Mayford Leonard George 2012 – 94 Points

From the back label: “This special release celebrates the eightieth birthdays of Leonard George and Lesley Rose Nicholson, champions of Mayford and respected clan elders”. It will be released next week. It’s clearly from a favourable season. It shows classy, smoky oak and quite a deal of it at first, but given time to breathe it opens into a beautifully integrated wine, shot with coffee, spice, woodsmoke, and the pulp of boysenberries and plums. Prominent acidity gives the wine a succulence, a liveliness. Ripe, intricate strings of tannin act as the puppeteer. It’s a confident release, and will reward cellaring.

The Wine Front