White

Bob Campbell "Bright, tangy sauvignon blanc with gooseberry, lime, grapefruit, pineapple and a suggestion of passionfruit flavours. A punchy, assertive and flavoursome wine." Read more...

Winemaker "Intense passionfruit aromas combine with tropical fruit flavours, as well as some herbal notes apparent in the background. A classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that is fresh, pure and long on the palate. This wine reflects premium vineyard sites within the Wairau and Awatere Valleys."

94 Points - James Halliday "80% cool-fermented in stainless steel, 20% as cloudy juice in used French oak. This gives a tactile flavour expression equalled by few other Australian sauvignon blancs. It's not about Marlborough, but the Loire Valley/Bordeaux of France at half the price."

  'Best in Show' at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2019

97 Points - Decanter "With its fresh, sappy, crushed-spring-leaf aromas and limpid, long, vinous yet tender flavour profile, this is great Sauvignon from an outstanding site rather than one of the overt or flamboyant Marlborough Sauvignons that drinkers have become used to (and often bored by). It's charming too, with its whispered sweet-pea floral notes. Pretty and distracting enough to serve on its own on a warm afternoon, but with all the structure and sap to accompany food well, too. Marlborough is moving on. Drink 2019-2022."

17 Points - Jancis Robinson "Very racy, alluring, complex nose with some reductive struck-match character. Rather splits the difference between Marlborough and Sancerre. Creamy undertow with exciting top notes. Extraordinary tension on the palate. Dry but not drying finish. Long. Very accomplished and intense."

95 Points - Bob Campbell "Intense, ripe sauvignon blanc with tree fruit, nectarine, red capsicum and guava flavours. A rich, gently tangy and deliciously accessible wine that stood out from the crowd in a tasting of 2018 wines.

95++ Points, Stuart McCloskey "Whilst writing, I am sipping on a new wine from the Stella Bella stable. Otro Vino Chardonnay which and to quote them translates to ‘Other wine. Adventurous, creative, exotic, and explorative hand-crafted wines.’ I like it. In fact, I like it very much. It lacks the concentration of the Suckfizzle, but the same winemaking philosophy is matched. Sea spray, citrus and offers a lovely texture. A more detailed tasting note will be released soon. Highly recommended and should really be retailing for at least five pounds more a bottle.

Winemaker "Elegant, textural and a bit wild. Focused fruit is bound by texture and stimulates the palate. Aromas of wax, lemon & lime pith, lanoline and honeydew are backed up by the Mendoza clone punch. Chalky texture and and yellow peach flesh on the palate, with supple grip and nutty solids driving the wine through the palate. Sexy."

 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2018: Gold

 Decanter World Wine Awards: Silver 2019

The 2018 vintage was, in a word, outstanding. The growing season was steady and moderate, without spikes of heat seen in previous years. The aromatic varieties of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc performed exceptionally well across the region with vibrant, pristine fruit and racy, natural acidity. Partially fermented in a combination of seasoned and new oak barrels, using only indigenous yeasts with no acid additions, this is a wine that showcases Deep Woods' dedication to site selection and the region.

Pale straw. The wine exhibits lifted nectarine, ripe citrus and white blossom characters. A suggestion of cedar-like oak frames the generous stone fruit characters and complex minerality. The palate is clean and lively with tremendous depth of ripe stone-fruit complexed with texture from the barrel fermentation. Bright citrusy acidity ensures a long and seamless finish providing enhanced structure and length.

 China Wine & Spirits Awards: Gold 2018

95 points - James Halliday  "A decidedly complex bouquet with some reduction and a hint of fermentation with cloudy juice. This feeds into a palate of similar complexity, slatey minerality adding its contribution hand in hand with oak. To 2025. "

Winemakers notes "Pale straw. The wine exhibits lifted nectarine and white blossom characters. A suggestion of cedar-like oak frames the generous stone-fruit characters and complex chipped shell minerality. The palate is clean and lively with tremendous depth of ripe stone-fruit flavour nuanced by cashew notes. Bright citrusy acidity ensures a long and seamless finish providing enhanced structure and length."

95 Points - Neal Martin

The 2014 Doisy-Vedrines has a tightly knit, backward bouquet that demands much more encouragement than its peers. The palate is well balanced with a viscous texture, extremely well judged acidity, poised with a beautiful quince and marmalade-tinged finish that lingers in the mouth. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

97+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “Despite the price tag, I am not afraid to declare this as one of my favourite Aussie white wines. Expertly crafted from a blend of 60% Viognier and 40% Marsanne which are sourced from two, new vineyards on the Western Ridge. The Viognier in Greenock and the Marsanne in Stonewell. The nose is refined and provides a lovely sense of citrus marmalade, minerals (liquorice?), honey, pineapple, and ripe peach. The palate is exquisitely balanced, and I love the bite from the tannins, which provides a perfect frame of structure (as does the acidity). Medium-bodied and so, so pure. The wine is aged 'sur lie' (on lees) for an extended period providing a palate full of texture and phenolics. It’s difficult to pin down precise fruit characters – touches of honey. Currently, this is all about wonderful textures intermixed with stones / minerals. Sensational in its youth but I imagine this will be at its best in 3-5 years. Served in Zalto Universal glassware (I think the Bordeaux glass will provide a better, textural drinking experience). We wanted to purchase a full pallet however, sadly a mere 180 bottles were allocated!

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Winemaker's notes "A blend of 55% Roussanne and 45% Viognier. Roussanne makes a huge entrance here. Very moreish, plump, with fragrant aromas of almond meal and nectarine, typical of these Rhone varietals. Abundant flavours are dominated by crushed nuts, nashi pear and hints of candy. Fleshy mid-palate leads beautifully to a dry finish. With time, the White Duck will become much richer. Bottled May 2018."

Featured in James Halliday's 2019 Top 100 Whites Under $25

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95 Points - James Halliday "This has the typical energy, finesse and drive that makes Hoddles Creek have a ‘must buy' tag year in, year out. It has all the power needed to cruise through the next 10 years, with grapefruit, Granny Smith apple and stone fruit decorated with a necklace of bracing acidity."

Featured in Langton's 'Top Six': The Best wines of 2018

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95 Points - James Halliday "This is Wickhams Road's twin playing games with you, for there is that little bit more of every facet of Wickhams Road present in this wine, even its colour is that little bit greener. It's the extra dimension of the faintly reductive aftertaste that draws me back for more."

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This Chardonnay for the Awakening range has been produced using handpicked fruit from the Watershed Estate vineyard. The wine exhibits intense aromas of citrus and stone fruit accompanied with notes of spice and roasted cashew nuts. On the palate, the dense creamy texture is complemented by grapefruit and mineral notes followed by a long nutty finish.

93+ Points - Neal Martin

The 2015 Doisy-Vedrines has a lovely nose, a little fatter than its Barsac peers with dried honey, apricot, acacia and a touch of melted wax on the nose. I admire the delineation and intensity here. The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity, viscous in texture with honey, mango and quince toward the finish that feels more linear and perhaps more focused than some of the wines a decade ago. Great potential.

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95 Points - James Halliday "If you ever want to show someone just how glorious the riesling grape can be, serve them a glass of this. It's agenda-free riesling, fundamentally delicious, intense with flavour but not cutting, gorgeous at every turn, cellarworthy if you so desire but in no way is patience a prerequisite. Lime, orange blossom, a gently candied aspect, a slip of pure lemon. It's bold and it's beautiful."

Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front) "It’s about as delicious as they come. It’s riper and fuller than you might expect, even slightly sweeter, the latter in a generally dry context. There’s a candied apple and orange character but there’s also an electric burst of pure lemon and pure lime, even a flash of talc. It gives the finish a good run for its money but there’s so much up-front that you’re diving in for more even before you’ve swallowed."

96++ to 97++ Stuart McCloskey “A very grown-up style of Riesling and more similar to Alsace than many new world styles.  The nose is restrained but provides glimpses of lemony minerality, fresh lime, wet stones and mineral salts. The palate is mouth-watering, incredibly pure, tightly knit and clearly has the ability to age for 10-20 years. The Stonegarden single vineyard sits almost 400-metres above sea level and forms part of an ancient seabed. The vineyard's rocky, loam topsoil sits above a substrate of red clay containing rose quartz and black mica schist fragments, which this wine amplifies. The heat of summer and low night temperatures provide the long, slow ripening of fruit resulting in complex flavours and fine-boned acidity. I believe this wine lives and breathes its natural terroir and stands proudly amongst Australia’s finest Rieslings. I look forward to seeing how this wine has evolved in five years’ time. Delicious now but the investment is in its future. Served in Zalto Universal glassware”

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Halliday Wine Companion Awards - Best New Winery of The Year 2019

95 Points - Campbell Mattinson "From the Derwent and Coal River Valleys. It's both intense and textural with effortless acidity and gorgeous length. Orange oil, lemon, fennel and honeysuckle flavours put on an exotic show. It will of course age but there's significant pleasure to be had right now."

96 Points - James Halliday "One-third fermented and aged for 10 months in new 500l French puncheons, remaining on lees during maturation. The extra year in bottle has created a wine of spectacular flavours and complexity, green apple and gently spicy oak all dance around the mouth. This will go on its merry way for several few years yet."

The Doisy-Daëne Blanc Sec 2014 has a pleasant, refined bouquet with scents of green apple intermingling with lime and granitic scents. The palate is taut and fresh with a sharpline of acidity and a penetrating malic finish that leaves the palate feeling totally refreshed and asking for more. Very fine.

Stuart McCloskey "Stylish Sauternes from an outstanding vintage. At perfect maturity and awaiting the company of Stilton or Roquefort."

Winemaker "An apricot and spicy ginger bouquet following through to a textured, rich, apricot and musk palate while finishing clean, with a great line of length.

Our climatic advantage of warm days and cool nights, coupled with planting numerous Viognier clones, creates layers of intensity. A small amount of HTK clone planted at 9,000 vines per hectare adds to the concentration. The fruit was hand-picked,whole-bunch pressed and fermented in barrel. Our ‘Golden Lox’ has to be picked just right. Picked too late; no structure. Picked too early; no apricots. And, ripening very fast; we have less than a 24 hour window to get it just right!"

Varietal: Viognier / Clones: 1968, 642, HTK / Yeast: Wild / Oak Age: Smidgen of new oak / Harvest: 21 Feb, 2018 / Baume at Harvest: 12.0 / pH at Harvest: 3.5 / TA at Harvest: 5.8

We loved this Semillon, our full tasting note coming soon...

Winemaker "Sourced from the Howard family Somerset Vineyard where I once worked; I know this vineyard almost as well as my own. Planted in 1969 over fine sandy loam soils, the fruit was hand picked in early February. The juice was fermented on solids in tank/ neutral oak and given extended lees contact to building complexity and texture. The wine shows the character of the old gnarled vines, balancing fruit with minerality."

Mike Bennie (The Wine Front) "A wine that proudly shows the colour of the grape, asserting that texture, detail, structure and complexity are a by-product of thoughtful winemaking with pinot gris. ‘Whole bunch fermented’ says a sash on the label now too.

It’s a tightly wound expression, slender in shape, refreshing with tangy acidity, fragrant in red berry and floral perfume, though flavours are a touch washed out in the fray. That being said, the chalkiness to texture, the chew and bite of skinsy fruit personality, and the general ease of drinking, all play a part in ‘recommendation’ here. It’s a paired back release this year, more ‘Provencale rose’ than Radikon Kisi, but the drinkability and general sense of deliciousness is all there."

98 Points - James Halliday "A special cellar release wine. Luminous green-gold, the bouquet and palate an exercise in harmony. Meyer lemon and lime flavours lead the journey, hints of lightly browned toast in the background. The acidity is essential, but it is likewise simply part of the team."

96 Points - James Halliday "Gleaming straw-green; in the year of its birth the wine received 94 points (Sept), and, as anticipated, has developed superbly. Even now, its laser-like citrus fruit and echoes of honey has years to go, building yet greater complexity along the way."

James Suckling  "Ripe lime and lemon fruits with some candied glacé citrus are cast across flinty and stony aromas. The palate has a long, fluid build of concentrated citrus and stone fruit flavours. Terrific depth. Drink now. Screw cap."

Robert Parker "Peg Bay's 2016 Riesling offers up hints of struck flint or crushed stone, singed orange zest, ripe nectarine and tangerines. It would benefit from a brief decanting—just don't let it warm too much. It's slightly sweet and medium-bodied, weighing in along the lines of a Pfalz wine, with plenty of weight and richness for a Riesling."

96 Points - Top Gold and Best 2017 Chardonnay in Show Trophy at 2018 International Cool Climate Wine Show

95 Points - James Halliday "Wild-fermented in French oak, matured for 8 months. The richest of the Soumah range, but doesn't rely on sweetness (there is none) nor extraction. The balance and length are both exceptional, the pure varietal expression courtesy of grapefruit and zesty acidity. Will flourish with more time in bottle."

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Halliday Wine Companion Awards - Best New Winery of The Year 2019

Fruit from a single vineyard in the Coal River Valley, 60% barrel fermented after a 4 hour skin soak, 40% skin fermented for two weeks and pressed to oak, all natural yeast, partial malolactic ferment while maturing on lees. Bottled unfined and unfiltered

90 Points - Neal Martin

The 2015 Blanc Sec from Doisy Daene has a crisp and vibrant bouquet with citrus fruit, yellow flowers and light granite-like aromas, all very focused and conveying a sense of energy. The palate is well balanced with a touch of rosewater on the entry, quite saline toward the finish with a touch of bitter lemon. This is such a fascinating dry white Sauternes—a superb wine.

Winemaker "Its about flavour and balance and its about structure and finesse. The delicate yet complex bouquet displays a struck match character with a fresh and vibrant grapefruit and citrus palate melded with cashew and minerality. There is a clean finish of great length. The wine will mature well for at least 10 years.

96 Points - James Halliday "Absolutely nails all that is good about Margaret River chardonnay. Bright grapefruit and white peach fruit glide along a palate with great mouthfeel from its fruit, acidity and touches of grilled cashew nuts. Nothing wasted here, nothing included without need. 13% alc."

This elegantly structured wine has a great persistence of flavour and exquisite balance of dosage and acidity. An excellent example of non-vintage style exhibiting beautiful poise and a refreshing natural acidity on the finish.

Predominantly Pinot Noir, which gives the wine red fruit plushness gives the wine lychee like characters, richness and a great backbone. Chardonnay is blended which creates a great elegance of structure and finesse, balancing the rich nature of Pinot Noir. Chardonnay (with age and some degree of oak) expresses the toast, mushroom, biscuit characters whilst the Pinot Noir is forward with flora/aromatic softness and tends to fill the middle palate. It matures relatively rapidly compared to the other varieties and enhances wine aged/complexity, often described as having 'soft acidity' which means more fruit driven and soft/approachable notes.

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Halliday Wine Companion Awards - Best New Winery of The Year 2019

Mike Bennie (The Wine Front) "Lovely perfume shows nougat, green apple, stone fruit and some general yeasty characters. Flesh in the palate, good extension of flavour, some ginger biscuit characters, succulence to close. This is a very pleasing, interesting, slightly richer style with lots of savoury character going on. Yes thanks."

Stuart McCloskey "Without doubt, the best new world Riesling I've tasted."

18.5+ Raymond Chan "Bright, light golden-yellow colour with some depth, paler on the edge. The nose is elegant in proportion with rich and concentrated, well-packed aromas of ripe citrus fruits along with honey, marmalade and musk, unfolding exotic floral elements. Dryish to taste and medium-full bodied, the palate has a concentrated, dense heart packed with harmoniously integrated flavours of ripe citrus fruits, marmalade, honeysuckle and musk. This has real body and presence, and the palate has a rounded and gently unctuous mouthfeel. The acidity is ripe and soft, providing underlying energy and drive, and the wine carries to a long, lingering finish of honey, citrus fruits and musk. This is a full and concentrated dry Riesling with ripe citrus fruits, honey, musk and marmalade botrytis flavours on a rounded, unctuous palate.

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James Halliday "Texture and structure are the key elements of this wine, part from acidity, part from fermentation with the inclusion of some solids. Citrus, apple and pear are all contributors to a wine that speaks of its Tasmanian origins."

Max Allen, Gourmet Traveller “Lurking among the delicacy and freshness is also the most extraordinary, intense flavour of mandarin marmalade. Powerful and racy, I’d say. Just gorgeous.”

While working in the Pfalz wine region of Germany, Nick was converted to the local method of selecting the harvest date of riesling grapes based on their acid content and structure ‒ rather than the traditional Australian manner of harvesting on sugar concentration and grape flavour. These grapes then ferment into riesling wines with delicate citrus flavours and aromas, compared to the tropical spectrum of a riper harvest. The mid-palate structure of GDF riesling is invigorated by sur lie ageing, which involves keeping the finished wine on ferment lees for 6-8 months. Delicate lime zest, floral aromas and aniseed fill the glass. Further citrus flavours develop on the fresh mineral structure, enhanced by the juicy acid finish.

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95 Points - James Halliday "From a single vineyard in Karridale, whole berries pressed to old barriques and a 600l demi-muid for 11 months with lees stirring. Green-gold; a barrel-fermented sauvignon blanc that challenges normal beliefs and practises, made possible by the quality of the grapes. It marries honeyed richness and complexity, honey and crystallised grapefruit skin with dancing acidity."

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97 Points - James Halliday "Hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in used oak and demi-muids with staves, matured for 11 months in oak, plus 15 months in bottle. The complex, vaguely smoky/charry bouquet shifts around radically on the super-intense and complex palate, with citrus and snow pea doing battle with ripe citrus and guava/lychee tropical fruits, the latter prevailing. A salute to the late Didier Dageneau."

95 Points - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "One of the top chardonnay wines in New Zealand, generally speaking. Indeed, Dog Point in general excels at its quarries. This one is for the flint and mineral fans. Strong slate and graphite scents, lemon and apple underlying. The palate is racy, whipcracked with citrus/white flesh stone fruit, charged with that flinty mineral thing going on. Sheesh, it's got some velocity too. In its style, it's done brilliantly. A fancy racing car of a wine. Cellar long too."

James Halliday "While predominantly from estate vineyards, the wine was also sourced from vineyards in other districts - and was also fermented bone dry. There is more obvious structure and texture, the acidity balanced but with a grainy texture. Paradoxically, in the broader scheme of things, Tribute is the better wine because of the depth of its fruit canvas."

Gary Walsh (The Wine Front) "There’s a little bit of Tassie meets Rheinhessen about this wine, or that could just be me. Floral, ripe green apple, a little fennel and assorted stony stuff. It’s ample in flavour, and texture, crushed rock texture, again the lilting mouth-perfume, firm acidity, though it’s not sour or raw. Finish is long, replete with texture and pretty green apple. Excellent."

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94 Points - James Halliday

Handpicked Dijon clones 95 and 96 from a single vineyard at Karridale, whole bunch-pressed, wild fermentation and 11 months maturation in French barriques (20% new), plus 30 months in bottle. 360 dozen made. Trembles on the brink of unripeness, but is pulled back by the complexity built into the wine. Will always be Corton or Chablis, not Meursault or Montrachet.

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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."

Decanter World Wines Awards 2019 Gold Medal 

Perth Royal Wine Awards Gold Medal

97+ Points - Stuart McCloskey “Unmistakably Deep Woods with aeronautical precision. Tightly coiled and needs a little time in the decanter / glass to unfurl. The palate offers wonderful symmetry and glides gracefully and with consummate ease. It is young but the sense of depth is impressive – it fans out beautifully with more time in the glass. It offers tension, structure and impeccable balance. I would love to see this in a blind tasting, pitched against Burgundies at double the price. Very classy and the wine’s sophistication versus the price makes it unmissable. It’s a joy now but patience will be rewarded further (I imagine it will be hitting all the high notes in five years). A fabulous wine, magnificent for the money and with a long future ahead. Served using Zalto Bordeaux Glassware.”

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97 Points - James Halliday "Follows closely in the thoroughly unorthodox, but brilliantly successful, ?11 inaugural release: barrel fermentation and 11 months oak maturation, then 18 months in bottle prior to release. The synergy between the grape and the vinification, orchestrated by winemaker Stuart Pym, is spectacularly successful; the flavours are a Joseph's Coat of complexity, yet indivisible. Zesty acidity means the wine will outlast almost all other sauvignon blancs."

96 Points - James Suckling "Impressive, vibrant and flinty white-peach and grapefruit aromas with an array of fresh, spicy, hazelnut-tinged oak. The palate combines a lot of ripe melon and white peaches with smoky, grilled nuts. Great wine that’s packed with interest. Drink now. Screw cap."

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96 Points - James Halliday "From a single vineyard in Karridale, the southernmost and coolest part of Margaret River; hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in French oak (15% new), with natural mlf; 11 months in oak with occasional lees stirring; after bottling cellared for 30 months prior to release. Still pale, bright straw-green; the bouquet has a nutty complexity to the core of pink grapefruit, the palate a bright replay of the bouquet except for the racy, minerally acidity."

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96 Points - James Halliday "From a single vineyard in Karridale, hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed, fermented in French oak (20% new), mlf, matured for in oak for 11 months, plus 30 months in bottle. Karridale is in the southernmost (coolest) part of the Margaret River, but the youth of this wine is nonetheless amazing - as it has been in prior vintages. No single fruit flavour dominates, nor is the oak particularly obvious, it's just a very good chardonnay."

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**36x bottles of total stock available - due for delivery mid-May 2020**

Magda Sienkiewicz "I was extremely excited to see Wild Duck’s expansion on to Southern Rhône varietals, which personally I would love to see more of in Australia. Simultaneously, I quickly became to worry that my increasing anticipation of receiving and sampling their pure Roussanne will raise the bar a tad too high. Absolute nonsense! Wonderful perfume of honeysuckle, stone fruit, fennel and gentle wild flowers pouring out of the glass put an instant smile on my face. The flavours are beautifully knitted together with bracing white nectarine and fresh apricots, giving a wonderful balance of acidity and ripeness. No hard edges, no disproportions, but a seamless flow of creamy and well-rounded textures. The overall sense of harmony is superb and every sip brings plenty of joy."

Our full tasting note coming soon...

**Available for delivery from Monday 30th March**

96++ to 97++ Points - Stuart McCloskey “Sourced from the Howard family Somerset Vineyard where Angus once worked. The vines were planted in 1973, 1980 and 1987 over red volcanic clay and fine sandy clay loam. The bouquet offers ripe apricot, creme patissiere, spiced apple, fresh squeezed lemons, lemongrass with an undercurrent of minerals. The palate is medium-bodied but offers layer upon layer of ripe, citrus fruit. Tightly wound, tensile whilst offering incredible depth for its age. There’s a lovely creaminess which adds weight to the palate feel, which is beautifully contrasted by a seamless line of acidity. Oodles of finesse on show. This has the structure to age for a decade and will be magnificent in five years. Epic. Served with Zalto Bordeaux glassware.”