Some favourites from the January selection, I’ve managed to get my hands on another stash of the rather fabulous Yalumba ‘Y’ Merlot.
February 2025
Plus, a few new, and ridiculous, bin end deals with white being more of a focus as we, er, head into Spring?!?
Wente Estate Louis Mel Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Livermore Valley, USA
I know there’s a modern tradition to drink Sauvignon Blanc as young as possible but that’s a very new thing. It used to be that Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume producers wouldn’t release their wines until they had a few years bottle age on them. They only changed because it makes commercial sense to get your wines out there and sold rather than storing them in you own cellars, cash flow and all that. Sauvignon Blanc won’t generally be the wine you pop in the cellar for a couple of decades but this 2020 is showing fantastically, in fact I’m drinking this whilst listening to ‘Would I Lie To You’ and it’s delicious. There’s a purity of fruit but there’s also development and greater complexity and the palate has a simply gorgeous texture to it, a sort of gentle creaminess. It’s long, complex and far more reminiscent of a serious Loire white than a turbo charged Kiwi. Slice up a load of cheese, pop a little chili jam on some crackers and sit back and enjoy with a classic movie, something like Kindergarten Cop!
£20 a bottle or ONLY £55 for 6 YOU SAVE £65
These deals won’t hang around for long…
Cantine Pellegrino ‘Isesi’ Pantelleria Bianco, Sicily
The Pellegrino family are one of the founders of the Marsala trade which was once so important to Sicily’s wine trade. They still make fabulous Marsala wines but it is their table wines which really showcase the quality of wine from this fantastic island. 100% Zibibbo, the Sicilian word for Muscat, a grape variety that can do just about anything flavour wise. The vines grow on the tiny island of Pantelleria just off the coast of Sicily and are on the Unesco World Heritage list. Flavour wise look out for apple, white peach and jasmine with a little spring blossom and almond. As you would expect from a white wine made so close to the sea this is the perfect partner to seafood and a nice bit of swordfish or a tuna steak with some caper butter would be fabulous. I’m peckish now just writing that!
£23 a bottle or ONLY £55 for 6 YOU SAVE £83
Waterkloof Estate Circle of Life White 2023, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Eight years ago today Bridge and I were flying back from South Africa, newly engaged and having also fallen in love with The Cape. Such a beautiful and friendly part of the world and one of the absolute stand out places we visited was Waterkloof Estate. The other day Facebook reminded me of the incredible 10 course meal we had at the winery one night (as I had rented the hire car I couldn’t drink as Bridge wasn’t allowed to drive it and she certainly took full advantage of the fact!) One of the big things about this winery, other than the restaurant being voted ‘Best in South Africa’ is the totally back to basics approach to every part of the wine making process. From the vineyard to the bottle it is a very hands on and machines-off approach. To the point that all the Waterkloof wines are actually classed as ‘natural wines’ although they do come across as much, much more approachable than a lot of what I have tried that uses the same moniker. This is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc with Chenin Blanc and Semillon. The grassy freshness of Sauvignon leads in and then Chenin lends some lovely weight to the palate and the Semillon provides waxy, lemon minimality at the finish. Gorgeous wine and genuinely engaging.
£16 a bottle or ONLY £50 for 6 YOU SAVE £46
Waterkloof Estate Circle of Life Red 2021, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Another fabulous blend the composition of which varies from vintage to vintage depending on what works best that year. Winemaker Nadia Langenegger is a genius and this wine has the added benefit of a little bottle age to add a touch more softness. Predominantly Cabernet Franc which lends black cherry slatey notes, then Petit Verdot produces these incredibly rich fruit flavours and delicate floral notes too. Then the final component, Syrah, gives leathery, soft texture and rich black fruits. It’s a fabulous wine, made in a fabulous place by fabulous people. I managed to get through writing about two Circle of Life wines without once mentioning Elton John or The Lion King, oh, wait, doh!
£16 a bottle or ONLY £50 for 6 You save £46
KWV The Vinecrafter Sauvignon Blanc 2024, South Africa
Bridge and I tried this wine just before Christmas and we both thought it was utterly superb but with only a week of trading left it was a little too late to bring it in. So instead I’ve decided to trying and brighten January with it and by putting in an awesome deal I think it falls in to the no-brainer category. 2024 so it’s as fresh as a daisy and with some gorgeous rounded fruit and ripe tropical flavours it is a terrific, grown up Sauvignon Blanc. Produced and bottled in South Africa so it’s not the ‘drag it over here in a giant bag’ type of wine, that does make a difference by the way.
£11 a bottle or £42 for 6 YOU SAVE £24
Ancora Pinot Grigio 2024, Italy
A terrific wine but an offer because it appears my typing is colour blind. We sell an awful lot of the rose version of this wine and somehow I managed to order a chunk without saying the magic ‘rose’ word and so I’ve got a chunk of very good but not needed Pinot Grigio to shift. Subtle and elegant with notes of stone fruit and almond with a fresh finish with just the right amount of texture to make it genuinely interesting.
£11 a bottle or £42 for 6 YOU SAVE £24
A smidge left.
Hayes Ranch Chardonnay 2020, USA
Hayes Ranch is one of the properties under the Wente Estates umbrella. We love Wente wines and they offer seriously good value for some seriously good USA wines. This is a delightfully tasty ‘old school’ style of Chardonnay. Yes, it’s oaky but it’s also incredibly classy that oak never dominates, it adds texture and complexity and with the little extra age the balance is fabulous. This is the sort of white wine for cold nights and mushroom risotto. (Note, packed in 12’s)
£16 a bottle or £80 for 12 YOU SAVE £112
A few cases left, very few.
Yalumba ‘Y’ Series Merlot 2019, Australia
You don’t see a lot of Aussie Merlot but when they do pop up they should taste like this. All dusky, ripe plum fruit and a voluptuous palate. Drink this with your roast beef. I’ve been tasting the other Y Series wines recently and they are drinking very, very well and will hit the shelves soon but none of them will be at this sort of case deal. Take advantage whilst you can.
£15 a bottle or £40 for 6 YOU SAVE £50
