The Casalforte Valpolicella Superiore DOC by Riondo is a red wine that encapsulates the elegance and richness of the Veneto region. This is a refined creation from the hills of Valpolicella, known for its fertile soil and ideal climate that promote the optimal ripening of the grapes.

Valpolicella Superiore is primarily produced from three native grape varieties: Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara. This particular cuvée undergoes a process of partial drying, which gives the wine a more concentrated and aromatic structure. The result is a wine of considerable depth and complexity, with an alcohol content of around 14%.

Visually, the Casalforte Valpolicella Superiore DOC has an intense ruby red color with purple reflections. On the nose, it unfolds a rich aromatic bouquet with notes of ripe cherry, plum, spices, and a subtle hint of chocolate and vanilla, evidence of its maturation in barrique. On the palate, the wine is velvety and warm, with a perfect harmony between acidity and soft tannins that weave into a persistent and rewarding finish.

Bardolino is located on the shores of Lake Garda in the Veneto region of Italy.
where Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes are permitted. This is a lovely fruit forward quaffer with decent structure to boot.

Notes on the 2020 vintage.

The particularly mild winter favoured rapid warming of the soil and early budburst, as in 2019, 10 days ahead of the average. Following the heavy rains in April, some soils were waterlogged, with symptoms of root asphyxia and slowed growth often observed. Despite cooler temperatures in June, the vines maintained their advance. The lack of rain in the summer was responsible for poor berry growth and significant water stress from July onwards. The veraison was slow but regular. The heat and dryness of the summer caused us to lose part of the lead we had. The ripening of the grapes took place in optimal conditions (high temperatures, long periods of sunshine, nights less hot than in July). These ideal climatic conditions continued until 20 September, allowing the Merlot and Cabernet plots to be harvested with peace of mind in October.

Location
Paradis Casseuil covers some sixty hectares to the south-east of Bordeaux in the heart of the Entre-deux-Mers region. The vineyard is spread out over three communes, whose landscape of hills and slopes is reminiscent of Tuscany.

Terroir
The Paradis Casseuil terroir is mainly linked to the molasse of the Agenais, a typical geological formation of the Entre-Deux-Mers plateau, but also to the Asteria limestone, which appears at the place called "Le Paradis".
Over the course of the blocks, these two formations have a wide variety of sedimentary facies: sandstone limestone, marl, clay with calcareous nodules, variegated magnesian molasse, etc.
The soils that develop here are usually very clayey and rich in calcium. They thus benefit from excellent structural porosity, which is favourable to deep root development, but also from a certain coolness.

Winemaking
This wine is made according to traditional methods in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Alcoholic fermentation was followed by 10-15 days maceration at 28°C allowing for a gentle extraction of colour and tannins. Maceration times and pumping over were adjusted for each batch. 60% of the blend is wooded, in order to achieve its exceptional balance between elegance and fruitiness.

Grapes
70 % - Merlot
30 % - Cabernet sauvignon

Tasting
The 2020 vintage has a beautiful ruby colour. It develops a pretty bouquet with fruity and intense notes. It is a supple wine with little body. The grape varieties are vinified separately, allowing for a rich and smooth blend. The wine is finely wooded which gives it a characterful finish. It is best drunk immediately but can be forgotten for a few years.

A seductive, ripe wine, with mulled plum and baked cherry flavors enveloped by smoldering incense, warm earth and toasted alder. Gains an ample frame from softened tannins, while menthol and juniper notes provide a refreshing, spicy edge. Reveals mocha and smoked bacon accents that draw out the finish, which has good tension and length.”

94pts Wine Spectator

Filled with red fruit aromas and elegant tannins, this wine is a fine expression of this up-and-coming appellation from the northern Rhône. 

« Vintage after vintage, the Collection wines have become symbols which perfectly illustrate the family’s ethos of supreme quality. Careful ageing, together with the meticulous attention paid every day by Marcel and Philippe Guigal to the selection and blending processes, bring to the fore the consistency and excellence of the great appellations of the Rhône Valley » 

Soil type - Limestone, sand and pebbles. 

Grape variety 100 % Syrah. 

Average age of vines - 20 to 50 years. The vines are mainly situated in the communes of Tournon and Sarras. 

Winemaking - Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks at high temperatures. Ageing Around 16 months in second wine oak barrels.

Average yield of 40 Hl/hectare. 

Average annual production - Around 220.000 bottles. 

Appearnace - Dark red with violet tints. 

Nose - Powerful nose dominated by red berries and delicate oak aromas.

Palate - Powerful attack. Round and supple tannins. Overall

This wine is produced from grapes from the two estates of Jean-Louis GRIPPAT and VALLOUIT as well from grapes and wines purchased in the trade.

Coleraine derives its name from the Coleraine vineyard, home of John and Wendy Buck of Te Mata Estate. John’s late grandfather was born in Coleraine in Northern Ireland and the name has been maintained through the family home to the wine. Originally a single vineyard wine, from 1989 Coleraine has been an assemblage of the finest wines produced from distinct plots within Te Mata Estate’s oldest vineyards on the Havelock Hills.

Te Mata have dubbed the 2023 Coleraine 'The Return of The King'.
In the realm of fine wine, Coleraine is Te Mata’s crowning jewel – a cabernet sauvignon that embodies the essence of the variety’s title: The King of Grapes. 

The latest vintage, the illustrious 2023, reigns supreme with a level of expression and finesse as robust as its lineage.  A stately example of coastal cabernet, the 

Coleraine ’23 harmonizes intricate varietal notes with an elegant structure  and a power that feels both balanced and commanding. At its core lies the indomitable characteristics of cabernet –  the grape upon which Coleraine’s reign has always been built.

Te Mata’s cabernet collection, sourced from seven noble selections across 24 vineyard parcels, is majestic in the  Coleraine ’23 blend, commanding a regal 80% of the composition. Joined by 15% merlot and a touch of  5% cabernet franc, this royal assembly reflects the multitude of soil types and vineyard sites that define our  sub-regions. Coleraine is New Zealand’s greatest red wine – a true returning king in every sense.

Great value organic Lambrusco Grasparossa Castelvetro DOP from Cantina Settecani, this is frizante (meaning lightly sparkling) example of Lambrusco.

Ripe black cherry into a hint of caramel then a black pepper finish.

Great for a barbecue, as an apertif, or a cool weather celebration!

Bright, tangy riesling in a medium-dry style with green apple, oyster shell, lime zest/citrus and quince flavours supported by mouth tingling, fruity acidity. Good purity and a lingering finish.

Green apple on the nose, with tangy fruit, citrus, peach and nectarine on the palate.  With vibrant acidity and aromatic intensity, this off-dry wine has the ability to reflect the terroir.

This stunning little Greek white is a blend of native, local varieties Vidiano and Thrapsathiri, cropped from 10 to 100 year old vines that are organically farmed off schist soils in the southern part of Crete. The wine is bottled without filtration or fining, with minimal added sulphites.

Iliana Malahin is one of the stars of the modern wine movement in Greece who focusses on reviving native varieties and sites found around the village of Malampes, in the mountainous south of Crete.

A blend of Xinomavro from Naoussa and Mandilaria from the island of Santorini.

The Xinomavro grapes are dried outside for 3 days, which softens and concentrates the flavours and, as a result, the wine has a depth and complexity that you rarely find in an everyday red. Despite Xinomavro’s reputation as a tannic variety, this wine is anything but a brute. In fact, it’s soft and succulent and remarkably fresh with red fruits aplenty on the nose and palate.

Apostolos told us that he puts his wines through a slow and gentle maceration to tame the grape’s rustic side, leaving just a pinch of structural tannins (suggesting it has time on its side) while coaxing plenty of wonderful juicy and playful flavours out. Imagine a juice blend of strawberries and blackberries picked straight from the bush and given piquancy by a squeeze of pomegranate overlaid by flowers and sweet spices from the Xinomavro and white pepper from the Mandilaria. A really fresh and succulent wine that doesn’t know how good it is. 13.5% alc. Unoaked.

Agiorgitiko (pronounced Ah-yor-YEE-te-ko) is a fragrant red wine grape native to Greece's Peloponnese peninsula. The vineyards are located near to Koutsi, a semimountainous village. The vineyards here are known for their chalky soils and good drainage. The cool temperatures, the ideal sun exposure and the steep inclination of the vineyards combine to produce lower yields than other parts of Nemea, but the berries have excellent concentration of flavour.

Selected grapes were hand-picked, destemmed and crushed, followed by a cold soak for approximately 48 hours at 10°C. The must was inoculated with selected yeasts and fermented for approximately two weeks at temperatures between 22 to 26°C, with regular pump overs and some plunging of the cap. Malolactic fermentation followed and the wine was aged in oak casks for 12 months, of which 90% was French oak (10% new) and 10% was American oak (10% new). The wine was cold stabilised prior to being cellared.

Boudin's Chantemerle Chablis represents exceptional value in the region. Unlike the prevalent machine-harvesting in Chablis, this family-owned domaine hand-picks every grape, including those for the Chablis AC. Post fermentation and tank aging, the wines are bottled unfiltered. Characteristic aromas of gunmetal and oyster shell, coupled with lean, racy palate and subtle stone-fruit richness, prevent an austere profile.

Commercial description

"A dark colour, captivating nose of blackberry, blackcurrant and blueberry and a lush, profound palate of fruit. All of this revolves around a truly assertive Rhône style with abundant yet fine, supple tannins and good salinity."