25th anniversary Tokyo tasting | The Jancis Robinson Story

Indie writing competition – Leon Stolarski

Monday 4 August 2014 • 1 min read
Image

Julian Osborne writes this entry for our indie writing competition

I first came across Leon (on the right in the photo) when he made a presentation to our village wine club, perhaps five years ago now. He presented wines which were his personal favourites (no doubt within a set budget) from the wines he personally imports from the south of France. I thought those wines were exceptional value for money, especially the Jurançon Sec and the Minervois La Livinière. I bought them both some days later, and have been buying them from Leon ever since; they are both wonderful examples of their type. 

Leon gave up his day job to concentrate on his wine importing. He does this personally, each summer making long trips into deep France, to offer the best the regions there have to offer. I guess Leon’s and my tastes coincide, as I find I practically never disagree with his recommendations (not something I can say of others). I now implicitly trust Leon’s judgement, and am happy to buy wines I do not know from him on the basis of what he says about them on his extensive lsfinewines.co.uk website.

Leon is a one-man band, with no one to satisfy but himself and his modest clientele. I do not drink vast quantities of wine, but I do want the wines I drink to be special. Leon delivers on this. His blog and facebook postings are very interesting, showing his empirical approach; and he has interesting things to say about the life of wines after they have been opened.

Leon Stolarski Fine Wines 
32 Nottingham Road 
Hucknall, Notts NG15 7QE 
UK
tel/fax +44 (0)115 952 9387 
leonstolarski@lsfinewines.co.uk 
www.lsfinewines.co.uk 

Choose your plan
JancisRobinson.com 25th anniversaty logo

Go for gold with your wine knowledge.

The world just came together in Italy – and there’s never been a better time to explore its wines and beyond.

For a limited time, get 20% off all annual memberships by entering promo code GOLD2026 at checkout. Offer ends 12 March. Valid for new members only.

Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 290,150 wine reviews & 15,940 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors
  • Access 290,150 wine reviews & 15,940 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 290,150 wine reviews & 15,940 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
  • Access 290,150 wine reviews & 15,940 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Free for all

Lytton Springs vines
Free for all If you’re looking for character, individuality and real significance, go Zin, from vines planted in another era of American history...
Ch Ormes de Pez
Free for all An overview of the 2016s tasted at 10 years old. See tasting articles on right-bank reds and sweet whites and...
Ferran and JR at Barcelona Wine Week
Free for all Ferran and Jancis attempt to sum up the excitement of Spanish wine today in six glasses. A much shorter version...
Institute of Masters of Wine logo
Free for all Congratulations to the latest crop of MWs, announced today by the Institute of Masters of Wine. The Institute of Masters...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Freixenet winery in Spain
Wine news in 5 Also news on Germany’s Henkell group buying out legendary Cava company Freixenet (pictured above) and lawsuits on France’s copper fungicide...
Cava Bertha family
Wines of the week A sparkling wine from Spain that dances on the tongue with vim and delicacy. And it sells for as little...
Ferran with many bottles of Rioja tasted at the Consejo Regulador
Inside information Ferran finds Rioja as vibrant as it has ever been over its hundred-year existence as Spain’s preeminent wine region. In...
old Zin vine at Dry Creek Vineyard
Tasting articles Picking out value and genuine interest in California wine. More on Saturday. Above, an old Zinfandel vine at Dry Creek...
Sam tasting wine for MBT part 4
Mission Blind Tasting How to evaluate everything you feel and taste in a sip of wine. Last week’s MBT article focused on evaluating...
Sigalas Monachogios vineyard
Inside information The race to revive Santorini’s vineyards – and the challenges its winemakers are up against – in a time of...
Matthew Argyros
Tasting articles Thirty-seven wines that argue the case for investment in Santorini’s precious and threatened vineyards. Above, Matthew Argyros among his precious...
Ina & Heiko Bamberger photographed by lucie greiner
Tasting articles A flurry of wines to chase the winter blues away. Above, Ina and Heiko Bamberger, makers of one such wine...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.