Six of the Best

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.

Two thirds of this California chardonnay comes from the warmer Rodney's vineyard, and a third from the fog-laden Los Alamos. Picked at night, this wine is fermented in Hungarian and French oak barrels, 20-30% of which are new, creating a wine with great balance of oak and ripe orchard fruit.

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.

From a south-facing slope, running roughly parallel to the Scharzhofberg, Niedermenniger rieslings are fragrant and elegant with a splash of citrus and blackcurrant so characterful of the Saar. This has length and character and is bottled exclusively for The Wine Society.

A subtle Spanish white full of energy from vineyards in the cool Galician north-west. Here albariño makes up most of the blend, joined by the other local grapes caino, loureiro and treixadura. This is unoaked, floral and gentle.

This excellent Rhône estate opposite Châteauneuf-du-Pape made an outstanding, rich, spicy Lirac in 2019. Its showstopping performance in this year`s Wine Champions tastings showed it is now beautifully open for business. ‘Expressive, fragrant, savoury and complete...a worthy Champion and its tannins mean it will be brilliant with food.`