The Full Autumn Edit

The 2019 Prairie comes from a distinct vineyard on the Marsau estate, and has been made with no oak ageing and as little sulphur as possible. The resulting wine is as pure and focussed a merlot as we’ve come across. Notes of fresh victoria plum, blood orange, and wild flowers, with silky tannins, and a long, mineral, savoury finish. It’s a stunning wine: one you simply want to try over and over again. Bravo Anne-Laurence.

A Lay & Wheeler favourite for years, what's not to love about this St-Emilion, part of the Durantou family of wines. Silky and fine, with loads of savoury tannins, and long and pure finish. Buy this in bottles, and magnums, and make sure you've always got both to hand over the years to come.

This tantalising wine has been made especially for Lay & Wheeler from the deep sand and Löess soils from the Sandgrube vineyard. The nose displays wonderful aromas of citrus, crushed shells and white pepper. The acidity is crisp and refreshing, with an attractive saline palate. Such a great example of the indigenous grape, Grüner Veltliner, produced by a grower that is greatly admired in the region.

This brilliant-value Bourgogne Blanc comes from limestone parcels scattered around the Puligny side of Meursault. This wine always delivers: in 2023 it’s brimming with fresh pear on the nose. On the palate, it’s so textured and long, and particularly persistent for a Bourgogne. It sees 25% new oak, which is relatively high for a Bourgogne, adding savoury definition - you get a lot of bang for your buck here. It is a great introduction to the Côte d’Or.

The 2019 Prairie comes from a distinct vineyard on the Marsau estate, and has been made with no oak ageing and as little sulphur as possible. The resulting wine is as pure and focussed a merlot as we’ve come across. Notes of fresh victoria plum, blood orange, and wild flowers, with silky tannins, and a long, mineral, savoury finish. It’s a stunning wine: one you simply want to try over and over again. Bravo Anne-Laurence.

Bruno Clair has an impressive 10 hectares in his home village of Marsannay. He bottles five separate cuvées, including this wonderful iteration from a single parcel at the southern end of the commune, on the slope that rises up behind the village. Its name (meaning “fat heads”) refers not to anybody involved in its cultivation, but rather the large rocks that show through the surface of the clay soil. It is typically the most structured and powerful of the Clair Marsannays, and in 2021 it is muscular and tightly coiled, reminiscent of Gevrey-Chambertin. It has fantastic fruit concentration, and with the structure and freshness to age wonderfully. This is quintessential Marsannay, and quintessential Clair.

Often regarded as a "Baby Brunello" because it is sourced entirely from two outstanding, Brunello-classified parcels, the 2024 Gianni Brunelli Rosso di Montalcino is a wine of exceptional clarity and varietal authority. Sourced from Podernovone and Le Chiuse di Sotto, it pours a bright, transparent ruby red and opens with highly floral aromas of violets, rose petals, and fresh cherries with a hint of savory leather. The medium-bodied palate is wonderfully supple and vibrant, balancing crunchy redcurrant and wild strawberry flavours with ripe and polished tannins.

A zesty, vibrant white with notes of white grapefruit, pear, and crushed rocks. There is a salinity and brightness here with a little herbal nettle twist. Refreshing and enjoyable with a touch of complexity and texture from the proportion of Sauvingon Gris.

This comes from various parcels of younger vines, aged around 20 years old. The name is a tongue-in-cheek nod to a dispute many years back with a neighbouring vigneron. In Savennières, the vignerons have a wicked sense of humour as well as great pride in their appellation. The grapes are picked at the beginning of harvest, and there is a pithy, salty tang to the dry, hugely textural palate. It's the lightest weight of the Closel wines, vinified 100% in stainless steel. This is fresh, with great tension and verve and an impressively long and evolving finish to it.

This is juicy, lightly peppery, bright and elegantly smooth Cabernet Franc which is wonderful in its youth. The fruit comes from the bottom part of the slope, hence 'Pied' - foot. This is in contrast to the mid-slope fruit goes into the age-worthy, denser 'Mi-Pente' cuvée. Some vines at the bottom are as old as 80 years, so although the wine is juicy, upfront, and invitingly drinkable, the finish is sustained and persistent with old vine intensity taking this above a simple easy-drinking wine. It’s got a wonderful sour cherry note, with lightly smoky notes.

The 2020 Labégorce is a beautiful Margaux, that's undoubtedly Cru Classé quality, but that's available at a much lower price. Notes of lavender and woodsmoke on the nose, and a structured yet elegant palate, that shows the best of this commune. A must-buy in 2020.

Tasted April 2022. Full of fresh, crunchy blackberry, cranberry and blueberry fruit with medium body and fresh raspberry acidity. This vintage from Château Robin is balanced and approachable, with savoury tannins and a lovely salinity on the finish making it even more appetising.

This delicious white comes from a plot of limestone soil high up on the hill. It’s floral, mineral and zippy, with fantastic energy. This delivers the quality and complexity of a village wine for the price not far off others’ Bourgogne Blancs.

Coming from three different communes in which the estate owns vineyards, this is 100% destemmed and vinified in stainless steel. This has such clarity of bright cherry fruit, violets and a little black pepper which flow seamlessly across the palate. Delicious, bright and crunchy, this is a great value Crozes from Rousset.

Made from 60 year old vines grown in the sandy soils of Lirac across the river from the domaine, this Lirac is full of vibrant, bright fruit with nice savoury chewy tannins. The ripe cherry fruit keeps it fresh and approachable with a lovely minerally finish adding to the gourmand feel of this wine. Excellent value.

From a vineyard that could be used to produce Barolo, this is a tensile, juicy, strawberry tinged Langhe Nebbiolo. Never overworked, and brilliantly balanced, it’s a delicious expression of this style of wine.

A superbly elegant and intense Chianti Classico Riserva from this much-lauded vintage, the wine opens with beautiful aromatics of violets, wild herbs and hedgerow fruit. There is a sleekness and elegance through the palate with a core of wild cherry, a little white pepper and a sense of salinity behind the fruit. The tannins finely frame the fruit with a lovely tension and the finish builds through the palate with accents of raspberry and liquorice.

The Red blend is a blend of 68% Syrah, 27% Carignan, and 5% Mourvedre. The Syrah and Mourvèdre were fermented as whole bunches, carrying elevated aromatics and firm structure. Carignan was destemmed to preserve purity of fruit and balance. A fifth of the blend was matured in new oak, another fifth in concrete and the remainder in seasoned oak barrels. The Syrah leads on the nose here, with notes of wild herbs, juniper, and violets. The palate has a silky mouthfeel, with ripe plum and hedgerow fruit flavours with a subtle accent of tapenade and sandalwood on the finish.

The Bignon parcel has red clay soil, not dissimilar to that found in pockets of Pommard. It usually produces an easy-going, fruit-forward wine, but I’m struck by the excellent structure found in this 2022. It still has the signature smooth fruit, but with fine, lightly grippy tannins from well-handled 60% whole-bunch fruit.

The Fèvre Chablis comes from 40 parcels scattered across four hectares, from vines with an average age of 50 years. Much of these are grown around Chichée, near Vosgros, and give the quality you might expect in a Premier Cru. The result is a village Chablis of brilliant precision and nice freshness with a long voluminous finish.

From vineyards adjoining the legendary Sanford & Benedict vineyard, this cool climate Chardonnay has elegant aromas of grilled peach, lemon and toasted hazelnuts. The palate of bright fruit and honeycomb is beautifully framed by crisp acidity and has a rich texture that carries through to the long, clean finish.

Sourced from the younger vines of the Sommerberg Grand Cru and its environs, the 2024 Riesling Réserve is a triumph of precision timing. Despite a demanding growing season, Jean Boxler has delivered a wine defined by racy acidity and a high-toned aromatic profile of tangy grapefruit and lemon. The palate is lean and electric, offering a surge of citric energy underpinned by a firm granitic mineral core. Bone-dry and beautifully slender.

A Champagne of great finesse and elegance from the Chardonnay and a lovely rich character and structure from the Pinot Noir. The 2016 is a wonderfully fresh and expressive vintage.

An elegant and beautifully balanced expression, rich in voluptuous dark fruit aromas, with a firm and rounded texture and an alluring cherry and blackberry finish.