As this took its place on the Gold List, team leader Jade Koch described ‘tea and purple fruit notes, as well as some chocolate liqueur’, and found it to be ‘elegant and lingering, sweet and taut’, while The Gilbert Scott’s Juan Manuel Marcos Perez noted its ‘intense flavours, with ripe tannins and fruit well integrated with the oak’. ‘A juicy palate of cherries, cedar and tobacco’ all led team leader Laurent Richet MS to picture this alongside a ‘peppered steak with morel mushrooms and green asparagus’.

£15.89 Winetraders

‘Power and elegance’ elevated this to Gold, according to team leader Charlie Young, along with its ‘leafy blackcurrant aromas and a super-fresh palate packed with blackberries and spice’. A similarly impressed Tanguy Martin of New Street Warehouse thought this had ‘a really fresh, punchy nose and crunchy red fruits, leading to a palate that is firm and fresh, showing the classic flavours of Barbera’, before concluding that it was ‘yummy and juicy, with great grip’.

£12.96 Top Selection

‘A marvellous wine from start to finish,’ began Daniel Jonberger of Rockliffe Hall, echoing the sentiment of his fellow judges as they elevated this to Gold, and further describing ‘a mixture of soft berries, and a good dose of cedar wood too, with a hint of spice’. Charlie Carter of Ten Green Bottles went on to describe ‘lovely lingering sweet morello cherry fruit character, with mouth-coating tannins that clear nicely to reveal a refreshing, dark fruit flavour’.

£34.12 Bibendum

‘Lovely purity of fruit’ made this a clear Gold winner for team leader Charlie Young, who thought it was ‘beautifully defined, with dark red berry aromas, full tannins and good freshness on the finish’. Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club appreciated ‘wild strawberries and gentle herbal hints, with a spicy, cherry fruit-driven finish’, while team Leader Martin Lam enjoyed ‘dark berry fruit notes mingling with violets on the nose, and a palate that’s high toned but balanced, and savoury, too’.

£17.30 Bibendum

This Nebbiolo took home a well-deserved Gold medal for its ‘electric red rose bouquet, with marked red berry aromas’, according to Alonso Abed of Hide Above, who went on to find a palate with ‘piercing cherry and floral notes that invite you to finish the glass’. Sunaina Sethi of JKS Restaurants found it similarly ‘approachable, with a pretty nose of juicy fruits, and good structure – a very bright and vibrant wine’.

£13.14 Davy's Wine Merchants

Judges were generous in their praise of this Gold Lister, with Elena Serban of Hakkasan finding ‘great varietal definition, with cherry and plum, and a nice floral lift’, while for Charlie Carter of Ten Green Bottles there were ‘fresh tomato leaf aromas and hints of coffee’. An impressed Daniel Jonberger of Rockliffe Hall further described it as ‘smooth, with notes of lavender’, before adding that ‘the oak gives a lick of caramel, too’.

£6.95 Boutinot

‘A top Barolo with superb ageing potential’ was Diana Rollan of D&D’s summary, as this unsurprisingly took Gold. She went on to describe it as ‘floral, with classic rose petal notes and dense red berries, with lovely dried herbs, too, as well as sweet spices, cedar wood and vibrant acidity – great balance and concentration. Delicious.’ A similarly impressed Sunaina Sethi of JKS Restaurants found it ‘pretty and perfumed’, with ‘cigar box, prune, cherry and vanilla notes’ making it ideal for ‘pork with mustard mash’.

£48.57 Liberty Wines

This ‘taut and beautiful’ Gold winner had a ‘gorgeous floral, tarry nose’, according to team leader Nigel Lister, while fellow team leader Laurent Richet MS spoke highly of its ‘perfumed notes, bright tobacco and sour cherries, as well as some pencil shavings’, and further praised its ‘vibrant acidity well balanced with firm acidity’. Cliveden House’s Francisco Macedo, meanwhile, thought its ‘tertiary notes of dried fruit and liquorice’ would pair perfectly with ‘venison served with a berry sauce’.

£35.25 Mondial Wine

This was clearly deserving of a place on the Gold List, with its ‘intense creosote, oaky nose and sweet, tannic, oak-enveloped palate’, according to team leader Martin Lam, while Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club appreciated its ‘perfumed red cherry and coffee aromas, firm chalky tannins and a fresh long finish’. ‘Nicely balanced,’ said Sunaina Sethi of JKS Restaurants, describing ‘tobacco, leather and underlying red fruit, along with a delicate tannin structure’.

£62.17 Liberty Wines

As this took its rightful place on the Gold List, La Trompette’s Virginia Fontò spoke highly of its complex combination of ‘strawberry and sour cherry notes, as well as tobacco, cigar box, black pepper and dark chocolate, as well as truffle and wet autumnal leaves’. D&D’s Diana Rollan found it ‘floral, with notes of dried herbs and tar – an elegant and delicate wine with a beautifully balanced palate and lovely concentration and texture’, adding: ‘This would be a great wine for your perfect steak.’

£81.14 Top Selection

This Barbaresco snapped up Gold with its ‘red cherry and green peppercorn aromas, leading to firm and chalky tannins, culminating in a long, elegant finish’, according to Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club, while team leader Martin Lam appreciated its ‘fresh, lifted-fruit nose, with lots of spice and lovely liquorice, as well as some sweet and sour fruit’. ‘Intense and highly structured, with leather and tobacco leaf,’ added fellow team leader Laurent Richet MS, who thought that made it ideal for ‘wild boar with smoked peppers’.

£28.26 Enotria&Coe

This had ‘clean, pure and fresh blackcurrant aromas’ for team leader Charlie Young, who added: ‘The fruit is very attractive and juicy and the finish is not heavy at all.’ ‘I like the meatiness to it,’ said Tanguy Martin of New Street Warehouse, adding: ‘It’s intense and full but the fruit is sweet with nice touches of mint and liquorice.’

£16.43 Bibendum

Alonso Abed of Hide Above admired the ‘dense, blackberry and blackcurrant aromas, the beautiful structure and lively fruit finish’, while Rémi Cousin of Le Gavroche noted that ‘the wine is intense, yet fresh; juicy and persistent’.

£14.73 Bibendum

‘Fresh cassis aromas with some green leaf notes,’ said Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club, also noting ‘gentle, raspberry jam fruit with a touch of black pepper and a nice mouthfeel’.

£10.75 Boutinot

‘There’s light, fresh and fruity red berries, with a floral and herbal twist of aromatics,’ said Julien Sahut of Sexy Fish, adding: ‘The palate is very well balanced with lots of young, fresh red fruit flavours. The fairly high acidity balances with the elegant tannins.’

£22.95 Eurowines

Diana Rollan of D&D described this as ‘spicy, earthy and toasty’ and went on to say: ‘Quite floral on the nose but with notes of white pepper. The wine has good acidity with round tannins making it feel agreeable and balanced.’

£15.60 Bibendum

‘Beautiful nose,’ said team leader Carlos Ferreira: ‘floral with red fruits, really very complex. Very well balanced, fresh and elegant.’ ‘The refreshing acidity makes the wine feel lighter,’ remarked D&D’s Diana Rollan, who found it ‘very round and balanced’.

£35.57 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Gentle wild berry and bramble nose leads to firm, ripe tannins. There are some nice high herbal notes adding complexity to the finish,’ said Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club. ‘Floral, sappy, perfumed and assured,’ thought team leader Martin Lam.

£11.68 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘This has real depth and nuance,’ said team leader Martin Lam, ‘the chewy tannins and nice depth of fruit shows promise.’ ‘Red cherry and fresh plum mingle with meaty aromas and spice, leading to a long finish,’ added Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club

£27.84 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Cigar box, cedar wood and spice,’ noted D&D’s Diana Rollan, adding: ‘The red berry fruit has good acidity and the tannic structure is in balance. This is really concentrated with good texture and very good potential.’

£41.07 Winetraders

‘Pronounced red fruit aromas mingle with dried herbs, chocolate, clove and liquorice in this full-bodied wine,’ said Savoy Grill’s Matteo Cali, while D&D’s Diana Rollan described it as a ‘floral, delicate and complex Barolo with a great texture’ and concluded: ‘Classic style to be paired with red meat.’

£34.60 Eurowines

‘Big on colour, nose and palate! A rich mouthful that explodes in flavour from oak, tobacco, black cherry and supple blueberry fruit. Really rather well balanced though,’ said Daniel Jonberger of Rockliffe Hall.

£22.84 Alliance Wine

‘Essence of hay with cherries, too,’ said Daniel Jonberger of Rockliffe Hall, adding: ‘The mouthfeel is calm, with cedar tree and a long aftertaste.’

£11.64 Davy's Wine Merchants

£40.00 Boutinot

£9.00 Matthew Clark

£13.28 Enotria&Coe

£20.69 Top Selection

£53.11 Bibendum

£40.76 Bibendum

£18.10 Bibendum

£26.90 Liberty Wines

£24.95 Eurowines

£16.34 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£10.46 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£8.00 Carson Wines

£26.00 Carson Wines

£22.00 Carson Wines