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WHITE WINES

Picpoul De Pinet Domaine Delsol, Languedoc 2022 £11.95

A delicious, single estate example of this fashionable Languedoc white. It combines the lovely ripe fruit of the South with a fresh acidity normally associated with more northerly wines and is great with food or drunk on its own.

Muscadet Vieilles Vignes, 'Fief Du Retail', Gobin Freres, Loire Valley 2020 £13.50

Christophe and Cedric Gobin's Vieilles Vignes is from 40-100 year old vines on an outcrop of 'gabbro', a basalt-like rock, known for giving richness.  Ageing on the lees for a few months adds texture and slightly smoky, savoury notes to compliment the green-apple fruits. Bone-dry, it works brilliantly with fish and salads, a wonderful all-rounder.

Txomin Etxaniz, D.O. Getariako Txakolina 2021 £14.95

Classic Basque country white for pairing with seafood.  Pale lemon with light green hues. Slightly sparkling with refreshing acidity. Aromas of fresh citrus fruits and white blossom, flavours of crisp green apple, pear and zingy lemon on the palate.

L'Oratoire Blanc, Domaine Saint Andrieu, Coteaux Varois en Provence 2020 £14.50

Lovely classic Rolle nose; herbal, some citrus, then that slightly oily texture and bitter almond character on the palate. Saline, with a lovely citrus resonance on the finish. Good length. The French have just decreed that the traditional, local dialect name Rolle should always be used instead of Vermentino (as it is widely in Sardinia, Corsica, Piedmont and elsewhere in France). Wonderful paired with seafood, salads and as a summer aperitif. RKL

Macon-Villages, Domaine Sève 2020 £16.50

An immediate impression of fruit purity suggests excellent quality straight out of the glass; white flowers and apple scents.  Very appealing pink fir apple and peach on the palate, with some citrus and plenty of balancing acidity, beautifully delineated on the palate.  RKL

Albarino, Terras Gauda, San Campio, Rias Baixas, Galicia,Spain 2021 £16.95

The new vintage, just arrived for summer, this is very intense with wonderful fruit concentration, showing grapefruit-citrus on the nose and palate and a saline character which would make it perfect with Aldeburgh crab and other seafoods.

Bourgogne Blanc 'Clos Carbonade' Domaine Borgeot 2020 £18.50 

Clos de la Carbonnade is from single vineyard in Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise.  Old vines and the terroir of Bouzeron lend this wine a seriousness and freshness that takes it way above its appellation of Bourgogne Blanc.  The vines are at the highest point of Bouzeron, at 300m, on clay soils.  A nose of white flowers with aromas of pear and juniper berries. The freshness brings balance. Taut, it combines both fruit and mineral finesse and concentration. 

Pinot Blanc 'Auxerrois' Albert Mann, Alsace, France 2021 £18.50

A blend of Pinot Blanc with the distinctive Alsace variety Auxerrois. The nose is exceptionally fresh, with notes of acacia, pear and some minerality.  The weight on the palate suggests an unoaked chardonnay-style white, but this has a character all of its own.  One our favourites on the list!

Bourgogne Chardonnay 'St Martin', Domaine Bachey Legros 2020 £24.00

From one of our favourite domaines, this is a humble Bourgogne Blanc but it has surprising density and a rich, glycerin texture on the palate, excellent value.

Bouzeron 'Les Bouchines' Aligoté Château de Chamilly 2020 £19.50

Bright citrus fruit, lemon…yellow apples, green pea shoots.  Full, ripe citrus and apple on the palate, excellent acidity, slight glycerin texture lending body and mouthfeel, with a twist of sour-lemon and even some orange on the finish.  Possibly a more successful match for fish and shellfish even than Chamilly’s Montagny’s!  12.5% abv.  RKL

Dönnhoff Riesling QBA Trocken (Dry), Nahe, Germany 2019 £19.50

Helmut Dönnhoff is one of Germany's most famous and respected winemakers.  His 20 hectare estate in the Nahe produces some of the world's finest examples of riesling.  From the volcanic soils of the Felsenburg vineyard.  11.5% abv.

Montagny 'Les Reculerons', Château de Chamilly 2020 £22.50

Beautifully floral and delicate, with clear gun-flint aromas and some peach fruit opening out after a few moments in glass…then the smoky (reductive) notes reassert themselves on the finish, in tandem with the fruit…very harmonious at the end.  Really refined for this level.  13% abv.  RKL

Soave 'La Rocca', Pieropan 2020 £30.00

"Very ripe Soave here with aromas of dried pineapple, honeycomb, pecan pie, light toffee and a wealth of fresh and dried flowers flitting around the edges. Medium-to full-bodied with a lovely, long palate of fruit syrup and caramel. Seamless, tasty and long. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.  94 points."  Jamessuckling.com (JS),  Jul 2021

Pouilly-Fumé Château de Tracy, Loire, 2022 £29.50

Classic Pouilly-Fumé from a château owned by the same family since 1396!  Consistently a benchmark wine of the region with excellent acidity in this vintage.   

Rully Blanc 'Agneux' 1er Cru, Château de Monthelie, Domaine Eric de Suremain 2019 £29.50 SOLD OUT
The premier cru 'Agneux' is located at the top of the slopes in Rully and is just 0.39ha in size.  This climat is owned exclusively by de Suremain.   Fresh lemon and citrus notes on the nose, confirmed on the palate, with orchard and stone fruits on the palate.   Great richness here, not from oak or batonnage, but more a ripeness to the fruit and a texture on the palate.  The aromas and flavours are very pure but also layered and subtle, probably as a result of the use of wild yeasts.  Impressive breadth and length on the palate, with the pithy-citrus notes reverberating for quite some time.  RKL  

Pouilly-Fuissé, Domaine J.A. Ferret 2021 £36.00

From one of the most respected estates in the region, founded in the 19th century, but owned since 2007 by Jadot.  Ripe and concentrated, white orchard fruit and citrus zest on the nose and rich, glycerin-texture which coats the palate.  RKL

Santenay Blanc ' Les Gravières' 1er Cru Domaine Michelot 2019 £42.50

One of the most respected domaines in Meursault, Michelot make beautifully saline and mineral white wines in a modern, terroir-driven style. This delicious premier cru Santenay is equal to many Meursaults from other domaines.

Meursault 'Clos St Felix', Domaine Michelot 2020 £60.00

"A touch of lemon in the colour while the bouquet is a mite sterner than the blended Meursault. This has good mid palate weight, riper citrus notes, slight bitterness behind, the terroir talking, clay and gravels, drains well. Very interesting. Tasted: 10/1/2021. 90-92 points" Jasper Morris, insideburgundy.com

Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Borgeot, 2021 £ 60.00
"Well-integrated matchstick reduction with vivid green-apple fruit and a smoky, toasty finish.  Stylish and generous with a long, pithy persistence. Should age well. Drink 2020 – 2030."  jancisrobinson.com (RH)

Puligny-Montrachet 'Les Enseignères', Domaine Jean Pascal 2020 £ 60.00
‘Les Enseignères is a single-vineyard, a lieu-dit but not a premier cru. Pithy, ‘cisele’ and with abundant orchard fruit, red apple and peach, very much in JP style, with the focused, precise style we associate with wines from this domaine. Excellent continuation on palate. As ever with 18s, not a hint of anything overipe or hot. V good.