2005 Spain

Alejandro Fernandez, the magus of Pesquera, has demonstrated that high quality vines can indeed be located in La Mancha. No need to tilt at windmills; enjoy instead ripe creamy fruit and a full-bodied well-structured palate.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer

The bad-lands of La Mancha are arid and forbidding in the extreme, whatever the season. Here we find the widely-planted Airén variety, a complete stranger to quality, and lots and lots of bulk wine. Here we prove that the noble Tempranillo can work in such a forbidding environment. The alchemy has involved meticulous husbandry in the winery, eighteen months in new American barrels and a dash of genius.

Clos Figueres is the flagship wine from this venture between Christopher Cannan of Europvin and the acclaimed Rene Barbier of Clos Mogador. A blend of old vines Carignan and Grenache, the 2005 vintage offers concentrated aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant and seductive spice notes, that lead to lushly fruity palate with firm but polished tannins. The finish is long with a coffee and mineral overtones. A superb example of Priorat winemaking this wine will age very gracefully. Try with steak au poivre or jugged hare.
(Simon Field MW, BBR 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

The supreme quality of the raw materials has resulted in a wine of great character and depth. The nose is a jamboree of cherries, spice-box and forest floor. The palate is silky and charming, but one gets the feeling it’s built for the longer term, such is the profundity of flavour at its core. 
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

The Marqués de Murrieta was one of two key pioneers in the production of Rioja. This bodega was established in 1852 and is proudly old-fashioned in its approach. The wines are produced by traditional methods, in wood for a minimum of two years – much longer than at any other bodega. The bodega produces a small range which includes the Marqués de Murrieta, the glorious Castillo Ygay, and a very rare Reserva.

The Seleccion Especial is a blend of 70% Tempranilo, 20% Garnacha with the remaining10% shared between Mazuelo and Graciano. Aged for 28 months in both French and American wood, it is an attractive style, with the fruit character from the Garnacha to the fore, lending notes of red-berry fruit to a spicy and savoury core. The mouth- feel is silky and persistent; all in all a perfect match for rich indigenous lamb-based cooking. (2011-2014)
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

This top Contino wine is invariably one of the top wines in all of Spain and the 2005 is no exception. Located near Logrono in La Rioja Alavesa, the vineyard is etched with serpentine assurance around a curve in the River Ebro. At its heart lies the eponymous hundred year-old olive tree, its shade pretty much the ideal setting for an al fresco luncheon or impromptu tasting. The 2005 is made up of 90 % Tempranillo with 9 % Graciano and 1% Mazuelo (whether 1% can make a significant difference it is difficult to surmise) and has been aged for 36 months in oak from a variety of different origins. It is rich and toasty, with a fine balance between dark berried fruit, flowers, minerals and spice; worth approaching from 2010 and will keep for up to a decade thereafter.
Simon Field MW, Fine Wine Buyer

With a deep blackcurrant colour, the nose is fragrant and perfumed; the 2005 has notes of black fruit, truffle, violets and cigar box. The palate is firm and intense but balanced with mouth-coating tannins and a sweetly seductive finish.
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

The Marqués de Murrieta was one of two key pioneers in the production of Rioja. This bodega was established in 1852 and is proudly old-fashioned in its approach. The wines are produced by traditional methods, in wood for a minimum of two years – much longer than at any other bodega. The bodega produces a small range which includes the Marqués de Murrieta, the glorious Castillo Ygay, and a very rare Reserva.

As with 2001 and 2004 before it, the 2005 vintage has been marked out as something special in Rioja. This Prado Enea is brimming with ripe red and black fruit, strawberries, redcurrants, bramble and damsons; however there is also a whisper of pipe tobacco, earth and leather to keep things interesting. The palate is very dense as one would expect of a great wine in its youth, however the potential is there for all to see in the well-built tannins and the lengthy finish
Simon Field MW -  Wine Buyer

Bodegas Muga was founded in Haro in 1932 and is still in family ownership, farming an impressive 250 hectares in La Rioja Alta. The winery is located in Haro’s golden triangle of bodegas, its immediate neighbours being La Rioja Alta and López de Heredia. The extended Muga family controls all aspects of the production and advocates the complexity afforded by the entire canon of grapes: Tempranillo, of course, but also Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano for the reds, in addition to Viura and Malvasia for the whites. The key to everything is wood, from the magnificent 18th century wooden bodega to the impressive collection of 14,000 barrels used for the maturation. Organic viticulture is also fundamental here and the resulting wines are pure, linear of structure and memorable.

Old-vine Cariñena (Carignan) shines through in this glorious wine with its crunchy red fruit mixing with sweet, ripe blackberries. Energetic and warming, this is exceptionally smooth on the palate with very fine tannins and a long finish. This is a very well-judged wine and still so fresh for its 12 years of age. Drink now to 2025.
Catriona Felstead MW - Wine Buyer, June 2017

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

Miguel Angel's two favourite wines, from outside Spain, needless to say, are Bordeaux and Burgundy. His homage to the latter is the Calvario, to the former is the Aurus. Beyond the tell-tale bottle shapes, the differences are subtle and intriguing; the Aurus 2005 is made from 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano and was aged for no fewer than 25 months in 100% new French oak. The result, especially given the warm vintage, is a incredibly powerful wine; rich and creamy, with black cherries, damson and liqueur.... a brooding beast, bristling with cellar potential and the will to live for a very long time.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

Alion 2005 is a must have for the cellar and will need another good 5 year plus to show off all its charm. This is the BFG of the wine world. It's a beast, powerful nose of liquorice and tobacco. The palate is laden with silky tannins, tobacco tones, rich black fruit and a slightly earthy character. The finish is to outstanding and given 8 years plus, will be to die for.
(Ben Upjohn, Fine Wine Sales Advisor)

This has an incredibly inviting nose of black raspberry, black cherry and the sweetest vanilla. Secondary aromatics of cocoa, violet and herbal (tarragon) characters lift the wine, adding to its pedigree and purity. The acidity is refreshing, the structure impeccable and the finish exquisite. Drink 2012-2025.
(Laura Atkinson, Private Account Manager)

Very serious, classic and classy Bordeaux-esque nose, this is all about poise, balance and structure on the palate, with the beautifully defined spicy fruit vying for attention with the fine tannins, creating a mouth-filling whole which is a real treat. A sublime wine, this is really something special. Lovely now, this will drink for two decades from the vintage.
(Chris Pollington, Cellar Plan Advisor) Miguel Angel Gregorio's particular vision of Calvary dates from 1945 and is a clay/chalk vineyard of no apparent distinction. With Tempranillo vines dating from this seemingly magical year (not just Peace in Europe but also the birth date of Artadi's El Pison vineyard) and an ambitious elevage that involves over 20 months in 100% new French oak, there is an apparent risk of over-indulgence. This does not appear to be the case when tasting the wine; the oak is already wonderfully integrated, the tannins very fine with layers of fruit, spice and minerals etched with lapidary care.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

Fernando Remirez de Ganuza is one of the big characters in Rioja. An erstwhile Rioja Wine Broker, he set up his eponymous Bodega in 1989, using his contacts and knowledge to invest in 70 hectares of the best possible vineyards in the Rioja Alavesa. His philosophy inclines towards modernism with 80% French and 20% American oak, all new, used to age his wines, which are now justly celebrated throughout the world.

The excellent 2005 vintage Reserva is made from 50 year-old vines and is a blend of 90% Tempranilo and 10% Graciano. The wine has been aged for twenty-two months in new barrels ( 80% American and 20% French) The wine is rich and plush, with notes of ripe plum and black cherry dominating the aromas and a seductive creamy palate which is virtually impossible to resist! 
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Fernándo Remírez de Ganuza is one of the big characters in Rioja. A former Rioja wine broker, he set up his eponymous bodega in 1989, using his contacts and knowledge to invest in 70 hectares of the best possible vineyards in the Rioja Alavesa. His philosophy inclines towards modernism with 80% French and 20% American oak, all new, used to age his wines, which are now justly celebrated throughout the world.