2016 Château Les Trois Moulins Cru Bourgeois Haut-Medoc £14.50

"The 2016 Les Trois Moulins has a traditional cedar and pencil box scented bouquet, a little austere in the context of the vintage but well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well-judged acidity, classic in style with graphite and cedar towards the finely sculpted finish....90 points."  Neal Martin, Vinous, Sep '18

2018 Château Durand Laplagne 'Les Terres Rouges' Puisseguin St Emilion £14.50

"...scents of plum preserves, Black Forest cake and Chinese five spice with wafts of potpourri and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, rich and decadently fruited in the mouth, it has firm, plush tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.  91-93 points."  Lisa Perotti-Brown MW, RobertParker.com

2022 Beaujolais Villages Non Filtre Manoir Du Carra £14.75

From very ancient 70 to 100-year old Gamay vines grown on a small estate run by brothers Frédéric and Damien Sambardier, owned by their family since 1850.  Lors of bold, juicy fruit and soft tannins.  The wine undergoes carbonic maceration for 10 to 12 days, before aging in for 3-4 months in old oak casks.  Not filtering the wine retains as much flavour as possible, as well as texture on the palate. RKL

2019 Rioja Crianza Valserrano Bodegas De La Marquesas £16.00

"Floral, sweet spice, vanilla and red fruit aromas. The palate is quite firm with ripe tannins and well-judged oak; still youthful."  Decanter World Wine Awards

2022 Rasteau Villages Domaine La Soumade £18.50

The fruit in this Rasteau is beautifully pure, with an honest simplicity, but the structure seems almost to match up to the Paris wines.  A reminder of Frédéric Roméro's talent for making affordable wines that nevertheless offer layering of flavours and fine texture.   Every cellar should have multiple vintages of this wine, slowly ageing for up to a decade!  RKL 

2018 La Chapelle De Potensac Medoc £19.80

 "...the 2018 Chapelle De Potensac has an already complex nose of red and black currants, green tobacco, cedarwood, and spring flowers. This carries to an endearing, supple, seamless Médoc with light tannins, a rounded, balanced mouthfeel, and a great finish. Want a classic Bordeaux you don't have to wait a decade on? Give this beauty a whirl.  90 points" Jebdunnuck.com

2021 Saumur-Champigny Domaine Roches Neuves £19.95

Beautiful leafy Cabernet Franc on the nose, wonderful intensity and notes of redcurrants…Lovely soft entry with excellent concentration; fresh, ripe fruit, crunchy tannins with a beautiful vibrancy.  It’s a relatively light wine, but perfectly balanced.  Serve at ‘cellar temperature’.

2021 Ventoux 'La Source' Château Unang £20.00

Intense, smoky nose, with primary red fruits, blackcurrant; and violets. A big, mouthfilling attack but still with a pleasing astringency and some spice.  Layered flavours and persistent tannins on the finish, this has lots of development ahead of it, superb.  RKL

2019 Château Brillette Moulis-En-Medoc £22.00

"From gravely soils in Moulis, the 2019 Brillette hails from an estate that has recently been restructured, with Cabernet Sauvignon repositioned on the most appropriate terroirs. Exhibiting aromas of cassis, wild berries, loamy soil and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, with lively acids and powdery tannins.  90 points."  William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, Oct '22

2022 Bourgogne Pinot Noir P&L Borgeot £23.50

15% new oak this year.  Smoky, dark cherry aromas, a complete 'wow' on the nose.  Then a big, succulent core of dark and red fruit on the palate.  Despite being on the fruit, this is in perfect balance.  Excellent.  RKL

2022 Cote De Brouilly Les Sept Vignes Château Thivin £26.00

"... aromas of ripe cassis, candied violets and plums…it’s medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated, structured around fine-grained but chewy tannins and tangy balancing acids, with considerable depth and substance at the core. … 94 points" Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (WK)

2022 Le Volte Dell'ornellaia, Toscana £28.00

"Attractive aromas of blue fruit with slate and black-licorice character. It’s full-bodied with juicy fruit and an orange-peel undertone. Wet earth, some fresh sage and rosemary, too. I like the Mediterranean flavors in this vintage. Drink or hold.  93 points."  Jamessuckling.com, Aug '22

2017 Rioja Reserva 'Ardanza' La Rioja Alta £30.00

"A more vibrant and fruitier expression of Ardanza this year with strawberries, mussels, warm spices and berries. Round and silky on the palate with lovely spices and a long, nicely saline finish. A nice touch of creaminess works really well here and further extends the finish. 95 points." James Suckling

2016 Château Le Crock Cru Bourgeois St Estephe £32.50

"A brilliant estate, well worth knowing about, owned by the Cuvelier family of Château Léoville Poyferré...Clearly standing out in this line-up, an impressive, well-crafted wine with great tannic hold; a wine you would be thrilled to own.  94 points."  Jane Anson, Decanter, Aug 2020 (Tasted Jul 2020)

2022 Mercurey Les Grands Voyens 1er Cru Jeannin-Naltet £32.50

A beautiful walled vineyard site.  All 5 ha are owned by Jeannin-Naltet, making this a 'monopole'.  Planted at a very high density, 10,000 vines per hectare.  25% new oak.  Immediate and lovely on the nose!   The intensity of fruit aromas suggests great depth and concentration to come and the palate doesn't disappoint, with huge dollops or cherry and raspberry fruits and silkily-soft tannins.  One taster commented "it will cellar, but why would you wait"!  RKL 

2015 Château La Marzelle St Emilion Grand Cru £39.50

"Mellow, deep-set plum and black cherry aromas here. Spicy oak is completely integrated with violets, slate and fresh, earthy notes. The palate has impressive, plush fruit flesh such as dark cherries, mulberries and plums. Smoothly rendered tannins that gather seamlessly at the finish. This is impressive. Best from 2022.  96 points."  James Suckling, Feb '18

2014 Château Lafon Rochet Grand Cru Classe St Estephe £45.00

"You feel the depth compared to the smaller estates of the appellation, with powerful, chalky and textured tannins. Autumnal fruits dominante, of cassis and bilberry, earth and smoked cedar, good quality, still plenty of character to unfurl over the next five to 10 years....93 points".  Jane Anson, Oct '22

2022 Martin's Lane Founder's Reserve Pinot Noir, Crouch Valley, Essex £49.50

Intense aromas of alpine strawberries, raspberry, loam, some earthy cherry and delicate floral rose petal notes.  The palate is surprisingly broad and expansive already, with a firm tannic structure and excellent concentration on the mid-palate, leading to a long finish.  A fine backbone and the assertive tannins suggest this will age and develop layers of complexity over the next 3 to 5 years, but it will no doubt last much longer. RKL

2020 Beaune Les Coucherias 1er Cru Joseph Voillot £55.00

"The 2020 Beaune Aux Coucherias 1er Cru has a pure, quite perfumed bouquet with red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit. The one-third new oak is nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, dark berry fruit with hints of black olive and balsamic, moderate length..." Neal Martin, Vinous.com

2003 Château Rauzan Segla Grand Cru Classe Margaux £85.00

"Soft ruby colour, crushed raspberry fruit on the nose, fresh acidities that keep things elevated through the palate, allowing the coffee bean, liqourice, bitter almond and undergrowth to appear in waves. This is ready to drink, but still has good tannic structure and character...93 points."  Jane Anson, Mar '23