2021 Domaine Nudant, Volnay 1er Cru 'Les Santenots'
Regular price £68.00 Save £-68.002020 Domaine Nudant, Vosne Romanee
Regular price £67.00 Save £-67.00ABOUT THE WINE
Winemakers in Burgundy since 1453, the current generation of the Nudant family manages some 16 hectares of small parcels dotted throughout the Cote d'Or. Vineyard work is all carried out by hand, in the spirit of minimal intervention. This wine comes from four vineyards, with vines over 50 years of age, which have been harvested by the Domaine since 2006.
TASTING NOTES
A brilliant vintage for Burgundy, 2020 offers the best potential of every village. Vosne-Romanée surely shows its peak quality and ripeness as a top-quality village. Notes of bramble and blackberry with both red and dark cherries. The staggering complexity with white pepper, wet forest floor, sauteed mushrooms and the warm cinnamon bark from the oak marry impeccably.
FOOD PAIRING
Rack of lamb with herb crust or smoked mackerel rillets.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
This is drinking very well already, but it will probably show best at least 5 years from vintage.
2014 Domaine Antonin Guyon, Aloxe Corton 1er Cru 'Les Fournieres'
Regular price £66.40 Save £-66.40ABOUT THE WINE
The second generation now manages this domaine, founded by Antonin in the 1960s. Based in Savigny-les-Beaune, they own vines throughout the Cote d'Or, including parcels in some of the finest Premier and Grand cru vineyards. Harvest is by hand, with initial sorting in the vineyard; no more than 50% new oak is used, and the wines of the domaine have a classic freshness and purity to them.
TASTING NOTES
Delicate in colour, with wonderful minerality and fine tannins. Bright cherry fruit, very intense, with a touch of oak adding elegance. Exceptionally well-balanced.
FOOD PAIRING
Ideal very slightly chilled, with summer salads; or with pork dishes on colder evenings.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
A superb vintage for Burgundy, the 2014 Guyon is a delightful wine.
2019 Madame Veuve Point, Gevrey Chambertin
Regular price £66.00 Save £-66.00ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Madame Veuve Point is the unique story of a woman winemaker whose wines won the Grand Prize at the 1904 Saint Louis World Fair, and have continued making excellent Burgundy wines ever since. Now, Géraldine Point is the latest generation of the family to pick up the torch and continue a hundred year old wine making tradition.
A dozen kilometers south from Dijon, at the foot of the Lavaux valley, Gevrey-Chambertin spreads its vineyards toward Côtes de Nuits over nearly 140 hectares. The canons of Langres have long watched over these vines, as proof of how far this nectar plunges its roots into the entire history of Burgundy wine. These red wines from Madame Veuve Point are entirely made from a single pinot noir variety, also called “pino noirien” in Burgundy.
TASTING NOTES
This Gevrey Chambertin is a very intense deep garnet colour. Strawberry, blackberry, violet, reseda and rose make up the aromas that gradually develop into a bouquet of licorice and leather. The palate is full, rich and powerful. It asserts itself with a firm structure and tannins that lean toward velvety, expressing a very fine grain. This is a wine with a solid frame and great longevity.
FOOD PAIRING
Beef prime rib, braised lamb, feathered or furred game. For a more adventurous pairing, consider monkfish or tuna steak with red wine sauce. It also goes well with Epoisses, Chambertin and Cîteaux cheeses.
2016 Chateau Gloria
Regular price £130.75 Save £-130.75ABOUT THE WINE
One of the better-known Crus Bourgeois of the Medoc, still at reasonable prices. Chateau Gloria is made up of holdings of classified Crus and would deserve to be classified in its own right. Recent vintages have found all their character again, in the tradition of the great Saint-Julien wines.
TASTING NOTES
A majority Cabernet Sauvignon blend, expect beautiful aromas of blackcurrants and blueberries. The body is full, with very fine tannins that are strong and bright. Drinking very well right now, and will continue to develop over the next two decades and beyond.
2018 Vintage also available
2018 Chateau Gloria
Regular price £130.75 Save £-130.75ABOUT THE WINE
One of the better-known Crus Bourgeois of the Medoc, still at reasonable prices. Chateau Gloria is made up of holdings of classified Crus and would deserve to be classified in its own right. Recent vintages have found all their character again, in the tradition of the great Saint-Julien wines. A surprising wine if you are prepared to wait.
2016 Vintage also available
2021 Domaine Nudant, Nuits Saint Georges
Regular price £65.00 Save £-65.001998 Friarwood, Vieil-Armagnac
Regular price £65.00 Save £-65.001997 Friarwood, Vieil-Armagnac
Regular price £65.00 Save £-65.001994 Friarwood, Vieil-Armagnac
Regular price £65.00 Save £-65.001993 Friarwood, Vieil-Armagnac
Regular price £65.00 Save £-65.001992 Friarwood, Vieil-Armagnac
Regular price £65.00 Save £-65.002000 Friarwood, Vieil-Armagnac
Regular price £65.00 Save £-65.00ABOUT THE SPIRIT
This Armagnac is specially bottled by Eric Artiguelongue, previously a cellarmaster at a renowned Armagnac estate. Eric's Armagnac are aged in oak barrels until they have reached their optimum quality and then stored in glass to maintain their peak condition. Eric then bottles the Armagnacs himself. In a region often stymied by tradition, Eric's Armagnacs excite in all their un-manipulated glory. There's no use of boise, caramel or sweeteners here.
TASTING NOTES
Round, full-bodied palate displays fresh, fruit-forward flavors, while a touch of warming spice adds depth and complexity to the long finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Enjoy lightly chilled, and let it warm up in your glass. Matches perfectly with dark chocolate treats.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
These Armagnacs are unique small batch-bottlings, bottled on request for Friarwood. On each label, you can find the exact bottling date.
2019 Domaine Gilles Flacher Condrieu Les Rouelles
Regular price £64.30 Save £-64.302018 Chateau Le Gay, Manoir de Gay
Regular price £63.85 Save £-63.85ABOUT THE WINE
Château Le Gay has a long history in Pomerol, with the estate dating back to the 1840’s. Shortly after World War I, Chateau Le Gay became the property of the Robin family, eventually passing down to the famous Robin sisters in 1946 who also owned the famous estate of Chateau Lafleur! In late 2002, Catherine Pere-Verge expanded her portfolio of quality-focused estates by purchasing Chateau Le Gay and immediately began to plant additional hectares of vines to grow the estate. In 2006, those vines were included in the Grand Vin for the very first time, and Mchel Rolland was brought in as a consultant, along with Marcelo Pelleriti as winemaker. The vineyard is tended to using sustainable farming technique and yields are kept low, producing opulent wines. This is a Pomerol property on the rise!
TASTING NOTES
As the second wine of Chateau Le Gay, Manoir de Gay opens up with a real explosion of fruit aroma. 90% Merlot gives body & fruit to the palate with the remaining 10% of Cabernet Franc providing roundness. Showing silky tannins with great depth and length on the finish. Excellent quality.
FOOD PAIRING
Serve with classic meat roasts from beef to lamb and game. For a vegetarian option, a rich mushroom pasta dish would make a fine pairing.
2020 Domaine Nudant, Volnay 1er Cru 'Les Santenots'
Regular price £316.30 Save £-316.30ABOUT THE WINE
Winemakers in Burgundy since 1453, the current generation of the Nudant family manages some 16 hectares of small parcels dotted throughout the Cote d'Or. Vineyard work is all carried out by hand, in the spirit of minimal intervention. The Santenots vineyard is located in the southern part of Volnay, near the village of Meursault. The particular structure of the soil makes the Santenots a very aromatic and elegant wine, delicately complex and concentrated all at the same time.
TASTING NOTES
Delicate violet and red berry fragrance, with a hint of oak. Delightful on the palate, with spicy mingling with red cherry fruit in perfect balance. Impressive structure for long-term ageing, but excellent at the moment, especially with food.
FOOD PAIRING
Excellent for rich dishes, duck, always the classic pairing for Pinot noir, would be ideal.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
The section of the Santenots vineyard which contributes to this wine is farmed by the Nudant family under a rolling contract, and therefore counts as a negociant wine hence Jean-Rene Nudant on the label.
NV Moet & Chandon, Rose Imperial
Regular price £61.50 Save £-61.50ABOUT THE WINE
Established in 1743 by Claude Moët, Moët et Chandon is one of the most prominent producers in Champagne, producing around 28 million bottles annually. They were the first Champagne house to produce only sparkling wines, and worked tirelessly to promote the style both in the royal court of France and internationally. Today they own or lease 1,150 hectares of vineyards, and produce approximately 28,000,000 bottles of champagne annually.
TASTING NOTES
Lively and expressive, revealing intense aromas of fresh red summer berries, strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant with floral notes of rose, hawthorn and a light peppery touch.
FOOD PAIRING
Salmon, mussels, red fruit tarte; all are good accompaniments.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Such attractive balance. Interestingly, more than 20% of production at Moët et Chandon is rosé, around twice the average for the region.
2016 Deutz Brut Vintage
Regular price £60.00 Save £-60.00NV Bollinger, Rose
Regular price £60.00 Save £-60.00ABOUT THE WINE
Athanase de Villermont, the youngest son of a noble family inherited an extensive estate from his family in the Ay area. He immediately foresaw the extraordinary potential of the wines of Champagne, but as an aristocrat he was forbidden to become involved in trade. He then met Joseph Bollinger, a widely travelled German who had left his country of birth to learn about the Champagne wine trade, and Paul Renaudin, a local man who was fascinated by the world of wine. The firm of Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie was founded on 6th February 1829. Joseph took care of sales and Paul of the cellar. Athanase had founded a champagne House that was to endure through the centuries.
TASTING NOTES
Nice bronze tones combined with the intense depth of a great red wine. On the nose the nobility of red berries: hints of red currant, cherry and wild strawberry with a spicy touch. A subtle combination of structure on the palate, length and vivacity, with a tannic finish due to the adjunction of red wine Bubbles as fine as velvet. Flavours of wild berries.
FOOD PAIRING
Perfect for a picnic on a summer afternoon, as a pre-dinner drink or served with a fruity and tart dessert.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Cellar aged for more than twice the time required by the appellation, this is a great rose!
2020 Chateau de Chamirey, Mercurey 1er Cru 'La Mission' White
Regular price £57.70 Save £-57.702014 Chateau Chasse Spleen
Regular price £57.50 Save £-57.50ABOUT THE WINE
Chateau Chasse Spleen remained the property of the Castaing family until it was sold just before World War 1 to a German family of wine merchants. After the outbreak of World War I, Chateau Chasse Spleen was confiscated as enemy property and sold at an auction in 1922 to the Lahary family. The modern era for Chateau Chasse Spleen starts in 1976 when the estate was bought by the Merlaut family. At the time of the purchase, Chasse Spleen owned about 40 hectares of vines. Under the direction of Jacques Merlaut and his daughter Bernadotte Villars they expanded their vineyard holdings so that today, Chasse Spleen has 80 hectares of vines. They also updated and modernized their winemaking facilities.
TASTING NOTES
The 2014 Moulis Chasse-Spleen is refined. On the nose, it is ample, frank and aromatically fresh. Mainly produced on a fleshy black fruit aromatic palette, typical cedar accents are felt after swirling. The palate is ample, vibrant, elegantly structured on creamy and delicate tannins. The grain is fine and precise. The finish is persistent. This wine is a total success!
FOOD PAIRING
Pairs very well with venison, oven baked pasta with bacon, mushroom risotto, hard cheese.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
This is a very good example of Moulis from a good vintage.
NV Louis Roederer Collection 244 Brut Champagne
Regular price £56.00 Save £-56.00ABOUT THE WINE
First founded in 1776 as Dubois Père et Fils, the house was inherited and renamed by Louis Roederer in 1833. The company, which now includes vineyard-holdings and estates throughout France and around the world, remains under the ownership of his descendants. Unusual for large Champagne houses, Roederer owns a large proportion of the vineyards which contribute to their wines: vintage expressions, including Cristal, are sourced entirely from their own grapes, and only a third of their overall production is made from bought-in grapes. They have been undertaking experiments with biodynamic viticulture in their vineyards since 2000.
The Collection 242 was launched in September 2021 to replace the flagship Brut Premier. The radical idea of changing the flagship NV cuvée stemmed from battling the fierce challenges climate change had brought to Champagne in terms of vintage variation. Hence, to “fight for freshness" this new cuvée was created. The perpetual reserve, which had been in the works since 2013 is mainly used as the "freshening element" and makes up 34% of the blend. The rest is 10% oak reserve wines and 56% from only the 2017 harvest.
TASTING NOTES
A delightful Champagne, which sees the bright, youthful character of the base wines enhanced by extended lees-ageing and 10% barrel-aged reserve wines, which add a creamy texture to the palate, mingling with citrus, glazed fruit and toast flavours. A hint of smoke adds complexity to the finish; a very fine non-vintage Champagne.
FOOD PAIRING
An excellent aperitif, it would pair very well with smoked salmon or scallops fried in butter.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
242 represents the number of times Roederer has made a non-vintage since founded in 1776 and it's aged for 3 years on the lees, with a further 6 months ageing following disgorgement to allow the wine to settle before release. 10% reserve wine is used, which has been aged in oak barrel for between 2 and 5 years.