The 2023 Roux Beaute Roussanne comprises 100% Roussanne, half of which is destemmed, pressed and sent to Clayver ceramic egg for fermentation, the other portion is kept on skins for up to seven months prior to pressing and blending in ceramic for a further four months prior to bottling. The final wine is kept in bottle for 12 months prior to release. So here, the wine leads with pressed flowers and lanolin, warm wax and brine. It offers wafts of pineapple husk and white pepper, anise and linen. In the mouth, it has a distinct dry spice note, like saffron/turmeric, alongside all the white characters. It's an endlessly intriguing wine, one that is both shaped and driven by phenolics. I like it a lot and would like to see the wine when it is older... I feel it will carry the years well. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

There’s almost a waxy texture to the rounded, fleshy mid-palate. Layers of flavour and great concentration of yuzu, mandarin and pink grapefruit, along with subtle traces of ginger spice and salty. Minerality. Brisk acidity provides balance and helps extend the long finish. Drinking Window 2025 – 2040.

A slightly reductive, smoky note on the nose, and an incisive, focused palate with precise, taut acidity. The citrus fruit – yuzu, Meyer lemon – is subtly inflected with notes of ginger spice, and there’s a twist of salty minerality on the finish. Great ageing potential. Drinking Window 2025 – 2040.

There’s something slightly green and crunchy about this wine, in the best possible way, and it adds brightness to the rich palate of dark cherries and strawberries. The tannins show some gentle grip, and the long finish is dusted with pepper. Drinking Window 2026 – 2040.

Chiselled and precise, with layers of lime, grapefruit and lemon fruit on the palate and a hint of something riper and more tropical to add richness. Taut and austere in its youth but should age very well. Drinking Window 2025 – 2040.

The 2023 Ovitelli Blanc leads with dried flowers and crushed seashells, brine, nashi pear, fennel seed and elderflower. In the mouth, the wine is lean and detailed, with shades of cool metal, wet stone and dried lavender. As usual, the sway of bitter almond, lanolin, white pepper and saltbush feathers the edges of perception. This is a detailed wine that gives little hints as to the fatter profile of some of the varieties, but it does not at any point give in and expand. This is tightly trussed from beginning to end, with the flavor given no choice but to extend out way into the long finish. It's a superb wine, but I'd be inclined to suggest you decant it, to allow it to gain some amplitude prior to drinking. The higher pH and lower total acidity contribute to the inherent softness of the wine and drive home the extent of the phenolic impact. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The 2023 King's Wood Shiraz doesn't have the mid-palate fruit intensity or thunderous depth of the 2022 Ironheart tasted alongside—I attribute this to both vintage variation and wine style; however, I really appreciate the levity of this wine, as the length of flavor has not been sacrificed. This is bloody and floral, with exotic spices and fine tannins in the mix. It's a magnificent wine that persists long after it is gone. Fermentation included 20% whole bunches, then the wine matured in 25-hectoliter French and Austrian oak foudres for a total of 16 months. It remained in bottle 10 months prior to its release. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Deep plum colour, confident and dominant Cabernet aromatics, violets, bright vivid fleshy dark fruits, crushed raspberries, plum, greengage and even touches of cherry pit, squid ink, liqourice root, perhaps a little more bright and crunchy fruit than in richer years, but a success. A great classic St Emilion.

Not the most vivid of noses but the wine opens up on the palate to reveal notes of raspberry and blood orange, along with some tertiary notes of sandalwood and forest floor. Still surprisingly primary, though, sustained by lively acidity and fine, powdery tannins. Drinking Window 2024 – 2032.

Incredibly perfumed and dense, with notes of rosehips, cranberries, red cherries, wild herbs and orange zest, with a thread of spicy sandalwood grounding the ripe fruit. Very fine, supple tannins and lively acidity. The layered finish shows a suggestion of earthy autumn leaves hinting at the start of some development. Drinking Window 2024 – 2038.

Still remarkably youthful and primary, with a suggestion of oak spice inflecting a palate packed with lemon curd, candied grapefruit and pineapple, as well as a hint of toasted nuts. Nicely balanced, with a long finish. Drinking Window 2024 – 2035.

This tastes like a citrus grove has exploded on your palate, with mandarin zest, yuzu and pink grapefruit all partying together. There’s some stone fruit and hazelnuts along with a hint of honeyed richness and a salty mineral note. The texture is thick and weighty, but thanks to the lively acidity there’s focus too. Beautifully balanced, despite the power. Drinking Window 2024 – 2035.

A delicate wine that’s all about elegance rather than power. Notes of bergamot, white blossom and toasted hazelnut, with a note of pickled ginger on the long finish. Crisp and seamless. Drinking Window 2024 – 2035.

The fruit here is spiced red cherry and raspberry, with an unexpected twist of tamarillo. The subtle oak is already beginning to integrate well. Silky, supple tannins show some gentle grip. Drinking Window 2024 – 2032.

Textural and rich but surprisingly bright, with tangy acidity shot through a palate full of pineapple and tangerine fruit, tinged with a hint of vanilla oak on the long finish. Drinking Window 2025 – 2035

Drinking remarkably well, disproving the notion that these wines can’t age. There’s a salty twang that adds briskness to a palate of mandarins, spice and grilled pineapple, and a honeyed richness that adds gravitas to the long, tangy finish. Drinking really well now but seems capable of hanging around for a while yet. Drinking Window 2024 – 2030.

A punchy, focused wine that combines primary notes of pineapple and orange zest with opulent tertiary notes of sandalwood and a suggestion of orange blossom on the long finish, driven by vibrant acidity. Drinking Window 2024 – 2030.

Darker and denser than the other three Pinots in this line-up – damsons and dark cherries, with brighter notes of orange zest that lift the aromatics. Plush tannins, generous and weighty palate. Drinking Window 2025 – 2035.

There’s a fine balance of primary red berry and cherry fruit and more developed notes of salty red miso and autumn leaves on the nose and palate. Tannins are fine but still quite present and maybe a bit firm on the long finish. Drinking Window 2024 – 2028.

Concentrated raspberry and rosehip fruit with herbal undertones and plenty of savoury character and evidence of some earthy development. There’s enough focus to allow this wine to continue to develop for a few more years yet. Drinking Window 2024 – 2030.

This producer makes a number of premium pinot noirs, but this entry-level version is a good place to start. A value in the pricey pinot noir market, it has dark cherry and cranberry notes with a hint of spice.

It’s hard to imagine anything better than a few icy cold bottles of this in the fridge come summer. Bone-dry, crisp, citrusy and lively, it’s a pure tasting, minerally, delicious Sauvignon Blanc from one of the historic appellations within France’s Loire Valley.