Made from the old Houghton clone, all I could think of here was Thierry Allemande’s Cornas when I brought this wine to my lips. Rob uses 65% whole bunch and 600-litre barrels, 25% of which are new. So, you could say he throws the kitchen sink at this, but from anyone else’s winemaking point of view, this ‘recipe’ could seem pretty tame. The reason for him stepping back is that this fruit is simply terrific. It is a direct reflection of the most rigorous vineyard selection. Matt targets the finest fruit in his ‘morning side’ picks. These grapes are tighter, firmer and cooler and this is the theme for this extraordinary wine. The pepper and game notes are very much under control here and it is the fruit this is so piercingly clean and refreshing. This is a worthy sibling to the sensational Grenache. 19+/20 (drink 2024 – 2034) Matthew Jukes