Special wines to treat your beau this Valentine’s Day
“We sold a bottle of Sine Qua Non The Hussy Roussanne 2000 to a customer for Valentine’s Day. It currently retails for £1,580. The most expensive bottle we have in the shop is the Macallan Lalique 2 55YO, which sells for £145,000.”
Established in 2012 in the heart of London’s Mayfair by Russian mobile phone entrepreneur Evgeny Chichvarkin, Hedonism is a fine wine and spirits boutique that bills itself as “the best wine merchant in the world.”
Its cellar is seriously impressive and seriously extensive. The UK’s best buyers have sourced around 6,500 wines and 3,000 spirits, selecting only the crème de la crème from around the world. These include the Macallan 1946 Select Reserve, Highland Park 50YO, Ararat Noyan Tapan 70YO, a magnum of Domaine de la Romanée Conti 1966, and a Torbreck The Laird 2006 in a spectacular 27-litre bottle.
in the pre-Covid days, Hedonism hosted regular tastings with winemakers and distillers, with customers able to sample nearly 50 wines on site. This service is, of course, not on offer right now. So instead we asked Hedonism events manager Sherry Rose Stoler to pick out a few bottles to lavish upon your loved one this Valentine’s day.
Amour de Deutz Rose 2009, £179
Part of the Trio de Prestige from Champagne Deutz. A blend of solely Grand Cru Pinot Noir (64%) and Chardonnay (36%), this wine was aged for eight years on lees and an additional nine months following disgorgement.
Petit et Bajan Nymphea NV, £52.40
Petit & Bajan are a récoltant-manipulant producing exceptional wines exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards in Avize, Cramant, Oger and Verzenay. Brut Rosé Nymphea is a blend of 90% Chardonnay with 10% Pinot Noir added as a dry red wine. The wine is beautifully refined and has inviting aromas of summer fruits, blood orange and spices.
Love and Pif Aligote Yann Durieux 2017, £45.80
A natural wine made from Aligoté vines aged over 40 years old in Burgundy, Yann Durieux is turning heads with his elegant and delicate expression of what is often considered Burgundy’s second class white grape (but shouldn’t). Following a decade at Burgundy’s esteemed Prieuré-Roch, young vintner Yann Durieux revived the Recrue des Sens family winery and vineyards and is making a name for himself for organic viticulture.
Peter Michael La Carriere Chardonnay 2018, £162
Peter Michael Winery is undoubtedly one of the finest producers of exceptional quality Chardonnay in California. From a rsingle vineyard in the Knights Valley, Sonoma, La Carrière typically exhibits higher minerality and slightly leaner, more citrus-driven fruit than other wines in the portfolio.
Domaine de L`Horizon Rose 2017, £55.80
Domaine de l’Horizon is a tiny winery based in the small village of Calce, in the far southwestern corner of France, close to the Spanish border. Here, German-born winemaker Thomas Teibert, produces miniscule quantities of highly terroir-driven wine from the gnarly old vines of the IGP Côtes Catalanes. The Rosé is made from Grenache sourced from 70-year-old vines planted on schist slopes overlooking the Mediterranean. A stunning shimmering elegance on the nose and thrilling mineral tension.
Chene Bleu Rose 2019, £23.80
The 2019 Chêne Bleu Rosé is a blend of 60% Grenache Noir, 15% Syrah, 12% Rolle (Vermentino) and 8% Mourvedre. Bright pale pink in colour, it is rich and aromatic on the nose, with scents of red berry fruits, tangerine zest and wild flowers.
Chambolle Musigny Les Amoureuses Lucien Le Moine 2016, £438
This esteemed vineyard bordering Musigny and Clos de Vougeot regularly produces one of Lucien Le Moine’s most celebrated wines.
La Fleur Petrus 2017, £222
On the prime plateau of Pomerol, Château La Fleur-Pétrus neighbours the iconic Châteaux Lafleur and Petrus and is part of the remarkable stable of wines owned by the Moueix family. With yields significantly impacted by frosts, the 2017 is a blend of 93% Merlot with lesser parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, that offers seamless harmony between rich black fruits, superb mineral depth and delicate floral perfume.
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva La Fiorita 2013, £92.10
Only 3,900 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva were produced by La Fiorita in 2013. It is a wonderfully deep and dark wine with sumptuous aromas of Morello cherry, blackcurrant, spice, earth and wild herbs. It is pretty and aromatic but has plenty of textural fibre and acidity to ensure a long life ahead. Even better on St Valentine’s day 2035.
• For forthcoming online tastings visit the Hedonism online portal here. For private virtual tastings go here or email [email protected].