Lounge raid, BA terminal 5, including Mullineux, Henriot and Greywacke
A quick stop in the First Class lounge at Heathrow Terminal Five gave me a chance to do some tasting.
Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain NV France
Bright, juicy and vivid with nice citrus fruit and a touch of toastiness. There’s some prettiness to the fruit with the dosage balancing the acidity beautifully. Pure, with some complexity, and excellent balance, showing a bit of richness but also zesty freshness. This is really good. 91/100
Simonsig Chenin Avec Chêne 2017 Stellenbosch
Full yellow in colour. This is a richer style of Chenin Blanc with a bit of age. Toasty with some nutty notes as well as pear and peach fruit, and a touch of boiled cabbage that isn’t unpleasant. There’s depth here, but also some freshness, with apple and lemon characters. 90/100
Domaene Gobelsburg Riesling 2024 Kamptal, Austria
A good, presumably inexpensive Kamptal Riesling. Techno but tasty. This is very stylish with lovely crystalline citrus fruit and a touch of pear and melon freshness, with really attractive texture. Juicy and mineral with nice acidity. Attractive and pure. 91/100
Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 2022 Marlborough, New Zealand
This is really good: there’s some peach and pear richness, some nice melon and grapefruit character, some juiciness but also some spicy complexity. It’s richer than you’d expect from a Marlborough Sauvignon, but stays fresh and vital. 93/100
Cloudline Pinot Noir 2022 Willamette Valley, Oregon
A solid Oregon Pinot from the Drouhin stable. Floral with cherry and strawberry fruit and a touch of sour cherry on the finish. Juicy and vital with nice sweet fruit but also some spicy bite. Nicely balanced with fruit but also some spicy definition. 92/100
Château Chauvin 2012 Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
This is now mature, but drinking well, with chalk, gravel and earth notes under bold berry and plum fruits. There’s nice density here, and a bit of complexity, with a bit of grip. Very stylish in this mature claret sort of way. 92/100
Mullineux Syrah 2020 Swartland, South Africa
There’s some meaty, spicy development here adding a savoury veneer to the bold cherry and plum fruit with nice cured meat and olive character. This finishes spicy with nice weight and depth. This is in a good place now, but I wouldn’t age it too much longer. This surprised me because I had a 2014 Mullineux Syrah earlier this week that had aged beautifully. 93/100
