‘Excellent. Ripe, dense and concentrated,’ was team leader Nigel Lister’s summary as this took its place on the Gold podium. Aromas of ‘black and blue berries, vanilla spice, black pepper and toasty oak and smoke’ led, according to team leader Tom Forrest, to ‘a creamy palate with black fruit and peppery tannins’. ‘With notes of fennel and cured meat, this tastes like the French countryside,’ added Beaverbrook’s Euan McColm.

£20.67 CAVE DE TAIN

A clear Gold medal winner according to our judges. ‘Black fruit and chocolate on the nose lead to a vibrant palate with more fruit, as well as some spice, and with a long finish supported by some clean tannins,’ said Giuseppe Longobardi of The Cross Kenilworth and Simpsons Edgbaston, while Piers Gibson-Birch of Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa found it ‘ripe and juicy, with charcuterie notes’, leading to the suggestion that this accompany a well-seasoned steak.

£16.37 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘An easy, approachable wine, with ripe fruit and some spice,’ began Jose Luis Hernandez of Hakkasan Hanway Place as this was awarded a well-deserved Gold, while Giuseppe Longobardi of The Cross Kenilworth and Simpsons Edgbaston appreciated its ‘raspberries with a spicy note, dry tannins, and a fruity finish’. ‘Dark red fruits and a savoury character too… lots of what makes the great Rhônes great, but at a fantastic price,’ concluded Beaverbrook’s Euan McColm.

£6.61 Boutinot

‘Generous, intense and perfumed, with a big mouthful of spicy, warm sunshine fruit’ was just what it took, for team leader Martin Lam, to elevate this southern Rhône to Gold. Janusz Pawel Sasiadek of Bottles & Battles added praise for its ‘velvety and quite complex palate, with some cherry fruit’, while Coworth Park Ascot’s Michael Fiducia spoke highly of its ‘bramble fruit, plum, sandalwood and spice, with a soft, subtle palate’.

£24.42 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Melody Wong of Ten Trinity Square Private Club was taken by this Gold-winning wine’s ‘sweet baking spice aromas leading to blackcurrant notes, along with ripe cherries, together with some fine tannins’, while Giuseppe Longobardi of The Cross Kenilworth and Simpsons Edgbaston described it as ‘full and vibrant, with good balance’. ‘Full of sunshine,’ added Piers Gibson-Birch of Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa, who liked its ‘spice, clove and pepper notes’.

£9.74 Matthew Clark

‘An excellent example of a northern Rhône wine,’ began an impressed Eva Krenkova of Restaurant Sat Bains, going on to describe this Gold Lister’s ‘mixture of black and pink pepper with a background of dark fruit, and complemented by silky tannins’. Le Cordon Bleu London’s Matthieu Longuère MS further found ‘smoky bacon, iodine and a saltiness, leading to a juicy, savoury and mineral palate’ that made it perfect, he thought, with herb-crusted lamb.

£15.54 Liberty Wines

This opulent Rhône red was a hit with our judges, who unhesitatingly elevated it to Gold. Team leader Angela Reddin found ‘crushed bramble fruits with Christmas spice and toasty oak, leading to layered complexity in the mouth, with low-key tannins that allow the fruit to shine’, further describing it as ‘balanced, textural, long and elegant’. ‘All there,’ confirmed The Harrow at Little Bedwyn’s Sue Jones, describing it as ‘luscious, plump, and built to last’.

£41.17 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

Chalking up yet another Gold for Colombo, this was ‘herbaceous to start, with thyme aromas joining plums, sour cherries and black olive tapenade’, began Eva Krenkova of Restaurant Sat Bains, going on to describe ‘a palate bursting with flavours of peppered dark fruit, and complemented by vanilla and sweet wood’. ‘Lifted, with spiced plum and dark chocolate notes – this is a very well-defined wine that will definitely gain in complexity,’ said team leader Angela Reddin.

£23.68 Hatch Mansfield

Judges didn’t hold back in their praise as this rightly took Gold, with Crafthouse’s Andrea Rossi finding it ‘a smooth and elegant wine’ with ‘notes of liquorice and tobacco’, and thinking it showed ‘good potential for ageing’. ‘A bright, sweet, nose with raspberry, mulberry, blueberry and cocoa,’ added team leader Angela Reddin, describing a palate that was ‘laden with fruit and smooth tannins – all at a great price’. ‘Rustic, fruit and earthy,’ summarised Le Gavroche’s Rémi Cousin, adding that it was ‘a wine for food and friends’.

£7.92 Davy's Wine Merchants

‘A complex nose, with dried fruit, herbs, spice and hints of smoke and roast meat,’ began Davide Dall’Amico of Royal Automobile Club, going on to summarise this as having ‘intense flavour, and fresh, smooth tannins. Drinkable on its own, but would only improve with food.’

£18.98 CAVE DE TAIN

Team leader Tom Forrest found ‘ripe red and black cherries, vanilla and toasty smoke’. Meanwhile, Beaverbrook’s Euan McColm, appreciated this wine’s appealing combination of ‘coffee, leather and cured sausages – a rich and dense wine, and great value!’.

£15.69 Boutinot

‘A warm and spicy nose, with sweet cloves and cooked fruit, leading to a velvety palate,’ said Janusz Pawel Sasiadek of Bottles & Battles, with The London Cookhouse’s Michael Moore going on to describe this as a ‘deep, rich, easy-drinking red that would go well with a beef Wellington’.

£8.63 Boutinot

This Rhône red was ‘soft and approachable in style’, according to team leader Laura Rhys MS, who went on to describe ‘soft bramble fruit to start, leading to some black pepper spice, and some red meat and bacon notes, too’.

£7.64 Matthew Clark

‘Juicy, intense fruit, with a bold structure,’ began team leader Laura Rhys MS, while Giuseppe Longobardi of The Cross Kenilworth and Simpsons Edgbaston found ‘richness on the palate, with black fruit and a chocolate note, and soft velvet tannins, too’.

£9.76 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

This was a wine that had ‘subtle complexity of concentrated blackberries, with savoury, herbaceous notes and well-integrated oaky spice’, according to Coworth Park Ascot’s Michael Fiducia, while team leader Angela Reddin appreciated its ‘ironstone minerality and earthiness, with concentration on the compact palate’ and its ‘lingering finish’.

£40.93 Matthew Clark

Janusz Pawel Sasiadek of Bottles & Battles thought this had a ‘delicate and complex nose, with red and dark fruits, as well as tobacco, chocolate and sweet spices’, while team leader Angela Reddin found ‘fruit pie and peppery savouriness, as well as pencil shavings, and fine tannins’.

£11.37 Boutinot

This ticked all the boxes for team leader Angela Reddin, who spoke of ‘black plum and bramble fruit with smoky hints, and leading to a lovely mineral palate’, while Coworth Park Ascot’s Michael Fiducia described it as ‘wonderfully savoury, with creamy bramble fruit with lovely balance and length’.

£9.18 Boutinot

‘Ripe strawberry and bramble fruit with a soft, rounded mouthfeel,’ said Coworth Park Ascot’s Michael Fiducia of this Rhône red, while team leader Angela Reddin spoke of ‘lovely depth of mulberry and raspberry fruit, with savoury nuances and a long, fine finish’.

£19.15 Liberty Wines

‘Good value,’ began team leader Laura Rhys MS, going on to describe ‘ripe red fruits with a lovely spice character, and some meaty notes, too’, while Jose Luis Hernandez of Hakkasan Hanway Place praised its ‘nice, ripe tannins and fresh fruit’.

£6.10 Davy's Wine Merchants

‘Crunchy red fruit aromas of raspberry and cranberry,’ began team leader Tom Forrest in his description, going on to find ‘more red fruit on the palate, joined by redcurrants, spicy white pepper and cinnamon, some leafy notes, and tight tannins on the finish’.

£8.24 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

‘Dark fruit, as well as some savoury, meaty notes, and dried herbs, too,’ said team leader Laura Rhys MS of this Rhône red, adding praise for its ‘lovely weight’ on the palate. ‘Gamey and earthy, with ripe tannins and good length,’ added Jose Luis Hernandez of Hakkasan Hanway Place.

£6.67 Davy's Wine Merchants

An impressed Giuseppe Longobardi of The Cross Kenilworth and Simpsons Edgbaston found ‘cherry, raspberry and cocoa notes on the nose, which are well supported on the palate by more fruit and a spice finish, as well as some good, dry tannins’.

£7.43 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£18.98 CAVE DE TAIN

£16.21 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£6.61 Boutinot

£15.45 Matthew Clark

£6.65 Matthew Clark

£27.93 Matthew Clark

£6.95 Boutinot

£17.70 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

£18.98 CAVE DE TAIN