Domaine Faiveley hosts the annual Autumn Shoot

Erwan Faiveley, 7th generation of the Faiveley Family, hosted the annual Domaine Faively Autumn Shoot at the West London Shooting School on Monday 9th October.

9 teams competed for the Team Top Gun Award, which was claimed by George Burrough´s team of Stephen Tozer (Le Bab), Andreas Rosen (Ormer Restaurant) and Oliver Gladwin (Gladwin Brothers), the latter picking up Top Male Gun. Top Female Gun went to Abagail Freidman of Cru London.

Guests were treated to a delicious lunch from Le Bab, accompanied by the wines of Domaine Faiveley including back to back vintages of Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley.

For further details please contact Christine.

Louis Roederer claims multiple victories at The Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships

18^th September, London – Maisons Marques et Domaines are delighted to announce that Champagne Louis Roederer won no fewer than 7 awards at this year’s CSWWC competition for their French and US sparkling wines, including “World Champion Brut Blend Winner” for the Brut Premier, and “Best US Sparkling Wine” for the Quartet Rosé, produced in Louis Roederer’s outpost in the Anderson Valley.

The CSWWC is one of the most respected, comprehensive and rigorous international sparkling wine competitions in the world, judged exclusively by renowned fizz experts Tom Stevenson, Essi Avellan MW and Dr Tony Jordan.

Guests were able to sample the winning wines throughout the evening, with a selection of gold medal winners for a tasting before the meal, and a selection of all Best in Class wines circulated around the room with dinner.

Frederic Rouzaud, CEO of Champagne Louis Roederer, added: “We are very happy and proud to have been granted these numerous awards, which highlight and praise the perpetual work of our team and their passionate commitment to research further their heritage to create the champagnes of tomorrow”.

Richard Billett, Managing Director of Maisons Marques et Domaines, accepted the Awards on behalf of Champagne Louis Roederer.

Awards for Champagne Louis Roederer:

Best US Sparkling Wine: Quartet Rosé

World Champion Brut Blend Winner

Best Biodynamic Champagne: Louis Roederer 2009 Cristal Brut Rosé
Best Champagne Vintaged Blanc de Blancs: Louis Roederer 2010 Blanc de Blancs
Best Champagne Vintaged Rosé: Louis Roederer 2010 Brut Rosé in Magnum
Best Deluxe Champagne Rosé: Louis Roederer 2004 Cristal Brut Rosé in Magnum
Best NV Brut Blend: Louis Roederer NV Brut Premier in Magnum

Domaine Faiveley Launch their new website!

We are delighted to announce that Domaine Faiveley has released a brand new website, which includes a wealth of detail about the family, the Domaine, and – of course – the wines.

Extensive information, including bottle shots and technical information, is now available for every wine in the Domaine Faiveley portfolio, including details of old vintages.

Click here to visit the site and learn more about Domaine Faiveley.

Duas Quintas gets top marks from Robert Parker!

We are delighted to announce that the Duas Quintas Tinto 2015 has been awarded top marks from Robert Parker!

Mark Squires gave the Duas Quintas Tinto 90 points, and described it as having:

“…a wonderfully fresh feel that lifts intensely flavorful fruit. Delicious and fruit forward yet beautifully supported by its acidity, this is a wine that is pretty hard to resist just now. It’s not just a fruit bomb, by the way. This is a super bargain…”

Contact Duas Quintas Brand Manager, Chrsitine Allen, to find out more about this high scoring wine.

Q&A with Maria Vargas – Winemaker at Marqués de Murrieta

Named Winemaker of the Year by Tim Atkin MW and receiving 100 Parker Points for the 1986 Castillo Ygay Blanco, it´s been a whirlwind twelve months for Maria Vargas. We caught up with her ahead of the harvest to get to know her a little better…

What made you want to become a winemaker?
Since childhood, I knew I wanted to dedicate myself professionally to something related to living things, when I became an adult I knew that oenology and viticulture would be my life and I focused my studies in those areas.

How would you describe your winemaking style?
Part of the style has been influenced by more than 100 years of history and is driven by the estate, and the other part is the improvements in knowledge and technology. In Marqués de Murrieta, the most important feature is the Ygay estate. With 300 hectares, we have an outstanding array of grape varieties (most of them indigenous) but also a rich variety of different soils, exposures and altitudes – the gems being our single vineyards. I believe it is very important to apply viticulture practices according not only to each of the wines we want to create but also to the extensive diversity of each plot of the Ygay Estate.

What is the single wine you’re most proud of so far and why?
It is impossible for me to answer this question. I am proud of every single wine for different reasons. It’s impossible to highlight one above the others!

What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
The moment of elaboration is very special. To be side by side with both grapes and wines, see the grape entering our cellars and being transformed into wine is truly unique.

What would you still like to achieve in your career?
I would like to keep the same excitement and curiosity I have with each harvest.

If there was only time to drink one more bottle of wine, what wine would it be?
I would, without a doubt, drink a historic vintage of Castillo Ygay Blanco, more specifically the 1950. It has everything that I look for in a wine, fruit (although it might be hard to believe with a white wine of that age), complexity, elegance, length, a very long ageing period both in oak and in bottle. In short, a mixture of finesse and power influenced by the passage of time that makes it totally unforgettable.

Pio Cesare 2013 Vintage Receives Excellent Scores from Robert Parker!

We are delighted to announce that the Pio Cesare range has been awarded outstanding scores on Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate by Monica Larner.

Pio Cesare’s iconic wine, the 2013 Barolo, was awarded a fantastic 95 points, with the following tasting note:

“The Pio Cesare 2013 Barolo offers all of the plentiful qualities that make this such a memorable vintage. Because the growing season was slightly cooler compared to the two years preceding it, 2013 offers a great sense of freshness and brightness. Fruit was sourced from seven different vineyard sites…The tannins are tightly integrated within the firm fabric of the wine. Yet, the finish is round and supple. This Barolo offers characteristic aromas of wild berry, black truffle and cola. It is executed in a very traditional style with botte grande and a tiny part barrique to give the wine a tad more oxygen during its integration and ageing process.”

Pio Cesare’s single vineyard Barolo, the Ornato 2013, was awarded 95+ points, and was described as having “robust” aromas of “dark fruit and plum [which] segue into soft spice, leather and liquorice”.

The Barbaresco range also performed well, with the classic Barbaresco scoring 91 points and the “elegant and impactful” single vineyard Il Bricco scoring 93.

Pio Cesare has recently released two new wines into the UK market – the non-vintage Barolo Chinato and Vermouth. The Chinato was awarded 91 points, and is made from Barolo wine from the 2012 vintage which has been infused with a secret recipe (which has been passed down six generations of the Pio Cesare winery) including cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar. The Vermouth performed similarly well, scoring 90+ points and being described as “complex” and “aromatic”, with flavours recalling the many ingredients used in the infusion, including cinnamon, cloves, quinine, citrus peel, ginger, nutmeg, marjoram and other secret ingredients closely safeguarded by the Pio Cesare winery!

Contact Effi to find out more about this high scoring wines.

Capellanía Scores 96 Points in Decanter!

The Marqués de Murrieta Capellanía 2012 came top in a recent Decanter Panel Tasting of White Rioja, scoring an outstanding 96 points!

Sarah Jane Evans MW descried the wine as “a modern classic: the palate builds with layers of French oak, white flowers and sweet spices. Supple, well-rounded, very complex. Murrieta is doing great things with its reds, but don’t miss this”.

This superb tasting note and score was given in an article which also reveres the Castillo Ygay 1986 Blanco, a wine venerated for its incredible freshness and ability to age. Marqués de Murrieta’s second white, the Capellanía, is grown from the same vines as this celebrated white Rioja, and this high score of 96 points shows that this precious insight into the famous Ygay Blanco is not to be missed!

Contact Christine Allen to find out more about this high scoring wine.

Carpe Diem Pinot Noir Scores 95 Points!

The Carpe Diem Pinot Noir, Louis Roederer‘s outpost in the Alexander Valley, has recently come top in Decanter Magazine’s “40 under £40: best of California” tasting, scoring an outstanding 95 points!

Oz Clarke described the Carpe Diem Pinot Noir as “an exciting wine that is positively lean in style, and then a pure, dry strawberry fruit asserts itself on the palate, mingled with herbs and rosehip, and just a little nutty sweetness to soften it.”

Ronan Sayburn MS called it “remarkable”, and described aromas of “red and black fruits coming through on the nose and lingering throughout the palate making this a well-balanced wine with great length”.

Contact the Domaine Anderson Brand Manager, Marinel FitzSimons, to find out more about this high scoring wine.

Gold and Grand Gold for Ramos Pinto’s Wines!

We are delighted to announce that Ramos Pinto have been awarded Gold and Grand Gold for their Duas Quintas Reserva 2014 and Port Collector Reserva in the 2017 San Francisco International Wine Competition!

The Duas Quintas Reserva 2014 was awarded a Grand Gold Medal and an outstanding 97 points for its structure, complexity and power. The wine expresses the strength and profile of the Douro Superior and the elegance of Ramos Pinto’s wines. The balance of the blend is achieved using wines from two estates; Ervamoira and Bons Ares, located both at low (200m) and high (600m) altitudes, providing both depth of flavour and fresh fruit notes.

Ramos Pinto’s Collector Reserva Ruby Port was rewarded for its elegance and precision with a Gold Medal and 90 points! Ana Rosas, Master Blender at Ramos Pinto, described the wine as a “deep red reserva port with pronounced fruit flavours and aromas of dried plum, fig, blackberry, raspberry and cherry. It is a smooth, full bodied and well balanced wine”.

Contact Christine Allen to find out more about these Gold Medal winning wines.

Italian Successes at Decanter World Wine Awards 2017

We are delighted to announce that our Italian range has performed superbly in the recent Decanter World Wine Awards.
“We have been working hard over the last few years to develop and broaden the Italian proposition within the MMD portfolio and are delighted to see our producers recognised and rewarded with these great results. As keen followers of Decanter magazine, we appreciate the publication’s commitment to identifying and awarding excellence in the wine world.”
Richard Billett, Managing Director Maisons Marques et Domaines

Castello di Fonterutoli performed exceptionally well, with their Gran Selezione 2013 being awarded a Platinum Medal and 95 Points. The wine was described as ‘glossy [with] almost yogurt black fruit. Plush, ripe and juicy on the palate with broad fruit flavours and well managed tannins. Great weight of blackberry fruit, well-judged spicy oak and a lovely long savoury finish’.

The Chianti Classico is a blend of 50 different parcels from Castello di Fonterutoli’s best single vineyards, including 36 clones of Sangiovese and 120 individual vinifications. The winery’s Chianti Classico 2014 and Ser Lapo 2013 also performed well, both being awarded 93 Points and a Silver Medal. The Chianti Classico, a blend of Sangiovese, Malvasia Nera, Colorino and Merlot, was described as having a ‘rich dark black fruit nose, with spicy oak and ginger, chunky but elegant palate with lovely floral black fruit and sweet spice’.

Ser Lapo, Castello di Fonterutoli’s Chianti Classico Riserva containing 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot, was described by Decanter as having a ‘delicate, creamy nose with lovely red fruit. The palate is complex and structured with fresh crunchy fruit with hints of spice, tar and leather’.

Pio Cesare, established in 1881 and still owned by the same family, were praised for their single vineyard wines. The iconic Pio Cesare Barolo “Ornato” 2013 was awarded a Gold Medal and 96 Points, while the Barbaresco “Il Bricco” received a Silver Medal and 92 Points.

The Decanter judges described the single vineyard “Ornato” as having ‘pure fruit expression on the nose and palate. Finely integrated oak with ripe and gentle tannins. Tar and stony mineral hint on a long finish’. The Ornato is only created in outstanding years, made from a small quantity of Nebbiolo from three different plots within the vineyard to create a Barolo that reflects the characteristics of Serralunga soil, which is poor and compact, resulting in a wine of great structure and ageing potential.

The Il Bricco was praised for its ‘concentrated aromas, packed with dark cherry fruits, savouriness and a floral hint confirmed on the palate. Powerful and generous with a mineral, long finish’. Il Bricco is one of the price sites within the Barbaresco appellation situated in the cillage of Trieso, which produces wines with elegance, structure and longevity.

Please contact Effi to find out more about these award winning wines.

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