A Gold-standard wine with ‘fantastic balance and a long, pleasurable finish’, according to Frédéric Billet of Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa, who very much enjoyed its ‘elegant, refined nose, herbaceous character and white pepper notes, and great length revealing big potential to age further’. Team leader Angela Reddin agreed, pointing out its ‘effortless elegance and style’. For team leader Lionel Periner, this had ‘berry and dried-flower aromas, leading to velvet tannins and a long, elegant finish – a match for duck with girolles’.

£20.23 Domaines Fabre

‘This is a fine example of the region,’ began Jonathan Giffrin of Claude Bosi @ Bibendum, with his account of this Gold Lister continuing: ‘Complex and balanced fruit flavours, exotic pineapple notes and integrated oak with a creamy texture, and the alcohol is well integrated too.’ ‘Delicate initially, but flavours explode on the mid-palate, and it shows typicity with good length,’ added team leader Annette Scarfe MW. Ian Howard of The White Hart Inn at Lydgate appreciated ‘stone fruit, like nectarines, as well as a mushroom-butter note’.

£18.09 Liberty Wines

‘A well-made wine showing good complexity,’ began team leader Olivier Marie of this Gold winner, impressed with its ‘fresh liquorice and cassia bark notes on a complex nose, and a resinous note on the palate indicating toasty new oak’. Team leader Lionel Periner appreciated its ‘red fruit and green bell pepper, with complex fruit and well-balanced oak’, while The Sign of the Don’s Carlos Ferreira liked its ‘vanilla, cherry and a touch of black pepper, giving this wine complexity and finesse’.

£15.59 Liberty Wines

This great-value Gold was described by Sosharu’s Masahito Suzuki as showing ‘cooked black and red fruits, touches of spice and velvety texture with well balanced oak’. Neil Pinto of Candlesticks appreciated its ‘dried red fruits and plum notes’, while Cavalry & Guards Club’s Andre Luis Martins praised ‘dark cherry and black olive aromas, with rich fruit and a well-extracted body, with elegant tannins. A Sunday roast wine.’

£4.98 Direct Wines Production

Judges praised elegance and complexity here, awarding Gold. Quentin Loisel of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms thought it ‘rich and deep, with very good ageing potential’. ‘Balanced with good structure, purity of fruit and that trademark Bordeaux dustiness,’ said Coq d’Argent’s Andrés Ituarte, concluding: ‘Shows good value at the price point.’ The Sign of the Don’s Carlos Ferreira thought this ‘a good wine for starters like steak tartare’.

£12.92 Davy's Wine Merchants

This Gold winner offered abundant fruit, alongside some spice and minerality for added complexity. While Michael Fiducia of Coworth Park Ascot found ‘light cassis and violets on a dry palate’, consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates enjoyed its ‘intense red and black fruits, concentrated nose, touches of cedar and nice tannins with a full mouthfeel’. Quentin Loisel of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms wanted to see this paired with ‘filet mignon and a creamy black pepper sauce’.

£15.56 Matthew Clark

This Bordeaux Blanc might have started out a bit shy, but it soon endeared itself to our judges with its freshness and approachability – enough to earn itself Gold. Team leader Annette Scarfe MW enjoyed its ‘lovely ripe lemons with a creamy mid-palate’, finding it ‘multi-layered and a good example’, while Jonathan Giffrin of Claude Bosi @ Bibendum found it ‘elegant and easy drinking, a touch of flinty minerality, versatile and good with seafood’.

£9.30 Enotria&Coe

Hakkasan Group’s Olivier Gasselin enjoyed its ‘attractive, peppery violets and fine spicy grain, and savoury style with bitter chocolate notes’, while at the same time noting a little ‘under-ripeness hidden behind the oak, with some coffee-mocha character’. ‘Shows typicity with its fleshy red plum fruit and well-integrated tannin,’ said leader Annette Scarfe MW.

£9.44 Enotria&Coe

Consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates found ‘pretty oak character, blackberry and blueberry fruit, though a touch tight and tannic at the moment’, with team leader Olivier Marie adding: ‘Fleshy fruit with good oak integration, nice texture and good length.’ One to decant now or age.

£14.43 Mongravey

A wine with ‘a delicate nose and waxy texture’, according to team leader Annette Scarfe MW, who enjoyed its ‘core of ripe lemon, and savoury lees notes on the palate adding texture and structure’.

£11.58 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘A more restrained style,’ began team leader Annette Scarfe MW, who noted ‘quince and lemon peel on the palate and a nice, creamy texture’, while Antoine Cabre of Spring Restaurant noted ‘fresh mineral, lovely fruitiness and nice texture’.

£9.80 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Good for drinking right now, with beautiful forest fruits in evidence and great length, very typical Bordeaux,’ said Tanya Mann of Linden House Stansted. ‘Good, very classic, with roasting nuts, red and black fruits and a smooth, flowing ride,’ added team leader Angela Reddin.

£17.44 Liberty Wines

‘Textbook, drink now!’ began consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates, highlighting its ‘cedar, hints of cigar box, integrated tobacco and earthy notes all knitting together nicely’. ‘Showing development, tertiary character, complex and à point,’ added impressed team leader Olivier Marie.

£22.06 Bibendum

‘Clean and ripe style, showing lifted, fleshy fruit with dark plum and red berry overtones,’ began team leader Olivier Marie, continuing: ‘Good oak integration with moderate complexity, leather and some balsamic notes on the palate.’

£12.80 Boutinot

A unanimous favourite with our panel. ‘New oak dominates currently, bringing flattering coconut and vanilla notes,’ said team leader Olivier Marie, continuing: ‘Technical, but very well made, with good earthy character and chalky tannins to balance.’

£19.20 Famille Helfrich

Team leader Annette Scarfe MW praised its ‘lovely, attractive nose of black and red bramble fruits’, adding that ‘soft tannins and approachability make it ready to drink now, and very suitable for the on-trade’. ‘Young, but good concentration and potential to be a good wine,’ agreed Charles Van Wyk of FJB Hotels.

£16.42 Chateau Chapelle D'alienor

One that will benefit from plenty of air at this stage, though Immacolata Cannavo of Hakkasan Dubai found it ‘good value, approachable, with vanilla oak and black cherry fruit, smooth and well balanced’, while Francisco Macedo of Bovey Castle felt it would ‘age perfectly in three to five years’.

£21.34 Top Selection Ltd

Team leader Annette Scarfe MW noted ‘lots of creamy vanilla oak’, and found this a ‘very polished wine, delicious to drink now, with its juicy mid-palate and well-integrated oak’. ‘Big, chunky, with concentration, depth and very dark fruit,’ added Hakkasan Group’s Olivier Gasselin.

£29.95 Liberty Wines

Enjoying its ‘bright nose and dense, expressive palate’, Hakkasan Group’s Olivier Gasselin also spotted an unusual note of ‘orange zest alongside bitter dark chocolate’, finally concluding that it was ‘tense and vibrant, with very dark, crunchy fruit’.

£14.95 Majestic Commercial

Andrés Iterate of Coq d’Argent was very taken with this ‘great, very well-made wine’, highlighting ‘lots of dusty character and stone minerality, good dark fruit and concentration on the palate with good structure and a lengthy finish’.

£20.00 Maison Liedbergh Limited

‘Correct style, showing bright red fruit, this is a simple but good-value option,’ said team leader Laura Rhys MS, while Sue Jones of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn found ‘tannins, dry leather and warmth on the palate’.

£4.96 Direct Wines Production

‘Youthful but developing,’ began Stefan Kobald of Jason Atherton Group, continuing: ‘Ripe red fruits and plum with pencil lead and wet forest floor on the nose, then chalky and grippy on the palate with medium acid and tannins.’

£12.00 FARR VINTNERS LTD

Francisco Macedo of Bovey Castle was struck by its ‘nice deep colour and black fruit characteristics’, picking up ‘black cherries, blackcurrant and blackberries on the palate, well-incorporated tannins, vanilla notes and good structure indicating good ageing potential’.

£15.30 Matthew Clark

‘Black fruits on the nose, then a palate that’s nicely balanced between cassis fruit, vanilla and cedar spice with hints of blackcurrant leaf and well-judged tannins,’ said Francisco Macedo of Bovey Castle. ‘All in balance and great value for money,’ concluded team leader Laurent Richet MS.

£10.65 Matthew Clark

Jonathan Giffrin of Claude Bosi @ Bibendum felt it had ‘potential to age and develop, but now shows an elegant nose that’s fairly aromatic with smoky, spicy notes and exotic citrus fruit character’, adding: ‘The ripeness is controlled and it’s a well-crafted wine.’

£18.21 Matthew Clark

Charles Van Wyk of FJB Hotels was impressed with this ‘complex wine, showing notes of dark cherry, cedar and cigar box with good leathery notes’, while finding the palate ‘concentrated and powerful, with a lingering finish’.

£19.44 Matthew Clark

Sue Jones of The harrow at Little Bedwyn enjoyed the ‘spicy wood notes, bilberry fruit on the nose and gamey richness’, while Andrea Cotichella of Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa summed it up as ‘fruity, juicy and rich’, and team leader Laura Rhys MS noted its ‘nice weight on the palate’.

£7.28 Boutinot

£14.50 CHATEAU TOUR SAINT-FORT

£14.50 CHATEAU TOUR SAINT-FORT

£17.97 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£12.16 Boutinot

£8.52 SADEL

£15.52 H. CUVELIER & FILS

£8.99 Enotria&Coe

£10.47 Enotria&Coe

£11.01 Matthew Clark

£10.79 Matthew Clark