Tempranillo/Tinto Fino

Once again, sisters María and Cristina Amézola de la Mora have produced our own-label Rioja. A nose of fresh hedgerow fruit and subtle vanilla leads to a generous but fresh palate of raspberries and blackberries, with hints of cinnamon and exotic spice. The layers of fruit reveal the wine’s complexity and finesse. This is gloriously enticing.
Catriona Felstead MW, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Amézola’s 2016 Crianza, produced from 90% Tempranillo and 10% Mazuelo, has excellent depth and structure. Fine-grained tannins are complemented by oozing dark blackberry fruit and lifted by a red-fruit freshness which mirrors the elegant nose. As a Crianza, this wine has been aged for 15 months in oak (60% American and 40% French). This gives the wine subtle hints of vanilla spice and nutmeg which are beautifully combined with generous, ripe fruit notes. Try this with Vietnamese food or classic tapas dishes. Ready to drink, but will keep.
Lucy Bland, Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

Rollo Crittenden introduced Italian varieties t this pioneering Mornington estate. Following in their father’s footsteps, today siblings (“hermanos” in Spanish) Rollo and Zoe are experimenting with Spanish varietals. For their Tempranillo, they aim to make a youthful easy-drinking style, where the primary fruit characters are dominant. The wine spends only five months in old oak to give extra complexity, without eclipsing its generous bouquet of plums, cherries and sweet spice. Extremely enjoyable now, this will drink well to 2021. 
Stefania Masin - Wine Buyer

This delicious red Vermouth is made from 100 percent Tempranillo by the energetic Oscar Aragón of Cillar de Silos. It is one of the most unusual Vermouths we have come across, with an absolutely glorious note of lavender that transcends the more classic bitter herbs. This would be an excellent base for a mouth-watering Negroni or would add an unusual twist to a classic Martini- but it is also superb on its own over ice- summer in a glass. 

This Crianza spends 13 months gently maturing in barrel, then a further year in bottle prior to release. It displays ripe fruit notes while remaining remarkably fresh thanks to the region’s significant diurnal shift. Deep ruby in colour, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, blackcurrant, forest fruits and fresher raspberry notes alongside subtle hints of cedar and nutmeg. On the palate, it is fleshy but structured, with a finesse and silkiness that lingers on the finish. Ready to drink now.
Lucy Bland, Buying Assistant (July 2019)

The 2010 Viña Ardanza Reserva Selección Especial is all about balance and tension and it delivers on every level. The nose is lifted and pure with wild red fruit and a smattering of toasty vanillin, complemented by floral notes of orange blossom. Seductively textured with sufficient weight, the palate rolls out waves of defined redcurrants, damson and cured meats, held in suspense by bright acidity and immense freshness. Full of charm and complexity, its structure and acidity will allow sensational drinking over its 2+ decade evolution. I was incredibly fortunate to enjoying the blinding 1964 vintage just last year which was still holding up and simply fabulous. I daresay this 2010 will succeed it, becoming the greatest Viña Ardanza Reserva Selección Especial of this century. Pop a case or two away in the cellar and enjoy from 2020 – 2040.
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager 

Finca Allende, the estate created by the exuberant Miguel Ángel de Gregorio, is located in the hill town of Briones in the Rioja Alta. “Allende” can be roughly translated as “further”, reflecting the property’s philosophy to go further and further towards creating the perfect Rioja. 

This is intense ruby with purple edges. Fresh, vibrant blackberry, cranberry and wild forest fruits dominate before the subtle cedar and tobacco is revealed. The oak is perfectly integrated. It’s very lively on the palate with excellent depth and an elegant structure. Drink now to 2021

The Macán Clásico just gets better year on year. This is a high-quality, classic style of Rioja, punching above its price-point. A gentle nose of soft spice and blackberry fruit gives way to a core of dark hedgerow berry fruit with a dollop of sweet, almost caramelised vanilla. It is the depth of fruit that is impressive for a wine of this level; grainy yet structured, it is multi-layered with subtle elegance. This is an extremely sophisticated Clásico and really puts this wine on the map. Drink now to 2024.
Catriona Felstead MW, Wine Buyer

The Wine Advocate - There was no 2012 or 2013 produced, so we jumped from the 2011 to the 2014 Torre Muga, a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Graciano and 10% Mazuelo from the middle of the slope in the village of Villalba de Rioja (where the Muga family comes from). It combines the freshness of the higher-altitude vineyards of the Prado Enea with the power of the lower ones used for the Muga range. It fermented in oak vats and had a shorter levage of only 15 months (it used to be more), and the different varieties were kept separated until the penultimate racking when they were blended. There is more volume here and some more spice from the levage, with an open and expressive nose. It's medium-bodied with some fine tannins and less weight in the mid-palate than other vintages. 20,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2016.
Luis Gutirrez - Wine Advovate 

It certainly feels that in 2014, the wine has come of age. It has a beautiful nose of raspberries, blackberries and Christmas spice. The approach on the palate is initially gentle, like a caress, yet the power and perfection of this wine gradually builds. Layers of such juicy, pure, crunchy fruit come through, perfectly offset by a graphite edge giving focus and linearity. The purity, freshness and sheer class of this wine is incredible; the gentle skill of Gonzalo Iturriaga is apparent in its harmony and balance which has much more restrained oak than has been common for Valbuena in the past. The tannins are silky smooth and present with definite grip on the finish yet with a corduroy texture to begin. This is a wine that will stand the test of time, there’s no question about it. It is absolutely delicious. Drink 2024-2040.
Catriona Felstead MW, Spain Buyer

Following a vintage as profound as 2004, 2005 has come as a very pleasant surprise.  Many Spanish producers have on the whole been cautiously subdued regarding the 2005 vintage, partly due to wariness of declaring back to back exceptional vintages.  Although slightly different in style to the 2004, this new 2005 release is arguably its equal.  There is less structure, and more finesse but it is exactly what we now expect from this wonderful Gran Reserva.  A sweet, dark cherry and wild raspberry core is bolstered by that classic creaminess to the fruit.  There’s the classic vanilla, and sweet spice hints that you’d expect but this is tempered by fine acidity, very clean and fresh, serious precision for a wine of this style.  Light on its feet right across the long palate, but not at the expense of vibrancy; this can be enjoyed direct from release or cellared for the long term.  One only has to look at the cost of mature vintages (’94, ’85, ‘82) to see the benefit of buying at first release.   
Martyn Rolph - Private Account Manager

Vivid red. The nose displays an array of ripe red fruits, pungent flowers and exotic spices, with vanilla bean and coconut accents building with air. Sweet, broad and luscious, offering intense cherry-vanilla and raspberry liqueur flavors that deepen on the back half. Shows excellent depth as well as finesse, with velvety tannins adding shape to the very long, gripping finish. This suave, seamless Rioja spent six years in American oak barrels. Drink 2019 - 2026
93/100 points, Josh Raynolds, vinous.com, Nov 2015

There is something completely ethereal about the nose of this Valbuena. 2011 was a cooler year and, to my mind, this has played to the strengths of this terroir. The wine is beautifully fragrant with layers and layers of lifted red and black fruit. Sweet cranberries and raspberries entwine with freshly picked blackberries on the palate and a lovely sense of freshness pervades the whole. The tannins are fine yet pert, indicating the potential for this to age gracefully, and the length is impressive.  It is the combination of all of this, combined with the sheer sophistication of this wine, that makes it a truly special Valbuena. Drink 2017-2030.
Catriona Felstead MW, Spain Buyer

Produced from 100% Tempranillo, the 2011 Valbuena is immediately striking on the nose with a floral bouquet of wild roses and black raspberry leaf. Underneath sits a core of beautifully defined cool red fruits; plums and cherries spring to mind. Graceful on the palate with a sleek texture, flavours of forest fruits and bramble are evident amongst a slightly richer note of milk chocolate coated red berries. There is a remarkable freshness here, neatly encompassing the ripe and grippy tannins which support in the background. This younger brother of ‘Unico’ is cool, elegant and supremely well balanced, moving with great focus and structure through to a long and rewarding finish. A truly delicious wine which should not be overlooked, allow a couple of years for this beauty to evolve and enjoy from 2018 – 2028+.
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager