Red Wine

Jancisrobinson.com 17/20 "62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. pH 3.75, 60% new oak. Barrel sample. Deepest purple. Dark and stony, lovely slaty nose. Firm, chalky, dense and still with lovely freshness. Not the same richness as the 2009 but with great purity and definition. More serious, less seduction. Long and great structure. So pure in its dark cassis fruit. Cool with a touch of liquorice on the finish. (JH)" Parker 91-93/100 "Deep purple-black in color, it leaps from the glass with vibrant scents of black raspberries, kirsch and fresh blackcurrants with nuances of cedar chest, pencil lead and forest floor plus a waft of lavender. Full-bodied, rich and packed with juicy fruit, it has a firm line of grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing with a herbal lift."

Garnet in colour, mostly opaque and bright. The nose takes a few minutes to open and then shows cherries and black cherries with some spice. On the palate, this is full bodied with a nice nice texture. Lots of black cherry fruit. A bit of anise on the long finish. Blind, I think I would have guessed Oregon or maybe California here due to all the ripe fruit. Still quite young, perhaps another two or three years will calm it down for those looking for more elegance. I quite enjoyed this as is. It will continue to drink nicely for a decade. Great on its own, this will work well with classic Pinot dishes such as roasted duck.

Cloudy Bay crafts some of New Zealand's finest wine. The cool-climate Marlborough is almost too generous to the demanding Pinot Noir grape. Here, the trailblazing winery has created this silk-smooth 92 Parker Point 2017 vintage that's loaded with raspberry, strawberry and cola. A deliciously sweet hint of spice lingers on the finish.

Poised and perfectly balanced, this intense purple- black wine has a harmonious bouquet of red and black berries, with soft and sweet tannins on the finish.

Elegant, fresh cherry and red berry nose with undergrowth melange. The palate is pure with lovely texture and sweet cherry fruit dominates with spicy undertones. The wine is fresh and intense with real vibrancy.

Corvinone, Corvina, and cab sauv blend from the Veneto region. Nose of rose petal, black fruit, bit jammy with some pepper there. Palate is full bodied, full tannin, medium acid with a grippy Velcro style tannin. Lots of black fruit namely blackberry and berry compote, leather, subtle cocoa, red apple skin giving acidity and structure and a nice minerality strewn throughout. Dry with a medium+ finish. Great value for a baby Amarone.

Intense, almost black, red colour. Aromas of red and black wild berries, truffle, paprika, pepper and clove. The round and silky body so characteristic of ripe Carménère offers a pleasant, persistent and full experience

The Crusher Pinot Noir is powerfully aromatic, with notes of pomegranate, rose petal and nutmeg. Juicy and spicy on the palate, this wine exudes flavours of plum, glazed strawberry and cinnamon bread from 12 months of French oak aging.

Francois Xavier AKA 'FX' worked with Tom Lubbe at Domaine Matassa for five years. He spent a further year with Domaine Danjou-Banessy. After such time this local lad set up in Espira to make his own wholly exciting wines which we are introducing the UK for the first time. Syrah 85% Muscat d'Alexandrie 15%

Fairly simple cherry and redcurrant aromas lead to blackcurrants and plums in the mouth, with refreshing acidity and a line of bitterness on the back palate. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed, which perhaps adds that greeness underneath the ripe fruit. A more structured, tannic wine than initially expected, but with lovely fruit - delicious wine.

The latest vintage from the legend of Lebanon.

From its tempting aromas of ripe cherry and black raspberry to its sweet, dusty tannins and supple texture, this a lush and expansive expression of Napa Valley Merlot. Luxurious flavours of black plum, rhubarb crumble and chocolate-covered raspberry mingle with hints of graphite and clove on the long, vibrant finish.

Low yielding, old vines are picked in small parcels and remain separate until final blending. Small batches of grapes are gently crushed and then transferred to five tonne headed down open fermenters. Foot treading is undertaken two thirds of the way through fermentation. The wine is then basket pressed and transferred to a mixture of new and used oak barriques to complete fermentation. The barrel ferments are on aged lees, there is no racking until final blending and no fining or filtration. Dead Arm is a vine disease caused by the fungus Eutypa Lata that randomly effects vineyards all over the world. One half, or an 'arm' of the vine slowly becomes reduced to dead wood. That side may be lifeless and brittle, but the grapes on the other side display amazing intensity.

2012 Vintage Report 2012 was rated as a ‘very good’ vintage in Rioja. The year was defined by the lack of rain which was 25% lower than normal for the region with over a third of the rainfall falling after the harvest. High spring and summer temperatures resulted in picking starting early. The rain finally began to fall on 11th October, extending the harvest by an extra week but all grapes were in by 18th October, which is still early for Haro. Given the dry conditions, yields were down as grapes were small. However, they were also very healthy and López de Heredia are very happy with the quality of the vintage, saying that the wines, ‘continue to develop favourably in terms of freshness and fineness’ and that they have a long ageing potential. The 2012 is a blend of 70% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacho with the remaining 10% a mix of Graciano and Mazuelo. The wine was aged in barrel for 6 years, being racked twice per year and fined with fresh egg whites. Overall, the wine has spent 10 years maturing in the perfect, cool conditions of López de Heredia’s incredible underground cellars and was bottled in January 2022. Tasting Notes The nose of the 2012 Tondonia Tinto Reserva is gloriously open, perfumed and fine. Gentle aromas of jamón and cured leather mingle with subtle notes of raspberry tea and a touch of musky, cedar spice. A sweet red cherry compote top note comes through but, above all, this is remarkably scented, floral and mineral-pure Tondonia. The palate is incredibly fresh with well-defined red fruit and a vibrating hint of orange zest at the back. This is a more accessible and less dense style than the previous two vintages but that is more than compensated for by its superb poise and sense of energy. Reminiscent of the lovely 2009 in its charm, the wine dances on the palate towards the focused, pure finish. Delicious. Drink 2024 (decanted) to 2042. Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer BBR “2012 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Tinto Reserva (13%)

2012 Vintage Report 2012 was rated as a ‘very good’ vintage in Rioja. The year was defined by the lack of rain which was 25% lower than normal for the region with over a third of the rainfall falling after the harvest. High spring and summer temperatures resulted in picking starting early. The rain finally began to fall on 11th October, extending the harvest by an extra week but all grapes were in by 18th October, which is still early for Haro. Given the dry conditions, yields were down as grapes were small. However, they were also very healthy and López de Heredia are very happy with the quality of the vintage, saying that the wines, ‘continue to develop favourably in terms of freshness and fineness’ and that they have a long ageing potential. The 2012 is a blend of 70% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacho with the remaining 10% a mix of Graciano and Mazuelo. The wine was aged in barrel for 6 years, being racked twice per year and fined with fresh egg whites. Overall, the wine has spent 10 years maturing in the perfect, cool conditions of López de Heredia’s incredible underground cellars and was bottled in January 2022. Tasting Notes The nose of the 2012 Tondonia Tinto Reserva is gloriously open, perfumed and fine. Gentle aromas of jamón and cured leather mingle with subtle notes of raspberry tea and a touch of musky, cedar spice. A sweet red cherry compote top note comes through but, above all, this is remarkably scented, floral and mineral-pure Tondonia. The palate is incredibly fresh with well-defined red fruit and a vibrating hint of orange zest at the back. This is a more accessible and less dense style than the previous two vintages but that is more than compensated for by its superb poise and sense of energy. Reminiscent of the lovely 2009 in its charm, the wine dances on the palate towards the focused, pure finish. Delicious. Drink 2024 (decanted) to 2042. Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer BBR “2012 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Tinto Reserva (13%)

This wine is intense ruby red in colour with purple hues. On the nose, it has aromas of morello and marasca cherries, notes of small red berries and sweet spices. The palate is mineral and balanced with a long finish. Sustainable, Vegan, Vegetarian

Utterly charming and gluggable Beaujolais, brimming with raspberry flavour, with smooth tannins and bright acidity. You can chill this a little or just knock it back with some charcuterie, cheese or olives.

Bright ruby red with nose of violets and red fruits, this dry red wine from the Beaujolais region of Burgundy is bursting with ripe red berry fruit flavours. It is soft and fresh, with delicate light tannins. Good acidity with medium body, 13.5% abv and fine tannins. Flavours of bright blackberry and plum with a good length spicy finish. Very versatile food wine that can be enjoyed with meat, plant-based dishes and even fish like tuna.

Opens with bold aromas of boysenberry, black cherry and a bevy of vanilla nuances. On the palate, this wine is fruit-driven with flavours of pomegranate, black cherry, fresh cranberry and nutmeg.

Wonderful. The best value Pinot Noir we have found from the Languedoc. Fine, fruity and elegant. Simply delicious.

A delicious blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Cinsault produced from mostly mountain sloped, rain-fed bush vines, grown on a variety of granite soils and naturally low yielding. Perfumed on the nose with pepper, spice and ripe red fruit character. Supple and smooth on the palate with enough grip and freshness to finish dry and refreshing.

From Sholto Broderick at Basket Range Wines: Vineyards: Our vineyard situated at our property in Basket Range comprises 75% of this wine. It is predominantly 777 clone Pinot Noir from a north facing aspect, as well as some mv6 from the adjacent south facing block. The Manyara vineyard in Balhannah comprises the balance of this wine (25%). This fruit is 100% mv6 clone and was harvested at a similar time in late March to the other Pinot in this wine. Winemaking: Each parcel of fruit for this wine was fermented in 1500 and 2000L vats, with the sparing use of whole bunches, in what was a cooler year. Maceration ranged from 7-14 days, depending on the parcel, with daily gentle pump-overs for cap management. The wine was maturated in seasoned French barrique barrels for 8 months. The earlier-picked fruit, showing prettiness and tension, underwent a gentle fermentation process. This Pinot Noir showcases notes of bramble and forest floor, with a delicate, fine-tea like tannin structure that adds to its overall elegance and complexity.

This is glorious wine. The aromas are thrilling and uplifting with notes of fine cedar, pencil-lead, polished mahogany,chestnut and fine spice intermingling with the perfectly balanced fruit. The palate has finesse and elegance and drinks sort of like a cross between a fine Margaux and Burgundy. Do not expect big wine, but do expect a great mouthful. It's the best Classico Barolo that Renato Corino has made.

From Sholto Broderick at Basket Range Wines: This wine is comprised predominately of Merlot and Petit Verdot from our vineyard. These were macerated with the use of whole bunches and with gentle handling, which gives lifted fruit and a spice from the stalks. The components were then blended with small amount of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. This makes for a red wine with gentle tannin and a lifted mid-palate. The Bantam is a dynamic wine that showcases juicy soft plums, white pepper, and graphitic tannin, with a savoury, highly drinkable quality. Designed for earlier drinking, it's best served cooler, at about 12c.