Autumn Wine Offer

It is the beginning of September and there is a notable chill in the air.  It is the time for us to head south to Bordeaux for the harvest; a time for all the children to return to their studies; a time to think about the shoots and hunts and all the abundant game that they bring in.
 
In these Covid times, we have to admit that our warehouse is a little bit fuller than usual and very exceptionally, just for the members of our wine club, we have selected two wines that we believe are beautiful to drink now having aged for five years in our cellars; are rich, smooth and fruity with good fruit character and will marry perfectly with feathered game and roasted meats. 
 
The two wines come from impeccable producers.  The first is Louis Boillot’s Moulin à Vent "Les Brusselions" 2014:  made by one of the best names in Burgundy it is ripe, fruity and round with lovely autumn fruit flavours of rosehips, plums and blackberries.  With age it has developed a beguiling cedar and woodsmoke character.  The second is Château de Fonbel, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, produced organically by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone fame.  The vineyards sit just across the valley from their famous relative.  The wine is produced chiefly from Merlot grapes and is berry scented with some lively spice and black cherries.  Sweet and fresh with great length, this is a perfect wine for duck and chicken.  Serve with any fresh mushrooms that you can find and slowly roasted autumn vegetables such as sweet potato, courgette, squash, turnips and carrots.  Yum!
 
We are offering you a case of each wine, that’s 24 bottles of great autumn wine for €350 tax and delivery (in Belgium) included.  We know you will be happy with this delicious pair of wines and just to get those taste buds working, here is an autumn recipe to accompany them.

La Dent de Chien, Chassagne-Montrachet, Premier Cru, 2017

€219,00 VAT incl.

Today on our wine club menu, a gorgeous white Chassagne-Montrachet. Perfect if you're looking for something to splurge on during these summer days.

Founded in 1941, the family owned domain of Château de la Maltroye is now at the third generation with Jean-Pierre Cornut. The château is found near the top of the village of Chassagne and is built on the ruins of a 15th-century château, which has been restored from top to bottom by Jean-Pierre. The vineyard is in the climat of the Maltroie 1er Cru and comprises three parts: Maltroie, Maltroie Crêtes and the walled Clos de la Maltroye named after the chateau; three different appellations; all planted with both red and white grapes.

We are presenting their Dent de Chien, Premier Cru. This is a tiny climat that in 1937 narrowly missed out being classified as the great Le Montrachet because of a narrow track that separated it from its prestigious neighbour. The name comes from the fact that the shape of the stones scattered on the vineyard floor are like those of a dog’s tooth. Château de la Matroye owns half of this climat, which is still a tiny 21 ares of vineyard. Much of the vineyard is bare rock, impossible to plant with vines. In the hands of Jean-Pierre Cornut, the wine is extraordinary with a comparable depth and complexity of a Montrachet, rendered beautifully elegant by abiding acidity and a persistant lushness of fruit on the palate. 

If you have never come across this climat, you are in for a treat.  According to Jean-Pierre he feels that this is the best premier cru in Burgundy: “it is really a Montrachet, it touches Montrachet, but was revised by INAO because of a small path that separates it from its majestic neighbour.”  Maltroye’s parcel is only six ouvrées and 70% of the vines are on original rootstocks.  We have a tiny allocation of this gorgeous wine which I described in my notes as having extraordinary intensity and tasting like a Montrachet.

As per usual, we only have a small allocation available. That is why sales are limited to wine club members within Belgium, this one a first come first serve basis.

Descendientes de J. Palacios

Today in our wine club we are travelling to Bierzo and shining the light on Descendientes de J. Palacios, a joint venture between Alvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Perez Palacios.

Alvaro Palacios is not exactly a new face in the wine scene as he has revolutionised the Spanish wine industry with his rich, complex Priorat wines. Google the Palacios name and you will find a plethora of different family members and wine companies. However, Alvaro descends from the esteemed winemaking family from Bodegas Palacios Remondo, based in the small town of Alfaro in Rioja. Born in 1964 he represents the fifth generation of the Palacios wine family.

As a young apprentice, Alvaro spent his early 20s in Bordeaux where he first studied at the School of Oenology before further developing his winemaking skills at the side of Christian Moueix, the celebrated winemaker of Pomerol châteaus “Pétrus” and “Trotanoy”. He then worked at Stags’ Leap Winerey in the Napa Valley and with a London wine merchant. These travels liberated Alvaro, led him to have confidence in his quest for excellence, and showed him the magic of great wines.

Against expectations, Alvaro didn’t get involved in the Rioja family business upon his return in Spain, but he chose to pursue his own ventures in Priorat where he had the freedom to make distinctive, top-quality wines and achieved worldwide fame with “L’Ermita” and “Finca Dofi”.

His success in Priorat inspired him to search again for something new, this time putting his faith in the potential of Bierzo. This region had all the ingredients that Alvaro was looking for: incredibly steep hillside vineyards; distinctive terroirs; and, most importantly, ancient vineyards of Mencía—a local red variety with beautiful fruit expression but low acidity.

Meanwhile, Alvaro’s nephew Ricardo Perez had finished oenological studies in Bordeaux and was travelling across France—absorbing everything he could about wines. Like his uncle, he did apprenticeship in the Bordeaux vineyards and did internships at other Bordelais firms like Moueix (Pétrus, Trotanoy, etc.). He also visited Alvaro frequently and came to share a belief in Bierzo’s potential. In 1998, at age 24, Ricardo moved to Bierzo and the two decided on a joint venture “Descendientes de J Palacios”. The estate was named in honour of Alvaro's father who passed away in 2000.

Today, there are 700 hectares of vines in the Bierzo appellation and the region is regarded as one of Spain’s most exciting. 220 plots make up the Palacios vineyard, 45 hectares in total in a little village named Corullón, situated on Bierzo's western border. Corullón is an assemblage from old-vine parcels in and around the village. Its combination of generosity and precision makes a case not only for Corullón’s special status, but also the superiority of Alvaro’s and Ricardo’s winemaking.

Five remarkable wines are the result of this project, under which three extraordinary single-vineyard wines: Moncerbal, Las Lamas and La Faraona. Each is a distinctive expression of a remarkable and compelling terroir. Today we have chosen two of these unique wines.  

As per usual, we only have a small allocation available. That is why sales are limited to wine club members within Belgium, this one a first come first serve basis

La Lamas, Bierzo D.O., 2017 - €82,00 VAT incl.

Las Lamas is blessed with some of Europe’s most ancient and therefore most complicated geology. Penetrating the seams of schist, history and monastic heritage one unearths the mysterious depths of rural Spain in a wine of great dignity and charm. Las Lamas is farmed at very low yields (15 hl/hr) some at an altitude of over 700 metres. This wine is the sine qua non of Alvaro Palacio’s adventure in Bierzo.
 
La Faraona, Biezo D.O., 2017 - €765,00 VAT incl.

La Faraona (the pharaoh’s wife), Bierzo’s mythical wine. The jewel in the vineyard crown has to be La Faraona, a name that everyone locally says in sort of reverential whisper. Situated at 950 metres on average, this steep rocky, arid, southeast-facing vineyard is covered with bush vines, around 70 years old. Small pieces of shale and quartz lie on top of a bedrock of schist. At the top of the parcel, the wind whistles around the hills, rustling the remaining leaves. The wine tastes of its soil: earthy, warm, pure and expressive with lively notes of cherry and pomegranate. A Burgundy in Bierzo.

Limited to 1 bottle per client.

Domaine Louis-Benjamin Daguenea, Pouilly-Fumé, Pur Sang, 2013

We are sure that most of you will know this famous estate but allow us to introduce them. The estate, which was founded in Pouilly-Fumé in 1982, is renowned internationally for its fantastic Sauvignon wines.

Since the death of the founder Didier Dagueneau in 2008, the winery has been run by Benjamin Dagueneau. His father Didier was known in the wine world for his incredibly aware understanding of how humans operate, as well as his ability to 'listen' to the wine throughout the vinification and ageing processes.

Today, his son Louis-Benjamin is just as talented and continues to work passionately in the way his father did. Sustainable practices in the vineyards, harvests entirely carried out by hand and strict sorting methods of the grapes. In the winery, the wines are produced using yeasts selected from the estate's own vineyards, with a long élevage on the lees, supplemented by precise large-volume maturation in wooden barrels. Moreover, in January 2016, Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau was even voted "Winemaker of the Year" by La Revue du Vin de France.

In short, this wine is one every wine lover should have in their cellar. As you can imagine we only have a small allocation available. That is why sales are limited to one bottle per wine club member within Belgium, this one a first come first serve basis.

Trilogie, Pomerol, 2013-2014-2015 - 1,5l - Red

€242,00 VAT incl.

Trilogie is a classic Pomerol wine, made by Jacques Thienpont, owner of Le Pin. With its dense purple colour, its fruity and fresh nose with notes of violets, black currants and truffles, its round and silky texture with quite present but suave tannins, Trilogie is a wine to be enjoyed during the decade following its release, in order to appreciate its fruity exuberance.

*Maximum allocation of three bottles per private individual in Belgium

Collines de L'If, Saint-Émilion, 2017

Price: €32, 00 VAT incl.

In 2010 we welcomed L'If into the portfolio of Thienpont family estates, beautifully located next to Château Troplong Mondot on the Saint-Émilion plateau overlooking the village. The precision shown in both the vineyard and the winery is enabling us to make the most out of the varied and complex soils and subsequently bring out the best of his lovely estate.  Today, a second wine emerges, embodying the unique personality of the estate: Collines de L'If 2017.
 
We took our time to create it, wanting to make sure that the parcels that we used for this wine were mature enough to make a wine of character and quality. Made with the same care and expertise as its big brother, Collines de L'If conveys an accessibility, a rich spiciness and the red fruit character that  embodies Saint-Émilion wines.   

We are happy to give you, our loyal wine club members, the first chance to discover this new wine. Collines de L'If is available as of now, with an allocation of 12 bottles per client.

As we love to spoil our wine club members we are also releasing an extra allocation of L'If 2016. Complete your wine cellar with our new Collines de L'If and it's big brother. For every two bottles Collines de L'If, we give you the opportunity to buy one bottle of L'If. This with a maximum of 6 bottles per client. Cheers!

Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol, 2005
0,75l – Red           
€261,00 VAT incl.

Now that the first month of the year has gone by, we would like to treat you with a classic from our Thienpont family: Vieux Château Certan 2005.

2005 will be remembered by all Bordeaux's wine growers as a vintage of outstanding quality in a year which was exceptionally dry from winter to autumn with hot and sunny weather at the end of spring and during summer, which never developed into a heat wave. The ripening process, which began quite early, went very smoothly for all of the grape varieties. Throughout the summer and early autumn, right up to the picking, the fine, sunny days and cool nights enabled the berries to gradually build up concentration of colour, sugars, fruit and aromas. The grapes were picked unhurriedly between September 12th and 21st.

The berries were vinified over three weeks, variety by variety, taking into account the age and soils of each plot. The wines were then aged for 18 months in new oak barrels. The final blend chosen for the 2005 Vieux Château Certan was 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, with no Cabernet Sauvignon at all.

Vieux Château Certan 2005 can be compared with the 1989 vintage as well as with some other outstanding vintages. It displays a wonderful balance between aromatic freshness, acidity, concentration and tannic richness. A wine that shows great Merlot character!

Winter Sunshine

Caiarossa, Toscana IGT, 2013, 0,75l – Red           
€38,74  VAT incl.

During the rather dark and cold winter days, we thought that you might appreciate a wine full of brightness and light. With that in mind we have selected a wine from a warm, sunny region to bring you some winter sunshine with the Caiarossa, Toscana IGT, 2013.

The name of Caiarossa was coined as a homage to the soil, which is characterized by the presence of jasper, rock and pebbles intensely red in color. A creative name inspired by Gaia, mother of all the gods of Mount Olympus, goddess of fertility and of Nature, of the very Earth itself.

The estate's story began in 1998, taking as its guide the principles of organic agriculture for the cultivation of the vineyards and that of geo-dynamics and the oriental discipline of Feng Shui for the construction of the cellars.

But it was in the year 2004, when it was acquired by Eric Albada Jelgersma, that Cairossa entered the world of quality wine thanks to the decades of experience which this family had acquired with two Grands Crus Classés in Margaux, Bordeaux, Château Giscours and Château du Tertre.
Caiarossa 2013 is the purest expression of their vineyards as it shows all the complexity and the nobility of the estate. The seven varieties in the blend weave together a perfect tapestry of the estate’s terroir. A true expression of the luxury of nature.

To warm up your winter...

Churchill's, 30 Years Old Tawny, Douro, 0,5l – Red           
€61,35 VAT incl.

Today we have something to keep you warm during the cold winter days... The Churchill’s 30 Years Old Tawny Port.

Many among you know Churchill's from our Thienpont Selection ports. But besides these we do have some other outstanding ports in our selection. Churchill’s was founded in 1981 by John Graham, making it the first Port Wine Company to be established in 50 years. The Founder wanted to continue his family’s long Port tradition but at the same time create his own individual style of Port. The company has been named after his wife, Caroline Churchill.

The 30 Years Old Tawny Port is an expression of the Douro terroir combined with delicate ageing in seasoned oak casks. The result of this combination is a port full of finesse whilst still retaining Churchill’s characteristic fresh identity.

As soon as we tasted this port, we knew that Churchill’s had made something special. This old Tawny Port starts its life full of dark fruit, power and vitality with enough richness to withstand the gentle oxidation that results from ageing in oak barrels for many years.  Blended from grapes from the top vineyard parcels in the Cima Corgo area of the Douro, and partly aged in large oak vats, the port is transferred to traditional  600 litre port barrels (or pipes) for 30 years of aging.  

Johnny Graham believes that the older the port, the more important that the style should be fresh.  This lovely 30 year Old Tawny has great natural acidity, a bright amber colour, a very seductive nose of cedar, cigar, dried fruits and caramel, great elegance and balance in the taste with attractive notes of orange peel and wild flowers on the finish.  A beautiful Port, that doesn’t need decanting but once opened should keep fresh in the bottle for up to one month.

The 50cl bottles are packed individually in elegant Churchill's boxes. All sales are on request via amandine@thienpontwine.com and exclusive to wine club members. We will take note of your requests on a first-come-first-served basis. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. 

Ending 2019 in style...

Since we're approaching the end of 2019, we're pulling out all the stops with our last wine club exclusive to end the year on a high note. 

Today, we are excited to present the 1999 Château Pétrus. We assume that this Pomerol estate from the Moueix family needs no introduction but let us take a closer look at this 1999.

This wine shows beautiful intensity and finesse in a more evolved style than one normally expects from this estate. The wine has a dense, nearly opaque ruby/purple color, sweet black cherry, mulberry and truffle-infused fruit. The palate is medium-bodied,  rounded and quite sensuous at first, slightly dense but very elegant towards the finish that has very fine persistency. This Pétrus is drinking beautifully now but should last for another decade. Only 2,400 cases were produced and we have the utmost pleasure to present a couple of bottles to our wine club members.
 

Sales are exclusively reserved for private individuals in Belgium.

Complexity, elegance
& longevity

Today on our Wine Club menu: Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1989.

Since the end of the 1970s, the reputation of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has acquired the status of a «super second» and a «nearly first», because of the consistency of its quality. The unique grape varieties and the 11 hectares of vines situated on the soils of Saint-Julien endow the wines of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande with an exceptional personality within the Pauillac appellation.

In three centuries, only two families have contributed to the worldwide reputation of the château and its wines. The third family, owners of Champagne Louis Roederer, acquired the estate in January 2007. They aim to perpetuate the excellent work done by their predecessors and to attain the ultimate in quality and prestige.

The wines epitomise the remarkable balance of Pauillac, with a silky tannic structure along with an expressive and suave aromatic complexity.

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is not a wine to drink on the young side. The wine is soft enough when young, but you miss out on the sublime secondary characteristics that come with age. Chateau Pichon Lalande offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15 and 40 years of age after the vintage. This means that our 1989 is at peak right now. Silky, elegant, fresh, and yes, sensuous, the wine feels great on the palate. The tannins are polished, the fruit is ripe and offers dark berry flavors, truffle, cassis and cedar notes. 

Power meets elegance

Today we have the pleasure to present to you two original wooden cases of Château Lynch-Bages from the heavily hyped vintage 2009, a particularly ripe year in Bordeaux. Daring, innovative and with a reputation for often being the last to harvest, Jean-Charles Cazes defined the style of Lynch-Bages in the 1930's. The wine's distinctive character has earned it a place amongst Pauillac's greatest. It combines structure, finesse and elegance, offering generous aromas in its youth and developing deeper complexities with bottle age.

The estate’s reputation as a top quality wine producer took off in 1945 after a series of exceptional vintages. Since then, Lynch-Bages has continued to produce excellent wines, even during years considered difficult in the Bordeaux region. The wine’s deep colour and tannic backbone have become part of its signature style. Jean-Michel Cazes, grandson of Jean-Charles, has worked hard to develop and refine the wine’s supple and smooth structure over the years. Vintage after vintage, the estate’s precise and excellent winemaking techniques have served to firmly establish Lynch-Bages reputation for consistent quality.

1990 vs 2000

Today we have the pleasure to present to you two vintages from the marvelous Château Léoville Las Cases. As one of the oldest Medoc estates, Domaine de Léoville belonged to some of the wealthiest and most influential noble French families before it was acquired by the Delon family. The estate has now been managed by the same family since the late 19th century and is today represented by Jean-Hubert Delon, who is also owner of Château Potensac in the Medoc and Château Nénin in Pomerol.

Now on to the wines we present today: 1990 and 2000, two vintages with exceptional aging potential.

In 1990, both the budburst and the flowering were very early. The summer was very hot and dry with some rainstorms at the end of August. The perfect weather continued up until harvest-time, bringing optimum conditions for excellent ripeness in the grapes. This has as a result a wine with ruby/purple color and is accompanied by a classic, nearly restrained set of aromatics that includes notions of sweet black cherries, black currants, lead pencil, and wet stones. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, and while technically low in acidity, there is a freshness, delineation, and classicism in this full-throttle, rich, concentrated, impeccable 1990.

The 2000 vintage was especially early thanks to rather mild weather at the beginning of the growth cycle. After heavy rain in April and cool weather until mid-June, the summer was then hot and dry up until the harvest. These very good weather conditions allowed us to produce perfectly balanced grapes with extremely rich phenolic components. An authentic expression of Las Cases. A magisterial Saint Julien that is only just beginning to flex its muscles. It has a very intense and beautifully defined bouquet with mineral rich blackberry and bilberry scents, outstanding focus and harmony, and very well-integrated oak.

2010 Margaux vs. Saint-Émilion

Today we are presenting you two fantastic 2010 Bordeaux wines, one Margaux and one Saint-Émilion. The 2010 vintage is more structured, thanks to the concentration of acids and tannins and in general the wines can be stored for quite a long time. 

Château du Tertre, Margaux, 5ième Grand Cru Classé, 2010
0,75l - Red

€46,00 VAT incl.

First up is Château Du Tertre, a thousand-year-old estate in Margaux whose vineyard, stretching over 52 hectares, remains unchanged since 1855. During the 19th Century, the Chateau de Tertre wines rose to worldwide fame, especially thanks to the 1855 classification which established the Chateau as a Margaux Grand Cru Classe. 1n 1997, a Dutch businessman, Eric Albada Jelgersma bought the estate and invested in the large-scale overall restructuring, thus returning its former noble personality to the Chateau du Tertre. The wine has an intense, ruby red color. A nose of plum jam with a hint of cinnamon. Round, generous and lavish in the attack.

Château Bélair-Monange, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Classé, 2010
0,75l - Red

€158,99 VAT incl.
 
Secondly, we are presenting the Château Bélair-Monange. The estate combines the terroirs of the most privileged sites of Saint-Émilion and has long been considered one of the region’s very best crus. Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix purchased the iconic Château in 2008 and immediately undertook extensive renovations of the vineyard, winery, underground quarries, and château in order to restore the cru to its rightful historic status. The name ‘Monange,’ in addition to its literal translation, ‘my angel,’ was the maiden name of Jean-Pierre Moueix’s mother, Anne-Adèle, the first Moueix woman to call Saint-Émilion her home. The wine is deeply-coloured. Profound, focused, fresh nose driven by red fruit. On the palate, fullness and refined, polished tannins. Fairly warm across the palate with precise fruit expression. 

Domaine Georges Vernay, Coteau de Vernon, Condrieu, 2016
0,75l - White

€100,00 VAT incl.

With this wine we are in the heart of the Condrieu appellation, in its most famous vineyard.  The two and one half hectare site faces south-southeast, is completely hand tended due to the steepness of the slope and farmed organically.  It is also the oldest site in Condrieu and the vines are replanted using massale selection to preserve the integrity of these vines.  This wine jumps out of the glass with aromas of spice, honeydew melon, chalky limestone soils, wild flowers and acacia honey.  On the palate, the wine is powerful yet very composed and balanced with ripe fruit flavours of peach and apricot.  What is the most striking is the sensual, graceful texture; the wine hits the palate in a spherical form, with lovely richness and intensity.  Aged for one year in barrel and three months in bottle before release, it takes a year or two before Vernon opens up.  Now it is drinking beautiful and will develop well for 15 years.  Serve with poached foie gras, scallops, turbot, lobster and other gourmet dishes.  Limit 6 bottles per wine club member.

Château de Beaucastel, Roussanne - Vieilles Vignes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2016
0,75l - White

€136,00 VAT incl.

Considered as one of the greatest white wines of France, this 100% old vine Roussanne is one of my favourite wines of the year.  Only 6000 bottles were produced the wine comes from Château de Beaucastel’s exceptional terroir of red molasses soil covered in large rolled pebbles (galets roulés).  An intense, very mineral wine with great concentration and salinity.  On the nose the amazing nose of almond blossom, flowers, white pepper, honeysuckle and spice are immediately seductive.  On the palate there is great purity and a long reverberation.  The Perrin family tell me that you either have to drink this within the three years after the vintage or wait for a decade or so.

They are back...

After last year's overwhelming succes, we are back with the 2017 vintage of L'Hêtre and La Raison D'Hêtre, the newest estate in the Thienpont family. 
 
When Jacques Thienpont visited this estate in the Côtes de Castillon during the harvest of 2015, he was immediately struck by the great location and the stunning view, perched at the end of the limestone plateau that runs eastwards from Saint-Emilion. Realizing the esate’s potential, Jacques purchased the domain with his sister, Anne De Raeymaeker. The families hired Maxime Thienpont, their nephew who had grown up at another family estate Château Labégorce Zédé in Margaux as manager and renamed the property L’Hêtre (the name of a beech tree in French), thus continuing the arboreal theme that Jacques has used for all his estates.
 
The wines are expected to sell out quickly so we would like to give our wine club members the privilege to order both of these wines in advance of the general release. Sales are limited to a maximum of 24 bottles per wine, per client. Sales for Belgium only.

L'Hêtre, Castillon, Côtes de Bordeaux, 2017
0,75l - Red,

€25,00 VAT incl.

L'Hêtre 2017 is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and was aged for 15 months in one third new oak barrels, two thirds one vintage old barrels.  The wine comes from the parcels situated on the limestone plateau of the domain, from 20-year-old vines which are farmed organically and certified by Ecocert. It has a dark purple colour; is bright and energetic on the nose with attractive berry fruit aromas;   on the attack the wine has good rich texture with quite firm tannins and a taut, long, spicy finish.

La Raison d'Hêtre, Castillon, Côtes de Bordeaux, 2017
0,75l - Red

€15,00 VAT incl.

Raison d'Hêtre, the second wine is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc from the young vines and from the parcels of clay-limestone on the lower slopes. It has a pretty dark violet colour, has an open, expressive nose of red fruit, vanilla and a touch of caramel.  On the palate the wine is round and balanced with good, fresh plummy fruit with an attractive long and lively finish.

Two wine making legends...

Today we are following up the Trilogie 2013-2014-2015 with an outstanding duo of organic white wines from two wine making legends. We only have a few bottles left but we are happy to share them with you.

Both wines have a bit of age on them so now are showing the full expression of flavour, just perfect for the second part of the summer holidays so don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or interest.

Weingut Dreissigacker, Geyersberg, 
Rheinhessen, 2010
0,75l - White
Sales for Belgium only

This Geyersberg is a single vineyard wine coming from the village of Bechtheim. Jochen's seven hectares are grown on loess-loam soil and are facing south, ensuring excellent ripeness. This Riesling has slightly spicy aromas on the nose with hints of ripe pineapple and peach. The palate is very concentrated with mineral notes, a slightly salty touch and ripe yellow fruits.

Domaine Didier Daguenea, Silex, 
Pouilly-Fumé, 2013
0,75l - White
Sales for Belgium only
-
maximum allocation of one bottle per client

Every wine lover knows Domaine Didier Dagueneau’s famous Pouilly-Fumé’s. The domaine was established 1982 and is now run by his children since 2007. Today it is Louis-Benjamin, who takes care of the famous Silex wine. Likewise a single-vineyard expression named after the soil in the vineyard. The wine is produced only from plots situated high on the slopes of Saint Andelain, and only from vineyards that possess large amounts of silex. Vines here range from 15-50 years of age and are cropped to lower yields. This Silex reflects the flinty nature of its roots and its quality. Spicy, intense but stylish nose. Rich and full-bodied with a pure, stony minerality, and length. A very concentrated and impressive wine.

New allocations Trilogie 2013 - 2014 - 2015

Trilogie (100% Merlot) is a Pomerol wine made by Jacques Thienpont, owner of Le Pin. It is made every two or three years and is always a blend not only of different parcels of vines in Pomerol but also of different vintages.  It is this blend of several different vintages which gives an energy and attractive complexity to Trilogie; for example, a hot, dry year can be compensated by a cold, rainy year or a later harvest which shows how the fruit can have different qualities depending upon the weather conditions during the growing season. 

The wine is made in the cellar at Le Pin using the same vinification techniques (minimum intervention, gentle pumping over, short maceration, malolactic in barrel).  After aging in barrel for approximately 14-18 months, the wine is transferred to tanks to await blending with the other vats. 

Trilogie is a classic Pomerol wine.  With its dense purple colour, its fruity and fresh nose with notes of violets, black currants and truffles, its round and silky texture with quite present but suave tannins, Trilogie is a wine to be enjoyed during the decade following its release, in order to appreciate its fruity exuberance. 

Terms & conditions: Allocations limited to 24 bottles per client. Sales only for private individuals who haven't yet received the maximum allocation. Sales in Belgium only!

Drift off to Italy...

Summer is here and your thoughts are turning to the approaching holidays... For us, one of our favourite holiday destinations is Italy: tall cypress trees, country villas scattered across vineyards, great food, amazing wines... the list goes on. Leave it over to us to set the holiday mood and help you transcend to Italy from your own backyard. All you need to do is chose between one of these two extraordinary wines.

Passopisciaro, Contrada Porcaria "P", Terre Siciliane IGT, 2015
0,75l - Red

The Contrada Porcaria from Andrea Franchetti is a 90-year-old vineyard which sits at 2,100 feet above sea level with soils consisting of frail sheets of lava. As this elegant Nerello Mascalese begins to open it releases pretty aromatics of sweet red berries, floral, mediterranean herbs, and stony minerals, which slowly take shape. This powerful, single vineyard Rosso is beautifully balanced with remarkable finesse.

Andrea Franchetti is well-known as the owner of Tuscany’s Tenuta di Trinoro. He wasn’t content to just make profound wines at his Tuscan estate, so he set out to replicate that success at Passopisciaro, his property on Mount Etna. Franchetti has done wonders for the Etna denomination and has the merit of having launched Etna’s wines into to the stratosphere as his releases are nothing less than breathtaking. 

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Masseto, Toscana IGT, 2015 
0,75l - Red

Ferro

Toscana IGT, 2015

0,75cl - Red

Price: €90,00 VAT incl. - €74,38 excl. VAT

I feel as I am the “godmother” of this wine, since it was I who persuaded winemaker Alberto Torelli to do a single bottling of 100% Petit Verdot grapes.  Since the first vintage, this wine has grown in stature and richness and is now a very impressive wine that stands head and shoulders with the great wines of Tuscany.  Very dark and intense purple colour, lovely intensity of rich autumn fruit in the nose and on the palate the wine has very good depth and balance.  There are notes of black olives, black pepper, cedar and cassis in the taste.  A very beautiful wine made in small quantities with great structure and finesse.  Will âge well for at least 10 years.  Serve with roasted meats and hard cheeses.

Each bottle is numbered and sold in wooden cases.  Limited to three bottles per client, this wine is only available to Wine Club members and sommeliers.

Château de Parnay

Clos d'Entre les Murs, Saumur, 2013

0,75 cl - white

I love it when we discover a new wine and we were astonished to come across this monopole vineyard recently.  Listed as a historic monument, this unique half hectare vineyard was created by Antoine Cristal in 1886 when he bought the Château de Parnay.  Philosopher, stridently opposed to any chemicals or chaptalization in his wine, he created this Clos by building a series of 11 stone walls every two rows.  The walls were pierced with holes with the vine trunk growing on one side so that it remains fresh and protected and the canopy on the other so that it can benefit from the southern sunshine.  This system is unique in the world. 

The Chenin Blanc grapes are vinified in oak in the troglodyte cellars of the Chateau and aged for at least 24 months before bottling.  The wine is released after several years of bottle aging. When you taste this wine, you immediately see its greatness.  A rich bright yellow colour with a brilliant aspect; a rich nose which combines aromas of minerals, quince, lime, thyme, linden and cherry blossom.  There is great intensity and ripeness on the palate with generous, silky structure, pretty ripe white fruit flavours with a touch of vanilla and impressive length.  This is a fabulous wine, beautifully balanced between richness and acidity which I can imagine serving with lobster, grilled fish or fine white meats. 

Each bottle is numbered and sold in wooden cases.  Limited to three bottles per client, this wine is only available to Wine Club members and sommeliers.