Lay & Wheeler Summer tasting

Tasted Wednesday, May 17, 2023 by Joshvoulters with 141 views

Introduction

Not a tasting that would usually grab my attention - made up of regions in which I'm not hugely interested, but for that same reason it offered a good chance to educate myself. While it's great to see such a spread of producers these L&W events quickly turn into a scrum and it can be hard to enjoy with all the jostling, table blocking and heavily perfumed attendees. Not that it will stop me going to the SA and Italy events later this year...

Flight 1 - Loire Sparkling (3 Notes)

  • 2017 Bouvet-Ladubay Saumur Saphir Zéro Dosage Brut 85 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur

    Oak ageing is apparent. Toasty and vanilla notes are just restrained enough, a slight bitter chew on the palate but generally quite clean. 2 years sur lie, there's body, texture and secondary notes but maybe the fruit is just not concentrated enough to carry all that winemaking. It feels slightly incomplete.

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  • 2016 Bouvet-Ladubay Instinct 88 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur

    7-9g/l dosage and some new oak help this towards a rich and full profile. Clean nose, if a little oaky, yellow apple, vanilla and honey. Ample acidity to keep things tight.

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  • NV Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Triple Zero 90 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire

    Ripe, round, a touch of funk. Honeyed richness with depth, toasty notes and a leesy character. Really nice

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Flight 2 - English Sparkling (6 Notes)

  • NV Hambledon Classic Cuvée Brut 75 Points

    United Kingdom, England, Kent

    75 Points
    Always a concern when my notes are so far off the CT consensus but given these were opened by a rep (who would presumably know if the bottles were faulty) and I had lots of direct comparison at an organised tasting, I'm going to stick with my conviction here.

    Christ no, this is horrible. Overwhelming aroma of bin juice - sweet rotten mulch with an acrid bitter edge. On the palate it's extremely sharp - acidity juts right out, green and unripe on palate. As bad a wine as I can remember tasting.

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  • NV Hambledon Première Cuvée 77 Points

    United Kingdom, England, Hampshire

    77 Points
    I'm copying some of the note from the base cuvee here - Always a concern when my notes are so far off the CT consensus but given these were opened by a rep (who would presumably know if the bottles were faulty) and I had lots of direct comparison at an organised tasting, I'm going to stick with my conviction here.

    The house speciality bin juice aroma is present and correct - sweet rotten mulch with an acrid bitter edge. Only saving grace here is that there's some oak character to mask it slightly. On the palate it's extremely sharp - acidity juts right out, green and unripe, although there's a touch more body than the base cuvee. This would be the worst wine I've tasted in recent memory if I hadn't also tried the classic cuvee that day.

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  • 2018 Rathfinny Estate Classic Cuvée 89 Points

    United Kingdom, England, Sussex, East Sussex

    What a lovely summer wine: floral, rich nose with a hint of elderflower. Clean and with some breadth on the palate, a touch of sweetness (albeit only 5g/l dosage), quite full and ripe but retaining freshness. I like the fact that Rathfinny only bottles by vintage.

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  • 2018 Rathfinny Estate Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs 86 Points

    United Kingdom, England, Sussex, East Sussex

    Vinous, mineral and saline - although I find it a bit flat and lifeless on the palate.

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  • 2018 Rathfinny Estate Blanc de Noirs 87 Points

    United Kingdom, England, Sussex, East Sussex

    Very clean and balanced, and clearly extremely well made. Delicate, lovely, but frankly not that exciting. A bit buttoned up for my liking!

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  • 2018 Rathfinny Estate Brut Rosé 87 Points

    United Kingdom, England, Sussex, East Sussex

    Strawberries and cream, blossom. A pleasant nose but rather more austere on the palate. A candidate for a bit of age I think.

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Flight 3 - Champagne (8 Notes)

Flight 4 - Alsace (6 Notes)

  • 2021 Albert Boxler Pinot Gris Brand 87 Points

    France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

    Unctuous, waxy, glycerol-fuelled palate with masses of dry-extract. Notes of lychee - tropical but bone dry. Acid is there but not prominent. It's interesting but doesn't make me want to go out and buy a bottle.

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  • 2021 Zind-Humbrecht Muscat Goldert 85 Points

    France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

    An amazing nose and delivers something I'd never have expected from Muscat. The varietal character is there but it's so spicy, complex and earthy. Bone dry and strangely flat on the palate. Not much in the way of acidity and a sense of bitterness dominates so it's heavy and blocky. Super interesting but I didn't really get it

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  • 2021 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain 85 Points

    France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

    Part 2 in the Zind-Humbrecht 'here's a grape you know presented in a totally different way' experience. Some reduction and a persistent volcanic, sulphrous note. Deep and persistent, spicy and rich on the palate. Very dry and pretty prominent acidity as well. Quite a challenging experience overall, leaves you a bit beaten up. Unlike any PG I've tried.

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  • 2021 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Windsbuhl 86 Points

    France, Alsace

    Clean and vertical. A touch of reduction and peppery spice. Quite deep and heady while remaining light on its feet. Nice enough, but not at this price. I'm sure there's something that happens to these with age to justify the reputation and critical acclaim, but I'm not seeing it in the glass today.

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  • 2021 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain 90 Points

    France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

    Super volcanic: deep, earthy, aromatic, flinty and spicy. Lemon and mandarin on the nose with a beautifully weightless texture on the palate: spring water says my note from the night.

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  • 2021 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Hengst 92 Points

    France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

    And here we have a Gewurztraminer I could actually drink. Hats off to the boffins at Zind-Humbrecht. The house style lends itself so well to the aromatic profile of the grape - the hint of reduction and earthy, spicy notes tame the soapy and exuberant excesses that usually turn me off. There is rose and lychee, ginger and white pepper. Really dry and chewy on the palate, finishing very fresh.

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Flight 5 - Loire Chenin (9 Notes)

Flight 6 - Loire Sauvignon (5 Notes)

Flight 7 - Loire Reds (4 Notes)

Flight 8 - The rest (2 Notes)

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