Lanson Blanc de Blancs Champagne was created by winemaker Herve Dantan, when he joined the Lanson House back in 2013. It combines the freshness style of Lanson champagnes with the delicacy of the Chardonnay. The grapes come from the best Chardonnay crus in Champagne including Oger, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Vertux. It is made with 40% reserve wines from Grands and Premiers Crus matured in Oak Cask and gets aged for 5 years in the Lanson House cellars before getting released.Lanson Blanc de Blancs is a gold luminous champagne with fine and lively bubbles. The nose reveal aromas of fine pastry, frangipane notes, candied citrus and fresh pear. On the palate this champagne is precise and generous, with flavours of candied lemon, almond, nougat and honey and a long finish.

Like the Latitude, this is 100% Côte des Blancs Chardonnay (the vineyards are in Cramant, Avize, Oger, and Vertus), yet the vineyards from which it was drawn have thinner topsoils and so the vine roots plunge straight into the chalky bedrock. The name here refers to the vertical nature of the geographic locations of the vineyards as well as the style of wine resulting from the very chalky soils of these sites i.e., a more linear, mineral wine. While Larmandiers Latitude is expansive across the palate, the Longitude is all about minerality, line and raciness. William Kelly has called this wine one of the finest non-vintage bottlings to be found in Champagne and, while the are no reviews available for the 2019 base, the high ratio of reserve wines (40%) and the strength of this low-yielding vintage should leave you will little doubt as the quality on offer.

AR Lenoble Champagne AR Lenoble is one of the rare producers in Champagne that has been consistently family-owned and entirely independent since the very beginning. In just over twenty years, the sister and brother owners have quietly yet confidently transformed AR Lenoble into one of the jewels of the Champagne region. The wine is of course made from 100% Chardonnay grapes sourced from the grand cru village of Chouilly and originating from one exceptional vintage. 25% of the blend is vinified in oak while the ageing takes place in magnums and the final wine receives a minimal dosage only (2g/l). The resulting wine is dry, exceptionally balanced and complex with great intensity and persistence. A phenomenally fresh palate despite its vintage.

Don’t miss this rare chance to secure a magnificent wine from a top producer that’s in seriously short supply. Made by an acclaimed winemaker at the top of their game, this is a slice of wine history you don’t want to miss. Add it to your collection while you can.

Pooley Wines is a family-owned vineyard that was established in 1985 by Denis and Margaret Pooley, who planted vines on the banks of the Coal River in southern Tasmania. Initially, the vineyard was meant to be a retirement plan for the couple, but it soon turned into a passion project that flourished into a renowned premium cool-climate site. With the help of their son and grandchildren, three generations of the Pooley family have continued to bring meticulous care to their Cooinda Vale vineyard. In 2003, John Pooley and his wife Libby expanded their estate and established a second vineyard, Butcher’s Hill, with its first vintage produced in 2007. The passing of Margaret Pooley in 2010 marked a turning point for the family business, with Margaret’s granddaughter, Anna Pooley, returning to the family business in 2013. From this point onward, Pooley Wines has been made entirely by family hands. Today, more than 35 years after its establishment, Pooley Wines is recognised as one of Australia’s most renowned cool-climate producers. The Halliday Wine Companion awarded Pooley Wines the 2023 Winery of the Year, a testament to the family’s philosophy of making wines that reflect their unique environment while pushing the quality of the grapes and the wines even further. The Coal River Valley produces some of Australia’s finest wines, and Pooley Wines is at the forefront of this prestigious industry. The Coal River Valley is a region rich in geological diversity, with alluvial soils, Permian mudstone and sandstone outcrops, Triassic sandstones, shales and coal measures, as well as numerous injections of Jurassic dolerite in pockets of the area. Tertiary basalt sediments and ferricrete deposits are also common throughout the Valley, contributing to the unique characteristics of Pooley Wines' Butchers Hill vineyard. Despite being drier than its northern and southern counterparts, the region still benefits from the surrounding Southern Ocean, providing a long ripening period moderated by a maritime climate. Pooley Wines implements a strong focus on biological farming and regenerative agricultural practices, allowing them to future-proof themselves from a changing climate while maintaining productivity and resilience. The Cooinda Vale vineyard is ideally positioned facing northeast overlooking the Coal River in southern Tasmania. On the 43.5 Latitude line, the vineyard is planted on northeast facing slopes at 130m above sea level. This is a unique microclimatic location, being well protected from prevailing winds but still highly influenced by maritime conditions. The long growing season, which can extend into May, with high sunshine hours, predominately winter rainfall and the occasional frost and snow, combine to provide an excellent condition for cool climate grape varieties, such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay. The lead-up to 2022 vintage included one of the wettest winters on record, a cool drying spring into summer with high humidity. All these factors led to healthy canopies and bunch numbers. The cool conditions, especially around the time of flowering resulted in some poor fruit set in earlier flowering varieties. This delivered a combination of small and large size berries to form reducing the overall yields and intake in those varieties. The vintage started a couple of days later than usual, but with the high humidity/lowered diurnal range, our late ripening varieties were picked slightly earlier than usual. Overall, a quality vintage. The fruit for the Elizabeth Anne Chardonnay was hand-picked then cooled overnight to 5 degrees. Whole bunch pressed directly to barrel the following day. Wild fermentation on full solids, in two 1 year old French oak Barriques (Marcel Cadet). 11 months maturation in barrel. 50% malolactic fermentation. The Pooley Elizabeth Anne Chardonnay 2022 has soft notes of lime sorbet, buttered toast and minerality on the nose with green apple, white peach and apricot following on the palate. Finishing with citrus peel, toasted hazelnuts and a silky texture.

Product Information: Valmur is the valley between two other grand crus - Les Clos and Vaudesir. Christian Moreau's two parcels benefit from two exposures one 70 acres southeast and 30 acres northeast (1 ha in total). The vines are more than 60 years old. They produce a very full-bodied and powerful wine. Sourced from vines with an average age of over 40 years old. Half of the holding of the estate has been re-planted in recent years so quantities of this wine are reduced making them quite scarce. Valmur is one of the seven Climats of the Chablis Grand Cru appellation, covering 10.5 hectares. Shaped like an amphitheatre, it enjoys an exposure going south to west. Because of this particular shape, it soaks in the sun during the hottest hours of the day. An area facing northwest adds a fresh quality, as well as a later maturity. The Climat of Valmur has a double personality, constantly juggling between remarkable freshness and a distinctive fruit concentration. Maker: Domaine Christian Moreau is a historic name in the world of Chablis. The current generation, led by Christian Moreau and his son Fabien, continues to uphold the family's legacy. With their exceptional vineyard holdings, which include nearly 8 hectares of Grand Cru out of Chablis' total 92 hectares, this small yet remarkable estate has quickly established itself as one of the leading producers of Chablis, consistently crafting outstanding wines. Their holdings in Petit, village and 1er cru Chablis are impressive and relatively small, but the true highlights lie in their range of Grand Cru vineyards. They possess a single holding of approximately 3 hectares in Les Clos, along with 41 hectares in Clos des Hospices dans Les Clos, as well as smaller holdings in Valmur, Blanchots and Vaudesir. Christian Moreau are consistent producers of the classic must-try climats of Chablis. Vineyard: These exceptional vineyard sites, combined with old vines, meticulous winemaking and careful attention to every step of production, have resulted in wines that are widely regarded as some of the finest in Chablis. The estate's commitment to organic farming, certified since 2013, has further enhanced the expression of their vineyards. With investments in new tanks and other winemaking techniques, the results are evident in each vintage. The wines of Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils are known for their precision, clear typicity and elegance. They have the ability to age gracefully while providing immense pleasure throughout their lives Fabien Moreau, who took over as winemaker in 2002, has already made a significant impact. With previous experience in New Zealand and a deep respect for terroir, Fabien is a visionary winemaker. The wines of Christian Moreau Pere et Fils are authentic, distinctive and of exceptional quality. Nose - Immense Precision, Lemon-Lime, Mineral Reduction Distinctive sun-drenched concentrated fruits, flint inflections. Palate - White Peach, Zesty Fruits, Balanced The exceptionally white fleshed fruits, rich yet intense and powerful and bold with a hint of quinine. Finish - Taut, Muscular Structure, Impressive Length Taut muscularity on the impressively long, very dry and impeccably well-balanced finale. Christian Moreau and his son Fabien describe the 2022 vintage as having generous fruit set as well as good fecundity of the secondary buds, we still brought in good yields... Overall, the style of the 2022s is generous and forward but with reasonably good typicity and balance. They should be attractive young but be capable of repaying short to mid-term cellaring. - Burghound, October 2023