with good length. Excellent now.
These are food wines par excellence.
There are
a small number of mixed cases for those who would like to dip
their toes in the water.
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Per bottle |
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1998 Arbois
Chardonnay, 75cl |
£10.95 |
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1997 Arbois
Trousseau, Cuvée Berengère, 75cl |
£13.50 |
| Y |
1994 Arbois Vin
Jaune, 64cl. |
£30.00 |
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Puffeney Mixed
Arbois Case 12/75cl
(4 bot 99 Sacha, 3 bot 98 Savagnin, 2 bot Trousseau,
1 bot 97 Berengère, 2 bot 99 Chardonnay) |
£140.00 |
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Click here to continue down the list (to
Languedoc-Roussillon).
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