Fellow Wine Lovers,<\/p>\n
48 Conservative MP\u2019s submit letters of no confidence but only 29 of them are brave enough to admit they have sent such a letter; Boris we imagine did send one but he\u2019s been unusually taciturn of late, sitting there on the fence… and then Theresa only goes and survives the vote anyway before promising to step down later on; now that this monumental distraction is over with, can someone please focus getting a deal done? Oh, hang about, recess starts next week until the New Year but never mind, 60 working days until the end of March should be more than enough to settle all our futures!<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Spurs miraculously survived in Europe but promise to be knocked out early in the New Year and suddenly Sky fall out of love with two wheels and TUE\u2019s \u2013 I feel there is more to this story but time will tell.<\/p>\n
Oh, and it\u2019s Christmas soon. As we\u2019re counting working days, how does 9 more until the 25th sound? And that\u2019s for us who are working weekends, you chaps are probably looking at just four or five more, I would imagine? Or if I were to say only 76 hours of trading until 5pm on the 24th, would that capture the imagination?<\/p>\n
Should you be wondering, here are our hours for next week and beyond:<\/p>\n
MONDAY 17th – FRIDAY 21st DECEMBER 11AM \u2013 8PM
\nSATURDAY 22nd DECEMBER 10AM \u2013 8PM
\nSUNDAY 23rd DECEMBER 11AM \u2013 3PM
\nMONDAY 24th DECEMBER 10AM \u2013 5PM
\nTUESDAY 25TH – FRIDAY 28th DECEMBER CLOSED
\nSATURDAY 29th DECEMBER 10AM \u2013 8PM
\nSUNDAY 30th DECEMBER 11AM \u2013 3PM
\nMONDAY 31st DECEMBER 11AM \u2013 6PM
\nTUESDAY 1st – FRIDAY 4th JANUARY CLOSED
\nSATURDAY 5th JANUARY 12PM \u2013 6PM
\nMONDAY 7th JANUARY 11AM \u2013 8PM
\nBACK TO NORMAL!<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all very well being open for all this time but what are you going to buy when you get here. With this in mind, we\u2019ve arranged a few cases for Christmas Survival\u2026<\/p>\n
THE CHRISTMAS CLARET CASE \u2013 6 bottles + gift box + tasting notes = \u00a3120<\/strong><\/p>\n Ch\u00e2teau B\u00e9chereau 2015 \u2013 Lalande de Pomerol<\/strong> Ch\u00e2teau Belle-Vue 2009 \u2013 Haut-Medoc<\/strong> Chateau Cardinal 2015 – Montagne-St-\u00c9milion<\/strong> Ch\u00e2teau Deville 2014 \u2013 Cotes de Bordeaux<\/strong> Ch\u00e2teau de la Coste 2015 – Margaux<\/strong> Chateau Relais de la Poste \u2018Cuv\u00e9e Malbec\u2019 2014 – Cotes de Bourg<\/strong> THE FRENCH CHRISTMAS CASE \u2013 6 bottles + gift box + tasting notes = \u00a3125<\/strong><\/p>\n Champagne Comte Decrion Esprit Noble Brut NV, Champagne<\/strong> Domaine Alexandre Vieilles Vignes Chablis 2016, Burgundy<\/strong> Domaine Lebrun Pouilly Fum\u00e9 2017, Loire<\/strong> Domaine Cherrier \u2018La Croix Poignant\u2019 Sancerre Rouge 2017, Loire<\/strong> Domaine Faiveley Mercurey Rouge 2016, Burgundy<\/strong> Ch\u00e2teau Milon, Saint-\u00c9milion Grand Cru 2015, Bordeaux<\/strong> We have found that people tend to revert back to traditional favourites at this time of year hence the heavier focus on French wines. However, we do of course still have our monthly \u00a360 and \u00a3100 cases available and indeed we also have wines from all over the world – Torront\u00e9s from Argentina, Pais from Chile and Sparkling Shiraz from Oz, should that be more the way your boat floats!<\/p>\n TASTING THIS WEEKEND<\/strong><\/p>\n Saturday evening will find Alex and Wayne propping up the bar at The Hope on Wandsworth Common \u2013 an annual pre- Christmas tradition that never was meant to become a tradition but now somehow has\u2026 I suppose that\u2019s how a lot of traditions start really but anyway, prior to our appointment with a pint or deux, we will have been busy in the shop (he hopes) and will have been wetting our whistles with the following:<\/p>\n \u2022 Champagne Bollinger Special Cuv\u00e9e Brut NV – \u00a345 (\u00a335 if you buy six)<\/strong> I\u2019ve already mentioned the Champagne and the red in the tasting notes above \u2013 the white, not so far. A classic white burgundy which is in fact the estate\u2019s flagship wine. The grapes are hand-harvested from vines from 35 to over 60 years and the wine is aged for 12 months in barrels on the lees. The wine is racked off once and assembled in a single vat before bottling. This takes place at between 16 and 18 months, depending on the vintage. Delicate, rich and elegant, with good length, we reckon in a blind tasting it would easily be mistaken for a Meursault and this was awesome value for money.<\/p>\n The Port is terrible, you won\u2019t like it. 1996 single vintage Tawny, aged in the barrel and bottled earlier this year\u2026 it\u2019s over 21 years old, it must be out of date, I wouldn\u2019t get near it, we\u2019ll look after it for you, trained professionals and all that\u2026.<\/p>\n Finally, the Coteaux de Layon is a delicate sweet wine from the Loire made from Chenin Blanc and was a big hit at a recent cheese tasting \u2013 it\u2019s light freshness serving as a nice foil to some of the creamier cheeses.<\/p>\n And if that doesn\u2019t tantalise those taste buds we have got Gin, Whisky, Vodka and of course the Foxdenton Christmas Liqueur all open and awaiting your attention.<\/p>\n Nominate a driver and form an orderly queue, there\u2019s a lot to get through!<\/p>\n Ho! Ho! Ho!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fellow Wine Lovers, 48 Conservative MP\u2019s submit letters of no confidence but only 29 of them are brave enough to admit they have sent such a letter; Boris we imagine did send one but he\u2019s been unusually taciturn of late, sitting there on the fence… and then Theresa only goes and survives the vote anyway […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1088"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1089,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1088\/revisions\/1089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkvintners.co.uk\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nChateau B\u00e9chereau has been family owned since the early 19th century and has vineyards in Neac on excellent clay soils. This Lalande de Pomerol is a blend of Merlot (80%) and Cabernet Franc (20%). Half of the wine is fermented in stainless steel before ageing in oak barrels for 12 months; the other half is fermented in oak. This has given us a medium bodied, modern claret with a good balance of black fruits, toasty notes, some sweet spice and those tell-tale silky tannins that we love about Pomerol.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cVery classy nose here of minerals, currants and hints of freshly cut flowers. Full-bodied, with super silky tannins and a beautiful combination of ripe fruits and bright acidity. Tension to this. Juicy. Best ever from here. (4\/2012)\u201d<\/em> 93 points. James Suckling.<\/p>\n
\nWithin the prestigious satellite appellation Montagne St \u00c9milion, Ch\u00e2teau Cardinal\u2019s 10 hectares of vines average 30 years of age. Here Merlot, with some Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, grows on argilo-calcaire. Winemaker Sarah Boireau has fashioned a seductive, well-balanced claret with delicious spiced plum fruit, rounded tannin and a lovely finish. Plus it\u2019s suitable for vegans and meat-eaters alike!!<\/p>\n
\nThis is a classic luncheon claret from the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux. Medium bodied with plummy dark fruit, a little earthy cedar wood spice and just enough tannin to keep it honest. Just the ticket with a ham, cheddar and pickle sandwich on Boxing Day!<\/p>\n
\nCh\u00e2teau de La Coste is the second wine of Ch\u00e2teau Paveil de Luze, one of the oldest properties in the M\u00e9doc. It is situated in the northern part of the Margaux appellation with vineyards dating from the 17th century and has been owned and run by the Barons de Luze Family since 1862, with Marguerite and Catherine de Luze representing the sixth generation. The 2015 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot Noir and 5% Cabernet Franc. It has a complex bouquet of scents including blackcurrant, leather, liquorice, tobacco and plum is followed on the palate by bold, rich dark fruit flavours and a long finish.<\/p>\n
\nThis has deliciously dark blackcurrant fruit, appealing with a hint of violet too, and is frankly really tasty but with a bit more weight and juice than a normal Bordeaux. It is really quite unusual to find a 100% Malbec in Bordeaux which is what made us try it in the first place \u2013 and we found a gem.<\/p>\n
\nA small Champagne house that flies under the radar in many respects, despite having been around since 1933. A traditional blend of a third each of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier and aged on its lees for a minimum of two years we think it offers excellent quality and value. Decent fruit and bready character, a soft, fine, creamy mousse and a decent finish.<\/p>\n
\nThe 13 hectare property is in the small village of La Chapelle-Vaupelteigne just north of Chablis. This Cuv\u00e9e is from the estates oldest vines, around 60 years old and planted by the current winemaker\u2019s grandfather. It is an excellent, elegant Chablis with a nice richness from the old vines and a good, lean minerality.<\/p>\n
\nAbout a million years ago, when we sported Oddbins polo shirts, we used to sell lots of this wine. The bottle has lost its distinctive orange label somewhere in the intervening years but the wine has lost none of its quality or verve. Gooseberry, grass, minerals, lemons and limes all crop up somewhere between the start and the nice long finish. Tip-top classic Pouilly Fum\u00e9!<\/p>\n
\nIn the past we have been a bit wary of Pinot Noir from the Loire, sometimes feeling we were missing the subtleties others saw. This however is a totally different kettle of fish. These chaps have done a marvellous job here with excellent ripe, red fruit character a slice of minerality and some real Loire character \u2013 spot on.<\/p>\n
\nSourced from 5 parcels spread throughout the appellation with vines that date back to 1962. The grapes are hand harvested, sorted and pressed on site in Mercurey and are then brought to the domaine cellars in Nuits-St-Georges for aging.
\n\u201cPurity is the hallmark of this sleek red, whose vibrant structure marshals the flavors of cherry, raspberry and currant to a lingering conclusion. Balanced and focused, this fades gracefully with berry, orange zest and spice notes.\u201d<\/em>
\n*Smart Buys* 93 points Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 31\/5\/2018<\/p>\n
\nThe classic Saint \u00c9milion blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc from 25-30 year old vines. After fermentation the wine is aged in oak barrels for 12-15 months which of course adds complexity. Fabulously rich and velvety on the palate with damson fruit, a touch of liquorice and a super, silky finish. Medium to full bodied, an absolute joy with C\u00f4te de Boeuf.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Sylvain Dussort Bourgogne Blanc ‘Cuv\u00e9e des Ormes’ 2016 – \u00a321.99<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Domaine Cherrier \u2018La Croix Poignant\u2019 Sancerre Rouge 2017 – \u00a322.49<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Krohn Colheita 1996 Port – \u00a333.99<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Domaine de Clayou Coteaux de Layon 2017 – \u00a314.99<\/strong><\/p>\n