A unanimous choice for our tasting panel, and ‘a wine of a different level, with great oak use and freshness of fruit, golden apple, pineapple and vanilla notes’, according to team leader Laurent Richet MS, with Tate Catering’s Hamish Anderson noting ‘lemon peel, wax and honey, an old school feel with toast and cream, depth of flavour and generosity’. Agustin Trapero of Avenue found ‘complex ripe mango and mandarins, with white chocolate notes and yoghurt texture’. ‘Huge depth and intensity, such a lovely mouthfiller, fab wine,’ concluded Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering.

£29.67 Nicholson River Winery

Judges heaped praise on this Gold Lister. ‘Great nose of fragrant lemon zest and flint, followed by a broad, creamy palate with lots of life throughout, a twist of lemon juice and apple fruit, appealingly long, with acid making it good for food matching,’ began Tate Catering’s Hamish Anderson, with Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering finding ‘big intensity of flavour, very lively acidity, and a great foodie wine for creamy chicken dishes’.

£14.66 Bibendum

‘A lovely example, vibrant, fresh and clean, with lifted acidity and well-integrated oak,’ began team leader Annette Scarfe MW in her praise of this Gold winner, while Simon Cassina of Winexponent found ‘apple and green apricot aromas, vanilla oak with sweet spices and clean, fresh grassy notes – well made, balanced and harmonious on the palate’. The Sign of the Don’s Carlos Ferreira described ‘beautiful complexity on the nose, with green and red apple on the palate, with acidity balanced by spice and vanilla. A good wine to match with spicy Asian food.’

£27.50 Liberty Wines

With lots of ripe fruit, and such exceptional value for money, Gold was the only outcome here. ‘Peach, pear and vanilla,’ began team leader Lionel Periner, going on to describe a palate that was ‘well balanced, with tropical fruit and well-integrated oak, with good acidity’. ‘Fresh citrus with light vanilla and smoky oak aromas; on the palate there’s light butter and herbal notes, refreshing citrus with an elegant finish,’ added Cavalry & Guards Club’s Andre Luis Martins, while Quentin Loisel of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms thought this a fine match for a salad Niçoise.

£12.24 Enotria&Coe

‘Lovely quality of fruit, with greengage and yellow plums, and some lovely flinty smoked character,’ began an enthused team leader Olivier Marie as this was led to the Gold podium, while Chez Bruce’s Adam Michocki called it ‘opulent, with a pronounced nose, creamy and buttery on the palate with some coconut and ripe pineapple, with good potential for ageing’. ‘I would recommend grilled cod or salmon,’ concluded The Sign of the Don’s Carlos Ferreira.

£22.64 Enotria&Coe

‘Rich, ripe, full-bodied style, creamy on the mid-palate, well crafted use of oak, complex and multi-layered,’ said team leader Annette Scarfe MW, with Plateau’s Federico Forte noting ‘complex aromas of vanilla candy, ripe mango, apricot jam, a hint of powder keg on a creamy palate, with herbal notes and a savoury mineral finish’.

£16.27 Bibendum

‘Oak to the fore, but there’s nice weight on the palate, with nice fruit and lovely texture and length,’ said team leader Olivier Marie, with Richard Allen of Adam’s Restaurant highlighting its ‘complexity, lightness of fruit, strong character and good balance’.

£8.79 Bibendum

Hamish Anderson of Tate Catering enjoyed its ‘lovely definition’, highlighting a ‘fun nose with cream and spice notes allied to reduction and flinty elements, a taut, focused palate, very modern Aussie Chardonnay style with lemon, minerals and warm honey’. ‘Lovely complexity brought by the oak use, and a slight herbal/savoury note,’ added team leader Laurent Richet MS.

£17.93 Majestic Commercial

‘Aromatic nose with kiwi, pineapple and papaya character on the palate and a milky, creamy finish,’ began Agustin Trapero of Avenue, while team leader Laurent Richet MS found it a classic style, with ‘great balance of oak, fruit and acidity; long, with golden apple fruit and notes of toast and butter’.

£18.95 Indigo Wine

‘Hints of toasty brioche and almonds on the nose, fresh and creamy at the same time on the palate with nice minerality and beautifully balanced,’ said Adam Michocki of Chez Bruce, while team leader Olivier Marie found ‘intense, ripe stone fruit character, Asian spices, coconut and vanilla pods’.

£17.44 Enotria&Coe

Team leader Angela Reddin found ‘rock melon, pink grapefruit and vanillin on the nose, and there’s a smokiness evident in the mouth on a medium-bodied palate, which manages to stay lean yet has good weight’.

£12.04 Liberty Wines

‘Lively, balanced and characterful, with big warmth on the mid-palate,’ began Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering, who ventured it could be ‘a clear challenge for dishes where you might be thinking white Burgundy’. ‘Open and fragrant wine, with banana and mango touches, notes of roasted pine nuts and a creamy, long finish,’ added Avenue’s Agustin Trapero.

£24.81 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Big, oaky, structured style, butterscotch with sweet yoghurt on a palate strong on tropical fruit,’ said Marcin Oziebly of The Wild Rabbit, continuing: ‘Relatively old-fashioned maybe, but delivers fantastic length with great intensity and sweet spices in balance with the fruit.’

£16.97 Matthew Clark

‘Flowery peach aromas, ripe fleshy fruit and focused oak on the nose, textured and lifted on the palate, with composed fruit and delivery,’ said Bleeding Heart Group’s Christopher Delalonde MS. ‘Nice richness but not too big, nice crème brûlée character on the palate,’ added The Wild Rabbit’s Marcin Oziebly.

£9.86 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘Restrained yet fleshy aromas of spring flowers, chalky minerals with composed oak,’ said Bleeding Heart Group’s Christopher Delalonde MS, who enjoyed its ‘super-elegant delivery with style, precision and class, white fruit, notes of salt, butter and flint on the palate, great acid structure and a long, cleansing finish’.

£27.04 Liberty Wines

£11.00 Liberty Wines

£17.00 Genesis Wines

£18.78 Hatch Mansfield

£9.25 Matthew Clark

£9.96 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£14.03 Enotria&Coe

£8.62 Enotria&Coe

£18.26 Liberty Wines