‘Two protagonists of the bubbly rebellion join forces to craft capricious Pinot into a molten medallion of scintillating bronze. The nose mimics mirabelles drenched in dark, smokey honey. It’s a rich, golden sap with a warm, spiced core and decorated with salt-laced seams. Barely-there bubbles don’t pop, but shimmer, as the wine ripples across the palate with faint echoes of oxidation in its wake. Wow. Wow. Wow.’
G Selosse Largillier NV
‘A deep amber nectar, like cinnamon spiced honey or golden syrup. Liquid biscoff with an unctuous drizzling intensity. Through Aegean warmth, a wave of salinity washes over the palate, and casts bitter shade long after the tide goes out.’
Hatzidakis Assyrtiko Louros Vieilles Vignes 2020
‘Swirling the glass forms droplets that leave a glistening trail to a puddle of lustrous ruby, and exudes ethereal aromas of dried petals, raspberry compote and snapped twigs. Silken to the touch, blanketing the palate like mist over forest floor, as long, unfurling layers unveil the essence of the earth. Its fate lies in a cellar for years to come, destined to develop a Burgundy-esque sous bois sincerity.’
Thymiopoulos Earth and Sky 2021
‘White gold elucidates it’s opulence; whipped meringue and white truffle. A touch of spice, whisper of smoke and a sprinkle of sea salt. Creamy but classy, with purity and precision. Richly textured, a mellifluous mouthfeel, delicately caressing every inch of the palate: lips, tongue, cheeks. You daydream of clouds; soft and palpable. Supple enough to dive into.’
Sphera White Signature 2015
‘Strawberry jam smeared on toast. It’s dense and brutish, wearing its age well with only slightly leathered skin to show for it.’
Arlaud Charmes-Chambertin 2002
‘Crack into the caramelised crust of a crème brûlée and sink into self-indulgence. Rich and creamy, coated in a glossy, golden sheen. Its breadth and depth is carried by bubbles that melt into the surface of the palate, while the acidity remains tinkling at the tip of the tongue. I hear whisperings of a Baby Selosse…’
P Moncuit Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne 2012
‘A new go-to for the inevitable ‘oaky white’ request hidden amongst the ‘others.’ A thick slather of shaving cream on the nose with a rich, broad mouthfeel to match. White pear, toasted almond and new oak seasoned with Aligoté.’
D Bachelet Bourgogne Aligote 2017
‘A bouquet of plush red fruit, rose petals and fried sage draw you deep into the glass. While a soft and pigmented palate, it’s styled out by an alpine spine and long, herbal finish. Sophisticatedly sumptuous.’
Foradori Teroldego Trentino 2021
‘Faded gold with luscious legs. Aromas awaken with aeration to a breath of chamomile, wild thyme and stem ginger. A bed of hot stones. The attack is lithe, honeyed in flavour but dry to the touch. A creamy mouthfeel with rich minerals, while a sour verve injects energy into the palate. Piquant on the finish, creating an everlasting warmth. Defined by vitality and destined for longevity.’
Loimer Ried Heiligenstein Riesling 2019
‘Famed for its stiff upper lip, it’s accentuated by a sinewy texture and vintage-toned green lining. While chewing through a tough acidity and burly tannins, black cherry and tobacco seep into your senses. It’s steely and serious but rich in fruit. So so long. And so so long to go.’
Clos d’Estournel 1985
‘Sink your teeth into honeydew melon drenched in almond oil, covering tense tastebuds in a warm gloss. With taut flesh, it grows after it’s gone, standing tall while shedding sharpened tears. ’
Clos Rougeard Breze 2014
‘This is first and foremost a wine (quite literally), as it loses all effervescence almost immediately after opening. Bruised apples steeped in cardamom and ginger. In the broad style of Bereche but in a spine-tingling, skin-shivering, hair-raising dimension.’
Bereche Ay 2015
‘You can’t just dip your toes in, you dive straight in; you don’t even need to bring your nose to the glass for your senses to be swimming. Head under surface, lungs full of lavender and liquorice, lit tobacco and dried autumn leaves. While drowning in sensual scents, it seduces your canines to sink into its lush, sweet-fruited, fleshy core. And only once released from its grip, a memory of walnut-skin bitterness remains. A totally hedonistic First Growth.’
Château Latour 1990
‘Serious stuff. It begins with a hit of dried pear and hazelnut. Like a balloon it inflates in the mouth, bursts into a flurry of fuzz then dissipates completely before you’ve even swallowed (or spat). Somehow both airy and vinous in the same breath, so vinous it almost needs a knife and fork to cut its sinewy-self into bite-sized pieces. Drink when you have the mind for an experience and the stomach for a FEAST.’
Georges Laval Garennes NV
‘Chamomile tea and cinnamon poached pear. Chewy texture with echoes of flor. Lip-lickingly delicious; a real tease for the senses.’
P Chatillon Les Nouvelles 2014
‘Like a fog horn in the night, you can’t quite see it but you know it’s there. This really needed time relax into the glass and unfortunately that wasn’t what we had tonight; so much concentration, it needed a shovel to unearth its characteristics. However, it did show itself to be incredibly sanguine, rich in bloodshed with a lick of black olive tapenade. The table were very happy.’
L’Evangile 2001
‘A wine that manages to walk the line between elegance and opulence, without leaning too far into either side. Almond oil and fennel seed. It sashays through the palate with creamy white peach and leaves traces of chilli spice on its exit. What a wine.’
A Clape St-Peray 2022
‘A warm rose tone in the glass already contradicts its wild, savoury nose, reminiscent of rosemary, thyme, lemon peel and crushed stone. Beneath the delicate bubbles lies a multidimensional palate; tart raspberry is accentuated by incisive acidity while teased with smoky nuances, showcasing impressive mineral depth.’
J Blin Les Ports 2020
‘This was in great nick; still flexing its muscles and peacock-tailing with primary contours. Black cherry, orange rind and bitter dark chocolate. One of the best bottles tasted for the Bordeaux-phile.’
Château Beychevelle 1983
‘Icy on opening with a salt-crusted rim, though once it drops its shoulders it melts into a sweet honeydew melon character with lipsmacking bitter almond. This wine is not for the brazen or impatient, it begs for your full attention.’
Belargus Bonnes Blanches 2020
‘A wine painted in cool tones; all crushed blueberries and pencil shavings. A feeling of brushed back velvet on the tongue nods to softening tannins, leaving behind an almost rich Syrah-esaue sheen of bacon fat across the palate. Bloody delicious.’
Château Pape Clemente 2002
‘A table of Berry Bros walk into the restaurant with 3 bottles for corkage. One bottle of Les Carmes, one bottle of Roagna and one bottle of the first wine made from Iranian fruit since the revolution in 1979. It’s a blind for a table, and fortunately so, for the bottle is gaudy enough to put even the most open-minded palates off before opening. But once I pull the cork, I pull out a tray of roasted strawberries adorned in spice. The mouth gives plush fruit encased in a hard shell of acidity that cracks and slowly seeps onto the palate, leaving the mouth watering through a long, bitter finish. Obviously very unique in style but to put it in perspective, it’s rather like a knock-off Nebbiolo. Think Comte Abbatucci in a desert. Not bad at all!’
Molana Rasheh 2021
‘Sorceress of the Mâcon, chiselling the region into the class of its more esteemed siblings. Around a core rich in apricots, wildflower honey and marzipan, it’s constructed in clean cut lines and sharp edges. A spine-tingling, skin-shivering backbone and mouthwatering sea spray salinity, all softened by a trickle of single cream.’
J Litaud Les Pommards 2022
It’s raw, carnal: blood, sex and sweat. Septembers first blackberry bush and the smoke that seeps from meat resting over open flame. Rust and flesh; watching rain tinkling on metal while grinning with blood stained teeth. Tannins fall to the corners of the palate and melt away while acid shoots up the sides of your cheeks. Wild, haunting, blue-silken song, singing in soprano, long after the music dies.’ .’
Terracura Syrah 2017
‘This is more of a wine of feel than a wine of flavour (though flavour is by no means lacking). You dive into a pool of candle wax, then take a gulp and find yourself in deep ocean. It’s visceral, tangible, all-consuming. Something worth drowning in. If we were to select flavours it would be candied lemon, tailing off with an almond skin bitterness. Don’t be blinded by E Pepe - this is right under your nose.’
Valle Reale Vigneto di Popoli 2019
‘Sink your teeth into a core of luscious black cherries and let the juice drip down your chin. This wine is like getting lost in a forest at night - embracing you into all its dark and brooding dimensions. Deeply structured. Time gives thyme and air to rose, amongst a plethora of other subjective seasonings. Far too smashable for its scarcity and downright dangerous with duck.’
S Pataille Marsannay Ancestrale 2020
‘Initially a little shy on the nose before blossoming into apple trees and throwing handfuls of salted popcorn. It coats the mouth in cashew cream lined with shimmering thread but remains to feel incredibly raw. Would love to open ‘Les Monts De Fussey,’ which might be a little more giving with 2 additional years under its belt.’
Chantereves Hautes-Cote de Beaune Blanc Mainbey 2022
‘This stood up to La Chapelle ‘78 with grace and dignity, and in itself, showed no signs of senescence. Upon pouring you fall into a glass of smashed strawberries drizzled in balsamic. You’re encased in sensual scents of burning incense and roasted cocoa beans. It coats the palate in glycerol gloss, while swaying in soft and supple motions. So suave. So special.’
Domaine Les Cailloux CNDP Cuvée Centenaire 1990
‘This wine is warm rain pattering on rusted metal, or licking blood off a wound. It’s boozy cherries and crushed green peppercorns. While haunting in its iron-rich rusticity, tannins skate across the palate and acid sings only in high-tones. I’d arguably state that it’s wines’ finest expression of ethereality. Any objections?’
T Allemand Cornas 2006
‘Sink into a pool of gold as a melange of lush stone fruit fills the palate. Through the circular mouthfeel, a trident of acid spears the corners. It’s both licking the remains of an empty pot of runny honey, and lying on a bed of cold, hard slate. With only fleeting thoughts of petrol, it still vibrates with energy on the finish.’
F Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Spatlese 2001
‘Taste the dirt. Lick the soil. Dressed in raspberries, peonies and button mushrooms, then folded into fresh earth. Buried in chalky tannins and a deep but sweet sense of ‘sous bois.’ Delicacy in its transparency but not out of lacking. A rather pretty Pinot deep-rooted in place.’
Chandon de Briailles Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Vergelesses 2017
‘It has the nose of a potential autumn set dessert: cinnamon baked apples with walnuts and meadowsweet custard. And a certain somethingness on the palate, while remaining completely undetected by weight - as you might imagine how it feels to bite into a cloud with a saline lining. I get the hype.’
Boulanger & Allante Savagnin 2020
‘Chenin set alight. Caramel coloured with a rich and musky nose: Lotus Biscoff, black liquorice and burned honey. A whiskey-like-liquor-esque concentration. Prickling heat on the palate like flames dancing on wood. As the fire dies, bitterness creeps in from the corners. A very serious wine that just shows never to judge a book by its cover (or a wine by its label).’
Silwervis Chenin Blanc 2016
‘Neon reflections effuse scents that slice. The wine wraps itself around the tongue and squeezes it tightly. Tastebuds seize up to a lick of salted lemon and crushed rocks. But in short time (and a large glass), it fleshes out to illustrate its textural richness, melting into every surface of the palate with French patisseries in its peripheral.’
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie 2016
‘Showcasing the Pinot Fin rarity with a redcurrant crunch. The palate displays a little misplaced pétillance and shows signs of squeaking potential. Light and fresh, not at all unpleasant, but definitely veering towards the more wild and prickly side. Does it really need to suffer for sulphur?’
F Cossard Morey-Saint-Denis Les Monts Leuisants 2020
‘Showcasing the Pinot Fin rarity with a redcurrant crunch. The palate displays a little unnecessary petillance and shows signs of squeaking potential. Light and fresh, not at all unpleasant, but definitely veering towards the more wild and prickly side. Does it really need to suffer for sulphur?’
Chateau Haut Brion 2001
‘Time has been kind, if not generous, to this wine. A deceptively sweet nose, leaning into a morello cherry and umami-esque caramelised mushroom character, whereas the palate picks up a more classic tomato leaf savouriness, with walnut and black truffle giving a nod to its age. While still densely structured, the tannins have rounded themselves out to be more plump and giving. A remarkably fresh example of Xin’ that’s got me planning to cellar today’s best.’
Ktima Foundi Xinomavro Naoussa Greece 1998
‘This is stylistically more akin to a Clarete than a red, but ideal for a muggy day like today (even, dare I say, slightly chilled). Limpid with ruby hues. Haribo hearts: soft and chewy, kirsch cherry and rosewater. Finishing with a white pepper kick and wet pebble lick. A summer-loving rouge.’
Els Jelipins Sumoll ‘Rusk’ 2020
‘Beauty in its modest delicacy. Sour cherry and potpourri. Floral and fine. It almost tiptoes across the palate; pebble-on-pebble minerality with only a dusting of tannins. Real magic.’
A Lienhardt Emphase 2021
‘There is little more intimidating than writing a tasting note for a wine with only a handful of tasting notes left to be written. The mousse, like bubble bath in the glass, effuses heady aromas of caramel biscuits and wood smoke. Once in the mouth, it shows imperceptible perlage - beads shimmer across the palate then quietly melt away. What’s left is a rich, glossy wine that broadens across the mouth from cheek to cheek. Hedonistic. Embraced in warm brioche and roasted nuts, then cut with the kind of crushed-oyster-shell minerality that makes your hair stand up on end. This is first and foremost a wine (and a very serious one at that), that just so happens to have some bubbles.’
MN Ledru NV
‘This wine is Meursault, but charged up, salt-crusted and entangled in herbs. Underneath the popcorn reduction, the nose opens up to jasmine, mirabelle plum and a deep hum of smoke. Flint edged and wax sealed. Toasted, honeyed and electrified. A Noble Rot Cult Classic, and rightly so.’
Dominio del Aguila Albillo Vinas Viejas 2019
‘Much more amontillado than Cali Chard, but not in the least bit ‘old.’ Burnt butter button mushroom, hazelnut skins and hay set aflame. Candle wax glycerol gloss with unfolding layers of salinity. Golden oxi-galore!’
Kalin Cellars Chardonnay 1997
‘Black tea and olive tapenade. Dried cherry. Seamlessly structured with soft, subtle barely-there tannins. Weightless in feel but meaty in flavour, embraced by dark, smoky minerality. A touch of sweet spice. A little tightly wound - needed a decant to open up.’
Maison Leroy Bourgogne Rouge 2014
‘A flinty sort of reduction on the nose. Lemon pith and olive brine, soften by layers of honey and salted nuts. Glassy on the palate, taught and tense, shattered by sharp spears of acidity. Barely any hint of its approaching adolescence. ’
Domaine Labet Les Varrons 2016
‘A table with a taste for Brunello fell head over heels for Condello’s charm. Dark cherry and dried rose. Pure power on the palate, rich and ripe, interlaced with fine, powdery tannins. With the previous vintage showing a more angular, austere profile, the 2020 release is round around the edges in comparison. Far more generous but by all means still a wine for time. Truly gorgeous, as per.’
C Condello Le Lucciole 2020
‘White peach and digestive biscuits. Almost autolytic… like still Champagne, vibrating with energy but missing its vessel for release. Lost in its filigree, begging for more time.’
Chandon de Braialles Corton Grand Cru 2020
‘Absolutely charming. Blackcurrant jam and violets on the nose, deep and sweet, with a palate etched in graphite with a subtle iron vein. There’s real density in mouthfeel, with layer-upon-layer of textural depth defined by very fine-feeling boar bristle brush tannins. White peppercorns. Lovely and long.’
P Isabelle Barbera d’Alba 2021
‘Crushed oysters shells and lemon zest on the nose. An electric streak of acidity shoots vertically across the palate, cheek to cheek, while a thick wall of smoke haunts the piercing precision. Finishing with a spritz of sea salt salinity. Salivating. Though less creamy and forgiving than the previous vintage.’
Sugrue The Trouble With Dreams 2018
‘A cool breeze laced with scents of crunchy pear, dried pineapple and jasmine. Beeswax in texture; delicately detailed. Complicated but precise. Lemon curd and lime zest with hints of bitter herbs. A brisk walk in the crisp Alpine air. Cold water rushing over river stones. White pepper lingers on the tongue. Intriguing the intellect.’
P Gonon Chasselas 2019
‘It’s difficult for words to do this wine justice; a legendary wine from a legendary vintage. At first it’s all smoked meat, old leather and forest floor, possessing the senses with a raw carnal character. Then teasing scents of cigar, cloves and mocha detail the nose. On the palate, the tannins are softened by time but it’s still fleshy in texture. A wealth of gorgeous dark fruit, plums dipped in dark chocolate. A touch of soy. It lures, it lingers. Outrageous. This could easily shine for another decade or more.’
Jaboulet La Chapelle 1990
‘There’s a raspberry-ice-lolly coolness to this wine. The fruit profile is restrained; it’s all frozen cherries, rose petals and crushed pebbles. There’s a barely-there delicacy to the bubbles that lifts the palate to weightlessness. This is a rosé for a summers day drenched in warm rain. Shy and slatey - it needs your full attention.’
F Savart Bulle de Rose NV
‘This is truly a ‘vinous curiosity’ (as my mentor would say). What started as a failed ferment, was bottled a decade later as one of my top wines of the year: sun-drenched, oxi-deliciousness. It a mesmerising performance, from its brilliant rose-gold hues to its lip-smacking finale, constantly teasing your senses with flashes of clementine, saffron, ginger, almond, smoke. A voluptuous mouthfeel streamlined by acidity, with a gentle tug of tannin. A trickle of salt in the backdrop forms mouth-watering waves that roll into your next inevitable sip. If only Thymiopoulos could experience stuck ferments every vintage.’
Thymiopoulos Blanc de Rose Cuvee R 2009
‘My first note on Lamy must first pay due diligence to their trademark texture; a pool of melting wax scored by struck match. This vintage shows a rich concentration of white chocolate and smoked cashews, pierced by salt flakes and lemon rind. Heavy on the white chocolate. Just can’t get enough.’
Lamy-Caillat Les Caillerets 2019
‘Not to sound dramatic but this took me on an all-encompassing sensory journey just in one tiny Sommelier-sized-sip. It envelopes you into a golden sphere of butterscotch and cream. With a dried pineapple bite, the palate is flooded with salinity, then follows a long and bitter (walnut) close. Absolute opulence.’
Bollinger La Grande Annee 1990
‘Soaked in a pretty perfume of roses and raspberries, blood orange and myrtle. High toned; defined by racy acidity and short streaks of tannin. So elegantly defined.’
Chandon de Briailles Les Vergelesses 2022
‘Opening one of these undoubtedly requires a pair of crossed fingers, and this lineup had a 2/3 success rate. The nose reminds me of raspberry jelly(o), a nostalgic kind of glossy sweetness laced with rose petals and balsamic vinegar. A warm embrace of sweet red fruit on the palate is met with tongue tingling acid. A wine that makes you reconsider what Bordeaux should be renowned for…’
N Tapon Pink Tapon Clairet de Bordeaux 2006
‘Marinating in a deep hum of smoke and garnished with grilled almonds and white truffle. Succulent savouries of crackling pork belly meets memories of honeysuckle sweetness. Unctuous but not oily, streamlined by acid vibrations, and stopped short by a saline finish line. Nothing like I’ve ever tasted before.’
JL Chave Hermitage Blanc 1978
‘A Rayas that creeps up on you from behind, tapping you lightly on the shoulder to remind you he’s far more youthful than his casing. Somehow still leading with a chewy red-fruited sweetness that spans from bruised strawberries to cherry stems, though now steeped in earl grey. A core of such intensity carried by melting-to-invisible tannins and coated in gloss. That white pepper wink has faded to sweet spice, closing with nutmeg and cloves for time.’
Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1976
‘If this is a cult wine, I am firmly in that cult. ‘07 feels a little cooler on the palate, showing a slightly more crystalline appearance. Wearing a deep, spicy cologne reminiscent of sage and saffron, apricot and amaretto, it reflects with a glassy exterior, sinks into the tongue then pushes forward with mineral drive. They never disappoint.’
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 2007
‘As evocative as cherry stains on a white dress. Its aromas are best described by a collection of vivid moments: peeling a clementine, falling onto a bed of roses or running barefoot on sun-baked tar. So soft and seductive, it fools your palate into a gentle lull of lust, while silently sucking the saliva from your gums. Just bewitching.’
G Fenocchio Barolo Bussia 2015
‘This is a far cry from its bombastic cousin. Though a shy nose, it evokes exotics in savouries and spice: grilled lemon, stem ginger, macadamia, smoke. While peeling back layers from the aromatic shield, it reveals a frame of sharp, steely bones, only promising to gain weight when in the glass. Sip at its subtleties or be patient for its flourish.’
Remelluri Rioja Blanco 2020
‘We saw Dom P ‘99 on the rocks tonight… only available at Mayfair (sorry). A little closed on opening, some aniseed and button mushroom peaking through an overwhelmingly creamy mousse. But after catching his breath, Dom unfurled into all his toasted-lemon-malt-biscuit glory, with just a prickle of perlage to carry it through to a lip-smacking lick of flaked salt finish. An underdog vintage, not to fear popping (though preferably served neat).’
Dom Perignon 1999
‘What a bottle - this was in such great nick. Led by its decadent nose of beurre noisette, it coats the palate in a rich gloss of whipped meringue and hazelnut praline. Though still quite remarkably with that sharpened flint edge tracing right the way through. It ends with a flush of fine salt and a few mushrooms peaking from its time.’
Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres 1999
‘So raw. So wild. A little prickly to begin, but with air it blossoms into a bouquet of violets, blueberries, nectarine, rosemary and a touch of sweet spice. Undeniably animalistic at its core, but all its lines are crystal-cut. A timid showing until you listen; it whispers, “handmade, with love.”’
N Vigot Vosne-Romanee 2017
‘Perhaps the most elusive on the list, surrounded by whispers of reverence from the few in the know; these wines always feel like sunshine on your face in the depths of winter. Drenched in crystallised aromas of stem ginger, dried mango and marmalade and decorated in thyme and walnuts. Oily, oscillating over the palate in warm shades of orange, while the acidity dances all over your tongue, then condensing into a concentrated core of grilled nuts, woody herbs and sea salt. While always a case of Russian roulette residual, this wine sways out in savoury, truffled tones. Still on my tongue 20 minutes after tasting but still on my mind for the next 20 years to come.’
Clos Joliette Moelleux 2004
‘This Riesling is simply like none other. With an almost Meursault-esque opulence and milky texture, it cushions and carries a plethora of lime leaf, nectarine, chilli spice and marzipan, all the while centred by that unmistakeable Riesling acidity. A true feast for the senses. A masterpiece.’
Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Auslese Trocken R 2016
‘Kaleidoscopic: head full of stars, like walking past a perfumery of exotic somethings, a cloud of scents written in your memory. Dried strawberry, rose petals, cardamom, white pepper, rusted iron. The palate is so beautifully defined, dancing en pointe long after the glass goes down. (PS it transcends the successive vintage(s)’
Domaine des Tours 2011
‘Something of a legendary era for Grillet, untouched by acquisitions. Still led by an iconic nose of white lilies and stem ginger, though the palate a little less clean-cut and polished than recent vintages. Warm and unctuous, with any extra flab held together by a knot of tongue-smack-to-the-roof bitterness. Somewhat a little lost in an oily glaze of oxidation, pushing the boundaries into cracked caramel and saffron.’
Château Grillet 2003
‘You can smell it in your chest, down your spine, in your bones. This haunting hum decorated in Provençal perfume: rosemary and lavender. No sepia tones, close your eyes and everything is in colour. Black raspberries, wood smoke and warm tears. Alive.’
R Jasmin Côte-Rôtie 1988
‘A bold claim, but this is perhaps the most impressive expression of dry Chenin I’ve had the pleasure to taste (and subsequently poorly represented by words). While all Belgargus wines demonstrate a tug-of-war between texture and tension, this cuvée seamlessly interlaces the two without even a whisper of delineation. It seizes the senses; the palate possessed by a trident spear of mineral drive, while seducing all sensations to a dream-like state, washed over in waves of chamomile and beeswax. Utterly spellbinding.’
Belargus Treilles 2020
‘This is the real ‘vinous curiosity.’ A genetic anomaly, closely related to the heartbreak grape and loosely labelled as Pinot Blanc, but arguably (whether due to grape or grower) with a completely unique character of its own. It’s like a secret garden of elderflower cordial, jasmine and pear. In shape it peaks to the roof of your palate on first bite, then fades outwards in breadth, melting honey into tastebuds. *warning: it may well need a little hope and good patience to unveil*’
Stella di Campalto Brunello di Montalcino VCLC 2016
‘A chocolate box of hidden centres: dried raspberry, rosewater, white truffle… each bite taking you to a single moment, when you (quite literally) stopped to smell the roses. A filigree composition of thoughtful subtleties, intricately woven for pristine opulence. ’
P Guyon Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Argillats 2021
‘Sleek and silken, crystal-cut; like new leather seats in an old-school Bentley. Lead by new-world sweetness of cherry pips and raspberry leaf tea and brought back down to earth with a medicinal, herbal twang. New-world/old-world CLASS.’
A Place of Changing Winds Between Two Mountains 2022
‘Sink your senses into a warm Tarte Tatin swimming in a creamy mousse. It lures but deceives, leading you into the jaws of a sharp, incisive palate, with the sour spit of peeling grapefruit. The fizz of San Pellegrino. Fine, but intentful. With the energy of ‘I’m-on-a mission-and-nothing’s-gonna-stop-me.’ Nor is anything going to stop this wine, for some decades to come.’
R Coulon Millesime 2013
‘A wine far bigger than words, but I’ll give it a shot! Both soft and sweet, and deep and umami. Wild raspberry bush weaves itself around you, gripping your skin and pulling you in. Deeper, darker. Burying you in layers damp earth. Crushed rose and soy sauce. Tannins jump off your tongue and melt into your cheeks. A wine that will haunt my memory for years to come.’
A Rousseau Chambertin-Clos de Beze 1990
‘You sink into a pillow of coconut cream, whisked away on a plump cloud of cinnamon poached peach and rosemary oil, only to be all-of-a-sudden awoken by the tantalising acidity carving tangfastic-shaped incisions into your tongue.’
Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 2013
‘A seductive fragrance, emulating oriental incense: white jasmine, wild berries, Mediterranean scrub, crushed cardamom, carob pods, sandalwood. Intricate layers unfold on the palate with waves of powdery tannins; a sensual mouthfeel with a flirtation of salinity. ’
Palari Faro 2013
‘A clean and somehow classic expression of Savagnin; golden and a sweet ‘n’ sour tang. But there’s weight at the belly, glossing over the palate in thick layers of mouth-coating viscosity. No shrinking violet, with both the bite and the body to tackle a humble truffle-laden Tartiflette.’
Cellier Saint Benoit Arbois Pupillin Savagnin Les Plantees 2022
‘I want to smell like this wine. Rosehip and acorns. Raspberry jam and rich cream slathered between layers of sponge cake. I guess I kind of want to eat it too. Perlage pitter-patters on the palate, softly fading into a lustrous liquid, shimmering in all its rose-gold glory from the back-palate and melting into a body as sensual as its scent.’
E Bougy Le Mont Chainqueux 2020
‘Cathiard’s shoulders draped in orange peel and rosewater. Juicy cherry and kicking through crushed stone with supple tannins that slip off the tongue. Discernibly but not disagreeably toasted, perhaps just the hum to soften a stolen infancy.’
Cathiard Chambolle-Musigny Les Clos De L’Orme 2021
‘Spiced pear and lemon oil. It reflects off your tongue and sings from the sides, encased in shining acid structure. With air it whips itself into soft vanilla custard, yet remaining bitter and lithe ‘til the end.’
Coche-Dury Meursault 2006
‘A very serious style. Totally idiosyncratic. Aromas are enriched with raspberries, honey and sweet spice, leaning into a broad Pinot character, though the mouthfeel that follows is pulsing with potential energy; a chiselled body and tight perlage. I think this is the kind of Champagne that you fall in love with over the bottle; a little misunderstood unless you give it your full attention.’
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2002
‘Utterly charming. A vintage with shades of restrain; kirsch cherry and crushed gravel. Steeped black tea. Only just out of its nappies.’
Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2013
‘Canned peaches and crushed rocks. Kind of Riesling-esque, with a core of residual and a mouthfeel of satin-on-skin. Then spice kicks in seconds after its close.’
F Cotat ‘Les Culs de Beaujeu’ 1999
‘All 7 permitted grape varieties; the unsung hero and then some. Yeasty aromas, not quite brioche, but proving bread? Black truffle still decorated with soil, dried winter herbs and roasted lemon. A palate in perfect harmony with pin-prickling perlage and layer upon layer of texture. A while in the glass and it stands up to the true rest of them all: it scintillates without the bubbles.’
Laherte Freres Les 7
‘This is the type of rosé to sink your teeth into on a dark, winters night. Luminous hot pink, drenched in rosewater, blood orange, smashed raspberries, tarragon and oriental spices. Upon warm lips, it’s wrapped in glycerol around a tight, pebbly core, like bare feet on a bed of sun-baked stones. What a gorgeous rarity.’
Château Simone Palette Rosé 2023
‘The most recent release from our beloved Burgundian nepo baby, but this time let loose on Alpine juice (with grapes sourced from none other than the Granddaddy of Gringet). Classically glacial: honeydew melon dressed in thyme and taut-cheeked sour apple sweets, punctuated with lip-smacking salinity. Yum!’
T Dancer Alpestre Gringet 2021
‘It’s all wild raspberries and cedar spice, dimmed by a halo of smoke. A palate encased in succulent fruit, soft and forgiving, with tannins that dissipate into the gums like cocoa powder. It then leaves in a moment of bittersweet, as you smell the rose while clutching its thorns.’
A Christmann Konigsbacher Olberg Spatburgunder 2020
‘Rich amber-toned aromas of autumn fading into festivity with heady handfuls of candied orange peel, butterscotch and nutmeg. Fat and flesh wrapped tightly in a corset of mineral tension, just bursting at the seams.’
Boisson-Vadot Les Chevaliers 2014
‘As dainty as the label. It opens with parma violets and blackcurrant boiled sweets. Then rosehip oil and cold stones. Fur-felt tannins and a hum of sous-bois in the background. Rustic in the prettiest kind of way.’
Domaine Dandelion Hautes-Cotes Nature 2022
‘A waxy core with soft edges, like sipping on a cup of warm honey tea. Haunted by smoke throughout and ending with a lemon sherbet fizzle finish.’
Leroy Bourgogne Aligoté 2012
‘Ghostly in the glass, though its translucence swirled soaring sweetness: dried strawberries, lavender and white chocolate. While the palate takes on a glossy, glycerol mouthfeel with mellowed tannins that melt on the tongue, it crackles with crushed rock minerality. As it pirouettes its way to a finale, a savoury, umami truffle tease takes it through its finish. Somewhat surprisingly, in its prime.’
Marchesi di Barolo 1958
‘If there is any man in Spain to rival the reverence of Champagne, it is Pepe Raventós. After spending 100 months on lees, it’s reticent at first, but in time it relaxes enough to flaunt a particularly oxidative character (apparently typical of this vintage). Bruised apples and marzipan, shaded only slightly by a soft sheen of smoke. Fine, delicate beads dance to the roof, while a waxy texture rolls across the tongue. Seasoned by a warm Mediterranean breeze of fennel and thyme, and crunchy, salt-flake salinity. So sophisticated.’
P Raventos Mas del Serral 2011
‘An intense bouquet of wild flowers and passion fruit with streaks of gunpowder. Rich, textured with oily minerality and cheek-puckering tension. An eruption of salinity complete with a savoury finish, reminiscent of rosemary, balsamic and Fleur de Sel.’
Adega Do Vulcão Rola-Pipa Reserva 2017
‘Dark and racy, with a poise that defies the temperatures of the vintage. Granite crushed blackberries, sharpened graphite and burned sandalwood. Goddamn gorgeous. Just a shame about the price tag.’
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2017
‘Sparkling silver in the glass with notes of ripe quince, proving bread and wet wool. A creamy mousse fills the mouth followed by a series of tickling pricks and pops. Despite its stony core, the rich, rounded circumference has a honeyed tone. Sweet-sour-salty-savoury; an explosion of contrast and congruence. Lychee, ginger and almonds. Its contagious character will leave its mark long into the night.’
Breton Vouvray Brut Dilettante NV
‘Crisp pear perfume and white florals. Sharp, cold bones covered in sweet apricot flesh. Led by precision and weighed in fruit with thoughts of walnut, bay leaf and ginger at the finish.’
Dujac Morey-St-Denis Blanc 2021
‘A proud sucker for wines from the sun-soaked-Sud. Still vibrating with potential energy. French toast soaked in brown butter. Honey set aflame. A phenolic chewing-on-beeswax kind of texture roughens the tongue then it sinks into an oiled-basin-back-palate. Viscous, voluptuous, swaying its hips side-to-side until the long, long, bitter end.’
E Sadie Palladius 2008
‘It’s wild and haunting. Crushed rocks, blackberry bush and olive brine with a wall of smoke creeping up from behind. But just a baby.’
Dard & Ribo Hermitage 2022
‘There’s breadth, there’s lift. Layer upon layer of peach lip gloss, a crackle of bee pollen, a drizzle of tahini. It’s floral, it’s umami. It’s both unctuous and ethereal. Totally unique.’
JF Mugnier Clos de la Marechale Blanc 2016
This began very much as a punch-you-in-the-face kinda wine that practically asked itself to be decanted. Only upon return to the taster after the buzz of service subsided did it show off its intricacies: cherry pips, rose petals and pine cones, sandalwood set alight with a grumbling backdrop of smoke. While very Nebbiolo-esque, with its searing acidity and chewy tannins, it was laced with an unmistakeable Mediterranean wildness.’
Comte Abbatucci Monte Bianco 2013
‘Earthy - wild mushrooms, sunflower seeds and dried sage. Dreamy - wildflower honey, beeswax and milk curd. Supple on the tongue, a creamy mouthful of tactile tugs. A salivating salty touch and apricot kernel bitterness on the length.’
Domaine Hauvette Dolia 2015
‘An undeniably modest wine that sings in its subtleties. Cherry trees and crushed raspberries with only whisperings of woodland. A profile as if it had 2 years to its name, let alone teasing with 20. The palate flirts between clarity and concentration; feather-light in feel but fleshed out in flavour, silk pillow plushness without the ‘avoirdupois.’ A lustrous texture with bright, lifted acidity. Effortless ethereality with only harmony giving any hint to time.’
Arnoux Lachaux Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Fin 2006
‘This was, very simply put, a bowl of honey loops; milky in texture with a rich, wheaty, shortbread biscuit back-palate. Instant satisfaction.’
Thomas-Collardot ‘Hameau de Blagny’ 2022
‘Ink-stained and dark-cloaked. A sculpted physique with ferocious but tamed tannins; a velvet textured palate. Its brooding complexion resembles dark chocolate, stewed prune and black liquorice, closing with all-encompassing warmth.’
Labranche-Laffont Les Préphylloxériques 2012