Wines for the Garden

The 2019 has a wonderful nose showing sun-ripened peaches and apricots, these delicious stone fruits give way to cool, refreshing acidity and juicy wild strawberries on the palate, transporting you immediately to a sunlit afternoon in the south of France.

This blend of Colombard and Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best value whites we've come across recently. It is fresh, grassy, clean, lightly aromatic, and highly refreshing.

Always an impressive wine in the Lafite stable, this has notes of bramble and plums, with hints of burnt earth and a touch of tapenade. The palate is long, with enjoyably grippy tannins. Another outstanding 2016.

Grown on schist and galet roulé soils between the Lac de Grandlieu and the Atlantic Ocean, where the thin topsoil produces a very fine example. In 2019 it has great body, with the concentration that comes from low yields. The perfectly ripened skins at harvest time add just a touch of tropical fruit to the creamy texture of this wine.

A rare “northern” Côtes du Rhône, Alain makes this cuvée with young vines from Cornas and other parcels from just outside the region. Nice nose, creamed dark cherries and also a hint of dark pepper. Very nice finesse and good silky acidity. Impressive density and fine mineral. Rather delicious, and quite serious.

With more concentration than the classic cuvée, a fuller nose and a palate that is dense but not overripe, this is impressive and beautifully textured. The finish has a slight saline note adding complexity, and is very long.

Very old Gamay vines produce this exceptional cuvée, which ages as well as most 1er Cru Pinot based wines. Wild strawberry, rose and a hint of blood orange notes abounding, this is dense and rich: a smart buy which would fool most in a blind taste.

The 2017 Petite Lune is everything we want from everyday claret, and more. Notes of blueberries and fresh plums on the nose, with loads of finesse to the tannins and a very long and savoury finish. This is far more complex, concentrated, and pure than the price would suggest. Go long: it won’t disappoint.

Michel Chapoutier is a towering talent in the Northern Rhône, producing some of France’s greatest wines. Quick to recognise the potential in this southern corner, his investment and dedication here make for a Roussillon red of excellent value. With notes of garrigue and fresh berries on the nose, a hint of tapenade, and focussed grippy tannins, this is a charming wine from Chapoutier.

This is made from a high quality Beaujolais village parcel, but after the wine was rejected in 2012 for being ‘too pale’, Jean-Claude decided to change its classification to the much freer Vin de France, valuing the innate character of the wine over the AOC’s regulations. It remains one of the most interesting in his range. The palate is so light on its feet, with a lifted red berry energy. 100% whole bunch Gamay gives it a cool, bright structure with lacy tannins. No sulphur dioxide is added at all here. Equally well suited as a chilled aperitif red or a superb lighter style to finish an evening off: this is natural winemaking at its finest, least-faddy best.