The Signature Six

Champagne

Michel Genet Author Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne 2014

93 Points - The Champagne Sommelier. This exceptional Vintage Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne from Michel Genet is truly the work of an Artisan. 100% Chardonnay from the Grand Cru Vineyards of Chouilly, expect dense aromas of pastries, freshly baked bread and almond croissant, followed by candied fruit, pineapple and smokey nuances of tea, dark rum and tobacco. Complex, elegant and simply superb! 

Reds

Clos L'Eglise Pomerol 2021

94 Points - Jeff Leve. Even in the context of Pomerol, Clos l’Eglise is a tiny property. In an average year, its 5.98-hectare vineyard (which isn’t a walled ‘clos’) yields only 2,800 cases of wine, and given its rising popularity, stocks are quickly exhausted. The secret to its success – alongside the huge investment by its owners the billionaire Garcan-Cathiard family – is its sandy-gravel topsoil, hard-pan subsoil and climate which is drier in the summer and winter than further west in the Medoc. Critics have raved about the Clos l’Eglise 2021 with James Suckling awarding it 94-95 points saying, ‘A very fine-tannined red with currant, berry, violet and dried orange peel. Medium body, firm tannins and a linear finish. Very fine and pretty.’

Tenute Ca 'Botta Cajo’ Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2016

96 Points - Luca Maroni. This is a modern take on a classic Amarone. Made using the appassimento method with semi-dried grapes in Tenute Ca 'Botta's patented Fermentino Ca'Botta tank to give even greater richness and body. This opulent, heady wine is aged in 225-litre French oak barrels and allowed to rest in the bottle before release. This is Tenute Ca 'Botta's signature wine, one that is a must-try for lovers of powerful reds.

Whites

Domaine Jean Monnier & Fils Beaune 1er Cru Les Montrevenots Blanc 2022

Sitting just above the renowned Premier Cru of Clos des Mouches, Les Montrevenots is a lesser-known gem of a Burgundy Premier Cru. This 8-hectare plot is the highest of Beaune’s Premier Crus and sits on the border with Pommard. Thanks to its clay-rich soils and relatively high altitude it provides an exceptional site for growing Chardonnay. Monnier’s Les Montrevenots 2022 was produced from low-yielding old vines and is a perfect reflection of this site, being mineral-rich, powerful, yet elegant and refined. Made in small quantities it's become a wine Burgundy insider's seek out.

Lungolago di Viandante del Cielo 2020

Lungolago is Viandante del Cielo’s white, a blend of Chardonnay with the native variety of Grechetto, producing a complex white that can evolve in the bottle for years. Named Lungolago, or ‘lakeside’, in honour of the body of water that has so much influence on the life and health of the vines, Lungolago has a delicate nose of white peach and hints of pineapple. A spicy and savoury character with distinctive fennel and peppermint from the Grechetto, the lively acidity and the wet-stones minerality is counterbalanced by the creamy, expansive texture.

Fortified Wine

Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny Port

93 Points - Revista Adega. The Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny Port is a traditional blend of grapes including Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacional, and Tinta Francesca. Under the expert guidance of David Guimaraens, a sixth-generation winemaker, nothing is left to chance. Grapes are gathered from the best vineyards in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior regions and are made in the traditional way with fortification with grape spirit halting the fermentation to leave some residual sugar in the wine. Starting life as a lip-staining purple, the wine is placed into small oak casks of around 630 litres, from which it emerges two decades later as russet red, mellow, complex and utterly delicious. The Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny Port is a wonderful expression of tawny Port. A fine wine that’s affordable to all.