About this SPIRIT
Lillet
Lillet is a classic – and perhaps the quintessential – French aperitif, blending Bordeaux wines with macerated fruit liqueurs. It is an elegant drink traditionally served over ice with an orange twist.
Lillet is made from some of the finest ingredients around the world, including the beautiful wines of Bordeaux, and the best citrus fruits, peels and spices. These ingredients are carefully married together until perfectly blended and left to age in oak vats to allow the aromas to mellow. The finished product is subtle yet rich, fruity, and has a characteristic elegance.
The Lillet brand of fortified wine was founded in 1872 in the small town of Pedensac, near Sauternes in the Graves sub-region of Bordeaux. By the early 20th century Lillet was already very famous within France as a drink served at very special occasions and official receptions, but it was once Lillet was advertised overseas that it became the in vogue aperitif in bars around the world. It also became particularly popular as an ingredient for cocktails – something that was immortalised by Ian Fleming in his 1953 novel Casino Royale when secret agent James Bond invented a Lillet Martini and named it the “Vesper”, after his love interest in the story. And Lillet's reputation as a beverage of distinction and elegance is still running strong today.
Other Varieties
There are over 200 different grape varieties used in modern wine making (from a total of over 1000). Most lesser known blends and varieties are traditional to specific parts of the world.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
A delightful aperitif generally only found in Bordeaux where the locals are justifiably fond of it. Drink like white wine or in a tumbler with lots of ice.
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