Our latest press mentions in May: The Times, Jancisrobinson.com, Life Spectator, Money Week, The Independent, The Drinks Business, Daily Mail, winepages.com and the Scottish Field.
Benefit from our case price discount in red by buying any 12 bottles from this selection – in a mixed case of your design or simply by the dozen.
The Times, Make malbec your summer red wine, Jane MacQuitty, 30/05/2020:
2019 MIP* COLLECTION Premium Rosé
£16.95 | £15.50
Review: ‘L&S’s most popular rosé; an easy, hibiscus and pink grapefruit summer sip.’
The Telegraph, The 20 best rosé wines to buy this summer, Victoria Moore, 29/05/2020:
2019 MIP* Classic Rosé Made in Provence
£14.95 | £13.50
Review: ‘A bestseller for Lea & Sandeman, whose customers love the combination of very pale wine, skein of herbs and gentle nectarine sweetness’
The Independant, 10 best Côtes de Provence rosé wines to sip whatever the weather, John Clarke, 27/05/2020:
2019 L’HYDROPATHE Élite Rosé Côtes de Provence Sainte Victoire Domaine des Diables
£19.95 | £17.95
Review: ‘A striking bottle from the “devil’s domain” – vineyards owned and run by Guillaume and Virginie Philip at the foot of Mont Saint-Victoire. Regular award winners, its wines are produced in a sustainable, eco-friendly way with the grapes harvested at night or early in the morning so as to save energy and protect from oxidation with dry ice, reducing the need for added sulphites. This top of the range rosé is complex and structured with a cascade of intense red fruit, peach and strawberry flavours with floral and herb notes. It seems the devil not only has the best tunes, but the best wines too.’
The Times, Soave: this summer’s favourite, Jane MacQuitty, 23/05/2020:
2019 SOAVE CLASSICO Montesei Le Battistelle
£13.50 | £11.95
Review: ‘Le Battistelle’s volcanic soil makes for a racy soave with lime pizzazz.’
Daily Mail, Wine and pizza pairings so good to make your smile wide enough for an extra slice , Olly Smith, 14/05/2020:
2019 MIP* Classic Rosé Made in Provence
£14.95 | £13.50
Review: ‘While rosé is a safe all-rounder (and I’d be going for a Provençal bottle to soak up those sunny Mediterranean flavours), I think zooming in with the precision of Goldfinger’s laser beam is worthwhile for that little bit of extra enjoyment.’
wine-pages.com, New Zealand 2020 series, Central Otago, Tom Cannavan, 11/05/2020:
2018 RIPPON Sauvignon Blanc
£21.95 | £19.75
Review: ‘Here’s another New Zealand Sauvignon that bucks the stereotype, 50% barrel-fermented in old barrels. Only a minimal herbaceous character, much more about stone fruit, a touch of cherry and beautifully saline, pure and citrussy acidity. Fine texture too. Price and stockist for previous vintage at time of review.’
Rating: 91
The Times, A perfect red wine for warm summer days, Jane MacQuitty, 09/05/2020:
2016 CHIANTI CLASSICO Riserva Bugialla Poggerino
£31.95 | £28.50 (SOLD OUT)
Review: ‘Splurge on the juicy, gamey, violet-scented 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Bugialla from the biodynamic Poggerino estate.’
2016 MORELLINO DI SCANSANO Heba Fattoria di Magliano
£15.95 | £14.50
Review: ‘The 2016 Morellino di Scansano, Heba is a brilliant, beetrooty, rose petal-perfumed, sangiovese joy.’
jancisrobinson.com, Lockdown wines – reds, Jancis Robinson OBE MW, 09/05/2020:
2018 BEAUJOLAIS VILLAGES Domaine Rochette
£13.95 | £12.50
Review: ‘Good beaujolais has been underpriced for years, ever since the world fell out of love with Beaujolais Nouveau. An interesting new wave of younger producers is trying to make wines that are serious, well-priced competitors to red burgundy, but the wines I really cherish are fresher, lighter, fruitier examples that don’t have to be aged and could only come from the granite hills north-west of Lyons. A beautiful example is the 2018 Beaujolais-Villages grown on the granitic soils of Lantignié by Domaine Rochette.’
2018 BUGALUGS Barossa Shiraz Tim Smith Wines
£17.95 | £15.95
Review: ‘Shiraz is Australian for Syrah and comes in far more styles than many northern hemisphere wine drinkers realise. I loved Tim Smith’s Bugalugs 2018. The warm, spicy nose is pure South Australia, just like the heady perfumes of Henschke’s beautiful, but considerably more expensive, 2015s that I have just been enjoying. But Bugalugs is clearly made to be drunk immediately rather than aged. It has sweetness but not heaviness or toughness on the palate followed by the saline finish that Shiraz/Syrah often has.’
Money Week, A joyous Bojo and a classic white Burg, Matthew Jukes, 08/05/2020:
2018 CÔTE DE BROUILLY Les Grillés Domaine Chevalier-Métrat
£14.50 | £12.95
Review: ‘I love this outfit and I knew exactly what to expect as this wine approached my olfactory gear. I also knew I would approve of its flavour, too, but, of course, I never pre-judge. The surprise came when the aroma actually sought me out rather than the other way around. The next fillip was the buoyancy and purple-hued freshness, with energy and vitality flooding in from all angles, which should mirror the weather at this time of year and also lift our collective moods (and by golly we need that right now).
This beauty is a benchmark Côte de Brouilly, an epic Beaujolais Cru, one of the kings of wines, and yet it wears a tiny price tag for a creation with this level of gravitas and joy. This wine region should be front and centre of every wine collection right now because it is bargain-priced, drinking now and it goes with everything you are cooking in your kitchen!‘
2018 LEA & SANDEMAN White Burgundy Bourgogne Blanc
£13.95 | £12.75
Review: ‘And while you’re shopping with Lea & Sandeman, why not load up with the white equivalent of my ebullient red pick. 2018 L&S White Burgundy, Mâconnais, France is a good, old, classic, infantryman white Burg, from the heart of the Mâconnais. Sourced from a wonderful plot of vines in Mâcon-Davayé, this is a stylish and gentle Chardonnay with enough zip to sip before you take your place at the table as well as enough mid-palate pizzazz to continue drinking with a perfectly roasted chicken or pan-fried Dover sole.’
Scottish Field, BANK HOLIDAY ROSÉ: PROVENCE AND BEYOND, Peter Ranscombe, 08/05/2020:
2019 MIP* Classic Rosé Made in Provence
£14.95 | £13.50
Review: ‘Such an attractive nose, full of deeper lemon and raspberry notes. There’s an impressive level of concentration to the fruit on the palate too, with more raspberry and strawberry to balance its refreshing acidity. I seldom fall for a label’s branding, but this one is very smart.’
The Drinks Business, A HAMPSHIRE FIZZ FOR VE DAY CELEBRATIONS, Patrick Schmitt, 07/05/2020:
LOUIS POMMERY England Brut
£34.95 | £32.95
Review: ‘Called Louis Pommery England, our recommendation is an English fizz owned by Champagne Pommery, and a sparkling wine made by this company’s talented cellar master Clément Pierlot using grapes grown in Hampshire.
As part of a project named Pinglestone Estate after the vineyard site in the south west, the English sparkling wine was the first to be released by a Champagne house, even though Champagne Taittinger planted vines in the UK ahead of Pommery, with the former house choosing Kent for its project. However, Pommery opted to partner with Hampshire’s Hattingley Valley to use their facilities to produce its first English sparkler, allowing it to release a fizz employing grapes from established vineyards in this British county while it waits for its own plantation to mature. And the quality of Pommery’s English sparkling is high, with the fizz one of the few to gain a Gold medal in last year’s Global Sparkling Masters by the drinks business.
What does it taste like? Expect some of the creaminess of Champagne with the freshness of an English sparkler, and the beautiful apple scents of a Hampshire orchard.’
Life Spectator, Six wines to savour during May, Jonathan Ray, 07/05/2020:
La Gitana MANZANILLA ‘En Rama’ Hidalgo 2020 Release
£16.95 | £15.95
Review: ‘Oh my goodness this is tasty! Indeed, I can’t for the moment think of a better aperitif or kick-starter to a lockdown-jaded appetite. Family-owned Bodegas Hidalgo was founded in 1792 and is famous for its La Gitana Manzanilla sherry, produced in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. This, La Gitana En Rama, is even more toothsome, being sherry in its rawest, least mucked about, most natural state. Produced from 100 per cent Palomino free-run juice, it’s un-fined and only lightly filtered having spent eight years in the solera. It’s spicy, salty and citrusy with a fine savoury kick to the finish and I absolutely adore it.’
The Independent, May bank holiday weekend: Your ultimate BBQ guide, Louise Whitbread, 06/05/2020:
2018 ABOLENGO Chardonnay Cachapoal Valley
£15.50 | £13.95
Review: ‘Once dinner is served, pair a Chilean chardonnay such as the Abolengo Chardonnay Curico Valley 2018, which has melon and peach flavours for a refreshing, fruity richness that will compliment your meal.’
The Independent, 13 best Chilean wines: From chardonnay to pinot noir, John Clarke, 06/05/2020:
2018 ABOLENGO Chardonnay Cachapoal Valley
£15.50 | £13.95
Review: ‘Chardonnay has suffered in recent years from too many examples that have failed to impress, leading to the ABC maxim – “anything but chardonnay”. Happily, this is one that does the grape justice. From the southern winegrowing region of Lontué, it has the melon and peach flavours that chardonnay is famous for along with the added butteriness that develops after partial fermentation in French oak barrels. That’s then enhanced by allowing the wine to age “sur lie”, that is on the sediment and yeast, giving you more richness and texture for your money.’
2016 ABOLENGO Carmenère Syrah Peumo
£15.50 | £13.95
Review: ‘A red wine that’s a blend of the variety that in recent years has become the country’s go-to grape of choice, carménère (60 per cent), and syrah (40 per cent). It’s made from grapes grown on a family-owned estate in Chile’s Cachapoal Valley where the hillside vineyards are cooled by breezes from the Pacific. Aged in oak it has dark fruit and cherry flavours along with the coffee bean notes that characterise the carmenère grape. It’s only lightly filtered, so there may be some natural sediment present.’
jancisrobinson.com, Lockdown wines – whites and rosés, Jancis Robinson OBE MW, 02/05/2020:
2017 EL OSO Y LA ALEMANA White Màquina y Tabla
£13.95 | £12.95
Review: ‘Much quirkier are the new-wave whites from Spain, generally reliant on rediscovered indigenous grape varieties in less famous corners of the country. I loved Maquina & Tabla, El Oso y La Alemana 2018, a Verdejo from the north-west Spain that gets much of its tense, spicy character from being made like a red wine in contact with the grape skins. Both label and price have considerable appeal.’
The Times, Rosé lovers are in for a treat, Jane MacQuitty, 02/05/2020:
2019 L’HYDROPATHE Élite Rosé Côtes de Provence Sainte Victoire Domaine des Diables
£19.95 | £17.95
Review: ‘Try the delicious 2019 L’Hydropathe Rosé, a gorgeous, smoky, pink peppercorn, syrah-dominant wine from St Victoire, a prime Provençal spot.’
2019 TM ROSÉ Rosato Tenuta Monteti
£15.95 | £14.50
Review: ‘Terrific, bright and breezy, red plum and radicchio-redolent, full-on Tuscan pink, mostly merlot, topped up with cabernet franc.’