At a tasting earlier this week I shared a few wines with about 40 clients of a popular restaurant in town and so while they are fresh in my mind I would like to tell you about a few of them.

The Boisset family has a long history of winemaking in the Burgundy region of France and so it was a perfect fit for them when in 2003 they purchased the Deloach Winery in the Russian River Valley so well respected for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production.

They brought with them two generations of sustainable farming experience and now practise organic and biodynamic principles.

New for us is their entry level Deloach Heritage Reserve 2013 Chardonnay that we sell for $19.80. It truly represents the restraint and refinement that I found so prevalent during my trip to California earlier this year.

All the comments at our tasting were positive and the crisp freshness and alluring aromas of Bartlett pears and ripe apricots, along with restrained minerality, bodes well, I believe, for a wine that should be popular with our customers.

Next we tasted Torres Vina Esmerelda 2010 that takes its name from the emerald colour of the Mediterranean and it is made from 85 percent Moscatel de Alexandria and 15 percent Gewürztraminer which make for a voluptuous, exotically perfumed nose along with roses and lilies.

It would be difficult to find a better wine at such a reasonable price of $14.15 to go with Asian and spicy dishes, even poultry or pork in a sweet and sour sauce.

The Chairman of this Spanish winery, Miguel Torres, who has donated $13 million of his own money for environmental issues, is aiming to reduce the winery output of carbon by 30 per cent by 2020, drives a hybrid car and has bought them for his staff.

He has invested in a wind farm and has used no synthetic chemicals for over 20 years.

This dedication reflects in the purity of his wines.

Our Peregrine Pinot Noir 2007 gave everyone an opportunity to taste the subtle changes that take place as wine ages.

This Pinot Noir from Central Otago in New Zealand (the same distance south of the Equator as Burgundy is to the north) won Gold at the International Wine Challenge in London, Air New Zealand Wine Awards and the Sydney International Wine Competition.

Well known wine critic Anthony Diaz Blue wrote “This is a stunning wine that should put the Burgundians on notice that there is a new sheriff in town”. Cherry, chocolate, mint, violet, raspberry. $37.75.

Chateau Cambon la Pelouse 2006 Haut Medoc, that dates back to the 1700s is a 77-acre Bordeaux estate that is a perfect example of the new generation of very fine red wines from this area that offer exceptional value.

This wine really showed well on Tuesday evening and the high ratio of Merlot at 50 per cent (35 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 13 percent Cabernet Franc and two percent Petit Verdot) gave a lovely softness to the sweet red and black currant aromas intermixed with toasty oak and spice.

I would venture that at eight years it is at its peak and it should hold for another three years or so. $29.40. The fact that we stock the 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2010 vintages of this wine shows that we are a big fan and that it is consistently one of the best values in Bordeaux.

This column is a paid for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176.

Burrows Lightbourn has stores in Hamilton (Front Street East. 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available online at www.wineonline.bm.