Here’s Widget! What a super little fellow. A tad excitable, but that is no bad thing. He made short work of the biscuits we gave him, interspersed with scampering around the shop.

Many thanks to Sam and Phil for bringing him in, any time!

I suspect many of you know that Carol is very much into her gardening. She keeps asking me if she can retire so she can spend more time tending her plants. I always politely decline. A life without Carol with us wouldn’t be worth living. I had the opportunity to pop round to see Carol recently and spotted this rather delightful Rhododendron. What a set of blooms.

It is great to see so many flowers coming into bloom, the trees coming into leaf and the veggies putting on a spurt of growth. It finally feels like we are into the start of summer. Thanks Carol!

Sunday 20^th June is Father’s Day. If you need a gift for your father we have a great selection of wines, beers and spirits at almost every price point. If you are a father who wants a bottle of something for yourself, tip us the wink, send your loved ones in and we will point them in the right direction! We also offer gift cards making it easy to buy for your Dad.

Following last weeks announcement of the arrival of our new Badger Gin, named after our founder, Richard Badger I am disappointed to announce that we have sold out. Sorry to those customers who didn’t manage to secure a bottle. You did all read the article last week carefully, didn’t you?

In a somewhat timely fashion we had a customer drop into the shop yesterday with an original Richard Badger stoneware flagon. Following a short barter and an exchange (in which wine was one of the commodities) we are now in possession of this lovely piece of stoneware. We have plenty of Edward Sheldon flagons, but this is the first I have seen from the days of Edwards uncle. It must date to the 1850’s or 1860’s at the latest. What a treat.

Many thanks to Colin for bringing it in and helping us ‘acquire’ it.

This morning I was privileged to be invited to join Vincent Chaperon, Chef de Cave of Dom Perignon on a call for the release of the 2012 vintage and also the release of 2003 Dom Perignon Plenitude 2 (P2), the late disgorged version of the wine.

This was a private client event, not a trade or public release of the wines, so Trish joined me and we shared a glass with Amanda and Esther. The wines were outstanding:

Dom Perignon 2012 standard release (P1) – this is the next major release from the house after 2010, having skipped 2011. Vincent compares it with the legendary 1990. One to buy for both the short and the long term, this will be amazing and valuable in the future. Today the 1990 retails at around £450 a bottle. The wine had an amazing bouquet of white flowers and fresh fruit on the nose. While being intense on the palate it also had a lightness that makes it the ultimate aperitif Champagne. It would also be the perfect match for lighter starters. I am thinking a tomato and mozzarella salad with just a touch of basil or pesto or some smoked mackerel mousse with brown bread toast. Delightful. Expect around £165 a bottle.

Dom Perignon 2003 Plenitude 2 (P2) – released following at least 15 years of resting in the cellars on the lees as opposed to 8-9 years for the P1. This wine follows on from the ridiculously good 2002 P2. 2003 was the hot year of the noughties and this wine represents a little bit of a risk for DP in my opinion. But the wine showed exceptionally well with greater levels of complexity and depth than the 2012 P1. More of a hedonists Champagne – one to sip and contemplate, perhaps to be served at the end of a meal rather than the start. I always think of having these wines instead of the sorbet course in a fine dining experience. Delicious. Probably £300 a bottle based on the cost of previous releases.

We have yet to receive release prices for either wine (and it may be the case that we cannot get the 2003 P2 at trade prices) but if you have been a collector of DP in the past then the 2012 is recommended by me as a strong buy (I will be committing in a similar way to the 2008) and the 2003 P2 is something to consider having a few bottles in the cellar for special occasions. Prices to follow once we have them from Moet Hennessy. What a way to spend a Friday morning, we are all still basking in the glow. Other awesome vintages of Dom Perignon are of course available in the shop to drink now….

Following a paucity of New Ins over the last couple of weeks we now have an embarrassment of riches to offer. From roses and whites for the summer through to rich reds ready for outside cooking and drinking. Here goes:

White:
Kir-Yianni Assyrtiko from Florina, Northern Greece (£14.50) – we tried this new-in white earlier in the week. Lovely fresh citrus and stone fruits with a refreshing acidity and a salinity that reminds you of being near the sea. It has notes of the good Albarinos we have in the shop, but subtly different. Definitely worth a try, serve nicely chilled as an aperitif or with cold dishes or seafood.Rose:
Following a very positive engagement with our friends of the Bamford variety and wanting to ‘stay local’, we have elected to stock Chateau Leoube (£18.95), the Bamford-produced Provence rose. Many of you will be familiar with the wine, having bought it at Daylesford. For those not wanting to make the trek you can now pick up a bottle or two in your local Sheldon‘s.

Reds:
Garagista Malbec (£19.95) comes from Bordeaux, specifically the right bank in the small appellation of Artigues de Lussac, located just northeast of Pomerol & St Emillion. Made by the Trocard family, this wine comes from a small plot of Malbec which is rarely found in Bordeaux these days, despite the variety having originated from this part of France. This is classic, well made Malbec in a traditional wine, without the overt Malbec style sometimes found in lesser New World wines made from the same grape variety.

2019 Giacomo Fenoccio Langhe Nebbiolo (£19.95) – another great Langhe Nebbiolo to add to our growing collection. Without the price tag of a full Barolo (we have Fenocchio’s Barolo Bussia at £45), this wine has great fruit matched with balanced tannin and alcohol. A super wine.

Taaibosch ‘The Crescendo’ (£29.95) is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch. The vineyard area on the estate is farmed following rigorous organic principles. This wine is new to UK and we have our first allocation of just 12 bottles. We tried it a couple of weeks ago and thought it punches well above its price point.

Inama Bradisismo (£30), from Veneto this is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Carmenere (30%) is a great alternative to a super-Tuscan at a fraction of the price. When we tried this is was a no-brainer, although we haven’t got much of it so fill your boots while you can.

And a whole pile of restocks:

2010 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino (£52, Italy)
2010 Chateau Capbern Gasqueton (£46, France, Claret)
2001 La Rioja Alta ‘890’ Gran Reserva (£135, Spain, Rioja)
2004 La Rioja Alta ‘904’ 2004 Gran Reserva (£64, Spain, Rioja)
2010 Tardieu Laurent Cote Rotie (£58, France, N Rhone)
2010 Chateau La Tour Saint Bonnet (£25, France, Claret)

And finally a couple of lovely new ins from recognised producers:

2005 Sociando Mallet (£80, France, Claret, 12 bottles only)
2004 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia (£56, Spain, Rioja, 6 bottles only, for those who want to try an older vintage)

Finally, finally a bit of summer fun:

Mollydooker ‘Miss Molly’ Sparkling Shiraz (£24.95) – a true BBQ wine from Australia. Following the rule of “if two people ask for it we get it in” we have got just a handful of bottles of this powerful, fun, summer barbecue wine. Sparkling Shiraz never got so good. Did it ever get good? Give it a try, you might be surprised. We have had the wines of Mollydooker for some time now (The Boxer, Blue Eyed Boy) and I have every expectation that this will be equally as good. Serve well chilled!

That lot should keep you going.

This weeks Car’s the Star came to the shop just a week ago. Good job really because it is definitely a summer car. A Mini Moke, restored of course, but the original chassis comes from the mid-60’s. Remember those days? I don’t.

I suspect it is the last time we will see this little beauty. By now it is probably in its new home – it has travelled overseas. I think the Isle of Wight is overseas. Certainly a foreign land. A big thank you to Shane and Jane for dropping in before departing on the long, arduous journey southwards.

That concludes today’s edition of Sheldon‘s Times. We are forecast a barbecue weekend so come on down and collect some outdoor drinkers – we have plenty of them at all levels. Better to slosh down some sausages and chicken wings with decent wine than anything else. Trish and I will be running the shop tomorrow with Amanda running a full WSET L1 course down in the nice cool cellars. Come on by and see us.