Thursday 29 November 2012

Wines & Spirits for Christmas

Wines & Spirits for Christmas
The D. Byrne & Co.
Twelve Wines of Christmas

1. Chateau Ka Source de Rouge 2008 from The Lebanon £7.99
A new star buy. This is a fabulously rich and fruity Cab/Merlot/Syrah blend
with silky & elegant tannins.
2. 'La Cote Sauvage', Cairanne Cotes du Rhone Villages 2009 from France £9.99
Warmth, spice, 'terroir' and a lovely 'chewability' factor....great stuff!
91 points Wine Spectator
3. Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja 2001 from Spain £ 18.99
An outstanding Gran Reserva from one of the most celebrated Rioja vintages on record.
This is long and harmonious with real complexity.
4. Eberle Zinfandel 'Steinbeck & Wine Bush Vineyards' 2008 from the USA £19.99
Lots of sweet & chunky red fruits with some deliciously fresh spices.
The perfect wine to serve with a Christmas turkey.
5. Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf -du-Pape 2006 from France £46.99
Beaucastel produce one of the very finest Cheateauneuf-du-Papes.
6. Tommasi Arele Appassimento from Italy £12.99
A mini Amarone fermented from partially dried grapes.
An outstanding bargain with rich and savoury red fruits.
7.  Tommasi Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico from Italy £31.99
A stunning Amarone filled with rich raisin fruit & complex spices.
8. Alain Burguet Gevrey Chambertin Mes Favorites Vieilles Vignes 2006
from France £37.99
There is plenty of depth & richness to this fine Burgundy.
9. Cave de Turckheim Riesling Reserve 2010 from France £8.59
This racy, mineral Riesling is the perfect pairing with shellfish.
10. Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2012 from New Zealand £13.99
Only limited stocks of this Kiwi classic, bold & flavourful.
11. Chante Cigale Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2010 from France £17.39
A soft & textural wine with plenty of ripe tropical fruits, very good value for money.
12. Domaine Berthelemot Mersault 'Les Tillets' 2010 from France £26.99
Nutty & complex, a fine white wine to savour with some smoked salmon.



Festive Fizz
Seppelt Sparkling Shiraz 2007 - Australia £12.59
Taitinger Brut N.V. Champagne £26.59
Louis Roederer Brut N.V. Champagne £27.59
Laurent Perrier Rose Champagne £38.99 (magnums £84.99)

House Champagnes exclusive to D. Byrne & Co.
Stephane Breton Brut Champagne £15.99
"Crisp toasty and characterful, it's as good as you'll find at the price, an absolute bargain"
Jonathan Ray in the Weekend telegraph
"Good sub £16 Champagne is scarcer than hen's teeth, so hats off to the Byrne family's house bubbly. This roughly two thirds Pinot Noir and one third chardonnay oozes seductive, rich, fat, smoky, brown bread-scented fruit"
Jane MacQuitty in The Times
Stephane Breton Brut Rose Champagne £17.99
Subtle delicate salmon pink, fine mousse with plump red berry fruit flavours and a rounded nutty finish.
A Viot Brut Champagne £16.99
Wonderful to drink as an aperitif or with poultry or fruit desserts.
Gift Idea
Our House Champagne Stephane Breton Brut can be posted to anywhere in the UK together with a message of your choice for just £25



Whisky Recommendations

Tobermory 10 y.o. 46.3% un-chillfiltered - Mull £19.99
Rich Island character. Smooth and velvety with fruity tangs and spiced gingerbread. Some oak.
Tomatin 12 y.o. 40% - Highland £19.99
Speyside malt with a delicate sherry nose. Slightly fruity, elegant and very smooth.
Highland Park 12 y.o. 40% - Orkney £24.69
The famous malt of the Orkneys. Soft & smokey, silky & smooth, with a nice honey finish.
Glengoyne 10 y.o. 40% - Highland £24.99
Lovely clean malt with no peat at all. Big barley sugar flavours with some marmalade and good length.
Ancnoc 12 y.o. 40% - Speyside £20.59
94 pts in The Whisky Bible. Soft and aromatic with a hint of honey and lemon.
Ileach 40% - Islay £20.99
A rich smokey bargain priced Islay malt - superb!


New Spirits
Comte de Ferragut 40% V.S. Armagnac £16.49
Comte de Ferragut 40% V.S.O.P. Armagnac £18.99
Special offer
Torres 10 y.o. Imperial Spanish Brandy 38% Gran Reserva
was £15.89 now £10.99



Christmas Port

At D. Byrne & Co. we always favour the smaller grower wherever we can and in keeping with this here are a few suggestions from Krohn (their website is well worth a look Krohn Ports). These ports are great as a gift, but if you can't bear to give them away we won't judge you!

Krohn Heritage Tawny £7.99

Elegant tawny with nuts, spice and dark fruits.
Krohn 2000 Colheita £12.99
This has a wonderful rich character, nicely mellow and very easy to drink.
Krohn 2003 Vintage Port £17.99
An exceptional vintage! Sweetly raisined fruit, warming spice, just put your feet up and enjoy. Christmas in a glass.
Krohn 20 Year Old Tawny £22.69
A Gold Medal winner. Lovely browning tawny colour and very complex, rich with a long elegant finish.
Krohn 1995 Colheita (in an attractive wooden box) £18.99
Dried fruit, molasses and complex nutty flavours, this port has spent 15 years in wood.
Krohn 1982 Colheita (in an attractive wooden box) £32.99
Gold Medal winner at the 2012 International Wine Challenge
Krohn 1968 Colheita (in an attractive wooden box) £72.99
Intense fig syrup, cracked pecans and walnuts and layers of exotic spices combine in perfect harmony.

Grahams 10 y.o. Tawny *SPECIAL OFFER* £13.69
Taylors 2001 Quinta de Vergellas Vintage Port *SPECIAL OFFER* £22.59

Sherry



Fernando de Castilla is another small house making great waves. Located in the historic centre of Jerez, this is a boutique winery. Sherry is always wonderful at Christmas - time to embrace all things Spanish!

Classic Fino Fernando de Castilla £8.99

Bone dry in style, powerful but with a long lingering finish.
Antique Fino Fernando de Castilla 50cl  £14.99
Sommelier Wine Award Gold Medal, Decanter World Wine Awards Dry Sherry over £10 Trophy Winner and Sarah Jane Evans MW calls it "sherry to try before you die".
Antique Palo Cortado Fernando de Castilla 50cl £23.99
A rare delight with an alluring complexity of coffee, toffee, roasted hazelnuts, raisins and butterscotch. Described by Decanter Wine Magazine as "a truly haunting and bewitching wine."
Antique Pedro Ximenez Fernando de Castilla £20.49
A wine with more medals than Sir Chris Hoy! A true head-turner....delicious lip-smacking freshness and luscious limpid sweetness. Molten brown sugar with a hint of roses, brilliant!

We all love a pudding wine don't we?


A selection of stand out wines from our huge range:

Fromm Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2009 from New Zealand 37.5cl £12.69
A truly joyful little bottle of gold with honey, apricots and white spices that dance across the palate, incredibly pure with an almost sherbet lemon finish.
Gorka Izagirre 'Arima' Late Harvest 2010 from Spain 50cl £14.29
Beautifully constructed, poised and with perfect sugar/acidity balance.
Araldica Moscato Passito 'Palazzina' 2006 from Italy 37.5cl £5.89
Acacia honey, stone fruit and a delicious core of lemon curd creating a refreshing yet rounded finish.
Domaine de Grange Neuve Monbazillac 2007 from France 50cl £8.49
The French would serve this as an aperitif, but this blend of semillon, Sauvignon and a little Muscadelle would work equally well with pate or cheese. Sweet, but not overtly so, this is beautiful to drink.
Keith Tulloch Botrytis Semillon 2009 from Australia 37.5cl £14.49
Background vanilla notes lift this harmoniously toffee and caramel scented wine. On the palate apricot and juicy pineapple mingle with the candied flavours - absolutely gorgeous!
Senorio de Sarria Moscatel 2010 from Spain 50cl £10.19
A perfectly beautiful wine to make you smile. There are angelic swirls of orange, honeysuckle  and peach with ethereal wafts of tarragon, hay and apricots. An incredibly versatile wine.
Turckheim Vendage Tardive Gewurztraminer 2007/2008 50cl £16.29
Caramelised orange, rose and geranium, with wonderful sweetness balanced by perfect acidity.

A selection of 1/2 bottles of Chateau Yquem

the greatest and rarest of all Sauternes - liquid gold!
1990 Chateau Yquem 37.5cl £149.99
1997 Chateau Yquem 37.5cl £137.99
1999 Chateau Yquem 37.5cl £109.99
2002 Chateau Yquem 37.5cl £119.99

Magnums - need to supersize this Christmas?


When feeding a larger than usual number of people a magnum of wine is the way to go. They look particularly dramatic and elegant  on the table. To tempt your palate here is a small selection from the massive range we currently have in stock.


Turckheim Sables et Galets Gewurztraminer Magnum 2009 £21.39
Boutinot 'La Cote Sauvage', Cairanne Cotes du Rhone Villages Magnum £20.39
Conan Barbera d'Asti 2009 Magnum £25.39
Domaine Michel Girard Sancerre 'Silex' 2011 Magnum £26.89

We also carry a large selection of 3 ltr and 5 ltr bottles, please enquire. 

Gift Vouchers
We have gift vouchers which can be made out to any amount you would like and can be posted on your behalf to anywhere in the UK.




Our famous Seasonal Cases
For quality, excitement and sheer value for money these are hard to beat!
In early November we launched our Christmas, Connoisseurs and Luxury cases of wine and they have been flying off the shelves. Each case has a beautiful selection of twelve bottles of wine designed for drinking over the Christmas period. Traditionally presented the wines are accompanied by full tasting notes.
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 up your feet and indulge, we have something for you.
For the first time last year we introduced a Luxury Case and these proved so popular that we have persuaded Philip to have a dig into the shop's 'special bottles' that he has squirrelled away.
The cases also make excellent corporate gifts, please phone us for delivery details
and CLICK HERE for full details of the cases. 


The Byrnes' Christmas Beer Keg
As usual we have the D. Byrne & Co. Christmas Beer Keg. A 5 litre keg of gorgeous 'Hen Harrier' Bowland Brewery Beer prepared specially for us £18.99
We also have a huge selection of bottled beers both local and international and beer gift packs which make excellent presents.




Our extensive selection of Gins

This is just a glimpse of a small selection of our extensive collection of gins from around the world, more are arriving daily in time for Christmas. There are some truly beautiful bottlings and prices to match every budget.

Sloe Gin, Cadenheads, Scotland (46%) £19.99
Tanqueray Export Strength, London dry (43.1%) £17.99
Old Raj, Campbeltown, Scotland (46%) £20.69
The Botanist, Islay, Scotland (46%) £27.99
Death's Door, Washington Island, Wisconsin (47%) £39.29

Congratulations to Vallet Freres

Vallet Freres, Burgundian producers we have championed for many years, were awarded the prestigious French Wine Producer of the Year 2012 at the International Wine & Spirit Competition. Bernard and his brother Jean-Christophe Vallet use very traditional methods to produce their amazing wines. Particularly good examples for Christmas seasonal drinking are listed below and CLICK HERE for more information.


WHITES

Vallet Freres Auxey Duresses 2009 £18.29
Vallet Freres Pernand Verglesses 2010 £19.99
REDS
Vallet Freres Gevrey Chambertin 1998 £21.49
Vallet Freres Gevrey Chambertin 'Clos de la Justice' Monopole 2009 £28.99
Vallet Freres Santenay Premier Cru 'Les Gravieres' 2006 £21.99
Vallet Freres Beaune Premier Cru 'Les Epenottes' 2007 £23.89
Vallet freres Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru 'Les Cazetiers' 2005 £36.39
Vallet Freres Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2001 £54.69


To order anything you have seen in the blog
please phone us on 01200 422281 or 01200 423152

May we take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support throughout 2012 and wish you all a very Merry and Peaceful Christmas. 





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