The Berry Bros & Rudd Autumn Sale, with some notes on featured wines
Today sees the launch of the Berry Bros & Rudd Autumn sale, with some pretty generous discounts going on a range of wines. A few gems here. Here are notes on five wines from the offer that I tried today.
Bret Brothers La Soufrandière Mâcon-Vinzelles ‘Le Clos de Grand-Père’ 2018 Bourgogne, France
13% alcohol. This is from a 1.1 ha plot, farmed biodynamically since 2007 on clay/limestone soils. 10% barrel, 90% stainless steel, with a low pH of 3.24 after 100% malolactic fermentation. The only addition is 60 mg/l sulfur dioxide, so it’s pretty natural. It has an intriguing nose of lemons, pear and some apple. The palate is so lively and vital with lovely appley fruit over a lemony core, good acidity and some spicy minerality, as well as just a touch of salinity. I might think this is from the Jura, such is the precision and tension. The subtle oxidative notes integrate well, but they might not be everyone’s cup of tea. 93/100 (£27.00 BBR reduced by 30% to £18.90)
Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot Arbois Trousseau Singulier 2018 Jura, France
14% alcohol. From five parcels, destemmed and then aged in 600 litre demi muids. Low sulfites. This is a lovely expression of Trousseau, although it has a bit of spicy wildness. It has a lovely raspberry and cranberry crunch, and some warmth, too (this is reasonably high alcohol for Trousseau), and nice texture and drinkability. Some pepper and meaty hints around the core of sweet fruit. Lovely concentration and texture. 92/100 (£35 BBR, reduced by 40% to £21)
Celler Sangenís i Vaqué Vall Por 2014 Priorat, Spain
14.5% alcohol. This is a blend of Garnacha, Samso, Cabernet and Merlot. It’s a ripe, lush wine with smooth black fruits and a savoury, spicy edge, with some oak and a bit of development. This is a rich, mellow red that’s drinking well now, but will go mushy with a couple more years, so best drink soon. Quite sophisticated in a classic, oak-driven, ripe style. 88/100 (£23.50 reduced by 40% to £14.10)
Caroline Lestimé Domaine Jean- Noël Gagnard Hautes-Côtes de Beaune ‘Sous Eguisons’ 2016 Bourgogne, France
12.5% alcohol. This is from organically farmed vines, and the lieu dit is named after a limestone cliff that it sits under. It’s a precise, focused wine with a core of citrus fruit, and then a hint of pear richness, followed by some nutty notes and a touch of creaminess on the finish. Lovely layers of flavour here, with limestone freshness suffusing the rest of the palate. 92/100 (£29.95 reduced by 30% to £20.96)
Domaine Patrick Coulbois Pouilly-Fume Les Cocques 2018 Loire, France
13% alcohol. Bright, linear and laser sharp, with lovely limestone focus to the palate, which has some texture to it and a rounded lemon and elderflower fruitiness, but also with good acidity. Such delicacy and focus here, with real finesse. It’s a really pretty expression of Pouilly-Fumé, and it could also age quite nicely. 92/100 (£19.95 BBR reduced by 30% to £13.96)