Grand Vin Wine Merchants UK | Blog

Chateau Canon has been on an incredible run of form in recent years and as a result is more popular than ever. Sadly, we can’t all justify drinking Chateau Canon on a daily basis, however their brilliant 2 nd  wine, ‘Croix Canon’, represents outstanding value for money. This is a wine that still remains under the radar of most consumers due to its rarity, so we are thrilled to have stocks of the brilliant 2016 vintage. We firmly believe Croix Canon is one of the best ‘second’ wines in Bordeaux. Calling it a ‘second’ wine is actually doing it a huge disservice. The wine is made with all the same loving care and attention as the Grand Vin, but comes mostly from a single parcel that is dedicated to the wine, along with some barrels that do not go into the Grand Vin. We tasted the wine recently and it was incredibly impressive, with beautiful purity and polished, ripe tannins. If it was served blind, you would be forgiven for thinking you were drinking the Grand Vin. We all need Bordeaux l

Not so long ago, we had the privilege of joining Hubert de Billy, the great-great grandson of Pol Roger at Oswald's in Mayfair. The exclusive party was to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the champagne house and the 150th anniversary of Winston Churchill's birth. As you might expect, there were some beautiful wines on show, including their brand new  2018 Brut Vintage . This fine champagne house was founded in 1849 by Pol Roger at the tender age of eighteen. By 1855 he was already producing mostly Brut Champagne, a drier style that he knew the English preferred. This close relationship with England has remained strong ever since, and Pol Roger is perhaps best known as Winston Churchill's favourite champagne. The house remains family owned and has a reputation for producing champagnes of finesse and elegance which age very well. They are one of the few Grandes Marques to own a high percentage of their own vineyards. The 2018 vintage in champagne had perfect growing conditi

With the warmer days of spring now upon us  it's high time to be stocking up on some delicious rosé. Over the last couple of years many of you have been enjoying the brilliant Provence rosé from  Michel Chapoutier  - his Chateau des Ferrages 'Mon Plaisir'. With roots dating back to 1808,   M. Chapoutier   is one of the oldest companies in the Rhône Valley. In pursuit of finding the best terroirs, Michel is always on the lookout for new areas and Provence was a natural step to expand beyond the Rhône Valley. Château des Ferrages is located in the villages of Pourcieux and Pourrières, halfway between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin, in the prime plots of the Sainte-Victoire appellation at the feet of Mount Aurélien. This location is indisputably the best area for rosé production in southern France, where the vineyards are protected by the Sainte-Victoire rocky mountains and cooled by the Mistral wind. This is a delicate, but intense style of rosé, a blend of Grenache, Syrah

Every spring when we visit Bordeaux for the  en primeur  tastings, we enjoy the luxury of staying at our very own chateau in Cadillac de Bordeaux,  Château Carignan . We get to taste some excellent wines from across the Bordeaux region, but we always enjoy our own as well and  the 2019  Château Carignan  is no exception. It  stands up incredibly well in relation to more illustrious neighbours in and around  Bordeaux . The Grand Vin is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. We are always taken aback by the reaction we get when  Château Carignan  is served blind - it's seriously good value for a wine from the Right Bank. Intense dark red colour and brilliance. The nose is complex with a wide range of aromas. Long and fleshy mouth with a tannic structure, concentrated flavours of black fruit, cassis, blackberries, cocoa and spices and very well balanced in the mouth. The origin of Château Carignan dates back to the 11th century. The story goes that the Lord’s dom

Year in year out, Clos St Jean make one of the very best regular Châteauneuf money can buy and the 2017 is extra special. The GVWM team have enjoyed many bottles over the last few years and it has always offered everything you could want from a traditional style Châteauneuf du Pape. It's a wine that is bursting with scents of garrigue, liquorice and red fruits... the tannins are evident, but seamlessly integrated and it's medium to full bodied style has perfect symmetry and balance.   It's simply a joy to drink all year round. With a decade of prime drinking ahead, this is unquestionably one of the most attractive buying propositions from the entire Southern Rhone. Don't miss the brilliant opportunity to grab a case or two for the cellar before our stock gets hoovered up! If you've tried the 2017 before and are keen to mix it up with another vintage, then the 2016 is the one we recommend . Both are in stock and immediately available. Clos Saint-Jean  is a prestigio

Taittinger released their 2013 Comtes de Champagne, Blanc de Blancs at the back end of 2023  and the GVWM tasting team think it is absolutely fabulous.  We  were hugely impressed. At the launch event hosted by Clovis Taittinger, we met Sean Connery's granddaughter, Saskia, and we were able to get more closely acquainted with the new vintage. We can confirm that it really is one of the best vintages of Comtes that we have tasted thus far. ‘Comtes’ is one of our very  favourite tête de cuvée Champagnes, and has a strong following. Made exclusively from Chardonnay, it is an amazing example of precision, purity and breath-taking energy.  Between us we have tasted most vintages back to 1973, and the wines develop incredible complexity with age, whilst they can also be enjoyed in their exuberant youth. Taittinger only produce their prestige Blanc de Blancs in the very best vintages and ‘Comtes’ is made from grapes grown in the five villages of the Côte des Blancs classified as Grands Cru