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We at Amphora have been committed from the beginning to helping charities and similar groups in
our community and have always supplied wine for such events at charity prices. If you are running a charity event you may order any of the following wines at the quoted charity price, just let us know
the name of the charity or good cause.
Now we are encouraging our customers to join in the effort. If you buy from this list, at customer prices which will be 50p
higher, that 50p per bottle will be sent to one of our designated charities for 2010.
Our chosen charities for 2010 are both local and ones we have close associations with. One is St Catherine's Hospice for
the new 'Round the Clock' campaign and the other is the Slinfold Scout group. Please let us know if you would like your donation to be sent to a particular one of these.
WHITE WINES
470 Petite Roubie Marsanne 2005 (Organic) VdP de l’Herault - 5.50/6.00
It is fairly unusual to find a varietal Marsanne and one made fully organically is very rare. Petitie Roubie has been making wine organically for more than 20 years and we have been monitoring their
progress. This Marsanne is a delight, with charming fruit and sufficient structure. This is a great wine for drinks parties, served at around 8C.
260 Domaine Mont-Auriol Sauvignon Blanc 2006/7 VdP Cotes de Thongue – 6.00/6.50
This is a well
presented, elegant Sauvignon Blanc, erring on the drier side, but preserving the essential qualities of the grape, with hints of gooseberry, elderflower and possibly passion fruit. The Domaine is
situated just North of the Bassin de Thau between Beziers and Montpellier and is very close to the Baronnie de Bourgade, producers of the excellent Trois Poules wines, which we also supply.
261 Domaine Mont-Auriol Viognier 2006/7 VdP Cotes de Thongue – 6.50/7.00
Viognier is an increasingly
popular grape and has settled well in Languedoc, both as a varietal and as a cepage for blending. It typically has hints of apricot and mango, both in the nose and on the palate. This pure
Viognier strikes an excellent balance between Viognier’s sometimes exuberant fruit and structured dryness. While this is an affordable wine, it is very enjoyable both as an aperitif and with
light to medium flavoured cuisine.
471 Petite Roubie Picpoul l’Arbre Blanc 2002 (Organic) AOC Picpoul de Pinet – 5.50/6.00
This
is a surprising but fascinating wine. The Picpoul grape is typically made very dry with a lot of structure. Its fully organic production and aging in oak delivers amazing softness and
complexity to both the nose and to the flavours on the palate with delightful results. The surprise comes in the finish, which is remarkably short and clean for a wine of such ‘up front’
quality. Despite being unusual and of particular interest, this fully yellow wine can be enjoyed by many, from the newcomer to wine to the connoisseur. Best served around 10C.
SPARKLING WINES
930 Ackerman Tastemets Cabernet Franc Rose Brut – 7.00/7.50
This is a delightful and very
competitively priced pure Cabernet Franc cuve close rose sparkling wine, with a lovely, romantic pink colour, fresh bubbles and good fruit flavour presented in a classic dry brut style. This wine
has been selected by Amphora after a long search to find the best value rose bubbles on the market. It comes from the Loire Valley, which is a main centre of this grape, which flourishes in the local
conditions there. Refreshing, colourful, exuberant and fun, here are pink bubbles for party time.
ROSE WINES
181 Devois de Perret Assas, 2006 AOC Coteaux de Languedoc - 5.50/6.00
Assas is a small cooperative
enterprise situated on the southern slopes of the mighty Pic St Loup to the North of Montpellier. The conditions around the Pic are ideal for wine-making and there are many excellent properties,
some commanding important prices. The vines are grown on these famous slopes and the quality is super. The blend is 80% Grenache, giving red fruit flavours and suppleness, and 20% Syrah, giving
hints of blackcurrant, some structure and wonderful flashes of blue. With a modern label and a traditional bottle, this is an excellent all-rounder rosé, great by itself or with food. Best
served around 8-10C
830 Chateau Pennautier Classique de Pennautier 2006 AOC Cabardes - 6.50/7.00
Chateau Pennautier is an
extremely impressive property and wine producer to the northwest of the superb fortified city of Carcassonne. Pennautier lies at the eastern end of Languedoc’s westernmost appellation,
Cabardes, which has unique regulatory requirements. The AOC wines from this region must contain at least 40% of both specified ‘Atlantic’ and ‘Mediterranean’ grape
varieties. This sophisticated and powerfully elegant rosé accordingly is made from 6 cepages: Cabernet Franc 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, Merlot 20%, Grenache 20%, Syrah 20% and Cot (Malbec)
10%. Great served around 10C
162 Chateau Sulauze St Jean 2006 AOC Coteaux d’Aix en Provence - 8.50/9.00
Guillaume Lefevre is a
young and dynamic winemaker whose 35Ha of vines are located in a wonderful area, close to Aix en Provence, Arles, Les Baux and the Camargue. The name Sulauze is said to come from "Lauze",
the flat stones used by local shepherds to build the small walls called "Bancaou". This beautifully pale, Gold medal-winning rosé is a blend of 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 5% Cabernet
Sauvignon and 10% Vermentino. It is a fresh wine with a fruity nose, with flavours of strawberry, raspberry and English bonbons. It can be aged for 3 to 5 years and will marry well with salads,
“carpaccio” with a drop of olive oil, grilled red meats, white meats in sauce and exotic and spicy food. Best around 10C.
RED WINES
110 Terres de St-Segur (Cabrieres) 2003 AOC Coteaux de Languedoc – 5.50/6.00
With a superb ruby
colour, there are flavours of red and black fruits with a light woody background. Macerated long enough to give firm tannins, this round, well balanced and powerfully fruity wine goes particularly
well with grilled meat. This is a very successful, interesting wine at a great price. (Grenache 50%, Syrah 50% Serve at 14-16C).
654 Excellence Chateau Capendu 2003 AOC Corbieres – 6.50/7.00
Didier Ragaru, owner of Chateau
Capendu, continues to innovate and explore new blends and presentations. This wines is a blend of Syrah (only some of which was matured in oak to achieve the desired tannin balance), Grenache and
Carignan (the latter from old vines, at their finest). At 12.5% alcohol it is a little lighter than many Languedoc wines, but despite its elegance, there are still good red-fruit flavours with
tannic structure. It is ideal with grilled food, cheese sauces and red fruit tarts. The wine comes in very smart wooden boxes of six and represents exceptional value, especially as a
gift. Sold in wooden boxes of six only.
652 Mas Meyrac Cuvee No 1 2001 VdP d’Oc – 7.00/7.50
Only 4000 bottles of this exceptional wine
were produced in 2001 by the excellent Chateau Capendu. Amphora has purchased about half the total production - we think it is extraordinary value. It is a classic example of traditional
wine-making; a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented on the skins for 30 days and then aged in oak barrels for 12 months. With a deep ruby colour with garnet red highlights, its
nose is of fully ripe red fruit with hints of mellow spices and exotic woods. On the palate it is rounded, well structured with balanced tannins. It has a long finish with hints of black
fruits. Perfect for drinking now, between 14-16C.
831 Clos des Romains 2003 AOC Cabardes – 7.50/8.00
This wine comes from Chateau Pennautier, an
extremely impressive property and wine producer to the northwest of the superb fortified city of Carcassonne. Pennautier lies at the eastern end of Languedoc’s westernmost appellation,
Cabardes, which has unique regulatory requirements. The AOC wines from this region must contain at least 40% of both specified ‘Atlantic’ and ‘Mediterranean’ grape
varieties. This sophisticated and powerfully elegant red is a blend of 6 cepages: Cabernet Franc 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Merlot 20%, Grenache 10%, Syrah 30% and Cot (Malbec) 5%. This wine
is an excellent example of the quality and value available from the little-known area of Cabardes.
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