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Ray Nadeson writes some of the most lyrical wine labels going. His hope with this wine is to reveal tannins that feel 'like you are melting into a soft cushion'. Well, they are certainly supple. A big proponent of whole-bunch fermentation, his '19 is striking in its structure and force of personality, with an imposing herbal imprint, chocolate cherry and red berries. Balance of oak/fruit/tannin is impressive, but the sustained length is that and more. (95) JENI PORT, Wine Companion

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

It’s a cranberried wine. Washy. Spicy too, gently autumnal, smoky, fleshed with red cherries, just a little reductive. A pinch of this and a pinch of that. It carries dry, chalky tannin; it’s strung on a taut line of acidity; it’s measured out in coffee spoons. Both delicacy and perfume are evident. Time will be kind.CAMPBELL MATTINSON , The Wine Front

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

A complex wine from the outset with gently reductive notes and modern oak spice threading into fresh cherry, spiced bread, rose, forest wood and blood orange, as well as darker cherry notes. The palate tells the full story. This displays real power and definition with clear-cut and powerful tannins. The intensity of the red-cherry fruit is impressive and the way it occupies the finish with length and uplift is the thing that defines great pinot noir per se. Strong vintage. (98) NICK STOCK, jamessuckling.com

Elegant, seamless pinot noir with fragrant, floral, red rose, dark cherry, anise, spice and restrained savoury and fresh herb characters. It's a complex medley of appealing flavours supported by an ethereal texture and a lingering finish. A surprisingly accessible wine from an excellent vintage. Should develop well with bottle age. (98) BOB CAMPBELL MW

This is a beauty. Fragrant and attractive from the outset but then expansive on the palate as well. Earth, twigs, root vegetables and cherries with woodsy spice notes rippling throughout. Tension and flow, texture and tannin. There's a smoky meatiness to the aftertaste, mixed in with decaying red roses, and it's most attractive way for the wine to sail out. Drink it now, drink it later; it will deliver. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, winefront.com

A wine of real gravitas and presence, the '21 reflects a most impressive year. Abundant, enticing aromas in pristine red fruits, maritime herbs, humus and dusty beets. The palate fairly bristles in fruit freshness and energy, the tannins pricking the tastebuds and laying the foundation for a long life. Oak? Yes, it's evident in the texture and the binding but totally integrated. JENI PORT, winecompanion.com

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

From old vines planted in the 50's, 100% de-stemmed and with indigenous yeast fermentation only. Boudier relies on minimal extraction in the winery with the wines spending 12 months in barrel and 1 month to settle before bottling.

A complex wine from the outset with gently reductive notes and modern oak spice threading into fresh cherry, spiced bread, rose, forest wood and blood orange, as well as darker cherry notes. The palate tells the full story. This displays real power and definition with clear-cut and powerful tannins. The intensity of the red-cherry fruit is impressive and the way it occupies the finish with length and uplift is the thing that defines great pinot noir per se. Strong vintage. (98) NICK STOCK, jamessuckling.com

Elegant, seamless pinot noir with fragrant, floral, red rose, dark cherry, anise, spice and restrained savoury and fresh herb characters. It's a complex medley of appealing flavours supported by an ethereal texture and a lingering finish. A surprisingly accessible wine from an excellent vintage. Should develop well with bottle age. (98) BOB CAMPBELL MW

Limit 6 bottles per customer

Vibrant, high-energy pinot noir with floral, violet, cherry, dried herb, brambles and spicy-oak flavours. An elegant rather than blockbuster wine with the sort of structure and fruit intensity that suggests good ageing potential. BOB CAMPBELL MW

Beautifully aromatic with fresh red berry fruit and floral dried petal notes. The palate is a little reticent at first, but with time, reveals concentrated flavours wrapped up in exquisite, finely grained and carefully judged tannins. Terrific drive and length. Cellar for 2 - 9 years. (97) GOURMET TRAVELLER WINE

Aromas of red cherries, cedar, dry brown spices, forest berries and wood, as well as rose-like perfume. It opens and aromatically enriches with some air. The palate has all the trademark layering of smooth tannins and a smoothly ripe ball of fresh red cherries. Assertive drive to the finish. (96) NICK STOCK, jamessuckling.com

35% new oak and 35% whole bunch.
Plum and cherry, camphor, exotic spice and liquorice, a little dried rose perfume in the mix too. Bright and intense. Medium-bodied, plenty of flavour, rich dark fruit with orange peel and spice, firm almost tea-like tannin, moving to ripe strawberries with pepper on a long perfumed, slightly bitter radicchio finish. I like this bit of extra tannin activity in 2018. Good stuff. (95) GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

The 2019 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is a very beautiful and expressive wine. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender and spice open in a mysterious, sensual Pinot loaded with class. Vineyards site are Domaine de la Côte, La Rinconada and Sanford & Benedict, which is to say about as good as it gets.ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous.com

The 2016 Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard, from Anderson Valley, is the most accessible and open of these Pinots. Bright red cherry, plum and orange peel are all nicely pushed forward. Although not as complex or pedigreed as Peay's Sonoma Coast wines, the Savoy is tasty and very easy to like. ANTONIO GALLONI

A brilliant wine, Peay's 2017 Pinot Noir Estate Ama offers an explosion of sweet red/purplish berry fruit, floral notes and spice, all with a hint of blood orange-infused acidity that gives the wine vibrancy. The 2017 Ama is wonderfully bold and luscious, and yet remains light on its feet. A striking wine from Peay. ANTONIO GALLONI

This is a beauty. Fragrant and attractive from the outset but then expansive on the palate as well. Earth, twigs, root vegetables and cherries with woodsy spice notes rippling throughout. Tension and flow, texture and tannin. There's a smoky meatiness to the aftertaste, mixed in with decaying red roses, and it's most attractive way for the wine to sail out. Drink it now, drink it later; it will deliver. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, winefront.com

A wine of real gravitas and presence, the '21 reflects a most impressive year. Abundant, enticing aromas in pristine red fruits, maritime herbs, humus and dusty beets. The palate fairly bristles in fruit freshness and energy, the tannins pricking the tastebuds and laying the foundation for a long life. Oak? Yes, it's evident in the texture and the binding but totally integrated. JENI PORT, winecompanion.com

 

One of the most charming and gentle expressions of Martinborough Pinot Noir you'll find, with its depth of fruit akin to holding a heavy ball in the palm of your hand, such is its midpalate weight. There's an abundance of tannins, but they are as resolved as tannins get, lightly coating the palate. The fruit was picked a little earlier than usual due to the warmth of the season in a bid to preserve tension and also keep the alcohol level at a very reasonable 13%. The acidity provides freshness and precision, giving the wine length and shape. While primary fruit is not front and center, on the finish it blossoms, offering cherries, cinnamon and clove spice. A very complete wine. (97)  REBBECA GIBBS, Vinous

The 2019 Pinot Noir Estate Ama is a rich, ample wine. Rose petal, blood orange sweet red cherry. Racy, succulent and perfumed, the Ama is one of the most approachable Pinots in this range, as it so often is. In 2019, the Ama is marked by a strong red cherry, blood orange and spice character. Not quite as open as it can be. ANTONIO GALLONI, vinous.com

We know you love pinot and we have put together a brilliant little pack from Australia, New Zealand and even Burgundy.

These are some our favourite producers all in this one great box with a great showing of local legends from the Mornington and Yarra Valley as well as one of New Zealand's benchmarks bottlings. Round that out with a couple of soft and supple, ready-to-go Burgundies and this is the perfect pack to take a dip into.

Australia represents strong in this months pack. From the Mornington Peninsula two heroes of the region are on show with the Kooyong Estate pinot noir 2019 and the latest release of the Yabby Lake Single pinot noir 2021. The Kooyong was a hit when last we tried and was one of the better estate releases from Kooyong with wonderful energy and sumptuous fruit while the Yabby is on fire! A brilliant bottling here with vibrant red fruits and subtle complexity that goes and goes.

Up to the Yarra Valley and we have the ever-consistent Oakridge wines. A combo of stellar vineyards with the Willow Lake and one of Australia's greats, Dave Bicknell. A one-two combo of concentrated sweet fruits, fine tannins and layers of complexity that unfurl slowly over time in bottle or in the glass. He can do wrong!

Over the ditch, to New Zealand we have the countries benchmark bottling with Ata Rangi 2019. We always wonder how this wine can get better but the team at Ata seems to take it up a notch every year. The 2019 has all the depth of fruit you expect but with a little extra lift and vibe. Normally we would say wait a bit for this wine but in half bottle this baby is hitting a sweet spot you just don't want to miss out.

To close we have two wonderful Burgundies. The first is another PWS favourite in the Phillipe Collotte Marsannay. This satellite village is now hot property as prices soar in Burgundy proper but you might have trouble getting in now as Collotte have snapped up a lot of the great terroir. There Tete a Tete is all you could want with lithe tannins etched into a core of sweet fruit and savoury spice.

The Tollot Beaut is a blend of three cuvees from three sides of the village and is a forward and generously styled pinot. All the mellow fruit of this southern appellation with foresty notes and supple spice it's a spot-on example of great Burgundy from this somewhat overlooked appellation.

History is littered with the small and mighty. Those that their physical stature did nothing to stop them from putting their mark on the world. Joan of Arc was 19 when she died but had led France to victory and was later canonised as a Saint. Winston Churchill (besides being a massive Champagne nut) is widely regarded as one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. He was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer, and an artist and won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Mickey Rooney was a superstar by the age of 25, a triple threat, and a box office hit starring in over 300 movies that left a film legacy few can match.

With that in mind, we have put together the August mixed dozen with a cracking array of half bottles. These are perfect for a little mid-week treat or to share with a friend when just a quick glass and a laugh are all you need. They are also the perfect late evening wedge to satiate that Saturday thirst for something a little fun or a little special in the wee hours.

We are pretty proud of our half-bottle selection here and we think it is one the best in the land but it's getting harder and harder to find them. So, we have done all the hard work and crammed them into one great pack just for you.

We hope you enjoy!

France is an incredibly diverse country and one that offers a plethora of great drinking at all levels. From its balmy southern shores, warm and verdant interior to the cool limits of its northern hills there is truly something for everyone.

This mixed dozen offers up a selection of some of our favourite producers, regions and varieties as well as up-and-coming winemakers and dark horses you may not heard of. We have tried to include a little snap-shot of the state of play from this wonderful vinous country.

Each month this will be updated as we see great new wines, vintages rolls and the latest and greatest to hit our shores. At 15%-20% off or more, this a great way to explore France offering exceptional value and delicious drinking.

Don't forget to check back often to see the latest version of the French Drinking Dozen.