Cellar Circle exclusives

Well-defined and concentrated, this is impressive Pinot Noir. Juicy, vibrant and pure red, black and blue fruit, with notes of wild strawberry and blackberry shining through. Well-integrated, fine-grained tannins lead to a long, slightly peppery finish. It will be fascinating to see how this develops over the next four to five years.

Strictly limited to 6 bottles per customer

Les Frionnes is one of Olivier’s most important and favourite vineyards. He has an impressive clutch of five parcels within Frionnes, with vines ranging in age from 10 to 80 years old. The soil here is decomposed Kimmeridgian limestone, similar to that found in Chablis and Sancerre. This is not just an academic point - you can really feel it in the wine, which brims with oyster shells on the nose, and a Chablis-esque chiselled frame on the palate.

Dark, creamy, and citrusy Jebsal slowly reveals its cool personality, captivating you with extraordinary finesse. Patience is key here: wines from gypsum-marl soil, like that of Clos Jebsal, are among the slowest to develop, so waiting before opening will be richly rewarded.

This bone-dry Pinot Gris is intensely mineral, with smoky, flinty notes. Its power is balanced by incredible freshness, giving it astonishing energy on the racy, driving finish that truly must be tasted.

Elegant and concentrated, this medium-bodied wine is still tightly wound. It offers fabulous yellow peach aromas and a refined chalkiness on the palate. The finish is dynamic, refined, and extraordinarily fresh.

Grown on clay limestone on some of the coldest soils they have for Riesling, this vineyard is surrounded by hills limiting the sunlight it receives. There’s some warmth here still, with a silky texture and some rich breadth. Savoury on the palate with ripe apple fruit and some citrus too, with very subtle petrol hints at this early stage.

This single vineyard might not be classified as a grand cru, but it is one of Olivier Humbrecht’s most cherished sites. It sits just above Clos St Hune on triassic limestone. It is a high altitude site, protected by a forest. It’s a comparatively cool site in Alsace, and its one of the domaine's later ripening sites, and produces wines with a signature verve and freshness. Subtle, taut, and elegant. It needs a year or two to unfurl. (dry)

Ripe pear and perfume on the nose, but with a zingy seam of acidity and a slight steeliness initially on the palate. There’s a more golden colour here compared to the other Pinot Gris in their portfolio, and a bit of a rich, luscious feel as it opens up in the glass.

This magnificent slope rises up behind the village of Niedermorschwihr. It’s extremely steep, and produces wines of superb power and scintillating tension from its sedimentary volcanic soils. Zind Humbrecht only released this wine for the first time in 2019. The parcel was bought in 2010 and replanted after a few fallow years, in 2013. High density planting (9000 vines/hectare) and the steepness of the slope here have pushed the young vines to produce something really quite extraordinary. This 2023 is floral and aromatic. (dry)

This vineyard’s south-east exposure enjoys the warmth of the Colmar micro-climate, and its marl-rich red limestone soils are well equipped for hot, dry weather. Its wine is powerful and smooth, with a compelling length and spicy lift. (dry)

This is the defining grand cru of the village of Turckheim. The wines from this site often have a ripe and approachable acidity, and this 2023 has fantastic tension. With soaring acidity and a bone dry finish this is statuesque and quenching. (dry)

Only 0.5 hectares of the Clos St Urbain are planted with Gewürztraminer, so only around 1,500 bottles are produced by Zind Humbrecht each year. It is a wine densely layered in aromatic fruits, dripping in honey, lychee and rose petals. This would be an excellent match with oily smoky fish like smoked salmon or mackerel (notoriously difficult foods to pair with wines - but trust me, they will work with this). This magnificent slope rises up behind the village of Niedermorschwihr. It’s extremely steep, and produces wines of superb power and scintillating tension from its sedimentary volcanic soils. Zind Humbrecht only released this wine for the first time in 2019. The parcel was bought in 2010 and replanted after a few fallow years, in 2013. High density planting (9000 vines/hectare) and the steepness of the slope here have pushed the young vines to produce something really quite extraordinary. Indeed, Olivier admits, he hadn’t been planning on releasing a wine from this site so soon, but was so astonished with the quality and character of the wines from 2019 onwards that he felt compelled to do so. (dry)

Gewürztraminer is, in the harnds of a master, an astonishing grape. It's decadent and floral, but aslo capable of remarkable ageing and fascinating development. From a grand cru site like Hengst the variety thrives. Don't hold back on food paitings - this will be excellent with cheese and desert. (dry)

Slightly reductive on the nose with a mineral, flinty feel from its volcanic soils. It’s very tightly wound now and needs some years in the bottle to open up. The mineral character follows through on the palate but there is a little softness to the texture and citrus, pear fruit already.

This is a spectacular vineyard. It’s an impossibly steep slope of compressed volcanic ash, producing wines of breathtaking minerality and complexity. It is the most southerly of the Alsace Grands Crus, and the quality of its wines has been documented as far back as the 12th century. Here you’ll find a breadth of fruit, with a distinctly smoky mineral tone. The palate has an effortlessly silky flow with the undeniable tension and power of a grand cru. (dry)

Coleraine is New Zealand's most collectible red. The 2023 Coleraine comprises 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. It's got raspberry, iodine, crushed shells, nori, pressed flowers, new lead pencil, tobacco, bramble and cassis aromas. The complexity continues on the palate, with savoury and umami, as well cocoa and subtle game notes. Persistent, bright and seemlessly integrated on the palate, with polished, fine-grained Cabernet tannins. A very class wine.

Coleraine is New Zealand's most collectible red. The 2023 Coleraine comprises 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. It's got raspberry, iodine, crushed shells, nori, pressed flowers, new lead pencil, tobacco, bramble and cassis aromas. The complexity continues on the palate, with savoury and umami, as well cocoa and subtle game notes. Persistent, bright and seemlessly integrated on the palate, with polished, fine-grained Cabernet tannins. A very class wine.

Coleraine is New Zealand's most collectible red. The 2023 Coleraine comprises 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. It's got raspberry, iodine, crushed shells, nori, pressed flowers, new lead pencil, tobacco, bramble and cassis aromas. The complexity continues on the palate, with savoury and umami, as well cocoa and subtle game notes. Persistent, bright and seemlessly integrated on the palate, with polished, fine-grained Cabernet tannins. A very class wine.

The domaine only bought this parcel in 2011, and it still feels like a newcomer on their list, even though it’s been a decade of releases already. The clay soils of the vineyard make a wonderfully rich wine that never shows any heaviness. It is crystalline with great presence.

A unmistakably classic Monte Bello showing all the signatures of this top tier estate: intensity, depth and nuance. The aromatics are vivid, violet-tinged with accents of spice. The palate has superb definition with a core of ripe, supple bramble fruit. A wine of remarkable purity and intensity, this will no doubt become a future classic.

The 2023 vintage of Flor de Pingus is a blend of 95% Tinto Fino and 5% Garnacha. With just 20% new oak which melts into the ripe dark berry fruit, there are subtle notes of cocoa dusted cherries and charcoal embers. There is real intensity to the wine with pixelated, supple tannin that frames the fruit with real finesse. The finish is long, fresh and extremely harmonious.

So expressive on the nose, it opens with aromas of dried mint, a little vanilla and leather. Subtle notes of chocolate and baking spice mingle with the ripe strawberry and red berry fruits. Excellent freshness that runs through the palate, there is a beautiful savoury character that emerges with a little earth and grilled meat. While offering so much charm, it is clearly a truly classic Rioja that will age gracefully over the coming decades.

Stéphane’s parcel of 65-year-old vines lies right in the heart of the old Clos, the original part of the appellation. With such an amazing terroir, Stéphane comments that ‘70% of the job is done’! It shows delicate salinity and fragrant fruit depth. Understated but hugely impressive.

This parcel, right in the centre of the village, has been owned by the Lafarge family since 2005. It has an ideal mid-slope position, and produces a floral wine with great tension and an intense fruit core: quintessential Volnay. A more ethereal feel this year with fine texture and a lift of wild strawberry and cherry blossom.