Quite a deepish colour, matched by a rich and evolved nose. The palate is nice and roundedd with a very good mature feel. Then it really narrows down and focusses in the mouth to a very precise, pin-point, fresh feeling, that's much fresher than the attack. Very interesting.

The nose has well defined sauvignon blanc green fruits, peas and asparagus, but with some creamy oak. Nice palate, feeling very much like tamed NZ sauvignon blanc. Very nicely balanced.

This is a real powerhouse on the nose: sweaty, cheesy, smokey chardonnay with a hint of poire william. In the mouth, it's big and creamy, with lots of ripe fruit. It's pretty powerful stuff, but retains good balance. Quite concentrated fruit towards the finish.

A very curious nose. Creamy, pungent and like some mad sauvignon-viognier blend initially, but then it seems to reveal more buttery, toasty oak with a bit more chardonnay character. Rather simple palate.

A rounded nose with a very Alsatian feel. You can feel the gewurztraminer and pinot gris predominantly. Then you feel the riesling and its minerality. Lovely palate. This is a very nice blend. It's richer and fuller than many edelzwickers. Good weight. Worked well with spicy prawns.

13.5% This has a very Alsatian feel on the nose. There's gentle spice, stone fruit and a nice lift. In the mouth, it's a good, but unexceptional pinot gris.

12% A fairly petrolly, minerally, un-fruity riesling nose, though really rather slight. Definitely off dry, though there is some riesling acidity there, that just about saves it. Rather feels between Alsace and the Pfalz, though without the distinction of the better examples from either region.

There are subtle red fruits on the nose - very gentle and un-obvious. There's fresh fruit on the palate initially, which then resolves itself into a stalky greenness. Ticks some pinot noir boxes, but overall doesn't satisfy me.

From the first whiff as it's poured into the glass, it's obvious this is a bit special. Gloriously integrated nose. Lovely attack. But it's a bit separate and unresolved on the finish, with lots of alcohol (it's 14.5%) showing too clearly. It's an impressive wine, which at the moment is very much let down by the alcoholic heat. Too young. The score reflects current drinking, not potential.

13.5%
This has a very attractive nosethere's some blackberry fruit and some interesting sarsaparilla notes. Very nice palate. There's a good balance of freshness and fruit. Lovely fruit. It's a really precise and focussed syrah, with a nice, gentle structure.

This bottle is labelled as an IGT Syrah de Toscana, produced by the Fattoria di Manzano.
The wine has a meaty, fleshy nose with some tar and sweet black fruit. On the palate, it's sweet and direct, with lots of tannins and some cocoa nibs combined with sweet fruit.

On the nose, there are blackcurrants, blackberries, sweet cough pastille and cola. Huh? This is completely hollow on the palate. No, more than hollow, it's just vacant. You get a touch of sweet fruit, then some tannins, then a nothingness. Huh?

(Served blind.) There's sweet red fruit on the nose with a chocolatey edge. Lovely palate, with layers and layers of flavour. Very fine, elegant finish. A really nice wine. Classy stuff, with layers of flavour and an excellent structure.

A stinky, stinky, stinky nose: rather foul and oxidised, with some rubbery notes. This feels like it's been cooked at some point. The palate is dried out with lots of nebbiolo like tannins and tobacco-soaked leather.

This feels a touch hot on the nose with some torrefaction alongside the sweet black fruit. A lovely mature palate - fully integrated. It has a very generous feel on the palate.

This has a nice, mature, claret-like feel on the nose, with sweet black fruit and tobacco. Very slightly hot, maybe. There are lots of sweet fruit on the palate, which perhaps doesn't fully live up to the promise of the nose. There's good balance, though, and it's very pleasant drinking.

9.5%
A very precise, minerally Spätlese feel on the nose. Nice wine that feels like a weak Mosel Spätlese or an Auslese hock.

10% This has a really lovely nose, with fresh nectarines and a muscat grapiness. Gorgeous palate: very sweet and luscious, but with that lovely riesling acidity. Excellent citrussy riesling characters.

A fascinating nose with wet wool and honey to the fore. Lovely palate. Wow! This is good. There's a lovely balance on the palate. Really complex with some lovely lemony-peach flavours. Gorgeous.

11%
There's an overwhelming smell of EvoStik on the nose initially, but eventually you can fight past the solvents and find some fresh peas. Very, very sweet on the palate, and I find it lacking in complexity. There's quite a waxy feel in the mouth.