http://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspxH&H Bancroft News60http://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=90Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=89Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=88Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=87Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=85Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=82Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=81Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=80Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=79Tom Cannavan reviews the range from Hartenberg, Stellenbosch, South Africa H&H Bancroft is delighted that Tom Cannavan from Wine-Pages.com reviews Hartenberg Esatate, Stellenbosch, South AfricaYou can view Tom's full review hereSauvignon Blanc 2008 Lovely green pea pod and asparagus nose, hints of tropicality, the palate has great zest and life, with lovely clarity and intensity. Green bean and clear lime fruit. 89/100. Weisser Riesling 2007 Clean, zesty, herbal nose with hints of wax and a touch of paraffin. The palate has a lovely hint of lemon rind, waxy fatness, with keen acidity and a juicy, concentrated finish. Dry, or just off-dry, but quite tangy and rich. 88/100. Chardonnay 2006 Plenty of creamy, vanillin new oak. The fruit is good - ripe orchard fruits. The palate has a richness and weighty, creamy texture. Lovely zest here too, with touches of orange and grapefruit. Lovely quality here. 90/100. Eleanor Chardonnay 2005 Again more creamy, lightly toasty oak of very good quality. Refined tropical fruit and lime beneath. The palate has lovely texture and concentration, with a clean, lime-like acidity giving an edge to sweet, tropical, quite unctuous fruit. Stays very clean and focused. 91/100. Pinotage 2005 Very nice, creamy black fruit nose, with a chocolate and espresso background, but very subtle. The palate has more of that super-sweet black fruit, that is ripe and creamy, with a nice bite of tannin and spice. Very long and full of flavour - and alcohol at 15.5%. 90/100. Merlot 2006 Quite earthy, schisty and smoky. Fruit is cool and seems lean. Bursts into life on the palate, with quite decisive cherry and blackberry fruit, but tempered with some tight, juicy tannins and spice, and good acidity. Cabernet Shiraz 2005 Nice nose with cedar and earth and cool restraint. On the palate the spice and tannins slightly out-punch the fruit, but it is savoury and chewy, and is a good food wine. 87/100. Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Tight, refined, cedar, sweet spice and black fruit. The palate has plenty of biting, juicy, vital black fruit with both glossy sweetness and crisp, lithe energy. Tight and sinewy tannins adding texture and grip. 92/100. Shiraz 2005 Schisty and cool, with blue/black fruit quality. Subtle background oak supports and a hint of juicy ripeness. Lovely, elegant, medium-bodied stuff on the palate with a creamy texture and nice nipping tannins and acidity adding freshness. 90/100. The Mackenzie Cabernet Merlot 2005 Lovely nose, brimming with ripe, spicy, creamy black fruits with plenty of gloss and succulent depth. The palate has a cool, pure, restrained black fruit quality with a nice tang and life about it. Lovely composure and balance of richness and restraint. 93/100. The Stork Shiraz 2004 From a specific vineyard on red clay soils. Hugely intense, creamy, black fruit and meat stock nose, yet has roundness and fat. The palate has great presence too, the meaty, bacon fat richness suffused through thick, sweet black fruit. Lovely balance here, with very good concentration and a huge finish. 94/100. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=78The Wine Doctor reviews the ‘New Agencies from H&H BancroftWinedoctor is an online wine resource that started out in 2000. Since that inauspicious beginning, it has grown to become one of the world's most useful individual web resources. Today the site is crammed with hundreds of winemaker and domaine profiles, thousands of tasting notes, detailed regional guides, maps and more.H&H Bancroft is delighted that 'The Wine Doctor' gave his rave reviews to our wines at a tasting!You can view the taster notes here.France - René Geoffroy Brut Premier Cru Expression NV: Lots of bead here, bubbles of a moderate size, and a fairly pale hue. Very mineral on the nose, salty even, with notes of soft and crumbly rock, with a smoky-steely character and elements of pine kernels. A lovely texture on entry, soft but with lovely plump, yellow plum flavours . Minerally too though. Sappy, fading but polished finish, and a good length too. Still very youthful, this will show more evolution of flavour over the next year or two I think. It does have potential for the cellar, nevertheless it is certainly tasty now. 16+/20 (£23.50)Chateau Bertineau St Vincent (Lalande de Pomerol) 2005: A wine from the Rolland collection, this cuvée - which I have only tasted before in the 2008 vintage - shows an admirable depth of colour. Decanted, it was drinkable within an hour or two, but it remained tannin-bound for several hours more, and it was only after five hours or so in the decanter that it really developed real harmony. The nose is still very reserved and yet primary at the moment, with dark fruits overlaid with fading elements of honey-toasted oak. The palate is mostly tight, dominated by a core of ripe tannins, with good acidity and good substance. There are some perfumed elements to the fruit as the wine opens up, a note of violets amongst the savoury, meaty fruit, but overall this is for the present a withdrawn wine that demands time in the cellar. Really good potential here though, and a real sign of the strength of this vintage. 17+/20 (£28.85)Spain - Las Colinas del Ebro Garnacha Blanca (Terra Alta) 2008: This wine originates from Grenache vines in this region of Catalonia, in north-east Spain. The fruit is hand-harvested, sees a temperature-controlled fermentation and is bottled under a synthetic closure. The colour is pale and clean, the nose gently aromatic, with clean, fresh and dew-touched herbs, a little nuance of pear skin, and a papery edge. The palate is fresh, moderate in terms of substance, but with a nicely rounded composition. Reserved rather than lean, crisply cornered but with flesh in the middle, and subtle and steely flavours, this makes an attractive foil for summer afternoons and fish dishes. This is ready to drink now. 15/20 (£7.95)Las Colinas del Ebro Syrah Garnacha (Terra Alta) 2007: As with the white, this is harvested by hand, sees a temperature-controlled fermentation, and is bottled under a synthetic closure. A great colour in the glass, deep but a vibrant, juicy, dark cherry red. The nose is packed with fruit, dark cherry and crunchy cranberry, with a little vein of smoke too. Fresh, rich but well delineated, crunchy but ripe fruit, and lovely definition, this is a real flatterer on the palate. Broad, juicy, crunchy, flavoursome and dry, this is a stylish wine unspoiled by excess of either sugar or oak. Lovely finish, structured, with a gentle coating of savoury, cottony tannins. At the price, this is an absolute bargain. 17+/20 (£8.20)Bodegas Arrocal Ribera del Duero 2006: Sourced from the estate's Gumiel de Mercado vineyard, this is predominantly Tempranillo but also includes 4% Cabernet (I imagine Sauvignon, although this is unspecified) and 1% Merlot, and has spent six months in oak. A good glossy although dense colour in the glass. The nose still has some elements of oak, little coconutty notes alongside the dark, bright but slightly meaty fruit. Soft, warm and somewhat silky on entry, with the pleasing sweetness of blackcurrant, blueberry and damson jam, but with an element of honeyed grip which builds through the palate and which probably relates to the short period of barrel-ageing. Overall this is really good, albeit very modern and international in style, and although it is very drinkable now it is capable of picking up some interest with a little time in the cellar I think. 16.5+/20 (£11.95)Bodegas Abanico Eternum Viti (Toro) 2007: Very attractively packaged, white label and silver and black capsule, and bottled under natural cork. Very dark and glossy appearance in the glass, and a very modern style apparent on the nose, as well as on the label which declares 14.5%. Lots of fruit, with a queue of blackberry, roasted plum and damson jam, overlaid with the aroma of honeyed oak, tar and liquorice. Soft on entry, a very creamy composition, full of gently rich substance and texture. There is a tangible but ripe and velvety layer of tannins, some no doubt oak-derived, with moderate acidity too. Lots of lingering substance on the finish too. Altogether this is a very attractive wine which has many good points, and which will appeal most to fans of modern, oak-influenced cuvées. I think I would keep it a year or two to see if the wood integrates a little more though. Good. 16+/20 (£11.10)South Africa - Hartenberg Sauvignon Blanc (Stellenbosch) 2008: The fruit for this wine was harvested in stages over a two-week period and then fermented in steel, with four hours of skin contact and four months on the lees, with bátonnage. The nose is loaded with very typical Sauvignon fruit, some of which no doubt owes its existence to the methylpyrazines from the earlier pickings, with notes of yellow pepper, green pepper and a pungent, grassy gooseberryishness. The palate has a good impact, full-flavoured, with some fatness and texture from the lees-stirring, nicely counterbalanced by the vibrant, tingling acidity which starts out on entry and runs right through to the finish. A good style, full-on and very true to the variety. 16/20 (£10.90)Hartenberg Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz (Stellenbosch) 2005: This wine has a rich, dark plum hue in the glass. The nose is quite straightforward and laden with fruit, blackcurrant and smoky damson, with a somewhat sweet and jammy feel to it. There are also notes of coffee, dark chocolate and coconut, some of which may reflect the wines élevage in French oak for 12 months. The palate is soft, slightly sweet, full of jammy plum, damson and blackcurrant fruit, with soft and ripe tannins and a low level of acidity. There is some spice and grip towards the finish, and overall this ranks well as a sweet little crowd-pleaser. 15/20 (£10.30)Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=77Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=76Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=75Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=72Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=68Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=67Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=65Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=64Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=63Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=62Summer Rose Offer - Savings of up to £48/cs The Wimbledon Championships are here, the sun is out and the temperature's rising. Just the moment to put a chilled rosé in the fridge to enjoy in the sunshine. Here are some of our favourite rosés from our range all at discounted prices. Do stock up so you have plenty of rosé for the summer!Kind regards,The Fine Wine Team @ H&H BancroftCabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2008, Julio Bouchon, Chile(12x75cl) @ £7.00 £5.60/bt (£67.20/cs inc.VAT)French style with South American panache from Chile’s Maule Valley - refreshing red berry fruit and delightful well-balanced acidity.Rosé Vin de Pays d'Oc 2008, Cabrials, Languedoc(12x75cl) @ £8.10 £5.95/bt (£71.40/cs inc.VAT)From the 140 hectares of vineyards run owned by Bernard Julien near Beziers in Languedoc-Roussillon comes a rosé that is well made and refeshing. The flavours are dry and delicate with light aromas of apple and strawberry followed by a palate of summer fruits. This represents great value.Touraine Rosé 2008, Alain Marcadet, Loire(12x75cl) @ £7.90 £6.25/bt (£75.00/cs inc.VAT)A steal at this price for this light pink Loire rosé with aromas of strawberry and a crisp mouthful of apples and raspberry.Malbec Rosé 2008, Finca La Linda, Argentina(12x75cl) @ £8.25 £6.50/bt (£78.00/cs inc.VAT)Vibrant nose and plenty of rounded, fresh strawberry fruit on the palate. Medium bodied and with a wonderful crisp finish full of ripe fruit from one of the Rhone’s greatest estates. Bergerie de L'Hortus Classique Rosé 2008, Languedoc(12x75cl) @ £10.50 £8.50/bt (£102.00/cs inc.VAT)A wonderful blend of flavours on the nose and palate - aromas of strawberries and raspberries; mouthfuls of elegant dry cranberry fruit; a luxuriant long finish with a hint of lime - everything you would want from a rosé, this is wonderful wine.Sancerre Rosé Le Grand Moulin 2007, Pierre Girault, Loire (12x75cl) @ £14.55 £13.10/bt (£157.20/cs inc.VAT)Classic Loire valley rosé. Chilled, it is the perfect antidote to Spring heat with ripe, refreshing dry fruit, crisp acidity and lingering finish. At this price it represents a bargain.Tavel Rosé 2007, Domaine de la Mordorée, Rhone (12x75cl) @ £12.95 £10.95/bt (£131.40/cs inc.VAT)Big and bold with excellent freshness and intensity, full of ripe flavours and medium-bodied. Very fruity and quite long on the finish. This Tavel has to be the most serious rosé on the market.Cases are all 12x75clWed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=60Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=59Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=58Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=57Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=56Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=55Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=53Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=54Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=52Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=51Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=50Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=49Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=48Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=47Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=46Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=45Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=43Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=44Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=42Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=41Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=40Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=39Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=38Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=37Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=36Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=35Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=34Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=33Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=32Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=31Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=30Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=29Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=28Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=27Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=26Bordeaux 2007 En Primeur: White Bordeaux Is The Highlight of 2007You can often forget just how good white Bordeaux can be, but in 2007 we certainly had a reminder at the UGC Tastings. One of our favourites in terms of quality and value was Chateau Larrivet Haut Brion. Our tasting note reads,"60% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 5% Muscadelle. Slightly restrained nose but on the palate there is plenty of rounded grapefruit and crisp minerality. A lovely long finish. This is really rather good. Drink from 2010" 91/100, HHBChateau Larrivet Haut Brion blanc, Graves @ (12 x75cl) @ £225.00/csOther wines we recommend are listed below:Red Wines:- Chateau Kirwan, 3rd Growth, Margaux @ £255.00/cs"Never looks like a bad buy for 3rd Growth claret. Good drinking to be found here this year." HHB (89-92,RP)Sweet Wines:Chateau de Fargues, Sauternes @ £720/cs"d'Yquem's other property...lovely cloying fruit that just goes on and on. This wine really is spectacular." HHB (94-96,NM)Chateau Doisy-Vedrines, 2eme Cru, Sauternes @ £210/cs"Château Doisy-Védrines 2007 is perhaps the real over-achiever" 94-96pts.NMChateau Rieussec,1er Cru, Sauternes @ £515/cs"Has to be one of the best wines of the year." HHB. (19/20,JR)Chateau La Tour Blanche,1er Cru, Sauternes @ £350/cs"Beautiful balance and intensity. Excellent length and finish." HHB (90-93pts.WS)For further information on the these wines please contact the team:Contact The Fine Wine Team Tel: +44 (0) 20 7232 5440 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7232 5451 Email: The Fine Wine TeamFri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=25Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=24Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=23Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=22Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=21Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=20Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=18Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=17Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.bancroftwines.com/news.aspx?nid=16Viña Pedrosa, among Ribera del Duero’s most prestigious estates, is now exclusively available through H&H Bancroft Wines. One of the region’s founding estates, the winery was established in 1980 by the three Pérez Pasquas brothers. The vineyards are considerably older, however, having been planted in the 1940’s. The original vines, mainly Tinto Fino together with a little Cabernet Sauvignon, are over 60 years’ old and lie at over 800m above sea level surrounding the picturesque town of Pedrosa de Duero. The newer vineyards are themselves over 20 years old. The maturity of the vineyards gives huge depth to the wines, which are able to soak up a proportion of new oak while retaining an extraordinary level of expressive fruit. The young wood also helps to soften the underlying structure, giving wines that are refined, packed with fruit, and immensely drinkable. The wines are aged between 12 and 24 months in cask replaced every three years. Viña Pedrosa makes two styles of wine: the more modern Cepa Gavilán with its contemporary labelling, as well as the more classically labelled Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. There is also the Perez Pascuas Gran Selección, the ultimate expression of Ribera del Duero. Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT