The Mentzendorff portfolio tasting always gets busy early, with a stream of guests making a beeline for the champagne tables, and rightfully so, with bottles like Bollinger Grande Année 2015 and Ayala Collection No.16 showing beautifully this year. I headed to One Great George Street to try the new additions to the portfolio, explore the diversity of Pinot Noir on show, and taste some fortifieds hoping to tempt a new generation of drinkers.
Busy from the off - Mentzendorff portfolio tasting 2026 at London's One Great George Street
Before the tasting, managing director Justin Liddle and director of brand management Christine Allen gave me a quick rundown on what is happening at Mentzendorff. Somewhat bucking the trend, Mentzendorff is expanding its team, in the hope that when the market turns, it will be ahead of the curve, and “ready to hit the ground running”. Liddle says the choice was to either keep their heads down or to try to make the most of the disrupted market. Adding sales resources will mean they can concentrate on how best to look after customers and to grow relationships.
As a full-service agency, and with two new additions in the last twelve months, Liddle says there aren’t plans to add anything else soon. Any inclusions must be the right fit for Mentzendorff and fulfil its core values: family-owned, premium and sustainable. While there are lots of opportunities, Liddle says the focus for now is on doing the best they can for their existing producers and “resist the temptation to get too carried away!”
Exton Park joined the sparkling portfolio in September 2025. Hambledon’s takeover allowed Mentzendorff to take stock of the English sparkling wine industry and to do “a lot of tasting”. Liddle sees Exton Park as the perfect partner with a “fantastic winemaker [Corinne Seely], quietly confident team” and “wines with their own personality” which will sit in their own place alongside Bollinger. Karl McCulloch, sales manager at Exton Park says the synergy with Mentzendorff’s small portfolio is “exactly what we wanted and needed.”
A 60-acre, single vineyard estate in the South Downs National Park in Hampshire, Exton Park is a founding member of the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain. The core range ‘RB’ stands for Reserve Blends, made from a library of reserve wines going back to 2011. Exton Park RB|32 is 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and includes 32 library wines that bring ripe, evolved notes, and 4 years on the lees rounding out the acidity. RB|45 Blanc de Blancs has a touch of oak and malo giving it some spice and richer, toastier notes, while the Pinot Meunier Rosé 2014 is sophisticated and floral with rose petals and raspberries.
Château d’Estoublon and its brand Roseblood d’Estoublon are even newer additions to the portfolio. As well as adding a classically Provençal rosé in Roseblood, Allen is excited about the whites and reds from Les Baux de Provence: “the south of France has so many gems,” she says. Château d’Estoublon makes organic wines under the leadership of technical director Victor Joyeaux, previously at Cloudy Bay. Chateau d’Estoublon White 2023 is a blend based on Grenache Blanc with some Marsanne, Roussanne and Rolle which Vérane Trachino, marketing director at d’Estoublon describes as having “the structure of the Rhône with the finesse of Provence”. 1489 de Roseblood Rosé 2023, named for the year the estate was founded,is a fresh and floral blend of Syrah and Grenache from volcanic soils in Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence.
New wines from existing producers include Hubert Brochard Sancerre Les Trois Couteaux Terres de Caillottes Rouge 2023, a fresh Pinot which includes 15% whole bunch for added structure and Ceretto Dolcetto d’Alba Rossana 2024, a juicy and fresh unoaked Dolcetto with soft red fruits.
A panel on Pinot Noir was the hot ticket of the tasting, highlighting the diversity of the variety across the portfolio, as producers from France, South Africa, New Zealand and the USA joined Margaret Rand for a discussion on the effects of climate change. Pinot Noir standouts included Domaine Chanson Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Fèves 2020, a ripe and layered example with 20% new oak and no filtration; Bollinger La Côte aux Enfants Rouge 2019 from Champagne, a delicate, floral expression,
Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir 2024 from a single estate in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, with ripe red fruit and soft tannins; Akitu A1 Pinot Noir 2021 from Central Otago showing a characteristic earthiness; and Ponzi Single Vineyard ‘Paloma’ Pinot Noir 2021 from Willamette Valley in Oregon, offering beautiful hedgerow fruits and a hint of spice.
A trio of higher alcohol options is leaning into current cocktail trends and modern labelling to attract new and younger consumers to their respective categories: Hidalgo La Gitana Triana Spritz is a take on the rebujito glugged by the gallon at ferias in Andalusia, a ready-mixed manzanilla with mint and lemon and lime soda;
Taylor’s Fine White Port is a sweeter white port option than Chip Dry, specifically made to be enjoyed as white port and tonic;
and Delamain Folio Natura is a fresh and vibrant cognac from the premium Grand Cru producer, made with highball cocktails and mixers in mind.
On the more traditional side of fortifieds, Liddle comments that they are seeing a continuing demand for tawny ports, and the newly released Taylor’s 1976 Single Harvest Tawny Port is an absolute treat of complexity with layers of dried fruit and nuttiness; while Hidalgo’s spring 2026 bottling of La Gitana Manzanilla En Rama is deliciously salty, Marmitey and moreish.
To finish the tasting, I had to head to Vinte Vinte, The Fladgate Partnership’s own chocolate brand which is continuing to champion the pairing of port and chocolate. Master chocolate maker Pedro Araújo was filling chocolate cups with paired ports: Taylor’s Chip Dry bringing a citrusy note which elevates white chocolate; 35% milk chocolate complementing the vanilla notes of the Taylor’s 10 Year Old Tawny; and 58% dark chocolate bitterness contrasting with the sweet fruits of Taylor’s LBV 2020.
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