Chardonnay

Our 2018 White Burgundy has been made in collaboration with our good friends Jean-Luc Terrier and Christian Collovray. This delicious expression of mineral Burgundian Chardonnay has delicate floral aromas, while the palate abounds with ripe citrus and peach fruit, finishing on a subtle, smoky note thanks to well-judged oak. An excellent Apéritif, or an ideal match for salads, seafood and lighter meat dishes.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Sourced from the Frankland River in Western Australia, from Frankland Estate, this wine embodies freshness and a glorious purity of fruit, reflecting the region's cooler climate. The characteristic salinity on the nose and palate is met by vibrant lemon zest and stony notes. The palate is poised; white peach and citrus layer with vibrant acidity and a touch of creaminess adds to the complexity of this classically proportioned wine.
Katherine Dart, Buyer (autumn 2018)

The 2016 vintage is the archetype of “small but perfectly formed”. In spite of the vintage’s challenges (a catastrophic spring frost signifi¬cantly reduced the size of the harvest), the wines are excellent. Blended from three different vineyard sites in the villages of Chichée and Fontenay, this wine has the perfect balance of bright fruit and sizzling mineral precision. Unadulterated by oak, it lends itself to a wide variety of food pairings, including (of course) shell¬fish and seafood dishes.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Our 2017 Chablis comes from two separate vineyards in the village of Chichée, renowned for its classically steely character. The small but excellent 2017 vintage has given a wine with a harmonious balance between ripe orchard fruits and crisp, refreshing mineral notes. Fermented and raised completely in tank, this is a benchmark expression of Chablis, one which is equally at home as an aperitif or with seafood or a goats cheese salad.

The warm and luminous 2018 growing season has lent a touch of generosity to our Chablis. It is a blend of four different vineyard parcels in Chichée, a village renowned for producing fresh, mineral wines. Fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve the wine’s crisp, citrus fruit and steely freshness, this classically styled Chablis is a perfect match for seafood and fresh cheeses.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

The fruit for our Pouilly-Fuissé comes from a number of excellent vineyards across the villages of Vergisson and Chaintré. Olivier Merlin’s skilful winemaking draws together the various elements to create a wine which offers generous peach and apricot flavours, underpinned by a crystalline thread of electric acidity, and rounded out by smoky oak and a satisfying, stony finish. An ideal partner for salmon quiche or cheese soufflé. 
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Our 2017 Meursault comes from a selection of vineyards from across the village, including the well-regarded Murgers de Monthélie and Les Clous. Raised completely in oak barrels to give smoky aromas and the hallmark buttered toast notes of classic Meursault, this wine has broad shoulders and rich stone-fruit flavours which are complemented by a racy, saline finish.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

A blend of 10 different vineyard plots across the appellation, our 2017 Puligny-Montrachet is a benchmark example of this famous village. The charming nose offers stone-fruit, white flowers and a touch of spicy oak, while the invigorating palate delivers crystalline citrus and tangy, saline minerals. Lacy, delicate and refined, this is a wine which is best enjoyed at the table, ideally with seared scallops or sole meunière.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

The vines here are relatively young, having mostly been planted since Olivier and Corinne set up the domaine in the late 1980s. This youthful vigour gives the wine an impressive freshness and fruitforward approachability. Fermented and raised entirely in tank, this shows the purity and vibrancy of Chardonnay, with a pleasant citrus bitterness on the finish. Drink 2018-2020.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Olivier and Corinne Merlin have been established in the Mâconnais village of La Roche Vineuse since 1987. Over the years they have bought the domaine which they originally rented, built a new cuverie, planted new vineyards locally and spread out into further appellations such as Pouilly-Fuissé and Moulin-à-Vent. Theirs has been one of the great success stories of the modern Mâconnais. They expect to be joined shortly by sons Théo and Paul. Having made his first wines in 1987, this year represents Olivier’s 30th vintage in La Roche Vineuse. It is fair to say that in this time he has contributed much to raising standards in the Mâconnais. Proof of his great skill as a winemaker came in the form of a bottle of 1990 Mâcon La Roche Vineuse Vieilles Vignes, a highlight of a lunch at Berry Bros. & Rudd in July to mark Jasper Morris’s retirement.

The 2017 Legado Chardonnay was produced with fruit from Limarí on stony volcanic soils with clay and limestone. The drought between 2013 and 2015 killed some vineyards and increased the salinity of the soils, which is reflected in the wines. And 2017 was a low-yielding year, even in young vineyards like this one planted in 2009. The juice from pressing the full clusters fermented in used oak barrels with indigenous yeasts, and only 10% of the volume underwent malolactic. It matured in barrels for 14 months. The whole Legado range shows very varietal, more so in the Chardonnay than the Sauvignon Blanc, with the chalky texture of the limestone soils. Starting with the 2015 vintage, this wine is produced with grapes from Tabalí. Great for the price. 56,498 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2018.
Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate (autumn 2018)

The fruit for the cuvée Saint Pierre (named after a church in the town of Chablis) hails from prized parcels in the lieu-dit of Les Chaumes, in Maligny. The soil here is relatively rich in clay, resulting in a more concentrated, age-worthy wine than most village Chablis. It is raised primarily in stainless steel, but around 10% is aged in used oak barrels. Expect classic aromas of zested lemons and crushed oyster shell, leading to a palate that’s medium-full yet fresh and energetic. A natural accompaniment to shellfish, this also works well with all manner of white meat dishes. Drink now to 2024.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)

This excellent example of unoaked white Burgundy comes from our friends at Domaine des Deux Roches. Its fresh, citrussy character owes much to the north-westerly aspect of the vineyard, which ensures the grapes here ripen slowly and retain plenty of acidity. Winemaker Jean-Luc Terrier (a committed gastronome) suggests pairing it with shellfish, creamy chicken dishes or goats’ cheese. Drink now to 2020.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)

Le Mesnil is a cooperative located in one of Côte des Blancs’s greatest villages, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. It produces Champagnes that are smooth and rich with fine acidity at the basic level; while the vintage wines offer a significant step up, with crisper, richer and fuller fruit that will develop a toasty finesse.

The nose is of brioche, butter, hazelnut and orange zest, whilst the palate is pleasantly mellow and balanced, the mousse is delicate and a lovely creaminess is beginning to shine through from the autolytic character.

This wine shows the quality of this excellent, chalky site. The nose is smoky and spicy, with a little oak showing. The fruit is rich and dense on entry, with some complex floral notes too, but what is most impressive is the tension and acidity of this wine, which finishes on a chalky note as though sucking on a stone. Drink 2020-2025.

Olivier is taking many steps to counteract the warmer summers and earlier harvests; managing the canopy to protect grapes from sunburn, using late-ripening rootstocks, reducing the amount of new oak he uses to keep the wines feeling fresher, and bringing harvest dates forward to retain acidity. The 2017 crop is around 15 percent down due to the dry summer which stressed the grapes. Picking began on 27th August and Olivier feels the wines are a little richer than 2016, but still with very good balance and well-integrated oak.