Judges had no doubts about handing over a Gold medal to this southern Rhône, the first of two in the category for Domaine Brusset. Team leader Martin Lam appreciated its ‘luscious ripe fruit, yet with some real freshness here’, while Ross Antonelli of Hawksmoor Borough described ‘blackberry, violets, dark plum and liquorice with soft and supple tannins’. ‘Lovely structure,’ added team leader Laurent Richet MS, who praised an ‘extremely juicy palate’.

£12.92 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Brusset’s second Gold in a row was ‘quintessentially Rhône’, according to Joshua Castle of Noble Rot, who found it ‘nicely savoury with great fruit definition on the nose, leading to a complex palate of black and blue fruit, and a gorgeously mineral core’. A similarly impressed Ross Antonelli of Hawksmoor Borough enjoyed its ‘spicy, full-bodied palate with notes of violets, pepper, clove and lavender to go with the rich, dark plum and blackberry fruit’.

£18.93 Enotria&Coe

With judges like The Gilbert Scott’s Juan Manuel Marcos Perez describing this as ‘outstanding and very complex’, it’s no surprise that this took home not only a Gold medal, but a Critic’s Choice award too. Daniel Nuttall of Adam’s Restaurant described it as ‘juicy and floral, with a good backbone of soft tannin’, while Dario Barbato of Individual Restaurants praised its ‘good structure, with fresh dark fruits’. For Sunaina Sethi of JKS Restaurants, this added up to a perfect match for ‘slow-cooked shoulder of lamb with mash, mushroom and red-wine jus’.

£23.24 Enotria&Coe

This was awarded Gold for its ‘intense flavour, which shows complexity and character’, according to Dario Barbato of Individual Restaurants, who added that it had ‘potential to age’. Gazelle Mayfair’s Romain de Courcy found it to be ‘juicy and aromatic with a gamey note’, while impressed team leader Laura Rhys MS spoke highly of ‘ripe, sweet fruit, like tinned berries, along with some pepper and spice, as well as some dark mineral notes – and good length too’.

£9.86 Enotria&Coe

This was a unanimous Gold according to our judges, who thought it ‘elegant, delicate and complex, with freshly picked raspberry and light, green leafy aromas giving it good freshness’, according to Romain de Courcey of Gazelle Mayfair, who also appreciated its ‘delicate gamey character, and good ageing potential’. Team leader Laura Rhys MS called it ‘intense and complex, with rich, powerful fruit and spicy, velvety tannins’, while fellow team leader Laurent Richet MS thought it an ideal match for ‘roasted lamb with garlic and thyme, and creamed spinach’.

£54.30 Enotria&Coe

This had Gold written all over it, with ‘good concentration and intense fruit, as well as smooth, rich tannins and well-integrated alcohol’, according to Gymkhana Restaurant’s Savvas Symeonidis, while consultant Leonie Loudon spoke highly of ‘a spiced palate of pepper and clove, as well as long black cherry fruit, and a soft mouthfeel’. All this, together with some ‘tar notes and a meaty, fleshy texture’ made it ‘ready for a game casserole’, thought Nelio Pinto of Candlesticks.

£10.25 Bibendum

This intriguing Côtes du Rhône took home a Gold medal for its ‘good depth and intensity of flavour, with liquorice, forest floor, leather and chocolate notes, and some well-integrated alcohol and tannins’, said Savvas Symeonidis of Gymkhana Restaurant, while team leader Andres Ituarte spoke highly of some ‘barnyard notes to balance out the juicy plum and currant notes, leading to some straw and schist notes on the long finish’, before concluding that it was ‘perfect with grouse’.

£13.94 Enotria&Coe

‘This should be a crowd pleaser,’ said team leader Laura Rhys MS, adding: ‘There’s a nice fresh berry fruit character with cranberry and redcurrant, plus it’s nicely spiced too; it is fairly light but the overall feel is an easy, fruit-driven wine.’

£8.41 Enotria&Coe

Tanguy Martin of New Street Warehouse seemed happy: ‘This is precise and refined, classy yet full and meaty; it’s satisfyingly savoury as well as fruity. A beautifully blended, very well-made wine; delicious.’

£42.88 Enotria&Coe

Savvas Symeonidis of Gymkhana Restaurant liked the, ' earthy, farmyard noses with ripe, crushed blackberry notes; there's a very high concentration of flavour with cherries and sweet black fruits coupled with smooth, ripe tannins, hints of sweet spice and leather and well integrated alcohol.'

£10.12 Enotria&Coe

Noelia Calleja of Hakkasan Hanway Place noted the ‘intense, black fruit aromas mingling with sweet spice and smoke; there are nice tertiary notes like leather and tobacco. The tannins are elegant and the finish complex.’

£45.66 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘What a big nose,’ said team leader Carlos Ferreira, ‘stuffed with red and black fruits, it feels very smooth with a toasted almond feel; the palate is dense and perhaps still needs a little time to fully unfurl to its undoubted potential.’

£51.62 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘I like the black fruit and gamey aromas,’ said Rémi Cousin of Le Gavroche, ‘it follows on to the velvety palate and the finish is persistent with good acidity and spice.’

£16.50 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘Lovely raspberry nose of Grenache fruit with a touch of coco powder,’ said team leader Nigel Lister, adding: ‘There’s raspberry jam, good acidity and some black fruit and soft spice on the finish.’

£8.90 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘Floral aromatics of dried flowers are backed up with earthy notes and a touch of smoked bacon,’ said team leader Lionel Periner. ‘The ripe palate is stuffed with pepper and a vegetal note and the velvety tannins leave you with a super umami flavour,’ added Woodhead 17’s James Fryer.

£24.78 Bibendum

Gazelle Mayfair’s Romain de Courcy liked the ‘ripe strawberry and raspberry fruit that has a funky, barnyard note adding complexity’, further saying: ‘There’s good weight and tannic structure that carries a nice, mineral, slate feel.’

£12.47 Davy's Wine Merchants

‘There’s good crushed raspberry and blueberry aromas,’ noted team leader Lionel Periner,aadding: ‘The wine is medium bodied with some dry tannin but with a juicy, spicy finish; it’s certainly good value for money.’

£12.50 Boutinot

James Fryer of Woodhead 17 enjoyed the notes of ‘coffee and earthy mud on the nose and the full broad palate’, adding: ‘There’s dense black fruit, white pepper, sweet spice and a long, purple fruit finish.’ Rémi Cousin of Le Gavroche was more concise: ‘Yummy, yummy; intense and refreshing at the same time.’

£60.50 Boutinot

‘Perfect for a Sunday roast,’ thought team leader Carlos Ferreira, ‘the nose has notes of pine, eucalyptus and wet grass, alongside the red and black fruits; the palate is elegant with good acidity and a long and complex finish.’

£30.00 Boutinot

Team leader Carlos Ferreira liked the 'smoky character to the nose with tapenade and dense black olive and garrigue notes; black raspberry and blueberry fruits glide across a delicate palate which remains very fresh and fruity.'
He added: the wine is very well balanced and finishes well too.'

£21.66 Enotria&Coe

Team leader Martin Lam enjoyed ‘the dark cherry fruit and rounded oak; this has real Rhône character and is good value’. ‘Earthy and plummy,’ agreed Ross Antonelli of Hawksmoor Borough, ‘with clove, iodine, dark chocolate and wild garrigue herbs.’

£9.85 Stone Vine & Sun

‘This is pretty, bright and juicy with good length,’ said team leader Jan Konetzki. ‘Nice forest floor and leather aromas with integrated alcohol,’ added Gymkhana Restaurant’s Savvas Symeonidis.

£9.46 Enotria&Coe

Savvas Symeonidis of Gymkhana Restaurant found ‘perfumed notes of rose and violet lead to a smooth red berry palate with balanced tannins and decent length’.

£7.63 Hatch Mansfield

‘This has an intense purple fruit core with purple florals; there’s a nice lift from the fresh acidity and the finish is earthy and meaty with some pepper spice,’ said James Fryer of Woodhead 17.

£10.94 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

‘Nice charcuterie match’ thought team leader Nigel Lister, adding: ‘It’s nicely aromatic with black cherry, pepper and violets; the tannins are gentle and it makes for a lighter style with a sappy, thirst-quenching finish.’

£8.89 Davy's Wine Merchants

The Glasshouse’s Adam Michocki noted: ‘A very peppery nose with fresh forest fruits like blueberry, cassis and blackberry. The palate is smooth with fine-boned tannins and a long and pleasant finish.’

£16.53 Enotria&Coe

‘The nose is very fresh and fruity,’ said team leader Carlos Ferreira, ‘with red cherries, smoke and pine; the palate is also aromatic, smooth, elegant and fresh; it finishes beautifully long.’

£11.65 Boutinot

‘I’d ideally like to age this for another two or three years when it would be really very interesting,’ said Le Gavroche’s Rémi Cousin, adding: ‘There are already lovely notes of dark chocolate, and black olive with a juicy, intense mouthfeel.’

£46.54 Enotria&Coe

£27.28 Enotria&Coe

£20.12 Enotria&Coe

£8.15 Matthew Clark

£9.74 Matthew Clark

£15.98 ADVINI

£22.38 Matthew Clark

£14.88 Bibendum

£9.63 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£25.22 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£33.65 Boutinot

£19.75 Boutinot

£6.95 Boutinot

£9.53 Bibendum

£9.94 Enotria&Coe

£7.33 Stone Vine & Sun