• Browsing Category

    Tasting

    Buying decisions from trend setting trade and The Buyer tastings

    Tasting: Wine
    Gosset Celebris 2012

    Roger Jones has a first taste of Gosset Celebris 2012

    The first taste of a new vintage of Celebris is always a big occasion and the launch of Gosset Celebris 2012 did not disappoint. Gosset chose Ekstedt at the Yard in London for imaginative food-pairing, contrasting the wine served straight from the bottle and also from carafe. Who better to taste and rate for The Buyer than Roger Jones, an expert in Champagne and sparkling wine and also a one-time Michelin Star chef himself who, bowled over so much by one sauce served with the fizz, declared it the best fish sauce he had ever tasted.

     

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Portuguese Wines - Photo 4 - Mountainous Alentejo

    How best still Portuguese wines are continuing to rise to the top

    The UK’s fascination with wines from Portugal continues to rise. With exports to the UK already growing in the first half of 2023 by a confident 18% in volume and an impressive 44% in value, Portuguese wines are clearly showing their qualities and no longer stuck with the historic reputation of cheap and cheerful and made to a price point. We sent The Buyer’s Mike Turner to the Wines of Portugal tasting earlier this month in London to find out why so many are keen to add Portuguese wines to their shelves and wine lists.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    2023 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction

    What wines to bid for at 2023 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction

    The 2023 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction that takes place on October 6, will be the 39th since the cream of the South African wine industry decided to club together and make special, one-off wines that showcase the depth and breadth of Cape wines to an international audience. To date the auctioned wines have become collectors treasures and have also showed up on the secondary auction scene. To give potential bidders the inside track on this year’s event, South African wine expert Roger Jones flew back from his Rugby World Cup antics to London to join CWG chair Gordon Newton Johnson and others for an exclusive tasting of 40 of this year’s top wines.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Borgo Maragliano

    How sparkling wine is coming of age in the foothills of Piemonte

    UK wine drinkers have a distinct thirst for the sparkling wines of Italy. Whether from the juggernaut of Prosecco, the luxury of Franciacorta, or even the critically acclaimed Trento DOC, Italian bubbles are a seemingly permanent fixture on the wine lists or shelves up and down the country. The Buyer’s Mike Turner argues that Alta Langa DOCG, producing high quality sparkling wine from the famed hills of Piemonte, deserves to join in the fun. He visited Carlo Galliano at Borgo Maragliano to find out more about some of Italy’s oldest sparkling wines.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    British wines

    Justin Keay takes the pulse of British wine & WineGB tasting

    A Col Fondo served straight from a 20-litre keg, in which the secondary fermentation took place, was one of the many highlights of the annual WineGB tasting that gave Justin Keay an opportunity to feel the pulse of the British wine industry. Producers are bullish, with more of them smiling now about the 2023 growing season after a warm September… and there are plenty of newcomers showing impressive wines, 10 of which Keay picks out to put on your buying radar.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    DSC01617

    Why Pinot Noir from IGP Pays d’Oc is ‘the great alternative’

    Think of quality Pinot Noir wine regions and you could be forgiven for thinking of Burgundy, California, Germany and New Zealand before you think of the South of France. So the chances are you might not think immediately of the Languedoc-Roussillon where IGP Pays d’Oc Pinot Noir comes from because of the heat. And yet the variety of soils, micro-climates and lay of the land in the region and the freedom of expression that is allowed with IGP Pays d’Oc has resulted in a vast choice of high-quality Pinot Noir at barely credible prices. Which is why Peter McCombie MW called his recent masterclass on the subject – ‘IGP Pays d’Oc Pinot Noir – the great alternative’. Peter Dean reports.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs

    Why Bruno Paillard’s 1st NV Blanc de Noirs takes a new direction

    For a Champagne house so in love with Pinot it is curious that it has taken 42 years for Champagne Bruno Paillard to release a new Blanc de Noirs since its first one way back in 1981. “You have to start somewhere'” Alice Paillard tells Peter Dean, as she explains why she eschewed opulence and sweetness in the Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs MV and opted instead for refinement with a very low dosage – a true sommelier’s cuvée if ever there was one.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Kumeu River 2022

    Kumeu River 2022 gives white Burgundy a run for its money

    The release of a new Kumeu River vintage is always an event. One of New Zealand’s finest and most sought-after producers, this legendary estate is best known for its Chardonnays which give many a 1er and Grand Cru white Burgundy a run for their money. Located 20 km northwest of Auckland, the estate now boasts two Pinot Noirs, one of which comes from its youngest vineyard, Ray’s Road, purchased from Trinity Hill six years ago. To launch the Kumeu River 2022 vintage, marketing director Paul Brajkovich was in London to host an in-depth tasting of the wines. Sophia Longhi hooked up with him to get the back story of the vintage.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Rhône white wine Long Read

    Why we need to tap into the resurgence of Rhône white wines

    France’s Rhône Valley, whether we’re talking about the narrow gorges and hillsides of the Northern Rhône or the rolling hills and mountainous peaks of the Southern Rhône, has been synonymous with some of the finest red wines in the world. In recent years, however, a growing number of producers have reassessed their terroir and portfolios and added increasing numbers of white wines across these iconic AOCs. This summer, the inter-professional body, Inter-Rhône, have been highlighting this growing trend with a series of white wine specific events, culminating in the Rhône White Party in London, showcasing over 100 white wines. We sent The Buyer’s Mike Turner to find out more and pick a few favourites for us to keep our eyes on.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting
    Scenic Tuscany landscape with rolling hills and valleys in golden morning light, Val d'Orcia, Italy

    What to expect at Borsa Vini Italiani’s focus on Italian wines

    If you are looking to shake up your Italian wine list and introduce new wines to your customers then put October 4 in your diary for Borsa Vini Italiani 2023 – your true one stop shop for all things Italian. Organised by the Italian Trade Agency it will feature producers from most of the major wine regions, many of whom are seeking distribution for the first time, alongside UK importers showing wines from their ranges. Here’s what to expect. 

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    20230721_132603

    Francisco Baettig on the 100-pt 2021 Seña & Viñedo Chadwick

    Winter rain and warm summer months, without any heat spikes, have helped Erràzuriz’s Francisco Baettig turn in three outstanding premium wines in the shape of the new 2021 Seña, Viñedo Chadwick and newcomer Rocas de Seña. Although not truly cool as in a Bordeaux vintage of old, 2021 has the Médoc all over these wines with the vintage set to be a classic in Chile, as Baettig explains. Heather Dougherty listens, tastes, evaluates and provides some fascinating insight into the background of the wines.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Domaine Uma

    Nathalie Estribeau & Karen Turner liberty of Languedoc winemaking

    Creative freedom, the Mediterranean lifestyle and an open mindset have attracted some of the world’s most exciting winemakers to IGP Pays d’Oc in Languedoc Roussillon. During an extensive tour of the wine region, Lisse Garnett drags two reluctant stars into the spotlight for in-depth wine analysis… Nathalie Estribeau, the wine director of the giant yet innovative cooperative Les Vignobles Foncalieu and Karen Turner, formerly of Hugel and Chapoutier, now the winemaker at newly-minted Domaine Uma. Both talk New World versus Old and express their love for the liberty of the Languedoc.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Louis Roederer Collection 244

    Louis Roederer Collection 244 and working with climate change

    This month’s new Louis Roederer Collection 244 gets released two years after the House bravely ditched its best-selling Brut Premier NV cuvée and replaced it with the Collection, a multi-vintage blend that uses both a string of reserve wines and a high proportion of solera-style Perpetual Reserve – created in 2012 and topped up after subsequent harvests. Underlying the move is cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon’s vision to cope with warming temperatures in the region and to create an unique NV that gets increasingly complex with each subsequent harvest. Roger Jones attended the launch of the new Champagne which he tasted alongside every iteration made, four of which were never given a standard release.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Spirit
    Marolo

    How Marolo is getting us to re-evaluate our stance on grappa

    Grappa, the Italian spirit made from grape pomace, has a chequered history. The grappa that arrived on the shores of the UK was, for many years, an industrial product that often lacked the nuance and elegance of the finest grappa. Spirits lovers in the UK and across the world struggled to find an appreciation for these distilled grape skins. In recent years, however, a group of committed distilleries has been overseeing a resurgence in the quality and reputation of grappa. The Buyer’s Mike Turner recently visited one such distillery, Marolo in Piemonte, to discover its vision on how to make a truly great grappa.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Ribera Del Duero

    Why altitude is now key for Ribera del Duero’s wines

    Ribera del Duero is now established as producing some of Spain’s highest quality wines. Since the DO was announced in 1982, the number of wineries has boomed from just eight at inception to a healthy 311 by 2023. Initial pacesetters have been joined by locals, large brands and high-quality merchants from the likes of Rioja, Catalunya and even France to join the critical acclaim attached to some of the finest red wines being produced anywhere in the world. But why this region? The Buyer’s Mike Turner looks at what makes Ribera del Duero so special and highlights one trait in particular that stands tall above the rest.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Zuccardi Long Read

    Sebastián Zuccardi: Making Malbec with a sense of place

    Zuccardi is quite simply one of the finest wineries in the world. Every year the winery wins major awards with its premium wines also picking up major gongs and 100-point rosettes with an almost embarrassing consistency. The main reason for this is the vision of its third-generation winemaker, Sebastián Zuccardi, who places vineyard above winery, and makes wines that are inextricably linked to where they come from. In a revealing and lengthy tasting session from the Uco Valley he explains to Peter Dean his ‘mountain wine’ philosophy, why he avoids ‘old school’ Argentine Malbecs, how the sheer diversity of the region shapes the wines, and tastes through a selection of his top wines including Finca Canal Uco 2020, which is due for release via La Place de Bordeaux in September.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    La Pèira Long Read

    Robert Dougan – making fine wines at Languedoc’s La Pèira

    What do you do when you’ve made a mint from the soundtrack of The Matrix and are unsure about what to do in the future? Why, buy a run-down winery in the Languedoc and bring it back to one of the hottest properties in the South of France. This is what ‘Clubbed to Death’ composer Robert Dougan did with La Pèira in the Terrasses du Larzac, as Victor Smart discovered when he met Dougan for lunch at Corney&Barrow HQ and tasted through a wide selection of his remarkable wines.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Rías Baixas

    Making sense of Albariño with the 5 subzones of Rías Baixas

    Rías Baixas is the largest and most well-known DO in Spain’s North-West autonomous community of Galicia. Flanked by the ocean to the north and the west, this often cool and wet region is dominated by the Albariño grape. At a recent online masterclass, five winemakers from across the region showcased the various styles on offer whilst staying true to the coastal terroir. The Buyer’s Mike Turner was in attendance to find out more.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    Castelnau

    Champagne Castelnau, Tom Aikens and the ‘Art of Delicacy’

    Champagne Castelnau is undergoing a rebranding exercise with the tagline ‘The Art of Delicacy’. To underline this point and to allow the press to taste the new wines along with chef de caves Carine Bailleul, the House organised a tasting lunch at Muse, Tom Aikens’ one-star restaurant in London where the wines met their perfect pairing. Victor Smart drew the short straw (what again?!) and spent the morning after feeling a little delicate himself.

    CONTINUE READING
    Tasting: Wine
    new South African wine

    The new “confidence” amongst South African winemakers

    Wine writer and winemaker Chris Wilson samples some stunning new South African wines at Encounter South Africa – the first all-industry WOSA event since Covid. Apart from picking 10 ‘bangers’ Wilson talks to producers and importers to find out where South African wines are at, after the over-excited buzz of ‘New Wave South Africa’ 10 years ago. What he found was a quiet confidence in traditional styles and a ‘less-is-more’ ethos with the bottom of the industry being raised up, improving the quality and landscape of new South African wine from entry level upwards.

    CONTINUE READING

    Instataste

    Tasting with pictures View All
  • Social Slider

    • To mark today’s  #pinotnoirday  we raise a glass with a lovely ripe, textured, full of freshness and acidity Emma Pinot Noir from  @creationwines . That beautifully captures the unique growing conditions of South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde wine region flanked by fynbos-clad mountains and a wine that shows the cooling influence of the breezes from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Perfect end to the week and a wine that also encapsulates the huge strides taking place in South Africa to make benchmark wines from classic grape varieties like Pinot Noir.  #creationwines   #pinot   @wosa_za   @carolyn_creationwines 
    • Super Tuscan Bordeaux blend that offers a lot of bang for your buck at a considerably lower price tag. Big and fruity, super soft tannins, but with great balance achieved through the freshness of the acidity. Tenuta Prima Pietra is situated 450m up on volcanic, quartz-lined soils – the highest vineyard plot on the Tuscan coast. The terroir with its cooling sea breeze is evident particularly in the wine’s fresh, tight finish. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the wine sees 18 months in 50% new French oak with the varieties vinified separately for the first 10 months and then the final 8 after blending. Mulberry fruit, blackberry jelly dominate the fruity nose, in the mouth the wine is generous, concentrated red and black fruit, lambs blood, fine-grained and soft tannins - a cranberry crunch evens things out with a pleasant grip on the finish.
    • Crisp, fresh and bright as a lemon. Very happy to raise a glass to  #worldverdejoday  Spain’s most popular white grape variety and pretty in demand in the UK too. Verdejo’s home is in DO  #Rueda  in northern Spain and it really comes into its own in the hot summer months. So ideally timed for - cross fingers - a balmy weekend. If want to find out more go to doRueda.com and follow  #tasterueda  to find out where you can yourself a bottle or two. Cheers!  #wine   #winetasting   #spanishwine   #spain   #whitewine   #tasterueda   @charlotte .l.hey
    • Debut vintage for this first white wine from one of the most iconic wineries on the Douro. Fruit is grown on the Levante vineyard which is the highest East-facing plot so just gets the morning sun. The wine is a mix of Arinto and Viosinho fruit, vinified in a mix of French oak and steel vats and then both varieties aged in barrel; apart from Boavista winemaker Carla Tiago, there is an oenology credit also to Jean-Claude Berrouet (Petrus). To look at the wine is pale straw yellow with green highlights; from the first aromas out of the glass it is clear this is a serious wine, with herbal notes to the fore, merged with apple and pear; on the palate the wine is vinous, textured and gastronomic, a citric grip and lovely presence in the mouth. Although the abv is a modest 13% abv, there is decent heat on
    • Waving the flag for the UK at  #Eurovision  with this bright, zingy, ultra fresh, slightly tart and very dry English dry Rosé from  #Folc   @drink .folc who have been championing premium English Rosé for the last five years thanks to its founders,  @elisha_folc  and Tom Cannon. This 2022 vintage is packed with acidity, flies around the palate and is a very welcome difference to the homogeneous, fruity Provence roses that dominate the category. Its a blend of nine grape varieties: all sourced from family-run vineyards in Kent, East and West Sussex, and Suffolk, including Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir Precoce, Bacchus, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and small amounts of Ortega, Rondo and Reichensteiner. The Cannons are also keen to make a sustainable wine and the new Folc’s bottle is made from 100% recycled glass and claims to have a 42% lower carbon footprint than non-recycled glass, with all its packaging also
    • From one Coronation to another. Thanks to  @chateausiran  for opening this bottle at lunch yesterday to toast Queen and future King. The wine was almost past its tertiary stage - everything you might expect from a 70 yo Claret - but the acidity was still there rock solid.
    • Bright, crisp, dark fruits, plums,crunchy on the palate, nice fresh acidity and a wine that can work with a myriad of dishes and going to work well with Easter Sunday Roast Lamb. Good example of what Cotes du  #roussillonvillage  AOP can do named after an indigenous flower that apparently retains its structure and colour long after picking. All of which also comes through from this old vine wine made from a blend of century-old Syrah, Mourvèdre Grenache & Carignan. Hides its chunky 14.5% abv very well. Made by  @liamsteevenson  MW and  @balthazarphwine  Benoit Bousquet using traditional winemaking skills to bring out rustic Roussillon for  #Bousquet &Fils  @immortellewines   @vineyard_productions   #wine   #frenchwine   #sommeliers   #winetasting  RS
    • Austria is in a very good place right now viticulturally – there’s an energy here and a wisdom about the best way to do things – for the wines but also the long-term health of the soil. There’s also real dynamism about grape varieties used – brilliant Grüner, Riesling and Blaunfränkisch of course, but also many more besides like this stunning Pinot Blanc from a quality-driven family of 5th-generation winemakers. All their wines are good but special mention goes to their Pinot Blancs of which there are three, the “Alte Reben” coming from 90 year old vines, the fruit rests for three days on skins and is part vinified in large oak and amphora. Greenish-yellow, ripe and rich with Williams pear, orange zest, green tea – plenty of power here but finesse and balance at the same time. Outstanding.
    • One of only 10 Masters of Wine actually making wine and the only one in South Africa, Richard Kershaw is fastidious about individual clones and vineyard plots. This outstanding Clonal Selection Chardonnay is a case in point – with fruit sourced from four clones in 11 sites with each batch vinified separately. He's making wine in Elgin whose cool climate gives great natural acidity to ‘tip the needle’ towards Burgundy. This is clean, precise, elegant with a refreshing 13.5% ABV and white fruit profile, teamed up with a mineral charge that keeps perfect balance. There is decent breadth – it’s not lean – and I liked it a lot.
    • There’s not many times in your life when you utter the words “The Romanée-Conti please” as the sommelier pours you a sample. The 2020 is an extraordinary wine that expresses itself as the most perfect manifestation of a Pinot Noir that is possible to make - impressive given how hot the vintage was (Burgundy’s hottest ever). Massive, beautiful power with an effortless confidence – fresh, vinous, pure, complex, rounded, delicate, layered, savoury – a mass of beautiful contradictions that meet with utter harmony and balance in your mouth. “Everything is perfect” my notes say – both as a descriptor of the wine and a state of mind. The Nadia Comāneci of Pinot.
    • Intense, inky dark (largely) Bordeaux blend from Bolgheri DOC that delivers good power and VFM. With 50% Merlot you expect fruit and the wine delivers ripe, black damsons and blackcurrant by the spade but with 30% Cab Sav and equal measures Petit Verdot and Syrah you also get a wonderful complexity and layers. The nose has tobacco, balsamic, bitter chocolate, while the initially warm, open palate has a tension and texture and a young (slightly green) tannic grip which manages to balance the wine well – there is a freshness which belies its 14.5% ABV. Intense yes, concentrated yes but also well put together – with or without food.
    • Under-the-radar, natural and biodynamic Bordeaux blanc made in Barsac from a blend of 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes vinified in cement. The nose is complex and offers honeysuckle, wild meadow flowers, sweet Comice pear; the palate is at first quite lively, mineral-charged then has a waxy ripe citrus mouthfeel with hints of papaya. Delicious, fresh, gastronomic and worth seeking out.
    • Hundred Hills, Blanc de Noirs 2019, With this extraordinarily good 100% Pinot Noir from a boutique winery in Oxfordshire there’s no denying that English sparkling really has come of age – the quality of the fruit and winemaking is right up there. The wine is sourced from a single South-facing plot, the grapes having 100 days hang time in what was a long dry vintage. Everything is in its right place. Vigorous bead, tiny bubbles, the aromatics are heaven-sent, complex with red berries and ripe orchard fruit, meadow flowers, raspberry Mivi, shortbread; the attaque is sharp and incisive, broadening with a youthful and ample creamy mousse on the palate – delicious layers of flavour that reflects the nose but also has a distinctive red apple note and ripe nectarine. The acidity is firm, structured, cleansing with a lovely balance between crisp, clean and dry on the tongue and deliciously ripe
    • A truly great wine that’s in the sweet spot of its drinking window. Complex, fresh aromatics has candied lemon, peppermint and a hint of white truffle; the palate is taut, fresh and brilliantly balanced with tart au citron, yellow grapefruit, saline, white flowers and an incredible length. A great Sancerre.
    • Good start to the year and one to bookmark for Chinese New Year. Wonderfully bright, fresh, Chardonnay from  @xige_estate  high up in the Helan mountain terroir of the exciting  #ningxia  Chinese wine region. Close your eyes and this could be straight out of Burgundy. So clean on the palate. Crisp acidity. Fresh as a mountain stream. Exciting premium Chinese wine. As China opens its doors again this could be the year for China to catch up some lost ground for exports too. You can explore the full range with  @propeller .wine that has exclusive UK distribution. Ideal for indy wine merchants and premium restaurants. Very impressed. RS  @westburycomms   @christellechene   #chinesewine   #sommeliers   #wine   #winetasting   #winemerchants 
    • Stellar vintage of Comtes from the sunny 2012 growing season. On the eye the wine is light yellow with green highlights, tight fine bead; gorgeous aromatics – surprisingly complex and evolved for a new release – with a touch of reduction, a light brioche, toasty note and white field mushroom combining well with a chalky freshness and lemon zest. In the mouth the Comtes has a crisp attack, ample mousse, bright acidity that soon fleshes out to lemon curd, orange oil, creamy orchard fruit and butteriness. The finish is beautifully balanced, refreshing and rounded. Will develop into a gem but drinking superbly well right now.
    • Classic Chateau d’Issan with greater complexity and layers on account of it adding Cabernet Franc (3%), Petit Verdot (2%) and Malbec (1%) into the blend for the first time in its history (all three grapes from plots acquired two years ago from Pontac-Lynch). There is also less Cab Sauv in the blend (55%) than there was in 2019 on account of the reduced yield. (Merlot makes up the rest) Although it has another six years to really get in its stride there’s a lovely balance between intense richness and freshness – the tannins are oh so elegant and smooth, with just that little bit of sinew on the long finish. At this stage the nose is all about black and blue fruits, violets, just a hint of cigar box; the palate is layered and lively, concentrated and fresh, notes of blackcurrant berries, currants and damsons dominate. Really quite wonderful.
    • Stunning Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs – sleek and fresh – from a less fruity and ‘obvious’ vintage than the 2012 and sourced from two Grand Cru villages only. Medium yellow gold with green highlights; vigorous fine bead; the nose is far more complex than at first appears and evolves in the glass: at first you find bright ripe apple, citrus and a chalky freshness; then other hints start to appear - candied lemon, apple blossom, butter pastry, nut shells, smoke; the attack is crisp, tense, evolving in the mouth, layered, taut with a citron pressé note. Despite its tautness there is good balance here, with a fine, elegant ripeness to the fruit. Really clean, lean, focused and precise – and a wine that will last decades.
    • 1982 was a classic vintage, of course, but also the start of the renaissance of Bordeaux wines. This fully mature 2nd growth, opened as part of a Léoville Poyferré 100th anniversary tasting was in a sweet spot, holding up so well and still with years ahead of it – so fresh and nicely poised is the acidity/ balance with the fruit hanging in there. Brickish red; the aromas are tertiary with cassis, tobacco, mushroom, soy, wet earth; the mouthfeel is fresh, silky smooth with sweet cassis to the fore and a eucalyptus twist on the finish. There is structure still with good balance, a sturdy core of acidity holding the wine together and maintaining delightful freshness. A stunning example of elegant, well-aged claret. Interesting was how much it changed in the glass. It was opened an hour before tasting (and not decanted) it was so full of life, then died
    • Louis Roederer Collection 243, the second release of Roederer’s re-incarnation of Brut Premier – a numbered, multi-vintage release based on the 218 vintage (60%) complemented by reserve wines from a ‘solera’ established in 2012, 10% aged in oak. It’s a smart idea and, like the inaugural 242 last year, has its own identity - more voluptuous compared to the more high-toned 242. Pale gold, energetic, fine bead; Inviting aromas of lemon tart, orange peel, all-butter pastry, stone fruit, white flowers and cream soda; there is a leesy breadth to the nose which, like the palate, is surprisingly complex; After a crisp attack the mid-palate has a luxurious mouthfeel – pillowy with considerable breadth and roundness with a textured, saline finish. On the way there are bright fruits and acids, a nuttiness, with a cleansing crispness on the upper palate. Excellent.