Chioccioli Chianti Classico & Riserva

We have been improving our portfolio once again, we have some interesting and damn right delicious wines to tell you about this month! Starting with a couple of Chianti's from the Rossi Family. Their property extends over 100 hectares of woodlands & nature reserve where vines and olive trees are cultivated to organic farming protocols. The heart of the winery is a nineteenth-century farming settlement and what was once a monastery belonging to the Vallombrosan brothers from nearby Badia a Passignano. In 1997, Michela and Vittorio embarked on an extensive renewal programme of wine operations, from gradual replanting of the fifteen hectares under vine to rationalisation of the cellars and the introduction of meticulously selected mid-sized oak containers to conserve the original features of the Sangiovese and other traditional nature varieties grown on the estate. 

Now available; both the Classico and the Classico Riserva. Drinking right now the estate has released a single Chianti Classico from a selection of the cellar’s finest Sangiovese and other traditional native grapes. Expect to find ripe, warm and autumnal aromas accompanied with plenty of spicy blackcurrants and black cherry fruit. The Classico Riserva, a small proportion of wine from 100% Sangiovese only is bottled which receives longer maturation in oak and ageing in glass. This wine will blossom in the next few years for those who are looking to wait a little longer, again, this wine is showing an extraordinary identity, intense, rich and complex with fruity and spicy notes, soft tannins, dense dark fruit, heavy chocolate & coffee all well balanced with fresh acidity that extends into fruity and spicy notes. 

Little William By Pieter.H.Walser

As rebel winemakers go, Pieter H Walser is about as rebellious as you can get. This is the South African behind Blankbottle, the winery that picked up a good deal of press recently on account of one of its wines, Limbic, having the blend chosen by the sub-conscious part of Walser’s brain hooked up to electrodes.

Little William is a blend of storytelling and 100% Syrah. With an alcohol of 12.5%, the wine is stylistically more towards Pinot Noir than Syrah. An awesome, super elegant wine. All the grapes were fermented 100% whole bunch. This means that whole clusters of grapes were chucked into the tank, not removing stems/stalks, retaining as much of the terroir/vineyard as possible. The juice underwent spontaneous fermentation and was left on the skins for 2 weeks - pressed into older French oak barrels and aged for a year. 

For those of you that like Pinot Noir-styled wines, this is the closest Syrah to this you’ll find.  Light in colour with mouth quenching acidity, this wine clearly demonstrates true terrior. A key theme in most of Pieter's wines. The palate is bright and fresh with red fruit, balanced out with a silky refreshing finish.

Uber Limited allocation! 

Chateau Belfort, Haut Medoc

The vineyard of Château Belfort is found in the village of Saint-Germain-d'Esteuil, not far from Lesparre-Médoc in the Gironde. On the Left Bank of the Garonne, the vines profit from the wide variety of soil types in the Médoc. The domain has belonged to Mr Didier Chapellan for several years.

Didier starts by destemming and crushing the grapes. Alcoholic fermentation continues at a controlled temperature with specially selected yeasts and maceration occurs with the skins on. This takes 2 to 3 weeks to provide a supple, rounded wine. Ageing in stainless-steel and concrete tanks. A beautiful deep red colour. Red fruits on the nose, good attack on the palate with supple tannins. A fine and elegant wine.