Cellar Raids: the final day

The 2020 vintage is bright and alluring with great juiciness and suppleness. Red berry perfume dominates the aroma profile, with sweet spice and wild flowers evident on the palate. There is a silkiness to the core that makes this wine very quaffable.

Complex, smoky and floral on the nose. This is terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc, with superb texture and balance. It is precise and layered, full of savoury, dried herb and grassy notes on the palate. Impressive length. A perfect accompaniment to fish dishes or with goats cheese.

Billecart-Salmon might be one of the most recognisable names in Champagne, but it remains a family-run business to this day, with its cellars in the heart of the Montagne de Reims. Their Brut Réserve is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and is made in a wonderfully harmonious style. It is chalky and zesty, with bright, crunchy apple fruit on the palate and a zippy freshness. Its 50%+ reserve wine in the blend gives it complexity and character.

With only 6000 bottles produced, this 2019 sparkling is precise and very linear. White blossom, crushed shells as well as a nervy acidity produce a wine that is razor focused. At only 4 grams dosage, the wine is savoury and rather refreshing.

This wine is comparable in quality to the Grosse Gewächs level Spätburgunder from this estate. Expect the spiciness of Krauterberg, a breadth and creaminess of Sonnenberg and a minerality and complexity that you would associate with Herrenberg and Mönchberg. This wine has a delicious red berry perfume that is reminiscent of some of the best Pinot noir in Germany and beyond. Wild strawberries, jasmine tea and spice are the main charcteristics that shine in this wine. The tannins are tight knit and there is great tension on the core thanks to the crisp acidity and silky palate. The wine has an innate quality that you can enjoy now or will develop and age for many years to come.

This is from the lowest slopes at Vieille Julienne, a great site for Grenache, which loves its sandy, pebbly soils. The vines have an average age of 75+ years, and the wine is concentrated but poised. The Grenache gives generosity and breafth, and 10% Counoise brings some softer notes, freshness and balances the natural power of the wine. Lots of plush dark fruit flavours and firm structure, with a crunchy, red fruit accent and a minerally, stony finish.

Made from 100% Malvasia and aged for 20 years. Incredibly decadent and rich with masses of complexity and a persistent freshness so typical of fine Madeira. Berry fruit, leather, dried figs, coffee, citrus peel, caramel, and brown sugar. Perfect to pair with cheese or desserts or try as an aperitif.

This is a new cuvée in 2019, made from 50+ year old vines grown on a south-facing slope. It has a salty grip, and expresses the purity of fruit that Syrah is capable of in the best hands. Elegant and structured for the long-haul.

With a few years of bottle age, this is hitting its stride. Pithy and mineral, with just a hint of honey and freshly cut herbs, the price of this is astonishing. Complex, long, and stunningly delicious.

From one of the most famous sites in Neive, this shows the classic character of the commune. Very delicate and fragrant, this shows the classic tar and roses that we love in so much great Nebbiolo. Very pretty, and alpine tinged.

The most improved wine in Franco’s cellar, this is a stunner in 2020. It’s a blend of 44% Grenache Noir, 31% Cinsault, and 25% Syrah, and is floral, lifted, and so light on its feet. There’s such perfume here, as well as incredible energy. Just such a delight.

A classic Aussie blend of 73% Shiraz and 27% Cabernet. Rich and concentrated with savoury spice character from long maturation in old large-format oak.

The 2020 Bosberaad is from a single vineyard on the Paardeberg, planted on granite, with just 2,000 bottles produced. This is savoury and pure, with citrus lift, delicate spice, and a long and floral finish. Utterly delicious and sure to age well, it's not to be missed.

The Dry Red is inspired by the South African reds of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. At this time, wines labelled as Cabernet Sauvignon would frequently have a considerable proportion of Cinsault, and this is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Cinsault, and is a wine built for long ageing.

The Kweekamp Chardonnay comes from a high altitude vineyard, planted on limestone. Limestone, the top pick for Chardonnay plantations throughout the world, is a rarity in the Cape, and this is a tense, mineral yet pleasingly open expression of the grape, with a lovely lick of oak spice. Just five barrels are made. In recent years, as well as being bottled by the Bruwers, this vineyard is also around one third of the blend of Capensis, South Africa’s most expensive Chardonnay, made by Jackson Family Wines.

Rich, soft and full-flavoured Cabernet, from vineyards all adjacent to the Rifle Range Road. They use large old oak for maturation which has softened the tannins but kept the pure Cabernet fruit at the fore.

There’s a lot of excitement about Lara and Luisa, and tasting this, we can see why. There’s a purity and fragrance to this that would not look out of place at the greatest estate. Fine-boned tannins, and then a remarkable sense of energy on the finish. A real charmer.

This is a great site for Grenache, which loves its sandy, pebbly soils. The vines have an average age of 75+ years, and the wine is concentrated but poised. The 2019 has a dry, savoury length, with spicy and floral notes emerging with some air. It's a truly delicious Châteauneuf-du-Pape from a tip-top vintage.