Reviews

Elizabeth Spencer’s success in Napa Valley soon led to curiosity about neighbouring areas such as Mendocino. “With its super-primary nose, with a strawberry coulis, fruits of the forest edge, this is bright and fruit-driven with plenty of ripe tannins,” the judges said. “Sunny, smiley, accessible and unashamedly rip California Cab at a decent price.”

Here’s a great everyday-style wine for when you just want a good chardonnay with some peach and apricot fruit character and a hint of sweetness, but nothing to contemplate or hijack your dinner conversation with oenogeeky discourse. It’s straightforward, simple and delicious. - Dave McIntyre

A ripe, fresh and expressive nose freely offers up its combination of black cherry, earth, anise and floral top notes. Here too the vibrant and attractively textured flavors are not especially concentrated though they do display slightly more minerality on the dusty, youthfully austere and balanced finale. This is a refined Pommard but a Pommard nonetheless so at least some patience will be necessary.

An overtly sauvage-inflected nose is comprised by notes of forest floor and smoky red and dark pinot fruit scents. The delicious and vibrant if only moderately dense middleweight flavors conclude in a markedly rustic, robust and youthfully austere finale that is persistent if slightly warm. This is very Gevrey in character and a wine that's going to require at least some patience.

A wonderfully spicy broad-ranging nose features pure notes of wild red currant, leather, earth and a hint of wood influence. The delicious, vibrant and muscular medium weight plus flavors possess a beguiling mid-palate texture while exuding a subtle bead of minerality on the balanced, lingering and youthfully austere finale. This is excellent though a wine destined for long-term keeping.