Stockist/Retailer: Justerini & Brooks

(2023) Philipponnat is a significant grower, with 20 hectares of Premier and Grand Cru Vineyards in Aÿ, Mareuil and Avenay. Pinot Noir represents two-thirds of their plantings and is the backbone of their cuvées. In this case the base vintage is 2019 with 67% Pinot Noir, 31% Chardonnay and 2% Meunier, though 34% of the blend is reserve wine. The dosage is a modest 8g/l and the wine was disgorged in February 2023. There's a pretty and approachable character here, a particularly fragrant floral and herbal lift to the aromas, then a nutty depth of autolysis fills in beneath. The mousse is cushioning and rich, and though the sheer sweetness and richness of the fruit gives lovely generosity through the mid-palate, there's no shortage of shimmering lemony and salty acidity into the finish.

(2023) From a winery established only in 2018, with 22 hectares of old vineyard in the mountainous Dão region. This is a blend of native varieties Encruzado and Bical, fermented cement and stainless steel, with just 10% in large oak. It bottled after a year on the lees. Yeasy note, but taut and apple-fruited with a light, hazy almond cream. Fresh and really quite zippy on the palate, the fruit has an intensity and is edged with herbal notes of dill and the finish has a saline and lemon zest and mouth-watering acidity.

(2023) The green 'stamp' on the back label indicates this is a wine that has spent minimal time in oak, the style formerly known as 'Joven'. It comes from a new winery in Rioja Alavesa, run by brothers Arturo and Kike (Artuke is a combination of the two). They say they are inspired by the wines of Burgundy, and the wines do not follow the path of extended ageing in oak. This entry level wine is was made with some carbonic maceration to give it an easy-drinking, fruit-forward and approachable style. Vibrant in colour and aroma, it has a cherry and a sappy, Beaujolais-like character. In the mouth it's all about juiciness of raspberries and red cherries, with pert acidity. The tannins are unlike Beaujolais however, quite chocolaty and creamy. The result is a silky but fresh and zippy red that's aromatic, and as easy to drink as an aperitif, as with food.

(2023) From an arid inland area of the Little Karoo on slate soils, this is a blend of Chenin Blanc and Colombard. Justerini ask "South Africa’s answer to Chablis?" and they have a point. It is fermented and aged in old oak, but plenty of acidity and low pH give a very crisp, rattling style. There are some aromatics, herby and chamomile-like, but the bracing palate is searingly dry, with lemon and salts powering mid-palate and finish. Crying out for some seafood or simply prepared white fish, and delicious of its style.

(2023) Run on biodynamic principles, Kühling-Gillot's vineyards lie on red slate close to the river in Rheinhessen. This off-dry white has 11g/l of residual sugar. The nose has a suggestion of custardy tones, but moves more into lime and beeswax, a hint of spiciness too. In the mouth the sweet edge is sliced through by the lemony concentration of the wine - though it is not aggressive, with some weight and richness in the finish.

(2023) It's hard to argue with Justerini's Champagne buyer, Julian Campbell, when he says: "It’s a hard act to beat at this price." From a sixth-generation winemaker whose family farm nine hectares of Pinot Noir in the Montagne de Reims, it's a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. Crucially however, there are around 50% of reserve wines in the blend, and it spends a full 30 months on the lees so the style is toasty and rich. Nuttiness, brioche and a lovely yeasty development join crisp green apple on the nose. In the mouth, the mousse is cushioning but fresh, the the citrus brightness of the fruit and acidity cuts through those buttery, nutty layers of development. A very fine Champagne at a good price.

(2023) Raúl Pérez's has restored his old vineyards in Bierzo, Galicia, which is an area bubbling under with many people having discovered the quality of the wines made from the Mencia variety. The wine was fermented in oak vats that are ex-Vega Sicilia. Bold crimson in colour, there's a high-toned, medicinal edge to the aroma over solid red fruit. Is this a touch of Brett perhaps? In the mouth ripe but not too gloss, a nice authentic touch of rusticity to fruit and tannins. The finish is a little dry, which again makes me suspect a touch of Brettanomyces here that, for me, just detracts.

(2023) From one of the most iconic Grand Crus of Alsace, Schlossberg which sits on pure granite at 230 - 350 metres, and in this case vines that are 60 years old. It has 5g/l of residual sugar. Buttercup yellow, the nose has a serious, quiet reserve, stony and mineral. Such a contrast to the Greystone. In the mouth it feels bone dry and has riveting acidity and precision. Compared to the Greystone it is almost austere, but there is subtle richness and weight, and though the fruit stays in a firm citrus and apple/pear spectrum, texture and precision drink so beautifully.

(2023) Descrbed as "an easy-drinking blend of Grenache Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah," this pours a fashionably pale Provençal shade, with a tutti frutti confectionery character of cold ferment, pear drop marrying with summer berries. The palate is brisk and fresh. A pink to appeal to Touraine Sauvignon lovers perhaps, well done with a hint of stony minerals to the acidity in the finish. Good value.

(2023) An unusual blend of Grenache and 15% Roussanne from the Côtes de Thongue, and ninth generation winemaker, Olivier Coste. It has a pale peach colour and charming but intense nose, a little stony pebble quality, plenty of strawberry and small red berries and a limey background. In the mouth there's a serious, vinous quality to this. Succulent is the word, with ripe pear and a teasing nuance of tropical fruit, then loads of pink grapefruit and orange flashes through to a delicious and sustained finish.