Fantastic consistency with a new vintage has earned this wine a place on the Gold List for a second successive year, standing out for team leader Andrea Briccarello with its ‘intense nose, feeling almost like a Margarita, dry and very mineral with good complexity and generous fruit’, while Vinoteca’s Charlie Young warmed to its ‘expressive and fruity nose, good leesy texture, great balance of weight and aromatic punch’. Stefan Kobald of Jason Atherton Group highlighted its ‘aromatic and floral, herbaceous lychee, pear and kiwi with pomegranate notes, and well-integrated oak’. ‘This alongside Munster cheese, honey and farm bread would make me very happy all evening,’ added Tanya Mann of Linden House Stansted.

£13.47 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

A second Gold for Gerovassiliou in this category, this was ‘very much the intense, aromatic style of Viognier – a rounded and exotic fruit style with good complexity. A world-class effort,’ said impressed team leader Andrea Briccarello. Vinoteca’s Charlie Young noted its ‘apples and mineral, sweet pear aromas, great aromatics on the palate with some softness to the acidity, and finishing on a note of citrus’, while Sebastian Agnello of The Don Restaurant suggested it would be ‘ideal as an aperitif, with its ripe melon and elegant, fresh acidity’.

£14.37 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Pretty floral notes and a hint of fresh quince,’ began Michael Fiducia of Coworth Park Ascot in praise of this worthy Gold winner, with Stefan Kobald of Jason Atherton Group noting ‘aromatic floral, pear drop and rose water aromas, no oak, apple and stone fruit character and high acidity on the palate’. The Don Restaurant’s Sebastian Agnello found it ‘lively with fresh green apple notes, and tingly acidity – the ideal partner for oysters’.

£9.70 Boutinot

Powerful and food-friendly, this wasn’t anything but a Gold, according to our judges. An ‘oaky, spicy, intense nose,’ said Sexy Fish’s Julien Sahut, who found it a ‘full-bodied red with ripe tannin, good balance, lots of black fruit and sweet spices – in need of decanting but perfect for grilled meats’. WSET’s Mike Best agreed, finding ‘juicy, cherry fruit, intensely tannic but balanced, best paired with big, salty foods’.

£13.87 Bibendum

A great-value Gold medallist, this showed ‘vibrant, white-fleshed aromas and good stony acidity – long and fresh, with expressive flavours’, according to Vinoteca’s Charlie Young, with Stefan Kobald of Jason Atherton Group finding ‘green apple and fresh citrus on a smoky nose’. Coworth Park Ascot’s Michael Fiducia noted ‘lifted aromatics of honeysuckle, and fresh acidity’, while Tanya Mann of Linden House Stansted described this as having a ‘beautiful, mineral style, with tropical fruit character and some creaminess, too’.

£7.72 Clark Foyster Wines, Matthew Clark

Fantastic fruit and minerality led this to the Gold podium. ‘An intense, marine-saline nose, pineapple and grapefruit with honey notes on the palate and good balance’ left an impression on team leader Andrea Briccarello, while Michael Fiducia of Coworth Park Ascot highlighted its ‘elegant florality with soft Turkish Delight freshness’. Jason Atherton Group’s Stefan Kobald enjoyed ‘tropical fruit, pineapple, kiwi with citrus undertones, salty mineral touches and a slightly smoky edge’.

£8.86 Bibendum

Team leader Laura Rhys MS found this Gold-worthy wine to be ‘bold and dark with crunchy fruit, lovely spice and black mineral character with a taut tannin structure balanced by bright acidity’, while Mike Best of the WSET found it ‘really complex with an intriguing nose, savoury leather and bold hedgerow fruit, power, concentration and length but still with freshness and complexity’. ‘Lithe, long and grippy, with fragrant fruit – a match for lamb shank,’ concluded team leader Simon Woods.

£9.38 Southern Wine Roads

‘Smoky, cheese rind character on the nose, showing oak usage with stone fruit on a rich and creamy, long palate,’ said Stefan Kobald of Jason Atherton Group, with Vinoteca’s Charlie Young highlighting a ‘savoury, Burgundy-like nose with richness and some upfront sweetness’, and team leader Andrea Briccarello picking up ‘sea shell notes, textbook Greek intensity and ripe nectarine with salt and lime notes on the finish’.

£19.28 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Quite deep, dark fruits combined with notes of the pine forest, intense but well balanced,’ said Dan Cohen of Cépages Wine Bistro, while Mike Best of the WSET admired some ‘real polish on this wine, which will provide value at the premium end of a list and offers great excitement of something with real power and concentration, a superb match with well-aged steak’.

£15.31 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Stefan Kobald of Jason Atherton Group enjoyed its ‘green pear, melon and nectarine aromas with youthful oyster shell notes, fresh and long mouthfeel on a bright, beautiful wine’, while Sebastian Agnello of The Don Restaurant found it ‘aromatic, with lovely white flowers, candied peel and zesty orange notes’.

£8.54 Boutinot

‘Lots of red fruit and floral touches on the nose,’ began Julien Sahut of Sexy Fish, who enjoyed its ‘freshness and lovely acidity on the palate, lots of cherry and redcurrant flavours with hints of light spices on the finish, perfect for summer’.

£7.72 Clark Foyster Wines, Matthew Clark

Mike Best of the WSET found this to be ‘full of power and structure, bright red fruits and bold, firm tannins along with integrated high alcohol and acidity’, concluding: ‘Impressive and savoury and would suit something like roast beef fillet.’

£12.73 Bibendum

£10.42 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£9.29 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£18.19 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£10.63 Southern Wine Roads

£7.69 Southern Wine Roads