Mature Whites

93 Points - Stuart McCloskey

Less intense than both the ’02 and ’07, however the palate is well-balanced on the entry with fine citrus lemon, grapefruit and just a hint of spice. Good weight and quite linear towards the finish but great persistency. Drinking now.

94 Points - James Suckling  "Quite bright, fine and elegant on the nose. The complexity is subtly delivered, with lime and lemon citrus as the focus on the nose. The palate has lime sorbet flavor, really fine, focused acidity and a great sense of evenness. The duality of power and grace is quite masterfully delivered. Drink now or age for a further five years to catch this at its best." Tasted 10/7/15

Simply exquisite! The nose gives everything to love about vintage Champagne and can almost satisfy one just sitting there and smelling, getting lost in its dense, bready aromas. They fill the glass (Zalto universal) with toasted brioche, oatmeal, grapefruit peel and bruised apple. The years in bottle have done wonders, creating a rich toasty, almost creamy palate, generous and concentrated, supported by perfectly judged acidity keeping the whole experience fresh and vibrant with flavours of citrus peel and a touch of sherbet lemon. The wine continues to evolve in the glass and it is recommended leaving the bottle out of the fridge after opening allowing it to keep developing, each glass more satisfying than the last and an easy bottle to finish. It's drinking so well now but will continue for many more years. Only produced in the very best years, just ten vintages in the last thirty, this is truly magnificent wine and mind blowing for the price.

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96 Points - James Halliday "Hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in French oak (15% new), with natural mlf; 11 months in oak. Gleaming green-gold; the cashew/walnut complexity of the bouquet carries through to the palate, but here takes second place to its intense pink grapefruit core. Awesome second-tier wine."

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97 Points - James Halliday "This wine breaks all the accepted rules/wisdom. Hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, barrel-fermented in used barrels; matured for 11 months with some lees stirring; once bottled it is held for 18 months' further maturation. Glowing straw-green; it is a truly remarkable wine, with rapier-like intensity and prodigious length to its display of nectarine, gooseberry and citrus before the flinty acidity on its finish. 280 dozen made."

17 Points - Julia Harding (JancisRobinson.com) "Winemaker Stuart Pym was founder/winemaker at Stella Bella. Importer Vinorium have snaffled all the Flowstone library stock. But volumes are very small. Extremely smoky and reductive – flinty more than struck match. Dog Point Section 94 style with excellent freshness and intensity. Drive and length and complexity in that reductive style and deliciously fresh on the long finish. Complex but no loss of vibrancy."

David Schildknecht (robertparker.com) "The Eyrie 2011 Chardonnay – harvested October 26 – is dominated by bright, juicy grapefruit and lime tinged with their piquant pips as well as with saliva-liberating salinity. Straight and penetrating as an arrow; amazingly buoyant (but then, there’s only 11.7% alcohol!); refreshing yet richly lees-inflected, this wine’s textural allure and length would be unlikely, I contend, in a Chardonnay that had not gone through malo-lactic conversion and whose malic acid was likely to coarsen and mask fruit and finer points. And anybody who imagines that this conversion is incompatible with a vivaciously and bracingly high acidity and low pH – not to mention with clarity of flavors – just needs to let the wine in question serve as a delicious counterexample! A streak of salinity serves to enhance the mouthwateringly sustained and invigorating finish. This outstanding value is apt to remain riveting through at least 2020 – a prognostication I venture with plenty of track record to back it up."

The aromas and flavours invoke impressions of ripe stone fruits, such as nectarines and peaches, supported by hints of tropical spices, passionfruit and lycees. There is a backbone of tangy lime- and lemon-like citrus fruits which add a zesty “nervosity”. It has a spine of minerality and crisp acidity which keep it tight-knit and focussed, drying out its lingering after-taste.

 Wine and Spirits Magazines: Best Loires Wines #1 Savennieres

Pale yellow in colour with mineral characteristics on the nose and notes of white flowers and honey. Beautifully balanced, rich and textured this is a wine of exceptional potential.

94+ Points - Robert Parker

An absolutely textbook great white Graves made from 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon and aged nine months on its lees, this is a prodigious effort displaying notes of white flowers, currants, honeyed citrus, fig, and crushed rocks. The wine is very pure, with full body and high acidity, in a backward, almost tannic style. Give this wine at least 8-10 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 30 years. Tasted Feb 2009

18+ Points – Raymond Chan "Bright straw-yellow colour with pale green hues on edge, this has a softly fresh and full nose of concentrated, pure lime juices, white stonefruits and acacia florals, with richness and density. Dry to taste, the palate has elevated acidity providing raciness and zesty lime and apple-like flavours on a well-weighted palate with body, presence and concentration. The wine has very fine, smooth textures enlivened by the acidity which carries through to a sustained finish showing pure citrus fruit nuances. This should age well."

92 Points - Stuart McCloskey

Grapefruit and citrus notes on the nose. Well-defined, intense and well-balanced palate with subtle mineral notes. Quite tight and defined with balance and length. Stony / mineral notes on the finish. Excellent quality and drinking perfectly now...