Mrs Ray has had a minor op on her foot and, temporarily unable to walk, is marooned on the first floor. Don’t worry, I do visit. My dear wife’s exile upstairs does mean, though, that there’s a certain amount of flexibility as to what goes on downstairs. Indeed, I’ve been able to sneak in one or two dear chums for company. They know the drill: back door, shoes off, no ciggies and phones on silent. Several selfless souls even helped me taste these gorgeous, top-flight wines from Armit, chosen specifically with bloody Christmas in mind and each with a gratifying 20 per cent discount.
The 2023 Elena Walch Pinot Grigio (1) is – shock, horror! – a PG of real quality and character. Elena Walch and daughters Julia and Karoline are much admired for their focused approach to sustainable winemaking and their estate is probably the finest in Italy’s Alto Adige. Made from hand-picked grapes grown high in the mountains, the wine’s fermented in steel for freshness and spends time on the lees for oomph. The result is a fresh, fruity, creamy, weighty, glossy Pinot Grigio that makes a mockery of the dross one sees down the pub. £17.34 down from £20.81.
The 2021 Cantele Teresa Manara Chardonnay (2), from quite the other end of Italy, in Puglia, is an utter lip-smacker that brought instant grins to my tasting panel. Founded in 1979 by brothers Augusto and Domenico Cantele, Azienda Vinocola Cantele makes great wines and this, named after their mother, Teresa Manara, is a beauty, fermented and aged partly in steel and partly in oak barrique. It’s mouth-fillingly rich and buttery with plenty of tropical fruit and a hint of seductive butterscotch. £17.51 down from £21.01.
White Rhônes are rare gems and the 2022 Domaine le Prieuré des Papes, Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc Vieilles Vignes (3) is no exception. An organically farmed blend of old vine Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette and Roussanne, it’s full of white stone fruit, citrus, cream and honeysuckle – and truly tasty. Barely 100 cases made. £34.17 down from £41.01.
The 2022 Giacomo Fenocchio Langhe Nebbiolo (4) from Montforte d’Alba, Piedmont, is so pale a ruby red that some doubters on my panel thought it a rosé. But that typical Nebbiolo ‘tar and roses’ on the nose gave it away, as did its engagingly juicy, sweet cherry/raspberry fruit and its liquorice-laden, slightly savoury finish. A ‘baby Barolo’, it’s a complete joy. £22.34 down from £26.81.
The 2021 Querciabella Chianti Classico (5) is made from 100 per cent Sangiovese (organic/biodynamic) drawn from three vineyard sites in Chianti. It’s aged for 14 months in various sizes of oak barrel and barrique and then in bottle for 12 months before release. With fresh/sour cherry and redcurrant fruit followed by hints of vanilla, chocolate and liquorice, it’s complex and rewarding and, made to be drunk young, it’s already bang on. £22.67 down from £27.21.
The 2020 Astrolabe Marlborough Pinot Noir (6) from the spectacular lower Wairau Valley was drained in a trice by my gang and little wonder because winemaker Simon Waghorn has made a corker from some of the region’s oldest vines: light, delicate and soft with restrained plum/cherry fruit, spice, wisps of smoke, the softest of tannins and a fresh acidity. £23.09 down from £27.71.
Finally, the 2018 Elena Walch ‘Aton’ Pinot Noir Riserva (7), a remarkable Old World Pinot, not from Burgundy but from the aforementioned Elena Walch e figlie. It stopped me and my band of boozy tasters in our tracks. I’ll say it before you do: it’s an eye-watering price but, gosh, it’s a stunning wine, only the estate’s second vintage, rare (only 220 cases made) and raved about by those in the know. Armit has a tiny allocation of 40 three-bottle presentation packs available that will make the finest, most generous of Christmas presents. You have my address… £113.87 down from £136.01.
The mixed case has two bottles each of wine 1-6. Wine 7 is available in a wooden three-bottle presentation box when you buy a dozen other bottles. Delivery, as ever, is free for 12 bottles and above.
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