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Bordeaux 2014 Collection
We are proud to present our extensive collection of Classed Growth Bordeaux - each year has been bought en primeur by our buyer Xenia Irwin MW. You can choose any to buy as a single bottle or a mixed case. What's more, order six bottles of the same wine and you will receive them in a smart wooden case – a great gift for the wine lover. No other supermarket allows you to buy Bordeaux in this way. Don't miss out
What is "On the QT"?
They're the shooting stars of the wine universe, the four-leaf clovers of the vineyards... they're a special collection of exciting, unusual wines that, once the parcel is finished, you'll never see again. And now they’re available here at Cellar.
Our wine buyer and Master of Wine, Xenia Irwin, wanted to shine a light on these one-off "on the quiet" bottles created by established winemakers experimenting with different production techniques and grapes. Thanks to her detective work, a passion for beautifully made wines with stories to tell, and a bit of luck, Xenia can share them exclusively on Cellar.
Stories from Cellar
Xenia Irwin MW, Cellar's dedicated wine buyer, tells us a little more about the fascinating history behind some "On the QT" wines and spirits, and how she discovered them
Prior Terra "On the QT" Bin 21: Open Barrel Fermented Garnatxa Negra & Bin 22: Barrel Aged Garnatxa Blanca,
Made by Judit Llop Gasull in Priorat, Spain
"It looked like Eden," said Xenia, as she stood in Judit Llop Gasull's compact, remote - and very experimental - vineyard in the hills west of Barcelona. "There were wildflowers, orchids and butterflies... it felt alive and vibrant." It's here the red and white Garnatxa (also known as Garnacha or Grenache) grapes thrive.
Judit's pioneering idea to use probiotics in the organic fertiliser on this tiny patch of Catalonia was inspired by her own recovery from an auto-immune condition which left her exhausted - much like the soil in many non-organic vineyards. Her idea flourished, as did the mini ecosystem around the plants. Other winemakers around the world are discovering similar probiotic techniques to restore the nutrients in the earth and produce healthier vines - and amazing, exciting wines.
Only a small amount of the red Garnatxa Negra was hand-harvested, crushed and fermented in three open barrels, which is a very natural, traditional way to produce wine. It was then left to mature for 12 months in the same three barrels before being lightly fined and bottled. The result is a unique, full-bodied wine with ripe black-fruit flavour and wonderful intensity. It’s also a wine made all the more special because it's so rare and Xenia was delighted to come across it after a mutual acquaintance introduced her to Judit.
In the same tiny winery, Xenia also tasted the Garnatxa Blanca. The region's intensely hot summers mean this variety is rarely used to make wine in Priorat, so Judit decided to experiment by partly fermenting the grapes in oak-aged barrels and partly in stainless steel barrels. She then handed the blending to (a very excited!) Xenia who came up with a 50/50 mix of the two. The result is a wine with the freshness of green apple, tropical citrus and a creamy, toasty complexity.
"On the QT" Bin 20 Single Barrel Vintage Palo Cortado, made by Antonio Flores at Gonzalez Bypass, Jerez, Spain
"He is the vineyard. He was even born in the bodega," explains Xenia, by way of introduction to the legendary winemaker, Antonio Flores. Antonio has been storing individual barrels of vintage sherries for decades and these are normally either blended through a solera (fractionally blending the wine across multiple barrels of different vintages) or blended together to make single-vintage sherries. But Antonio also appreciated the particular nature of each of these individual barrels. So, he chose one single barrel from 2011, then left it alone. He neither blended and nor topped up to replace the natural evaporation. Apart from lightly fortifying, the wine is exactly the same as it was when originally put in the barrel.
This simplicity of unique-barrel sherry production had never come on to the market before. The style of this barrel is 'Palo Cortado'. Xenia explained, "It's neither a fino nor an amontillado - it developed its very own style. So the traditional way of naming it was to strike through the 'fino' identification on the barrel with a chalk line." And it's this chalk mark that's called 'Palo Cortado'.
Xenia came across the single, 500-litre barrel of this Palo Cortado by accident, while on a weekend in Jerez in 2019... and bought it. Or rather, bought the 320 litres that were left. "That's one very lucky angel," said Xenia, referring to the evaporated sherry - known in the industry as 'the angel's share'.
Coming soon to "On the QT"
The Whisky Edition, a 27-year-old Auchentoshan whisky with stories to tell...
Three unique and different barrels from Gonzalez Byass, producers of the Palo Cortado (above) to add to The Sherry Edition.
A very rare German Cabernet Dorsa from a vineyard that has now disappeared.
Pinot Gris from the winemaker's 'Wedding Barrel'
A unique parcel of Carignan Gris from the Languedoc.