Cooler and more elegant, a vintage that looks towards Beaune

We're all Burgundians now, so we are delighted to be able to offer a set of Chateauneufs which are a tad more elegant and restrained than some vintages. This may not go down well on the other side of the Atlantic, but will prove popular here. We also have to consider that hardly anyone made a super-cuvee in 2013, so all the top fruit is in the wines you see listed here.

Perfection is attainable in even the toughest looking circumstance, and Mourvedre and Syrah achieved a level of quality that rarely occurs in Chateauneuf. The growing season was perfect for them and they stepped up to become two vivid colours to add to the palette of the 2013 picture.

As in Burgundy which experienced similar conditions, many wines came in with lower alcohol levels, closer to 14% than the 15.5 we've grown used to, yet with very good physiological ripeness, leading to very late harvests in some cases, with complete fruit development. This was a farmer's vintage with vineyard challenges overcome by those who put in the work. /CW

Offered subject to remaining unsold for shipment winter 2015