For Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club this had ‘fermented cassis with sweet spice and vanilla aromas’ as well as ‘firm round tannin with more developed notes of leather, cedar and spice’. Olivier Gasselin of Hakkasan detected ‘peppery spicy plum and dark bitter chocolate’ and found it ‘forward and appealing, dense and muscular’, summing it up as ‘very fine and complex with a lovely, savoury character’. Team leader Charlie Young summed up its Gold medal stature by describing a wine with simply everything in place: ‘Lifted aromatics with great structure and tertiary flavours alongside fresh fruit; classic.’

£12.35 Ellis of Richmond

‘Classic Rioja nose and palate,’ began team leader Andres Ituarte, going on to identify ‘worn wood, butter, cocoa, soft dried fruits and tobacco’ and a ‘bit of herbaceous character’. Corina Stanila of La Dame de Pic at Ten Trinity Square thought it was ‘beautiful wine’ with ‘great balance’, while Michael Fiducia of The Royal Automobile Club described it as ‘cherry pie with shortcrust pastry’ with ‘a creaminess that remains fresh’.

£18.75 Ellis of Richmond

‘Glorious Gran Reserva-style aromas,’ began team leader Sarah Jane Evans MW, adding that this clear Gold lister was ‘backed up by supple red cherry fruits, that are maturing nicely with tertiary development’. Ennio Pucciarelli of Kahani London agreed and picked up on its ‘intense cinnamon, mocha nose’ and thought it had a ‘balanced palate, good complexity and a smooth finish’. Woodhead 17’s James Fryer, meanwhile, was impressed by its ‘dense, black cherry fruit – it’s a powerful wine’.

£15.95 EWGA

‘Black fruits and spice on the nose, with a floral note too,’ began team leader Carlos Ferreira, while fellow team leader Martin Lam remarked on its ‘juicy dark plum fruit and well-balanced oak regime’.

£19.00 Direct Wines

‘Nicely understated,’ said team leader Charlie Young, ‘with savoury, dark berry aromas, decent tannin and blackberry fruit and good oak integration.’ ‘A harmonious palate with a long finish,’ thought fellow team leader Lionel Periner.

£12.29 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

‘Definite notes of farmyard and leather,’ noted James Fryer of Woodhead 17. ‘Perhaps a little moody on the nose,’ said team leader Charlie Young, adding that it was, however, ‘ripe and structured with integrated oak and full-bodied, nice fruit’.

£8.50 Frederic Robinson

This was another impressive Rioja for team leader Hamish Anderson, who noted: ‘A lovely nose, lifted and fresh with perhaps a touch of volatile acidity; the delicious oak feels French and classy, with subtle spice, dark plum and a stony grip. Everything is beautifully integrated.’

£15.85 Boutinot

A worth medal winner, this was an impressive wine for Hakkasan’s Olivier Gasselin, who noted: ‘A peppery, smoky nose with dark plum and blackcurrant; this has a fine texture and fine oak treatment; the palate is savoury, with lovely balance and a fine finish.’

£12.50 Bodegas Olarra

Team leader Charlie Young found much to admire in this, with its ‘clean, pure, berry-laden aromas and ripe, upfront sweet and lightly poached, fleshy fruit’. He also found ‘good length and freshness, and a nice dollop of cream to soften the crunchy tannins’.

£12.50 Bodegas Olarra

James Fryer of Woodhead 17 found an aromatic nose of ‘mud, earth and dried coconut’ in this powerful Silver medal winner. The palate was ‘dense, verging on impenetrable, but with juicy black fruit and vanilla notes, big tannins and a full fruit finish’.

£15.75 Bodegas Olarra

Team leader Charlie Young was quite taken with this worthy Silver medal-winning Rioja. ‘This is savoury, with almost stony aromas,’ he said, adding: ‘There’s juicy red fruit, subtle use of oak and a cracking finish with cherries and tannin.’ ‘Would work well with ragu,’ suggested Daniel Loughlin of 20 Stories.

£15.75 Bodegas Olarra

‘There’s plenty of sweet vanilla and coconut notes from the oak and that carries through to the palate; but there’s creamy red fruits underneath,’ said team leader Charlie Young.

£8.09 C&D Wines

‘Evolved, ripe nose with plenty of aged, tertiary aromas of autumn leaves and dried fruit. The sweet palate is silky with fine tannins, and the finish is long with grainy, spicy oak,’ said Tobias Gorn of Boisdale Restaurants.

£13.06 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£16.82 Liberty Wines

£11.07 Liberty Wines

£15.89 Davy's Wine Merchants

£10.51 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£12.15 Hayward Bros (Wines) Ltd

£13.15 Bodegas Olarra

£12.50 Bodegas Olarra

£16.15 Hayward Bros (Wines) Ltd

£11.83 Bodegas Ondarre, S.A.

£10.72 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£23.58 Bodegas Ondarre, S.A.

£17.62 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£8.73 C&D Wines

£11.83 Bodegas Olarra