The results are out for the Wine Merchant Magazine Top 100 2023 and we’re delighted to announce that 5 wines from the Boutinot portfolio have been named in the Top 100, with one of the wines also bagging a trophy.

We’re absolutely delighted with the recognition these wines have received, especially when considering the incredibly tough competition across the awards. Here’s a list of the winning wines below with some comments from our Product Managers.

Best Value White Trophy:

 

Wildeberg Wild House Chenin Blanc, Western Cape 2022:

The most rewarding part of our job is to work with wines with the magic combination of appealing drinkability, real character and interest and, of course, a modest price tag. The Holy Grail of our business. Wild House Chenin is unquestionably one of these and gets better with each vintage. Sustainably produced and naturally fermented, its pretty, vibrant fruit leads into a honeyed, textural palate with lovely balance and freshness. This well-deserved Trophy follows a Highly Recommended rating in a recent Decanter panel tasting of South Africa’s signature white grape variety, one of only a handful of wines below £10 retail to score 91 points or more – Tony Brown (Product Manager for South Africa)

 

‘Top 100’ Wines – as well as Wild House Chenin Blanc, these wines also made it into the Top 100 list:

 

Domaine Bouchié-Chatellier Pouilly-Fumé Pierre à Fusil 2021:

Arnaud’s great-grandfathers were the first to plant vines on the stony Silex soil of Saint-Andelain and his estate is easily in the top three of the appellation but perhaps less well-known than the other more famous names.  All his vines grow on Silex but the three cuvées he produces have very distinct styles of their own. ‘Pierre à fusil’ references the gunflint character of Pouilly-Fumé and is the most immediately appealing of his wines with classic herbaceous, flinty aromas and a wonderfully ripe, textural palate – Sally Holloway (Product Manager for France)

 

Chevalier de Rhodes Gaillac Rouge 2019:

Vine-growing predates even the Romans in Gaillac so there is plenty of vinous history here as well as some genuinely interesting and unusual grape varieties unique to the region. Chevalier de Rhodes is a French country wine in the best sense produced from the local Duras grape blended with Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc all grown organically by Eric Lépine who gave up his career in finance to return to his roots in Gaillac. The wine is distinctive but still enjoyably approachable with ripe hedgerow fruit, a touch of spice, garrigue herbs and smooth, well-judged tannins on the finish – Sally Holloway (Product Manager for France)

Gómez Cruzado Rioja Blanco 2 Año, Rioja 2021:

It is fantastic to see Gómez Cruzado recognised for their continued and remarkable improvements. This blend of Viura, Tempranillo and Garnacha Blanca is spontaneously fermented and aged on lees, a third spends five months in blonde toast French oak barrels. At 10% of the region’s production, white Rioja offers intrigue to customers exposed to the ubiquitous red alternatives. The style should be immediately appealing to those who like fresh, but textured whites with subtle use of oak. Comparisons to Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc from around the world could be useful for sales pitches, but the wine is more than capable of standing on its own feet. The 2021 vintage appears particularly fresh and harmonious for whites – Mike Best MW (Product Manager for Spain)

 

Parada de Atauta Ribera del Duero 2019:

About as far east as you can go in Ribera del Duero, is the small valley of Atauta (around 3 miles wide and less than a mile long). In this high-altitude environment and stark landscape, own-rooted vines over a hundred years old persevere in sandy soils. Everything is a struggle, the yields are tiny, the location remote, the average age of the village of Atauta is well over 60. The rewards are these sinewy, determined red wines that show magic in the glass with powerful, elegant tannins, intense florality and bright acidity – Mike Best MW (Product Manager for Spain)

 – plus all these wines were rated as Highly Commended:

Congratulations to all the winning wines and wineries!