Tasted in February 2009. Click for stockists.

Henriot Brut Souverain NV: An appealing nose, of dry stony fruits. The palate is attractive, very nicely composed, with a soft and integrated mousse. At the core there are some nice acids, more fruit character like the nose, and overall a lot of harmony. The midpalate is a little richer. Overall this is a charming and approachable wine. 17/20

Henriot Blanc Souverain Pur Chardonnay NV: This has a more stony and minerally character than the Brut Souverain, with ripe, herby, minerally fruit. The palate comes through with a lovely style though, sappy and gentle, harmonious but with crisp acidity. This is a very elegantly poised wine with lots to offer. 17/20

Henriot Vintage 1998: A more evolved character on the nose here, with toffee-biscuit aromas to the fore. The palate has a beautifully rich honeycomb fruit style, although it has a lively, vigorous character, helped with crisp acidity that just dances across the palate. Another very stylish cuvée from Henriot. Would no doubt improve further in the cellar, but why wait? This is perfect for drinking now. 17.5+/20

Henriot Cuvée des Enchantaleurs 1995: The top cuvée has a smoothly integrated panoply of aromas on the nose, with notes of honey, biscuit and ash, presented in a much richer fashion than the 1998 Vintage. Polished, honeyed and biscuity, firm and integrated, harmonious with lots of depth. An elegant texture though, with a lovely, creamy edge to the finish. Every moment here is bright and yet full flavoured. Excellent wine; like the 1998, drink now or hold. 18+/20

Henriot Brut Rosé NV: A pale, salmon pink, less expressive on the nose than the other Henriot wines on show today. A fine, gently integrated palate, with lots of acid and mousse to the fore, although with a fine texture underneath. Good harmony here. A stylish wine, again likely to improve with time. 16.5+/20

Domaine des Vieux Pruniers Sancerre 2007: From a domaine in Bué, this wine starts off with an appealingly open nose, full of yellow capsicum, yellow plum and grassy buttercream. Fresh, with moderate texture and crisp fruit on the palate, moderate concentration and a clean style. The flavour profile is very true to the grape rather than terroir I feel, with lots of fruit character. A good wine for fans of New Zealand Sauvignon I think. 16.5/20

Champalou Vouvray 2006: Catherine and Didier Champalou are respected growers based very near Vouvray, but this was a very poor vintage for the region. The wines has attractive, soft, minerally, restrained fruits on the nose, which seems fairly open and harmonious. The palate seems rather fat but fresh, with gentle acidity, a rounded and slightly sappy character, and a nice streak of mineral. Harmonious, juicy and fresh, this is a well made 2006. 15.5-16/20

Domaine de Vauroux Chablis 2007: A domaine I have some limited experience of - the 2001 Montmains was lovely. This wine has a nice, chalky-fruit nose, preceding a soft start on the palate although it has more flesh in the middle. Decent acidity, little notes of pithy fruit, and nuances of bitter cinder toffee. A nice sappy finish. For this level, this offers good quality. 15.5+/20

Domaine de Vauroux Chablis Grand Cru Bougros 2002: Probably the lesser of all the grands crus, but certainly a favourable vintage. A very minerally nose here, very reminiscent of seashells and brine, with rich and herbal fruit, and suggestions of depth. A good, broad start, but then the disharmony of youth comes in; I think this is very good wine, but at the moment it is all over the place, with a fat honeycomb richness quite detached from the firm acidity, all culminating in a fairly bitter grip. Clear potential here, but I would advise leaving alone for 3-5 years. 17+/20

Domaine Saumaize Michelin Pouilly-Fuissé Ampelopsis 2005: Hand-harvested fruit, fermented en barrique, followed by regular bâtonnage during an élevage that may last up to eight months. The nose has a huge oak component, a mass of honey, butter and vanilla all rolled into one. The palate has good depth, is well textured, but the fruit is swamped by the oak. The acidity is rather soft, although there is wood tannin for backbone. I find this undrinkable now, but perhaps it will integrate and show more harmony with time - if the fruit holds up. But I have my doubts. 13.5+?/20

Chateau de Cabidos Petit Manseng Sec Cuvée Compte Philippe (VdP des Pyrenées Atlantiques) 2006: From a region just north of Jurançon, where Petit Manseng feels very much at home, this wine has a very expressive nose, although there is a little touch of reduction to it. The palate is fat, with honeyed galia melon. It has some nice midpalate acidity although it still feels rather flashy and top-heavy. But it has a nice, bitter grip to it, and it finishes with a firm, minerally, sappy finish after a soft start. 15/20

Domaine d'Alzipratu Vermentino (Corsica) 2007: Pure Vermentino (which is the Italian name - the variety is better known as Rolle in French) from granite vineyards around the Bay of Calvi. It has a rather quiet nose, with some steely-lemony fruit. The palate kicks off in the same fashion, with crisp acidity to the fore, then revealing rather wild, slightly feral, bitter characteristics. Impressive acidity; this would be great with seafood. Good wine. 16/20

Giovanni Puiatti Puiattino Pinot Grigio (Friuli) 2007: This wine has nice, fresh chalky-lemony mineral fruits on the nose. The palate has an interesting bitterness, although underneath this it is soft and fleshy. There is some decent acidity but it remains a touch unfocused despite this. Nice grip to it though. Interesting; a Pinot Grigio that provokes a little contemplation. 15/20

Jermann Vinnae (Friuli) 2007: This wine is predominantly Ribolla Gialla, but may include Tocai Friulano and other varieties. It has lively, fresh, aromatic and rather golden fruits on the nose, and the palate follows up with plenty of appeal; it has a fine, needle-like precise acidity at the core, and around that an attractive weight, with plenty of fresh fruit flavour. A touch of honeysuckle too? Good grip at the finish. 16.5/20

Jermann Capo Martino (Friuli) 2006: From Jermann's Capo Martino vineyard, and usually a blend of varieties including Tocai Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Picolit. This wine shows more obvious depth on the nose, with plenty of honeyed oak character, much more so than Vinnae, but with fresh golden fruits alongside. The palate is fairly fat, with ripe, honeyed, dried fruits, and plenty of oak influence like the nose. The acidity is soft but attractive, and there is good grip to it. And a touch of minerally spice. Good wine, for oak fans. 16.5+/20

Laura Aschero Pigato (Liguria) 2007: Pigato is a white variety best associated with Liguria, although it may have originated from Greece. This example has a nose of restrained but ripe golden fruits, and a hint of acacia. The palate has fresh, crisply defined acidity, and moderate concentration; the fruit has a pastille-like sweetness although ultimately it is lean and punchy. This is attractive, but uncomplicated, and would make good current drinking with seafood. 15/20

Umani Ronchi Pecorino Golden Fleece (Abruzzo) 2007: Made from Pecorino - the grape, not the cheese. A light, stony, lychee-like perfume on the nose to this wine, and on the palate a fresh, minerally, rather sherbetty palate. Softly structured, plump but with some rather bitter fruits, moderate concentration of flavour at best, and rather stretched out on the finish. Interesting. 14.5/20

Cantine Settesoli MandraRossa Fiano (Sicily) 2008: From the forward-thinking Settesoli co-operative, which is also responsible for the Inycon wines, comes this 100% Fiano. It has a lean, crisp, peppery nose, with the aromas of stone fruit, more reminiscent of sweet, canned pears than anything else. Lean and steely on the palate, more soft pear fruit, and rather subtle acidity giving a soft plump style overall. It finished with a rather perfumed, chalky, feminine feel. Decent wine, and a fairly priced introduction to the variety. 14/20

Planeta La Segreta Bianco (Sicily) 2007: A blend of Chardonnay, Fiano, Grecanico, Sauvignon and Viognier, bottled under screwcap. This has a pile of vanillin oak on the nose, and the palate follows on in a full, rich fat style, with a low level of acidity. It starts off quite unfocused, but peppery acidity in the midpalate helps a little. It is rather dominated by the oak and I suspect this wine would be best drunk young. 14/20

Planeta Cometa (Sicily) 2007: This is 100% Fiano, an indigenous Sicilian variety. It has gloriously open fruit on the nose, with a rich, crystalline, pear-like character. The palate is also hugely distinctive, with flavours of white flower petals, pears, apricots and acacia. Even a hint of lychee I fancy, backed up by nice acidity and minerals. This is delicious wine which will please many. 17/20

Willems Riesling Schiefer Trocken (Saar) 2007: From a tiny 3.5 hectare Saar estate, Riesling fermented to a dry state in stainless steel. The nose is fairly appealing, with a chalky lime character and a suggestion of sweetness, unexpected in a trocken of course. It is certainly dry on the palate though, and the weight of fruit doesn't match the wines structure in my opinion. I can't help feeling this would have been better fermented in a more traditional fashion. 13.5/20

Paulinshof Brauneberger-Juffer Riesling Spatlese (Mosel) 2005: Paulinshof is a 9 hectare Mosel estate run by Christa and Oliver Jungling. This wine has a riper and more immediately appealing nose that the Willems Schiefer Trocken. The palate follows through with sweet, plump fruit, marked particularly by lychee. It has a fleshy character but again I find the structure and fruit working poorly together. Not a very well defined or lively wine. 13.5/20

Iona Noble Sauvignon Blanc (Elgin) 2008: This is botrytised Sauvignon Blanc made by Andrew Gunn. It certainly has an interesting nose, with a blast of bright, rich, crystalline fruit edged with toffee - aromas that are incongruous, after all whoever heard of citrus-flavoured toffee - but nevertheless are intriguing. The palate is fleshy, quite savoury despite the sweetness apparent, with honey, beeswax and acacia flavours. It is dense, sappy and certainly mouth-watering, and overall appealing - for drinking now, or even for cellaring; it would be fascinating to see what it does in the cellar. 17+/20

Peller Family Estates Vidal Oak Aged Icewine (Niagara) 2005: The Peller family have a long history of wine production in the region, with a particular focus on Icewine. The nose is, as I would expect, intense; there is honey, beeswax, crystalline fruit and more than a touch of mint. The palate is fat, characterful, and naturally it is eye-poppingly sweet. But overall I find it all a little soft focus; there is so much going on here that even the usually high acidity of icewine seems swamped. I would like to see more integration and definition. And more complexity too, but maybe that just is something I just shouldn't look for in icewine. 15/20