2006 Spain

Pago de Los Capellanes’ top cuvée is made from 100% Tinto Fino and has been aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months. Rich beyond the dreams of avarice, it is convincing proof of Ribero del Duero's phenomenal potential, with fruit, tannin and acidity entwined with consummate skill.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

The bodega of Pago de los Capellanes is located one kilometre from the village of Pedrosa de Duero, in the heart of Ribera del Duero. The name means ‘land of the chaplains’, a reminder that the land was owned by chaplains until the church donated it to the city council in 1855. The vineyards are planted with a 100%Tempranillo and are divided into 35 different plots which are harvested separately. The wines are aged for one to three years (depending on style) in 22 different types of French oak, and offer a modern style alternative to the wines of Vega Sicilia.

Torre Muga is the blend where the dominance of Tempranillo comes close to being challenged, with 15% Mazuelo and 10% Graciano adding tannic authority, colour and a perfect foil for the 18 months in new French oak, making this the most modern and distinctive wine in the range. A dense colour and creamy French oak, then a nose of burnt butter and crème brûlée and a rich and velvety palate where traditional Rioja descriptors such as dried herbs and wild strawberries are locked in an intriguing battle with more modern intimations of ground coffee, spice and dark, dark fruit.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

The 2/3 is 100 percent old-vine Cariñena and it has had extended oak ageing: in its youth, it has all the class and concentration of top notch Priorat; forest floor and kirsch are allied to a robust and winsome structure, with balancing acidity and powerful fruit tannins harmoniously interwoven and lending real gravitas.
Simon Field - Wine Buyer

One of Rioja’s signature wines and certainly the most distinctive label from Muga, Prado Enea is aged for seven years in a combination of vat, cask and bottle, its 2006 manifestation cleaving the traditional to the modern with powerful French oak tannins framing a magnificent savoury personality. An almost meaty vitality and more than a whiff of wood-smoke underlines the individuality of this truly great wine, its dark fruit core enhanced by notes of tobacco box and the kitchen garden.
Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer

A deep shade of red with just a hint of purple lets one know this is going to be a serious wine. The nose offers up meaty aromas among the sweet, fragrant, dark fruit notes. The palate is deep and velvety with just a hint of oak adding some spice to the rich, chunky fruit, balanced by a very well judged structure. Opening up and becoming more harmonious in the glass as it aerates. Delicious to drink now, but will improve in the cellar for a decade or more.
(Chris Pollington, Cellar Plan Advisor) Pintia 2006 has a striking rich cherry red colour. Powerful tannic, black fruit with a hint of violet and smoke, leads to rich cassis and blackcurrant on the palate with a slightly spicy edge. A lingering and complex finish. 15.5% alc! but you'd never know it. Careful husbandry of the fruit ensures that an ethereal freshness is maintained. Pintia is Vega Sicilia's baby. The first vintage was 2001. All the wines so far have shown the wonderful combination of tannin, power and elegant freshness. How long will it last?, no one knows. The '01 is still not taking any prisoners, so don't hold your breath!
(Ben Upjohn, Fine Wine Sales Advisor)

The ‘1780’ has a very inviting nose with brooding aromatics. Dark chocolate, blueberry, cherry and bramble characters are immediately striking, balanced by excellent oak integration. This has amazing concentration, fresh purity, enticing spice and a very long finish.
Laura Atkinson, Private Account Manager

Castell del Remei is one of the great Catalonian bodegas. Located at 300-metres above sea-level, about 120km to the west of Barcelona, its vineyards enjoy a semi-continental climate, granitic soils and a three-century history which is closely linked to that of leading Catalan dynasties. It is the leading property in the denominación of Costers del Segre and also owns the altitudinous ‘boutique’ bodega of Cérvoles, which borders Priorat and produces some of the most fascinating wines of Spain.

A blend of the classic Rioja grapes with Tempranillo dominating the blend, this is full of vanillin spice and bright red fruit. Beautifully structured with fine tannins, this will clearly reward some extended time in the cellar, if you can keep your hands off it!
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager