Love & Celebration – Valentine Wine Selection

Love & Celebration is a thoughtfully curated wine selection, featuring six exquisite bottles designed to enhance your Valentine’s Day moments. Each wine is carefully chosen for its elegance, balance, and character, offering a harmonious mix that delights both the palate and the senses.

Perfect for couples, gatherings, or as a sophisticated gift, this Valentine’s wine collection brings warmth, joy, and shared indulgence to every occasion. Beautifully presented, it’s a celebration of love in every sip.

1 x J. Dumangin Fils "La Cuvee 17" Brut Champagne NV ~ Champagne, France

Silver Medal, International Wine & Spirit Competition 2011

Tyson Stelzer 93/100

Wine Enthusiast Magazine 91/100

Tyson Stelzer, Champagne Expert and Author of The Champagne Guide Stelzer ranks this champagne well in front of Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot & Billecarte-Salmon. He ranks it on par with vintage Laurent-Perrier, vintage Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, and vintage Louis Roederer, which all sell north of $200... "With new contracts in place in the outstanding 2008 vintage and thirty percent declassified premier cru fruit in the blend, this is as cracking as I have ever seen Brut 17. A pristine bouquet of vibrant lemons and strawberry hull opens out into a palate of fantastic, linear freshness with great persistence, a fine, creamy bead and refreshing minerality. An ideal aperitif style. This champagne ranks as among the best value small producer champagnes. Super elegant champagne style."

Wine Enthusiast "A crisp, finely balanced wine, this is packed with fresh citrus, peach-skin and green-apple flavors. It’s a textured wine with layers of minerality on the palate. The acidity is just right—a fine streak that cuts through the fruitiness and gives a tight, taut finish."

Gilbert & Gaillard "Light gold. Delectable, clearly-defined nose with the fruit character (apple, raspberry) becoming more assertive after swirling. Clean, fleshy, crunchy fruit on the attack. Refined bubbles, pervasive freshness. A charming dry Champagne for the aperitif."

J. Dumangin Fils are a small family-run Champagne House based in the village of Chigny-les-Roses south of Reims. Dumangin have a long history overflowing with fantastic winemakers, some with names borrowed from Greek legend. The first family member to turn his hands to winemaking was Firmin Dumangin, born in 1650. Hippolyte Dumangin, born 1851, was the first to market champagne under the Dumangin brand. Achille Dumangin named a variety after himself around 1909. Jacky Dumangin achieved fame for a Premier Cru Champagne which won an impressive number awards during his 30 years at the helm. The current head of House Dumangin is Gilles. He is the 5th generation of the family to produce champagne.

The Dumangin family’s tireless efforts to produce the best possible Champagne from their own grapes was recognised by the prestigious French wine guide, the Guide Hachette des Vins, in 2008. The bible of the French wine industry awarded the Dumangin Grand Réserve a Coup de Cœur. The Coup de Coeur (judges' favourite) is the Guide Hachette’s highest possible recommendation.

1 x La Goutte du Seigneur Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2022 - Rhone, France

Organic

Winemaker "La Goutte du Seigneur is a fresh and tangy rosé, with pretty notes of redcurrants and wild strawberries, to be enjoyed under the summer sun."

45% Syrah, 55% Cinsault
Alcohol: 13%

The name of this organic and biodynamically farmed cuvée refers to their family name, translating as "Drop of the Lord". This wine is made in colaboration with the famous Sommelier Philippe Faure Brac voted best sommelier in the world.

Bernard Duseigneur "Seizing the opportunity that nature gives us; that is the essence of biodynamics for me"

Bernard Duseigneur, hailing from a lineage of winemakers, assumed control of the family's domaine in 2002 after a stint in investment banking. Returning to his Mediterranean origins, he continued the legacy of his father and brother, ultimately settling in Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the left bank of the Rhône.

In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the terroir isn't solely defined by iconic orange pebbles; it comprises diverse soils like red clays, limestone, sandstone sands, and loams from the Rhone's banks. Acknowledging that exceptional terroir alone isn't enough for quality wines, Bernard prioritizes soil vitality. His team nurtures a diverse flora and fauna that mobilize trace elements, fostering symbiosis between plant and soil.

1 x Rocca delle Macie 1787 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2019 - Tuscany, Italy

Bronze - Vironelli

Organic - currently undergoing certification

Natalie Mclean ''Very pleasant and full-bodied with generous dark fleshy fruit, dark spices and smoke. Superb craftsmanship in this DOCG wine. It finishes with smoke and dried herbs. Try it with prime rib tonight''

Vinello "This Italian wine delights with its elegantly dry taste......offers aromas of plums, blackberries and violets, rounded off by other fruity nuances."

Natalie Mclean ''Vintages Wine Panel: The nose suggests raspberry, spice and strawberry with a minty herbal tone. Very well made, dry, round and balanced, this medium bodied wine has medium tannins and acidity, with lovely soft cranberry, spice and floral flavours. Juicy, crisp and with a lovely full finish. Try it tonight. My note: Very pleasant and full-bodied with generous dark fleshy fruit, dark spices and smoke. Superb craftsmanship."

Natalie Mclean "Very pleasant and full-bodied Italian red wine, although somewhat past peak, so drink now. Fruit is fading. Dark spices and smoke. It finishes with smoke and dried herbs. The Sangiovese and Canailo grapes that comprise the blend in this robust red wine are grown in vineyards with the most advantageous orientation on the estate.''

Heather Wall ''This medium-bodied red wine is pale garnet in colour with aromas and flavours peaking now. Blackcurrant leaf, cassis, horse saddle, clove, eucalyptus and earthy. The wine is dry with polished tannins."

Rocca delle Macìe was established in 1973, when film producer Italo Zingarelli – of Ettore Scola’s “We All Loved Each Other So Much” fame, and also the wildly popular series of films featuring comedy duo Bud Spencer and Terence Hill (including “They Call Me Trinity” and “Trinity Is Still My Name”) – decided to realize his lifelong dream by acquiring the “Le Macìe” estate – extending across 93 hectares (230 acres) in all, of which only two were under vine – in order to create a winery in the heart of the Chianti Classico zone.

Tuscany is Italy's third most planted region (behind Sicily and Apulia) but it is eighth in terms of output, reflecting both the poor soil of Tuscany and deliberate efforts to limit yields and increase the quality in the wine. After Piedmont and the Veneto, Tuscany produces the third-highest volume of DOC/DOCG wines. More than 80% of the regions' production is in red wine, with the Sangiovese grape being Tuscany's' most prominent grape. Trebbiano is the leading white variety of the region.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red wine with a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita status produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano, Italy. The wine is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape varietal (known locally as Prugnolo gentile) (minimum 70%), blended with Canaiolo Nero (10%–20%) and small amounts of other local varieties such as Mammolo. The wine is aged for 2 years (at least 1 year in oak barrels); three years if it is a riserva. The wine should not be confused with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a red wine made from the Montepulciano grape in the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy.

Sangiovese (or Nielluccio in Corsica), a dark-berried vine, is the most widely planted grape variety in Italy. Virtually synonymous with the red wines of Tuscany, and all the romanticism that goes with the territory, Sangiovese is the core constituent in some of the great names in Italian wine. Italy's love affair with Sangiovese – and indeed the world's – is generations old, though recent grapevine research suggests the variety is not as ancient as once thought.

1 x Domaine Duseigneur Yamakasi Rouge 2021 - Rhone, France

Winemaker "Just like the freerunners of the film, Yamakasi plays with limits by twirling in an explosion of freshness and freedom! Wine of immediate pleasure, vinified naturally with fresh, crunchy and thirst-quenching fruit. Drink young to savor the brightness of its red fruit aromas."

60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Cinsault
Alcohol: 12.5%

Bernard Duseigneur "Seizing the opportunity that nature gives us; that is the essence of biodynamics for me"

Bernard Duseigneur, hailing from a lineage of winemakers, assumed control of the family's domaine in 2002 after a stint in investment banking. Returning to his Mediterranean origins, he continued the legacy of his father and brother, ultimately settling in Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the left bank of the Rhône.

In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the terroir isn't solely defined by iconic orange pebbles; it comprises diverse soils like red clays, limestone, sandstone sands, and loams from the Rhone's banks. Acknowledging that exceptional terroir alone isn't enough for quality wines, Bernard prioritizes soil vitality. His team nurtures a diverse flora and fauna that mobilize trace elements, fostering symbiosis between plant and soil.

1 x Brown Hill Golden Horseshoe Reserve Chardonnay 2019 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia

95/100 Erin Larkin, Halliday Wine Companion
92/100 Ray Jordan, WA Wine Guide

Silver - Margaret River Wine Show 2020

‘SMALL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ ~ The West Australian Wine Guide 2010
‘SMALL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ ~ The West Australian Wine , Guide 2009

Erin Larkin, Halliday Wine Companion "Hand picked, whole-bunch pressed, fermented in a combination of seasoned and new French oak. Toasty, chewy and packed with layers of flavour and texture. The saline acid ties it all to a post, the concentrated fruit forms a deep pool of flavour on the tongue. There's a lot to ponder, a lot to like, and thankfully, a whole bottle to drink. Get to it."

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Very light-straw colour. The aroma is reserved and a bit shy, with a faint floral overtone, while the palate is light but reasonably intense, straightforward and tickled up with a trace of sweetness. A pleasant wine."

The Western Australian Wine Guide 2018 "Brown Hill Estate is small family-run southern Margaret River producer has gone from strength to strength with a range of exceptional quality and value-for-money wines. The vines are all dry grown and on quite harsh gravelly soils, resulting in small yields. All grapes are hand-picked. The reds are put into a high percentage of new American and French oak. Great value and super wines."

Brown Hill Estate is a family run, multi-award winning Margaret River winery focussed on single vineyards. It utilizes traditional methods of handpicking and hand sorting to get the best quality from its grapes, and French coopered barrels in production.

Margaret River is one of the best-known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined Cabernet Sauvignon and intensely citrusy chardonnay varieties, the region now produces Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends and Shiraz.

Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes, Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean, to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay.

1 x McHenry Hohnen Hazel's Vineyard GSM 2020 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia

94/100 Erin Larkin, Halliday Wine Companion
Commended - Huon Hooke, The Real Review

5 Star Winery - James Halliday

“Halliday Wine Companion - Australian Winery of the Year 2022 & 2023 - Shortlisted. Ranked Top 8”.

Organic

Erin Larkin, Halliday Wine Companion "...tannins: here they create a firm casing around the fruit and really shape the affair through the finish. The layers of dark fruit and spice feel never-ending ... a decant will likely assist this in opening up."

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Deep colour with youthful tints and a sawn-timber and dark chocolate bouquet, coupled with a porty overtone. This is echoed on the palate by very drying tannins and a lot of chewiness. The texture is rasping. There is a definite 'dead fruit' aspect to it. This won't worry some who go for big, solid, unsubtle reds."

Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Real Review "Margaret River’s claim to red wine fame rests very much on its world-class cabernet sauvignons. Shiraz is a lesser light but can be very impressive too. Grenache and mataro are regional rarities, as are three-way blends of the two with shiraz, so this wine shines a light on the possibilities. It’s a very savoury drop, dramatically at odds with the voluptuous grenache-dominant styles of South Australia. It opens with lots of spice and herbal, undergrowthy scents, red berry fruit woven through. The palate is quite sinewy and structured, more about texture than ripe flavour. A tight core of fruit carries through it with a drying, grainy tannic edge behind it. A wine that should develop well in the bottle"

70% Grenache, 26% Syrah, 4% Mataro

Founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen, and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focus on crafting site expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.

"McHenry Hohnen is tucked away off Bussell Highway to the south of Margaret River. The wines have bound from strength, a comment never truer than under the stewardship of winemaker Jacopo (Japo). Under his leadership, the wines have been catapulted into a new realm of quality. The chardonnays particularly exemplify that hard-to-achieve balance of pleasurable on release, and capable of graceful ageing. The move towards organics and sustainable farming has had a positive impact on the quality of the wines, and it is a delight to witness so much diversity in the vineyards - from experimental clones and new plantings, to sheep, chickens, olives and vegetables. McHenry Hohnen is an estate on the move - divert your eyes at your peril - EL."

GSM is a famous blend of red wine grapes from the Cotes du Rhone region in France. It is made from Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre.