Welcome to The Society s Putting on an Exhibition tasting. Our Exhibition range represents the jewel in the crown of Society-label wines. They are the flagship wines upon which we readily stake our reputation for quality and value for money. In the words of Society buyer Marcel Orford-Williams, the wines chosen for the Exhibition range must always be better than just good ; they should be benchmark examples of their style, region or variety. The range is the result of long and fruitful relationships with some of the world s finest growers. Society buyers spend a great deal of time choosing these wines and they are heavily involved in the selection and often blending processes. The Society s reputation and standing is such that top producers are often willing to open their cellars for us to select and blend a range of outstanding wines for The Society s exclusive use. We are delighted to present 20 of them this evening. Enjoy your tasting. The Society s sweetness code: White wines from bone dry [1] to lusciously sweet [9] = sparkling wine = white wine = red wine = fortified wine S = screwcap closure 1. [2] The Society s Exhibition English Sparkling Wine 2013 Ridgeview This Sussex sparkling wine from Ridgeview is a blend of the three main Champagne varieties: chardonnay (59%), pinot noir (27%) and pinot meunier (14%). The wine is light gold in colour, with a fine, persistent mousse. The clean, crisp pear and white-peach aromas are balanced by gentle honey notes with the dominant chardonnay grape providing elegance and finesse. Drink now until 2020. 12% ref SG2031 20.00 bottle 240 dozen 2. [1] The Society s Exhibition Grüner Veltliner 2015 Willi Bründlmayer This Austrian white blends grapes from both terraced vineyards and some lower-placed more fertile sites, producing an expressive and truly elegant Austrian grüner with great poise. Lemon scented with orchard fruits on the palate and plenty of classic white-pepper spice on the long finish. Drink now to 2020. 12.5% S ref AA1861 12.50 bottle 150 dozen Grüner veltliner is Austria s most planted grape variety comprising one third of the country s total vineyard area. When yields are high the resulting wines are crisp, fresh and inoffensive, but in the best sites, in the hands of the best growers, grüner can be concentrated, ageworthy and full-bodied, with peppery, mineral and citrusy flavours.
3. [2] The Society s Exhibition Alsace Riesling 2014 Domaine Josmeyer This is Alsace riesling at its best: full-flavoured, mineral and fully dry with no oak influence. The palate has a steely, citrusy character and a delicate floral touch. Persistent and with a real aptitude for food, this comes from Josmeyer s biodynamically farmed vines between the villages of Wintzenheim and Turckheim. 2014 is a fine, ripe vintage for riesling in Alsace. Drink now until 2021. 13% ref AL12691 12.50 bottle 150 dozen With its steely minerality, riesling is often described as the King of Grapes in Alsace and is the most widely planted variety in the region. Riesling from Alsace has the same combination of fine fruit and high acidity as is found in Germany, but Alsace riesling has typically been vinified dry, so it tends to be fuller-bodied than its German counterpart. The last of all the varieties grown in the area to ripen, riesling is capable of sustained ripening even through spells of cooler autumnal weather and consequently can make exceptional late-harvest wines. It is an excellent medium for communicating the variations of terroir, be it limestone, granite or marl soils, coupled with the altitude and expositions of the sites. 4. [2] The Society s Exhibition Albariño, Rías Baixas 2015 Pazo de Señorans This Exhibition wine is made for The Society by Pazo de Señorans, a stand-out family estate in Galicia's Rías Baixas. A lively yet elegant white with citrus fruit, a hint of minerality and wonderful precision. Drink now until 2018. 13% ref SP11461 11.95 bottle 143 dozen 5. [2] The Society s Exhibition Limarí Chardonnay 2015 Concha y Toro Limarí s cool climate and soils high in limestone produce a taut, firm style of chardonnay. Some barrel fermentation in mostly first and second-use barrels opens up the aromas and rounds off the edges on the palate without masking the wine's minerality. In an ideal world, decant and serve with food. Drink now to 2022. 13.5% ref CE8951 9.95 bottle 119 dozen 6. [2] The Society s Exhibition New Zealand Chardonnay 2014 Kumeu River Estate This exclusive wine picked up the Best New Zealand Chardonnay Under 15 Trophy at both the Decanter and International Wine Challenge awards! All of which is a remarkable testament to the quality of the 2014 vintage at Kumeu River, who make this wine exclusively for us from a single vineyard next door to the famed Maté's vineyard. Great elegance, apple and lemon flavours and a long finish. Drink now to 2018. 13.5% S ref NZ8501 13.50 bottle 162 dozen
Established in the early 1900s by Croatian, Lebanese and English winemakers, Auckland s current acreage of 406 hectares is considerably smaller than that of other New Zealand wine producing regions such as Marlborough. The terroir across Auckland is incredibly varied, but the best sites generally have volcanic clay-rich soils with a temperate maritime climate which is, for the most part, warm and relatively humid. With 62 hectares, chardonnay is the most widely planted grape variety in the region, generally producing weighty, ripe wines with fresh, balanced acidity. 7. [1] The Society s Exhibition Pouilly-Fumé 2014 Landrat-Guyollot Fine and mineral, elegant and long. Sophie Landrat-Guyollot gives her wines longer ageing on the fine lees for freshness, finesse and complexity. Drink now until 2021. 12.5% ref LO12071 13.95 bottle 167 dozen 8. [2] The Society s Exhibition Hermitage Blanc 2011 Jean-Louis Chave This northern Rhône white wine is a fabulous example of one of the most distinctive and distinguished wine styles in the world. Chave are the masters of white Hermitage and this foodfriendly blend of marsanne and roussanne offers a bewitching combination of almonds, honey and rich citrus flavours, united with bright acidity and a long finish. A unique joy. Drink now and decant an hour in advance, or lay down and enjoy until 2022. 14% ref RH40381 35.00 bottle 420 dozen Hermitage is the most famous of the northern Rhône appellations, producing very limited quantities of extremely long-lived and fine red and white wines. The wines all come from 132 hectares of especially well-favoured vines on the south-facing, steep hill of Hermitage. A bank of heat-retaining granite, covered with extremely varied top soils which ripens the grapes perfectly. The reds are made from syrah and the whites from marsanne, or sometimes from the less common roussanne. 9. The Society s Exhibition Côte de Brouilly 2015 Les Vins Aujoux With varying exposures the Côte de Brouilly can produce wines of different levels of ripeness, which was an advantage in the warm, dry 2015 vintage. This is a blend of two wines. One was selected for its wonderfully ripe, richly fruity, concentrated and creamy texture derived from the heat of the vintage. We blended this with a more structured and mineral wine which contributed some underlying freshness and improved the length of flavour. We think this wine has successfully captured both the ripeness of the vintage and the characteristic grip and freshness of the cru. Drink now to 2019. 13.5% ref BJ6841 8.50 bottle 102 dozen 10. The Society s Exhibition Marlborough Pinot Noir 2014 Villa Maria Estate Made exclusively for The Wine Society, this Marlborough pinot has a vibrant perfume of sweet black cherries and wild strawberries. The medium-bodied palate is supported by soft and silky tannins and has plenty of juicy red-berry flavours that last on the bright finish. Drink now to 2018. 13.5% S ref NZ8561 13.50 bottle 162 dozen
Pinot noir is early ripening so only cooler regions have a long enough growing season to produce interesting wines. In its youth, wines made from pinot have cherry and raspberry fruit, and perhaps savoury, dried herb notes. As it ages, pinot takes on truffle and earthy forest-floor complexity. However, at whatever stage in its maturity, wines made from pinot noir should be soft, fruity and charming. 11. The Society s Exhibition Chianti Classico 2013 Poggiopiano A lovely expression of Chianti Classico and of the sangiovese grape at its most approachable and friendliest aspect. The wine comes from the Poggiopiano estate in San Casciano, which consistently makes wines with charming fruit, good body and freshness. Drink now to 2022. 14% ref IT20751 10.95 bottle 131 dozen 12. The Society s Exhibition Peumo Merlot 2013 Concha y Toro Deep plummy flavour offset by the freshness of the 2013 vintage, an excellent cooler year with more intense aromas than 2012. Aged for about 12 months until smooth and round. This blend was made by Ignacio Recabarren of Concha y Toro exclusively for The Wine Society. Drink now to 2022. 13% ref CE8051 9.50 bottle 114 dozen 13. The Society s Exhibition Rioja Gran Reserva 2004 CVNE This is only our second ever Exhibition Gran Reserva and the winner of the Rioja Gran Reserva Trophy at the 2016 Decanter World Wine Awards; a testament to both the CVNE bodega and the remarkable 2004 vintage perhaps Rioja s greatest in modern times. The wine arrived at The Society three years ago, and it has spent the interim slumbering in our purpose-built cellars under perfect conditions. It is delicious now, although we recommend decanting it, but the wines of this remarkable vintage are maturing slowly and gracefully; as such, this will continue to develop until at least 2025. 13.5% ref SP7781 25.00 bottle 300 dozen Traditionally Riojas have been defined by maturation and blending. Therefore the regional Consejo Regulador stipulates more stringent ageing criteria than the national authorities. Viña joven requires no ageing in oak. Crianza and reserva must spend at least a year in oak barrels, with crianza then having to spend a further year in bottle, and reserva a further two years before release. Gran reserva must be aged for two years in oak and a further three years in bottle before release. 14. The Society s Exhibition Pauillac 2009 Lafite Rothschilde This impressive claret from the Rothschilds Lafite and Duhart-Milon vineyards is on fine form. Still exhibiting the 2009 vintage s fruit-forward character, but now complemented by the savoury complexity of a few years bottle age. Drink now until 2020. 13% ref CM15011 25.00 bottle 300 dozen
15. The Society s Exhibition Barolo 2012 Silvano Bolmida Rich and harmonious with fine bouquet and rounded tannins, this Barolo, made for us by Silvano Bolmida from one of the region's top vineyards, Bussia, just outside of Montefort d Alba, is a great buy. Drink now until 2023. 14% ref IT20821 19.00 bottle 228 dozen Barolo is the most powerful expression of the nebbiolo grape. Barolo is always a rich, concentrated and heady wine with pronounced tannins and acidity, but significant stylistic differences do exist, tending to reflect the two major soil types in the area. Calcareous marls are typical in the vineyards around La Morra and Barolo, and tend to produce wines which are softer, more fruity and aromatic. The vineyards around Monforte d Alba and Serralunga d Alba have a higher proportion of compressed sandstone and tend to produce wines which are more intense and structured. 16. The Society s Exhibition Crozes-Hermitage 2014 Nicolas Perrin The 2013 vintage, made from very low yields, has a touch more concentration than the 2012. It is deeply coloured, fine with great depth of flavour and is a benchmark for northern Rhône syrah and is a blend coming from many of the top growers in Crozes. Drink now until 2020. 12.5% ref RH41601 11.95 bottle 143 dozen 17. The Society s Exhibition Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2012 Vignobles Mayard Having tasted through all of the Mayard family s foudres, we made up a blend which would provide enjoyment as a young wine while at the same time maintaining good potential for ageing. Grenache provides the base but there is also some fragrant syrah and cinsault. The result is a rich, dark, fullbodied Châteauneuf that is both balanced and beautifully rounded with the accent on finesse and elegance rather than power. Drink now until 2021. 14.5% ref RH37691 18.50 bottle 222 dozen Situated between Avignon and Orange, Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a total vineyard area of 3,200 hectares. Thirteen red grape varieties are traditionally approved, but grenache forms the majority, along with syrah and mouvèdre which give the wines their colour, structure, aromas of summer fruits and, with age, their complexity. 18. The Society s Exhibition Hawke s Bay Red 2013 Craggy Range The vintage of a generation. That was the phrase used by Terry Peabody, Craggy Range s chairman, to describe the 2013 growing season; a sentiment echoed by Jancis Robinson MW who describes the year as exceptional especially for Bordeaux varieties, which make up the blend here. Dominated by merlot, and featuring portions of cabernet sauvignon, malbec and cabernet franc, this is a fullbodied but elegant expression of this near-perfect growing season. Drink now to 2020. 13.5% S ref NZ8651 12.95 bottle 155 dozen
19. [8] The Society s Exhibition Sauternes 2010 Denis Dubourdieu This lovely sweet wine comes from the excellent Château Cantegril that is owned by white and sweet-wine expert father-and-son team Pierre and Denis Dubourdieu, who also own Château Doisy- Daëne. Cantegril is an enclosed 20-hectare vineyard on the limestone plateau of Haut Barsac. It is planted 75% semillon, 20% sauvignon, 5% muscadelle. Fresh, fruity and versatile, this is benchmark Sauternes. Drink now until 2020. 13.5% ref BW4181 18.00 bottle 216 dozen 20. [8] The Society s Exhibition Mature Medium Sweet Oloroso Blend Sénchez Romate Our second sherry produced for us by Sánchez Romate, this is a wonderfully rich and figgy oloroso. Ageing has concentrated not only the flavour but also the structure giving an intensely sweet wine that is opulent without being cloying. Its powerful structure allows it to stand up to most puddings, including those incorporating chocolate. Drink this year and next. 20% S ref SH421 11.95 bottle 143 dozen Bodegas Sánchez Romate can be found in the historic heart of Jerez de la Frontera, and is one of the few bodegas still entirely owned by Jerez families. Their family-owned status means they retain both their independence (they still produce, age, bottle, and dispatch all of their own produce) and continue making wines according to their artisanal traditions. Their winery uses the solera steps and ladder system, a method unique to Jerez, and Sánchez Romate have it down to a fine art. They make all types of sherry fino, amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado, cream and pedro ximénez and age each wine in traditional American oak.