Classic Reds

Described as a ‘full, rich, generous, outstanding` Chianti in our 2024 Wine Champions tastings, this is from Fontodi, an estate that is now world- famous but whom we were one of the very first to work with back in the 1980s. From the exceptional 2015 vintage, it shows seductive, ripe red fruit and really grew in the glass: decant this wine in advance for even greater rewards. For more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

For our 150th anniversary we have worked with one of the great names of Australian wine, Yalumba, to treat members to an outstanding example of how good mature Barossa shiraz can be. Full, rounded and silky, it comes from one of the best vintages for the region in half a century. Yalumba have produced a balanced, dark-fruit laden wine which has started to mature wonderfully, showing earthy notes and a hint of eucalypt freshness. Full-bodied, authentic and bursting with personality, this is a testament to the quality of what is Australia`s oldest family winery and the relationship we share with them. Decant before serving to remove the wine from its sediment. For more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

A fragrant, plummy and satisfying claret from member favourite Château de Pitray, this unique blend was made from the very best grapes of the vintage. Ripe and intense, yet with freshness too. Partially aged in French oak barrels, the wine reveals notes of damsons, dark chocolate and a hint of liquorice on the finish. For more than 40 years we've worked with the de Boigne family and it is a delight to have done so again for this Generation Series wine to celebrate our 150th Anniversary. this is a bespoke blend made from the cream of the 2020 vintage crop. The quality is similar to, though arguably more premium than, the ‘Madame’ cuvée that is normally considered the château’s top wine, and which we offer en primeur most vintages. I was fortunate enough to be given first access to the best tanks and barrels, and was given carte blanche to put together the Generation Castillon from the excellent 2020 vintage. For more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

This wine is the 2019 vintage of Marqués de Casa Concha Etiqueta Negra made by our long-standing Chilean supplier Concha y Toro. From the El Mariscal vineyard in Puente Alto, an excellent commune of the Upper Maipo, the source of some of Chile`s best cabernets, planted on the warm gravelly soils that the Bordeaux varieties love. It is a blend of 91% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot, matured 16 months in 40% new and 60% second-use oak. Cedar-scented wine with a ripe blackcurrant-flavoured palate with a fine, firm linear structure. Concha y Toro are a leader in more sustainable working practices with strategies to reduce energy and water use, environmental projects including increasing biodiversity, and many local community initiatives. For more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

We had to have an Argentine malbec for our limited-edition, 150th anniversary celebrating Generation Series range, as it so obviously represents a wine style that has risen to prominence in the last 50 years. It comes from the Altamira region whose cool climate and limestone soil produce a wine with floral and black fruit aromas and a ripe palate given length and freshness by the limestone soils. The 2022 vintage was of excellent quality. Maturation in 20% new French oak barrels and 80% second and third use for about eight months moderates oak influence, rounding out the tannins and contributing a hint of vanilla without swamping the fruit flavour. For a video message from the winemaker, and for more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

This traditional Italian red is full of flavour and warmth, and is a firm favourite with Wine Society members. It is made for us by Roxan, a small, top-quality co-operative, from the montepulciano grape, grown in vineyards around Rosciano near Pescara on the Adriatic coast. With a cherry and strawberry perfume that leaps out of the glass and a palate that is delightfully fruity but full and rich, it is an excellent partner for full-flavoured cooking. The new label depicts the Apennine wolf, a species found in the Abruzzo, the home of this popular wine.

A prime example of the fresh, red-fruited and delicately floral pinot which is done so well in Marlborough, New Zealand. Made for us by icon of the region, Ben Glover, this is an elegant Chambolle-esque pinot, with crushed strawberry, cherry and rose-petal notes on the nose. The palate is crunchy, energetic and lifted.

A blend from across the Quinta do Vale Meão and neighbouring vineyards, 2020 is in a more classical, restrained style. Traditionally foot-trodden, then aged in seasoned barriques to enhance its rock-rose perfume and wild-cherry fruit. The century-old winery has been totally refurbished, adding modern winemaking equipment but retaining the tradition of old granite lagares, where these grapes are trodden.

Altitude and mountain breezes make Vinsobres the ideal place to source a Côtes-du-Rhône, and this example, made for us by our old friends the Jaume family for our 150th anniversary, has bright open fruity notes of cherry and raspberry, ripe tasting but without any heaviness. For a video message from the winemaker, and for more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

The elements of the blend that make up this delicious Beaujolais come from four well-known and well-respected growers in the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. Just under 10% of the wine was aged in small three and four year old oak barrels, not to impart obvious oak flavour but instead to add to the texture and structure of the palate. This is a deliciously mellow, mature cru Beaujolais, with mid-ruby colour and a nose of brambles and dried herbs. Perfect with charcuterie, roast chicken or goose, or a mushroom ragout. Refined and classy cru Beaujolais. For more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

A limited release for our 150th is this fruity, plummy and smooth Rioja which is mostly garnacha, the grape most commonly used in Rioja in the 19th century. This has been aged for several years before bottling in 2023, including 10 months in French oak. For a video message from the winemaker, and for more on the story of this wine, please scroll down.

Classic zinfandel from California, with cherry and sarsaparilla on the nose, wild strawberry and redcurrant coming through on the full yet soft palate and a hint of vanilla on the finish.