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Found 14 wines
Pierre Brunelli of L’Enclume was impressed with this Gold winner’s ‘classic nose of floral notes, meaty hints and spices with figs, very fresh tannins and good concentration on the palate’, while for team leader Laura Rhys MS there was ‘dark, bitter cherry, plum and cherry stone aromas, black stone minerality and good oak integration on the palate but bold tannins’. Its ‘dark fruit, cedar, dried mushroom and roasted notes’ made this, according to team leader Laurent Richet MS, ideal for a barbecued rib of beef.
£8.98 Boutinot
The Amarone Golds kept on coming, with this one having a ‘velvety, violet nose’ that led to ‘dark fruits, very well-integrated oak and an elegant finish’, according to The Connaught’s Aurel Istrate, with The Pig Hotel’s Jacopo Mazzeo highlighting ‘firm tannins on a crisp palate of cranberry, raspberry and red cherry fruit, concentrated and balanced, finishing long’. ‘Morello cherry and liquorice, with some raisin and leather notes too’ had Nelio Pinto of Candlesticks thinking about rabbit stew.
£29.10 Bibendum
This highly acclaimed Gold Lister was ‘a big wine’, according to consultant Charles Pashby-Taylor, who admired ‘lots of fresh new oak that will integrate with time, underlying rich ripe fruit with bright acids and fresh tannins, and classic high notes of red fruits’. Team leader Tom Forrest praised ‘spicy cedar and oak, with some violet aromas too, leading to a soft palate with pepper and cherry joining more cedar, spice and floral notes’.
£58.70 Liberty Wines
It was an impressed judging panel that elevated this Chardonnay to Gold, with its ‘struck match, smoky bacon nose, tahini and rich yellow orchard fruits, sappy acidity and elegance’, as team leader Nigel Lister put it, also noting that it was ‘young, but with great potential’. Meanwhile Lazaros Engonopoulos of Coq d’Argent found it ‘immensely intense, with ripe white fruits and botanicals, notes of dried banana, avocado and freshly baked cake, and with buttery notes and a good, elegant finish’.
£28.31 Mentzendorff & Co
‘Stewed fruit and the great outdoors!’ began an enthused Joseph Lunn of Suave Wine on encountering this Gold Lister, transported straight to ‘baked cherry pie found at the house in the woods of the American grandma you always wanted to have! Good, restrained use of oak for a NorCal Pinot.’ Vinoteca’s Charlie Young highlighted ‘nicely lifted aromas, plenty going on, quite full on the palate with notes of bitter cherry and lots of acidity and tannin’.
£32.03 Bibendum
‘An explosion of berries, ripe and fresh,’ began Manuel Ribeiro of The Bybrook at The Manor House Hotel as this exceptional Pinotage was elevated to Gold, going on to enjoy its ‘hints of spice, well-integrated oak, smooth tannin and a complex, engaging finish’. ‘An intense nose of baked red fruit compote laced with smokiness, dill and coconut’ led, for Mattia Mazzi of Lutyens Bar & Restaurants, to a palate that was ‘meaty and rich, with great concentration’. ‘Vibrant and fun to drink’ concluded Coq d’Argent’s Andrés Ituarte.
£15.56 Bibendum , Walker & Wodehouse Wines
Judges, unsurprisingly, had no shortage of praise for this Gold winner. For Manuel Ribeiro of The Bybrook at The Manor Hotel it stood out for its ‘elegant, clean style and complex oaky length’, while Christoph Hons of Park Chinois highlighted ‘a fine body, good balance of sweetness and smoky herbal flavours’. ‘Supple, with gentle, juicy spice, this is long and generous, with real depth and freshness,’ concluded team leader Simon Woods.
£92.11 Size: 75cl Liberty Wines
Judges didn’t hold back in their praise for this one, unhesitatingly handing over the Gold. ‘Fresh pear fruit and floral notes on the nose, and a lively palate with a steely mineral finish,’ said Pierre Brunelli of L’Enclume, with Cheese at Leadenhall’s Robert Mason finding it ‘light, slightly smoky and saline, fresh and easy-drinking’. Consultant Chantal Serrano thought ‘green bell peppers, apples and pears’ led to a ‘floral, long finish, with great structure’.
£6.46 Matthew Clark
Judges heaped praise on this Gold medal winner, with Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club describing a ‘balsamic and perfumed nose, with roasted pine and herbal notes and some sour apricot, all underlined by more gentle herb and spice notes’. Team leader Sarah Jane Evans MW, meanwhile, was keen on its ‘elegant, silky, ripe, polished style’, finding it ‘alight with flavour but elegant, with bitter chocolate on the finish’, while Euan McColm of Beaverbrook picked up ‘chocolate, smoke and macadamia on the nose, with marshmallow coming in on the palate with a warm and giving finish’.
£36.99 Size: 50cl Boutinot
When it came to describing this top-class manzanilla as it won a well-deserved Gold, Timothy Connor of Core by Clare Smyth highlighted an ‘oily texture and smoky intensity, but freshness on the palate and great balance overall’, while Joseph Lunn of Suave Wine was very much taken with its ‘vibrant and fresh character, revealing subtle notes of banana, nuts and wood’, adding that ‘the oxidative characteristics take a back seat, yet it’s brilliant!’ £16.11/37.5cl
£16.11 Size: 37.5cl Top Selection Ltd
Scooping up Gold with its ‘typically old-school Rioja elegance’, according to consultant Charles Pashby-Taylor, this was ‘big on plum and dark tree fruit, with moderately toasty oak and a refreshing finish’. Team leader Jade Koch found it ‘engaging and moreish, with blackcurrants and tea on the nose, a drying, oily, warm palate and very juicy on the finish’. ‘A lovely style, with good acidity and structure,’ thought team leader Laurent Richet MS, imagining it perfectly paired with a rib of beef.
£13.40 Matthew Clark, Walker & Wodehouse Wines
This Gold Lister left an impression on Mattia Mazzi of Lutyens Bar & Restaurants, with its ‘iodine, creamy, canteloupe melon rind, lactic, fine and ethereal aromas, voluptuous and succulent balance of citrus and lactic notes on the palate, showing intensity and persistence with a complex finish’, while team leader Jade Koch found it ‘honeyed, long, refreshing and mineral’. ‘A gastronomic wine,’ added team leader Laurent Richet MS, recommending a match with ‘creamy onion soup’.
£21.66 Boutinot
‘Tropical, juicy and clean,’ said Cheese at Leadenhall’s Robert Mason of this Gold winner, going on to describe it as ‘refreshing and complex’. Richard Cavagin-Carey of The Harwood Arms described ‘both coconut cream and desiccated coconut’. ‘A great wine to match with blue cheese,’ suggested Core by Clare Smyth’s Timothy Connor, while team leader Annette Scarfe MW saw this ‘beautiful, rich style, with loads of delicious vanilla and cream notes’ matching with apple tart.
£22.12 Size: 50cl Southern Wine Roads
As this Rhône white took its rightful place on the Gold podium, The Vine Eno Gastro Pub’s Tatiana Mann found it to lie within the ‘sea breeze, chalky, mineral spectrum of aromas’, with a palate that had ‘honey and peaches, and very vibrant acidity, and with some great length, too’. Team leader Martin Lam, meanwhile, spoke of its ‘aromatic and elegant palate, with ripe stone fruits, and just enough acidity’.
£14.70 Hatch Mansfield