Wednesday Wines – Episode 312 – Haynes Hanson & Clark’s Finest New Releases
Haynes Hanson & Clark (t) 020 7584 7927 www.hhandc.co.uk
The HH&C Spring Tasting is always chock-a-block with beauties. Here are my absolute favourites, with accompanying ‘one-liners’! The first price listed is the by-the-bottle price, and the second is the by-the-case price! Happy drinking.
Sparkling
NV Crémant de Bourgogne, Blanc de Blancs, Cave de Bissey, France (£18.75 to £16.65)
This is the finest value, classy (non-Champagne) French fizz of the moment. It is easily delicious enough to pour on its own, while also perfect for cocktails!
NV Pierre Vaudon, Premier Cru Brut, Champagne, France (£37.15 to £29.50 until 31st May)
Vaudon is subject to a deep discount for the rest of the month, making it easily the best-value Champagne in the UK!
NV Gatinois, Brut Tradition, Grand Cru, Aÿ, Champagne, France (£41.50 to £36.85)
Regular readers will know this is one of the most epic and rewarding Champagnes of all. Lusty, succulent, strident and theatrical, the fruit used here is of the very highest quality imaginable, and the flavour lasts for hours!
White
2025 Touraine Sauvignon, Domaine Patrick Vauvy, Loire, France (£13.70 to £12.15)
Attractive, accurate, brisk and thirst-quenching, this is precisely the wine you want in your glass to kick off a feast on a warm summer’s day! You will not find a more delicious SB for the money anywhere.
2025 Le Temps est Venu, Côtes du Rhône Blanc, Domaine Stéphane Ogier, France (£17.85 to £15.85)
I am a long-term fan of this seemingly innocent white CDR. In fact, I pour it regularly at high-end corporate events, and it never fails to shock the crowd, because it is a mind-blowing, layered, wistful wine with exquisite floral notes and a juicy, titillating palate. It sits in between Sauvignons and the like and richer Chardonnays, so it is a bullseye style for many! I cannot recommend it enough.
2025 Pinot Bianco, Kellerei Kurtatsch, Alto Adige, Italy (£19.15 to £17.00)
One of the finest Pinot Biancos around, this is a perennial favourite of mine, and it slips into the spot usually reserved for clean, bright Chablis, wowing all-comers with its flavour and value!
2024 Chardonnay Caliz, Kellerei Kurtatsch, Alto Adige, Italy (£19.65 to £17.45)
And yes, this is the Chardonnay of the moment, and it has stolen this position out from under the nose of all white Burgundies because they cannot match this flavour at this price. Sensational!!
Rosé
2025 Domaine Pique Roque Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France (£16.35 to £14.15)
There is a dribble of the terrific 2024 still available, and this amazing 2025 follows with pin-sharp, trademark white wine freshness under a wild cherry and pomegranate perfume. This bargain-priced rosé is a dead cert every single year, and the new 2025 is no exception. Watch out for large formats, too!
2025 La Saint-Clément Rosé de Pinot Noir, Côtes de la Charité, Serge Dagueneau & Fils, Loire, France (£18.40 to £16.35)
This is a unicorn. Saint-Clément is a Pinot Noir rosé that resembles an elite Sancerre Rosé, at a giveaway price. It will likely be the soundtrack to Summer ‘26.
2024 Bois des Fées Rosé, Domaine Tour Campanets, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, France (£19.75 to £17.50)
This is one of the most complex and foodie styles of rosé I have tasted this year, and it parades luxurious cranberry, cherry and rhubarb tones along its stunning palate, all finishing in a fanfare of crisp acidity.
Red
2023 Château Massiac, Sentinelle, Minervois, France (£14.35 to £12.75)
This is a deeply rewarding, lusty, spicy, and succulent red wine, and I cannot believe the impact it has on the palate. At twelve quid, this is a world-class creation, and while it might not be a classic summer wine, you need to pile it high in your cellar for Autumn/Winter entertaining.
2023 Chianti Colli Senesi, Campriano, Tuscany, Italy (£16.20 to £14.40)
Campriano is the finest value Chianti of the year with smooth, seamless fruit and wild herbal hints. It is not too rich, so you can drink it with ease on many occasions. It will also chill well for barbecue fare!
2024 Côte de Brouilly, Cuvée de l’Écluse, Domaine de Vavril, Beaujolais, France (£17.40 to £15.45)
L’Ecluse is utterly incredible. A near-perfect Beaujolais, ideal for all manner of al fresco fare, and it is ready to go! If there is only one red you buy this week, make it this one. It will blow you away.
2020 Château du Retout, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France (£22.40 to £19.90)
You will know that HH&C is one of the greatest merchants on Earth at sniffing out top-flight, and yet inexpensive, Bordeaux. From a little-known estate that performs out of its skin, this wine is drinking perfectly now, and it appears on the nose and palate that it comes from a classed growth, not a cheeky Haut-Médoc.
2024 Fleurie, Jean-Paul Brun, Terres Dorées, Beaujolais, France (£23.95 to £21.25)
With grip and grunt under the plush Gamay fruit, this is a serious Fleurie, and it slips into the same position a red Burgundy would on your dining room table. Erudite, balanced and super-classy, this is a thrilling wine.