Top 10 new products: May

Dom Pérignon P2-2000

Dom Pérignon will launch its Dom Pérignon P2-2000 onto the market in July, nearly three years after its last P2 release, P2-1998. Its release is dependent upon chef de cave Richard Geoffroy’s belief that Dom Pérignon matures in cycles, with the average time it takes to “create” a Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne being around nine years – the exact amount of time will be decided by the characteristics of that year’s vintage. The second plénitude is the result of an average of 16 years’ evolution in the cellar. The third plénitude requires no less than 25 years. Geoffroy believes that the portion of 2000 vintage wine left ageing in the Dom Pérignon cellars has now reached its second plénitude, ‘P2’, which he describes as the “Plénitude of energy”.

The 2000 vintage was characterised by challenging contrasts between cold and rainy periods, and warm and stormy weather. The summer was uncertain and often gloomy, but it brightened up miraculously during the last few days of August, and this fine weather continued right up until the end of the harvest. Picking began with Pinot Noir on 11 September. Geoffroy describes the new Dom Pérignon P2-2000 as having “a complexity that is more tactile than plump” and an “understated, distinguished viscosity”.

CONTACT Moët Hennessy, +44 (0)207 808 4400

RRP: £275

Kilchoman 100% Islay 7th edition

Kilchoman has launched the seventh edition of its 100% Islay expression, with all parts of the whisky-making process, from barley to bottle, completed on site at its farm distillery in Islay. The farm is based on the rugged west coast of Islay and the distillery is nestled in the outbuildings. The team works throughout the year to grow, malt, distill, mature and bottle Kilchoman’s unique single malt. “Since day one we have not only been proud of the traditional methods revived to create the 100% Islay releases but also the quality of the spirit produced,” said Anthony Wills, Kilchoman founder and managing director. “We are now growing more barley than ever for future releases of this beautifully fresh and vibrant whisky.” Bottled at 50% abv, this seventh edition of its 100% Islay expression is a vatting of fresh and refill ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels filled in 2010 and bottled in 2017, and is the most mature expression released to date. The peating level comes in slightly lighter than the rest of the Kilchoman range, resulting in a fresh and floral balance with the bourbon cask maturation.

CONTACT George Wills, +44 (0)7725 724 217

RRP: £73.50

Frescobaldi Alìe 2016 Rosé

Renowned Tuscan producer Frescobaldi has launched a Provençal-style rosé from the Maremma in the UK with consultancy from Sacha Lichine of Château d’Esclans. Named Alìe after a fabled sea nymph, the ballet-slipper-pink rosé is a blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Vermentino grown near the Tuscan coast. A third of the blend is barrel fermented for texture, stability and colour. Alìe was, in part, created in response to the growing global thirst for rosé, and Frescobaldi is keen to increase the production of Alíe in magnum because of the popularity of the larger format.

“Southern Tuscany has a similar climate to Provence, and we chose Syrah as the main grape in the blend as it adds both fruit and a peppery aroma to the wine,” Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi told the drinks business at Vinitaly. “The 10% of Vermentino, which is picked later, adds length, texture and mouthfeel. “I wasn’t sure about the bottle in the beginning, as the glass makes the wine look a bit darker than it is in reality, but everyone convinced me to go for it and I’m happy with it now,” he added. The rosé also comes with its own bespoke glasses, etched with mermaids, seahorses and shells, which are proving popular in the on-trade.

CONTACT Hallgarten Druitt & Novum, +44 (0)1582 722 538

RRP: £15-£18

Nautilus – Clay Hill 2014 / Awatere River 2014 Pinot Noir

Family-owned Marlborough winery Nautilus Estate has launched two single-vineyard wines into the UK market – the Awatere River Vineyard Pinot Noir and Clay Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir. Established in 1985, Nautilus Estate released its first Pinot Noir in 1997, with its 2000 vintage the first to be processed through its newly completed Pinot Noir winery. Since its founding, a growing appreciation has developed among producers and buyers for the different sub-regional characters of Pinot Noir from Marlborough, with single-site trials leading to a rapid appreciation of the potential of this variety in the region.

In 2014, a small allocation of wines from its estate-owned Clay Hills and Awatere River Vineyards were produced, as well as its multi-vineyard Southern Valleys Pinot Noir. “We believe that these two wines display the type of characters we would expect from their sites, and show a sense of place and seriousness that will reward serious Pinotphiles and collectors who are looking for wines to cellar,” said Clive Jones, Nautilus winemaker and winery manager.

CONTACT Negociants UK, +44 (0)1582 797 510

RRP: £35

Lyme Bay Blanc de Noirs and sparkling rosé

Devon’s Lyme Bay Winery has introduced two new sparkling wines to its portfolio – a blanc de noirs and rosé – which join its existing Classic Cuvée and Brut Reserve sparklers. Described as a “serious wine which will appeal to the discerning wine audience”, the blanc de noirs is made using 100% Pinot Noir handpicked from the Southcote Estate in East Devon on 2 October 2014.

On the nose, the blanc de noirs is described as “rich and earthy with forward strawberry and cherry notes”, with a “delicious richness on the palate”, offset by a crisp acidity and a light toast finish. Its sparkling rosé, made by blending a small portion of Pinot Noir with its blanc de noirs cuvée base wine, exudes “notes of wild strawberries, pepper and redcurrant on the nose and a bright, fruit-driven palate with a richness of honey and hits of brioche and almond”.

CONTACT Lyme Bay Winery, +44 (0)1297 551 355

RRP: £24.50

Patrón Silver Mexican Heritage Collector’s Tin

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, Patrón Tequila has launched a limited edition Mexican Heritage Collector’s tin for its Patrón Silver. The tin was designed by Mexican artist Adrian Dominguez, and takes inspiration from Patrón’s roots in Jalisco, Mexico, and ancient Mexican culture. Inspired by Aztec and Mayan mythology, the tin features images of the “Tezcatlipoca” jaguar, and the “Dzul Cutz” peacock. Patrón Silver is handcrafted in small batches from 100% Weber Blue Agave, and distilled and bottled at the Hacienda Patrón distillery in the Highlands of Jalisco. Patrón Silver’s taste is sweet, with fresh agave and citrus, and a light pepper finish.

CONTACT Selfridges, +44 (0)1133 698 040

RRP: £66.99

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve floral sleeve

With spring in the air, Nicolas Feuillatte has launched a limited-edition floral sleeve for its Brut Reserve. “We believe Champagne is an exceptional product but it doesn’t just need to be reserved for exceptional moments,” said Olivier Legrand, marketing and communication manager. “We hope this Champagne will be an enchanting centrepiece to embellish precious moments with loved ones and friends for our customers this summer.” The floral fizz will be available exclusively at John Lewis until the end of the summer.

CONTACT Dominique Lahure, d.lahure@feuillatte.com

RRP: £28

Tio Pepe En Rama 2017

Tio Pepe has released the eighth edition of its en rama expression, described, by González Byass’ master blender Antonio Flores as “wild and alive”. First released in 2009, the 2017 limited-edition fino Sherry, like previous en rama releases, is bottled without normal wine clarification and stabilisation processes such as fining or filtration. Instead, en rama Sherries are taken ‘raw’, straight from the middle of the cask during spring when the ‘flor’ yeast is at its thickest.

Flores described his most recent release as “elegant and aromatic on the nose with the characteristic intense yeasty aroma of the flor”, intermingled with the distinctive almond notes typical of Palomino Fino: “Fresh, complex and intense, salty and expressive, but most of all alive and wild.” The 2017 Tio Pepe en Rama has been made from a selection of 60 botas, housed in González Byass’ centuries-old cellar, La Constancia, in the heart of Jerez, Spain.

CONTACT González Byass UK, +44 (0)1707 274 790

RRP: £15.50.

Outerspace Vodka

A vodka that’s out of this world has landed in the UK for the first time, having been filtered through a four-billion-year-old meteorite. Launched in the US 18 months ago, the five-time distilled vodka is made from American corn and filtered through the meteorite before being bottled, at 40% abv, in a distinct alien head-shaped green vessel. “The UK is a market we have been looking forward to entering since our launch in late 2015,” said James Denoon, Outerspace Vodka’s co-founder.

“We’ve had a lot of interest and demand from consumers and retailers there asking when we will be available. Touching down this month will be great fun and we have some exciting plans for the brand and our development in the UK”.

Outerspace Vodka was officially launched on 12 April, which marked the anniversary of the first human space flight when Yuri Gagarin blasted out of earth’s atmosphere. Outerspace Vodka is available exclusively online through 31 Dover.

CONTACT 31 Dover, 31dover.com

RRP: £34.95

Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old

In contrast with Veuve Clicquot’s recent launches of sweeter Champagnes under the Rich label, the famous house has introduced its first ever ‘official’ low-dosage cuvée. Called Extra Brut Extra Old, the new Champagne – which launched in London on 10 April by cellar master Dominique Demarville – comes with a dosage of 3 g/l, placing the blend in the Extra Brut category, which is used for Champagne with 6g/l of sugar or lower. Although Veuve Clicquot already sells low-dosage Champagnes with its Cave Privée label, used for small quantities of very old vintage fizz from its cellars that are normally released with 4g/l-6g/l of residual sugar, last month’s launch is the first cuvée from the house that is classified as ‘extra brut’.

“Except for Cave Privée, this is the first extra brut we have made; officially this is the first Champagne of Veuve Clicquot to show this level of sugar,” said Demarville at the launch. However, he stressed that the very low dosage in the cuvée is thanks to the richness of the wines used to make the Champagne, which, in turn, are a result of their age – and hence the name of the new blend: Extra Brut Extra Old. “Extra Brut is a consequence of Extra Old,” he stated. The new Champagne is made entirely with reserve wines from six vintages, spanning harvests from 1988 to 2010, meaning that all the wines in the cuvée have been aged for a minimum of three years on their lees in stainless steel tanks.

The reserve wines have then been blended and matured for a further three years in bottle, followed by nearly another year in Veuve Clicquot’s cellars after disgorgement. Speaking about the addition to Veuve Clicquot’s range, Demarville explained, “The idea was to create a blend dedicated to the extra brut territory but also to show more and more the importance of reserve wines – how we age reserve wines at Veuve Clicquot and how much they are important for Yellow Label.” Indeed, he described Extra Brut Extra Old as “an extraction of Yellow Label” – a non-vintage brut Champagne that has a high proportion of reserve wines. (The current release contains 52% of a base wine from the 2013 harvest, and the other 48% of reserve wines from the following vintages: 2012, ’11, ’10, ’09, ’08, ’07 and 1999. It is then given a dosage of 10 g/l).

According to Demarville, the idea for Extra Brut Extra Old came about in 2011, when he decided to trial a new blend comprising just reserve wines from Veuve Clicquot’s collection – which, he stressed, are stored on their lees without fining or filtration, and separated according to harvest, grape variety and cru. “The idea is to explore this collection of reserve wines and to use the oldest reserve wines of our collection to create the blend of Extra Brut Extra Old,” he said, later explaining that he would from now on create this cuvée every year using different reserve wines selected to ensure a similar style. Key to the character of the wine is a creaminess, said Demarville.

“When we started working on the blend, the idea was to make a wine with creaminess, and to balance that with purity and salinity, so when we selected the reserve wines for Extra Brut Extra Old, we wanted to get the perfect balance between a creamy, silky texture – which comes from ageing wines on the lees – and a freshness,” he added.

So, despite the ‘Extra Old’ in the name (and black label), the result is a bright, refreshing and very dry style of Champagne that could be enjoyed as an apéritif, as well as with lighter styles of food such as shellfish. The delicate and fresh character of the Champagne stems in part from the low dosage, but also the fact that the bubbles are very fine – Extra Brut Extra Old has 25% lower pressure than normal: 4.5 bar compared with the standard 6. He also said that the new cuvée, with an RRP of just under £70, wasn’t intended to be a high-volume seller because he needed to keep the best reserve wines for Yellow Label.

Dosage: 3g/l. Disgorgement date: June 2016. Blend: 47% Pinot Noir, 27% Chardonnay and 26% Meunier from the 1988, 1996, 2006, 2008 and 2010 vintages.

RRP: £69 (UK off-trade)

CONTACT Moët Hennessy, +44 (0)207 808 4400