Spain and Portugal

Made by sisters María and Cristina de Amézola, our Rioja combines aromas of sweet strawberries and redcurrants with a savoury note of cured meat. This is wonderfully fresh, with focused tannins and a smooth mouth-feel. An early frost led to low yields in 2017, but the resultant quality, intensity and complexity is extremely impressive.

{***}{region}Rioja, Spain{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2017{vintage}{***}

{***}{region} Port {region}
{color} Red{color}              {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{vintage}NV{vintage}
{***}

{***}{region} Port {region}
{color} Red{color}              {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}
{***}

The 2015 Rioja Blanco from Finca Allende is 95% Viura with 5% Malvasía, from 55-year-old vines. The vineyards face southeast and northwest, giving the wine an excellent balance between ripe, fruity notes, and the fresh acidity and structure. This wine was fermented in French oak and then spent seven months on lees, before spending a further seven months in barrel, which adds a generous, slightly creamy texture and a subtle ground-nutmeg character. This richness is perfectly complemented by crisp notes of pink grapefruit, white nectarine and jasmine. It offers real complexity and would go very well with paella or even slightly spicy Thai food. Ready to drink now.

{***}{region}  Rioja {region}
{color} White {color}                                                               {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}{***}

Mustiguillo were delighted when this outstanding site was awarded a stand-alone Vino De Pago status. Located on terraced escarpments of ancient Dolomite limestone the vineyards are seen by many the definitive statement in the Bobal varietal. These old vines, some of which were planted before 1940, do not hurry to mature; in 2011 the harvest finished at the end of October. The result is unabashed complexity, encouraged by fermentation in open-top 225 ltr vats and a 19 month barrel maturation. Intense red and blue fruits, hints of soft spice and violets and a grippy, rich palate. Mediterranean wine with altitude..and attitude! Excellent.

{***}
{region}Rioja{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}
{ratings}
[]Jancis Robinson::18/20
{ratings}
{***}

Intense deep ruby colour in glass with orange rims. Complex aromatic nose with dark fruits, cedar wood and herbal vanilla notes on entry. Plenty of jammy plums, dried raisin, roasted beans, tea leaf, bitter chocolate, herbs of licorice and cinnamon flavors to this full-bodied red. Silky tannins and soft texture well balanced with pleasant acidity. Velvety mouthfeel and sweet spicy at ending. 

{***}
{region}Rioja{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}1992{vintage}      
{***}

The 2006 Vina El Pison comes from a single Tempranillo vineyard planted in 1945 on pure limestone. The wine was aged for 16-18 months in new French oak. It has an ethereal nose found only in the greatest wines. Toasty oak, wood smoke, truffle, wild blueberry, and blackberry liqueur are striking and complex. - The Wine Advocate

{***}
{region}Rioja{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} 
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2006{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 97/100
{ratings}  
{***}

The secret of Tempranillo seems to reside in its hidden depth; gregarious and initially appearing far too attractive to be remotely serious, this wine gradually revels the true depth of its personality; the black fruits are ripe of course , but are backed by notes of laurel, licorice, garrigue and forest floor; the tannins are finely-tuned needless to say, but are swathed in a fine minerality; all in all this is clearly very fine indeed. Juan Carlos thinks it more closely resembles 2004 than 2001, but is sure that it will be better than both of them.

{***}
{region}Rioja{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                          {maturity}ready-keep{maturity}
 {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2007{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 98/100
{ratings} 

The 2004 Pagos Viejos is inky purple with a sublime nose of pain grille, spice box, cherries, raspberries, and wild blue fruits. This is followed by a dense, plush, full-flavored, sexy wine with perfect balance and remarkable elegance for a wine so powerful. Although it can be enjoyed now, it deserves a minimum of a decade of cellaring after which it should drink well through 2047. Kudos to Bodegas Artadi for this tour de force! - The Wine Advocate

{***}
{region}Rioja{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} 
{maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2004{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 97/100
{ratings}
{***}

Rich colour, hints of balsam and blackberry; a finely textured wine of real depth and elegant balancing acidity.

{***}
{region}Rioja{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2005{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 95/100
{ratings}       
{***}

Visiting la Poza and Valdegines, each on the gentle slopes of a valley, with differing aspects and orientations, one can clearly see how Artadi are in the vanguard of the Parcellaire movement in Spain, that is to say the identification of specific plots to give specific character to the wines. La Poza gets afternoon sun and is harvested a week earlier than Valdegines. Its pure clay/limestone soils give wines of power and structure; the 2011 has a nose of eucalypt, soy and black tea, and a ripe fruit character on the palate, nicely supported by the finely-chiselled tannins. Drink now till 2023.

{***}
{region}Rioja{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 92/100        
{ratings}
{***}

The NV Palo Cortado Obispo Gascon, produced from Palomino grapes averaging 20 years old, and shows the telltale nose of Palo Cortado with its lactic touch and an off-dry nose of apricots, blond tobacco and spices. The palate is dominated by the salty notes (common to all Barbadillo wines), sharp, medium-bodied, with great length.

{***}
{region}Jerez{region}
{color}White{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 92/100        
{ratings}
{***}

With an average Solera age of over twenty years this Sherry has been designated VOS (Vinum Optimum Signatum or “Very Old Sherry”) status. A very serious, dry and austere wine with huge intensity. This wine has long been recognised as a favourite among the cognoscenti of the wine trade.

{***}
{region}Jerez{region}
{color}White{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}

{***}

Founded in 1821, Barbadillo is a seventh-generation family owned and operated bodega based in Sanlucar de Barrameda. VORS is a rare category denoting a ‘Very Old Rare Sherry’ over 30 years of age and this limited release bottling is taken from the third criadera of their 120-cask solera. It is darker in colour, drier and more intense in aroma and flavour than the classic Palo Cortado Obispo Gascon, with fantastically complex notes of citrus, grilled nuts, spices and a distinctive salty finish. This pairs incredibly well with almonds, mature cheeses and cured meats.

{***}
{region}Jerez{region}
{color}White{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{ratings}
        
{ratings}
{***}

Founded in 1821, Barbadillo is a seventh-generation family owned and operated bodega based in Sanlucar de Barrameda. The NV Amontillado Principe, from 30-year-old Palomino vineyards, spends eight years under flor and a further six years of oxidative aging. Amber-colored, it has aromas of candied oranges, hazelnuts, mushrooms and a touch of iodine. The palate is sharp and fresh, showing good integration. 

{***}
{region}Jerez{region}
{color}White{color}        {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink Now{maturity-text}
{ratings}
   [] Robert Parker:: 91/100     
{ratings}
{***}

The 2011 Port vintage was one of the best in recent memory, so it comes as no surprise that the exceptional Quinta do Noval produced a rich, dark, concentrated LBV Port that year. Ripe aromas of cherries and blackberries are followed by vibrant, focused fruit on the palate. The complex structure is complemented by luscious fruit and silky tannins. The wine is unfiltered and therefore decanting is recommended.

{***}{region} Port {region}
{color} Red{color}              {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}
{***}

Closed and austere when young, it is only with adequate ageing that Taylors sublime qualities come to the fore. This rich, structured Port shows that they are well worth waiting for.

{***}{region} Port {region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}1977{vintage}
{ratings}
[] The Wine Advocate:: 96/100
[] Jancis Robinson:: 18.5/20{ratings}{***}

The structure, style and superb quality of Warre’s Ports are defined by its vineyards. Its main and largest vineyards include Quinta da Cavadinha, Quinta de Retiro Antigo and Quinta de Telhada. Further to these, Warres also produces from a collection of other vineyards that are privately owned by members of the Symington family. These include Quinta do Alvito and Quinta das Netas.

{***}{region} Port {region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}1977{vintage}{***}

The NV Reliquia Oloroso jumps out of the glass, with a most peculiar combination of perfumed notes of dried roses, iodine, cigar-ash, cold bonfire and extra-vecchio aceto balsamico. The nose keeps changing, giving you new sensations every time you go back to it. The palate is extremely powerful, even aggressive. It has width and length, ending saline, but it is difficult to drink, almost painful. They used to call these wines 'handkerchief wines' as gentlemen in the old times used to wear a drop of them in their handkerchiefs for the aroma. A very complex, ultra-concentrated, intense, radical very old Oloroso. One of a kind, a true relic, this is an extreme wine if there is one. Drink carefully and in very small doses between 2013-2030. - Wine Advocate

{***}
{region}Jerez{region}
{color}White{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{ratings}
[]The Wine Advocate:: 95/100        
{ratings}
{***}

The Pedro Ximenez originates from barrels that Don Rafael Terán Carrera left Don Antonio Barbadillo Abrossy at the end of the 19th Century which formed the basis of a solera created in 1921 at the Bodega del Toro in Sanlucar de Barrameda. It is immensely rich and concentrated with incredibly complex layers of sweet dried figs, Medjool dates, baking spices and aged noble woods. The palate is thick and silky, coating the mouth like an oil slick and culminating in a long, intense and bittersweet finish.

{***}
{region}Jerez{region}
{color}White{color}                                                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{ratings}
       
{ratings}
{***}