The Bichot family settled in Burgundy in 1350 and founded their wine business in 1831, one hundred and ninety years ago. Today, Alberic Bichot is the 6th generation to run this historical house that is headquartered in Beaune. They own six estates in Burgundy with 100 hectares of land. The wines from their own estates are made from 100% estate grown fruit under the various domaine names, while the wines under the Albert Bichot label are from their negociant business of purchased grapes. The family is big on sustainability and no synthetic chemicals are used in viticulture. In the winery the aim is for a light touch allowing the wines to show their sense of place.
Cantina Zaccagnini was established in 1978 by the Zaccagnini family and is located in Bolognano in the heart of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Today Marcello Zaccagnini continues the traditions laid down by his father Ciccio. The winery has close ties with the art world as many works hang in their cellars and are positioned around the winery. There are 150 hectares of vines farmed sustainably. Every bottle comes with a tralcetto or stem tied to the bottle as sign of respect and love of the land and vineyards.
Highlite produces premium sparkling tea beverages for the Asian market. The Higtlite team wondered why with nearly every drink besides water, you have to worry about calories and sugar. And when looking on the back label of most drinks, many ingredients are artificial. That is why Highlite has zero calories, zero carbs, zero sugar, and is only based on the best premium teas China and the World have to offer.
While Tío Pepe is a brand name for their fino sherries, González Byass is the name of the company and the brand of their wider sherry range.
Following on stylistically from the lighter styled dry sherries to richer styled dry and sweet, is González Byass Amontillado Viña AB. It begins as a Tío Pepe Fino ageing under the flor yeast but loses its flor and is subject to oxidative ageing which results in amber colour, increased concentration with richer hazelnut, saline notes. Next is the Alfonso Oloroso that begins with fortification to 18% abv and has no flor so is aged oxidatively for its entire life. It is aged for at least 8 years, resulting in a deep amber colour with aromas of walnuts, truffle and leather. The Leonor Palo Cortado has 12 years of age and it is fortified to 18% abv and it has a light mahogany colour with aromas of roasted hazelnuts and bitter orange.
Sherry can be made sweet when blended with sweet Pedro Ximénez (PX) Sherry. Cristina Medium is an Oloroso blended with a sweet Pedro Ximénez Sherry that results in 40g/l** of residual sugar. Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherries spend four years ageing separately in their soleras before being blended and aged for another three years before release. It is medium sweet with flavours of sultana raisins, dried figs and vanilla on the finish. Solera 1847 is a Cream Sherry with 128g/l** of residual sugar. It is a blend of Oloroso and sweet Pedro Ximénez Sherry aged four years separately and then four years together, which results in a perfect balance of rich nuttiness and sweetness. On the nose we have aromas of raisins, vanilla, oak and a slight hint of almonds. On the palate we have dried dates with caramel and roasted nuts on the finish. Nectar is at the very sweet end and exactly as described, a nectar of Pedro Ximénez grapes with 370g/l** of residual sugar. It is aged on average 8 years and is ebony in colour with a rich nose of raisins, dates, treacle and molasses.
In the VORS range, a rare collection of sherries, each Sherry is made in the same way as their younger counterparts but receives additional ageing to bring up the average age to 30 years by putting them in their respective VORS soleras where they gain their characteristic concentration and immense complexity.
Tío means uncle in Spanish, with the brand being named after the beloved uncle Pepe of founder Manuel María González Ángel. Manuel was only 23 years old when he began his business in 1835, in Jerez, Spain. Today, Tío Pepe is a globally recognised Sherry brand and is still produced by the fifth-generation descendants of Manuel. The Byass, in the company name González Byass, is the result of the partnership with their English sales agent and wine merchant Robert Blake Byass which began in 1844.
It’s rare that a wine can tell a story different enough from the rest to arouse curiosity. But the wines from the Domaine d’Aussières are the sum of a unique series of circumstances, ambitious decisions, a partnership with nature and the knowledge, intense desire and perseverance to produce something exceptional.
When the Rothschild family visited Aussières in 1999 the buildings were crumbling and the land, long since untended, lay overgrown. But what appeared was an untamed beauty with a history and a soul, and fertile land for grapes to grow.
The estate lay in a hollow of the rugged hills just behind the Mediterranean coastline, in the south of France. Beneath its high rocks, where a pair of royal eagles’ nest, stood small oaks, pines and juniper battered by the wind and the essence of wild rosemary, thyme and lavender evaporating under the burning sun. The 173 hectares at the center of the estate had been used to grow grapes for the better part of the last 2000 years and were now a unique opportunity to bring the spirit of Lafite and rebuild a substantial winery i n a microclimate like nowhere else in the world.
The name Tamnavulin is the Gaelic translation of ‘mill on the hill’, named in part after the historic former carding mill which sits on the site of the distillery. Local farmers would bring their sheep fleeces here in the summer months to be made into wool.12 dedicated and experienced distillery workers make up our team at Tamnavulin. From milling through to maturation, these time-served craftsmen and women of Tamnavulin have a passion for whisky and take genuine pride in their skills and the whiskies they make.
Proverb celebrates the bond between wine, culture and the wisdom of life. Our rich, memorable and fruit-forward wines are carefully crafted with California grapes, harvested at optimum ripeness, for superlative flavor. Every glass of Proverb is a celebration of the connection between wine and the wisdom that comes with a life well-lived.
Fine wine like fine art also elicits romantic visions
Inspired by Andy Warhol, one of the influential artists of the twentieth century, Winemaker Dave Phinney.
L’usine is the French word for “The Factory”. It is an homage to all the Warhols of the world. All those with disdain for the status quo of a defined or insinuated model. All of those with the defiant nature shared by artists and winemakers past and present.
A bottle, a story and a Soul
Dave Phinney - Winemaker of the year 2019 <Wine Enthusiast>*
Orin Swift, led by winemaker Dave Phinney, is a brand known as much for its creative and evocative expression of art on the front of the bottle as it is the bold, yet finessed styling within the bottle. Based out of Saint Helena, within the prized Napa Valley, Orin Swift features a portfolio of wines that appeal to a variety of senses. It all begins in the vineyard. Sourcing for the Orin Swift family takes Dave across the state of California, with special interest in the Napa Valley, Sonoma County and Santa Barbara. He sets his sights on small lots within the most coveted growing regions while ensuring that only fruit of the highest quality makes it in to the final blend. Every wine in the portfolio, from the vineyard source to the distinct artwork adorning the label, offers a unique point of view while creating a heart-skipping impression.
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