Charles Lea smiled when I walked into his London shop and said, "I have been thinking about early season partridge". This rather took me by surprise until I realised that the collection of wines which he had assembled for me to taste, from which I have picked the six beauties featured below, all ran along this wondrous theme. I set about tasting, imagining a table groaning with game, and my chosen wines are unashamedly gastronomic in their bent. Charles hummed in the background, presumably thinking the same as I was, although he was heading off on holiday the very next day so perhaps fish were jumping through his mind!
As always, my recommended wines are sensational value and epic in their flavour delivery. Stocks vary from deep to rather shallow, so please do act fast. I heartily recommend ordering the tasting case, which seems extraordinarily keenly priced, because it allows you to dip into each and every wine.
This collection is available to buy online via Lea & Sandeman's website, or give them a call on 020 7244 0522 and quote "MoneyWeek" to benefit from exclusive MoneyWeek savings and FREE UK delivery (on addresses below Perth).
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How it works
Prices and savings below are exclusive to MoneyWeek readers and are based on ordering a case of 12 bottles. You can also buy a mixed case, giving you two bottles of each wine, for just £162, saving you over £30. Lea & Sandeman will also send you one of their top waiter's friends corkscrews with every mixed case, and you'll enjoy FREE UK delivery on all orders (valid for addresses below Perth). Offer ends 4 October 2018.
Cheers!
Matthew Jukes
2016 Riesling, Trocken, Weingut Braunewell, Rheinhessen, Germany
£10.90 per bottle / £130.80 per case (was £155.40)
No need to mess around with Champagne this month; my aperitif of choice is far more arresting, cleansing and uplifting than any fizzy pop you can think of. This perky dry Riesling has a thread of electricity running down its spine which gently electrocutes your taste buds in the most enlivening and citrusy manner. The counterpoint between the floral nose and the dramatic freshness on the palate is amazing and this is why I commend it to you as your perfect September sharpener. Dry German Riesling is en vogue right now and this is a fabulous example of this mouth-watering style.
2016 Chablis, Domaine Adhmar et Francis Boudin, Burgundy, France
£14.70 per bottle / £176.40 per case (was £210)
A few fascinating characteristics make this a remarkable Chablis. Firstly, it's unoaked, so the fruit is not obscured by any barrel notes. Secondly, this is a lush style with a broader, more indulgent mid-palate than most village level wines. Lastly, the finish is adroit with unmistakable Chablis stoniness and bright, crisp acidity. This all adds up to a very smart wine indeed and it's very much a Premier Cru experience by comparison to other Domaines' wines. Drinking now, but with a few more years of life ahead of it, this is a canny purchase: you're accessing a grand and authentic flavour for an eminently affordable price tag.
2015 Pouilly-Fuiss, Alliance Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Daniel Barraud, Burgundy, France
£18.90 per bottle / £226.80 per case (was £273)
2015 was a warm and generous vintage and well-chosen Mconnais wines, assuming that they have held onto their acidity, can resemble their famous and far more expensive Cte de Beaune cousins if you are lucky. Made from old vines and harnessing the elemental power of the 2015 vintage, this ostentatious Chardonnay is at the top of its game. Employing a smattering of new oak to bring touches of gingerbread and patisserie to the succulent core, served blind, this would fox all but the most experienced Burgundy aficionado with its ravishing demeanour and lusty deportment. More than a match for most flighted game, this is a main course white which will not fail to enchant your senses.
£9.50 per bottle / £114 per case (was £141)
The joker in the pack is this hilarious, modern, bargain-priced Rioja. A snipe on toast washed down with a flagon of this fellow and you might just have enjoyed the best breakfast of your life!
Unoaked, crammed with blackberry and plum notes and brimming with verve and boisterousness, this is a fantastic glimpse of what Spain is rustling up when they don't let tradition get in the way. Think Iberian Beaujolais and you won't be too far from the mark! Slake your thirst on this fabulous little wine.
2016 Rosso di Montepulciano, Cantine Dei, Tuscany, Italy
£12.50 per bottle / £150 per case (was £179.40)
I have followed Dei's wines since the very first day that L&S brought them into the country, many moons ago. This is a scintillating Rosso of the very highest order and the price is, frankly, insultingly cheap for this calibre of winemaking. The Sangiovese (locally known as Prugnolo Gentile) fruit is sheer perfection, balancing exuberant cassis and blueberry notes against stern, crisp acidity. With an aromatic nod to its big brother, the Vino Nobile, but keeping its palate slender and precocious, this is a wickedly delicious wine and it is tailor-made for top flight game.
2016 Dolcetto d'Alba, Cigliuti, Piemonte, Italy
£14.50 per bottle / £174 per case (was £210)
I love this wine and I had to beg Charles to allow me to list it in this offer because stocks are, admittedly, pretty tight. Do anything you can to grab some stock because it is sensational. Another ridiculous bargain and another example of a wine with a heavenly perfume and a lithe, silky body. Dolcetto is a third class citizen in Piemonte, but in the right hands, and Cigliuti is an epic estate, this grape performs miracles. Packed with energetic blue-tinged fruit and raring to go in the glass this is a heroic, autumnal red and I know you will adore every molecule inside this bottle.
PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW via Lea & Sandeman's website or call them direct: 020 7244 0522 and quote "MoneyWeek"
Terms & Conditions: Offer ends 4 October 2018. Free delivery to UK mainland (below Perth) does not include N.I., Scottish Isles or Isle of Wight. Payment can be made by credit or debit card over the phone, online or by post. All orders are subject to availability of stock. For full terms and conditions, including Private Cellar's returns policy, please visit leaandsandeman.co.uk/content/terms.html. Phone lines are open Monday to Saturday 10am - 8.00pm.
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