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Proprietor Sam Bilbro has spent virtually a lifetime around wine. His family owns Marietta, while brothers Jake and Scot are behind the reborn Limerick Lane. At Idlewild, Sam Bilbro focuses on Italian and other less well-known varieties. In addition to these wines, I also tasted the, Arneis Fox Hill Vineyard, Vin Gris Dry Creek Valley and Grenache Gris Gibson Ranch. The best wines in this range are compelling, and point to a bright future. ANTONIO GALLONI, www.vinousmedia.com

Having had a relationship with the Bilbro family as importers of the Marietta wines some years ago we were delighted to find youngest son, Sam, was behind this new venture, Idlewild. In many ways the wines are the anitpathy of what so many believe Californian wines are supposed to be. Hunting out heritage stands of Italian and Rhone varietals (mostly in Mendocino County) Bilbro makes extremely interesting wines characterised by texture, savouriness and subtlety. Skin contact is a part of the wines as is a relatively non-interventionist approach; both indicative of the preferences of the younger brigade of Calfornia producers. PWS

The 2017 White The Bee Flora & Fauna, is a classy, polished wine to drink now and over the next few years. Green pear, mint, white flowers and light tropical overtones all grace this very pretty, expressive wine. The Muscat in particular adds an attractive aromatic flair. ANTONIO GALLONI

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

An interesting newcomer to the market, the base of this vermouth is rich, nutty Sherry—80% amontillado and 20% Pedro Ximenez, to be precise. It has a coffee-brown hue and a bright dried-herb scent. The palate wows with sticky toffee, dried apricot, orange peel and cocoa. Ideal for adding complexity to drinks featuring dark spirits. WINE ENTHUSIAST

A perfect blend of two wines each aged individually in the traditional, authentic Jerez “Solera y Criaderas” System: An Amontillado, dry and nutty, with character. A Pedro Ximénez, sweet, intense and velvety. LUSTAU

Zar Brooks can't decide whether it's ximenez (front label) or ximinez (back label). From a solera started in 1944, now an average age of 30 years. It has a strong, dark roasted nut bouquet, and an extremely luscious brandy snap, cumquat, nut and tea palate. This is seriously old material. JAMES HALLIDAY, The Australian Wine Companion 2011
Made from 30 year old material this Pedro Ximinez is produced in an amontillado style. Dry with
hints of walnut and pecan nuts, tea leaf and crème brulee. Though the wine is sweet it is dryer than many luscious Pedro Ximenez's, the rancio nutty character is fresher and more reminiscent of amontillado Sherry. Rich, with hints of orange rind, and marmalade and finishing with a dry nutty toffee flavour and fresh zesty acidity. Quite long and fresh. PWS

Very fresh and bright with effusive pink grapefruit and lilac aromas from the warm, dry growing season. I love this wine’s zesty personality and the wonderful mineral freshness that gives the long finish a terrific kick. This almost pure muscat a petits grains. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now. STUART PIGOTT, jamessuckling.com

‘Aranzá’ is Rafa’s sub-vineyard name for a small portion he selects from Viña La Palma. La Palma itself is a small vineyard, 3 hectares of 60 year-old Palomino growing in Albariza tosca cerrada. The term ‘Aranzá’ is a short-hand for the local measure of land area, an Aranzáda – depending upon the colloquy involved (the measure is different in each town and possibly grower-to-grower!), it’s roughly a half hectare.

Pickled hay, buttery chalk and the cold steel smell of yesterday’s Tea Billy. Savoury, earthen, edged and filled with pickles and spice. Dandelion, a nice rim of diatom (blue oceanic fossil minerality), pickled cucumber, a sapid buzz in the cheeks and corners of the tongue. A round and savoury style, the cereal-inflected Palomino is mid-weight with an understated, lovely finish of bitters on the point of the tongue. Incredible volume and textural satisfaction at such low ABV.

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

The colour tells a big part of the story: deep, dark amber brown. The scent is complex, sweet and pure with walnut, honeyed fruitcake, treacle, coffee bean and vanilla. Falls like velvet on the tongue; seamless. This classification is the domain of the expert blender and the choices she makes to convey house style (elegant, fine), complexity and, importantly, freshness. Jen Pfeiffer is one such master of the art. (97) JENI PORT, wine companion

Deep amber in appearance. The nose is incredibly complex and concentrated, with aromas of burnt oranges, roasted walnuts, sandalwood, dried fruit and dark chocolate coated coffee beans. Seriously deep and brooding and an iconic style of Australian wine found nowhere else in the world. The average age of base wines is 28 year. Exceptional. (98) JAMES SUCKLING

The brooding and immaculate NV Rare Muscat Rutherglen (2024 release) is superbly pitched and mesmerizing, with its aged coffee grounds, roasted nut, old spice and cocoa tones brightened by cherry compote. Incredible fruit density fills the palate while balanced sweetness provides a seamless quality. The finish builds and builds to a fabulous conclusion. (97) angus Hughson, vinous media

Extraordinary intensity – wow, it just keeps on expanding across the palate. Thick, oily texture with intense dried fruit and incredible ripeness. An absolute scene-stealer! 18.5 jancis Robinson

Light, fragrant-but-steely nose – not unlike a dry Riesling! Very long, pure and pungent. Lovely wine! And a fabulous aperitif. (17/20) JANCIS ROBINSON MW

Sanlúcar de Barrameda sits on the estuary of the Guadalquivir river with Atlantic breezes coming off the ocean. Its microclimate impregnates the yeasts growing on the surface of the Manzanilla with a rare sea salt character. Selected for its delicacy, this Manzanilla is aged under “flor” in American oak casks for five years and bottled without any treatment. LUSTAU

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Zind Humbrecht is one of the unquestioned kings of aromatic whites. His ceaseless drive to create the world's greatest examples of his varieties is nothing short of remarkable as are the resulting offerings. A devoted proponent of Biodynamics, a gifted presenter and communicator and a towering figure of modern wine, the first Frenchman to be awarded the MW (International Master of Wine) he has justifiably earned his reputation as one of the legends of modern wine.

The Tuckheim Range is the value tier and represents classic Alsatian whites from a regional blend of grapes as well as estate fruit. These vineyards are grown on the valley floor, where the glacial debris of rolled stones, granite and gneiss has settled over the aeons. Wine from these soils tends to have a lovely fruit profile underpinned with a stoney-mineral tension that screams 'drink me' and marks the wines with the typical mineral streak of Alsace.