A pick of pepper: Walls’ six to try

1 Abadía de Poblet, La Font Voltada, Conca de Barberà, Spain 2015 94 £ 35.40 H2Vin & Quintessentially, Vinissimus A 3ha vineyard at 500m, planted with Trepat vines of 100 years old or more. Distinct cracked black and white peppercorns on the nose and palate. Fresh and floral, blackberry and raspberry with a piercing vein of acidity. Perfectly judged, distinctive, enlivening and compellingly drinkable. Drink 2019-2022 Alcohol 13% Craggy Range, Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2016 93 £ 21.60-£ 24 Exel, The New Zealand Cellar, The New Zealand House of Wine Hand-harvested, all destemmed, 20% new oak. Blackberry and a suggestion of both freshly turned soil and stone. A whiff of black pepper becomes clearer with time. Good intensity, depth of fruit and lush, ripe tannin. Very harmonious, beautiful aromatics and textural finesse. Drink 2019-2023 Alc 13%

2 Du Monteillet, St-Joseph,

Rhône, France 2016 93 £ 27.99 The Smiling Grape Co Granite slopes at the northern limit of St-Joseph. Light and brisk style, not overly extracted or tannic, full of zest and vibrancy. Violets and black pepper spice, savoury with bright berry acidity, ending fresh with lifted mineral notes. Clarity and energy, very drinkable. Drink 2019-2020 Alc 12.5% 3 Elephant Hill, Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2015 93 £ 21.95 Corney & Barrow Distinct black pepper notes and some blackberry pâte de fruits, lifted and fresh. Concentrated fruits between sweet and savoury. Lingering, gently smoky, peppery finish. Supremely well made and well balanced, with beautiful varietal and terroir expression. Fine, gentle tannin and gentle but balanced acidity. Consistently one of the best Syrahs outside the Rhône. Drink 2019-2021 Alc 13.5% Trinity Hill, Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2015 93 £ 17.40-£ 25 Banstead Vintners, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Exel, Glug, Harvey Nichols, Liberty Wines, St Margaret’s Wine, The Fine Wine Co, The NZ House of Wine, The Wine Reserve, The Wine Society, Wineman A savoury, brooding, dense style. Cracked black pepper, vanilla pod and violet – you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a St-Joseph. Ripe tannin, real depth, concentration. Drink 2019-2023 Alc 13% Domaine des Lises, CrozesHermitage, Rhône, France 2016 92 £ 25-£ 28 Bottle Apostle, H2Vin & Quintessentially, Highbury Vintners, New Street Wine Shop, Terra Wines Lifted, fresh violets and woodland scents, berries and herbs, subtle black pepper aromas. Juicy berry acidity and a briskly hewn structure, ending stone-sucking dry with a tannic draw on the finish. The black pepper shows itself more with time.

Drink 2019-2020 Alc 13%