The Wines of The Year 2024 Mixed 12 Btl.Case
These are the 12 wines we discovered in 2024 that inspired us most. At various tastings our team tasted over 600 wines throughout the year and we always rate them based on quality, value and the ‘Would I want another glass’ scale which rates from 1 – 10, with 10 being highest. It was hard of course to narrow it to just 12 wines, but we are delighted to present what we see as the 12 best wines in Independent retail in Ireland in 2024. There are 6 reds and 6 whites and they are available as a mixed dozen with 15% off, with one bottle of each wine, while stocks last.
Ladybird Chenin Blanc Sur Lie
Stellenbosch, South Africa
1 x 75cl Bottles
Both Michael & Will attended the same wine tasting of 300 wines in March 2024. Afterwards, when comparing notes, both had picked this wine as the best wine of the whole tasting, despite navigating the room separately!
Owned by the Kanonkop family, Ladybird is new this year in Ireland. Tropical fruit notes of peach, apricot, pineapple & ginger. On the palate, starfruit, yellow apples & nutmeg, beautifully balanced with a refreshing acidity. Sensational at this price.
Thistledown Walking With Kings Roussanne, Grenache Blanc
McLaren Vale, Australia
1 x 75cl Bottles
These guys are winning awards all around themselves. Their grenache has just won best overall grenache of the year in Australia. This white would give every single great Burgundy a run for its money! The grapes were handpicked from the best sites in McLaren Vale for this wine and fermented in barrel, using entirely natural yeasts. On the nose, one can detect the natural yeast. On the palate there is richness, creamy texture and wonderful floral notes. It scored 95 points by Australias leading wine critic James Halliday who declared that there are ‘lemon fruits, pickled stone fruits and ginger’ here. Also scoring 95 Points by James Suckling & 93 Points by Decanter Magazine. One of the finds of the year because we felt it would go up against any Burgundy and at half the price whats not to love!
Iona Estate ‘Monopole’ Sauvignon Blanc
Elgin Highlands, South Africa
1 x 75cl Bottles
Andrew Gunn, owner of Iona Estate in the highlands is one of the nicest people in wine. He has an equity scheme in which his workers earn part ownership of the farm. They all live on the farm too and the farm puts their families through school and college. The sauvignon is aromatic anc tropical with pungent aromas of gooseberry. On the palate it is textured, fresh and unbelievably fresh. We shortlisted it for being one of the most consistently followed wines by our customers in 2024. Those who try it buy it, and they come back again and again for this wine.
Patrice Moreaux Corty ‘Artisan Intro’
Pouilly Fumé, Loire Valley, France
1 x 75cl Bottles
At a French wine tasting in May we had the pleasure of meeting Patrice Moreaux. His family’s estates origins goes back to 1677. Patrice believes the land is everything – The grapes are just a vehicle to express the soils, the ground and the terroir. There is an immediate minerality and freshness on the palate here. The palate opens up without hesitation and the wine is incredibly expressive. You can pay a lot for great Pouilly Fumé but we all felt that this as remarkable at its pricepoint.
Heaphy Estate Sauvignon Blanc
Nelso, New Zealand
1 x 75cl Bottles
Named the top New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at the Decanter World Wine Awards in June 2024, this wine was awarded 97 points. It was one of just 116 wines out of 19,000 to score 97 points or above. Heaphy is new to Ireland and it is remarkably good. High quality with tropical fruits and a wonderful citrus freshness throughout. Imported exclusively by WineOnline.ie It is arguably the best find of 2024 according to our buying team.
Louis Seabra, Xisto ‘Granito Cru’ Alvarinhho
Vinho Verde, Portugal
1 x 75cl Bottles
Michael picked this wine as ‘wine of the day’ at a tasting that focused solely on Spanish wines. It’s a mineral driven wine very much in the style of Chablis with a pronounced nose of Lemon, green apple, honey and peach and on the palate it was the balance of minerality and acidity that made this wine stand head and shoulders above every other wine in the room that day.
Bodegas Navajas Gran Reserva Rioja
Navarette, Spain
1 x 75cl Bottles
In the quest to find a perfect Gran Reserva that can stand beside the great wines of Rioja we found this stunning one from Bodegas Navajas. What makes this wine stunning is two things. It is nearly ten years old, but is still showing a wonderful fruit purity. It is balanced and harmonious, with a smooth and velvet soft texture, and light tannins, vanilla extract, cocao, hazelnuts and spice. It has exquisite balance and elegance. The nose is a beautiful mixture of black cherry, spice, herbs and toast then on the palate it possesses wonderful silky tannins and a finish that goes on and on which is a sign of its incredible quality.
De Alto Amo ‘Planta Magica’
Vinho Verde, Portugal
1 x 75cl Bottles
One of the most awarded wines of 2024 – This Rioja is made in the Reserva style with balanced oak, and vibrant fresh blackcurrants and blueberry fruits. It was named in the Top 100 Wines in UK Retail by the Wine Merchant Magazine, which is a great start. Following this, Decanter Magazine gave it 94 points declaring that it is ‘bright, polished, garnacha with fine oak, a bold, spicy palate and an expressive long finish. It is fermented with 20% whole bunch maceration and aged for a year in a mix of older and newer French oak. Tim Atkin, another journalist declares this an effort that has ‘an emphasis on flavour rather than oak, which is spicy, appealing with raspberry, cherry and wild strawberry fruit and zesty acidity.
Coterie by Wildeberg Grenache & Syrah
Coastal Region, South Africa
1 x 75cl Bottles
Another wine imported exclusively by WineOnline.ie, Wildeberg has been named ‘Best Winery in south Africa’ for a second year in a row by the SA International Wine Magazine. This grenache syrah blend is an elegant, wonderfully expressive wine made from vineyards in Franschhoek and Paarl. A spicy nose of black pepper and plum with a palate of crunchy red berries and black fruits balanced by fresh acidity. This was an easy choice for contender of wine of the year!
Chateau Martinet 2016
Saint Emilion Grand Cru, France
1 x 75cl Bottles
It’s becoming impossible to get hold of great Bordeaux from the 2016 vintage. Chateau Martinet is a great property on the terraces of Saint Emilion, the soils rich in limestone and perfect for growing merlot, the dominant varietal here. This wine is perfectly tuned. It is balanced and harmonious, but rich, elegant and showing fresh red fruits right now. It is drinking perfectly now, with 8 years of bottle ageing, and right now, it’s hard to argue a better contender of overall wine of the year. If you are a Bordeaux fan, snap up what 2016 Chateau Martinet there is left .it is a treat and It won’t last long.
Terres Fidéles
Cótes du Roussillon Villages, France
1 x 75cl Bottles
There are wines that stop you totally in your tracks and this is one of them. This is a blend of grenache and Carignan. A beautiful balance of dark and light. Grenache brings with it huge dark brooding fruit, great concentration and rich texture, whilst Carignan adds freshness, acidity and bright fruit which marks out this very singular, focused and brilliant wine. It is well made, perfectly balanced and opens with great length at the finish as well. It has white pepper notes and blackberries throughout. Winemaking is overseen by Irish Maser of Wine Fergal Tynan.
Tenute del Pojo Barrique Imperium Riserva
Abruzzo, Italy
1 x 75cl Bottles
This is the flagship wine from the Di Camillo winery in Abruzzo. It has become a WineOnline.ie customer favourite too. Intense aromas of dark berries, spices and hints of vanilla. It is structured with a velvety finish that is soft and lingering. It was aged for a couple of years in Slavonian oak barriques which has brought integration and harmony into the wine. Really impressive and enjoyable, this is in our words, Amarone without the pricetag!
12 Bottle Mixed Case Total RRP: €352.00
12 Bottle Mixed Case – Save 15%! Price: €299.00 Save €53 on this case!
*From time to time vintages/wines may become unavailable, it is rare but in this instance we will replace the wine with a similar wine of equal or greater value.
