Wines & Spirits for drinking this Christmas

D. Byrne & Co. Christmas Newsletter
Despite the lack, as yet, of seasonal snow and ice so far this winter, Christmas is definitely upon us. With that in mind, Andrew, Philip and Tim have put together a selection of champagnes, wines and spirits to enjoy over the Christmas period. We have stunning present ideas for every budget and beautiful wines and spirits to match your Christmas menus.

May we take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support and wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

In this issue:
Launch of our new website
Champagnes for Christmas
Recommended wines for Christmas
Single malt whisky offers
A selection of Irish Whiskey
Seasonal Tasting Cases
Our Christmas Beer Keg

D. Byrne & Co.

Champagne Specialist Retailer of the Year

2011 International Wine Challenge

With over 150 different Champagnes in stock we carry one of the most comprehensive selections in the UK. We pride ourselves on sourcing what we consider to be the finest wines of the region and concentrate purely on small growers and quality conscious negociants.

The experts' recommendations for Christmas:
House Champagne Stephane Breton Brut N.V. £15.99
Our exclusive House Champagne has won some very well deserved and favourable plaudits this year and offers outstanding value for money.
Louis Roederer N.V. Brut Premier *very special price* £24.99
Easily the finest of the more famous non vintage Champagnes, a gloriously well-balanced wine that is fresh, fruity and refined.
Lallier 2005 Grand Cru Brut £29.99
An absolute steal for Grand Cru Vintage Champagne.
This is classically styled full-bodied wine with plenty of complex and tasty brioche character.
Louis Roederer Cristal 2004 *very special price* £134.99
The ultimate deluxe cuvee presented in a stunning limited edition gift pack (limited quantities)
Laurent Perrier Rose N.V. *very special price* £38.59
One of the most popular Roses, this is full and well rounded with plenty of fruit.

Some recommended wines for Christmas

White Wines
Boutinot La Fleur Solitaire Cotes du Rhone 2010 £7.99
Predominantly Grenache Blanc and Viognier, overtly fruity and silky smooth with white flowers on the nose and some savoury butterscotch complexity - delicious!
Chateau Loudenne Bordeaux Blanc 2009 £12.99
This is a very classy wine that would be delicious with shellfish.
Joseph Matrot St. Romain 2008 £16.99
Matrot produces very elegant white Burgundy, a wine with plenty of minerality.
Vallet Freres Pernand Vergelesses 2009 £18.99
This has real weight and class, a very smooth and buttery white Burgundy.
Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2011 - Marlborough £13.99
The second vintage of this modern Kiwi classic - while stocks last.
El Bandito Cortez Chenin Blanc 2009 - Swartland, South Africa £21.99
One of our favourite white wines of the year. Rich and textural, simply gorgeous.

Red Wines
Recommended with the turkey
Quinta el Refugio Crianza 2008 Toro £8.99
A multi award-winning Spanish wine packed with plum fruit and sweet vanilla oak, full-bodied and delicious.
Moko Black Pinot Noir 2009 Central Otago £8.99
This is a light and fragrant silky smooth Pinot from New Zealand's best Pinot producing region. 2009 is an excellent vintage.
Naked On Roller Skates Shiraz/Mataro £11.99
From the cult Some Young Punks winery, this is a brilliantly modern interpretation of an Australian classic.
Les Hautes Marone Gigondas 2009 £11.99
The 2009 Southern Rhones are stunning, a similar wine to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but much better value for money.
Magnums 2007 Boutinot Seguret £18.99
This is an outstanding bargain, rich and silky smooth. The large format is a perfect centre piece for the Christmas table.
Sideral 2006 Rapel Valley £14.59
A full-bodied wine with intense blackcurrant fruit flowers, we consider this to be one of Chile's best value fine wines.
Burguet Bourgogne Rouge 2007 £16.69
A fully ripe and silky smooth Bourgogne, a lovely, elegant glass of wine.
Burguet Gevrey Chambertin Vielles Vignes 2006 £37.99
A full and intense Gevrey that is very complex.
Robert Arnoux Nuits St Georges 2006 £25.99
Arnoux produces some of Nuits St George's finest wines.
Meerlust Rubicon 2007 Stellenbosch £18.99
***** John Platter's guide. One of the New World's finest Bordeaux blends.
Chateaux de Pez 2007 St. Esteph *very special price* £22.99
De Pez is a very reliable Chateau, the '07 is a charming and forwardly fruity example.
Chateau Grand Cru Puy Ducasse 2007 Paulliac *very special price* £25.99
This is a wine with plenty of finesse and all the class you would expect from a top Paulliac.
Valenciso 2005 Reserva - Rioja £16.89
From the outstanding 2004 vintage, this is a concentrated multi-layerd wine.

Single Malt Whisy Offers

The Great Glen - Highland                                     £12.99
Drumguish - Highland                                            £14.99
Speyburn Bradan Orach - Speyside                      £15.99
Glen Burgie 10 year old - Speyside                        £17.99
Ancnoc 12 year old - Speyside                                £18.19
Old Pultney 12 year old - Highland                       £18.59
Isle of Jura 10 year old - Jura                                £19.99
The Ileach Gold Medal Winning - Islay                £19.99
Cu Dhub Black Whisky - Highland                       £19.99
The Macallan Fine Oak 10 year old - Speyside    £23.99
The Singleton 12 year old - Speyside                     £24.99
Highland Park 12 year old - Orkney                     £24.99
Dalwhinnie 15 year old - Highland                        £26.99
Talisker 10 year old - Skye                                      £27.99
Oban 14 year old - Highland                                  £34.89
Caol Ila 12 year old - Islay                                      £28.99
Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition                                 £29.99
Lagavulin 16 year old - Islay                                  £39.99
Balblair 1989 - Highland                                        £45.99

Old and Rare Whiskies

We keep a huge selection of old and rare whiskies, including:
Bunnahabhain 32 year old 54.3% vol - Islay      £186.99

Cognac
New House Cognac V.S. Deluxe Godet £19.99
........and from our vast range of Cognacs we recommend:
Maxime Trijol Elegance grande Champagne £30.69
Ragnaud-Sabourin Grand Cru No. 20 Reserve Speciale £59.99


Gin
.......and from our range of over 40 of the finest Gins we recommend:
Caorunn (a delicious Scottish gin with hints of apple) £18.19
The botanist from the Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay   £27.99
Tanqueray £15.99

Port
D. Byrne & Co. Christmas Port Krohn 2003 Vintage Port £16.99
Krohn are a small family owned Port house run by brother and sister Jose and Iolanda Carneiro. The port has a full structure and body, with intense red berry and spice aromas - layers of flavour.

Irish Whiskey

Cooley Distillery multi award-winning independent Irish Whiskey producers recently invited Andrew to their Kilbeggan Distillery, half an hour from Dublin. This is well worth a visit, particularly if you have the good fortune to be shown round by Brian Quinn, a lovely old Irish gentleman who could tell a tale or two. We have a really good deal on some of the products for Christmas.
Kilbeggan - the world's oldest distillery. A blend of finest grain and malt whiskeys, producing a beautiful sweet taste and malty finish £18.99
Tyrconnel - named after an historic Irsh race horse which won a legendary race at odds of 100-i. the whiskey is a well balanced single malt with a unique fruity bouquet and a delicate dry finish. £25.29
Connemara - created by drying maltying abrley over peat fires, this single malt revives one of the anciect distilling traditions of ireland and imparts a distinctive smoky flavour to the whiskey £18.99

Seasonal Tasting Cases

In November we launched our Christmas, Connoisseurs and Luxury cases of wine. Each has a beautiful selection of twelve bottles of wine to drink over the Christmas period.
So whether you want to send a gift, thank a loved one, turn up with something special at a house party or simply light the fire, put your feet up and indulge, we have something for you. Each case comes complete with a set of tasting notes.
For the very first time this year we have put together a Luxury case of wines, persuading Philip to part with some limited gems that he has had squirrelled away.
The cases also make perfect corporate gifts, please phone us on 01200 422281 for details
Click the link for details:
Christmas Case
Connoisseurs Case
Luxury Case

Christmas Beer Keg
As usual we have the D. Byrne & Co. Christmas Beer Keg
A 5 litre keg of gorgeous Bowland Brewery Beer prepared specially for us
£17.99

Fine Wine & Gourmet Evening at The Parkers Arms

Fine Wine & Gourmet Evening

For those of you who were not able to join us at this event, or were there and just wanted to relive the moment, I've compiled a brief blog of the evening.

Bernard Vallet, wine maker, of Vallet Freres joined us for the evening at The Parkers Arms, Newton-in-Bowland, together with Deborah Brooks of Boutinot. We thank them both for being with us for the evening. It should be mentioned that Bernard, holder of a pilot's licence, flew himself into the country to join us!

The Vallet family (also known as Bouree Pere et Fils) own holdings in Gevrey-Chambertin - the entire single vineyard of Clos de la Justice - Beaune Epenottes (Premier Cru) and Charmes-Chambertin (Grand Cru). The Burgundies they produce are complex, fine and taste of the old-fashioned production that their provenance would suggest. Their enthusiasm and passion for producing quality wines is inspiring, which came across in Bernard's presentation of wines on the night.

I have included here the wines we drank (including their prices should you wish to sample them for yourselves) and the food we ate with them. Needless to say Stosie and Kathy and all their staff at The Parkers Arms produced a stunning and varied menu which complimented the wines perfectly - a huge thank you to all involved! Stosie would not come out of the kitchen to take a bow, maybe one day we will persuade her.

Firstly the wines:

N. V. Mayerling Brut Crémant d’Alsace  £10.59

2009 Vallet Frères Pernand Vergelesses  £18.99

2006 Vallet Frères Gevrey Chambertin ‘Clos de la Justice’ Monopole  £27.99

2007 Domaine de Grange Neuve Monbazillac  £8.39

2007 Vallet Freres Beaune Premier Cru 'Les Epenottes'  £23.89

The Menu:

Canapés

Partridge & pear pasties

Dunsop Bridge trout caviar, potato blinis, chive cream

Three Lancashire cheese tartlettes

Starter

Olive oil poached Loch Duart salmon, fennel, sea greens & orange salad, Southport brown shrimp & queen scallop vinaigrette

Homemade white baguettini, Caron Lodge unsalted butter

Mains

Confit 8oz shin of beef, roast bone marrow, petits legume,

Bourguignon sauce, pommes mousselines

Afters

Apple tarte, apple cream, caramel ice cream

Cheese

A selection of three artisan cheeses, Parkers water crackers, beer bread,

frozen grapes, British Cox apples, Lancashire celery & Parkers chutney

Coffee

Cafetiere of ‘espresso Lusso’ by J. Atkinson of Lancaster

served with Parkers salted caramel & chocolate truffles

Olive oil poached salmon, brown shrimp & queen scallops

Confit shin of Beef

Apple tart, apple cram & caramel ice cream

Please also visit the website of www.parkersarms.co.uk

Our exciting Christmas cases

D. Byrne & Co.

Christmas Cases

People have been asking us when our Christmas Cases will be available, so here they are!

This year we have put together three different cases for you to choose from to suit every kind of occasion over the Christmas period. So whether you want to send a gift, thank a loved one, turn up with something special at a house party or simply light the fire, put your feet up and indulge, we have something for you. Each case comes complete with a set of tasting notes.

The cases also make perfect corporate gifts, please phone us on 01200 422281 for details.

For the very first time this year we have put together a luxury case of wines, persuading Philip to part with some limited gems that he has had squirrelled away.

Orders or enquiries for any of the cases in this newsletter please apply by phone to the shop on 01200 422281or 01200 423152

– not by email, thank you.

The Christmas Case

WHITE WINES

Macon-Charnay Cuvee a l’Ancienne - Burgundy, France

D. Byrne & Co White Wine of the Year

Lovely peachy aromas on the nose leading to a full and ripe citrusy white

wine. A long and lingering finish with gentle acidity make this wine perfect

to match with food.

Tabali Reserve Sauvignon Blanc- Chile

Decanter wine awards 2011 Gold award.

A stunning wine made by Chiles’s number one wine maker, Felipe Muller

Intense, complex and elegant on the nose with citrus notes, passion fruit

and green aromas. The palate shows great volume with crisp acidity, and

a long finish.

False Bay Wild Yeast Chenin Western Cape, South Africa

Commended at the Decanter Wine Awards 2011.

A rich swirl of Chenin characters with gentle ripe apple aromas, honeyed

aromatics and delicious greengage and citrus lemon acidity on the long

finish. This is a brilliant wine.

Il Meridione Catarratto - Sicily

Very easy drinking dry white from one of Italy’s most underrated grape

varieties, fresh peach and tropical aromas round and gently honeyed, nice

lemon acidity finish off the perfectly balanced palate.

Montevista Reserva Viognier – Chile

Awarded Bronze in the 2011 International Wine Challenge.

Rich full and rounded with a touch of fresh pear fruit and hints of apricot,

leading on to a beautiful crisp textured finish. Another winner.

RED WINES

Cotes du Rhone Cuvee Patrice Armand - Rhone, France

D. Byrne & Co. Red Wine of the Year

Delicious bramble fruit aromas compliment the rich fruit flavours

which are backed up with a hint of cloves and cinnamon. Luscious, full,

rich and easy to drink as the tannins are smooth and supple.

58 Guineas Every Day Claret – Bordeaux France

Great with food, especially beef. On the nose fresh and forward,

lively red fruit backed by real depth, perfectly balanced with a delightful

expression of true claret.

Beaujolais Villages Les Pivoines - France

Exuberant, juicy, slurpy, fruity Beaujolais which tastes of proper wine.

Crushed strawberries and cherry characters, a nice soft palate with

vibrant acidity and a mouth-watering bitter cherry finish.

Le Volets Malbec Limoux - France

A vibrant Malbec deep and brooding, with blackcurrant aromas and that

intriguing bitter-sweet character of crème de cassis with a touch of

underlying Parma violets. The palate is a marvel. D. Byrne, always

searching for quality has found another gem.

Pinna Fidelis Roble Ribera del Duero Spain

Shortlisted in the New Wave Spanish Awards 2011

6 months in French and American oak, fruit aromas of fresh raspberry and

redcurrants, balanced by notes of slightly toasty oak and a beautifully

balanced persistent finish. Great with lamb.

Ancora Montepulciano d’Abruzzo -  Italy

A medium bodied warm soft spicy red, with flavours of damson fruits on the

palate, light redcurrant and  subtle red cherry fruits on the finish.

Soldier’s Block Shiraz McLaren Vale – Australia

Awarded sommelier wine awards 2011 critics’ choice award.

Bright and lifted Shiraz with aromas of summer fruit pudding, mulberry

and black pepper. This is a real blockbuster that delivers on quality,

it’s no wonder the judges where bowled over by Soldier’s Block.

£71.95 if collected from the shop

£80 delivered anywhere in mainland UK

The Connoisseurs Case

WHITE WINES

2010 Domaine Michel Chavet et Fils - St. Veran Burgundy France

This is delicious St. Veran grown on stony, clay limestone. The resulting

wine is fine, crisp, clean, fresh and minerally, with excellent intensity

and personality.

2010 Pouilly Fumé L’Ammonite Domaine de Maltavernes - Loire, France

A super example of properly made Sauvignon, one to be savoured. Ripe

and concentrated gooseberry fruit with hints of citrus and a tangy herbaceous

edge. Steely, dry and elegant, a wonderful wine.

2009 Schlumberger Pinot Gris Les Princes Abbes - Alsace, France

Rich and concentrated, full of ripe tropical fruit aromas mixed with spice and

honey wrapped up with a clean dry finish.

A great match with smoked fish and Chinese dishes.

2010 Circle of Life - Stellenbosch, SouthAfrica

With a fanfare of Plaudits from Jancis Robinson MW,

James Platter and Christian Eedes. A blend of Sauvignon/Semilion/Chenin.

On appearance this wine shows an alluring green tinge. Revealing delicate

flavours of melon and hints of tropical fruit, the tension between the tight

mineral core and creamy middle palate allows for great complexity and a

long persistent finish.

2010 Palio di San Floriano - Verdichio, Italy

The 2010 vintage was awarded the IWC Gold and Verdicchio trophy.

Complex and developed characters, pale straw in colour with greenish gold

highlights, intense aromas of honey and almond blossom, rich and full

flavoured with concentrated peachy fruit and a grapefruit tang.

RED WINES

2007 Domaine Faively Mercurey Rouge

– Burgundy, France

One of Burgundy’s great Domaines. Full of ripe raspberry fruit with hints

of violets and good minerality. A long and silky soft beautifully textured wine.

2004 Chateau Bernadotte Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc

- Bordeaux, France

An excellent Cru Bourgeois acquired by the super second growth Ch. Pichon

Comtesse de Lalande in 1998. Fresh cassis and menthol aromas on the nose,

soft and rounded with a rich fruit palate great depth and a long structured

finish. A fine Bordeaux that is drinking perfectly.

2010 Syrah ‘Les Candives’ Yves Cuilleron - Rhone, France

A top star Domaine.  A wine that is silky and pure, with dark brooding red

fruit cherry and blackberry, nicely spiced with subtle soft tannins and a long

lingering finish, a great wine.

2004 Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico Riserva - San Felice, Italy

90% Sangiovese 10% Colorino. “Felice is sweet, elegant and perfumed in

its layers of dark cherries, tobacco, earthiness, new leather and spices. In

this vintage Poggio Rosso is especially refined with gorgeous balance an

a poised personality that should guarantee very fine drinking.”

The Wine Advocate.

2004 Monte Real Reserva – Rioja, Spain

Dark cherry, leather, spicy oak and dried fruit aromas follow through to the

palate, sweet ripe red fruit and attractive cherry tannins are balanced by

fresh acidity. Rich, warm and classically poised.

2008 Centauri Red Blend - Chile

Jancis Robinson MW  17pts. Wines of Chile awards top 10.

Cassis and fresh red fruit intermingling with bilberry, the palate is broad

and rich with vibrant fruit and lively acidity and well integrated fine-grained

tannins. This will drink superbly with game.

2007 Mountadam Patriarch High Eden Shiraz - Australia

Mountadam is a highly praised producer; the wine is intense brick red,

rich and spicy with cracked black pepper and intense black fruit balanced

by subtle oak. A very impressive concentrated wine with great length.

£138 if collected from the shop

£146 delivered anywhere in mainland UK

The Luxury Case

2009    Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir Christian Moreau

Gold Medal Winner IWC 2011

Christian Moreau makes some of the most sublime Chablis. This is

concentrated and rich with a cool balancing minerality found only in the

very finest wines of the region. Philip visited Moreau in June and the whole

range of wines impressed him greatly.

2008    Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Vincent Girardin

This was one of the stand-out wines from our most recent visit to Burgundy,

rich, ripe and concentrated with outstanding depth and balance. Vincent

Girardin is one of the most dynamic wine makers in Burgundy.

2008    Puligny Montrachet “ Noyers Brets”

Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot

A wine that is characterized by purity and fresh citrus fruit flavours rather than

oak, ‘Noyers Brett’ is elegant and delicious.

2007    Meursault Vendanges Selectionees Michel Lafarge

This is one of Burgundy’s finest Domaines. Lafarge’s Meursault shows all

the true characters of the village with toasted almonds, honey, minerality

and great complexity.

2002    A R Viot Vintage Champagne

D. Byrne & Co. Vintage House Champagne.

Another exclusive product to us and what a find! Intense hazelnut biscuit

characters mingle with a fine mousse, really long in length with great balance

and poise, an exceptional Champagne.                                            

2006    Chateaux Batailley Pauillac 5er Cru Classe

Cru Classe Bordeaux from, in our opinion, a much underrated Chateau

“a sensational effort from the Castéja family. Batailley has turned out a

complete, powerful, classic Pauillac, with oodles of blackcurrant fruit as well

as hints of new saddle leather, toast, chocolate and forest floor”

91/100 R. Parker

2006    Gevrey Chambertin Alain Burguet

Great purity of fruit, nice and ripe with the classic pinot noir aromas of

raspberry and violets. Good length and balance with subtle integrated

oak complete a very classy Burgundy from a top Gevry producer.

2001    Hermitage Domaine Remizieres Cuvee Emilie

From the brilliant 2001 vintage, now with good bottle age. Intense on

the nose black peppercorn and exotic spices mingle with ripe black fruits,

long and elegant with nice soft tannins and a long lingering palate,

an excellent bottle.

2004/5 Bandol Domaine Tempier

Bandol’s finest producer. Complex gamey notes with wild blackberries

and stewed fruits giving way to a powerful, complex and profound palate

with excellent minerality. This would be great with game.

2008/9 Ridge Lytton Springs - California

From one of California’s most celebrated producers, this is a gorgeous

wine. A complex nose of plum and raspberry with spicy undertones,

the palate is superbly integrated showing wonderful fruit purity and

well-judged toasty vanilla oak.

1999    Pagos Viejos Bodegas Artardi Rioja

A highly rated and much sought after Rioja from the outstanding 1999

vintage. Brooding dark fruits and exotic spices integrated with beautifully

balanced oak minerality and fine tannins. A stunning wine.

2006    Chianti Classico Reserva Beatrice, Fattoria Viticcio

“A nose of ripe cherries plus some sweet oak. Fruity with plenty of tannins,

but nice and smooth. Bright acidity, attractive and long.”

Five star rated Decanter Wine Magazine.

£300 if collected from the shop

£308 delivered anywhere in mainland UK

Orders or enquiries for any of the cases in this newsletter please apply by phone to the shop on 01200 422281 or 01200 423152

– not by email, thank you.