Original Cardboard Case
2017 Bollinger, PN TX17, Champagne 6x75cl
“The wine is almost completely dominated by the extremely exciting and rare Tauxières Premier Cru, which is one of two villages classified 99% on the Grand Cru scale. Despite an impressive... vineyard area of 237 hectares, it is extremely rare to come across champagnes dominated by this fantastic Cru. A cooler microclimate and a thinner soil layer with even more compact chalk than sunny Bouzy make the wines from here lighter and more elegant than Bouzy but stronger than Verzenay which is also part of this exciting Blanc de Noirs with predominantly base from 2017. Here is also a small splash of Avenay to give a little buttery roundness to the cuvée with its low dosage of 4 grams. The reserve wines that always come from magnum bottles under low pressure make up 48% from three vintages in 2016, 2009 and 2006. In total, half of the wine is made in oak barrels and the other half in steel tanks. The result is very beautiful and personal. The scent has features of lead pencil, juniper and freshly lacquered boat together with more classic coffee notes, rose petals, apricot and peach. The taste is vivid and multifaceted with a lively precision, lighter fruit aromas than you normally find in Bollinger's wines. Even cassis is one of the more unexpected aromas in this finely tuned complex symphony. Very impressive and exciting champagne that really makes me want to taste more and that I will look out for to my private cellar.”
92-94 pts Richard Juhlin
£365 / Case£60.83 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2018 Chateau Beaumont Haut Medoc Cru Bourgeois 12x75cl
£125 / Case£10.42 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2010 Chateau Beaumont, Haut-Medoc 12x75cl
£220 / Case£18.33 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2010 Chateau Cru Cantemerle, Bordeaux 12x75cl
£390 / Case£32.50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2016 Enzo Boglietti, Barolo, Case Nere 6x75cl
"Trademark smoky nose. Nice structure here and a bit more sweet fruit to support the powerful tannins. Nice mouth-watering acidity lifts the wine and this should age and really come into itself nicely." 17 pts., Alistair Cooper, jancisrobinson.com
£295 / Case£49.17 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2020 Aurelien Verdet, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru, Aux Boudots 6x75cl
From his modest winery hidden off the beaten track in the little village of Arcenant in the Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Aurélien Verdet crafts wines of astonishing purity and precision. A highly... talented young winemaker whose following is growing steadily every year, Aurélien is no exception to the adage that “Great wine is created in the vineyard”. Indeed, he lavishes great care and attention on his 5.5 ha of vines, which he farms organically to produce fruit of superb quality. The winemaking is then all about respecting that fruit to bring the terroir through, which he does with great aplomb. A rising star to watch!
Over the past few years we have been waxing lyrical about those Nuits 1er Cru vineyards abutting to Vosne-Romanée (in this case, the famous Les Malconsorts) and the sublime balance of structured power, black-fruited intensity on one hand, and the velvety texture and lifted aromatics usually associated with Vosne. Aurélien's Les Boudots once again shows off this brilliant combination with its muscular tannins, brilliant energy and polished edges.
£450 / Case£75 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2020 Aurelien Verdet, Morey-Saint-Denis 6x75cl
From his modest winery hidden off the beaten track in the little village of Arcenant in the Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Aurélien Verdet crafts wines of astonishing purity and precision. A highly... talented young winemaker whose following is growing steadily every year, Aurélien is no exception to the adage that “Great wine is created in the vineyard”. Indeed, he lavishes great care and attention on his 5.5 ha of vines, which he farms organically to produce fruit of superb quality. The winemaking is then all about respecting that fruit to bring the terroir through, which he does with great aplomb. A rising star to watch!
Wonderfully expressive with notes of violets and white pepper, Aurélien's is a characterful, full-bodied and powerful Morey Villages. The warm conditions yielded a lovely opulence to the fruit, and it shows the typical spicy element one can expect of this commune's wines, with added aromatic flourish courtesy of Aurélien's careful winemaking. A very fine villages cuvée.
£245 / Case£40.83 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2020 Penfolds, Bin 311 Chardonnay, Tumbarumba 6x75cl
"Quite smoky and toasty, but also richly fruited and citrusy, the 2020 Bin 311 Chardonnay is a lovely example of Australian Chardonnay. Aged eight months in 41% new French oak, this blend from... Tasmania (68%), Piccadilly (25%) and Henty (7%) is bold and flavorful, medium-bodied, with a ripe, custardy feel and lingering, citrusy-crisp finish. It's the best value of these three Penfolds Chardonnays, loaded with pineapple and citrus notes and bursting with flavor for a price that's competitive with comparable wines out of California." 92 pts., Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com
£96 / Case£16 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate