(2016) 100% of the fruit comes from the Lenswood appellation, 70% whole bunch-pressed. Love the nutty, more mushrooms and briary character here, with a really fresh acidity and fabulous leafy but not green elegance. Note: UK stockist and price quotes is for the 2014 vintage at time of review.
(2015) Ripe, with 14.5% alcohol, this is aged only in older oak. Very taut, ebony like nose of concentrated, deep fruit. Meaty, deep, a lot of dark fruit that suggests ripe berries and creamy blue/black fruit. Spicy and lovely in a big-boned, densely layered style.
(2015) Duncan's take on white Bordeaux using Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon has a beautiful and subtle perfume, not herbaceous fireworks, but an almond richness to waxy fruit and hints of nectarine ripeness. Superb palate, follows that path of matching texture, weight and real verve with easy drinking fruit ripeness - and so fresh.
(2014) Small open-top fermenters were used again, with some whole bunches, and 3-4 days of cold soaking. The wine was pressed into tight-grained 500-litre French oak. A touch of mint and a touch of earthy, truffly complexity - though no shortage of tightly-wound, spicy and ripe black fruit. Really tight and a touch ungiving at present, but that is the joy of a wine that will blossom in another four or five years: already there is gorgeous purity to fruit, with creamy tannins and oak in the background and such a lovely balancing acidity. Terrific potential here to score a point or two more than my current
(2014) A near identical winemaking for this block, with only a slightly longer fermentation (14 days as opposed to 10) before ageing in 500-litre French oak. It is quite different from Block 1, with a subtly spicy and exotic nose, a pure cherry and red liquorice lift and freshness to the aromas. Superb palate, with a touch of nuttiness and firm, endive-like bittersweetness. There's a chocolaty richness underpinning this cuvée, it is more approachable than Block 1 at this stage for sure, but the tightness, firmness and balance of the finish says it is a wine that also needs time and is, again, quite superb.
(2014) The entry level Chardonnay is 100% barrel fermented in French oak and aged on the lees for 10 months, It is deliciously vegetal and complex, with complex flint and mineral notes and clear citrus fruit. The palate is lean and serious. There is a continuation of that flinty, complex sulphide character over apple and lemon, that gives this such tight raciness.
(2014) Selected from three vineyard blocks, this was pressed into tight-grained French oak barriques (only 10% new) where it was fermented with wild yeasts. It was matured in barrel for 10 months, and malolactic fermentation was blocked. There's certainly an extra measure of nuttiness and complexity over the Red Claw. Again it is flintily complex giving all sorts of smoky, wispy notes of fresh-cracked stones: a real mineral appeal. So tight and pure on the palate, with wonderful focus and linearity, the finish is long and gently tapering.
(2014) What a hugely complex nose on this wine made from a small parcel taken from one of the same three blocks. It was whole bunch pressed into 500-litre French oak casks and fermented with wild yeasts. The family resemblance between this and the Single Vineyard Chardonnay is obvious, but this has such beautiful salt-licked, seashell freshness and tight, pure core of grapefruit and apple. Absolutely ravishing stuff on the palate with immense concentration and fantastic precision to the fruit. Pin-point acidity and then the gently persistent creaminess of the oak flowing through to an endless finish.
(2014) A blend of four separate vineyard blocks, whole bunches were fermented in open fermenters with some hand plunging for extraction, before transfer to French oak, mostly 500-litre puncheons. Deliciously fragrant stuff this with exotic incense and sandalwood notes. An undercurrent of more open and generous, developed fruit. But then a tight, liquoricy hint of backbone and structure on the palate, off of which hangs lovely bittersweet fruit, a nip of tannin, an edge of tart cherry skins acidity and balance into a lovely, long finish.