Pinot Noir
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer
Bottle
£13.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 130cs
Catriona Felstead MW, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
Bottle
£17.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 175cs
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer
Bottle
£23.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 164cs
Fiona Hayes, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
Bottle
£25.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 198cs
Magnum
£52.00
Magnum 6 x 150cl 2cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle
£36.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl 8cs
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
Bottle
£42.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 87cs
Taking its name from the flat pebbles that decorate the vineyard, this superb Pinot Noir is pale in colour with a gorgeous floral perfume, charming red-berry flavours and gentle, silky tannins. It is more than a match for most Bourgogne Rouges, let alone reds from neighbouring Sancerre. Drink now to 2022.
Bottle
£15.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 15cs
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)
Bottle
£17.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 53cs
Half-btl
£18.50
Half-btl 12 x 37.5cl 2cs
Bottle
£35.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 10cs
Bottle
£18.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 94cs
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 10cs
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 49cs
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 118cs
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle
£21.50
Bottle 6 x 75cl 29cs
Bright ruby in colour with some youthful purple highlights, the nose is an absolute joy with an explosion of inviting summer pudding aromas. The palate doesn’t disappoint, with juicy cranberry and redcurrant and a fresh acidity that will leave you wanting another glass. Drink now to 2021.
Bottle
£21.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 2cs
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.
Bottle
£22.50
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.
Bottle
£22.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 105cs
A short tour of one of Sébastien Magnien’s vineyards tells all you need to know about his philosophy; each vine is perfectly manicured, with not a leaf out of place. This attention to detail is reflected in his wines, which are precise, steely and mineral. Sébastien’s choice of picking date is guided by acidity rather than sugar levels, putting the emphasis on freshness. He declared himself very happy with 2017, comparing the white wines to 2014 but with perhaps a touch more flavour ripeness, and praising the accessible, moreish character of the reds.
Bottle
£22.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 44cs
Bottle
£22.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 24cs
This is a fresh, fruit-driven Burgundy from vineyards just above Nuits-St Georges. It is raised exclusively in used oak, which rounds the tannins and accentuates the wild, spicy character redolent of Nuits. Drink now to 2021.
Bottle
£23.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 88cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Patrice explains that the hard work they did at the start of the year in pruning short and carrying out a severe de-budding, as well as a little green harvesting on younger vines, paid dividends in terms of avoiding excessive yields and consequent dilution. The dry and warm conditions towards the end of the season allowed them the luxury of choosing when to harvest, in fact beginning on 9th September. Patrice compares the vintage to 1979 and 1989, highlighting the wines’ impeccable balance and freshness (the latter he prefers over power) as particular strengths. Our notes indicate whether the wines are domaine or négoce bottlings.
Bottle
£23.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 64cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Patrice explains that the hard work they did at the start of the year in pruning short and carrying out a severe de-budding, as well as a little green harvesting on younger vines, paid dividends in terms of avoiding excessive yields and consequent dilution. The dry and warm conditions towards the end of the season allowed them the luxury of choosing when to harvest, in fact beginning on 9th September. Patrice compares the vintage to 1979 and 1989, highlighting the wines’ impeccable balance and freshness (the latter he prefers over power) as particular strengths. Our notes indicate whether the wines are domaine or négoce bottlings.
Bottle
£23.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 3cs
Bottle
£23.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 3cs
Patrice Rion compares 2014 to a mix of 1979 and 1989 for the aromatics and delighted to have been able to pick a more or less normal-sized crop. He began on 12th September with healthy grapes, reinforced by his system of two sorting tables, one before and one after de-stemming. The amount of new oak has been reduced here, now just 30 percent on most cuvées.
Bottle
£24.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 2cs
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer
The Fourniers have been making wine in Marsannay since at least the 17th century, though the domaine as currently constituted was established in the 1960s by Jean Fournier. His son Laurent now runs the estate, along with being in charge of the project to establish Premiers Crus in Marsannay. The domaine is now certified organic, through AB and Ecocert. They make more than 20 different cuvées, the majority from Marsannay. Laurent’s efforts for the creation of a Premier Cru category in Marsannay seem to have stalled for the moment – perhaps a good thing, as he needed all his energy to combat the mildew this year. Laurent is another vigneron who had to compromise his organic status to save the crop, and he ended up with 28hl/ha across the domaine. The results are compelling though: these are wines without compromise, amplifying the paradoxes of Marsannay, with its cool limestone, extreme terroirs and burly tannins. Running between those is the fruit of some wonderful old vineyards, of which Laurent is the proud custodian.
Bottle
£24.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 92cs
Bottle
£24.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl 29cs
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.