Wine Store

Maker's Notes - Pretty deep red colour. The fresh nose is on ripe red fruit with hints of cherries. Well balanced with soft tannins, it is a full and fresh wine with a nice length.

Jeremy's Notes: One of the best wine values on earth. Always well made, approachable, fruity and well balanced. A pleasure wine for drinking any time with any food. Authentic, genuine and tasty.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Pretty delicate petal-rose colour. This wine offers an expressive, particularly fruity nose with notes of red fruit and citrus. On the palate, this wine shows a beautiful aromatic richness and a perfect balance between the body and the freshness.

Keep learning »

JRM - Delicious and attractive.  Smooth palate, lovely fruitiness and good balance.  A crowd pleaser any day.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Beautiful limpid colour with yellow and green undertones. The nose reveals a seductive fruity bouquet with notes of lemon, citrus and white flowers. Fresh on the palate, with great tension, this is a fine, elegant and well-balanced wine, offering nice acidity and a touch of bitterness on gourmet aromas of peach syrup. It will be ideal as an aperitif or to accompany a starter.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Pretty pale pink color with pastel undertones. The nose is seductive with subtle hints of red fruit (currants, strawberries, raspberries) and delicate flowers (rose, hawthorn). Well balanced in the mouth, between freshness and roundness, it offers a refreshing lemony finish.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 88 - This juicy red has light tannins and bright acidity, offering bright red and black fruit flavors, with hints of smoke and licorice. Drink now through 2025.

Maker's Notes - Intense ruby ​​red color, medium-high layer and light orange iridescence.  Aromas of red fruits, fresh fruit (strawberry), of good intensity, well assembled with the aromas of spices, vanilla and wood.  In the mouth we find it slightly tannic, fresh, medium-bodied, smooth, balanced, with fruit well integrated with notes of oak, vanilla and light toasted notes.

Keep learning »

Jeremy’s Notes: A refreshing, tasty white with good balance and intensity. Interesting flavours of pear, grapefruit and peach. Quite a unique item. Great aperitif and accompaniment to fish, shrimp and chicken dishes.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 88 - Strawberry jam, cherry and earth flavors are the themes in this focused red. Smooth and balanced, with a light band of tannins on the finish. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Keep learning »

Jeremy's Notes - This is very attractive.  Plush mouthfeel, smooth and balanced with an elegance that belies the price-point. Medium-bodied with a nice balance of fruit and tannins, making it a good match for a wide selection of foods.  Michele Chapoutier doesn't muck around and his expertise in vineyard and cellar management shows very well in this recent Portuguese venture.

Keep learning »

Jeremy's Notes - Perrin's Reserve Rouge is a reference wine for Cotes du Rhone.  Well balanced, nuanced, elegant and delicious.  They always get this right and the 2020 is no exception.  Terrific value, punching well above its price point.

Keep learning »

CRU/JRM - Superbly made, elegant, long, balanced and delicious. Top shelf CDR. Super value.  Grenache and Syrah.

Maker's Notes - Beautiful garnet-red robe. The nose offers a superb aromatic bouquet with notes of red and black fruit such as cherries and blackcurrants mixed with floral notes, spices and "garrigue". With elegance, the mouth develops into fine and silky tannins with aromas of small red fruit and a beautiful aromatic and racy finish with subtle notes of tobacco.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Pretty pink-gold colour with shiny reflections. On the nose, Nature Rosé offers a superb aromatic bouquet of great intensity with notes of red fruit such as pomegranate and blackcurrants. The palate is full of delicacies with delicious notes of small red fruit such as redcurrants and blackcurrants, perfectly balanced by great freshness.

Keep learning »

Maker's notes - Elegant, very pale colour with subtle green reflections. With great finesse, the nose opens up with delicate notes of white flowers and citrus. Balanced and fresh, the palate reveals the same seductive aromas and ends with a superb saline finish which offers beautiful length.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 90 - A well-balanced red in a medium-bodied frame, offering flavors of black fig reduction, leafy tobacco and fresh, loamy earth that show good concentration, with a piercing note of black licorice. Ends with fine tannins on the finish. Drink now through 2025.

Keep learning »

Jeremy's Notes - Fruity and structured.  Good balance and palate feel.  Decent length with complexity but no heaviness.  Nice.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Our 14 hectare vineyard in Cairanne is located south west of the old village. The soils are stony, made of clay and sand. The wine is fleshy and develops beautiful aromas of blackcurrant, Garrigue and liquorice. Beautiful deep and intense purple colour. The fruity and expressive nose is an explosion of red fruit with spicy notes of pepper and juniper. Round and silky on the palate, it is a well-balanced wine between ripe fruit and slightly chalky tannins which bring elegance and structure.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Elegant velvety crimson-red dress. The nose on this 2019 Rasteau opens with seductive aromas of cocoa and fresh strawberries. Powerful and well-balanced, the palate develops delicious notes of red fruit and black olives with delicate chalky tannins that give this wine real character.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 84 - Ripe, showing lemon, earth and copper flavors. Rich, verging on oily, with moderate length. Vermentino, Viognier and Sauvignon. Drink now.

Maker's Notes - Straw yellow with green hues. Aromas of Mediterranean shrubs, brooms and mature pears with underlying saline scents. The viognier gives some delicate notes of exotic fruits.

The flavour profile is savoury and well-balanced with notes of fresh fruit, a fragrant acidity and a long lingering aftertaste of fresh almonds. Very elegant and rich in the mouth.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 89 - This red is fleshy, yet fluid, its black cherry, black currant and almond notes are persistent through the finish. It's balanced, with a light chalky feel in the end. Drink now.

CRU/JRM - Altare's wines are luxurious and utterly delicious.  There is an amazing smoothness and elegance that few makers achieve.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes -

Colour: light yellow, green tints

Nose: intense notes, a blend of fruit (lychee, etc.) and rose, with some lighter notes of citrus (lemon, grapefruit).

Palate: this sharp, dry wine is supple and forthright on entry to the palate.

Nice balance of acidity and a finish with notes of lychees and citrus.

Keep learning »

WA 88 - The 2016 Chianti Classico by Pagliarese is an elegantly trimmed down red wine with delicate aromas of wild berry, red cherry, cassis and spice. Those fruit tones are generously and seamlessly integrated within the mid-weight body of the wine. As you should expect from Sangiovese (blended in this case with 10% Canaiolo and Mammolo), you get a healthy dose of balanced acidity on the easygoing finish.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 89 - Matured in a mix of tank and demi-muids, the 2020 Saint-Péray Les Tanneurs boasts scents of ripe pears, melons and a hint of citrus. It's medium to full-bodied and round in the mouth, and while not that rich or concentrated, it's nicely balanced, citrusy and long on the finish.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 93 - Fresh, ripe and well-defined, with raspberry, bitter cherry and plum puree notes that race through, carried by a fine minerally spine while savory and sanguine details infuse the finish. Drink now through 2030.

Vinous 92 - Vivid ruby. Displays ripe, smoke-accented cherry and dark berry

scents that are complemented by hints of licorice, game and cracked pepper. Juicy and broad in the mouth, offering appealingly jammy red and blue fruit liqueur and baking spice flavors and a

salty touch of olive. Finishes long and

smooth, with well-knit tannins and repeating pepper and cherry notes.

Wine Advocate 91 - An exceptional vintage for this wine, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage les Meysonniers showcases violets, cassis and crushed stone aromas on its complex, nuanced nose. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it's silky and seductive, with a long, exquisitely balanced finish.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 88 - Fresh and well-spiced, this balanced, medium-bodied red shows a pure beam of crushed black cherry fruit flavors, with accents of loamy earth, orange peel and dried herbs. Drink now.

JRM - A perrenial favourite for good reason.  Meduim to full bodied with , finesse, complexity and length.  The tannins are moderate and the mouthfeel is sumptuous.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 91 - A step up from La Petite Ruche, Chapoutier's 2019 Crozes Hermitage Blanc Les Meysonniers ratchets up the intensity and complexity, adding hints of honey and crushed stone to notes of ripe melon and citrus. Medium to full-bodied, round and succulent on the palate, it finishes with mouth-coating flavors and ample length. Aged in a mix of demi-muids and stainless steel, it's a deftly balanced but opulent Marsanne that drinks well now, so why wait?

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 91 - The 2018 Reserva Única was produced with Tempranillo and 3% Graciano fermented destemmed with indigenous yeasts selected from their vineyards and matured in oak barrels, 60% French and 40% American, for 24 months, including malolactic. The wines from 2018 are more delicate, have very good precision and feel fresh but have structure and balance and incisive tannins, and this is a very good example of it.

Keep learning »

Vinous 92 - The 2018 Nobile di Montepulciano is pretty and understated in the glass, wafting up with a mix of black currants, savory herbs and worn

leather hints. This is round with a balanced inner sweetness, displaying mineral tinged wild berry fruit and nuances of confectionary spice. The 2018 leaves only a gentle coating of fine tannins while finishing with citrus nuances and a hint of hard red candies. The Avignonesi style lent quite well to this warm and rainy vintage; as a result, they

created a very delicate yet likable Nobile.

Wine Spectator 91 - A powerful red, with savory eucalyptus, tobacco and tomato leaf aromas and flavors offset by cherry and plum notes. Beefy tannins set the stage for a lingering, grainy finish.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 93 - This rich white is backed by lots of freshness, with pineapple, honey cream and mango notes, infused with floral, baking spice and toast details. Graceful, with lots of complexity through the citrusy finish. Drink now through 2026.

Maker's Notes - Clean and vibrant with a straw yellow colour. The nose stands out for the intensity and complexity of its aromas but with the unmistakable personality of Godello; the elegance of careful preparation and respectful ageing. On the palate, it is unctuous and balanced, with a well-integrated acidity and a longlasting aftertaste.

Keep learning »

Vinous 88 - The 2012 Le Sartre is juicy and exuberant, with lovely mid-palate depth and terrific overall balance, especially at this level. Sweet tobacco, menthol, licorice and dried flowers add nuance in a racy, hearty red to drink over the next few years.

Wine Spectator 88 - Juicy and enticing, with raspberry and plum fruit forming the core while anise and fruitcake notes fill in the background. A tarry spine holds the finish, letting the fruit play out.

Keep learning »

Vinous 91 The 2015 Barbera d'Alba Gepin is terrific. Dark, rich and voluptuous, but with plenty of structure, the 2015 expresses all of the natural intensity of the year while retaining a very appealing sense of translucency. Succulent dark cherry, plum, spice, leather, mint and dried herbs add to the wine's forward, racy personality.

CRU/JRM  Aged one year in large oak casks.  Good depth on the nose - cherries and stone - quite expansive and plush on the palate with dense fruitiness and some minerality.  Excellent balance and fair density with good length.

Keep learning »

CRU/JRM - Old vine Chardonnay with good concentration, intensity and texture. Aromas of green apple, lime zest, lemon and white blossom. The palate is medium-bodied with smooth texture and well balanced acidity.  Very nice stuff.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 88 - Juicy and fresh, with a core of cassis and dark plum lined with singed alder notes and backed by a mouthwatering sanguine hint.

Wine Advocate 86- Tasted at the Cru Bourgeois annual tasting, the 2015 Larose Perganson felt a little muddled on the nose compared to its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly tough tannin, muscular yet balanced with a firm finish that will hopefully soften with bottle age. Tasted September 2017.

Keep learning »

Vinous 92 - The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the more successful wines of the vintage. Sage, lavender, iron, smoke and dark red cherry notes flesh out in a supple, inviting Brunello. A kick of Mediterranean warmth gives the 2011 its generous texture, with all of the elements very much in the right place. I would prefer to drink the 2011 over the next handful of years or so. This is a strong showing from Piancornello.

WA 91 -  Here's a pretty, ruby-colored Sangiovese from the heart of southern Tuscany. The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino shows a lot of purity and red fruit intensity with wild berry and dried cherries in pole position. The wine offers a good sense of depth and balance thanks to those warmer notes of light tobacco and spice that add complexity in a subtle and lasting way. This Brunello is also distinguished by the mouthfeel that is tonic and bright without feeling too ripe or thick. This is a silky and elegant wine with a medium finish.

Keep learning »

WA 93 - The 2011 Victorino is produced with Tempranillo grapes from 35 hectares of ungrafted, old vineyards in the villages of Valdefinjas, Toro and Villabuena del Puente, which fermented with yeasts selected from their own vineyards and aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months. This is the fruitier and more approachable of the three wines I tasted from them, with aromas of clean, ripe, terse fruit, with hints of violets and a pinch of spices mixed with echoes from the soil. The palate is full-bodied, with glossy tannins, dense and ripe, with very good acidity, balanced and elegant. It’s approachable, but should develop more complexity with time in the bottle. 40,000 bottles produced. Drink 2014-2019.

Wine Spectator 93 - A firm structure supports the plush texture of this rich red. Savory notes of espresso and anise mingle with a deep core of plum, black olive and mineral. Not that expressive now, but harmonious nonetheless. Best from 2016 through 2026.

Vinous 92 - Dark purple. Powerful aromas of cassis, licorice, roasted coffee and cocoa powder. Juicy and broad in the mouth, offering dark fruit liqueur flavors lifted by sexy floral and oak spice qualities. Shows real intensity on the creamy, clinging finish, which features polished tannins and a note of smoky minerals.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 91 - The 2014 Siran has a very refined bouquet with blackberry, briary and light tertiary aromas. There is fine precision here, understated compared to the Sirans of old. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and a keen line of acidity. Linear in style and a little conservative towards the finish, but showing freshness from start to finish. Edouard Miailhe, proprietor of Siran, has really upped the ante here and this 2014 is just a classic Bordeaux claret that should drink well from the start, yet has the substance to suggest it will age with aplomb.

Decanter 91 - This exhibits a big, ripe, fleshy, blackberry nose, with vibrant fruit and a deep red colour. It’s sumptuous, concentrated and very rich, balanced by bold tannins yet not too extracted. It’s quite spicy and just lacks a little drive on the finish, but this is a fine offering from this increasingly impressive estate.

Wine Spectator 89 - Alluring black tea and singed sandalwood notes glide through, backed by accents of supple-edged cherry and plum preserves. Offers a gentle but persistent finish. Drink now through 2024.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 94 - The Begali Lorenzo 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is a beautiful wine that shows ample ripeness, with balance. It shows elegant restraint, but it is also exuberant and fully loaded. Its opulent character is very much in line with the hot vintage and the basic promise of Amarone that always prioritizes big intensity and lots of brooding fruit. This estate opts for more Rondinella in the blend, clocking in at about 35%, with 60% Corvina and 5% other complementary grapes. Rondinella adds much of the darkness and the extra concentration you see here. It is aged in French tonneaux and botte for three years. The Lorenzo Begali house style offers oak contours and renderings with extra softness and textural density.

Vinous 93 - Dark, rich and deeply seductive, the 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico lifts up with notes of crushed blackberries, balsamic spice, smoke and lifting hints of mentholated herbs. It’s silky, coating the palate in glycerol-like textures contrasted by saturating black fruits, salty minerals and bitter cocoa. A fine layer of tannin clamps down hard, leaving only purple-tinged inner florals and hints of black licorice to resonate throughout. The 2017 does a wonderful job of straddling both the savory and sweet side of Amarone, but it will require a good amount of cellaring to fully flesh out.

Keep learning »

Vinous 95 - The 2013 Barbaresco Ronchi is superb. Ample and large scaled, as wines from this clay-rich site often are, the Ronchi is firing on all cylinders today.

Layers of dark red stone fruit fill out the wine's ample frame effortlessly. Pine, menthol, anise, citrus peel and tobacco add attractive aromatic overtones, but it is the wine's balance that is most impressive today. Simply put, the Ronchi is a standout.

Wine Advocate 91 - The 2013 Barbaresco Ronchi shows richness and density that grounds this wine firmly to the palate. This is a lasting and enriched expression that offers the intensity and the natural length that characterizes this vintage. Dark cherries and spice segue to balsam herb and cola. This is an elegant and nicely articulated expression from the Ronchi cru.

Wine Spectator 91 - A tightly wound red, with firm, raspy tannins that make the future difficult to predict. With air, sweet cherry, licorice and spice flavors emerge. Fans out nicely on the lingering finish. Best from 2019 through 2032.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 94 - Pure, exhibiting rose, cherry and raspberry aromas. Elements of tobacco, eucalyptus, mineral and tar chime in on the palate. Elegant and long on the finish. Firms up and shows fine balance overall. Best from 2022 through 2037.

Vinous 92 - The 2016 Barbaresco Montersino is marked by distinct floral overtones, bright red berry fruit and gracious, mid-weight structure. Clean mineral notes add energy to a Barbaresco that stands out for its tense, crystalline personality.  Pine, mint, chalk and crushed rocks give the 2016 its distinctive aromatic upper register to balance things out. This is such a vivid and expressive wine.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Aspect: Coppery and bright, Nuances of yellow straw

Bouquet: Open and indulgent. Wisps of Linden Blossom, Honeysuckle, Hazelnuts, Mirabelle plum

Palate: Harmonious, Balanced, Vinous

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 89 - The 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is approximately half Grenache Blanc, with the balance a blend of Clairette and Roussanne. The Grenache and Clairette are vinified and matured in concrete, while the Roussanne is barrel fermented and aged, and then the components are blended. It's marked by struck flint, melon and tangerine on the nose, while the palate is medium to full-bodied and reasonably generous but also crisp and slightly bitter on the finish. Drink it over the next year or two.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 92 - Offering up aromas of gingerbread, tangerine and smoky peach, the NV Brut Grand Cru Réserve Rosé is medium to full-bodied, broad and vinous, with a rich but tight-knit core of fruit, racy acids and a pinpoint mousse, concluding with a sapid finish. Disgorged in May 2018, this is a serious rosé that would work well at table.

Jeremy's Notes - Lallement's Grand Cru Brut Rose is one of our customers' favourites.  It has that irresistible balance of flavour, structure and texture that is so attractive and fulfilling.  Just delicious.  Everything you want in a Rose Champagne.

Keep learning »

WA 95 - A much smaller production cuvée, the 2015 Condrieu Clos Boucher (aged 80% in barrel and 20% in stainless steel) is a sensational Condrieu that offers textbook, yet pedal to the metal notes of white peach, tangerine, citrus blossom and hints of minerality. Impeccably balanced, fresh and lively, it should be given six months in bottle and enjoyed over the following 4-5 years.

Vinous 94 - Very light gold. Powerful, mineral-accented orange pith, melon, white peach and violet scents show impressive focus and vivacity. Possesses an impressive blend of depth and finesse, offering concentrated citrus and pit fruit, honey and candied ginger flavors complemented by a subtle anise quality. Finishes with superb mineral cut and lift, leaving suave floral and mineral notes behind. This complex, densely packed wine would complement lighter foods as well as rich ones and, from my experience with older vintages such as the 2005 and 2010, it's a highly reliable cellar candidate.

WS 93 - Ripe and creamy in feel, with pear, quince, almond cream, shortbread and warm brioche notes melded together, backed by a light hazelnut echo on the flattering finish. Drink now through 2020.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 93-95 - The 2018 Hermitage Chante-Alouette is ripe and custardy in feel, with plenty of richness that's balanced by ample freshness. Hints of citrus, melon and white peach mingle easily on the nose and palate, offering a lovely introduction to white Hermitage.

Vinous 93 - Pale, glistening yellow. Penetrating aromas of fresh orchard and pit fruits are accompanied by hints of chalky minerals and pungent flowers. Juicy and concentrated in style, offering pear nectar, white peach and Meyer lemon flavors that tighten up and show fine definition on the back half. The floral note repeats strongly on the energetic finish, which hangs on with impressive, mineral-tinged persistence.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 90 - Disgorged in December 2018, the latest rendition of Besserat de Bellefon's NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée des Moines exhibits a toasty, reductive bouquet of bread dough, smoky citrus rind and green orchard fruit. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and nicely balanced, with a frothy mousse, lively acids and a clean, harmonious finish. This is a well-made Blanc de Blancs that reflects this marque's recent progress.

Maker's Notes - "Sculpted from the rocky soil of its terroir, BB Blanc de Blancs offers

a magnificent chain of creamy bubbles of incredible precision. The nose is intense, mineral and saline, with fresh citrus aromas

intermingling harmoniously with floral notes of honeysuckle and acacia. A finely-honed palate with superb structure and magnificent amplitude. Translucent and pure, citrus and lemon compose a symphony of absolute elegance."

Cédric Thiébault

Cellarmaster, Champagne Besserat de Bellefon.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 95 - Rich and lively, this red is powerful and expressive, showing black cherry, currant, licorice, tar and mineral flavors. Ripe but balanced, with well-integrated tannins and fresh acidity supporting the deep core of fruit. Drink now through 2034.

Keep learning »