RELATIONSHIPS MATTER
It was March 1979, 47 year’s ago this month, that Robert opened his shop in London’s Spitalfields market. You can read about the early years’ in more detail here. At the time much less popular than now, it was Burgundy which caught his imagination. He quickly understood that to find the best wines one had to visit and taste with the family’s behind them. Visiting, and tasting, he soon met families like the Roty’s in Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis’s Lignier’s, and further south, in the Cote de Beaune, the wonderful Michel Niellon and Paul Pernot. Later on, from Chavignol, the Delaporte family’s Sancerre began the Rolls Loire portfolio, while in Gigondas, a firm friendship struck with Yves Gras of Domaine Santa Duc provided wines from the Rhône. We work with all these families today.
Domaine Joseph Roty
Gevrey-Chambertin
Current wine maker: Pierre-Jean Roty
Robert has shipped every vintage of Roty since the 1985 and still has a few bottles in the cellar. A recent Champ Chenys 1985 was magnificent – earthy, gamey and complex yet still retaining sweet cherry fruit.
Domaine Hubert Lignier
Gevrey-Chambertin
Current winemaker: Laurent Lignier
“The soil is the key to succeed in making a great wine: respecting and looking after it is essential to reveal a great terroir.”
Laurent Lignier
Domaine Michel Niellon
Chassagne-Montrachet
Current wine maker – Michel & Lucie Coutoux
Where it all began – Robert’s first ever ex cellar purchase of Burgundy was here, five cases of M. Niellon’s village Chassagne 1980. We have followed the domaine, which has the well-deserved reputation as one of Chassagne’s finest, ever since. Wines of elegance, minerality and excellence.
Domaine Paul Pernot
Puligny-Montrachet
Current winemaker: Paul Pernot
Paul Pernot has run this domaine since the 1950s, now assisted by his two sons and his grandchildren. Their 20ha holdings – some of which have been in the family for over two hundred years, are a veritable who’s who of Puligny’s best terroir.
Domaine Santa Duc
Gigondas
Current winemaker: Yves & Benjamin Gras
Yves Gras made a name for himself with powerful, concentrated wines which changed the perception of Gigondas. Now joined by son Ben, they continue to innovate and raise to the quality bar, with the domaine championing a more elegant, fresher style. These are modern Southern Rhone wines at their very best
Domaine Delaporte
Chavignol
Current winemaker: Matthieu Delaporte
Robert First met Vincent Delaporte in the late 1980s. At the time, Sancerre was often bottled by large companies and co-ops. Vincent pioneered domaine bottling and export in the area. Based in Chavignol, Domaine Delaporte is surrounded by some of Sancerre’s finest vineyards. Matthieu, current wine maker, has inherited his grandfather’s touch – Delaporte are again making some of the finest wines in Sancerre.