1985 Portugal

Deep ruby in colour, this pure Garnacha has an expressive nose of ripe black cherry and plum with layers of subtle spice, toast and balsamic. It is concentrated and complex, yet extremely elegant thanks both to the benevolent 2013 vintage and the incredibly old Garnacha vines which date back to the early 20th century. Precise fruit and subtle spice on the palate is complemented by well-integrated, supple tannins and a long smooth finish. Drink now to 2021.
Lucy Bland, Assistant Buyer

From a single parcel of vines, La Faraona is the best Mencia on the market. The nose is beautiful with heady violets, lavender, crushed rocks and forest floor. Alongside the abundance of aromatics, this has fleshy, ripe fruit flavours and captivating smoky oak notes from the 600-litre barrels. The minerality keeps everything fresh and pure but a powerful structure suggests this will be a long lived one. This has such a long finish, showing all the details and layers you expect in exceptional wine.
Laura Atkinson - Private Account Manager

This charming 12 hectare estate is located in the Pontevedra estuary, just to the north of Vigo. An archetype of modish Albariño this has been fermented in stainless steel, with four months lees stirring to add depth and texture. Classic aromas of candied lemon quince and honeysuckle are follow by a palate with pleasing weight, orchard fruit notes and a hint of white pepper on the finish.
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

The nose is aromatic, expressive and open, quite perfumed and subtle, with no traces of oak (the wine now ages in used barriques); even the spices are very much in the background. The Pingus vineyards behaved quite well in a difficult vintage, as great vineyards are a lot more homogeneous, so the vines are very balanced: the two vineyards used for Pingus, San Cristobal and Barroso, were planted in 1929 with two different massale selections. The palate is also approachable and gentle, with very good acidity and very fine tannins, elegance and character. I think there will be very few (or none!) wines in Ribera in 2013 like this Pingus. Well done!
Luis Gutiérrez - The Wine Advocate #22, Oct 2015

A resounding success, flourishing from a late, cool vintage. Beautifully perfumed, boasting precision and definition.

“2013 by the Bodegas’ own admittance was, to use that great wine-trade euphuism, ‘difficult’ in Ribera del Duero. The mark of a great estate however, is what they can achieve when the elements don’t play ball; that this Reserva was produced from the latest harvest in history, is testament to Peter Sisseck’s stellar site, fruit and barrel selection. Cool, pure and precise throughout this is refinement to the last. Fruit-forward yes, but it isn’t necessarily the fruit that keeps your nose so absorbed, granite, cool stone and a touch of blackcurrant leaf add layers of complexity to the 80% Tempranillo 20% Cabernet blend. Concentrated and silky, the tannins have been honed by 20 months in French oak and the finish is so harmonious and complete that you wish to repeat the entire experience instantly.”

Jared Ehret, Private Account Manager

One of only two Vins de Finca Qualificada from Priorat, the 2013 Clos Mogador is a complex blend of Garnacha and Cariñena with a touch of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. It felt serious and a little backward, terribly balanced with shy notes of peat and graphite emerging with some time in the glass, subtle and complex, slowly revealing nuances of dark cherries, violets, black olives and later some red fruit. The palate is surprising: when I expected it to show its power, it just whispered and danced on my tongue with lively acidity that made it feel a lot lighter than it is. There is depth, elegance and incipient complexity. Here everything is in perfect harmony, with lots of everything, dry extract, acidity, alcohol and tannin, but somehow you don't notice any of it.

A remarkable vintage of Mogador. Given the quality, the price seems like a bargain, and availability shouldn't be too bad either, as some 28,000 bottles were filled in June 2015. Put it aside in your cellar, because this is a 20-year bottle of Priorat.
Luis Gutiérrez - robertparker.com, Oct 2016

Located on the so-called Golden Mile, Hacienda Monasterio covers 170 hectares, its vines all north-facing, with plots of Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec complementing the Tinto Fino. Peter Sisseck, who actually lives on the estate, is consultant winemaker here and it should therefore come as no huge surprise that the quality of the wines is of the highest rank. The wines (only Crianza and Reserva wines are produced) are matured in one-year-old Bordeaux casks and are consistently amongst the region’s finest.

Notes of raspberry, black pepper, balsamic and eucalypt are all present in this wine. There is a balance and harmony which, given time, will blossom spectacularly. The palate is silky with well-integrated acidity, freshness and persistence. A wonderful expression from this increasingly sought-out address.

Immediately richer and more complex than the Clásico, the 2013 Macán is full of sweet spice on the nose. Sweet, rich blackberry fruit dominates the palate but the wine has good freshness and is lifted by an earthy note of freshly picked hedgerow fruit on the finish. It feels as if there is a clearer understanding of the multitudinous parcels of terroir in Macán this year.  The oak is much more integrated and the wine is smooth with a lovely length that just goes on and on. This a rewarding glass of Rioja to settle in to. Drink 2018-2025.
Catriona Felstead MW, Spain Buyer

PIntia is wonderful in 2013. It was a lighter vintage in general but this has really brought out the elegance of this wine, so often swathed in structure and tannins. There is a gentle touch of ripe blueberry alongside the ripe raspberry on the nose, yet the core of the wine is rich and dark. The tannins are still definitely in evidence; they have a tissue-like quality yet are also firm. They have been extremely well managed. A savoury, tasty mineral freshness comes through, leaving the palate wanting more. There is a gentleness to this Pintia which is extremely attractive with all the power still there, just held well in check. This is a truly lovely wine. Pintia: tamed. Drink now to 2025.
Catriona Felstead MW, Wine Buyer

Yields are an impressively tiny 20hl/ha of this ultra-special wine from Hacienda Monasterio (nearly half what you would expect from a Grand Cru Burgundy, to put that into context). The 2013 has an absolutely gorgeous perfume of violets and lavender with a real density of fruit behind, drawing you in. The palate exhibits a wonderful balance of luscious, gentle fruit combined with elegance, finesse and melting tannins. Nonetheless, 20 months’ ageing in French oak (the first eight months in new, followed by a further 12 in used) has nurtured a serious, tight structure which is complemented by a delicious freshness. It is clear to see why Hacienda Monasterio is so highly regarded when tasting this absolutely superb wine. Drink 2025-2037.