*Vermentino di Sardegna DOC: La Falesia 2006 (Vernaccia CS) - low stock

A late-ripening grape found mainly in Sardinia but also the principal grape of many Tuscan whites. Much sought after, this charming wine has crisp well-rounded fruit reminding us of pears with hints of spices. Good with seafood or just enjoyed on its own.

£102 per case (equiv £8.50 per bottle)

Code: 197

*Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico DOC: II Bacco 2009 (Coroncino)

Coroncino is a Verdicchio specialist, perhaps the specialist.  The nose has a hint of almond and the mouth is full of fruit.  Once again a stunningly good vintage.  We are ordering quite lot and will be drinking it ourselves if there's any left.... 

£120 per case (equiv £10.25 per bottle)

Code: 203

*Offida Pecorino DOC, Le Merlettaie, 2008 (Ciù Ciù)

Not a cheese but a late-ripening grape found mainly in the Marche. This charming wine has crisp well-rounded fruit reminding us of banana, apple hazelnet with a hint of vanilla. Good with seafood or risotto. The makers’ name reflects their obsession with trains as well as wine (yes, really!). This is a blend of pecorino (so called because the sheep like to eat it allegedly), passerino and trebbbiano with a  yeasty nose, delicately floral, good depth on palate, a bit of vanilla, and a medium body / finish. 

£123 per case (equiv £10.25 per bottle)

Code: 281

*Soave, Le Bine, 2010 (Tamellini)

Tamellini is a tre bicchieri kind of guy, and this shows why.  Supple mouth and complexity - more like a chard in some ways but with that garganega freshness that is so N Italian. This is marked by seductive honey and nutty almond aromas added to typical characteristics of the Garganega grape; white stone fruit, hazelnut, aromatic herbs and citrus flavours with a pure mineral edge. Le Bine is the single vineyard wine with rich fruit and strength of flavour; and would go well with a mild goat’s cheese.
(We know the piccie is of a 2004 bottle, but we really do have 2010!)

£174 per case (equiv £14.50 per bottle)

Code: 283a

*Erbaluce di Caluso DOC: La Rustia, 2008 (Orsolani)

The Erbaluce, or Albaluce, grape is so named because it displays a fiery copper colour in the light of the autumn sun.  Orsolani is almost certainly best, and certainly the longest serving, producer of this rare and characteristic wine.  It offers a grassy nose, and a crisp attack in the mouth not unlike a sauvignon but less overwhelming, supported by a degree of complexity on the finish.  It can be drunk young but will hold up for four or five years.

£144 per case (equiv £12 per bottle)

Code: 116

*Sauvignon Collio DOC, 2004 (Tercic) - low stock

Excuse us while we have a small rave about this.  First sampled with lunch at Tentazione with our importer we fell silent after the first sip.  To those used to the notes of new world sauvignon (or even much French) this is a contrast: a light clear and pure wine, with subtle but totally distinctive sauvignon character.  The flavours develop in intensity an hour or so after opening and go on doing so - it even improves overnight!  A perfect partner to something like risotto, parma ham with figs, or sea bass.  Forget Cloudy Bay and save money too.

£143.40 per case (equiv £11.95 per bottle) but please check price with us

Code: 211

*Ribolla Gialla Collio DOC, 2006 (Tercic)

Do you like subtle wine that is packed with layers of flavour and yet steals up on you like mist on an autumn morning?  Poetry. we think, on the tongue.  100% Ribolla Gialla, with, as in all Tercic wines, great care in the grape cultivation and harvest.  Vines about 40 years old and fermented in steel.  Bright, crisp and clean with floral notes on the nose and palate and a long finish, this wine is worth every penny in our view.

£179.40 per case (equiv £14.95 per bottle)

Code: 228

Trebbiano d'Abruzzo: Marina Cvetic 2006 (Masciarelli)

A legendary wine which shows such intensity that it makes one shudder with pleasure when drinking it.  Not many winemakers could conjure up such a heady impact from the recalcitrant Trebbiano grape, but all it needed was the genius of Gianni Masciarelli to produce something quite transcendent.  We like to claim we found him first but now he is now more (see Montepulciano in reds section). 

£294 per case (equiv £24.50 per bottle)

Code: 241