A more restrained style from Harry McWatters in a vintage that was harvested the earliest on record. It shows a nose pear, elegant oak spice, green apple and toasted vanilla. It is beautiful on the palate with a fresh and vibrant feel in the mouth that showcases a balanced package of pear, apple crisp, integrated oak, spice and a finessed finish.
Comfortably worn leather, dried raspberry and dried cherry pervade this Barolo from the commune of La Morra. Worn leather, worn cherry, ripe and savoury and finely salted on the mellow palate, showing much more age than its age. Tannins are softly tuggy, and dried rose petals linger on the finish. This is from Cabot Berton’s 8 ha of hillside Nebbiolo on sandy, marl and calcareous clay soils. After maceration on the skins for 16 days in concrete, this spent 18 months in Slovenian oak casks, followed by a tightening 6 months in stainless before bottling.
This one is much better than the 2008 vintage, which was rather too lean. Bouquet shows ripe green apple with a suggestion of hazelnut and subtle spice. Clean, green apple flavour comes in a rather creamy texture backed by brisk acidity and good mineral grip.
Huff’s first-ever Franc from the South Bay Vineyards is a real winner! It is stacked with fruit: blackberry, cassis, plum and raspberry. New oak adds vanilla, smoke and spice, creating a beautifully complex wine. Fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins will ensure mid-term cellaring.
A blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah and 5% other grapes (average age of 45 years old) from soil that is a mix of round pebbles and red clay. Such a gorgeous nose: mature red fruits, boysenberry, plums, smoke, game, garrigue, tar, anise and spicy notes. It is complex and powerful on the palate, showing youthful vigour that highlights the darker fruits and ripe, full tannins. Cellar 5 to 10 years.
This is a small-batch, limited-edition cider with 6 months of bottle conditioning that’s wild-fermented and aged in older oak barrels. The nose is simply out of this world with sweet cinnamon spice, baked apple; slightly smoky with cloves, caramel and pear preserves. It has subtle effervescence and a rounded texture on the palate with barrel oak spices, wood tannins, creamy apple notes and complexity through the finish.
Shows amazing depth, richness and concentration with a dark and savoury character, layers of blackberry, blueberry and wild berry fruit that take on a smoky, meaty, gamy edge with hints of bacon fat. Quite full with a mouth-coating and delicious complexity and a long, rich finish that goes on and on. Needs a big hunk of red meat.