Red Wine

Dehesa del Carrizal Petit Verdot 2021

Tasting: As they do here in Australia, there are certain French varieties that make excellent wine in Spain too, Petit Verdot being one of them. This outstanding example of the Bordelaise grape variety packs a punch, forthright black fruit, black plums, black cherry, rich and dense with black pepper, herbs and concentrated muscular length.

Bodega: Dehesa del Carrizal

Region: D.O. Vino de Pago Dehesa del Carrizal

Grape: Petit Verdot

Aging: 15 months in new French oak

Vintage: 2021

Alcohol: 14%

Closure: Cork

Entre Palabras Tinto Fino 2021

Tasting: The outstanding wines of Alejandro Moyano are as poetic to drink as the labels and their names would suggest. An award-winning winery, self-sufficient and completely off the electricity and water supplies vinifies the organically grown Tinto Fino – the local name for Tempranillo – with the minimum of handling. Entre Palabras – Between Words – Is rich and powerful, although still manages to occupy the middle ground when it comes to body. Ripe, condensed red fruit, raspberry, strawberry, morello cherry, twirl around a core of fresh acidity, very present grippy tannins and supporting herbaceous and mineral elements. Certified organic.

 Bodega: Bodegas y Viñedos Valdemonjas

Region: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Grape: Tempranillo (Tinto Fino)

Aging: 12 months in French and American oak

Vintage: 2021

Alcohol: 14%

Closure: Cork

Ramón Bilbao Gran Reserva 2014

Tasting: Everything you’d expect from classic Gran Reserva Rioja, aromatic and complex with a palate of blackberries, redcurrant, cherries, nutmeg and vanilla.

Bodega: Bodegas Ramón Bilbao

Region: D.O.Ca Rioja

Grape: Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo

Aging: 30 months in American oak, followed by 36 months in bottle

Vintage: 2014

Alcohol: 14% 

Closure: Cork

El Puño Garnacha 2019

Tasting: Made by Scotsman Norrel Robertson, El Escocés Volante – The Flying Scotsman – in the north of Aragón. El Puño – The Fist – can definitely be described as punchy! Light bodied, bursting with vibrancy, concentrated old bush vine fruit delivers flavours of fresh red cherries, juniper berries, and intense notes of the wild bush herbs that grow in Norrel’s vineyards.  

Bodega: El Escocés Volante

Region: Aragón

Grape: Garnacha

Aging: Old French oak followed by 24 months in subterranean concrete tanks

Vintage: 2019

Alcohol: 14.5%

Closure: Cork

Nineta 2014

Tasting: A small family winery run by husband-and-wife Alfredo and Nina. Growing vines on their little parcel of land was Alfredo’s Grandfather’s dream, realising this dream Alfredo and Nina named their first wine ‘Avi’, meaning Grandfather in Catalan (a local version of which is spoken throughout Valencia). Nineta is a complex, dense, full bodied wine, packed full of character. Bramble fruits, blackberries, ripe plums, liquorice and spice. Organically grown, bottled un-fined and unfiltered with minimal sulphites added.

Bodega: Bodega Mas l’Altet

Region: Alicante

Grape: Garnacha

Aging: 12 months in French oak

Vintage: 2014

Alcohol: 15%

Closure: Cork

Melquíades 2018

Tasting: Esteban is fast becoming one of our favourite winemakers, he really goes from strength to strength with every wine he releases, the Melquíades perfectly illustrates this. The name shares his grandfather’s nickname, he explains that he was a loving man, but with a fiery temper at the same time! Soft, plush and very expressive, but with a kick at 16% abv, it has definitely earned the comparison. Rich, unctuous dusky purple berries coat the palate, the texture of this wine is phenomenal! Luxurious cassis, bramble fruits with Mediterranean herbs, the aforementioned alcohol seamlessly balanced, you wouldn’t even know it was there. Grown organically, un-fined and unfiltered, minimal sulphites used. Quite simply one of the most outstanding reds we import.

Bodega: Esteban Celemín Viticultor

Region: V.T. Castilla y León

Grape: Tempranillo (Tinta de Toro)

Aging: 12 months in new oak

Vintage: 2018

Alcohol: 16%

Closure: Cork

Tremenda Cariñena 2016

Tasting: This organically and biodynamically grown wine from Cataluña’s far south is a dark and intense wine, full bodied with aromas of earthy, dark berries followed by a concentrated and muscular palate of brooding black fruit, deli meats, smoke and minerality. 

Bodega: Vins del Tros

Region: D.O. Terra Alta

Grape: Cariñena

Aging: 12 Months in French oak 

Vintage: 2016

Alcohol: 15.5%

Closure: Cork

VX Cuvée Caco 2018

Tasting: Coto de Gomariz’s jewel in the crown, the VX Cuvée Caco is made up of their highest quality fruit from the vineyards Finca A Ferreira and Canceliña in Ribeiro. A tribute to the winemaker’s father Ricardo (Caco is the shortened version of Ricardo), who rescued many old plots of vines and planted many that the winery makes wine from today. Light bodied but with complexity, ripeness and depth. Punchy dry black fruit bursts out of the first sip, hedgerow fruits, spice accented mulberries, toasted rosemary, white pepper and slatey minerality.

Bodega: Coto de Gomariz

Region: Ribeiro

Grape: Mencía, Sousón, Caiño Longo, Caiño da Terra, Carabuñeira

Aging: 20 months in new French and American oak

Vintage: 2018

Alcohol: 14%

Closure: Cork

Lo Morenillo 2018

Tasting: Making wine in the far south of Cataluña, Vins del Tros since 2009 have set out to make wines that are the truest essence of Terra Alta. Morenillo is an indigenous grape variety, almost extinct that Vins del Tros have been instrumental in reviving and securing its acceptance into the permitted varieties under the D.O. This is an exceptional and beguiling wine, light in body, exceptionally complex and expressive, an explosion of aromas on the nose, fruits of the forest, boysenberries and musky lilac petals. The palate reveals layers of flavour for days, delicate, subtle and nuanced, freshly picked ripe wild strawberries, soft, plush morello cherries, blueberry and a deliciously silky texture round out for a sensationally long finish.

Bodega: Vins del Tros

Region: D.O. Terra Alta

Grape: Morenillo

Aging: Half in amphora and half in French oak for 18 months

Vintage: 2018

Alcohol: 14%

Closure: Cork

Zerberos El Altar Garnacha 2016

Tasting: From Sierra de Gredos natural wine maestro Daniel V. Ramos, a self-described ‘Span-Aussie’ (born in Australia to Spanish parents, then grew up in Madrid). El Altar is a single vineyard located near the area of El Berraco, light and immensely elegant, powerful flavours of ripe red and black fruits interweaved with nuanced herbal and mineral tones. Organically grown, bottled un-fined and unfiltered with minimal sulphites added.

Bodega: Daniel V. Ramos

Region: Sierra de Gredos

Grape: Garnacha

Aging: 12 months in French oak

Vintage: 2016

Alcohol: 14.5%

Closure: Cork

Los Tres Dones 2020

Tasting: The outstanding wines of Alejandro Moyano are as poetic to drink as the labels and their names would suggest. An award-winning winery, self-sufficient and completely off the electricity and water supplies vinifies the organically grown Tinto Fino – the local name for Tempranillo – with the minimum of handling. Los Tres Dones – The Three Gifts – is full bodied but with poise and restraint. Rich, and ripe notes of preserved black raspberry, sun ripened strawberries, nuanced herbal notes, and a delicious spiced vanilla note with graphite minerality through the extended finish. Elegance, power and finesse bottled!

Bodega: Bodegas Valdemonjas

Region: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Grape: Tempranillo (Tinto Fino)

Aging: 14 months in French oak

Vintage: 2020

Alcohol: 14%

Closure: Cork

Suprema 2020

Tasting: Intense, mature and powerful, this is the Bardos stable of wines at its absolute best. Full bodied with a nose of dark fruit, spice and caramel. The palate, rich and textural, bursts open with fleshy blackberries, loganberry, cooked black plums, expressive spices with an exceptionally long finish, underlined by smoke, cacao and minerals.

Bodega: Bardos

Region: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Grape: Tempranillo (Tinto Fino)

Aging: 30 months in new French oak

Vintage: 2020

Alcohol: 14.8%

Closure: Cork

Com Tu Garnacha 2015

Tasting: Clos Mogador are one of the ‘Gang of Five’ producers that helped bring Priorat back from the brink of obscurity, to one of the world’s most premium regions. The Com Tu project is based on vineyards from Montsant, an appellation that almost completely rings Priorat, 130km southwest of Barcelona in Cataluña. Com Tu opens with a punchy nose of freshly picked red cherry, a note of cacao and herbs. The palate bursts forth with vibrant, zippy fruit, frozen Cherry Ripes, redcurrant compote, blackcurrant jam, Mediterranean herbs, and acidity that frames the wine perfectly.  

Bodega: Clos Mogador

Region: D.O. Montsant

Grape: Garnacha

Aging: 18 months in old French oak

Vintage: 2015

Alcohol: 14.5%

Closure: Cork

Phinca Abejera 2013

Tasting: David Sampredo-Gil’s Bodegas Bhilar has slowly become one of the most respected small wineries in Rioja. His vineyards are bursting with life due to the biodiversity he encourages using organic and biodynamic farming. Based in the subregion of Alavesa around the town of Elvillar (Bhilar is the Basque word for Elvillar) he makes an array of exceptional wine that stuns his fans year after year. Phinca Abejera is a majestic wine, deep and complex, aromas of lilac and red blossom, the velvety palate is redolent of redcurrants, black raspberry, Mediterranean herbs, and the trademark menthol quality that runs through so many of his wines.

Bodega: Bodegas Bhilar

Region: D.O.Ca Rioja

Grape: Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Viura  

Aging: 36 months in French oak barrels

Vintage: 2013

Alcohol: 14%

Closure: Cork

Matsu El Pícaro 2023

Tasting: Tinta de Toro, although Tempranillo, is generally considered a DNA variant of Tempranillo, it has smaller berries and ticker skins so makes much bigger wines than Tempranillo in the Duero valley generally does. The ‘young’ wine in the range from Bodegas Matsu, even though it has no barrel aging it is a powerful and intense wine, notes of dark fruit, blackberries, liquorice, complexity and spice.

Bodega: Bodegas Matsu

Region: D.O. Toro

Grape: Tinta de Toro

Aging: Stainless steel

Vintage: 2023

Alcohol: 14.5%

Closure: Cork

Ònix Fusió 2022

Tasting: Ripe black fruit of cherry and blackberry with delicate hints of oak & a touch of vanilla. On the palate, the ripe fruit remains as the spicy character increases. Prunes and black plums, black cherry, vanilla, and a slightly earthy warming finish.

Bodega: Vinícola del Priorat

Region: D.O.Q. Priorat

Grape: Garnacha, Cariñena, Syrah

Aging: 4 months in French oak barrels

Vintage: 2022

Alcohol: 14.5%

Altanza Reserva Familia 2015

Tasting:  A more premium expression of reserva Rioja from Bodegas Altanza. Bright and well balanced with notes of cherry, liquorice, fig, spices, leather and tobacco and subtle notes of vanilla oak. 

Bodega: Bodegas Altanza

Region: D.O.Ca Rioja

Grape: Tempranillo

Aging:  18 months in French oak, followed by 24 months in bottle

Vintage: 2015

Alcohol 14%

Closure: Cork

Valvarés de Altanza Crianza 2017

Tasting: An outstanding nose of ripe red fruit, liquorice and spice leads into a silky medium bodied palate of preserved mulberry, blackberries, sweet spices and woody incense. 

Bodega: Bodegas Altanza

Region: D.O.Ca Rioja

Grape: Tempranillo

Aging: 12 months in new French oak barrels, followed by 12 months in bottle

Vintage: 2017

Alcohol: 14%

Closure: Cork

Clea Crianza Tinto Fino 2018

Tasting: Intense dark fruit aromas, liquorice and tobacco. Silky soft and elegant on the palate with a nice balance of acidity and supple tannins. 

Bodega: Bardos

Region: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Grape: Tempranillo (Tinto Fino)

Aging: 14 months in new French oak.

Vintage: 2020

Alcohol 14%

Closure: Cork

Ennak Tinto 2022

Tasting: Medium bodied red with line & length. Ripe red fruits and citric notes of blood oranges stand out, with a slight hint of minerality. 

Bodega: Celler Jordi Miró

Region: D.O. Terra Alta

Grape: Garnacha, Carinena, Merlot, Tempranillo

Vintage: 2022

Alcohol: 14%

Closure: Cork

L’Obaga 2021

Tasting: This is a prime example of the stylistic shift that has occurred in Priorat from big, robust, extracted, oak aged reds to more refined, elegant wines with less or no oak. Medium bodied, aromatic dark cherry fruit and Mediterranean herbs supported by a palate of dark plum and damson, soft bramble fruits and slightly grippy tannins, supple and elegant wine all round.

Bodega: Vinícola del Priorat

Region: D.O.Q. Priorat

Grape: Garnacha, Syrah 

Aging: Stainless steel

Vintage: 2021

Alcohol: 14.5%

Closure: Cork

Mas dels Frares Vi de Licor Dolç 2017 500ml

Tasting: A blend of late harvest Garnacha and Cariñena, producing a sweet red wine of exceptional subtlety. Ripe red fruit, raspberry liqueur, delicate floral notes and candied cherries. 

Bodega: Vinícola del Priorat

Region: D.O.Q Priorat

Grape: Garnacha, Cariñena

Aging: Stainless steel

Vintage: 2017

Alcohol: 14.5%

Closure: Cork

Phinca Hapa Tinto 2019

Tasting: This wine from Bodegas Bhilar falls under the Struggling Vines label, led primarily by Melanie Hickman, and named after their late four-legged friend Hapa. Bhilar’s vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically with Demeter certification upcoming. There is great freshness and perfume in this wine, very typical of the wines of Bhilar, the palate shows wild red berries, forest fruits, layers of spice and tightly wound but perfectly balanced tannins.

Bodega: Struggling Vines / Bodegas Bhilar

Region: D.O.Ca Rioja

Grape: Tempranillo, Graciano

Aging: 12 months in French oak

Vintage: 2019

Alcohol: 14.5%

Closure: Cork

Vendimia Seleccionada 2019

Tasting: Rioja of great typicity, and outstanding value. Silky and plush texture reveals beautifully expressive blueberry fruit, supple hedgerow berries and well balanced vanillan oak.

Bodega: Bodegas y Viñedos Zuazo Gastón

Region: D.O.Ca Rioja

Grape: Tempranillo, Mazuelo

Aging: 6 months in American oak

Vintage: 2019

Alcohol: 13%

Closure: Cork