1 Philipponnat, Royale Réserve Brut, Champagne, France NV C
TG 95 AK 93 MM 94
£43-£52.99 Berry Bros & Rudd, Justerini & Brooks, Master of Malt, Selfridges, The Finest Bubble, The Whisky Exchange
A distinctly red-berry nose – all redcurrants and small forest fruit. Red Delicious apple has such a telltale Pinot scent. The palate has pure, bright apple fruit, a lemony verve, and a very delicate mousse backed by gently salty autolysis. Vanilla oak comes through, like the custard on an apple crumble, carrying freshness and flavour until the lingering finish. Drink 2024-2040 Alcohol 12.5% Tom Hewson
2 The Hilt, Estate Sparkling, Sta Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, California, USA 2016 C
TG 93 AK 94 MM 94
thehiltestate.com
Gorgeous autolysis aromas with notes of lemon shortbread and cream. There is an assertive backbone and structure with evolving flavours of baked orchard fruit. The bubbles bring freshness. Perky, green apple and zingy lemon with a mineral edge. Super-racy, yet this is more vinous than sparkling and almost off the beaten track rather than classical. A positively racy finish is classy indeed. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 12% J’nai Gaither
3 KWV, Laborie Blanc de Blancs, Western Cape, South Africa 2018 V
TG 93 AK 93 MM 93
£15.95-£17.99 Booths, Cape Wine & Food, Carruthers & Kent, Cellar Doors, Dulwich Vintners, Hedley Wright, Slurp, The Dorset Wine Co, The Whalley Wine Shop, TJ Wines
An attractive nose, baked pastry and candied citrus. Creamy, chalky autolysis, notions of honey; fresh, bright and so slender. The mousse is frothy and upfront yet persists through to the finish. A pure fruit sweetness is flattering and satisfying. Elegant and clear-cut with proper length and a dry finish. Well done! Drink 20242040 Alc 12% Anne Krebiehl MW
4 Juvé & Camps, Reserva de la Familia Cava Gran Reserva Brut Nature, Catalonia, Spain 2018 V
TG 92 AK 91 MM 92
£19.99 Taurus Wines, The Vineyard Dorking,
The Wright Wine Co, Village Wines Bexley
An appealing and classically Cava nose is led by notes of mocha and thyme, then
lovely honeyed Xarel.lo fruit and beautifully fine mousse, all making a most elegant Cava. Nice backbone, and it comes across as quite dry with a savoury, lipsmacking finish that lingers. Well made and refreshing, very youthful and should age well. Drink 2024-2030 Alc 12%
Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW
5 No1 Family Estate, No1 Reserve, Marlborough, New Zealand NV C
TG 92 AK 91 MM 92
£75 Amathus Drinks
Ripeness hits home here. Elegant yet ripe apple and candied lemon; savoury apple and baked pear, then honey and acacia. Equally expressive on the palate, the mousse sprightly. Bright and clean, a taut, brisk wine with style. Really well made and should age well. Drink 2024-2030 Alc 13% Cameron Douglas MS
6 Cantina Terlano, Rarity, Alto Adige Terlano, Italy 2010 O
TG 95 AK 94 MM 95
£200-£215 Astrum Wine Cellars, Harrogate Wines, Hedonism, Museum Wines, Natty Boy Wines, The Whisky Exchange
An incredible 144 months on lees and a 2010 but still so fresh, packed with waxy orchard fruits, nuts and citrus peel. Hazelnut and pineapple juice, with clear signs of evolution. Wonderful serenity, with a bright line of acidity and so much body. Textured with clarity, a super-interesting wine. Savoury and complex, it deserves to be contemplated over a long meal. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 14% Michael Garner
‘These are recommendations by wine lovers for wine lovers – Decanter’s readers – of amazing classic wines, great-value buys and exciting discoveries they have tasted over the past 12 months’
7 Thymiopoulos, Blanc des Côteaux Cuvée Amphore, Naoussa, Macedonia, Greece 2020 O
TG 97 AK 94 MM 93
£38.50 Theatre of Wine
Deep gold in colour. Intense orange and earth aromas, hints of nuts and honey. Creaminess, caramelised fruit and freshly shorn wool. This blend of Vidiano and Aidani grows on you, with so much salty tension and freshness, and the austerity blossoms into complex layers of flavour. A contemplative wine with incredible lingering depths. Quality shines through – everyone should be excited about Greece. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 13.5% Ines Salpico
8 Battenfeld Spanier, CO Liquid Earth Riesling, Rheinhessen, Germany 2018 C
TG 93 AK 94 MM 94
£187 Berry Bros & Rudd, Howard Ripley,
Justerini & Brooks
Subtle chervil and yarrow with a Riesling bite, brisk and lactic nose. So chalky, so stony, so profound, great concentration and complexity. Lean and light, with pointed minerality. Delicious stuff. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 12.5% Caro Maurer MW
9 Trimbach, Clos Ste Hune Riesling, Alsace, France 2016 C
TG 94 AK 93 MM 95
£268 Hedonism
A gentle nose with a kaleidoscope of citrus, stone, mineral and fruit blossom. Pure and focused on the palate, showing savoury, textural complexity. Creamy and rounded, this feels almost Champagne-like in its toasty, mature refinement. A lovely and mouthfilling wine, with length and texture. Great stuff. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 13.5% Michael Hill Smith MW
10 Ktima Biblia Chora, Ovilos, Pangeon, Macedonia, Greece 2022 93 O
TG 93 AK 93 MM 93
£34.99-£42.50 Hallgarten Wines, Novel Wines, Strictly Wine, The Good Wine Shop
Forward and perfumed, showing zingy and perky jasmine and yellow peach, great texture and subtle spice, savoury, nutty aromas with a whack of pine that comes through on the palate. Textured and incisive, with a long aftertaste. Judiciously oaked to give just a bit of extra complexity and weight, then a rip-roaring lemony zest cleanses the mouth. Finishes with an ▶
almost cool tropical fruit. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 13.5% Roger Jones
11 Pazo Señorans, Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain 2022 C
TG 94 AK 93 MM 92
£21-£28 Baythorne Wines, DBM Wines, Gauntleys, Handford, Hay Wines, Highbury VIntners, JN Wine, KWM, The Wine Reserve, Uncorked, Virgin Wines Pretty peach and honey scents seduce. Really briney with peach juice and a lovely richness: a great example of Albariño. Puts you in no doubt as to its origins. The palate is steely: classically so. Lemon purity and salty stoniness are appetising and tangy. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 13.5% Fiona Beckett
Penfolds, Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay, Australia 2021 C
TG 95 AK 92 MM 93
£147 Berry Bros & Rudd, Burnett & Herbert Decidedly struck-match and flint nose, yet with all that stone and intense lemon behind it. Lots of corn husk and maize meal aromas, tension and a vein of lemon freshness throughout, a pithy undertone and simmering depth. Very tight and youthful now, this needs some time. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 13% David Sly
13 Rudolf May, Himmelspfad Silvaner GG, Franken, Germany 2022 O
TG 93 AK 94 MM 93 £49 Howard Ripley
Captivating aromas of fresh chervil, summer hay, gentle creamy hazelnut oak and lemon. Textured with a peach-skin raspiness, lovely mouthfeel, round and open. It is redolent of meadows and streamwater, with an earthiness and orchard apple; simply begs a sip. The perky, bright orange skin and green nectarine tanginess are very appealing. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 13% Anne Krebiehl MW
14 Tenuta del Conte, Diversamente Greco Bianco, Cirò, Calabria,
Italy 2019 O
TG 93 AK 93 MM 94
£28.50 Astrum Wine Cellars, Sociovino
There’s a lovely and fragrant sense of pine resin that rises from the glass, and this has the nose of orange peel and Christmas spice. Very exciting, with fresh acidity and so much flavour. Savoury, with just a hint of marzipan. Wonderfully textured yet clean, dense, salty and light on its feet. A white to be paired with pork or rich seafood. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 12% Michaela Morris
15 Cave Spring Vineyard, Prova Riesling, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Canada 2018 O
TG 92 AK 93 MM 92 cavespring.ca
Cream and honey on the nose, along with super-lifted lemon. Unusual style, oxidised and nutty, Riesling character is there in the background. Waxy, rounded with gorgeously beautiful fresh acid. Bright, vivid, salty and dry. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 12% Tina Gellie
16 Elvio Cogno, Anas-Cëtta Nascetta del Comune di Novello, Langhe, Piedmont, Italy 2021 O
TG 92 AK 91 MM 92
£22.40-£27.50 Bowland Forest Vintners,
Lay & Wheeler, Shelved Wine, Stannary Wine
A beautifully bitter note appears on the nose, alongside Navel orange zest. Apple skin mouthfeel with perky and raspy fruit tannins and a lingering green herb tanginess. There’s a slight bitterness on the palate, with a deep salty texture that cries out for food. Drink 2024-2030 Alc 13.5% Ronan Sayburn MS
17 Emile Beyer, Riesling Grand Cru Eichberg, Alsace, France 2020 C
TG 92 AK 92 MM 92
POA Matthew Clark
Baked apple and camomile aromas on the nose are very fragrant and a bit oxidative, with a marzipan edge. A lot is happening on the palate, both texturally and flavour-wise. The wine has an undeniably racy backbone. Lime curd and nougat with a creamy depth, begging yet another sip. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 13.5% Thierry Meyer
18 Hamilton Russell, Chardonnay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Walker Bay, South Africa 2021 C TG 94 AK 89 MM 92
£35-£42 Widely available via UK agent Mentzendorff
Pristine, clean and vibrant, crisp apples, fresh peaches and lemon. Restrained but complex, the oak doesn’t override, leaving pure fruit at the core. Lovely brightness and freshness with some evolution. A pithy, bright verve draws out the leesy creaminess on the finish. A very handsome wine. Drink 2024-2033 Alc 13.5% Gabriela Colotto
19 Höfflin, Phonolith Grauer Burgunder, Baden, Germany 2020 O
TG 92 AK 92 MM 92 weingut-hoefflin.de
Perky and phenolic with grapefruit peel and scents of toasted hazelnuts and almonds. Lovely texture with serenity, creaminess and hints of oaky orchard fruit. A beautiful in-between wine, between white and red, with the best elements of both. A solid offbeat wine. Drink 2024-2030 Alc 13% Markus Del Monego MW
20 Mount Pleasant, Elizabeth Semillon, Hunter Valley, Australia 2017 V
TG 92 AK 91 MM 92
£19.25-£20 Fintry Wines, Shelved Wine, Vinvm
A beautiful, savoury and seductive nose offers up lanolin with hints of both toast and citrus. There are overtones of lemon tisane, lemon oil and linden flower. This is a wine that is strident, yet so emollient. Candle wax, autumn leaves and toast. A lovely and well done wine. Drink 2024-2033 Alc 11% Justin Knock MW
21Georgia Tiko Estate, Orange Kisi, Kakheti,
2021 O
TG 93 AK 94 MM 94
£22.50 Astrum Wine Cellars, Field & Fawcett, Hedonism, Peckham Cellars, Sociovino Gingerbread spice, orange peel studded with cloves, gorgeous phenolics. Pure rose and potpourri with hints of Turkish delight. Medicinal and green with rosemary oil and citronella. This is not for the faint of heart: you’ll feel the dry tannins and a distinct bitterness of orange peel with intense sweet spice, but it is all genuine and sensational. A delicious pairing with Moroccan lamb tagine and dried apricot. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 13.5% Sylvia Wu
22 Troupis, Ekato Moschofilero, Arkadia, Peloponnese, Greece 2022 O
TG 91 AK 92 MM 92
£23.50-£24.50 Bancroft, Bottle Apostle, Epinoia, The Grocery
Floral rose water, orange potpourri and fig with persistent and pronounced fragrance – fun but serious. Gorgeous overtones of pomegranate fruit and electric acidity – it’s impossible not to imagine this with a whole array of exotic dishes. Drink 2024-2030
Alc 13% Barbara Philip MW
23 Château Brane-Cantenac, Margaux 2CC, Bordeaux,
France 2016 C
TG 95 AK 97 MM 97
£82.50-£110 Berry Bros & Rudd, Christopher Keiller, Farr Vintners, House of Townend, Jeroboams, Mumbles Fine Wines, Nemo Wine Cellars, The Good
Wine Shop, The Guildford Wine Co
Captivating cedar, tobacco and dark blackcurrant fruit, sinewy and taut. The palate is still firm and rigid, quite stately in fact, with a ton of savoury structure. Elegant structure with a tannic crunch. A great one to squirrel away and watch develop further. Deep, dark, bramble fruit with a slick lick of oak, but it’s holding everything in reserve. Drink 2024-2045 Alc 13.5% Ch’ng Poh Tiong
24 Catena Zapata, Nicolás Catena Zapata, Mendoza, Argentina 2019 C
TG 95 AK 95 MM 95
£53 (ib)-£92 Berry Bros & Rudd, Bon Coeur, Cru, Crump Richmond Shaw, Davy’s, Farr Vintners, Fine & Rare, Lay & Wheeler, Waud Wines
Restrained and elegant with a minty coolness – classy and characterful. Lactic, very dense with bay leaf and sage herb savouriness, well-integrated oak. Poised, Bordeaux-like in structure, but with the benefit of beautifully ripe blue and purple berry fruit. Firm tannic grip, bright acidity and chalky textural chew. Polished and impressive but not showy or overdone. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 13.7% Julie Sheppard
25 Château Beau-Site, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France 2019 C
TG 94 AK 95 MM 95
£23.50-£30 Brunswick, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Davy’s, DBM Wines, High Breck, Nickolls & Perks Sophisticated, oak-led nose exhibits roasted coffee and grilled meat. Very brooding, simmering with latent power and generous fruit expression. Taut, ▶
structured, sinewy and a little dry, with chewy liquorice, tar and coffee notes alongside black fruit. Elegant complexity with a liquorice finish. Drink 2024-2045 Alc 13.5% Michael Denton
26 Grattamacco, Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy 2019 C
TG 95 AK 93 MM 98
£52.50 (ib)-£75 Berry Bros & Rudd, Christopher Keiller, Crop & Vine, Cru, Cru Wine, Decorum Vintners, Ideal Wine Co, Justerini & Brooks
A fresh nose of grilled herbs and evocative oily green character. Olive and bay leaf, rosemary, an inkling of thyme. Dense and full, very generous, opulent fresh blackberry, black olive, coffee and rich red berry compote with savoury oak notes. Warm on the finish. Magnificent in stature, polish and plushness, but it needs time. Drink 2024-2045 Alc 14.5% James Button
27 Massolino, Parafada Barolo, Piedmont, Italy 2019 C
TG 96 AK 92 MM 96
£114 Liberty Wines
Discreet and youthful, waiting to express all of its earthy charms. Subtly perfumed, with slight florals and the expected brisk acidity. Firmly structured, but has ample fruit concentration. Classic style with sour cherry flesh, mineral cherry stone and oak presence. Young, with time on its hands. Drink 2024-2038 Alc 14.5% Michaela Morris
28 Château Les Carmes HautBrion, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France 2019 C
TG 95 AK 94 MM 94
£87.50 (ib)-£180 Berry Bros & Rudd, Bordeaux Index, Corney & Barrow, Farr Vintners, Fine & Rare, Lay & Wheeler, Millésima, Nemo Wine Cellars Pretty nose of florals and red berries with a back note of ripe green herb. Subtle tar, lovely elegance, dense but ripe tannin, structure and flow. The palate is quite austere and youthful now, needing time to relax. Nothing is overdone, and it thrills with that gravelly backbone. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 13.5% Georgie Hindle
29 Fontodi, Flaccianello della Pieve, Colli della Toscana Centrale, Tuscany, Italy 2013 C
TG 94 AK 94 MM 94
£83.33 (ib)-£120 Berry Bros & Rudd, Crump Richmond Shaw, Liberty Wines, Nemo Wine Cellars, Seckford Wines Starling Wines, Wilkinson Vintners Powerful meaty scents joined by roasted coffee and mint. Lovely, savoury, grippy tannins. This is generously extracted and not shy on wood, but all comes together. Still very youthful and structured; the vigorous tannins could use more time to mellow. Drink 2024-2033 Alc 14.5% Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW
30 Rall, Ava Syrah, Swartland, South Africa 2021 C
TG 95 AK 94 MM 94
£56.21 Justerini & Brooks
Seductive nose, youthfully oak-led, but expressive violets, olives and black pepper. Bold and meaty, liquorice, some reductive elements, blue fruit, full-on but varietally classic. Delicious cocoa nib edge to the red plum and high-acid redcurrant fruit. Still youthful with all its primary exuberance. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 12.5% Tina Gellie
31 Casa Ferreirinha, Reserva Especial, Douro, Portugal 2014 C
TG 93 AK 93 MM 93
£250 Burnett & Herbert, Hedonism, Liberty Wines
A lovely notion of camomile flowers and dried hay appears even before the notes of caramelised red fruit. Brooding and overwhelming, firm and structured along with some heat, but this is very well done. Melted vanilla laces dark black fruit; mouthwatering and fresh. Drink 2024-2031 Alc 14% Sarah Ahmed
32 Illimis, Pinotage, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2022 O
TG 93 AK 93 MM 93
US$50 Square Wine & Spirits
What lovely, clean and bright-smelling Pinotage. Cherry is clothed in smoke and crushed red berry. Juicy and vivid, defined by brightness and freshness. A little funky, but so pretty. It will seduce detractors, for sure. Crunchy, aromatic and very long. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 12% Fiona McDonald
33 Raats Family, Cabernet Franc, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2020 C
TG 93 AK 93 MM 93
£31.95-£35.50 Alliance Wine, The Oxford Wine Co, Uncorked
Opens up quite beautifully in the glass to reveal classy red and black berries infused
with graphite. Lovely fluidity and freshness with good inky depth. Oak is evident but not overbearing on a well-weighted palate, perhaps a bit warm, but classic with lovely balance overall. Drink 2024-2045 Alc 14% Fiona McDonald
34 Rudolf Fürst, Schlossberg Pinot Noir GG, Klingenberg, Franken, Germany 2021 C
TG 93 AK 93 MM 93
£100-£120 Goedhuis & Co, Howard Ripley, James Nicholson, Justerini & Brooks, Lay & Wheeler, Stannary Wine
Lean, leafy, fresh with light reduction, but in a promising fashion. Lightness, crunch and elegance with sinuous red fruit and lovely iron-oxide depth. Peppery and spicy, pure. Mouthwatering, with fine tannin. Mineral and pointed on the finish. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 13% Anna Lee C Iijima
35 Rutini, Single Vineyard Malbec, Gualtallary, Uco Valley, Argentina 2018 C
TG 94 AK 91 MM 95
£53 Viñals Wine & Food
Seductive and plush, with tar and smoke evoking desert shrub: this has a really transportive nature. You smell the dry earth and perfumed herb flowers. There’s a lovely balance of oak, fruit and acid, and impressively constructed. Polished but not overdone in one direction or another.
Drink 2024-2035 Alc 14% Cesar Soler
36 Tenuta delle Terre Nere, Calderara Sottana, Etna, Sicily,
Italy 2021 C
TG 94 AK 93 MM 93
£58-£67 Justerini & Brooks, Millésima, Philglas & Swiggot, Vin Cognito
Subtle nose, with some brushwood and fragrant florals. Clean-flowing, crisp, great acid, mineral and tensile, super grip, tactile and tangy with so much crunchy, crisp acid. Tannins are decidedly dry and clingy. A beguiling wine, firm and slender. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 14.5% Richard Baudains
37 Allegrini, La Poja Corvina Veronese, Veneto, Italy 2018 C
TG 93 AK 91 MM 92
£52.50 (ib)-£100 Crop & Vine, Cru, Farr Vintners, Ideal Wine Co, Millésima, Starling Wines Blackcurrant, very pretty, floral and potpourri on the nose and inital palate. Tasty and delicate, shining fruit and smoky incense-like toasty oak. Depth and concentrated acidity with a healthy sheen of wood. Warming on the finish. Drink 2024-2032 Alc 14.5% Michela Nassiz
38 Bodegas Bianchi, Gran Famiglia Corte, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina 2020 C
TG 92 AK 93 MM 92
POA £ Viñals Wine & Food
Floral, smoky nose. High-toned and spirited with weight to balance the acid and density of fine tannins, and a real finesse. The palate is densely laden, full of dark fruit with a warming finish. Impressive and will appeal to Malbec aficionados. Will gain more elegance with age. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 14.5% Cesar Soler
39 Castillo de Cuzcurrita, Cerrado del Castillo, Rioja, Spain 2017 C
TG 92 AK 91 MM 92
£85 Georges Barbier
Quite modern and opulent in style. Vanilla, oak-led nuances, old-school. Concentrated raspberry flavours on a palate mellowed with a ton of tobacco, leather and grilled meatiness. Tight and firm on the finish. Drink 2024-2030 Alc 14.5% Beth Willard
40 Chêne Bleu, Héloïse, Vaucluse, Rhône, France 2015 C
TG 93 AK 91 MM 93
£72-£83 Arden, Justerini & Brooks, Salusbury Winestore, Wine Monkey
Ripe and wild with a dark, brooding undertone, olive tapenade; classic savoury-acid Rhône-style. Evocative and meaty, with southern French character. Peppery blackberries and garrigue. Great acidity, so pure and crisp. Can drink now. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 14% Stacy Slinkard
41 Cheval des Andes, Mendoza, Argentina 2020 C
TG 91 AK 93 MM 91
£67 (ib)-£100 Widely available Sweet-fruited, blackberry nose, lots of ▶
spirit-spiked Christmas cake booziness. Swish tannins, juicy and full-bodied, very opulent and undeniably impressive. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 14.5% Alejandro Iglesias
42 Domaine Mas de Rey, Marselan, Bouches du Rhône, Provence, France 2019 O
TG 93 AK 89 MM 94 domaine-masderey.com
Pure nose, dense but fresh dark fruit. A mouthful of high-toned blackberry, spicy and peppery garrigue notes. Sappy and grippy. Lots of grape tannins, but ripe and well formed. Juicy, bright and very tasty. This is blackberry and plum central. Drink 2024-2030 Alc 14.5% Ch’ng Poh Tiong
43 Miguel Torres, Los Inquietos 01, Maule Valley, Chile 2019 O
TG 92 AK 92 MM 92
£40-£43.54 Mitchells Wine, Shelved Wine Blackcurrant fruit and leaf perform their aromatic magic, perfume leaping from the glass – quite exotic desert shrub with rocks and black liquorice. Blueberries and bilberries, lilacs and violets. The fruit is somewhat candied, yet this is a satisfying mouthful overall. Pretty Malbec. Drink 2024-2030 Alc 13.5% Amanda Barnes
44 Philip Togni Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA 2018 C
TG 91 AK 92 MM 93
£130-£150 (ib) Berry Bros & Rudd, Crop & Vine, Ideal Wine Co, Justerini & Brooks, Lay & Wheeler, Starling Wines, Vinum Fine Wines
Bramble berries with smoky and cocoa notes, some savoury characters but chock-full of bright fruit. Ripe, dense tannins with overt oak; a dry, vertical structure that lends intrigue and captivating savoury notes, bringing this wine to a warming close. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 14% Justin Knock MW
45 Tapanappa, Foggy Hill Pinot Noir, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia 2019 C
TG 91 AK 92 MM 94
£32 Mentzendorff
High-toned and crisp, mineral, a little underripe with crunchy, fresh green leaf notes and bonfire smoke, a touch of mint. Lithe with a structured character. Drink 2024-2032 Alc 13% Anne Krebiehl MW
46 Te Mata, Coleraine, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2021 C
TG 92 AK 93 MM 91
£74 Berry Bros & Rudd, Bordeaux Index, Burnett & Herbert, Farr Vintners, Hedonism, Lay & Wheeler Juicy, ripe and hedonistic, expressive aromas, sweet bay leaf character and graphite notes. Lovely plum fruit, subtle cinnamon and much freshness on the palate. Flowing and clean, albeit with an edge of greenness. Weighty and ambitious. Drink 2024-2035 Alc 14% Rupert Owen
47 Tenuta Santa Caterina, Monferace, Grignolino d’Asti, Piedmont, Italy 2017 O TG 90 AK 93 AK 94 tenuta-santa-caterina.it
Subtle but aromatic lift with a lovely hint of cherry evolution on the nose; with coaxing some exotic juniper and pepper emerge alongside cranberry. High-toned with crisp acidity that refreshes the palate, grippy tannins but well structured. Incense-like aromatics persist in the glass. Very Italian. Drink 2024-2030 Alc 15% Aldo Fiordelli
48 Scubla Roberto, Cràtis Verduzzo Friulano, Friuli Colli Orientali, Italy 2019 O
TG 93 AK 94 MM 94 scubla.com
Gorgeous coffee-vanilla nose with notes of orange, earth and violets. Sweetness and concentration are countered by structure, with a real nuttiness only adding to the substance. Masterfully balanced with good grip, some candied grapefruit and apricot freshness. Almost caramel on the finish. Drink 2024-2040 Alc 12% Richard Baudains
49 Equipo Navazos, I Think Amontillado, Montilla-Moriles,
Spain NV C
TG 94 AK 93 MM 95
£23 Alliance Wine, Drinkmonger
A very rich roasted hazelnut character makes this hard to resist. Lovely caramel crispness, lemon rind and peach, quite complex. There is a leesy, sea saltiness to it: vanilla, dried banana skin, tangy, smoky and such umami length – whoa! Drink 2024-2035 Alc 16.5%
Sarah Jane Evans MW