Château Les Haut Conseillants is the dream of a tenacious man. In 1973, Leopold Figeac decided to restore the four hectares estate in Lalande de Pomerol. Later he purchased another six hectares with his daughter and son in law. All his efforts have been justified since the Château is now well regarded in the appellation and is still run by his grandson Jean Baptiste Bourotte.

Plenty of quite dark, plummy fruit character, even a hint of liquorice and clove, but a good weight of succulent fruit and a hint of toasty oak on the finish. From a stellar vintage; plenty of ageing potential here for those who can wait. And immediate pleasure for those who can't!

14% abv

Densely textured, complex wine, based on fruit from the family vineyards on the Paardeberg: in this vintage 32% Chenin Blanc, 19% Roussanne, 12% Grenache Blanc and Verdelho, 8 % Viognier, 6% Grenache and 4% Clairette, all given about a year in large 500 or 600l. old barrels. Dry, concentrated Chenin is always the base note, and the Rhône varieties bring stone fruit and weight. Intense flavours of lemon rind and quince enlivened by Granny Smith appley bite. Terrific, dry savoury finish. Will age superbly. Now-2024

These wines are inspired by the light yet complex and textured wines grown on volcanic slopes of Mount Etna, Sicily. Since there’s no Nerello Cuppucio or Mascalese here in SA, Grenache is the next best thing and it works a charm. The grapes are from a farm of old bush vines outside Darling. Grapes were handpicked, footstomped and fermented naturally. A gentle basket-press and then the wine left in a single old 500L barrel for a whole year. To us, these wines evoked memories of great Ribera Sacra wines, from the cool northeat of Spain. Minimal sulphur added before bottling, this is a lean, mean Grenache machine that is drinking superbly already. Whoop! Only 600 bottles produced.

On the nose, tropical fruits and citrus dominate as crushed pineapple, lime leaf, and green apple are closely followed by fresh apricot, peach and fig. Austere at first, the palate opens to zesty notes of grapefruit, sweet lemon curd, and an almost Champagne-like brightness and minerality. Wonderfully aromatic showing layers of floral notes – orange blossom and honeysuckle, along with sweet clove and nutmeg spice tones. Soft, round and fleshy on the palate, this wine shows a strong acid backbone without pronounced tartness leading into the long, warm and spicy finish.

13.5% abv

We are extremely excited to be working with Domaine du Pelican wines. Winemaker Guillaume hails from Volnay in Burgundy, where his wines extremely well thought of. The move to Jura came some years ago when he was served a white wine so fine he swore it could only be from Cru vineyards of Burgundy. It was in fact from Jura. He began his exploration in the territory and eventually found the vineyards that he knew he could work with to recreate his experience.

Today, we have the fruits of his labour in this truly exquisite Chardonnay. Made using old wooden foudres and concrete eggs, with only 5% new oak, the purity and character of the grape and the terroir shines through. This is a different style of Chardonnay to that of the Cote d’Or, chiefly thanks to the Marne soils that lend the wine texture, minerality and classicism. Vivid notes of salt-flecked grapefruit and white peach and a generous touch of butter and nut, beautifully complimented by cooling stone and mineral elements. Ethereal, memorable, delicious.

We are delighted to be working with Domaine du Pelican. Winemaker Guillaume hails from Volnay in Burgundy, so came armed with the knowledge needed for making extremely high-quality wines.

The flagship grape of the Jura region, Savagnin is brimming with personality and capable of making exceptional wines. Here, in the non-oxidative 'dry' style, it shows intriguing notes of white flowers, green tropical fruit and an enticing savoury edge, almost reminiscent of green olive. The lively palate sends waves of orchard fruit, buttery citrus and warm spice, with the floral and savoury-mineral notes lingering on the mouthwatering finish. Made using less than 5% new oak, the wine shows the true personality of this wonderful grape. The closest comparison might be something akin to the depth and richness of of top-class white Burgundy with the nerve and fruit of a dry Mosel Riesling. A real revelation, and a truly individual wine.

Three reds, two whites, and one rosé.

A top-notch selection of our bestsellers, all tried and tested by us and many, many customers! Saves 5% on the price of buying separately. 

Includes;

Haut Grelot, Blaye Cotes du Bordeaux - a plush and velvety Bordeaux from award winning winemakers in this great value area of Bordeaux.

Le Fou Pinot Noir, Pays d'Oc - a rich and spicy Pinot noir from the warmer climes of the Languedoc. Unoaked, juicy and fully ripe.

Delas Cotes du Rhone, Ventoux - Delas are King of the Rhone. This Ventoux packs black fruit and black pepper in a medium bodied easy-drinking style.

Chapeau Melon Blanc, Loire - Half Muscadet and half Sauvignon Blanc combine in a seasidey-fresh and zippy summer quaffer.

Mas Bahourat Viognier, Languedoc - Soft pear and apricot flavours in this supple, medium bodied delight. Complex and lingering.

Gris Marin Rosé, Sablé de Carmague - crsip and dry rosé with a round and juicy texture. 100% Grenache gris from the sunny Mediterranean Coast.

Looking beyond the familiar realms of France and Italy to the wider talent that abounds in Europe. From classics like Rueda, to emerging regions in the east, these wines should expand your horizons, even if just from your kitchen table!

Three whites and three reds. 

Includes;

Guarda Rios Branco, Alentejano, Portugal - ripe tropical fruits and floral tones pervade this very quaffable wine from southern Portugal. Mediterranean in style and equally sunny feeling!

Dveri Pax, Slovenia - this estate belongs to the Benedictine Monastery of Admont and wine has been made here since 1139 A.D. The Pax wine is made from local grape Furmint, blended with Pinot Gris, with an enlivening splash of Riesling. Dry, crisp, brightly fruited and mineral, this could literally be the Holy Grail!

Bardos Rueda, Spain - 100% Verdejo; the supreme grape of the Rueda region. Notes of white peach combine with cut grass, and citrus. Great volume and persistence leading to the typically characteristic aniseed aftertaste. Great with BBQ'd sardines.

Il Folle Nero d'Avola, Sicily - the wines of the Italian islands have a character all of their own. Windswept and sunny, with a rustic charm. Bramble and smokey chocolate notes infuse this medium bodied delight. Juicy and easy going.

Alabastro, Alentejano, Portugal - based on Tempranillo (known locally as Aragonez) and a blend of local and native varieties. Deep, rounded and smooth. A satisfying and classy red wine, full of Portuguese personality.

Soli Merlot, Thracian Valley, Bulgaria - a rich and plummy Merlot, with so much character. Warm spice and loganberry, medium bodied and very gluggable. Estate bottled.

Saving nearly £15 on the cost of buying separately, this sumptuous collection showcases the very finest examples of our favourite white wines.

Includes;

Antinori, Conte della Vipera, Umbria - from the legendary Antinori family, a Sauvignon-Semillon blend that begins with herbaceous, floral notes and ends with fresh cut pineapple and white fruits. Persistent and moreish.

Moreau-Naudet Chablis - linear, cut-glass precision in this organic Chablis from Domaine Moreau. Chalky and steely with crunchy green apple and lemon curd citrus. Absolutely spot on.

Auntsfield Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ - from Marlborough's oldest vines. Pristine, aromatic, utterly refreshing. Cut grass and kiwi, guava and lime zest.

Benufet Garnacha Blanca, Terra Alta - An off the beaten track wine from the hinterland around Barcelona. This won the best garnacha blanca for this region. Unoaked but rich and layered, with complex floral and stone-fruit nuances. Muy bien!

Bernard Fouquet Cuvée de Silex Vouvray - the most legendary of the Loire Valley Chenins, this just off-dry offering is complex and honeyed, with unmistakable Chenin blanc 'zip' and nerve. Intense and mouthwatering; perfect with roast chicken.

Joseph Sprietzer Riesling, Rheingau - intense lemon juice, lime, grapefruit and white flowers, with a typical touch of kerosene  Dry on the palate, but full fruited and lingering, with smoke-tinted minreality and just the tiniest spritz giving further energy. Delicious and accomplished.

Les Allées de Cantermele is the second wine of Château Cantemerle which can be traced back to the 12th century, when it started life as a fortification guarding the shores of the Medoc.

A very refined and delineated bouquet with blackberry, crushed stone and light mint aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that will mesh together. There is a fine spiciness/white pepper note on the finish. What an outstanding second wine. Offering sweet, soft and ripe dark berries, this wine is fresh and ample with black cherry notes in an elegant style. This remains one of the best Bordeaux value wines in the market today.

13% abv

The importance of wines such as Meerlust Rubicon should not be overlooked as milestones in the developing history of South African wine. First made in 1980, it essentially set the pattern for Bordeaux blends in the country.

Like the best Bordeaux wines, the 2016, certainly has ageing potential. However, it is drinking so beautifully now that I suspect people will struggle to stop themselves opening it. The tannins are present, but supple and plump, and backed with a certain freshness of acidity as a counterpoint to its nicely ripe black fruit. It is lip-smacking and moreish.

Slow ripening in the vintage meant uneven ripeness in the Cabernet Sauvignon while Merlot apparently shone. Consequently, the 49% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend is the lowest in Rubicon history, with 28% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot making up the remainder. In addition, extraction during fermentation was deliberately gentle with the Cabernet, reflected in the supple tannic structure.

The wine spent 16 months in 55% new oak barrels, with the oak giving cedar and some incense-like spice notes which worked in harmony with tobacco-leaf aromas that are most likely from the Cabernet Franc component. Satisfying and rewarding. A wine to bring a smile to ones face.