Taster

Nose: Crumbly Lancashire cheese, tarragon and lemon juice. Then papaya chunks, coconut milk, pineapple rings in syrup, and ginger. Yum.

Palate: More of that thick Lancashire cheese note; quite calm. There’s tarragon in a pie, with pastry notes and herbal softness. Then plums and hazelnuts, with a hint of clove spice.

Finish: Clove, with dark chocolate and hazelnut that dries out the finish.

Comment: This might have peaked a little early for me. The palate was relatively closed – one that needs a little time to figure out.

Score: 7.5

Taster

Nose: Delicate plum wine, honey-roasted peanut and raspberry jam. Ripe banana and pear, on the cusp of overripe. Gingerbread and mixed peel.

Palate: Medium-light bodied. Well-integrated ripe orchard fruits (apples, pears, plums), some caramel, milk chocolate and hazelnut. Like eating a Florentine with applesauce. Subtle turmeric.

Finish: Medium. The nuts hang around for a while, before the apple reasserts itself.

Comment: A mature and well-integrated blend. Very drinkable.

Score: 7.9