Felton Road 2025 En Primeur

Felton Road’s Chardonnays are a real lesson in purity and tension, the style focusing on citrus fruit and blossom, a lovely mineral expression, and moreish barely ripe white peach. Saline, floral, taut, and utterly delicious, it has the structure for cellaring but is a joy to drink now. 0-5 years.

An attractive Bannockburn, all dark flowers, and rich cherry fruit but with more to come in time. The palate shows good expression with classical Pinot leaf, raspberry and darker notes of the forest floor, and more floral touches. Medium bodied, with fine-grained tannins and great energy. 0-7 years.

The 25th release of Cornish Point boasts a typically flamboyant nose of flowers and red fruits, leading on to a similarly rich and joyous palate. Layers of fruit, great freshness throughout and punctuated by fine spicing. This will provide great pleasure on release and over the coming decade or so. 0-7 years.

The low-lying Calvert Vineyard ripens earlier than Elms thanks to less shading from the western hills. A mix of clones and rootstocks, this produces modest-sized bunches and small berries, structured Pinot Noir with plentiful fine tannins and a pronounced mineral quality. Great breadth on the palate, the fruit character leans to the darker end of the spectrum with a persistent floral perfume. 2-9 years.

Macmuir steps up in terms of power and depth, and leans into the comments about 2025 being more ‘serious’. The site gives darker fruits, and certain muscular quality and higher levels of tannin. Rich but refined, this is a classy edition of great purity and will reward cellaring. 3-15 years.