Two impressive wines from Whinyard Rocks in Wales, UK

Whinyard Rocks is a small-scale vineyard in Radnor, Powys, Wales. There are 2500 vines planted on 1.5 acres, and the wines are made in a low-intervention way. I tried these two beautifully packed Pet Nat/Col Fondos and was impressed.

Whinyard Rocks Pet Nat 2021 Wales
10% alcohol. This is a blend of 70% Solaris and 30% Ortega, with some skin maceration and then co-fermentation in stainless steel. Bottled with just a bit of sugar left, then disgorged by hand. No added sulfites. A full golden orange colour this is wonderfully aromatic with exotic peach notes. In the mouth it is bright with fresh citrus (mandarin and lime) as well as more peach and pear characters. Vivid and intense, with keen acidity making its presence felt but not getting in the way. Lovely pure fruit flavours here: I’m really impressed. And it’s so joyful. 91/100

Whinyard Rocks Col Rondo 2021 Wales
10.3% alcohol. This is made from Rondo, a hybrid with good resistance to downy mildew created in 1964 by Helmut Becker, with some Asian Vitis in the mix, crossed with Sankt Laurent as the vinifera partner. This was fermented and then bottled with some sugar to create the bubbles in a Col Fondo style, and with no additions (including sulfites) and no disgorgement. It’s joyously richly coloured and has aromas of crushed raspberries and black cherries, with some green hints. In the mouth this is tart and dry with beautiful pure, fresh berry fruits, with a nice spicy, tangy bite. Some hints of liqourice, too, with a lovely focused, tart quality to the fruit. Brilliantly done. 92/100