Cellar Circle exclusives

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.

Clos de la Chatenière is a steep south-facing parcel enclosed by a wall, with 65-year-old vines. There are warmer red soils here, on the Puligny side of the village, and the wine is rich and exuberant. A high level of millerandages amongst the old vines produces an added concentration, and the wine displays a salty, complex character, with a serious and persuasive length.

Eva Fricke is a superstar of the Rheingau, with her 13 hectare estate, that she only started in 2006. Not from winemaking stock - both her parents are doctors - she only discovered an interest in wine, and more specifically farming, when she did an internship at Buitenverwachting in South Africa at the age of 18. She’s worked at numerous top estates, from Château Cissac to Schloss Johannisberg, from Pingus to Castello di Verduno, before settling down as operations manager at Leitz from 2004 to 2011. Since then she’s been fully committed to her own project. She works with parcels of older vineyards across the region, and her 2019s have received incredible critical acclaim. From the vineyards around the village of Kiedrich, this is an elegant, finessed, beautifully balanced Riesling: the perfect way to discover her wines.

100% Chardonnay. Rodolphe Péters has been making the wines here since 2007, taking over from his father. He is the fourth generation of his family to do so, and the Péters name is one of the most respected in the world of grower Champagnes. They started bottling their own wines as early as 1990, and have built up a loyal following over the past three decades. The domaine is now 20 hectares, and whilst many growers have pursued single vineyard and single variety expressions, Rodolphe favours blends. His N/V La Grande Réserve is a step up on the Cuvée Réserve, and drawn from four of his top vineyards in the Côte des Blancs (Le Mesnil, Avize, Cramant, Oger) with 20% reserve wine. It is aged for 36 months before disgorgement.

Casimir is a blend of fruit from the younger vines of the domaine grown across a few parcels. Like the Chaillot it is made with 100% whole bunch fruit, and aged in old oak barrels, using minimal sulphur dioxide additions. There is plenty to get excited about here, particularly if you like the wilder side of Cornas, as this cuvée plays with volatility in a beautiful way.

This is the pinnacle of the Balthazar cellar - a Cornas that defines Franck’s style for making complex and ethereal Cornas from old vine fruit. The 2021 shows impressive tension, with a superbly long, silky finish. This is Cornas at its very best.

Santenay is one of the southern-most villages of the Côte d’Or. This sunny spot on a steep limestone slope is always picked early, and is unusually part-vinified in a glass wine globe. It has a pretty and delicate nose of white blossom and citrus peel, followed by wonderful tension and crystalline purity on the palate.

Easily one of Burgundy’s most talked-about and fascinating wines, yet also one of its rarest, produced only in tiny quantities. It comes from a parcel high up in the hill, protected by a fringe of forest above, where Olivier has planted the vines at a density of 30,000 vines per hectare. That’s three times the density of your average Burgundy vineyard. The concentration this gives to the wines is hard to capture in words.

This Languedoc domaine is not only one of the finest in the south of France, it is also one of the most sought after in the fine wine market. Extraordinarily long-lived wines have earned this domaine cult status and life-long fans around the world, and its wines are often spotted on Michelin-starred restaurant lists. The white is a blend of Chardonnay, Marsanne and Roussanne. Laurent Vaillé trained with Chave, Coche Dury and Trévallon before establishing his domaine in the 1980s. He sadly passed away in 2021.

Les Suchots is one of Vosne’s most substantial premiers crus, famous for producing particularly long-lived wines. This shows brilliantly crystalline Pinot fruit - so pure, red fruited and ethereal. It’s an uncommon find in 2020 which can often feel darker than that. Bravo to Nicole for capturing this in an outstandingly elegant wine.

Nicole has three parcels within this grand cru, one in the northwest corner (where everyone wants to be) tucked up next to Musigny. The three add complexity and layers to the finished wine. This is a highly complete and poised wine in 2020. Spiced, fruit-packed, with density and length, and satin-like tannins.

One of South Africa's most legendary wines. This has so much intensity and power, but remains refined and wonderfully balanced. Notes of mulberry and ripe plum, and also graphite and leather. This is so long, stony, and refined. It will make old bones.

Mineral and intense. Lovely drive and fine acidity. Primary, slightly tropical fruit on the nose, with nice energy. There’s a nice dichotomy between fruit and freshness here.

A fresh, bright, and textured Aligoté from the Hautes-Côtes with a salty bite to the finish. Waxy lemon and pear aromas on the nose. This is the only white in the Cathiard range, and is always eagerly snapped up.