The Collector’s Festive Mixed Case

For those who have been saving something special for Christmas.

There is a particular pleasure in opening a bottle you’ve been looking forward to, pulling up a chair and giving it the evening it deserves. The Collector’s Festive Case brings that feeling to the whole Christmas season: twelve bottles spanning distinguished estates, celebrated vineyards and vintages with time on their side. From mature vintage Champagne to Grand Cru Burgundy and reds of depth and pedigree, this is a selection for people who take as much pleasure in sharing fine wine as they do in discovering it.

The five whites offer a compelling journey through some of the world’s great expressions. Patrick Javillier’s Meursault Les Tillets brings floral lift, finely judged richness and limestone precision, alongside the concentrated citrus and extraordinary length of Leeuwin Estate’s Art Series Chardonnay. A mature 2015 Chablis Premier Cru L’Homme Mort adds another dimension, its old-vine depth softened into layers of preserved lemon, oyster shell and gently honeyed complexity. Blanc de Lynch-Bages brings fragrant, polished white Bordeaux to the table, while Grosset’s Polish Hill Riesling delivers the electric lime intensity and mineral tension that have made it an Australian benchmark.

The five reds have the presence to match. Château La Gaffelière’s 2015 Saint-Émilion combines generous dark fruit with floral fragrance and emerging savoury complexity, while La Rioja Alta’s 2016 Gran Reserva 904 offers the silky red fruit, cedar and tobacco of beautifully composed classical Rioja. Glaetzer’s Amon-Ra brings the concentration and spice of old-vine Barossa Shiraz, alongside the cassis, graphite and finely structured depth of Boekenhoutskloof’s Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon. Completing the line-up is Domaine Antonin Guyon’s Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru, a Burgundy of dark cherry, violet and woodland complexity, with the depth and fine tannins to reward an evening’s attention or further patience in the cellar.

To open proceedings, Duval-Leroy’s 2008 Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Prestige offers the pleasures of mature vintage Champagne: fine bubbles, citrus oil, roasted almond and brioche, held together by a long, fresh mineral finish. For the final glass, a half bottle of Château Suduiraut’s 2013 Sauternes brings golden apricot, candied orange and honeyed richness, equally at home beside a fruit tart or a generous wedge of Roquefort.

A thoughtful gift for a serious wine lover, or a Christmas collection to make your own. Some bottles are ready to reveal the beauty of maturity; others have years of discovery ahead. All deserve good company, generous glasses and a little time.

The Collector’s Festive Case contains

5 Bottles of White Wine

• 2024 Meursault Les Tillets, Domaine Patrick Javillier, Burgundy, France

• 2021 Art Series Chardonnay, Leeuwin Estate, Margaret River, Australia

• 2015 Chablis Premier Cru L’Homme Mort Vieilles Vignes, Le Domaine d’Henri, Burgundy, France

• 2024 Blanc de Lynch-Bages, Château Lynch-Bages, Bordeaux, France

• 2024 Polish Hill Riesling, Grosset, Clare Valley, Australia

5 Bottles of Red Wine

• 2015 Château La Gaffelière, Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France

• 2016 Gran Reserva 904, La Rioja Alta, Rioja, Spain

• 2021 Amon-Ra Shiraz, Glaetzer, Barossa Valley, Australia

• 2022 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, Boekenhoutskloof, Stellenbosch, South Africa

• 2023 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru, Domaine Antonin Guyon, Burgundy, France

1 Bottle of Champagne

• 2008 Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Prestige, Champagne Duval-Leroy, Champagne, France

1 Half Bottle of Dessert Wine

• 2013 Château Suduiraut, Premier Cru Classé, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France, 375ml