Tag Archives: wine of the week

Wine of the Week: Non-Vintage Krug

February 22, 2016Wine and Spiritssommelier, wine, wine and dine, Wine events, Wine Festival, wine of the week, WinesThe Vineyard

Krug is renowned as one of the great Champagne houses and this week we have decided to ring out February with their rich yet refreshing Non-Vintage cuvée.

NV Champagne Krug, Grande Cuvée, Brut

Founded in 1843, the Champagne house Krug is still revered as one of the superlative names to produce Champagne. A so-called Grande Marque, or famous brand of wine, Krug has a very different notion of Champagne-making to any other house. Their Non-Vintage Grande Cuvée is the result of a blend of 134 wines from 12 different vintages from 1990 to 2004.

Krug uses all three Champagne varieties in their wines, and this particular cuvée is a blend is of 44% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 19% Pinot Meunier. The bottles are then aged for at least 6 years in the cellar (the minimum requirement being of 18 months for a non vintage Champagne) to give the great complexity and richness defining the style of Krug.

This very complex Champagne shows aromas of cooked stone fruit, hazelnuts, honey, Acacia and marzipan. The palate is rich with a great intensity but a fantastic minerality remains.

Because of the elegance and complexity of this Champagne, I would suggest to have it with dinner – it is a great match to enjoy with our Halibut dish (or equally on its own!)

Icon Wine of the Week: 1999 Chateau Montelena

February 15, 2016Wine and Spiritsfine wine, icon wine, sommelier, wine, wine of the week, WinesThe Vineyard

This time of year signals promise for the warmer months to come and positivity for what the rest of the year has in store. Our sommelier team have chosen a fitting Icon Wine of this week – an upbeat California red – not just any California red, but made by Chateau Montelena, winner of the seminal event Judgement of Paris in 1976.

Our Icon wines are a real treat for our guests to try a glass of something that they would not usually buya full bottle of. We offer these bottles – for that week only – at cost price for a glass, meaning that you can explore and expand your vinous horizons. This week, you will have the great opportunity to taste one of Napa Valley’s finest wineries.

Château Montelena was established in 1882 and gained a massive success after the winning of the Judgement of Paris with its 1973 Chardonnay. Since then it has become on of California’s iconic wineries.

This particular Cabernet Sauvignon has a beautiful depth of flavour and a great balance, as well as a wonderfully smooth and pure palate. At 17 years old, it has a wonderful mature nose.

The wine shows some lovely aromas of cooked dark fruit such as blackcurrant, blueberry and blackberry as well as notes of chocolate, coffee beans and cigar box.

The palate has firm but well integrated tannins with a very good complexity and a great concentration. Fantastic with food, it is also great to nurse on its own.

Icon Wine Of The Week: 2005 Taittinger

February 11, 2016Wine and Spiritsfine wine, food and wine pairing, wine, wine and dine, wine of the weekThe Vineyard

There can be no other wine that signifies romance like Champagne. For this week, the week of love, our sommelier team have chosen 2005 Taittinger as our Icon Wine, a beautiful expression of rich, toasty, vanilla-led Champagne.

‘Tis the weekend of Love and to celebrate St Valentine I have selected one of Champagne’s finest cuvées.

Since its first release in 1952, only 30 vintages have been produced. For me, 2005 is among the best!

Comtes de Champagne is a blend of Chardonnay from five different Grands Crus from the Côte De Blancs.

It is not released before it has aged for 10 years in the Taittinger cellars and 2005 is the newest release. This Champagne develops some toasty and hazelnut notes due to a slight barrel ageing, as well as some lovely ripe stone fruit tones, aromas of citrus fruits and vanilla.

The palate shows a great balance with a lively minerality and a long finish.

A fantastic Champagne to have as an aperitif or to enjoy with our Scallops dish!

Icon Wine of the Week: 2005 Puligny Montrachet

February 3, 2016Wine and Spiritsfood and wine pairing, sommelier, wine, wine of the week, wine school, wine tasting, WinesThe Vineyard

Now that our Iconic Indulgence getaway is available all week, there’s even more time to enjoy our Icon Wine of the Week. This week’s Icon Wine is a delicious Puligny Montrachet from an exceptional vintage, 2005.

2005 Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru, Clavoillon, Domaine Leflaive, Burgundy
This week, we are paying tribute to one of the most involved and talented producers in Burgundy: Anne Claude Leflaive, and one of the most exceptional vintages, 2005, which is drinking really well now.

Domaine Leflaive was established in 1717 and is nowadays regarded as one of the finest Burgundy estates. Mainly producing wines from Puligny-Montrachet, this week’s bottle is a Puligny Premier Cru from a vineyard of 11.84 acres called Clavoillon. The wine had a barrel age of 12 months and a following six months in stainless steel.

With a creamy texture, the wine develops notes of hazelnuts and roasted almonds as well as some baked apple and stone fruit tones on the nose. The rich palate is balanced by a chalky minerality giving to the wine a great freshness. It is a great pairing for our cod course.

Icon Wine of the Week: Les Pavots, California

January 28, 2016Wine and Spiritsfine wine, icon wine, sommelier, wine, wine of the week, wine tasting, WinesThe Vineyard

High above the Californian Knights Valley planted between 1989 and 1999, Les Pavots is the flagship wine of the Peter Michael Estate with a rocky volcanic origin: a terroir-driven wine that would stand the test of time. It is The Vineyard’s icon wine this weekend. Our sommelier team tells us more.

Les Pavots signifies Peter Michael’s flagship blend of red Bordeaux varietals from its Knights Valley Estate. Sir Peter Michael established his winery in Sonoma’s wild Knights Valley back in 1982. His goal was to produce a wine in a New World country but with Old World methods such as mountain vineyard and terroir-reflected wines.

First produced in 1989, the Les Pavots blend varies from vintage to vintage, and typically it is two thirds Cabernet Sauvignon with roughly equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot. Les Pavots captures an elegant refined expression of the terroir embracing the full spectrum of Cabernet family varietal expression with its trademark touch of herbes de provence. The name translates to “The Poppies” and is named after the California poppies that grow wild on the estate and are the inspiration for the winery’s logo.

This Cabernet Sauvignon Blend shows a great concentration of ripe blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry as well as a touch of sweet spices from the oak ageing. 2009 was a classic vintage and the wine shows a lovely minerality and an exceptional balance.

This wine would go with lamb exceptionally well.

Icon Wine of the Week: Mount Mary Vineyard, Australia

January 21, 2016Wine and Spiritsfine wine, icon wine, wine, wine of the week, wine tastingThe Vineyard

As the fourth largest wine producer in the world, and 40% of the production being consumed within the country, Australia has no native grapes, all having being brought over initially from Spain and France. For this weekend’s icon wine of the week, available by the glass in our restaurant, our wine team have chosen a Pinot Noir.

Mount Mary is a family owned, single vineyard estate located in the heart of the Yarra Valley. The region is in the south-eastern corner of Australia, east of Melbourne in the state of Victoria. This gentle north facing slope was first planted to vines in 1972 with 18 varieties on 40 acres. The Pinot Noir vines were sourced from western Victoria in 1971.

Yarra Valley is regarded as the “Burgundy” part of Australia – it gives great results both with the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape varietals.

This particular wine develops aromas of wild strawberries, cranberries and cherries as well as a hint of black truffle and forest floor.

The 16 months of oak ageing gives the wine some subtle spicy notes such as black pepper, as well as hints of liquorice and smoke.

The palate is long with a lovely rocky minerality and some velvety tannins and we would strongly recommend this beautiful wine with our pork belly course.

Icon Wine of the Week: Chablis from Francois Ravenau

January 14, 2016Wine and Spiritsfine wine, sommelier, wine, Wine events, wine of the week, wine school, wine tasting, WinesThe Vineyard

A region steeped in history where the Romans are likely to have planted and cultivated wine grapes in the area, Chablis is renowned for its lightly-oaked white wines touched by its kimmeridgean soil type. This week our head sommelier Romain Bourger chooses one of his favourite vintages and producers.

Francois Raveneau established his estate in 1948 and started to be seen as one of the finest Chablis producers during the 1970’s. The great care used to produce the wines includes entirely manual harvest, which makes it one of the only 5 estates in Chablis to do so!

The estate is composed of 9.29 hectares and about 90% of the vineyards are located on either Chablis Grand Cru or Chablis Premier Cru appellation.

The 2009 vintage shows a great chalky minerality followed by a complex touch of toasty and creamy notes due to the oak ageing and some lovely ripe white fruit and citrus notes.

One of the greatest white wines I have ever tasted was one of Domaine Francois Raveneau’s 1994 Chablis Premier Cru. An exquisite paring with our scallops dish!

Please reserve your glass with reception before 7pm on Friday 15^th and Saturday 16^th January 2016.

New Year’s Competition!

January 1, 2016EventsCalifornia Wine, Californian wine, fine wine, James Hocking, Judgement of Paris, News at The Vineyard, Peter Michael Winery, The Vineyard Cellars, Vineyard at Stockcross, Wine events, Wine Festival, wine of the week, wine school, wine tastingThe Vineyard

Happy New Year!

We are passionate about good wine. And to celebrate the start to 2016, the 40th anniversary of a very important wine event for us, as well as our award for ‘No. 1 wine of the Year 2015’ from Wine Spectator, we’ve a fantastic new competition to win tickets to our Californian wine tasting in May.

2016 is the 40th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris, a blind wine tasting comparing Californian and French wines. Groundbreakingly, Californian wine came out on top. It is no coincidence that three of our wine ventures, Peter Michael Winery, Vineyard Cellars and The Vineyard were launched following this event. And today, as well as various 100-point Parker wines, Wine Spectator’s Number one wine of the year 2015 is our very own Peter Michael Winery Au Paradis 2012. ‘As a textbook example of the way passionate investment, technical skill and an outstanding vineyard can create compelling wines, the Peter Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Au Paradis 2012 is Wine Spectator‘s 2015 Wine of the Year.’ says James Laube of Wine Spectator. Click here for more.

Our Californian wine merchant has teamed up with our Californian winery to host a commemorative Californian wine tasting, both in central London (10th May) and at The Vineyard Hotel (14th May). You can win a pair of tickets to either one that you prefer.

With the great and the good of Californian wine world attending, this will be a stellar event. And for those who love steak, good wine, sunshine and excellent atmosphere then this is for you.

To enter the competition, and win tickets, all you have to do is tell us in which region of California Peter Michael Winery is situated. Email competitions@the-vineyard.co.uk with your answer by 31st January 2016.

Good luck from The Vineyard team!

Terms and conditions:

a) The prize is for a pair of tickets to either our London wine tasting on 10th May 2016 or at The Vineyard wine tasting on 14th May 2016 ; these tickets are non transferable and non refundable.
b) All entrants must be over 18 and based in the UK. Employees and associates of employees are unable to enter.
c) By entering this competition you agree to be included in newsletter updates from The Vineyard.
d) The competition cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer(s).
e) The Vineyard reserves the right to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the competition with or without prior notice due to reasons outside its control.

Icon Wine of the Week: Chateau Montelena

December 24, 2015Wine and Spiritsfood and wine pairing, wine, wine and dine, Wine events, Wine Festival, wine of the week, wine school, WinesThe Vineyard

Made legendary by the historic Judgement of Paris, to which we are so indebted, Chateau Montelena is a rich, juicy, profound red, a showstopping Cabernet ideal for the Christmas table. Fittingly, it is our Christmas Weekend icon wine.

Chateau Montelena was founded in 1882 by Alfred Tubbs. The renaissance of the winery, under the leadership of James Barrett, began in 1972 with the replanting of the Estate vineyard and the establishment of the Chateau Montelena philosophy: make the best, period.

Today the tradition continues. Jim Barrett’s son, Bo, winemaker at Chateau Montelena beginning in 1982, is now its Master Winemaker. After more than three decades of experience with the same vineyards and varieties, the Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Napa Valley Chardonnay are recognized as world-class. This is a smooth and elegant wine with a long finish.

The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (an 8,600-case cuvée made from yields of 1.98 tons of fruit per acre) is considered by Bo Barrett to be a “great” year. The wine boasts a saturated inky/purple colour as well as extraordinary density of fruit and cassis, and huge tannin, body, and extract. It is a substantial, palate-staining, long, muscular Cabernet.

There is the trademark Montelena earthy, berry fruit, smoky and rich with many subtleties. On the palate it has a big juicy front, a very full texture and many layers of flavours in a rich cross section of fruit and terroir.

Great with our chefs Cornish Lamb shoulder or grilled red beef.

Icon Wine of the Week: Château Lagrange from St. Julien

December 17, 2015Wine and Spiritsfood and wine pairing, wine, wine of the week, wine school, wine tastingThe Vineyard

Bordeaux is one of the most revered and long-standing wine regions in the world. St Julien, situated on the Left Bank, is no exception, producing Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated reds.

Château Lagrange was known in the Middle Ages as the Noble House of Lagrange Montei. Records of the successive owners go back as far as 1631. In 1824 the total production was 120 barrels (12 000 cases). In 1842, the ex-Home Secretary to King Louis-Philippe, Count Duchatel, left his mark on the property and the Médoc by introducing a drainage system in the vineyard. This helped improve the wine immensely. While drainage in vineyards is common today, that was very forward thinking in 1842.

The Count brought the annual production up to 300 barrels. This was a golden age for Lagrange, with the famous 1855 classification awarding the property the title of Third Classified Growth. The beginning of the 20th century was much less glorious as the economic conditions deteriorated. Despite several changes in ownership the yields were lower and of lesser quality. A decline in business meant the estate had to be broken up from 280 hectares (around 700 acres) in 1840, the domain had been reduced to 157 hectares (392 acres) by December 1983, when the Japanese group Suntory bought it from the Cendoya family, owners since 1925.

Lots of floral, berry and raspberry character on the nose lead to a medium- to full-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and a fresh finish. Aromas of tobacco, smoke, cigar box, blackberry and cedar wood personality. The tannins are ripe, the fruit is ample and fresh, finish with a spicy, cassis and pomegranate note. Lovely wine. Round and refined.

Great with our chef’s lamb and beef.

The Vineyard Blog