Approx. 2-minute read

By Neville Kirkpatrick, Fine Wines Sales

There are various festive occasions dotted around the gastronomic marathon that is ‘the big day’. Smaller dinners, lunches and drinks parties require a variety of wine styles, and so increasingly, I find myself needing a selection of reds throughout Christmas. Although lovely in the right setting, do you want a 16% Amarone with light nibbles and a smoked salmon blini? Perhaps not…

Of course, C&B deals with this conundrum brilliantly, giving a gorgeous array of styles that will have you covered for every occasion. On the lighter and more elegant end of the spectrum is a mouth watering Pinot Noir from Les Lys de Léon. A pure-fruited, perfumed and deftly made Pinot taken from great vineyards across the Loire Valley. Enjoy slightly chilled for a canapé friendly red.

Moving to something more textural, richer and silkier is the Mucchietto Primitivo from Puglia. Packed with flavours of ripe cherry, sweet spices and dark chocolate, there is something incredibly comforting about this wine. I personally think it will be perfect for a cold December night pre-Christmas.

Domaine Labruyère’s Champ de Cour is Beaujolais like no other and a favourite wine of mine. From the highly prized cru village of Moulin-à-Vent, this is a wine full of spicy red and black fruit, and a delightful herbaceous note that adds complexity. When I first joined Corney & Barrow, I remember our Head of Fine Wine Buying Guy Seddon saying to me, “The wines of Labruyère are all about Gamay on Granite”. This wine encapsulates both — when tasting, there is an almost indescribably ‘granitic’ character that is so compelling. A must-try in my view…

I am guilty of favouring European wines at Christmas, but in the last few years, I’ve been mixing in some great Cabernets from Napa Valley. In the Fine Wine Sales team, Othello from Dominus Estate is something we all refer to as an insider’s wine. There simply isn’t another Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from an estate of this pedigree available at this price. From a brilliant vintage, Othello 2016 is drinking superbly right now with exquisite fruit purity and a silken texture that is incredibly satisfying.

If, however, you are a Burgundy lover like me, there are very few producers that I could recommend more than Domaine Georges Glantenay. Sarah and Guillaume Glantenay’s Volnay 1er Cru La Robardelle is sublime. Their wines are perfumed, ethereal and beautifully balanced. They are one of the rising stars in the Côte de Beaune, and trying one of their top premier crus will convince you of why.

Finally, it simply wouldn’t be a C&B Christmas lineup without ‘Barry White’, or Château Barrail du Blanc Grand Cru St-Émilion, as our friends across the Channel would say. 2020 was a sensational vintage in Bordeaux, and ‘Barry White’ once again is an absolute triumph. Full of wonderfully powerful red and black fruits, framed by deliciously fine tannins and bright acidity, this will be gorgeous on Christmas Day and beyond. A red that will be consumed in abundance in the Kirkpatrick household!