These are the posh wines, the ones on the end of the aisle.


Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu Sainte Céline, Domaines Brocard 2010
£16.99
100% Chardonnay grown in Fleys, a small village near Chablis, on limestone and kimmeridgian clay soils covering steep south facing slopes, mechanically harvested in favourable conditions during the third week in September. Alcoholic fermentation with natural yeasts occurs between 18 and 22°C in stainless steel vats to preserve the purity of the grapes. Malolactic fermentation is completed and the wine is left for 14 months on fine lees to add complexity before being fined with kieselguhr. Residual sugar: <0.5g/l. Winemaker: Odile van der Moere at Domaines Brocard. New vintage, available now, 174 stores, exclusive, cork 12.5%

Creamy nose. The taste is a creamy and textured and as you'd expect.

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011 £19.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from estate and grower vineyards located in the Rapaura, Fairhall, Renwick and Brancott sub-regions of the Wairau Valley. The grapes were harvested from March 2nd to April 20th under cool yet settled autumn conditions. Consistent with years past, the first grapes were picked from stonier, warmer sites in the Rapaura sub-region. The harvest continued steadily over a month, progressively working through the later ripening sites with the last of the Sauvignon Blanc harvested on April 20th. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel tanks at a low temperature to preserve freshness. Residual sugar: 3.5g/l.
Winemaker: Tim Heath at Cloudy Bay.
New vintage, available now, 174 stores, screw cap 13.5%

Sweet nose with a hint of lime. Lovely taste. Pure, typical and with no rough edges. The price, though, is ridiculous.

Demoiselles de Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc 2010 £21.99
60% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 5% Muscadelle. The vines have an average age of 20yrs with yields of 35hl/ha. The grapes are hand-picked into small crates. The juice is left to settle for 48hrs in small concrete thermo-regulated vats with vinification taking place in new oak barrels and lees stirred 3 times a week. The wine spends up to 12 months in barrel with frequent stirring of the lees. Residual sugar: 3.7g/l. Winemaker: Patrick Meraz. At various times called Ch. de Canolle, La Rivette and Briot-Larrivet, the estate was renamed Ch. Haut-Brion Larrivet by the owner Ernest Laurent in 1874. The property was given its current name, Ch. Larrivet Haut-Brion in 1949. Today it belongs to the Gervoson family, Les Demoiselles is the second wine. 72ha are under vine with soils typical of the Graves de Bordeaux middle terrace with a high gravel content.
New, available end May, 55 stores, exclusive, cork 14.0%

Beautiful nose. The oak's a little forward on the palate at the mo, but should calm down.

Meursault Vieilles Vignes Closerie des Alisiers 2010 £20.99
100% Chardonnay grown around the village of Meursault (predominantly Clos des Meix Chavaux and Monthélie pre Demange) on clay and limestone soils at an altitude of 200m. The old vines are harvested by hand and the alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats starts spontaneously thanks to the natural yeasts. Malolactic fermentation is completed in oak barrels. The wine ages
for 14 months in barrels (20% new oak) before being bottled. Residual sugar: <2g/l.
Made by three winemakers for Closerie des Alisiers.
New vintage, available now, 174 stores, exclusive, cork 13.0%

Served quite cold and not smelling much. God, I wish I were very, very rich and could drink this every day of the week. It is absolutely lovely.



Domaine Joly Puligny-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes 2010 £29.99
100% Chardonnay. Domaine Joly lies just to the south of the historic village of Puligny- Montrachet. The vineyards cover just under 4 acres on limestone soils and production is strictly limited to grow the best possible fruit. All grapes are vinified on the property and fermentation takes place in a combination of stainless steel tanks and casks. Bâtonnage occurs and the wine is aged in oak barrels for 12 months. No fining agent is used. Residual sugar: 2g/l.
Winemaker: Sandra Joly, the fourth generation of winemaker in the Joly family.
New vintage, available now, 53 stores, exclusive, cork 13.0%

Again, served cold and so barely any aroma. Lighter and fresher than the Meursault. Lovely.

Leitz, Rheingau Riesling Spätlese 2009 £12.99
100% Riesling. The grapes for this wine come from the vineyards overlooking the Rhine river, the soils are loess and sandy loam with quartzite. Johannes Leitz strives to produce individual wines that reflect the ‘terroir’ of their vineyards, purity is the maxim that rules each step of his winemaking. The grapes are hand-harvested then a temperature-controlled fermentation takes place, this is followed by a long lees contact of around 6 months. The must is then cold-settled, followed by two rackings and one coarse filtration into bottle. Residual sugar: 25g/l.
Winemaker: Johannes Leitz.
Available now, 53 stores, screw cap 11.5%

Musky nose. Sweet, with a grapefruity finish. Nice, but sometimes Spatlese makes me go all strange.This is good, but my feet are disappointingly still on the ground.

Chanson Nuits St. Georges 2009 £25.99
100% Pinot Noir. The area of production is located in the commune of Nuits Saint Georges, in the heart of the Côte de Nuits. The grapes are sourced from selected plots south of the village, at the border of the ‘Premier Cru’ area. Individual plot selection produces grapes which also remain separate through the fermentation and ageing processes. All the grapes are handpicked at optimum maturity. Grapes enter the fermentation vats in whole bunches for improved temperature control, gradual release of the sugars, and a more refined tannic structure. Cold pre-fermentation maceration is followed by a long alcoholic fermentation for greater depth and expression of the wine’s structural elements. The wine is aged in oak for 15 months.
Residual sugar: 2g/l. Winemaker: Jean-Pierre Confuron.
New vintage, available end May, 57 stores, exclusive, cork 13.0%

Absolutely stunning nose. Wow. Savoury, oaky and delicious. Am wondering what costs £25.99 that I could suggest you do without, and buy this instead. Three paperbacks (not on 3 for 2 offer), 6 fillet steaks, a good M&S bra?? Buy the wine.



Antonin Rodet Pommard 2009 £25.99
100% Pinot Noir from a single vineyard called ‘La Chanière’ which is located on the same slope as the 1er cru Les Arvelets. The soil is made up of limestone with clay marl. Grapes are sorted and destemmed and fermentation takes place in open wooden tanks for a duration of 15 days, under controlled temperatures. The wine is then aged in French oak for 16 months using 20% new oak. Boisset only produced 4,800 bottles of this cuvée in 2009. Residual sugar: <2g/l.
Winemaker: Arnaud Boué.
New vintage, available now, 53 stores, exclusive, cork 13.0%

Composty nose. Nice juicy acidity, but the Nuits St George is stunning. So, don't buy this, but spend the money you've saved on that.

Roda Rioja Reserva 2007 £24.99
97% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano. Roda uses vines over 30yrs old, the yields are kept to a very low 1.5kg per vine to encourage phenolic maturity. The grapes from each parcel are fermented and matured separately in oak for 18 months. Cold soak pre-fermentation maceration is utilised to extract favourable colour and ripe tannins. Alcoholic fermentation at high temperatures (up to 30°C), long macerations, and traditional Burgundian vinification techniques: pumping over and stirring of the lees are employed. After blending the wines are allowed to marry together prior to bottling. Residual sugar: 1g/l. Winemaker: Agustin Santolaya.
New vintage, available mid June, 53 stores, cork 14.0%

Spicy and inviting nose. Wow. Beautiful taste. Perfect Rioja Reserva. It lasts and lasts. Yum.



Fontanafredda Barolo 2007 £20.99
100% Nebbiolo. The grapes are hand-picked and collected in small baskets to minimise any damage on the way to the winery. Traditional fermentation is carried out over 8-10 days in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature of 30-31°C. The must is left on the skins for several days to optimise the extraction of the polyphenolic substances and to help the malolactic fermentation get underway. The wine is aged for at least two years in large casks made of oak (from Slavonia and France), followed by no less then twelve months in the bottle.
Residual sugar: 2.1g/l. Winemaker: Danilo Drocco. Fontanafredda was founded in 1878 by Emanuele Count of Mirafiore, son of the first king of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II. It is now the largest producer of Barolo.
New vintage, available now, 174 stores, cork 14.0%

There is so much going on on the nose of this. It deserves a large glass and about half an hour, not to be one of the last wines of a long day. It is beautiful. Bright and exciting. Savoury, oaky, evolved and gorgeous.



Serre Alte Barolo DOCG Riserva 2004 £21.99
100% Nebbiolo. The grapes for this Barolo are sourced from well-exposed vineyards located in the famous Langhe district of the Piemonte region in north-west Italy. Soils are gravel-free loam and an equal mixture of silt, sand and clay. Grapes were hand-harvested from mid to end October. The wine is then vinified in accordance with local tradition, with a maceration on the skins lasting some 25 days. Malolactic fermentation follows in stainless steel and the wine matures for at least two years in barriques (French oak, 225 litres) and has a minimum of 5 years ageing before release. Residual sugar: <2g/l. Winemaker: Bruno Cordero at Terre da Vino Winery, Barolo.
Available now, 174 stores, exclusive, cork 14.0%

Sweet, rosy nose. Harder tannin. Needs a meaty dish, whereas the Fontanafredda needs an armchair.

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