highly recommended

(continued) 90–94pts

Harewood Estate, Reserve, Great Southern 2016 91 SA 91 RJ 91 AR 90 £26.99

Noel Young, Quaff, Vindependents Smoky, flinty nose and palate, with a burnish of spicy, toasty oak and vanillin. Delicate tropical fruit; cusp of ripe pineapple, ripe grapefruit and firm pear, a hint of rounder white peach. Elegant and complex with lovely freshness.

Drink 2019-2025 Alc 13.5% Brookland Valley, Estate, Margaret River 2017 90 SA 90 RJ 90 AR 91 N/A UK www.brooklandvalley.com.au Refined nose with a touch of light smoky oak. Well made, with notes of subtle oak, nougat, butterscotch and struck match. Fresh and citrus too, but with a full and nutty finish. It will evolve nicely. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 13.5% Fraser Gallop, Parterre, Wilyabrup, Margaret River 2017 90 SA 87 RJ 92 AR 92 £19.50 Bibendum Intensely flavoured: ripe citrus fruit with a touch of nearly ripe peach. Juicy texture; savoury honeycomb provides a beautiful contradiction, fruit freshness giving a balanced lift on the finish. Drink 2019-2024 Alc 13% Voyager Estate, Margaret River 2016 90 SA 93 RJ 87 AR 90 £25.50

Great Wine Estates A firm, closed nose with quinine and apple. Fino sherry bite to the palate. Very pleasing, with a limey streak bringing a degree of freshness. There’s stone fruit, and lean energy to the finish. Drink 2019-2022 Alc 13.5% LAS Vino, Wildberry Springs, Wilyabrup, Margaret River 2017 91 SA 85 RJ 93 AR 94 £46.99 Carruthers & Kent, Liberty Wines Intense aromatics. Seductive mid-palate with rich Chardonnay fruit intensity and an underlying nutty, lees character. A long way before it hits its peak, but the potential is undoubtedly there. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 14% Houghton, Crofters, Western Australia 2017 90 SA 90 RJ 90 AR 90 N/A UK

www.houghton-wines.com.au Attractive nose showing a touch of spicy oak, and a toasty, lees-dominant character which follows through on the palate. Its buttery fruit, streaked with acidity and complexity gives a beautiful style with a persistent and firm finish.

Drink 2019-2021 Alc 13.5% Windows Estate, Estate, Margaret River 2017 90 SA 90 RJ 90 AR 89 £57 HC Wines Spicy apple strudel aromas; pineapple and cashew too. Fine stone fruit evolves on the palate, with crisp acidity. Quite bouncy and young. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 12.5% Stella Bella, Luminosa, Margaret River 2016 91 SA 92 RJ 90 AR 91 £39.99

Alliance, Grange Wine Merchants Sweet rock melon, dried pear, honeyed and spiced on the nose. The palate has fruit weight with apple and stone fruit. There’s crisp, refreshing acidity, complexity, orange peel and pith lift to the finish. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 14.5% Domaines & Vineyard, Pemberley, Pemberton 2015 90 SA 89 RJ 91 AR 90 £19.99 Castelnau A burnish of toasty, spicy oak to the nose, evolving with buttery fruit, creamy malo notes, white peach and lemon acidity. Some wild bloom on the apple funky complexity gives a full, lasting finish. Drink 2019-2022 Alc 13.5% Marchand & Burch, Great Southern 2017 90 SA 90 RJ 90 AR 90 £32.50

Enotria & Coe, Exel Yellow with green glints, and a subtle touch of oak. The palate is young and punchy, more of an early-picked, leaner, acid-driven, grapefruit style, with lemon pips and a delicate spice that lingers through the palate. Needs time to evolve. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 13% Woodlands, Wilyabrup Valley, Wilyabrup, Margaret River 2016 90 SA 87 RJ 92 AR 92 £15.99 Laithwaites A citrus oil roundness and aromatic lift, with spring herbs and flowers. The palate displays a savoury harmonious edge and a honeycomb cream depth. Drink 2019-2022 Alc 13.5%

‘There was an individuality that spoke of the distinctiveness of the region’

Domaine la Barroche, Pure 2016 96 £50 (ib) Gauntleys, Justerini & Brooks First vintage; 100% Clairette grown on sand on lieu-dit Le Pied Long, no new oak. Pure lime blossom aromas. No excess fat and lovely fresh, vibrant acidity. A contemporary, highly drinkable and pure expression. Biodynamic.

Drink 2019-2026 Alcohol 14%

Domaine Chante Cigale, Extrait

2016 94 £44.99 Mill Hill Wines Fermented and aged in concrete and old oak. Lime blossom and almond – fresh like washed linen. Full-bodied, but shot through with ripe limey acidity. Buzzes with energy; great purity and focus. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 14% Domaine Julien Masquin, Montplaisir 2017 94 £35 (2015) La Marchande Grown on the sandstone of lieu-dit Rayas, no new oak. Gorgeous mango and jasmine nose. Full-bodied; finishes dry and gently mineral. Marries a straightness of profile with a hedonistic side. Drink 2019-2027 Alc 13.5% Domaine de Beaurenard, Boisrenard 2017 95 £68.72 (2016) Tannico Six varieties on various soil types, no new oak. Lifted aromatics and a vibrant palate, harmonious and unforced. Good energy and precision. Creamy finish adds subtle opulence. Biodynamic. Drink 2019-2028 Alc 14%

Domaine du Banneret, Le Secret

2017 94 N/A UK www.domaine-banneret.fr Second vintage. Piercing lime, fennel and pickled ginger notes. Medium-bodied but has good acidity and mineral dimension. Very drinkable; great definition and cut. Purity and finesse. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 13.5% Domaine Les Cailloux, Tradition 2017 94 POA Gauntleys Jasmine, lily and apricot, a lifted and defined nose. Really vibrant, intense, fresh style with great verve and energy. Long, concentrated finish. So concentrated, yet so fresh. Just a joy. Organic. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 13.5%

Château de Beaucastel, Tradition

2016 94 £51.80 Lay & Wheeler Fermented and aged in concrete and old oak. Enticing citrus aromas, and a touch of florality. An energetic style with freshness, balanced acidity and a focused finish. A contemporary rendition. Drink 2019-2020 Alc 14% Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Clos La Roquète 2017 94 £30.05 Christopher Piper A subtle, lifted fennel nose. Perilously full and broad on the palate, but then finishes fresh and taut thanks to brisk acidity and a coiled energy. An intense wine with a glinting mineral line. Organic. Drink 2019-2024 Alc 13.5% Domaine de Fontavin, Les Immortelles 2016 93 £29.99 (2015) The General Wine Co Welcoming aromatic profile, with subtle citrus and blossom. Full-bodied but not fat; generous but not heavy. A detailed, delightful and drinkable contemporary Châteauneuf Blanc. Drink 2019-2024 Alc 13.5%

Domaine Giraud, Les Gallimardes 2017 93 POA Gauntleys Full-bodied but not excessive, with bright acidity and a subtle, structural, fennel bitterness on the finish. A lovely unoaked style of Châteauneuf blanc with opulence, purity and balance. Drink 2019-2023 Alc 14.5% Château de la Font du Loup, Tradition 2017 92 N/A UK www.lafontduloup.com North-facing, sandy vineyards bring freshness and finesse. Gorgeous nose: jasmine, violet, peach. Remarkable concentration of flavour, shot through with juicy acidity. Unmistakably Châteauneuf. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 13.5% Domaine Pierre Usseglio, Tradition 2017 92 POA Gauntleys Pink grapefruit and fennel. Medium- to full-bodied, with bright acidity and a firm, defined, focused finish. This has real edge and precision which makes for a highly drinkable style. Long finish. Drink 2019-2021 Alc 14.5%

Domaine l’Or de Line, Tradition

2017 93 £26.76 Nethergate Wines Fermented then aged for five months in stainless steel. Attractive nose, with faintly nutty, woody, floral elements. A good sense of freshness gives drinkability. Lots to enjoy here. Organic. Drink 2019-2022 Alc 14% Domaine André Mathieu, Tradition 2017 92 N/A UK www.domaine-andre-mathieu.com Fermented and aged in stainless steel except for 7% in new oak. Lovely nose – subtle nutty hints over lime leaf. Perfectly judged acidity and an appealingly savoury finish. An elegant style. Drink 2019-2021 Alc 13.5% La Fagotière, Tradition 2017 92 £22.10 3D Wines Aromas of apple, pear and hawthorn blossom. An unusual, crystal clear style that makes it drinkable, despite the weight on the midpalate. Piercing acidity and a mineral finish. A shame they have less than a hectare of white grapes. Organic. Drink 2019-2021 Alc 13.5% Brotte, Les Hauts de Barville 2017 92 £20.77 (2016) Winebuyers Mostly grown on chalk; fermented and aged in stainless steel. Piercingly fresh floral aromas. Very full-bodied, but a clear mineral seam lends straightness and tension. Contemporary, unoaked style. Drink 2019-2023 Alc 13.5% Domaine Duseigneur, Catarina Blanc 2017 92 £38 The Solent Cellar 100% Clairette. A lightly floral expression with quince and aniseed. Well balanced with a floral flourish on the finish. It’s concentrated, but has a lightness of touch that brings elegance. Biodynamic. Drink 2019-2021 Alc 13% M Chapoutier, La Bernardine 2017 92 £35.27 (2016) Winebuyers Fresh, slightly nutty style. Rounded, mediumbodied palate. Lovely freshness and incisive acidity keep things drinkable. A tailored style without undue excess and considered use of oak. Mineral finish. Drink 2019-2022 Alc 13.5%