Asbach Selection is the connoisseur speciality of the house of Asbach, surpassing even the best XO qualities. Only carefully selected distillates mature for at least 21 years in oak barrels. From these distillates, a precious cuvee is blended. Asbach Selection is the proud result of traditional craftsmanship, exemplary wine expertise & a masterful knowledge of distillation.

Colour: Mahogany. Nose: A blend of spices, wood, caramel & nuts, coffee, chocolate & lime with a slight floral note. Palate: Roast aromas, clear coffee notes & a trace of toffee. Finish: Noble & very persistent, comprehensive maturation notes & coaxing warmth.

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Limited stock. Asbach Spezialbrand is aged for 15 years. Carefully selected distillates from the choicest wine-growing areas & a storage period of at least 15 years in casks of Limousin oak are necessary to make Asbach Spezialbr&. It fascinates due to the way it perfectly balances elegance & exquisite harmony with the full-bodied aroma & characteristic strength of particularly old distillates. ...

Black plum, cranberry & pomegranate combine with hints of clove, cedar, iron, dry-aged beef & turned earth on the nose. The palate is tight, bright & pure, with flavours of cranberry & pomegranate. There is a marked minerality behind vibrant fine-grained, dry tannins. This is an elegant, tensile wine that is built to last a very long time. Structurally (and aesthetically) it seems to be somewhere between young Bordeaux & Barolo. After the early & short 2015 & 2016 harvests, 2018, like 2017 was back to our usual timing, beginning at the end of the first week of February & finishing at the end of the first week of March. Higher than usual early Spring temperatures brought early budding, but an unusually wet & cool November/ December affected flowering & fruit-set, resulting in particularly low yields
- far lower than the already low yields. A warmer than average February, combined with the very low yields, smaller berries & lighter bunches did however contribute to the riper more opulent style for the 2018 vintage, the resulting wines were deeper, fuller & more structured. The wine was aged initially for 10 months in 400 litre barrels, then 7 months in neutral 2000 litre Foudre. All 100% French Francois Freres Oak. 224 dozen cases were made in total.
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Aspalls flagship cyder & the first of the re-launched range to go to market in 2000. Premier Cru has been awarded Worlds Best Cider & Worlds Best Dry Cider in the 2008 World Cider Awards run by Beers of The World Magazine. It was described by the judges as an elegant & well bred dry cider, with a soft fragrant nose & enough earthy apple notes to keep its feet on the ground Premier Cru has also scooped first prize in the Quality Drink Awards 2008, receiving high praise from the judges who described it as the gewurztraminer of the cider world. Of mid straw-gold colour with a clean, light aroma of dessert apples, Premier Cru is dry, round & creamy on the palate with a good acid balance, pleasant soft tannins & an elegant, long finish. A champagne taste that embodies the essence of an orchard, it has enticed an admiring audience who describe it as pale, subtle & crisp, with a fresh aroma of English apples. An ideal partner for charcuterie & mild cheeses. Premier Cru also provides a very harmonious partnership with spicy foods, particularly curry. ...

Aspall's flagship cyder & the first of the re-launched range to go to market in 2000. Premier Cru has been awarded World's Best Cider & World's Best Dry Cider in the 2008 World Cider Awards run by Beers of The World Magazine. It was described by the judges as an elegant & well bred dry cider, with a soft fragrant nose & enough earthy apple notes to keep its feet on the ground Premier Cru has also scooped first prize in the Quality Drink Awards 2008, receiving high praise from the judges who described it as the gewurztraminer of the cider world. Of mid straw-gold colour with a clean, light aroma of dessert apples, Premier Cru is dry, round & creamy on the palate with a good acid balance, pleasant soft tannins & an elegant, long finish. A champagne taste that embodies the essence of an orchard, it has enticed an admiring audience who describe it as 'pale, subtle & crisp, with a fresh aroma of English apples.' An ideal partner for charcuterie & mild cheeses. Premier Cru also provides a very harmonious partnership with spicy foods, particularly curry. ...

On the nose, blueberries & blackcurrants meld with hints of cocoa powder & a whiff of gamey venison. Spicy, peppery notes open up on the palate while layers of fine, supple tannins provide backbone & texture. A long, smooth finish completes the blend. ...

The heady, perfumed aromas of star anise, red plums, with notes of woody cinnamon & dried herbs, are exotic & beguiling. The entry is dense, then finely textured in the mid-palate, with a long mineral quality. A concentration of fruit wraps itself around the tannins, leading to an exhilarating finish. An exceptional season has delivered a compelling, age-worthy wine of wonderful tension
- a fitting result for release in Ata Rangi's 35th year of work on the l&.
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Citrus blossom, nectarine & almond/brioche notes, best describe the bouquet at this early stage of development. The promise of longevity comes from sheer palate weight, the firm back bone & a sleek, salivating, flinty minerality. Fully barrel fermented with indigenous yeasts, this 2014 release has excellent cellaring potential. ...

A bright, clear wine. More savoury than fruity, a faint hint of clove & fresh cardamom adds intrigue to the nose, with flavours suggestive of plum, cranberry & red liquorice coming through on the palate. The most seductive feature of this release is the wonderfully plush, velvety mid-palate, the fine, textural spread of tannins & the long, tight, spicy finish. ...

The superb 2013 vintage has yielded a beautifully balanced, fragrant example of Crimson with loads of very fine velvety tannin ...