France

Frédéric Berne's Beaujolais Lantignié `Pierre Bleue` is a lovely deep purple in the glass. On the nose it is fragrant with perfumes of blueberries, black cherry and fruit compote. On the palate, the tannins are soft and ripe, Flavours of bramble fruit and violets are concentrated and well balanced with a lifted acidity.

100% Gamay

Intense spicy fruit flavours, supple, soft, sometimes sweet tannins and a fresh acid core, which makes this wine from the Languedoc irresistible with all the hearty rustic fare of autumn - a rich cassoulet, or meaty slow-cooked ox cheek with garlicky mashed potato - the kind of stuff that makes you feel like Henry VIII.

Cherry, tobacco, herbaceous notes with silky tannins showing good weight and concentration, showing flesh and balance. A superb vintage!

Not to be confused with Dufouleur Père et Fils whose cellars are also found on the main route out towards Dijon, Dufouleur Frères is an artisan family domaine and winery who operate from their Château in Nuits-Saint-Georges. It’s not that the two cellars aren’t historically connected in some way – both claim proof of ancestry dating back to 1596 – spanning some 12 generations. For over 250 years (and before the family went their separate ways) the Dufouleur’s existed as a family of vignerons, but after the creation of Maison Dufouleur in 1848, the name became also synonymous as a négociant house.

Vines that are  35+ years old. The pinot noir spends 18 months in oak. Red cherry, spice with rounded tannins. A delicious Burgundy

Deeply rural, the Beaujolais region runs on a north-south axis with the vineyards located on the slopes of a series of rolling hills. 

Produced exclusively from the Gamay grape, the wines are simple, clear and unashamedly paysan, fresh, supple, delicate and fruity.

Gigondas is a single village 'cru' of the southern Rhône valley whose vineyards nestle under the jagged, lacy peaks of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountains.

Intense aromas of black cherries, then a wisp of smoke creeps in along with some hints of toasted cocoa beans. Deep and intense, this wine slowly reveals its secrets - black cherries, dark chocolate, a hint of clove and nutmeg - hugely rich and enveloping but with elegance.

Ideal with a good Provençale daube or game dishes. Also a treat with hard cheeses, particularly farmhouse cheddar.