Pale copper colour that leans more orange than red – ramato style. Unbelievably fresh for having seven years of age! Sticky dried apricots, toast and tangy lactic yogurt on the nose. The tannins are exceedingly gentle, adding body and breadth. Mouth-filling acidity that’s perfectly balanced against the tannin and fruit. A compelling orange-peel-, spice- and salt-laced finish. A lesson in the ageability of skin-contact ‘whites’. 

Medium lemon with a bronze hue. Saline, peachy and yeasty with light floral notes. Wonderfully classic. Medium(+) fresh acidity and a bit of texture and grip to the salty finish. I’d rather drink the Curubella 2019 but I’d use this in a blind tasting any day of the week for very good, very classic Pinot Grigio.

A finely balanced red, refreshing and focused. Sculpted, chalky-edged tannins provide a firm structure that’s nicely meshed with flavors of pureed mulberry, macerated black cherry, minerally iron and graphite. A savory push of herbed olive shows on the finish. Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2037.

Golden apple, macadamia nut, and juicy apricot and yellow melon notes are a warm and inviting entry point for this elegant white. Finely meshed, integrating mouthwatering acidity and a subtle skein of underlying salinity. This persists on the palate, echoing accents of chamomile, preserved lemon, flint and thyme. Drink now through 2035. 444 cases made, 20 cases imported.

The 2023 Crozes-Hermitage Les Launes is composed of around 80% fruit from the alluvial plains, complemented by grapes from Gervans and Larnage on granitic soils, and was matured partly in used barrels (around 20%). It opens with a bright bouquet of dark fruits and violet, offering a fresh and floral aromatic profile with notes of mulberry. Medium-bodied, juicy and elegant, it’s gourmand and immediately appealing, though not especially deep. More tense and structured on the palate than the nose suggests, it remains straight and well-defined, concluding with an ethereal finish.