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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Castilla y Leon | 3 | 95 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£716.69 |
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Wine Advocate (95)The heady and ripe 2020 PS follows the house style and the profile of the regular Aalto from the same vintage, with slightly higher ripeness, more creaminess and toastier oak. It's predictable and very good at it, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins and some chalkiness in the pungent, intense and oaky finish. It has 15% alcohol and mellow acidity. For fans of oaky and ripe Tempranillo. 35,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2022 after 21 months in new French oak barrels. |
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Priorat | 1 | 97 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£1,067.54 |
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Decanter (97)Quiñón de Valmira is not just a wine. As Palacios’ top Rioja it leads the transformation of Rioja Baja, now known as Rioja Oriental; puts the overlooked Garnacha back centre stage; and highlights the Sierra de Yerga as a fine vineyard origin. The palate is very appealing: succulent with a resounding red fruit and dark cherry ripeness, plus a lift of orange zest. Vivid, penetrating and long. Alvaro Palacios says Valmira is 'all about the aftertaste and the length'. Viñedo singular. 5,552 bottles produced. |
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Catalunya | 4 | 97 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£954.74 |
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Decanter (97)A lovely vintage of Les Aubaguetes, which comes from the southerly village of Bellmunt. This is the first vintage of this wine categorised as as Gran Vinya Classificada to join the handful declared. It’s a deserving award for the singular character of the north-facing vineyard, a wine that speaks of the slate soils of its origin. The Garnacha is blended with 13% Cariñena and 1% of the white grapes Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca. Dense, with black fruits, red cherries and a sense of slate. Very long and fresh. Gran Vinya Classificada. 3,200 bottles produced. |
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Catalunya | 4 | 96-98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£533.54 |
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Wine Advocate (96-98)The vineyard that produces the grape for the 2022 La Baixada is classified in the Vinya Classificada category of the Priorat appellation. It's 1.3 hectares in the village of Gratallops, mostly Garnacha with 2% Cariñena on a steep slope. Like the rest of the range, it fermented with some full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats and had 30 days of maceration. It completed 13 months in oval oak foudres and was in concrete waiting to be bottled when I tasted it in January 2024. It has 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.44 and 4.76 grams of acidity. This is super aromatic, floral, open and expressive, with a touch of exotic spices. It's powerful and elegant, with an incisive palate, deep, complex, with fine-grained tannins. Palacios told me this wine was special from day one. This could very well be the highlight of the 2022 vintage. It was expected to be bottled in March 2024, with a production of around 3,500 bottles. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 97 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£883.24 |
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James Suckling (97)This is a very tight and fine-grained red with a compressed mouthfeel. The fruit comes through to a class and elegance. Such length. Ethereal structure. Unique. Drink or hold. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 96+ (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£285.62 |
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Wine Advocate (96+)The origin of everything here and the first single-vineyard red, the 2018 Finca Dofí excels in 2018. Those 10 hectares planted 20 years ago in the village of Gratallops are mostly Garnacha, but the wine also has some 8% Cariñena and 2% white grapes. They all fermented after being destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 16 months. This is the refined version of the Gratallops (the vineyard is in the village!) but with an extra degree of depth and complexity, especially nuance and elegance, showcasing the captivating finesse and harmony of the vintage, which is a little in the style of the 2016 with more energy. I see that these 2018s are quite transparent and show the style of the zone, the iron soils, the dusty roads and the warmth of the soils; it's round and lush, spherical but with a spike of freshness. The élevage has been polished so as to render it almost invisible. This is drinkable now, and I think it's also going to age nicely in bottle and drink nicely throughout its life. 29,540 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2020. |
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Catalunya | 10 | 95-97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£433.49 |
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Wine Advocate (95-97)The 2022 Finca Dofí was produced with 88% Garnacha, 9% Cariñena, 2% Picapoll and 1% white grapes from a 12.5-hectare slope planted 18 to 38 years ago. It fermented with part of full clusters in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and had a maceration of 32 days. It matured in oval oak foudres and large French oak barrels for a period of 14 months. It has 14.4% alcohol and a pH of 3.46 and 4.8 grams of acidity. It has a little more color and ripeness, and it's quite spicy, with notes of licorice and an earthy twist. Palacios told me Picapoll has provided very good acidity and low alcohol; some years they used up to 6% of it (they started grafting it some 12 years ago from the old plants from his old winemaker, Joan Asens). They expected to fill around 28,000 bottles in March 2024. |
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Catalunya | 10 | 93-95 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£260.69 |
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Wine Advocate (93-95)The 2022 Gratallops is a village wine, "vi de vila" in the Catalan language, which is the official category from the Priorat appellation. The wine shows the ancestral mix of local varieties, which this year is 80% Garnacha, 19% Cariñena and 1% white grapes, Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo and Pedro Ximénez from different vineyards in the village. Like the rest of the wines, it fermented with part of full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats, with punching down and, in this case, a maceration of 31 days. The wine will mature in oval foudres and large oak barrels for 14 months. It's pale, bright, very clean, expressive and elegant, with a great sense of harmony, contained ripeness and a medium-bodied palate with very fine tannins and a surprising sense of harmony, perhaps not super complex or deep but with a silky texture that makes it very attractive. It has 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.52 with 4.61 grams of acidity. They expect to produce around 21,000 bottles in March 2024. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 97-100 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£3,100.82 |
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Wine Advocate (97-100)As I saw in some of the other wines, there is a lot more Cariñena in the still unbottled 2016 L'Ermita than in the 2015. The varietal breakdown was approximately 85% Garnacha, 14% Cariñena and 1% white grapes—Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo and PX. The grapes are manually sorted and destemmed by the team that picks them and are put to ferment in an oak vat with the natural yeasts from the grapes. Malolactic was in barrique, which is where the wine was maturing when I tasted it. It has electric acidity that makes it vibrant, even if the nose might be a bit shy. I don't remember a vintage of L'Ermita with this concentration and acidity. We have to see how the élevage rounds it out, but this could be a very important vintage for L'Ermita. The expectation is to bottle some 2,000 bottles of this in May/June 2018. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 99 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£2,763.62 |
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Wine Advocate (99)The flagship 2018 L'Ermita is already classified as Gran Vinya Classificada, the new category of grand cru vineyards from the Priorat appellation of origin. Like the 2017, the blend here is mostly Garnacha with about 20% Cariñena (the highest for this wine) and 2% of white grapes. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats with a maceration of 56 days and matured in oak barrels of different sizes for 14 months. The grapes were picked quite late but on the same date as the previous year, the 17th of October, because the vineyard is so regular. The wine is aromatic, intense and elegant, with a lifted nose and a high-pitched note of violet pastille, more refined than the Aubaguetes and Baixada. It is classical and proportioned, with contained and complex aromas and flavors and lots of energy, light in its feel but with inner power and strength. As with most great wines, it should develop nicely and for a long time in bottle but will drink well throughout its life. Grand vin, yes. 2,440 bottles were filled in April 2020. |
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Catalunya | 4 | 99 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£2,651.54 |
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Decanter (99)L’Ermita is the second of Alvaro Palacios’ top wines to gain the Gran Vinya Classificada category. The vineyard now measures 4.7ha; it increased when Palacios and René Barbier swapped land. Work has been done to graft red varieties onto white vines. The result of the labours – including the permissions required from the Archbishop of Zaragoza for this holy hermitage – is a delight. Gloriously aromatic nose, introducing a wonderfully complex palate of cherries integrated with savoury notes, a shaft of minerality, wild herbs, and dark fruit conserve. Well-deserving of its reputation as one of Spain's great wines. Gran Vinya Classificada. 4,930 bottles produced. |
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Andalucia | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£210.00 |
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Wine Advocate (98)The amazing, pedal to the metal/full throttle/balls to the wall, sweet 1910 Pedro Ximenez Solera is a dark amber-colored, full-bodied, unctuously-textured beauty that should be sipped and savored slowly and carefully at the end of a meal with a plate of cashews. It is remarkable stuff. The price is not high for what it represents. |
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Andalucia | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£215.11 |
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Wine Advocate (98)The NV Pedro Ximenez Solera 1927 is non-vintage, but does have some 1927 material in it. This is totally dark brown/amber with notes of figs, toffee, caramel syrup, molasses and coffee. It is dense, super sweet, intense, rich and an amazingly, unctuously textured, thick beverage to consume slowly and introspectively after a meal. Drink now through 2050, or even longer. |
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Rioja | 1 | 94 (TA) |
Inc. VAT
£188.44 |
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Tim Atkin MW (94)A vineyard doesn't have to be old to make great wines, as this 3.9-hectare parcel, planted at 720 metres in Samaniego as recently as 2013 demonstrates. Balanced, chalky, racy and refreshing, with chiselled acidity, understated oak influence, bramble, blackberry and cranberry fruit and a long, tapering finish. 2024-32 |
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Catalunya | 1 | 96 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£526.66 |
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Decanter (96)A village wine in the Priorat classification, taken from five parcels of very old vines at different elevations and slopes in Gratallops. Fermented in open-top 225L barrels and aged in French new oak. In a vertical of 2017, 2014 and 2012, the 2014 shone: very dark fruit, a powerful impression, then a delicious lift of orange zest, fresh herbs, eucalyptus. Wonderfully complex. Textured, with fine grain and a long, satisfying finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2027 |
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Jumilla | 1 | 96 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£346.84 |
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Wine Advocate (96)The 2018 Las Gravas is a blend of 90% Monastrell from limestone gravel soils and 10% Garnacha also planted in the same gravel soils, but it's obviously much younger than the Monastrell. It fermented in underground pools with 25% to 30% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in 5,000-liter oak foudres and 500-liter oak barrels for 16 months. It's an incredibly elegant and delicate Las Gravas, nuanced and with a discrete profile, a little shy at first. The palate is also super elegant and balanced, with refined tannins, a velvety texture and very fine chalky minerality. The north-facing vineyard, the backbone of this wine in a challenging and cooler year, is now 40 years old and has vigor and balance, which has resulted in an incredible wine through a lot of work in the vineyard. This has to be the finest vintage to date, a real triumph over the adverse conditions of the year that transcends the quality of the vintage. They used a lower percentage of Garnacha to avoid too much florality in the blend, and the wine is more serious. It's less explosive than the 2017, but I'd say, more gravelly... Bravo! 34,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2020. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 96+ (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£247.24 |
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Wine Advocate (96+)I was very pleasantly surprised by the elegance and balance of the 2015 Valtuille Cepas Centenarias, centenary Mencía from two plots in the village of Valtuille. This is always one of the finest wines in the portfolio, but this 2015 was especially harmonious, combining aromas of violets and wild herbs with an earthy touch and a medium-bodied palate with very refined tannins that made it beautifully textured. There is an extra degree of complexity here and it has the depth of the very old vines. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this bottling. There are 3,500 bottles of it. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 94+ (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£229.24 |
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Wine Advocate (94+)The 2018 El Rapolao was produced with the grapes from the adjacent plot to the one from Castro Ventosa. It has maybe 5% white grapes and a faint reductive character—a flinty or gun powder note, turning into sesame seeds á la Coche-Dury with time—that the vineyard can have, with a lot less alcohol (13%) and is lighter and more ethereal and elegant. This is floral, clean and fresh, fulfilling the fresher and more elegant style of the 2018s. It follows the style of 2016, perhaps with a touch more depth and complexity, and it is more elegant, with more refined tannins and a chalky sensation. 984 bottles were filled in December 2019. |
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Rioja | 1 | 95 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£333.64 |
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Wine Advocate (95)The 2018 Viña del Olivo comes from a plot planted in 1980 that has different soils from the rest of the property, which is mostly alluvial. Here, the soils are composed of clay and limestone. It's 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, which fermented in 1,000-liter French oak vats followed by 16 months in barrel and a further three months in oak vats. This is raw and young, but it's already been released because the wine sells like hot cakes. It's marked by the toasted barrels and has all the baby fat it needs to be rendered invisible with time in bottle. It has very good freshness and round and sophisticated tannins with purity of fruit and finesse. 13,640 bottles and some larger formats. It was bottled in April 2020. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£205.24 |
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James Suckling (97)This is so powerful and tightly wound with so much intensity and power. Full body. Crushed berries and hints of walnuts and cedar. Purity in fruit. Very subtle character, but great tension and richness. Drink after 2021. |
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Rioja | 2 | 95 (WE) |
Inc. VAT
£409.24 |
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Wine Enthusiast (95)Certain wines exude a sense of elevated excellence. This one gets to that level via aromas of spice cake, baked plum and tobacco aromas. A stocky saturated palate is structured and built to age, while this tastes of cool blue fruits, herbs, coffee and chocolate. A smoothly textured finish deals cocoa and mocha notes. Drink through 2040. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (WE) |
Inc. VAT
£343.24 |
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Wine Enthusiast (97)This is a fabulous gran reserva from a very good but lightly heralded vintage. Aromas of spiced plum, black olive, fig, tobacco and cassis come together like a puzzle. A deep, pure palate shows near-perfect balance, while this tastes of plum, berry fruits and earthy spice. Smooth, elegant and chocolaty on the finish, this delivers all one can ask for from Rioja. Drink through 2035. |
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Rioja | 2 | 97 (WE) |
Inc. VAT
£484.84 |
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Wine Enthusiast (97)This is a fabulous gran reserva from a very good but lightly heralded vintage. Aromas of spiced plum, black olive, fig, tobacco and cassis come together like a puzzle. A deep, pure palate shows near-perfect balance, while this tastes of plum, berry fruits and earthy spice. Smooth, elegant and chocolaty on the finish, this delivers all one can ask for from Rioja. Drink through 2035. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (TA) |
Inc. VAT
£277.24 |
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Tim Atkin MW (97)This comes from vineyards in Villalba, Briones and Torremontalbo and is another brilliant release from María Larrea. Savoury, sweet and well balanced, with 15% Graciano adding extra backbone and the zest that you expect from this special red |
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Rioja | 2 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£439.24 |
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Vinous (94)Shimmering ruby-red. An intensely perfumed nose displays cherry cola, cassis, licorice and smoky oak; floral and vanilla qualities emerge in the glass. Juicy, penetrating red and dark fruit flavors are given spine by a core of tangy acidity, and bitter chocolate, candied rose and spicecake nuances develop with air. Gently gripping tannins add shape to an impressively long, incisive finish that leaves more vanilla and cherry notes behind. Raised for 22 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£373.24 |
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James Suckling (97)This is very ripe with blackberries, dried fruit, toasted oak and black licorice on the nose. Full-bodied with ultra-fine, linear tannins and a racy, refined finish. This has fantastic structure and length. It goes on for minutes. It needs time to open and refine even more. One of the best Imperiale Gran Reservas in a very long time. Drink after 2023. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£271.24 |
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James Suckling (97)This is very ripe with blackberries, dried fruit, toasted oak and black licorice on the nose. Full-bodied with ultra-fine, linear tannins and a racy, refined finish. This has fantastic structure and length. It goes on for minutes. It needs time to open and refine even more. One of the best Imperiale Gran Reservas in a very long time. Drink after 2023. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£309.62 |
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Oh, Las Lamas… she never disappoints, and what a fine vintage to play to her strengths. I honestly spent at least ten minutes just breathing in the phenomenal aromas of this wine. The nose is so open with a lovely fine balance, poised between sweet red fruit and granitic splendour. The palate is so mineral and the wet stone purity in this is exceptional. However, the deep cranberry fruit behind is gently sweet and frames the fine, incredibly long length. This has notes of raspberry tea and is another Bierzo wine with a rainwater finish. Gorgeous. Drink 2021-2030.
More Info
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 96-98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£425.54 |
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Wine Advocate (96-98)Right now, I prefer the 2022 Las Lamas to the Moncerbal from this same vintage. Moncerbal is the place that suffers more from the draught and heat, as it's very rocky and has less organic matter, less water retention, while the Las Lamas has more resources to fight lack of water and high temperatures through the higher content of clay. This is expressive, perfumed and elegant, quite Lamas. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£345.62 |
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2018 Moncerbal is exceptionally fragrant with near crystalline purity. It is a fine, elegant, dancing wine with extremely subtle black berry and black cherry fruit coming through. Its incredible freshness cuts like a knife through the palate which is mineral beyond belief, and the length goes on forever. If you are ever lucky enough to visit this astonishing 1.5ha vineyard, you will see how the vines cling, unbelievably, to vertiginous slopes. That determination somehow comes through in the precision and focus of this stunning 2018 wine. It is exceptional. Drink 2024-2035.
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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Castilla y Leon | 3 | 95 (WA) |
In Bond
£578.00 |
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Wine Advocate (95)The heady and ripe 2020 PS follows the house style and the profile of the regular Aalto from the same vintage, with slightly higher ripeness, more creaminess and toastier oak. It's predictable and very good at it, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins and some chalkiness in the pungent, intense and oaky finish. It has 15% alcohol and mellow acidity. For fans of oaky and ripe Tempranillo. 35,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2022 after 21 months in new French oak barrels. |
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Priorat | 1 | 97 (DC) |
In Bond
£880.00 |
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Decanter (97)Quiñón de Valmira is not just a wine. As Palacios’ top Rioja it leads the transformation of Rioja Baja, now known as Rioja Oriental; puts the overlooked Garnacha back centre stage; and highlights the Sierra de Yerga as a fine vineyard origin. The palate is very appealing: succulent with a resounding red fruit and dark cherry ripeness, plus a lift of orange zest. Vivid, penetrating and long. Alvaro Palacios says Valmira is 'all about the aftertaste and the length'. Viñedo singular. 5,552 bottles produced. |
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Catalunya | 4 | 97 (DC) |
In Bond
£786.00 |
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Decanter (97)A lovely vintage of Les Aubaguetes, which comes from the southerly village of Bellmunt. This is the first vintage of this wine categorised as as Gran Vinya Classificada to join the handful declared. It’s a deserving award for the singular character of the north-facing vineyard, a wine that speaks of the slate soils of its origin. The Garnacha is blended with 13% Cariñena and 1% of the white grapes Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca. Dense, with black fruits, red cherries and a sense of slate. Very long and fresh. Gran Vinya Classificada. 3,200 bottles produced. |
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Catalunya | 4 | 96-98 (WA) |
In Bond
£435.00 |
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Wine Advocate (96-98)The vineyard that produces the grape for the 2022 La Baixada is classified in the Vinya Classificada category of the Priorat appellation. It's 1.3 hectares in the village of Gratallops, mostly Garnacha with 2% Cariñena on a steep slope. Like the rest of the range, it fermented with some full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats and had 30 days of maceration. It completed 13 months in oval oak foudres and was in concrete waiting to be bottled when I tasted it in January 2024. It has 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.44 and 4.76 grams of acidity. This is super aromatic, floral, open and expressive, with a touch of exotic spices. It's powerful and elegant, with an incisive palate, deep, complex, with fine-grained tannins. Palacios told me this wine was special from day one. This could very well be the highlight of the 2022 vintage. It was expected to be bottled in March 2024, with a production of around 3,500 bottles. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 97 (JS) |
In Bond
£720.00 |
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James Suckling (97)This is a very tight and fine-grained red with a compressed mouthfeel. The fruit comes through to a class and elegance. Such length. Ethereal structure. Unique. Drink or hold. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 96+ (WA) |
In Bond
£230.00 |
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Wine Advocate (96+)The origin of everything here and the first single-vineyard red, the 2018 Finca Dofí excels in 2018. Those 10 hectares planted 20 years ago in the village of Gratallops are mostly Garnacha, but the wine also has some 8% Cariñena and 2% white grapes. They all fermented after being destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 16 months. This is the refined version of the Gratallops (the vineyard is in the village!) but with an extra degree of depth and complexity, especially nuance and elegance, showcasing the captivating finesse and harmony of the vintage, which is a little in the style of the 2016 with more energy. I see that these 2018s are quite transparent and show the style of the zone, the iron soils, the dusty roads and the warmth of the soils; it's round and lush, spherical but with a spike of freshness. The élevage has been polished so as to render it almost invisible. This is drinkable now, and I think it's also going to age nicely in bottle and drink nicely throughout its life. 29,540 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2020. |
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Catalunya | 10 | 95-97 (WA) |
In Bond
£342.00 |
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Wine Advocate (95-97)The 2022 Finca Dofí was produced with 88% Garnacha, 9% Cariñena, 2% Picapoll and 1% white grapes from a 12.5-hectare slope planted 18 to 38 years ago. It fermented with part of full clusters in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and had a maceration of 32 days. It matured in oval oak foudres and large French oak barrels for a period of 14 months. It has 14.4% alcohol and a pH of 3.46 and 4.8 grams of acidity. It has a little more color and ripeness, and it's quite spicy, with notes of licorice and an earthy twist. Palacios told me Picapoll has provided very good acidity and low alcohol; some years they used up to 6% of it (they started grafting it some 12 years ago from the old plants from his old winemaker, Joan Asens). They expected to fill around 28,000 bottles in March 2024. |
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Catalunya | 10 | 93-95 (WA) |
In Bond
£198.00 |
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Wine Advocate (93-95)The 2022 Gratallops is a village wine, "vi de vila" in the Catalan language, which is the official category from the Priorat appellation. The wine shows the ancestral mix of local varieties, which this year is 80% Garnacha, 19% Cariñena and 1% white grapes, Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo and Pedro Ximénez from different vineyards in the village. Like the rest of the wines, it fermented with part of full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats, with punching down and, in this case, a maceration of 31 days. The wine will mature in oval foudres and large oak barrels for 14 months. It's pale, bright, very clean, expressive and elegant, with a great sense of harmony, contained ripeness and a medium-bodied palate with very fine tannins and a surprising sense of harmony, perhaps not super complex or deep but with a silky texture that makes it very attractive. It has 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.52 with 4.61 grams of acidity. They expect to produce around 21,000 bottles in March 2024. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 97-100 (WA) |
In Bond
£2,576.00 |
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Wine Advocate (97-100)As I saw in some of the other wines, there is a lot more Cariñena in the still unbottled 2016 L'Ermita than in the 2015. The varietal breakdown was approximately 85% Garnacha, 14% Cariñena and 1% white grapes—Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo and PX. The grapes are manually sorted and destemmed by the team that picks them and are put to ferment in an oak vat with the natural yeasts from the grapes. Malolactic was in barrique, which is where the wine was maturing when I tasted it. It has electric acidity that makes it vibrant, even if the nose might be a bit shy. I don't remember a vintage of L'Ermita with this concentration and acidity. We have to see how the élevage rounds it out, but this could be a very important vintage for L'Ermita. The expectation is to bottle some 2,000 bottles of this in May/June 2018. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 99 (WA) |
In Bond
£2,295.00 |
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Wine Advocate (99)The flagship 2018 L'Ermita is already classified as Gran Vinya Classificada, the new category of grand cru vineyards from the Priorat appellation of origin. Like the 2017, the blend here is mostly Garnacha with about 20% Cariñena (the highest for this wine) and 2% of white grapes. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats with a maceration of 56 days and matured in oak barrels of different sizes for 14 months. The grapes were picked quite late but on the same date as the previous year, the 17th of October, because the vineyard is so regular. The wine is aromatic, intense and elegant, with a lifted nose and a high-pitched note of violet pastille, more refined than the Aubaguetes and Baixada. It is classical and proportioned, with contained and complex aromas and flavors and lots of energy, light in its feel but with inner power and strength. As with most great wines, it should develop nicely and for a long time in bottle but will drink well throughout its life. Grand vin, yes. 2,440 bottles were filled in April 2020. |
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Catalunya | 4 | 99 (DC) |
In Bond
£2,200.00 |
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Decanter (99)L’Ermita is the second of Alvaro Palacios’ top wines to gain the Gran Vinya Classificada category. The vineyard now measures 4.7ha; it increased when Palacios and René Barbier swapped land. Work has been done to graft red varieties onto white vines. The result of the labours – including the permissions required from the Archbishop of Zaragoza for this holy hermitage – is a delight. Gloriously aromatic nose, introducing a wonderfully complex palate of cherries integrated with savoury notes, a shaft of minerality, wild herbs, and dark fruit conserve. Well-deserving of its reputation as one of Spain's great wines. Gran Vinya Classificada. 4,930 bottles produced. |
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Andalucia | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£210.00 |
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Wine Advocate (98)The amazing, pedal to the metal/full throttle/balls to the wall, sweet 1910 Pedro Ximenez Solera is a dark amber-colored, full-bodied, unctuously-textured beauty that should be sipped and savored slowly and carefully at the end of a meal with a plate of cashews. It is remarkable stuff. The price is not high for what it represents. |
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Andalucia | 1 | 98 (WA) |
In Bond
£169.00 |
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Wine Advocate (98)The NV Pedro Ximenez Solera 1927 is non-vintage, but does have some 1927 material in it. This is totally dark brown/amber with notes of figs, toffee, caramel syrup, molasses and coffee. It is dense, super sweet, intense, rich and an amazingly, unctuously textured, thick beverage to consume slowly and introspectively after a meal. Drink now through 2050, or even longer. |
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Rioja | 1 | 94 (TA) |
In Bond
£141.00 |
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Tim Atkin MW (94)A vineyard doesn't have to be old to make great wines, as this 3.9-hectare parcel, planted at 720 metres in Samaniego as recently as 2013 demonstrates. Balanced, chalky, racy and refreshing, with chiselled acidity, understated oak influence, bramble, blackberry and cranberry fruit and a long, tapering finish. 2024-32 |
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Catalunya | 1 | 96 (DC) |
In Bond
£419.00 |
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Decanter (96)A village wine in the Priorat classification, taken from five parcels of very old vines at different elevations and slopes in Gratallops. Fermented in open-top 225L barrels and aged in French new oak. In a vertical of 2017, 2014 and 2012, the 2014 shone: very dark fruit, a powerful impression, then a delicious lift of orange zest, fresh herbs, eucalyptus. Wonderfully complex. Textured, with fine grain and a long, satisfying finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2027 |
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Jumilla | 1 | 96 (WA) |
In Bond
£273.00 |
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Wine Advocate (96)The 2018 Las Gravas is a blend of 90% Monastrell from limestone gravel soils and 10% Garnacha also planted in the same gravel soils, but it's obviously much younger than the Monastrell. It fermented in underground pools with 25% to 30% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in 5,000-liter oak foudres and 500-liter oak barrels for 16 months. It's an incredibly elegant and delicate Las Gravas, nuanced and with a discrete profile, a little shy at first. The palate is also super elegant and balanced, with refined tannins, a velvety texture and very fine chalky minerality. The north-facing vineyard, the backbone of this wine in a challenging and cooler year, is now 40 years old and has vigor and balance, which has resulted in an incredible wine through a lot of work in the vineyard. This has to be the finest vintage to date, a real triumph over the adverse conditions of the year that transcends the quality of the vintage. They used a lower percentage of Garnacha to avoid too much florality in the blend, and the wine is more serious. It's less explosive than the 2017, but I'd say, more gravelly... Bravo! 34,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2020. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 96+ (WA) |
In Bond
£190.00 |
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Wine Advocate (96+)I was very pleasantly surprised by the elegance and balance of the 2015 Valtuille Cepas Centenarias, centenary Mencía from two plots in the village of Valtuille. This is always one of the finest wines in the portfolio, but this 2015 was especially harmonious, combining aromas of violets and wild herbs with an earthy touch and a medium-bodied palate with very refined tannins that made it beautifully textured. There is an extra degree of complexity here and it has the depth of the very old vines. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this bottling. There are 3,500 bottles of it. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 94+ (WA) |
In Bond
£175.00 |
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Wine Advocate (94+)The 2018 El Rapolao was produced with the grapes from the adjacent plot to the one from Castro Ventosa. It has maybe 5% white grapes and a faint reductive character—a flinty or gun powder note, turning into sesame seeds á la Coche-Dury with time—that the vineyard can have, with a lot less alcohol (13%) and is lighter and more ethereal and elegant. This is floral, clean and fresh, fulfilling the fresher and more elegant style of the 2018s. It follows the style of 2016, perhaps with a touch more depth and complexity, and it is more elegant, with more refined tannins and a chalky sensation. 984 bottles were filled in December 2019. |
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Rioja | 1 | 95 (WA) |
In Bond
£262.00 |
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Wine Advocate (95)The 2018 Viña del Olivo comes from a plot planted in 1980 that has different soils from the rest of the property, which is mostly alluvial. Here, the soils are composed of clay and limestone. It's 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, which fermented in 1,000-liter French oak vats followed by 16 months in barrel and a further three months in oak vats. This is raw and young, but it's already been released because the wine sells like hot cakes. It's marked by the toasted barrels and has all the baby fat it needs to be rendered invisible with time in bottle. It has very good freshness and round and sophisticated tannins with purity of fruit and finesse. 13,640 bottles and some larger formats. It was bottled in April 2020. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (JS) |
In Bond
£155.00 |
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James Suckling (97)This is so powerful and tightly wound with so much intensity and power. Full body. Crushed berries and hints of walnuts and cedar. Purity in fruit. Very subtle character, but great tension and richness. Drink after 2021. |
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Rioja | 2 | 95 (WE) |
In Bond
£325.00 |
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Wine Enthusiast (95)Certain wines exude a sense of elevated excellence. This one gets to that level via aromas of spice cake, baked plum and tobacco aromas. A stocky saturated palate is structured and built to age, while this tastes of cool blue fruits, herbs, coffee and chocolate. A smoothly textured finish deals cocoa and mocha notes. Drink through 2040. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (WE) |
In Bond
£270.00 |
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Wine Enthusiast (97)This is a fabulous gran reserva from a very good but lightly heralded vintage. Aromas of spiced plum, black olive, fig, tobacco and cassis come together like a puzzle. A deep, pure palate shows near-perfect balance, while this tastes of plum, berry fruits and earthy spice. Smooth, elegant and chocolaty on the finish, this delivers all one can ask for from Rioja. Drink through 2035. |
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Rioja | 2 | 97 (WE) |
In Bond
£388.00 |
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Wine Enthusiast (97)This is a fabulous gran reserva from a very good but lightly heralded vintage. Aromas of spiced plum, black olive, fig, tobacco and cassis come together like a puzzle. A deep, pure palate shows near-perfect balance, while this tastes of plum, berry fruits and earthy spice. Smooth, elegant and chocolaty on the finish, this delivers all one can ask for from Rioja. Drink through 2035. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (TA) |
In Bond
£215.00 |
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Tim Atkin MW (97)This comes from vineyards in Villalba, Briones and Torremontalbo and is another brilliant release from María Larrea. Savoury, sweet and well balanced, with 15% Graciano adding extra backbone and the zest that you expect from this special red |
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Rioja | 2 | 94 (VN) |
In Bond
£350.00 |
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Vinous (94)Shimmering ruby-red. An intensely perfumed nose displays cherry cola, cassis, licorice and smoky oak; floral and vanilla qualities emerge in the glass. Juicy, penetrating red and dark fruit flavors are given spine by a core of tangy acidity, and bitter chocolate, candied rose and spicecake nuances develop with air. Gently gripping tannins add shape to an impressively long, incisive finish that leaves more vanilla and cherry notes behind. Raised for 22 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (JS) |
In Bond
£295.00 |
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James Suckling (97)This is very ripe with blackberries, dried fruit, toasted oak and black licorice on the nose. Full-bodied with ultra-fine, linear tannins and a racy, refined finish. This has fantastic structure and length. It goes on for minutes. It needs time to open and refine even more. One of the best Imperiale Gran Reservas in a very long time. Drink after 2023. |
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Rioja | 1 | 97 (JS) |
In Bond
£210.00 |
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James Suckling (97)This is very ripe with blackberries, dried fruit, toasted oak and black licorice on the nose. Full-bodied with ultra-fine, linear tannins and a racy, refined finish. This has fantastic structure and length. It goes on for minutes. It needs time to open and refine even more. One of the best Imperiale Gran Reservas in a very long time. Drink after 2023. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | - |
In Bond
£250.00 |
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Oh, Las Lamas… she never disappoints, and what a fine vintage to play to her strengths. I honestly spent at least ten minutes just breathing in the phenomenal aromas of this wine. The nose is so open with a lovely fine balance, poised between sweet red fruit and granitic splendour. The palate is so mineral and the wet stone purity in this is exceptional. However, the deep cranberry fruit behind is gently sweet and frames the fine, incredibly long length. This has notes of raspberry tea and is another Bierzo wine with a rainwater finish. Gorgeous. Drink 2021-2030.
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | 96-98 (WA) |
In Bond
£345.00 |
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Wine Advocate (96-98)Right now, I prefer the 2022 Las Lamas to the Moncerbal from this same vintage. Moncerbal is the place that suffers more from the draught and heat, as it's very rocky and has less organic matter, less water retention, while the Las Lamas has more resources to fight lack of water and high temperatures through the higher content of clay. This is expressive, perfumed and elegant, quite Lamas. |
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Castilla y Leon | 1 | - |
In Bond
£280.00 |
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2018 Moncerbal is exceptionally fragrant with near crystalline purity. It is a fine, elegant, dancing wine with extremely subtle black berry and black cherry fruit coming through. Its incredible freshness cuts like a knife through the palate which is mineral beyond belief, and the length goes on forever. If you are ever lucky enough to visit this astonishing 1.5ha vineyard, you will see how the vines cling, unbelievably, to vertiginous slopes. That determination somehow comes through in the precision and focus of this stunning 2018 wine. It is exceptional. Drink 2024-2035.
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