Expansive Lea & Sandeman

Independent UK retailer Lea & Sandeman is keeping its eyes very firmly on the ball and recently expanded west into Chiswick. This time last year, Jancis reviewed their Characterful reds and Characterful whites. This smaller selection, tasted in the confined part-stockroom below stairs in their Chelsea branch, reinforced their reputation of buying and selling with flair and confidence.

I found the reds as a group slightly more impressive than the whites – typically distinctive, aromatic and well chosen to spark drinkers' imagination without deterring the more conservative – but I did taste more reds and there are certainly some...