94

2019 Argyros Estate Assyrtiko, Santorini

( £28, 14%, Bottle Apostle, Philglas & Swiggot, Tanners )

Oh to be sitting in a bar in Santorini drinking a glass of this amazing wine. But sipping it in London’s still a pleasure, reminding me of the lure of the Greek islands. Made from old, ungrafted bush vines grown on volcanic soils, it’s a stunning white from Matthew Argyros, demonstrating Assyrtiko’s classic combination of salty, briney aromatics, crunchy minerality and flavours of preserved lemons and wild herbs. Long, focused and beautifully balanced.

BuyDrinking window: 2020-24Similar Wines: £20-£30, 90-94, Greece, White, Assyrtiko
93

2019 Viña Progreso Underground Collection Barrel-Less Tannat, Progreso, Canelones

( £26.75, 13.5% )

“A wine of the vintage”, according to Gabriel Pisano, but this is no Beaujolais Nouveau. In fact, this brilliant, unwooded Tannat from one of Uruguay’s best young winemakers, sourced from 30-year-old vines in the Progreso sub-region, doesn’t have to be drunk in a hurry at all. Youthful, juicy and fresh, with plum and black cherry fruit, a stony undertone and sappy, savoury tannins. Just the thing to drink while you’re reading my 2020 Uruguay Report.

BuyDrinking window: 2020-27Similar Wines: £20-£30, 90-94, Uruguay, Red, Tannat
93

2017 Kellerei Kurtatsch Sonntaler Grauvernatsch, Südtirol

( £20.60, 12%, Alpine Wines )

What’s Grauvernatsch supposed to taste like? To be honest, I’m not really sure as it’s a grape I’ve never knowingly encountered before. But if you like elegant, light-bodied Alpine reds – from the Italian Südtirol in this case – you’ll love the understated elegance of this light, scented refreshing red, with its fragrant wild strawberry and redcurrant fruit, silky tannins and aromatic herbs. Juicy and unwooded, it’s a wine that tastes even better chilled.

BuyDrinking window: 2019-23Similar Wines: £20-£30, 92-94, Italy, Red, Grauvernatsch
92

2017 Feiler-Artinger Neuburger Trocken, Rust Am See, Burgenland

( £22.50, 13%, Tanners )

Neuburger is an extremely rare grape, even in its native Austria, with only 550 of the country’s 44,000 hectares, but Feiler-Artinger have made something of a specialty of the variety. This is wonderfully perfumed, with very understated oak, peachy, savoury, spicy flavours, plenty of weight and texture. It gives the impression of slight sweetness, but finishes dry, refreshing and well balanced. A wonderful curiosity.

BuyDrinking window: 2019-22Similar Wines: £20-£30, 90-94, Austria, White, Neuburger
93

NV Cottonworth Rosé, Hampshire

( £29.95, 12.5%, Rude Wines )

I get a small glow of pride reviewing this wine as I tasted it at a Three Wine Men event and told the Rude Wines team how good it was. I’m delighted to say they agreed with me and listed it. Cottonworth is not one of the best-known English bubbly producers, but it’s definitely a name to keep an eye on if this is typical of future releases. Balanced, elegant and refined, with small bubbles, notes of summer berries and candy floss, a creamy, textured, mid palate and a long, satisfying finish. Great as an aperitif or with a bowl of strawberries.

BuyDrinking window: 2019-23Similar Wines: £20-£30, 90-94, England, Sparkling, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir
93

2015 Dog Point Vineyard Chardonnay, Marlborough

( £21, 13.5%, The Wine Society )

Not as well known as the Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc releases, but every bit as good in my opinion, this is frequently among my favourite South Island Chardonnays. Toasty, savoury and enticing, it has citrus and beeswax notes supported by fresh, palate cleasning acidity and a nutty finish. Just starting to develop bottle-aged complexity. 

BuyDrinking window: 2018-24Similar Wines: £20-£30, 91-95, New Zealand, White, Chardonnay
93

2012 Neudorf, Moutere Pinot Noir, Moutere, Nelson

( £29, 13.5%, Available from the winery )

Pinots from the clays of Moutere always remind me of the wines of Pommard in Burgundy. They are rich, bold, even slightly sturdy wines that are textured, a little gruff even, and extremely impressive. Structured and concentrated, this is savouery, spicy and intense, with notes of incense and sweet summer berries, supported by tannins. 

BuyDrinking window: 2017-22Similar Wines: £20-£30, 91-95, New Zealand, Red, Pinot Noir
92

2015 Neudorf Twenty Five Rows Chardonnay, Moutere, Nelson

( £21, 13.5%, Available from the winery )

Neudorf makes some of the most characterful Chardonnays in New Zealand. This is their unoaked, Kiwi-meets-Chablis style that sess no oak, but seven months on lees to pick up some extra texture and weight. Supple and fruity, with notes of white peach and pear, taut acidity and a long, satisfying finish. 

BuyDrinking window: 2017-20Similar Wines: £20-£30, 91-95, New Zealand, White, Chardonnay
94

2015 Our Fathers Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia

( £25, 14.5%, Our Fathers Wines )

A wine that tastes as good as it looks, this is made by my fellow Master of Wine, Giles Cooke (we passed in the same year), who donates all of the profits to charity. Sourced from the Ebenezer sub-region of the Barossa Valley, it’s rich, but well balanced, with subtle oak, refreshing acidity, fine-grained tannins and sweet bramble and bluberry fruit. Long and refreshing with a savoury tang. 

BuyDrinking window: 2018-23Similar Wines: £20-£30, 91-95, Australia, Red, Syrah/Shiraz
93

1998 Fonseca, Guimaraens Vintage Port, Douro Valley

( £27.99, 20.5%, Waitrose )

Mid-way between a single quinta and not-quite-a-vintage Port, this is rich, sweet and easy to drink, but with more structure and concentration than is immediately apparent. Spicy, peppery and showing a little bit of fiery spirit, this has dark, creamy fruit flavours and a complex, chocolatey finish. 

Drinking window: 2016-20Similar Wines: £20-£30, 91-95, Portugal, Fortified
94

2015 Sybille Kuntz Riesling Auslese Feinherb, Mosel

( TBC, 12.5%, www.sybillekuntz.de )

One of a series of delicious releases from Sybille Kuntz in 2015, this is rich, but not heavy in the slightest, handling its 50 odd grams of residual sugar with ease, thanks to its thrillingly vivid acidity. Honey, spices, lime and remarkable palate length are the hallmarks of this classic-meets-modern Mosel style. 

Drinking window: 2016-28Similar Wines: £20-£30, 91-95, Germany, White, Riesling