Christophe Mignon Foudre Champagne
$131.99
According to Antonio Galloni of Vinous Wine Journal, “Christophe Mignon might very well be the finest grower in Champagne most people have not heard about, yet.” Galloni may have a point. Located just outside the tiny village of Festigny, Mignon farms a mere 6 ha, planted almost exclusively to Pinot Meunier. The vines were planted by his great-grandparents and are spread among thirty parcels between the villages of Le Breuil and Festigny in the Vallee de la Marne.
Mignon has practiced biodynamics for 16 years , allowing the moon’s cycles to dictate his work in the vineyards and in the cellar. Harvests adhere strictly to this calendar, as do tirage and disgorgement. In essence, Mignon strives to follow the rhythm of nature and this informs each decision he makes. While this might seem a tad esoteric to some, the results are well worth the potential befuddlement.
For the most part, Christophe does all the primary fermentation in stainless steel with ambient yeasts, while only the reserve wine is held in oak foudre. He strives to vinify each parcel in a separate tank in order to distinguish the unique qualities of each micro-climate. The non-vintage Champagnes spend a minimum of 24 months in bottle before disgorgement, while the vintage wines may spend as long as five or six years. Christophe uses the bare minimum of sulphur at bottling and the majority of his cuvees are bottled without any dosage. The resulting wines offer a delightful balance between intellectual and visceral enjoyment. They are at once vinous and rich, with complex brioche notes and herbal inflections, but also fresh and simply enjoyable. While Christophe may have a very complex philosophy, he also believes that Champagne should be enjoyed and not fawned over.
Red Stone Cabernet Icewine
$39.99
After realizing the potential of winemaking in Niagara, owner Moray Tawse purchased his first vineyard in 2001. In 2005 he opened Tawse, the winery that bears his family name. He then secured vineyards in his beloved Burgundy and his project with famed winemaker Pascal Marchand, Marchand Tawse was born.
Redstone is the newest addition to his portfolio and his second project on the Escarpment. “When you get an opportunity to get a terroir where the wine’s great, you buy another vineyard! ”, he confesses. When the former Thomas and Vaughan property came up for sale in 2009, it was an opportunity he simply couldn’t pass up.
Organic farming feeds the vines and controls diseases without the use of synthetic insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers. We strive to create a diversified balanced ecosystem that generates health and fertility from the vineyard itself. Healthy vines mean less need for outside substances to control diseases and promote growth.
Rest & Be Thankful Bruichladdich 17 Year
$359.99
This Bruichladdich single cask was filled into an ex-Wine Hogshead Cask #R08/290-16 in 2004, and was bottled after 17 years at 56.5%. It is one of the best wine cask Bruichladdichs I've ever had, something like a single cask Bruichladdich Black Art... Exclusive to KWM!
Croft Quinta Da Roeda Vintage Port
$78.99
Croft is one of the most distinguished of all Port houses. Founded in 1588, it is the oldest firm still active today as a Port wine producer. The company is renowned above all for its Vintage Ports as well as for its range of wood-aged reserves and tawnies, time-honoured styles refined by skill and experience passed down through the generations.
Laphroaig 25 Year Cask Strength 2023
$879.99
The 2023 release of Laphroaig 25 Year was matured exclusively in ex-Bourbon, before bottling at 47.3%. 90.67pts Whiskybase
Producer Description
"An evolution of the flavours in the classic Laphroaig 10 we all know and love, our 25 Year Old Cask Strength started its journey in 1998 – well before the age of social media and hyperconnectivity. Matured for a quarter of a century, non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength to preserve its full flavour, our 2023 expression is a truly powerful one.
"In its teenage years in the ex-bourbon casks, there is a prominent sweetness of red berries and vanilla. Then, like many strong-natured teenagers, this spirit emerges into its twenties slightly softened and more well-rounded. Now, the fruitier notes have time to come to the fore and blend with the ever-present smokiness.
"Wave after wave of tropical flavour with a long, smoky finish and quintessential Laphroaig aftertaste – these historic and evolved flavours will surely appeal to whisky connoisseurs around the world wanting to savour a taste experience 25 years in the making."
Laphroaig 34 Year Ian Hunter Book 5
$2,799.99
the 5th and final release in the Laphroaig Ian Hunter Story is "Enduring Spirit", a 34 year old bottled at 45.5%, originally distilled in 1988 and "double matured in a combination of first fill ex-bourbon American Oak barrels and Pedro Ximénez European Oak Hogheads." 90.59ps Whiskybase
Producer Description
"Book Five: Enduring Spirit is the culmination of our Ian Hunter series, a collection of aged single malts celebrating and paying homage to the lasting impact that one remarkable man had on Laphroaig’s history. This final release celebrates the lasting legacy of the final member of the Johnston family to own and manage the Laphroaig distillery. This is an exceptionally rare whisky in a very limited series – owning it is to own part of our history and our heritage.
"Ian Hunter had astounding vision for Laphroaig’s future, and he nurtured its growth alongside the rich heritage of Islay and its people. Thanks to this dedication and passion, the Scotch whisky you enjoy today boasts such a distinctive flavour that sets it apart from the crowd.
"It was he who introduced the American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels to our maturation process following his travels to the United States, and he who established our malting floors that we use to this day. Ian’s vision and influence gives our whisky its iconic flavour and continues to direct our distillery’s practices and techniques, both from the infrastructure he put in place and the legacy he left behind for all generations of our distillery team to be inspired by.
"The fifth and final instalment in this iconic series is a 34-year-old single malt with intriguing flavours of classic Laphroaig peat combined with accents of fruity blueberry and sweet, rich butterscotch. This combination of classic and modern flavours showcases the evolving vision and individuality that Ian Hunter had in mind for Laphroaig whisky, making it certainly a legacy of spirit that will endure."
Mythical Beasts Glenrothes 34 Year
$1,499.99
34 year old cask strength, heavily sherried, Glenrothes, for less than the 25 year official bottling... and it has a good Whiskybase score! Bottled at a perilously low cask strength of 42% after maturing its whole life in Oloroso Sherry! 89.25pts Whiskybase
Port Charlotte PMC:01
$154.99
This limited edition Port Charlotte was initially matured in first fill ex-Bourbon barrels for 4 years before finishing a further 5 years in Pomerol wine barriques. Peated to 40ppm, the whisky was bottled after 9 years at 54.5%.
Producer Description
"This release marks the first time we’ve matured Port Charlotte spirit in Pomerol casks, and the result is really special. The quality of the oak paired with the versatility of the spirit is remarkable, and the flavour pays homage to both the wine region of the cask and the spirit’s all-inlay maturation. It showcases the harmonious balance between oak, rich fruit and gentle peat smoke – an unforgettable single malt."
Old & Rare Ardmore 31 Year
$849.99
This 1990 vintage Ardmore was matured 31 years in a Refill Sherry Butt before bottling at 58.1%. 89.27pts Whiskybase