Bancroft Wines

Bancroft Wines annual portfolio tasting 2016

The sign of a really good wine merchant is that you can pick any wine at random and that it be good one. There was nary a disappointing wine at this Bancroft portfolio tasting.

There were:

- mainstream classics from Champagne, Chablis, Alsace, Barolo and Rioja
- new standard bearers from Ribeira del Duero, Western Australia and Languedoc
- emerging regions including South Africa, the Adriatic and England
- and finally a couple of stickies.

Best value and top patriotic factor
Westwell Pelegrim Extra Brut NV fresh, toasty and mineral with good fruit expression

Top fizz
Pierre Paillard Grand Cru Vintage 2004 elegant and complex with citrus, sherbet and aged character; long and precise.

Top Chablis
Billaud-Simon GC Vaudesir 2013 smokey-toasty-citrus, rich ripe and succulent with acacia honey. Substantial, powerful and deftly intense

Best budget Languedoc white
Tradition Blanc, Viranel 2015 aromatic honeysuckle, tropical citrus fruits; fresh, substantial and waxy

Best mid-range Languedoc white
Grand Cuvee Blanc 2013 Hortus smokey-toasty, fresh yet substantial with honeysuckle and ripe tropical citrus; concentrated and deft

Best Spanish producer
Hermanos Perez Pascuas from Ribeira del Duero was a revelation
Reserva 2010 fresh, intense, incredibly vibrant with crunchy fruit, spices and liquorice; concentrated and long.

Perez Pascuas Gran Seleccion 2005 cherries, bramble fruit and game with an intense freshness and linear precision; long with layers and waves of complexity. Incredibly youthful - but you'll need deep pockets

Best Adriatic wines
Opoka SB 2013 smokey-toasty, linear and precise; elegant and fresh with lifted varietal aromatics.
Opoka Merlot 2009 Bordelais-style Merlot. Cherries, coffee grounds and spice in a fresh, intense, powerful mix; complex, long and concentrated. Still youthful.

Best southern hemisphere wine
Block 6 Chardonnay, Hay Shed Hill, WA, 2014 toasty-smokey, saline and mineral; cool-climate elegance with New World purity and expressiveness

Best sticky
Maury 20 Ans d'Age, Mas Amiel complex, intense and mellow roasted peaches and freshness. Long and substantial.

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