|
Racines, Grand Reserve Sparkling NV, USA
96 points, (£73)
This is the best American sparkling wine I've ever tasted. A blanc de blancs with Old World charm, made with a 2019 vintage base, and 25% reserve wines from 2017 and 2018. Ample toasted aromas and great yeasty complexity from 30 months on lees. Fantastic palate depth of spiced pear, cardamom, nutmeg and bruised apple, with hints of biscuit and almond cream.
Tablas Creek, Patelin de Tablas Rouge 2022, USA
93 points, (£32)
Elegant structure meets a satiny texture in this red, which offers fresh cherry and raspberry flavours laced with cinnamon and red liquorice notes before finishing with polished tannins.
Ines Salpico, Altos Las Hormigas: The quest to reveal terroir, 21st August 2024
It can’t be easy to be the winemaker of a project spearheaded by Alberto Antonini and Pedro Parra. This big responsibility has, for the past four years, rested on the shoulders of the enthusiastic Federico Gambetta, who seems enduringly motivated by the expectations surrounding Altos Las Hormigas. He was in London recently to present the latest and upcoming releases, and discuss, quite candidly, how the wines are a work in progress – steps on a road to strip Malbec of artifice and convey an ever-purer expression of terroir. As we tasted through wines from the 2020, 2021 and 2022 vintages, the evolution towards expressiveness and drinkability was clear – especially in the unoaked Jardín de Hormigas Meteora Malbec 2021 and the barrel sample of the flagship Jardín de Hormigas Los Amantes Malbec 2022.
Altos Las Hormigas, `Colonia Las Liebres` Mendoza Bonarda Clasica 2023, Argentina , (£15)
Drinkability is also the hallmark of the project's dangerously fresh Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda Clasica 2023, a red that's perfect for chilling in summer.
Other highlights in this edition include Julia Harding MW selecting the "highly original" Molino Real `Mountain Blanco` Málaga Muscat 2021 (£24) as a Wine of the Week, saying "I found the combination of aromatic complexity, intensity and a long, dry finish captivating – so much so that I had to keep returning to the glass to discover more."
Molino Real , `Mountain Blanco` Málaga Muscat 2021, Spain , (£24)
The 2021 vintage is still youthful but the extra two years in the bottle have transformed it into a highly original white wine, which starts out with a marked grapey aroma before revealing scented wild herbs and vibrant green fruits. As it continues to open in the glass, there’s what I can only describe as a ‘fumy’ aroma that reminds me of Riesling that has been fermented with ambient rather than cultured yeast. Despite the heady mix of aromas, the wine is bone dry even if there is a fullness and generosity in the mouth. It’s intense and long and remarkably fresh. Alcohol in this vintage is 13.5%. The wine may not appeal to those who prefer their white wines to smell steely and taste lean but I found the combination of aromatic complexity, intensity and a long, dry finish captivating – so much so that I had to keep returning to the glass to discover more. I am looking forward to trying this wine after even longer in the bottle and I suspect it will be still going strong in five years.
Tim Atkin MW & Beth Willard, Discover Spain 2024 Special Report, August 2024
Finca Museum, `La Renacida` Cigales 2021, Spain
93 points, (£27)
An estate wine from Finca Museum's old vineyards of mainly Tempranillo, co-planted (as is the way in Cigales) with Garnacha, Albillo Mayor and other varieties. It is fermented with indigenous yeast and spends 12 months in French foudres. With juicy red fruits, peach syrup and floral notes, the wine is opulent and approachable. Smooth tannins and fleshy berries make a complex yet very smashable wine.
Casa Ferreirinha, `Barca-Velha` Douro Tinto 2015, Portugal
18.5+ points, (£499)
Deepest crimson with purple rim. Rich, spicy black fruit, dark and savoury like the Douro's best. Blackcurrant and blueberry sweetness. Ultra-fine tannins, so refined, elegant and incredibly well balanced for such a young Barca Velha. Powerful but so harmonious you barely feel the power. Immense length. The tannins are extremely fine and a little thicker than in the 1999. As it opens, there's more violets and more of Touriga Nacional's floral perfume. The tannins build in the mouth but they are still refined, polished – smoother at this age than they would have been in the older wines, I suspect. Head winemaker Luís Sottomayor described the 2015 as having 'The body and structure of 2011 but the freshness and elegance from 2008'.
(Available on allocation only. Please speak to us.)
Azevedo, Vinho Verde Loureiro/Alvarinho 2023, Portugal
Wine of the Week, (£13)
Quinta de Azevedo, which features its historic tower on all its labels, dates back to the 12th century, and this property, situated near the Cávado River in the beautiful Minho region, has made its most delicious estate Vinhos Verdes to date. Made from a blend of 70% Loureiro and 30% Alvarinho, it sings with striking granite and cleansing schist mineral tones, crisp citrus and faint stone fruit notes and mouth-watering sea spray freshness.
Quinta de Azevedo, Loureiro Escolha 2023, Portugal
(£16)
A ‘selection’ wine focusing on the heavenly Loureiro grape, and it is silky and sensual with gentle tropical notes that caress the palate while retaining exceptional freshness and verve.
Quinta de Azevedo, Alvarinho Escolha 2023, Portugal
(£16)
Does the same trick with the more expansive and expressive Alvarinho grape (Albariño in Spain), and this loads a little more exoticism and creaminess onto the palate, making this a stunning main course offering.
Quinta de Azevedo, `Torre` Grande Escolha 2022, Portugal
17 points, (£27)
This smells richer and riper than the 2023s – Loureiro and Alvarinho varietals – just tasted, with aromas of pear and clementine as well as ripe citrus and a light herbal note. There's a creamy richness that reveals the light oak influence, which shows a little more on the palate than on the nose. Big, creamy, generous and deliciously fresh. A definite step up from the two Escolha 2023s just tasted. More depth and length and, I think, greater ageing capacity, though it is lovely now. Sour-fresh pear on the finish and just that slight creaminess. Pure and crisp, persistent.
Domaine Laroche, Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots `Réserve de l'Obédience` 2022, France
96 points , (£95)
The 2022 Chablis Les Blanchots Grand Cru La Réserve de l’Obedience has a similar nose to the regular cuvée, but everything here is much more intense. There’s brilliant delineation, with plenty of citrus fruit, crushed stone and a hint of blackcurrant leaf. Wonderful! The palate is very well balanced with a crisp entry, just the right amount of bitterness and real depth, all delivered with harmony and grace. This is a very impressive Blanchot that will age with style.
Current vintage: 2021
Domaine de L'Enclos, Chablis Grand Cru `Les Clos` 2022, France
93 points , (£95)
The 2022 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a very harmonious bouquet, with assiduous use of oak here that is seamlessly assimilated. It’s quite minerally compared to others, with impressive delineation. The palate is taut and fresh, notably citrus-driven on the entry before segueing into subtler, more exotic fruit toward the composed finish. Very refined.
Neal Martin, Mâconnais 2022/2023: Don`t Pass Me By, August 2024
Domaine du Roc des Boutires, Pouilly-Fuissé `En Bertilionne` 2022, France
93 points , (£48)
The 2022 Pouilly-Fuissé En Bertilionne 1er Cru may well be the standout offering from the Domaine this year. It's really everything you want wrapped up a bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé. This is more complex than the Aux Chailloux on the nose, exquisite delineation, evoking images of cool Alpine streams and dew dappled Granny Smiths. The palate has tremendous depth and energy, a killer line of acidity, though not quite as sharp as the Aux Chailloux, yet there is greater persistence on the peppery finish. Wonderful.
Domaine du Roc des Boutires, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru `Aux Chailloux` 2022, France
92 points , (£49)
The 2022 Pouilly-Fuissé Aux Chailloux 1er Cru is an outstanding wine. There is immense precision on the nose that is more malic than you would anticipate given the summer's warmth, fleeting touches of Granny Smiths and Conference pear, a touch of crushed limestone. The palate is underpinned by razor-sharp acidity that renders this a live-wire Pouilly-Fuissé. Very edgy, very saline, so much so that it demands food to accompany it. The most athletic of Roc de Boutires' cuvées.
Charles Curtis MW, Marvellous Morgon: A guide to this star Beaujolais cru: Names to know & top wines to try, August 2024
Burgaud created his property in 1989, and farms 17.5ha in total today, including 12.5ha in Morgon and another 5ha of Beaujolais Villages in Lantignié. Most of his vineyards are planted with old vines (50-70 years old). The fermentation is done as whole clusters using a semi-carbonic process. The single-climat bottlings from Cras, Charmes, Corcelette, and Côte du Py have slightly extended maceration.
Côte du Py is a dome-shaped hill that rises to 350m, with volcanic subsoils covered with schist, which gives the wines a unique flavour, full body and density. The intertwining of blue schist with iron oxide from the volcanic strata underneath provides a friable soil called ‘roche pourrie’ that is perfect for Gamay.
Jean-Marc Burgaud, Morgon `Côte du Py` 2022, France
97 points , (£27)
This delightful wine has a ripe blueberry and blackberry fruit character with pronounced floral notes on the initial attack. It has an impressively dense and tightly wound texture on the palate, yet the feel is elegant and not heavy. Burgaud notes that this is the highest elevation of his sites (at 370m) and the coolest; the vines were planted in 1933 in granite soils on the plateau that borders Régnié, sloping gently toward the south.
Matthew Jukes, Wednesday Wines – Episode 224 – A Beautiful Bunch of Rosés, August 2024
Château Beaulieu, `Cuvée Alexandre` Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Rosé 2023, France (£27)
I am a massive fan of this wine, and not only have I written about it on many occasions, but I have also selected it for a couple of super-star restaurant wine lists for whom I consult. In addition, it has formed the backdrop to many a party, and this new 2023 sits right at the top of the pile.
--------------
Wines to try
Bruno Rocca, Barbaresco `Rabajà` 2021, Italy
17.5+ points, (£118)
Just mid ruby. Sweetly perfumed red-fruit nose with a savoury layer. Succulent yet elegant red-fruit palate with gorgeous, deep, chewy tannins. Still a little embryonic.
Massolino, Barbaresco `Albesani` 2021, Italy
17.5 points, (£99)
Just mid ruby. At first very closed but with aeration, aromatic cherry fruit creeps up. Succulent, elegant cherry and raspberry fruit on the palate with finely ground, coating tannins. Lots of juicy raspberry fruit on the finish. Quite gorgeous right now.
Current vintage: 2020
Bruno Rocca, Barbaresco `Currà` 2021, Italy
17 points, (£118)
Just mid ruby. Concentrated, aromatic raspberry nose with savoury notes. Supple, almost rich raspberry fruit filled out by powdery tannins. Long and satisfying.
Bruno Rocca, Barbaresco 2021, Italy
16.5 points, (£63)
Just mid ruby. Perfumed red-fruit nose with plenty of concentration. Sappy raspberry underpinned by firm, ripe tannins adding bite to the finish.
Fontodi, `Flaccianello della Pieve` 2021, Italy
97 points , (£116)
Featuring a deep well of blackberry, black cherry, violet, mineral and spices on the nose, this red is rich and dense, saturated with dark fruit flavours, yet with a sense of gracefulness. A light dusting of tannins frames the finish, needing a few years to integrate with the other components. Shows the harmony, freshness and depth of the vintage.
Current vintage: 2020
Isole e Olena, `Cepparello` 2021, Italy
96 points, (£121)
Plum, cherry and pomegranate fruit is framed by toasty oak and mineral flavours in this lively and succulent red, which offers plenty of energy, with elements of tar and oak on the persistent finish. Shows fine balance, with the dense tannins leaving room for the fruit in the end. Needs time.
Fèlsina Berardenga, Chianti Classico Riserva 2021, Italy
95 points , (£39)
The core of cherry, pomegranate and raspberry fruit is detailed with Tuscan scrub, iron, vanilla and tobacco notes as this intense red builds in power to the expansive conclusion, where its fruit, mineral and wild herb flavours converge. Shows fine balance and length; this just needs time to absorb the oak.
Current vintage: 2020
Fontodi, Chianti Classico 2021, Italy
94 points, (£33)
Popular in the bar of The posh Off Licence. This red straddles the fruity and savoury sides of Sangiovese, revealing cherry and blackberry fruit offset by eucalyptus, juniper and wild rosemary flavours. Lively and fluid, with tension on the complex, minerally aftertaste.
Fontodi, `Vigna del Sorbo` Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2021, Italy
97 points , (£73)
Saturated with black cherry, blackberry, violet and graphite flavours, this fluid, elegant red is defined by vibrant acidity, with a light matrix of fine-grained tannins. Balanced and fresh on the fruit-filled aftertaste. Decant now, or give this a year or two in the cellar.
Current vintage: 2020
Fontodi, `Terrazze San Leolino` Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2021, Italy
95 points , (£32)
Offering cherry, pomegranate, floral, iron and resin flavours, this bright, elegant red tightens up on the finish for now yet remains balanced and silky, lingering nicely. Give this six months to a year to open.
Current vintage: 2020
Dievole, `Vigna di Sessina` Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2019, Italy
95 points, (£59)
Featuring strawberry, cherry, rose and mineral aromas and flavours, this pretty red is firmly structured, closing up on the tightly wound finish. Nonetheless, there's plenty of fruit, and this is super long on the aftertaste.
Current vintage: 2018
Poggio al Tesoro, `Il Seggio` Bolgheri 2021, Italy
94 points, (£32)
Bright and saturated, with black currant, black cherry, cedar and tobacco flavours, this red also leans toward the elegant side. A firmly built version, showing fine equilibrium and refined tannins on the extended finish.
Poggio al Tesoro, `Sondraia` Bolgheri Superiore 2020, Italy
94 points, (£83)
A supple red, featuring black currant, cherry, liquorice, iron and eucalyptus aromas and flavours. Fluid and more on the side of elegance than power yet shows good grip on the finish, with fine balance and length.
Current vintage: 2019 |
