Jonathan Ray Jonathan Ray

October Wine Vaults | 8 October 2015

issue 10 October 2015

We have three remarkably fine bottles from the Wine Company this week, each a classic example of its type. First, the Michel Guilleminot Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne NV, a fabulous fizz from the Vallée de l’Aube. Fresh, vibrant and fruity, with a delicate mousse and a touch of biscuit and brioche, this mouth-filling, 100 per cent Pinot Noir gives many a Grande Marque a run for its money. It certainly beats any supermarket own-label champagne hands down. £21 if you buy six bottles, down from £26.99.

The 2012 Sumaridge Chardonnay is from South Africa’s Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near the whale-watchers’ paradise of Hermanus. I know this ‘Heaven and Earth’ valley well and it’s home to some spectacular wines – Hamilton Russell, Bouchard Finlayson, Newton Johnson, Ataraxia to name a few – and Sumaridge is right up there with the very best.

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