Stockist/Retailer: The Wine Society

(2023) From 100-year-old vines, 45% of the blend was fermented In stainless steel, 45% in wooden barrels and 10% in ‘ceramic spheres’. Barrels were made from both French oak and Acacia. Waxy, strict but with a burgeoning sense of richness on the nose. There's a seaside tang that follows through onto the palate. Very brisk, lemon, lime and truly decisive, yet the texture fills the mouth and the wine has plenty of presence.

(2023) The very high quality cooperative of Plaimont are dedicated to preserving local varieties of the French South West, in this case a wine made from 25-year-old Gros manseng, Petit Courbu and Arrufiac. Some skin maceration has added melon rind and lemon notes to otherwise peachy-ripe fruit. The palate is like some cross between a juicy orange and burstingly ripe peach, succulent and fleshy, yet with mouth-watering clarity. What a lovely little all-rounder white wine. Watch the video for more information.

(2023) Champions of heritage grape vine varieties, Plaimont bottle this Manseng Noir, an almost forgotten indigenous variety which has been nurtured as part of their conservation project. The vines are young, and the unoaked 11.9% abv wine is dry and fresh. The colour is a strikingly vivid magenta. The nose and palate have an Indian ink dryness, tart plummy flavours and a combination of tannin and high-ish acidity that adds to the dry but juicy character. An unusual style, perhaps a theoretical cross between Beaujolais and one of the red Vinho Verde's made from the Vinhão variety?

(2023) Again, age has developed the colour here, the wine having just 5g/l of sugar and coming from vineyards that are 25 to 40 years old, planted between 240 and 270 metres on limestone. Heimbourg is a single vineyard, though not rated Grand Cru. Slightly less aromatic than the Prophet's Rock, but otherwise very similar aromatics, the buttery and peachy character delightful. The palate is opulent and rich, full-textured and mouth-filling. There's a glycerine richness to this along with that touch of sugar, but it has an almost Botrytis character in the finish with the dry, toasty undertow to the finish.

(2023) With 11g/l of residual sugar this off-dry wine comes from vineyards around 20 years old planted at 225 - 400 mtres. There is schist soil here with some quartz, over clay. Creamy and buttery here, lots of ripe, peach pie character with a cut of apple zestiness. In the mouth it is rich rather than out and out sweet, with a full texture and so much peach and apricot succulence and sweet fruit. Lovely acidity, a light spice, and such a lovely full-bodied off-dry white.

(2023) Sitting at 500 metres above sea level, Cloudline is apt, given this vineyard sits at one of Australia's higher vineyard elevations. The Chardonnay is fermented and matured for 8 months in French oak barriques, a very small percentage of which is new. There's a subtle flint/mineral character on the nose, the oak discreet but present. In the mouth a substantial texture and a fairly robust, fat lemony concentration of fruit, though there is some precision with pithy, intense citrus and a touch of salt in the finish.

(2023) A zero dosage Blanc de Blancs from the Jura in Eastern France, made from Chardonnay by the traditional method. It spends 18 months on the lees. Pale gold in colour, bubbles are frothy and moderately persistant, with plenty of autolytic aromas of yeast and biscuit, ripe but nutty apple fruit. In the mouth there is surprising sweetness on the attack, presumably from nicely ripe fruit, though the pithy, lemon and dry, slightly herbal quality of acidity pushes on.

(2023) Mostly Chardonnay with a little Pinot Noir, this traditional method wine from an estate that has been here through six generations spends 30 months on the lees. Pale lemon in colour with streaming small bubbles, there's a little vanilla and bright coconutty fudge nuance to crisp apple fruit. In the mouth it is cushiony and full, with clean orchard fruit flavours and cool lemon acidity pushing through. Quite stylish.

(2023) What an interesting wine from leading Argentinian winemaker, Susana Balbo. The highly aromatic Torrontés is rarely fermented in oak, and this 11.5% alcohol example was clearly harvested early, which has also acted to temper its floral and herbal exuberance. There's still a whisper of jasmine, but aromas are much more about delicate orange and nectarine, just touched by a little oak creaminess. In the mouth lots of Mandarin orange juiciness, sweet peach juice, and refined acidity, the whole picture light, fresh and flowing due to that low alcohol and the delicate handling of the fruit. A nice way to celebrate International Women's Day in just a week or so. Watch the video for more information.

(2022) From an organic certified Moutere vineyard of clay and gravel, this was fermented with wild yeasts and aged in barrels (15% New). Colour is dark but not thick. Very slick and velvetty on the nose, promising sweetness and plushness, a fine edge of minerals. The palate shows lovely poise, the fruit towards raspberry and blackcurrant, with very good freshness, a bite of cherry skin tang. Relatively easy-going, but lovely balance and a big enjoyability factor.