WELCOME TO CLARION WINES
OUR TELEPHONE NUMBER: 01747 870 001
OUR ADDRESS: ZION HILL HOUSE,
CUFFS LANE, TISBURY, WILTSHIRE SP3 6LG
Clarion Wines has grown out of the combined experience of three very different collaboraters, with between them a little over 60 years in the Wine Trade. We are united by our ambition to work for ourselves in complete independence, running a small and efficient business which can deliver precisely what you are looking for at a fair price, with a strong emphasis on service and without the complications which can sometimes attend dealing with larger firms. This aim applies whether you are a buyer of regular drinking wines, or a collector of the greatest wines that France and Italy have to offer - as our ever-changing list covers an extraordinary breadth of both price and style.
The intention of our website is to show you all of the wines we have in stock along with our list of fine and rare wines, which includes wines owned by Clarion as well as stock to which we have access on a broking basis from various carefully controlled sources. In addition, you can see other special offers, wines offered regionally 'en primeur' and our full range of events and services. Whatever you are looking for please get in touch and we will do our very best to help.
We have tried to provide detailed information on the wines and their producers for those who are interested in finding out more - while keeping the amounts of immediately visible text to manageable levels.
If you feel there is room for improvement in any area, do please let us know - we are always happy to try and make things better in the hopes that you will keep coming back.
CLARION WINES' ALCOHOL WHOLESALER REGISTRATION SCHEME (AWRS) UNIQUE REFERENCE NUMBER: XWAW00000101126
CLARION WINES' DATA PROTECTION REGISTRATION REFERENCE: ZA343266
2024 RHONE En Primeur
The growing season in both the north and the south was not an easy one in 2024; on that, all growers agree. There is also wide agreement that the conditions would have been considered broadly normal in the not-so-distant past, and that the wines which have been produced are beautifully classic in style. This may be a somewhat overused word, but when applied to 2024s from the Rhône Valley, it should be taken at face value – and to mean wines of precision, freshness, typicity and elegance, with more modest alcohols than has often been the case in recent years.
Winter 2025-2026 was relatively mild, apart from some early morning frosts, and with above-average rainfall. The difficulties began in the spring, when the rain continued to fall. Although this ensured good reserves of water for the summer, it caused galloping mildew in the vines, requiring far more regular treatments than would usually be the case. The cool and wet weather continued throughout May and into the first half of June, with the result that the flowering was hit by coulure (a failure of the fruit to set). All this meant a significantly reduced crop.
July began cool and windy – but finally relatively rain-free and, from the middle of the month, temperatures began to pick up. Summer weather was good: bright and dry, without excessive heat (particularly in the northern Rhône) and, thanks to the wet winter and spring, the vines did not struggle for water. In addition, there was a little rain at the end of August and in early September.
Picking took place in mainly good conditions, and the fruit that was brought in was ripe (both in terms of sugar and phenolics) and healthy. Vinifications were straightforward and the purity of expression of the wines is there for all to see. They are balanced, fine and to be commended for their silky textures in the reds, and citrus minerality in the whites.
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2024 Burgundy En Primeur
Unanimity among growers is rare – but without exception, all described the growing conditions they experienced in 2024 as the most difficult they could remember. One used the word nightmare. Weather patterns during the growing season were very unusual from the beginning, and it became clear from the outset that the eventual quality of 2024 vintage would be made in the vineyards, with fine wines made only by those prepared to spend the time – and resources – on a huge effort in the vines.
February was exceptionally mild, and March exceptionally wet with downpours on an almost daily basis. Budburst took place from the 3rd week of March, in good time to incur some frost damage during April. This was particularly serious in the Mâconnais on the night of 26th-27th.
But the real problems began in May. On 1st May, a severe storm in Chablis caused extensive damage which greatly reduced the eventual size of the crop. This was followed by rain throughout Burgundy on 22 days of the month, and set the scene for a very poor flowering from early June, in cold and wet conditions. The result: extensive coulure (the failure of fruit to set) and millerandage (uneven fruit set within the same bunch). This particularly affected Pinot Noir and, according to one grower, was more pronounced in old vines than in younger plantings. Rainstorms continued throughout much of June and July, creating the perfect conditions for mildew which affected not just the leaves but also the bunches. Grower after grower repeated that only those who expanded their vineyard teams, and treated quickly and often – even being prepared to go out on the tractors on a Sunday – were able to keep the mildew at bay. Céline Fontaine for example reported 16 separate sprayings, while Benoit Riffault (Sauzet) reported 18. Inevitably, the lower lying and flatter vineyard sites were the worst affected. Canopy management was also essential – removal of leaves and cutting (or eliminating) grass between the rows to maximise aeration and exposure of the fruit.
There was some respite in late July and early August, but the rain returned, and there was also some localised hail damage, particularly in St Aubin. Finally in the second week of September, a cool and drying north wind brought much relief, concentrating the juice and preventing the onset of rot. This allowed picking to take place in broadly good conditions.
This may all sound somewhat apocalyptic, and probably would have resulted in a disastrous vintage in the 1970s, 80s or 90s. But with the much wider experience of the younger generation of growers, most of whom have worked in other parts of the world, and with more advanced techniques both in the vineyards and in the cuveries, those who worked diligently in the vines have produced some very fine wines indeed. The good reds are fine and pure expressions of Pinot, and the whites are widely regarded as outstanding. Alcohols are back to more classic levels – with up to a degree of Chaptalisation bringing most to between 12.5% and 13.5%. All agree that with such purity of fruit, and elegance of style, the expression of terroir is exceptional in this vintage.
2024 is a grower’s vintage, where the quality is more than ever made in the vineyards. It is arguably therefore a Burgundy lover’s vintage as it captures so beautifully the nuances and the essence, and also the capriciousness, of this greatest of wine regions.
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AWRS Standard Disclosure
The \\'due diligence\\' information for the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS)
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