“Dubbed ‘the Medoc of Australia’ in deference to both its similar winemaking prowess  and the maritime influences on the climate, this wonderful area offers the wine tourist a bounty of destinations to visit and taste at the cellar door. Several large and very well-appointed estates offer high-quality visitor and dining experiences. Vasse Felix, Leeuwin, Juniper, Voyager and Moss Wood are the veritable wine royalty in these parts and the visitor will not be disappointed”

As Leeuwin Estate’s UK agents, we are always pleased to hear that a trip to Leeuwin offers such an enjoyable experience! Not only are the wines excellent, but the food, atmosphere and location make a trip to Leeuwin Estate a must.

As Sarah Marsh states ” At the entry level, a decent Bourgogne Aligoté, Hautes-Côtes. Bourgogne Blanc or Rouge can offer a glimpse into the top domaines at an affordable price.”

So, have a look at our “What’s New” page and see some of our personal favourites that merit serious consideration!

Domaine Direct were representing Leeuwin Estate, and we were pole position at table 1! This event was a brilliant opportunity for us to launch new vintages of Art Series Chardonnay 2007, Art Series Sauvignon 2009 and Art Series Riesling 2008, but also showcase the rest of the range, Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Art Series Shiraz 2007, Prelude Chardonnay 2007, Prelude Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008 and Prelude Cabernet Merlot 2003.

The Leeuwin Estate wines showed exceptionally  and our table attracted lots of visitors throughout the day, including some well known wine critics and other top winemakers (eg. Petaluma). Leeuwin Estate received lots of of very positive feedback. As always the iconic Art Series Chardonnay attracted a lot of attention, for example, Jane McQuity loved the 2007 vintage. Also other comments such as, “every bit as good as fine Puligny” and “I have known Leeuwin for years and the Art Series Chardonnay starts out like Puligny and evolves into a very good Meursault indeed”.

So the day was fun filled, set in beautiful surroundings and there was an encouragingly optimistic view of what Australia has to offer for the year ahead!

We will be launching new vintages of Leeuwin Estate’s Art Series white wines. The new vintage Margaret River whites to be launched are the 2007 Art Series Chardonnay, the 2008 Art Series Riesling, and the 2009 Art Series Sauvignon Blanc. Alongwith the new releases, we will have the range of red and white wines from Leeuwin Estate to taste. If you are already a fan of Leeuwin Estate, or even if you’ve never come across them, then come along to table 1 and have a a try!

The event is being held at the Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, Kings Road, London between 9.30am and 6.30pm. This is a great opportunity for the trade to try new and exciting wines from Australia and learn more about the wineries themselves. We look forward to seeing you at table 1 tomorrow!

On January 14th, Lord’s Cricket Ground was the host to 96 Burgundian producers and wine merchants at the Terroirs & Signatures De Bourgogne 2010 wine tasting.

It was a fantastic opportunity to taste a selection of more than 500 wines from Burgundy and to discover the stories of those who make Burgundy wines so unique.

On behalf of Domaine Direct, our London salesman Adam Russell attended the event. He caught up with two of our very own producers, Domaine Christophe Cordier and Domaine JF & PL Bersan.

Christophe Cordier, based in the Maconnais, showed a range of his 2008 wines, which were showing exceptionally. Cordier was a new addition to our portfolio in 2009 and we are very excited about the wines he produces.

Domaine Bersan exhibited a range of red and white wines, from the Chablis and Auxerrois regions, from both the 2007 and 2008 vintages. His wines show exceptional quality at affordable prices.

Other highlights of the day, Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson, displaying excellent examples of St Romain 2008.

An interesting tasting, which truly displayed the diverse nature of Burgundy and the fantastic wines that are on offer.

Looking out over a snow covered pitch at Lords cricket ground the New Zealand Wine Annual Trade Tasting was a surprisingly well attended event given all the travel chaos of the past few weeks. With over 700 wines on offer it was a great place to see the variety produced in this cool climate corner of the world.

Although we are agents for Leung Estate’s Ma Maison Pinot Noir in the UK we weren’t exhibiting ourselves but we went along to see how our wine compares to the competition, and to see if there was anything we were missing out on.

Concentrating on the Pinot Noirs there were some great examples, most notably from the Martinborough region (home of our own Leung Estate), for example the single vineyard offerings from Larry McKenna’s Escarpment Vineyard and the Ata Rangi Estate Pinot Noir. However what struck us most of all was how much you had to pay to get a wine that had the kind of depth, concentration and elegance we have come to expect from our favourite red varietal. In fact, it went so far as to highlight the exceptional value for money that some of our Bourgogne rouge wines offer in comparison with their new world counterparts.

One of our favourite New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs comes from Chris Seifried who has appointed Domaine Direct as the new agents for Redwood Valley Estate from Nelson. Chris is over in the UK on his honeymoon but took time out to attend the tasting – much to his new bride’s annoyance no doubt! (If you would like more information on these wines then do let us know).

The organisers were keen to promote the wide range of white varietals produced in New Zealand, in particular the more aromatic examples. Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Viognier and Pinot Gris are all developing a following and whilst they aren’t close to matching the popularity of Sauvignon Blanc they can make an interesting alternative.

As ever at a tasting of this size we didn’t make it round every table but we felt we gained a good insight into the New Zealand style and there was much for us to take away from a very enjoyable day!

Verity

12/1/2010

For the past ten days Hilary has been braving the blizzards and freezing temperatures of Bourgogne on a mission to re-taste the 2007 and 2008 vintages and bring you an update. She made it back in one piece and is happy to report that the trip was a great success!

The 2008s are looking very promising already – she feels this is a vintage with lots of potential. Meanwhile, the 2007s are developing nicely and Hilary was delighted with their progress. The 2007s have almost all been shipped now, with the exception of Alain Michelot and Henri Germain who will be arriving in early springtime.

A particular highlight was her visit to Domaine Tollot-Beaut in the Côte de Beaune. Across the board these wines are very good with lovely juicy, lively characteristics. They don’t seem to be tannic and tough but are also not short-term wines either. There is more information about this domaine in the grower profile section of the site but if you would like more specific information or prices for the really excellent 2007 wines from Tollot-Beaut then please do call or email the office.

Verity

18/12/2009

If you still have Christmas presents to buy and don’t want to brave the cold outside world, then take a look at our What’s New page and find some great gift ideas. We’ve made it easy for you and put together a selection of cases which will appeal to all wine lovers. There is still time to have the wine delivered before Christmas, but to avoid disappointment place your order soon!

We would like to send a big thank you to everyone who battled through the torrential rain on Thursday night to attend our winter tasting! Luckily the filthy weather didn’t stop the night being a great success, and for those that braved the storms there was a fantastic selection of wines on offer to make it worthwhile!

For this year’s winter tasting we moved venues from Whitehall to the South Bank and took over the Bankside Gallery on Hopton Street. This is an excellent space and gave our guests the opportunity to take in the art on display whilst quaffing some excellent wines.

Deciding what to show is something we always deliberate over for many days in order to get a good balance and to show things that are at their best. This time we settled on some new arrivals from Leeuwin Estate, some new world and regional French offerings and, as always, some of our favourite Burgundy domaines.

In the whites particular favourites from the night included Montagny 1er cru 2008 from Jean-Marc Boillot, Christophe Cordier’s Pouilly-Fuissé Terroir de Vergisson 2008 and the Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes 2007 from Vincent Morey. For the reds the new world seemed to stand out with the Ma Maison Pinot Noir 2007 from the Leung Estate in Martinborough, New Zealand and Doug Nalle’s Pinot Noir 2006 from the Russian River Valley in California having the most orders at the end of the night.

Two things everyone agreed upon was that there was something for everyone and that it was a great opportunity to try something different. And with discounts offered for orders on the night, it was a great time to stock up for Christmas!

We hope to see you all again in the summer!

Verity

16/11/09

Pascal Roblet picked his Volnay early, fully satisfied with ripeness levels and keen, above all, not to lose the acidity which he deemed necessary to energize such dense materials. This premier cru is opulently fruity with pronounced bilberry notes, and surprising tannic clout behind its fat flavours. Drink from 2010.

In spite of the intense heat of the vintage, this is a splendidly fresh, unevolved Nuits. Vinified from organically grown grapes in a south-facing, suntrap vineyard, this deep crimson, slate and cassis wine offers cool minerality, high energy, sappy flavours and a hugely rich finish. Drink from 2011.

Sarah Marsh’s Burgundy Briefing, Issue 9, Winter 2007/2008

Sarah Marsh’s Burgundy Briefing, Issue 7, September/October 2006

Myself and a colleague primarily went along to Earls Court to show our support of Rudera and meet the new winemaker Jaasper. However, we also didn’t want to miss the opportunity of  broadening our knowledge of South African wines. As Burgundy specialists, we don’t often get the chance!

On arrival, I realised that with 130 stands to get round in 2 hours, we would have to work fast!  (I had somewhat naively thought that this tasting was going to be a relatively small affair, which considering it was  called a ‘Mega Tasting’ was somewhat foolish!). However, we made the most of the time we had and tried wines from Simonsig, Klein Constantia, Hamilton Russell, Meerlust Estate, Waterkloof and of course Rudera to name a few. There were some fantastic wines and I won’t be able to name them all (or spell them correctly!), but here are my personal highlights:

Rudera Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 - smooth, soft tannins, good structure, pencil shavings, blackberry fruit.

Simonsig Sparkling Rose - Pinotage base, lots of primary fruit, lively and fresh.

Klein Constantia Chardonnay 2008 and Vin de Constance 2005 (sweet) - the Chardonnay is Burgundian in style, creamy, lovely depth. The Vin de Constance is beautiful and rich, honeyed/marmalade flavours, but still remains clean and fresh on the finish.

Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2008 and Pinot Noir 2008 - the Chardonnay had vanilla and toasty tones, smooth, with well integrated oak. The Pinot Noir was delicate, well balanced with lovely fruit.

We also enjoyed some delicious cup cakes while we were there, we weren’t sure the connection to South Africa, but they were appreciated all the same!

Overall the event seemed like a great success and it showed the quality and diversity that South African wines have to offer. Finally the main aim of our trip, meeting Jaasper Raats from Rudera, successor to Teddy Hall. He was a pleasure to talk to and we believe Rudera is in safe hands

On Wednesday night I battled through the pouring rain of central London to attend the launch party of the London Restaurant Festival, held at the elegant eatery Quaglino’s of Bury Street. And despite my soggy feet it was definitely worth the effort!

The party was hosted by Vanity Fair and sponsored by Champagne Mumm so it was a suitably opulent affair and the champagne ran very freely amongst the very glamorous party-goers. As something of a canapé connoisseur I can also state that the selection on offer were of the highest standard! Fresh oysters as you arrived, seared tuna ‘burgers’, quails egg vol-o-vents, and a scrumptious spoonful of crab salad were amongst my highlights! The speeches were followed by the cutting of the most impressive cake creation I’ve ever seen to mark the official opening of the festival, it really was a sight to behold.

The festival is the brainchild of renowned restaurant critic Fay Maschler and broadcaster Simon Davis and is sure to become an annual fixture on the London calendar, running this year from the 8^th – 13^th October. There are many different culinary events and experiences to be had, ranging from celebrity chef quizzes to gourmet odysseys to private dinner parties on the London Eye cooked by chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Richard Corrigan. At Domaine Direct we thoroughly agree that there is a lot to celebrate in the London restaurant scene and wish them every success.

See www.londonrestaurantfestival.com for more information.

Verity

9/10/2009

As agents for Leeuwin Estate, Domaine Direct were invited to attend the monthly Breakfast Club hosted by Wine Australia this morning, which brings together a wide range of people with an interest in the promotion of wines from Down Under. As a first-timer I didn’t really know what to expect, so I was quite relieved to be welcomed by some delightfully friendly people and to take away some positive and interesting ideas.

Over a scrummy bacon buttie and a cup of tea we started off with an introduction to some of the interactive educational resources they have on offer, which can be accessed online or via a DVD. They cover a vast array of topics ranging from some of the more technical aspects of winemaking, via interactive wine-tasting (a bizarre concept, and no substitute for the real thing but not without its uses) to specific information on the Australian wine regions. For anyone planning an Australian themed tasting or just with an interest in the subject there is a huge amount of information on offer. If anyone would be interested in learning more then either go to www.wineaustralia.com/uk or email verity@domainedirect.co.uk for more details.

This presentation was followed by an interesting debate about low-alcohol wines, a hot topic in the wine world at present and one that concerns Australia in particular given the common perception that they produce especially alcoholic wines. It would seem that at the moment there is a lack of clarity surrounding the whole issue, which has many complex aspects. For example, what exactly constitutes a low alcohol wine? 4 per cent? 8 per cent? Anything less than 10 per cent? What are the duty implications of this? How should they be marketed?

At present it seems to be the supermarkets taking the lead in this area which may unfortunately lead to a mentality where low alcohol = low quality, something which is not necessarily helpful. There are many class winemakers working hard at lowering alcohol levels without compromising on quality, for example by using different yeast strains that deliver intense flavours yet produce less alcohol.

I’m sure that things will become clearer with time, but it is ironic that the UK, with its reputation for binge-drinking, is one of the countries most concerned about the alcoholic content of wine!

Verity

2/10/2009

At Leeuwin Estate in Margaret River, Western Australia, a mild winter and spring were followed by warm weather in summer. David Winstanley, Leeuwin’s viticulturist said: “2009 was a very good year for both whites and reds. The quality of our Chardonnay grapes was outstanding”.

Winter 2008 was mild. Rain mostly fell late in the season, providing high soil moisture reserves through the spring and early summer. The early spring weather was generally fine and mild, and bud burst for all varieties was close to the average. The grape bunches tended to be smaller and looser than usual due to winds at flowering time.

“Summer was warm but with very few hot days, and veraison was generally even across all the varieties,” said Winstanley. “The white grapes ripened in quick succession through late February and early March, and showed great varietal flavours and natural balance. The mild and sunny weather in late March was great for the red vineyards, allowing the development of excellent ripe flavour profiles and ripe skin tannins. The black grapes were harvested in mid to late April. Altogether, 2009 was a very good vintage at Leeuwin Estate.”

“2007 was a stand alone riesling vintage for Western Australia. Take time to savour this shy Aussie white’s style and you will be rewarded after a minute or two with an explosion of tongue-tingling kerosene, lime and spiked fruit. As mouthwatering as this 2007 is now, give it a few years and even more lime zest spice will evolve. Drink now until 2013. “

Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru Combettes 1996 Sauzet

Gold and green and brown hues. Very Subdued on first opening, but no doubt about quality. Some fruit and white flowers on nose. Slight bitterness on palate with very expansive high glycerol mouthfeel. After 10 minutes in decanter bitterness cleared leaving opulent fat tropical fruit palate but with great focus and lovely acidity. Complex and persistent. Powerful nose of vanilla and greengages. After 40 minutes, crème brulée and yellow plums on palate. Very long and persistent. Lovely fresh acidity. Great wine. 18.5/20 (29/8/09).

Meursault 1er cru Perrières 1996 Roulot

Pale yellow. Subdued nose. Unforthcoming on palate. Not much oak showing. Simple fruit but very long and lean. A baby. 24 hours after opening, from bottle one third full stored in fridge, it showed a well developed nose of tropical fruits also strongly on the palate and underpinned by exciting acidity. Now big and broad and full of complexity. Very long and elegant keep at least 5 years (or decant the day before!). 18/20 (23/8/09)

Meursault Les Tillets 2000 Roulot

Gold. Lovely fresh acidity. White peaches and nectarines on palate. Glacé quality. Delicious hint of brulée. Focused. A little compact, but long fresh limey finish. Marvelous wine. Perfect now. 16/20. If this were Montrachet performing to this relative standard it would be 40/20. (8/9/09)

Saying that, we at Domaine Direct like a challenge - some might say that specialising in a grape variety as temperamental as Pinot Noir, especially just in  Burgundy, is a challenge in itself! So we will attempt to supply you with informative and sometimes entertaining blogs. We are not on Twitter yet, but you never know, that could be next!

The predominate flavour here is that of rich, black cherries, which indicates the level of ripeness of the late-picked fruit, while some background tannins round it out perfectly.

The Côte de Beaune has lots to offer Pinot Noir fans in 2005, with quality and value holding up impeccably at the “lower” end of the price scale. Much of the genius of the vintage is to be found in village AOC wines and this Chorey is a fine example with dense, exuberant aromas and a smooth, rich but elegant palate. Tollot-Beaut is a domaine-bottling pioneer, with extensive Pinot Noir holdings, and has a formidable reputation for consistency built on meticulous viticulture and cellarwork.

Drink from 2010

The domaine style is for pure, aromatic, medium-weight Chablis which drinks well young. Great crisp mouthfeel - no oak - mineral and complex.