French Wines

Burgundy

Chablis
Domaine Barat

Domaine Barat has been producing Chablis for six generations and has four excellent premier cru sites. The wines are made with an emphasis on freshness and are bottled in May to preserve this. Their style is clean and mineral. One of the characteristics that most impressed us on tasting was the definition of the Chardonnay coming out; fruit quality is essential in the northern part of Burgundy and with these wines it shines through.

	White	Vintage	RRP
	Chablis	2007	€19.25
	Chablis 1er Cru Côte-de-Léchet	2008	€23.50
	Chablis 1er Cru Les Fourneaux	2007	€24.95
	Chablis 1er Cru Monts de Milieu	2008	€25.95
	Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons	2004	€29.95

Mâcon
Domaine Saint-Denis

This domaine epitomises our approach to wine! Hubert Laferrere, owner and winemaker, is the only person in the Macon-Lugny appellation to make and bottle his own wine – all the other producers sell their grapes to the village co-operative, which then makes and bottles the wine formulaically. 

He loves viticulture and has a thoroughly ecological approach. For example, to check the condition of his vineyards, he will randomly pick a hundred or two vine leaves, spreads them out on his kitchen table and then takes a close look through a magnifying glass: “If the green bugs are eating the red bugs then everything is in harmony!” 

His white wines have very good concentration and a streak of minerality, this latter more pronounced in the Lugny, which also has a fresher finish. The Chardonnay, named after the eponymous village, has a fuller, more rounded fruit quality. His reds are elegant and finessed and make for very easy drinking.

	White	Vintage	RRP
	Mâcon-Lugny	2007	€19.75
	Mâcon-Chardonnay, Le Chardonnay de Chardonnay	2007	€19.75
	Passerillé de Novembre 37.5 cl	1998/2002	€27.95
	Red	Vintage	RRP
	Bourgogne Rouge “Le Clos”	2007	€18.65

Rully, Mercurey, Nuits Saint Georges

 

During yet another visit to Burgundy in the spring of 2008, Michael was recommended this Domaine by a Sommelier whilst dining in a restaurant. The wine tasted was a 2004 1er Cru red and was way above his expectation of what this appellation was producing. A conversation with Alex Moreau further enhanced this producer’s credentials and it wasn’t long before samples were on their way only to re-confirm Michael’s impression but this time with the sensational whites they are producing.

Really! Very classy wines here, with great purity, fruit concentration and balance.

	White	Vintage	RRP
	Rully	2008	€23.50
	Rully 1er Cru Le Meix Cadot	2008	€26.95
	Rully 1er Cru Margotes	2008	€28.25
	Red	Vintage	RRP
	Rully	2008	€23.95
	Rully "Maizeres	2008	€26.95
	Mercurey	2008	€23.50
	Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Montaigus	2007	€28.50
	Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos des Arillieres	2007	€42.95

Côte de Nuits
Domaine Arlaud, Morey-Saint-Denis

This father and son team produces some really wonderful wines. At entry level, the “Roncevie” shows surprisingly good structure and class; this sets the tone for the whole range. The Arlauds green harvest throughout the vineyards to ensure a low yield of the best quality and following the ripe harvest the grapes are de-stemmed but not crushed before fermentation. Local yeasts are used to start the process; this is important as they help to define the vineyard character.

The wines are racked in open air, to let them breath and to reduce deposits. They are then left to mature for between thirteen and sixteen months before bottling. Of these wines, the Gevrey-Chambertin is the most powerful and hearty, the Chambolle-Musigny the most fine and the Morey-Saint-Denis combines both styles.

The Gevrey-Chambertin 2002 along with several other wines from Domaine Arlaud, were awarded 19 out of 20 by the Guide Fleurus 2006, voted by Sommeliers in France.

Some wine from previous vintages may still be available. Magnums are available on request.
Wines from the upcoming vintage 2004 will be offered on a pre-release basis before arrival, if you are interested pleasecontact us for further information.

	Red	Vintage	RRP
	Roncevie, Bourgogne	2007	€21.50
	Gevrey-Chambertin	2005	€38.95
	Morey-Saint-Denis	2005	€38.95
	Morey-Saint-Denis	2006	€36.50
	Chambolle-Musigny	2005	€38.95
	Chambolle-Musigny	2006	€36.50
	Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Combottes	2004	€49.95
	Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Combottes	2005	€52.95
	Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Combottes	2006	€51.50
	Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Chezeaux	2002	€51.50
	Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Chezeaux	2005	€49.95
	Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Ruchots	2002	€51.50
	Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Millandes	2001	€52.95
	Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Millandes	2005	€49.95
	Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers	2004	€49.95
	Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers	2005	€52.95
	Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers	2006	€51.50
	Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru	2005	€69.95
	Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru	2006	€70.95
	Clos de la Roche Grand Cru	2004	€70.50
	Clos de la Roche Grand Cru	2005	€76.50
	Clos de la Roche Grand Cru	2006	€75.50
	Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru	2004	€95.00
	Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru	2005	€112.50
	Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru Grand Cru	2006	€115.50

Côte de Beaune
Domaine François Charles et Fils

Burgundy can be a hard wine to master, you read about the region, taste the wines and wonder why you’re not quite getting it. What you will have read about Volnay says it should be highly perfumed, silky, rounded and elegant. Just taste the Clos de la Cave 2003 and you will sigh in happy agreement. These are delicious wines with impeccable balance and breed, true to their origins except for the price.

	Red	Vintage	RRP
	Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune	2008	€15.50
	Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune La Combottes	2006	€19.95
	Volnay “Clos de la Cave”	2007	€26.95
	Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiet	2007	€33.95
	Beaune 1er Cru Les Epenottes	2005	€29.95
	Pommard	2005	€29.95

 

Chassagne-Montrachet
Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils

We were introduced to the Moreau family by Domaine Arlaud, a propitious moment! We tasted the wines in the shop one evening and were completely bowled over, as were the all the customers who had the good fortune to come in that night. We telephoned next day and managed to get a small allocation of these wonderful wines. They are of the very highest quality and breeding and explain why great white Burgundy causes such devotion and excitement.

	White	Vintage	RRP
	Saint-Aubin 1er Cru 'sur Gamay	2008	€31.95
	Saint-Aubin 1er Cru 'en Remilly'	2009	€32.95
	Chassagne-Montrachet	2008	€33.95
	Meursault 'Les Vireuils'	2008	€33.95
	Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Gain	2004	€46.95
	Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes	2004	€46.95
	Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie	2004	€46.95
	Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les  Vergers	2007	€51.95
	Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot	2006	€52.95
	Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Grandes Ruchottes	2004	€61.95
	Red	Vintage	RRP
	Bourgogne	2007	€17.75
	Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes	2005/7	€25.95
	Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot La Cardeuse (monopole)	2005	€42.95

Beaujolais

Jean Claude Lapalu

It has been said of Jean Claude Lapalu that he didn’t have the courage to tell his humble Gamay vines that they weren’t Grand Cru Burgundy, and so decided to treat them as if they were. It is also true to say that in the past we had found it very hard to raise even a whisper of enthusiasm for the Beaujolais region, but with the discovery of the wines of Jean Claude Lapalu we’ve been eating humble pie in large quantities on a regular basis. What changed our minds? Well, very old vines planted in very high density, up to 13000 per hectare, various methods of vinification, not just the carbonic maceration, and a knowledge coupled with the desire to produce the very best gives you wines of a purity rarely found anywhere. They are unbelievably beautiful, wonderful wines.

Beaujolais Producer of the year by Le Guide Fleurus 2006 voted by Sommeliers in France.

	Red	Vintage	RRP
	Beaujolais Villages Tentation (unsulphured)		due in
	Beaujolais Villages 'Vieilles Vignes'		due in
	Beaujolais Villages 'Le Rand du Merle'	2004/5	€32.75
	Brouilly 'Vieilles Vignes'	2007	€20.95
	Brouilly 'La Croix des Rameaux'	2005	€27.25
	Brouilly 'Cuvée des Fous'	2005	€29.95
	Cotes de Brouilly	2007	€23.25