Why We Like It

Having moved from the music industry into wine ourselves, we feel a certain kinship with Westwell winemaker Adrian Pike. The two go hand in hand; both an endlessly spiralling black hole of genres and regions, artist and producers, vintages and albums, record labels and well… labels.

Westwell finds itself situated on Kent's chalky soils, perfect for planting the three Champagne varieties that go into their wonderful NV. But the main reason we were first attracted to them was a review of their amphora aged Ortega that flagged it as one of the most interesting wines in England. A couple of taps on a keyboard later, this orange blossom scented textural delight had us converted.

Digging a little deeper, is seems Adrian may have left the music industry behind, but kept with him the undying urge to discover something new. Whether that's making pink pet nat, or finding the best way to work as sustainably as possible in England's wet climate.

Westwell are making some of the best, and still somehow under the radar, wines in the UK. If you want taste of what is to come from the vineyards of England, have a try of Westwell yourself.

What To Expect

Named for the Pilgrim's Way which carried pilgrims from Winchester to Thomas Beckett's grave that border's the estate, Westwell's NV blend of the three traditional Champagne varieties presents a crisp, citrus led aperitif that carries an enticingly creamy, toasty brioche character from a lengthy 36 months on it’s lees.

Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir / 12% / Kent, England / 75cl

Why We Like It

Many years ago, when we were first working out what the world of wine had in store for us, we had a very awkward experience in a particularly fancy restaurant in Paris.

‘Non! You will not order this wine.’

It was Domaine Montesquieu’s quite delicious, and dry, Jurançon Sec, that got us into this situation.

We like a white wine with breadth, and the wines we had experienced from Jurançon had so far scratched that itch very well. What we didn’t know however, was that a Jurançon without the ‘sec’ is a very sweet wine and would not have been the best accompaniment to our quenelle de brochet… the seemingly rude sommelier had done us a favour.

I don’t remember what we ended up drinking that night, but learning that three simple letters could have such an effect was one of the many experiences that led us down the wine rabbit-hole we’re still tumbling through to this day.

What To Expect

This is a wine with so many dimensions. Broad in texture and flavour, it stretches from confit lemon to dried mango. Clean acidity, and an intriguing savoury hint, balance the ripe fruit beautifully. This is an underrated rarity.

Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng, Courbu, Camaralet / 14% / South West, France / 75cl

Why We Like It

Usually we try to write everything in these blurbs ourselves, but Craven themselves sum it up so succinctly; ‘Honest, pure wines from single sites’. Tasting their 2022 Chardonnay was a bit of an epiphany of us. Such precision and purity at an ABV of 11.5% was not something we had experienced before. On that basis, we ordered across the board.

It’s also very important that we say here, these are not your typical big, bold, oaked Stellenbosch wines. The name of the game here is expression of fruit and site. Winemaking is hands off; no cultured yeast, fining agents or enzymes get anywhere near Mick and Jeanine’s wines.

We implore you to give them a go, you’ll see a side to Stellenbosch you might not have experienced before.

What To Expect

With this wine… quite literally, the unexpected. A skin-contact Pinot Gris with a gorgeous rich pinky orange colour. It’s a textural experience backed up by ripe citrus, orange peel and nectarine. Chill it down as an aperitif, or let it warm up a bit with food. It’s a curiosity that is immensely moorish.

Pinot Gris / 12% / Stellenbosch, South Africa / 75cl

Why We Like It

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Now, that is obviously true but sometimes a cover looks so good you just have to have a look inside and my-oh-my do Antoine Lienhardt’s labels look bloody gorgeous. Good job the wines live up to them.

If you haven’t already noticed, Burgundy’s getting a tad pricey, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find a bottle of Meursault or Vosne-Romanee at Plouf. We’re more interested in what’s going on outside the classic AOCs… so let us introduce you to Comblanchien.

Bottled as Cotes de Nuits Villages, this narrow strip of east facing limestone shares much of its geography with neighbour Nuits St George’s itself; a fact that Antoine is very keen to remind people of. His grandfather Maurice was the first vigneron here to bottle his own wines, such was his belief in this terroir. Antoine has carried on this forward thinking, implementing changes such as farming biodynamically, using cement eggs in the winery, and reducing the practice of ‘hedging’ in the vineyards to increase shading of the grapes and combat the ever present threat of climate change.

The winemaking here is whole-bunch, with gentle and short maceration. Elevage is in cement, or seasoned oak, thereby putting the focus on the fruit and the site. This is the hallmark of new-wave Burgundy and the joy of this approach is that these are drinkable from release (with a short decant of course), but don’t be afraid to lay them down for a few years. You might be pleasantly surprised.

What To Expect

A plot on a gentle east-facing limestone slope, Les Plantes aux Bois is Antoine’s first single vineyard wine. The old vines (50-70 years) provide low yields and focused aromas of red cherry, tart blackcurrant and floral touches underlined by stony acidity.

2022 was a warm, dry, sunny year saved by late rainfall towards the end of the summer and is generally regarded as a great vintage for the reds. Antoine picked on the 27th August, early enough to retain the elegance of a classic burgundy, but by no means unusually early in these days of our changing climate.

Pinot Noir / 13.5% / Comblanchien, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France / 75cl