At a private supper in London, this stood out among a stunning lineup of wines. Laced with preserved lemon, pie crust, lime, saffron, complex, textured, impossible to put down. Aged for 12 months in oak, 22% new, then six months in bottle. From 3ha of vineyard set across three individual plots just next to Bâtard-Montrachet.

Saline, intense, a ton of grip and tension, green apple alongside peach pit, white mango, sage, mandarin, apricot puree, sage, strong acidity that judges its pitch just right. This is so good, firing on all cylinders. The switchback of taste, texture, aromatics, builds slowly from beginning to end while leaving an impression of purity and intense flavour. Part of an insanely good tasting of the Cantina Terlano wines held a few weeks ago - my write up of the entire event is on its way in January. If these wines are not on your radar yet, get on board.

Green apple, gunsmoke, citrus, nectarine, with grip and just a ton of pleasure. Tasted alongside the warmer 2007 and 2009 vintages, all late disgorged, all excellent but this one stood out for me as a little fresher and crisper, still with the flakey pastry, spice and saffron edge that comes with the extra time on lees. Tasted with producer and all-round sparkling wine legend Ed Carr. Less than 5% of Arras is currently sold outside of Australia, so if you do see this, I strongly suggest picking up a bottle. Méthode Traditionelle, 2g/l dosage, late-disgorged after 14 years (they do an earlier release after seven years) then held for six months in bottle before release - it is also the only Australian sparkling to be included in the Langton's classification. I also had the 2006 late-disgorged this year at 67 Pall Mall in London, so fully immersed myself in this exceptional wine over the past 12 months...

The 2023 En Primeur got a slightly higher score in my SHL white tastings this year, but for the Wines of the Year, I try to prioritise ones that you can actually get hold of and drink over the festive season, and this remains an exceptional choice. It's a wine that I just love to share, with its citrus grip that softens to creamy, fleshy stone fruits, with plenty of textural interest. Nectarine, white mango, gunsmoke, white pepper, sage, mouthwatering and keeps you coming back for more. 29hl/ha yield, 50% new oak barrels for ageing, with a few months back in stainless steel tanks before bottling. Harvest August 20 to September 9, one of the earliest on record. Certified organic as of 2019 in the vineyard, fully biodynamic farming as of this 2020 vintage. Technical director Fabien Teitgen.