Some top wines from Corney & Barrow
I recently tried these wines from London-based wine merchant Corney & Barrow. Some real highlights, including a gorgeous natural Beaujolais, the first sherry from Peter Sisseck, and a thrillingly elegant Nebbiolo from Giulia Negri.
Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV France
12% alcohol. Sister house of Salon, Delamotte is a Chardonnay-focused producer and this is from three Grand Cru villages: Le Mesnil Sur Oger, Avize and Oger. Base wine is 2016 with 15% reserve wines (2015 and 2014), disgorged April 2021 with a dosage of 7 g/litre. Taut, focused and fresh with lovely citrus fruit core. Bright and elegant with a nice acid line and real finesse. 93/100 (£50.95)
Corney & Barrow Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Aligoté 2019 Bourgogne, France
11.5% alcohol. From a 0.6 hectare plot below Volnay. Stainless steel vinification. Fresh, linear and very fine. Has crystalline citrus fruit with real finesse and a precise, saline finish. 93/100
Tunella Rjgialla 2020 Colli Orientali del Friuli, Italy
13.5% alcohol. Hillside terraces with ponca soils (calcareous marl and sandstone). Supple and linear with nice fruit and lovely precision, showing focused pear and green apple. 92/100 (£15.50)
Adegas Galegas Pazo de Almuiña Veigadares Albariño 2018 Rias Baixas, Spain
12.5% alcohol. Albariño grape, with a little bit of Loureira, Treixadura and Caiño blanco in supporting roles. Sourced from Condado de Tea, Rosal and Salnes. Fermented in 2500 litre foudres and spends 6 months on lees. Fresh, focused and linear with nice precision, showing linear fruit and a touch of apricot richness. Very stylish. 92/100 (£18.75)
Domaine Trapet Riesling Beblenheim 2018 Alsace, France
13.5% alcohol. Based in Riquewihr, the Trapets also have vineyards in Kientzheim and Beblenheim, and farm biodynamically. This wine is from a single hectare site on two different types of chalk soils. Taut with nice citrus fruit, as well as some pear. Has a core of richness and also some crystalline notes. Very expressive, showing great balance. 93/100
Viña Corrales by Peter Sisseck Fino Pago Balbaina (2021 Bottling) Jerez, Spain
15% alcohol. In 2017 Peter Sisseck purchased Bodega San Francisco Javier, in a venture with the Del Rio family of Hacienda Monasterio. This fino is made from the Balbaina pago with its tosca de barajuela albariza soils. The blend is an average age of 9 years old. Lovely aromatics here: very fine, salty and minera with real finesse. The palate is tangy, pure and bright with fine apple and lemon notes. Refreshing and saline. 95/100 (£32.95) See my report on a visit to Sisseck’s Sherry Bodega
Domaine Lathuilière-Gravallon GAM Beaujolais-Villages 2020 France
13% alcohol. From a small family domaine based in Villié-Morgon. From old vines, the idea was to vinify without adding SO2, save a bit at bottling. Supple, bright and elegant. Fine and pure with bright red cherry, cranberry and raspberry fruit, with a slight saltiness. 93/100 (£13.25)
Viña La Ronciere Cabernet Franc Idahue Estate 2018 Licantén, Chile
13.5% alcohol. Licantén is Chile’s newest DO, just 25km from the Pacific in coastal Curicó. This wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Syrah, matured in French oak barrels for 10 months. Floral, aromatic blackcurrant and cherry fruit. Fine and fresh, showing lovely balance with cherry and raspberry fruit, as well as a bit of grip. A lovely wine. 93/100 (£13.95)
Giulia Negri Langhe Nebbiolo Pian delle Mole 2019 Piedmont, Italy
13% alcohol. Giulia Negri has taken over at her family estate and is a rising star in the region. This is Nebbiolo from the Serradenari vineyard in La Morra. Very fine and elegant. Pure and floral with red cherry fruit as well as fine-grained structure. Floral, fine and elegant with a red fruit core. 94/100 (£18.50)
François Mitjavile Roc de Cambes 2014 Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux, France
13.5% alcohol. From 14 hectares of old vines planted on the prized slope of the Côtes where the heat of the sun is regulated by the effects of the estuary and the clay/limestone soils. 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Rich and powerful, but also soft and ripe with sweet black cherries and blackberries. Smooth, soft and expressive with lush fruit and nice weight. 93/100 (£63.95)
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