Last year BBR’s new CEO Dan Jago told Spear’s he’d landed the perfect job. A year on, he’s no less enthusiastic – and with good reason. ‘We’ve managed to improve the quality of the service and update the business while keeping the brand’s integrity intact. It’s an extraordinarily effective and wonderful brand,’ he says.
Sales have grown and business has expanded in the US, Hong Kong and Singapore. The hugely successful online trading platform BBX is one of the best, while its private client offering, which comprises more than half the business, is a constant work in progress. ‘Just having an app is a bit five minutes ago,’ he says.
The shop has moved around the corner though it remains on the same site, with bottles for £10-£20,000 available to take home for drinking the same night. BBR has also just launched its legendary Good Ordinary Claret in a double magnum – unsurprisingly, this has gone down well, proving particularly popular with shooting parties. ‘It’s so understated: very, very Berry,’ says Jago.
For interesting wines, Jago recommends the new wave of young producers in South Africa and the great Italians, while the big names in champagne are performing consistently well. The winner for him, though, is the Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon from California, which has ‘the perfect balance of the elegance of the Old World and the power and concentration of the New World’.
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