Sweet Wines, Rosé and Bubbles

As the name suggests, this cuvée has no dosage, and so has not a drop of residual sugar. As a result, the wine expresses abundant freshness and minerality, supported by bright citrus and green fruit. The 2017 has a bright refreshing acidity and subtle richness, thanks to its oak ageing.

Stéphane Riffault, one of Sancerre's most talented winemakers with demand to match, makes rosé in only tiny amounts. We are thrilled to have a small parcel of the delicious 2022. Sancerre rosé is made from 100% Pinot Noir and this iteration is vinous and long, with a mineral backbone, as if chiselled from Sancerre's limestone soils, and a juiciness from the sunny conditions of the year. Unlike Stéphane's whites which demand a little ageing, this is ready to drink already, though do not underestimate its ability to age.

It’s the acidity that makes this a very special wine, with amazing freshness alongside a silky, precise finish. There’s loads of tension, and notes of oyster shell and ripe pears. Brilliantly complex and balanced.

The nose on this perfectly aged sparkling jumps from the glass, with notes of hay, honey and spearmint. There's beautiful lift to the palate - with just a hint of fizz. A wonderful expression of aged Chenin, this is a wine you'll want to discover.

The Clos du Bourg has produced Huet’s broadest and most powerful Moelleux, which will age superbly. Verve and freshness from the acidity keep this wine lively on the palate in spite of the sweetness.

Huet is regarded as the greatest of the Vouvray estates and produces wines that are virtually indestructible. In great vintages, a life expectancy of 30, 40 years or more is spoken of with confidence, and there is no disputing that 2005 was a fabulous year for Vouvray! As yet the bouquet and palate of this sweet cuvée from the Le Mont vineyard is quite closed, one has to delve deep into the glass for perfumes and flavours. Two days after we first opened the wine, the class and potential was clear to see, a sure indication of quality and staying power. Subtle sweetness is freshened by ripe acidity and the flavours display a wealth of glorious, ripe, pure tropical fruits which build to a fabulous crescendo. The beauty of a wine such as this is that it will be exquisite throughout its long life and develop added nuances as the ageing process takes its course.

For complexity, depth of flavour, and interest, it’s hard to beat this ancestral method sparkling wine from Vincent Carême. So vinous and lively, it’s delicious in youth, and fascinating with some age. It’s made by transferring the still sweet and fermenting grape juice into bottle, and then trapping the subsequent carbon dioxide as it continues to ferment to dryness in the bottle. No dosage is added, though the spent yeast cells are expelled, leaving a brilliant, crystalline sparkling wine behind. It has such a wonderful depth and complexity on the nose, with a vinous structure on the palate, and a salty zing. The creamy mousse wraps around crunchy apple fruit. Experience from tasting back vintages of this cuvée shows me this wine ages brilliantly, and will develop complex depth, and savoury precision with a few years in bottle.

This sparkling wine is made by transferring the still sweet and fermenting grape juice into bottle, and then trapping the subsequent carbon dioxide as it continues to ferment to dryness in the bottle. No dosage is added, though the spent yeast cells are expelled, leaving a brilliant, crystalline sparkling wine behind. It has such a wonderful depth and complexity on the nose, with a vinous structure on the palate, and a salty zing. The creamy mousse wraps around crunchy apple fruit. Experience from tasting back vintages of this cuvée shows me this wine ages brilliantly, and will develop complex depth, and savoury precision with a few years in bottle. It’s one of the most exciting wines on the list this year.

This Cabernet Franc rosé is such a pretty delicate pink. It comes from the domaine’s young vines, which yield a fruity and open wine. The 2021 is the best vintage we’ve tried so far, with a delicious citrus fruit energy accompanying the sweet red berry fruits on the nose. A simple summer delight.

This has got to be one of the best value sweet wines on the market. It is bottled in 50cl exclusively for Lay & Wheeler - the perfect size, we feel. It's made from 100% Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley, and its balance of sweetness and freshness absolutely hits the spot. It is a beautiful pale golden colour, with aromas of Seville orange marmalade and acacia honey. The palate is fresh and vibrant giving it a refreshing, long finish. There is so much going on here.

This sparkling Chenin Blanc has fast become one of our go-to fizzes. It has zero chaptalisation, zero liqueur de tirage, and zero dosage, so is as dry as they come. This 'méthode ancestral' is the same as that used to make Pet-Nats (pétillant naturel) where the fermentation is finished in bottle. But unlike a Pet Nat, this sees the lees disgorged at the end, meaning the finished wine is crystal clear. The crisp orchard fruit aromas combined with a complex biscuity character on the nose are followed by taut precision and depth of flavour on the palate. The texture of the bubbles is spot on: creamy and persistent. It's one of the most interesting, delicious, and best value sparkling wines you'll find.

This Sancerre Rosé is made in the village of Bué by brothers Clément and Florent Pinard, who know a thing or two about Pinot Noir. It's fresh and fruity, but with serious structure underneath making it a great accompaniment with food. It's a real all-rounder of a rosé, and easily one of the best in the appellation.