AGS Wines is a small company offering some of the fine wines of Burgundy and Madeira and a fine Cru Bourgeois from Bordeaux.

We are agents for the firm of Pierre Bourée Fils founded in 1864 in Gevrey Chambertin by Pierre Bourée, the grand uncle of the current proprietor, Mr Louis Vallet. Pierre was succeeded by his son Bernard, and Louis Vallet whose first harvest was in 1943, credits his uncle Bernard with teaching him everything he knows about wine. Now Louis is assisted by his two sons, Bernard and Jean-Christophe.

The firm produces wine from on average, 45 different appellations in a good year although their own holdings are just ¾ of a hectare in Charmes Chambertin, the entire vineyard called "Clos de la Justice" located in Gevrey-Chambertin and 1 hectare in Les Epenottes in Beaune. Thus Bourée's principal activity is "elevage", the buying of young wines, caring and blending them, then bringing them to market.

To do this Louis Vallet has maintained the best relationships with the growers whose fruit he desires. Although he exerts no direct control over their cultivation practices, he visits them and their vineyards regularly, especially as the harvest draws near. When a particularly good harvest is in the offing, Monsieur Vallet will keep in even closer touch with his favourite growers so that he can be in the best position to buy the lots of wines that he wants, at the earliest and best prices.

The vines in the Bourée holding in Charmes Chambertin, bought in 1933, are nearly 75 years old. Those in Les Eponettes, Beaune are 50 years old. The vines in the Clos de la Justice vineyard, Gevrey-Chambertin which Pierre Bourée bought in 1985, are between 5 and 40 years old. But it is the marketers of the fine Burgundy that Pierre Bourée Fils produce, that the firm has made such a success in many European markets together with the United States and Australia.

As Robert Parker has stated, Bourée's premier and grand crus from Gevrey-Chambertin are top notch and their Clos de la Justice is one of Burgundy's perrenial over-achievers. The soil is not the best, but because of old vines and low yields, the wine approaches and even surpasses the quality of many premier and grand crus.

During our frequent visits to the Cote d'Or, we are often able to purchase small quantities of other fine Burgundy wines which are difficult to obtain in the UK, such as those of Comte Georges de Vogüé, Armand Rousseau, Tollot Beau, Colin Deléger and others. If any client has a particularly favourite wine maker, we may be able to track down some of his wine.

D'Oliveira Madeira Wines

The D'Oliveira family have a proud tradition of producing wines of exceptional character and quality. Over the last 150 years, each generation has nurtured the wines in old oak casks in their wine lodge. For the first time, in 2001, they entered three wines in the 'International Wine Competition' and won three medals, two gold and one silver.

Chateau Lamothe-Cissac, Domaines FABRE, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux

The 2005 Chateau Lamothe-Cissac selling at £10.50 per bottle was reviewed in the March, 2008 edition of Decanter, along with 155 similar wines. It was given 16.6/20 points and 4*/5*. The comment on the wine was:- 'Lovely promising nose. Plenty of cedar complementing pure, ripe cassis and hints of truffle. Firm, very fine, ripe tannins, concentrated pure fruit and medium-high acidity giving ample freshness. Very long finish. 3-8 vears.'

This Cru Bourgeois is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (26%) and Petit Verdot grapes (4%). Traditionally vinified and aged in oak barrels, this deep coloured wine has dark berry fruit aromas that develop on the palate with plenty of creamy vanilla oak and an enjoyable, long finish. The vineyards of Château Lamothe-Cissac are planted on clay/limestone soils, producing a wine vinified in a traditional manner in order to conserve the power and richness characteristic of the Haut-Médoc. It is matured between 11 and 15 months in oak barrels gives it a very agreable suppleness. In good years such as 2005, the very prestigious "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" is produced from the older vines. This wine is matured for twelve months in new oak barrels giving a concentrated, complex wine with fine tannins.