The organic and biodynamic Alois Lageder 2018 Chardonnay Löwengang offers a medley of ripe fruit and apricot with soft spice and toasted cinnamon. Aged mostly in barrique and some larger wooden barrel, the oak is well balanced overall, owing more to the textural richness of the mouthfeel, as well as to the warm and toasted notes that appear on the bouquet. There is plenty of soft fruit to flesh it out. This wine is prime for a generous 10-year drinking window.

Very potent aromas of blackcurrants and toasted oak with hints of eucalyptus and black-cherry liqueur, following through to a full palate with firm tannins that drive the fruit on through the long finish. There’s a kind of raw, almost rough-and-ready character to this that’s a bit hard work now. Will even out with bottle age. One for the cellar. Try from 2024.

The 2018 Syrah La Monaca is an inky purple color in the glass. It offers a dark and seductive bouquet that mixes blackberries and plum sauce with balsamic spice, brown sugar and hints of peppery herbs. Its textures are silky-smooth, casting ripe black fruits over a medium-bodied frame. The density and richness here tempt the imagination as fine tannins and minerals saturate under an air of violet florals. This finishes incredibly long, to notes of salted licorice and currants. The La Monaca is already highly enjoyable for its concentration and sheer potential, but it will blossom after a few years of cellaring. These vines were planted in 2011 in a mix of sand, clay and limestone at the Sallier de La Tour estate in the northwest section of the island. Considering how well the 2018 is showing, I can only imagine what more vine age will bring.

Subtle aromas of orange peel, cherries, and dried flowers follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and a refined, subtle finish. Such beauty. So drinkable and fine.

EDITOR'S CHOICE Savory and inviting, this has alluring scents of wild berries, citrus, Mediterranean brush and sea breeze. It's crisp, dry and delicious, delivering juicy Morello cherry, pomegranate and dark spice notes set against crisp acidity.