Washington - Provence - Eden Valley

100 Points - Stuart McCloskey

Wow what a bouquet – This is such a fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon which reminds me of a top Pauillac - Château Pontet Canet / Latour come to mind. The aromas soar from the glass - Exotic, seductive with vibrant scents of cassis, black currents, graphite and cedar. I detect a little menthol in the background. The palate is rich and coats every facet. The filigree framework of tannins are seamless and support the wine beautifully. There’s a beguiling sense of purity which is...

98+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck

Another tour de force, the 2015 Syrah John Lewis offers more lavender, violets, and minerality, as well as incredible black and blue fruits. This peppery, meaty, rich, full-bodied effort has building tannin, awesome purity, and integrated acidity, and it's certainly one of the finest Syrahs in the vintage. It's more tannic than the Lagniappe Cuvée and is going to benefit from short-term cellaring, with two decades of overall longevity. Bravo! This vintage comes from a single block in the Les Collines Vineyard, in Walla Walla, isn’t destemmed, and spends 19 months in 7% new French oak puncheons.

97++ Points - Stuart McCloskey “A lovely range of colours from balsamic black to a rim of tawny and brick red. The assortment of aromas is quite extraordinary – Blackberry conserve following decanting to smoked meats, tea, liquorice, menthol, cedar, soy, wood smoke following 1-2 hours of aeration. The palate is graceful, sensual, supremely elegant and balanced to perfection – very Margaux in texture. The entry is sweet, but less extravagant than many would expect, which I believe defines this amazing wine. Classic and straddles the new and old world effortlessly. It is difficult to pin exact flavours – the focus centres around unforced, unpretentious splendour (perhaps a little dried orange peel). Silky with a touch of tannin grip. This is a beautiful wine and shows Henschke skill to perfection. Granted, this is not for the cellar and should be consumed over the coming 1-3 years. It’s sad to see the end of a beautiful wine but is as nature intended. Do not serve with food (it’s too special). Decant for 1 hour and use Zalto’s Bordeaux glassware”.

Joe Czerwinski (robertparker.com) "A blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 10% Syrah and 10% Rolle, it boasts floral and melon aromas, while on the palate, it's medium-bodied, plump and fleshy, with a zesty, tangerine-tinged finish."

93-95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck (robertparker.com) "Tasted as a barrel sample and Betz’s take on a right bank Bordeaux, the 2012 Clos de Betz is 67% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Petit Verdot. Inky-purple in color (has anyone seen a Betz wine not inky purple?), if offers impressive cassis, plum liqueur, spring flowers and underbrush-style aromas and flavors to go with a mouth-filling, layered and voluptuous style on the palate. I love the mid-palate here, and the tannin builds through the finish, so, while it should have plenty of up-front appeal, it should also evolve for 15+ years."

95+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck (robertparker.com) "Much more mineral driven than the La Serenne release, the 2013 Syrah la Cote Rousse comes all from Red Mountain and is always 100% Syrah. Like the other Syrahs here, it saw 11 months in barrel and won't be released until the fall of 2015. Exhibiting lots of blackberry, black raspberry, graphite, smoke and crushed rock, it's beautifully concentrated, has top-notch purity of fruit and a great finish. I love its mid-palate density, and while it has a lot of tannins, they're nicely integrated into the body of the wine. Give it 2-3 years in the cellar and enjoy bottles through 2033. It should be one of the longest-lived Syrahs in the vintage."

The Domaine Sainte Lucie Made in Provence (MIP) Premium 2015 rosé wine is delicately pale pink in colour and packed full of berry fruit on the nose. Outstanding on all accounts, and just what you're looking for when you need a dry rosé for a hot summer...

16.5 Points - Jancis Robinson "Rose petal, redcurrant - good generosity of fruit, and a clear step up from their basic cuvée. Good persistence too. Worth the premium."

The Domaine Sainte Lucie Made in Provence (MIP) Premium Rosé 2016 is delicately pale pink in colour and packed full of berry fruit on the nose. Flavours of sour cherry, strawberry, pear drops are intermixed with hints of herbs and earth. The texture here is satiny and luscious yet the overall effect is buoyant and infectiously juicy. Outstanding on all accounts, and just what you're looking for when you need a dry rosé for a hot summers day...

* Special 6-pack price - equivalent to £25.95 per bottle *

94 Points - James Halliday "A very pure bouquet, the palate no less so; unmistakable grenache sweetness, but doesn't descend into jammy confectionery mode; oak and tannins are afterplay to the main action."

94 Points - James Halliday "A very pure bouquet, the palate no less so; unmistakable grenache sweetness, but doesn't descend into jammy confectionery mode; oak and tannins are afterplay to the main action."