Undiscovered Castilla y León with Tim Atkin MW

WINE PRODUCER CONTACT POINTS TIM’S TASTING NOTES

JUAN JOSE ALONSO Old vine Mencía at its best, this is fresh and hauntingly perfumed, all violets, XARDÍN DE XAMPEDRO 2018 VIÑEDOS SAMPEDRO MARTINEZ 95 tobacco and red berries, with nuanced oak and a stony, refreshing finish. BIERZO Y ALONSO S.L [email protected] Long and well balanced, with fine, granular tannins.

CISSUS CRIANZA OXIDATIVA Very much a traditonal style, albeit one made with rather than Viura, SOCIEDAD COOP. VERDEJO 2015 LAURA HOYOS 94 this is a wonderfully complex, nutty white with notes of salted almonds, beeswax VALDECHIMOZA [email protected] VINO DE ESPAÑA and toast and an intense, savoury finish.

2014 was one of the cooler recent vintages in and this shows ALMA. DE VIRTUS 2014 BODEGAS VIRTUS, JORGE HERRERAS 93 commendable freshness and focus, even at 15% alcohol. Rich and dense, it’s firm RIBERA DEL DUERO S.L. [email protected] and intense with blackberry and liquorice flavours and well-integrated spicy oak.

CARODORUM SELECCIÓN Very old vines of between 80 and 100 years supply the fruit for this bold, richly CARMEN ESPECIAL RESERVA 2015 JORGE HERRERAS 93 coloured Tinto de Toro. Dense, firm and serious, it has savoury tannins, fine oak RODRIGUEZ MENDEZ [email protected] TORO and a core of damson, blackberry and dark chocolate flavours. Should age well

Made with the very rare Malcorta clone of Verdejo, this has remarkable V MALCORTA 2019 JAVIER SANZ BERTA DURAN export@bodegajaviersanz. 93 concentration and persistence with pear and lime flavours, a smooth, leesy RUEDA VITICULTOR, S.L. com texture and a salty tang.

DOMINIO DE MANCILES -based with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Mencía for company, ARLANZA SDAD. CRIANZA 2017 JORGE HERRERAS 92 this unusual blend from an up-and-coming DO is spicy, dense and chalky with COOP. PROVINCIAL [email protected] ARLANZA fine tannins, good underlying grip and an overlay of toasty oak. WINE PRODUCER CONTACT POINTS TIM’S TASTING NOTES

DAMIÁN CÁNEPA Combining fruit from high-altitude vineyards in San Lorenzo, San Esteban de GRAN BIERZO 12 MESES 2015 VIÑAS DEL BIERZO, GASPAROLI 92 Valdueza and Valdefrancos, this pure Mencia is fragant, peppery and elegant, BIERZO SDAD. COOP. [email protected] with stony minerality, clove and blackberry flavours and deftly integrated oak.

A wine that illustrates Godello's suitability for ageing, this lightly wooded example GODELLO SELECCIÓN 2016 BODEGAS GODELIA, SARA COUREL FREIJO 92 is structured, bone dry and very focused with notes of beeswax and fresh bread BIERZO S.L. [email protected] and a bracingly tangy finish.

VALTRAVIESO RUPTURE BODEGAS Y Good blends of Bordeaux are comparatively rare in Spain, but this 2016 PABLO GONZALEZ BETERE VIÑEDOS0 pablogonzalez@valtravieso. 92 Cabernet/Merlot cuvée, all sourced from old vines, is savoury and refreshing, VINO DE LA TIERRA DE VALTRAVIESO, S.L. com with graphite and green herb flavours and fine-grained tannins. CASTILLA Y LEÓN

CANTARIÑA 5 VALDEOBISPO SANTIAGO YSART ALVAREZ This is the first vintage of a single-vineyard Mencía from the Valdeobispo vineyard CANTARIÑA VINOS 2018 DE TOLEDO 92 and it's quite a debut. Deep in colour, with rose petal and violet aromas, sinewy DE FAMILIA, S.L. BIERZO [email protected] tannins, bluberry and damson fruit and a slight volatile lift.

Showing the high alcohol that’s often a feature of Toro wines, this is bold, ALGIL EXPRESIÓN 2019 IVAN ALONSO GIL LAURA HOYOS 91 strapping yet well-balanced stuff with lots of colour, savoury tannins and layers TORO [email protected] of fig and dark plums.

PARDEVALLES ALBARÍN Albarín vineyards at 800 metres, all from the Los Nistales parcel, are the source BLANCO 2019 PARDEVALLES S.L. HUGO ALONSO REY 91 of this rare León white, which has lovely flinty, struck match aromas, flavours of [email protected] LEÓN grapefruit and nectarine and a long finish. WINE PRODUCER CONTACT POINTS TIM’S TASTING NOTES

ADMIRACIÓN SELECCIÓN Still very youthful and showing some of the heat of the vintage, this is a ripe, BODEGAS EL INICIO, ESPECIAL 2015 YÉSICA ABAD 90 heady, full-bodied style with lots of mocha oak, good supporting acidity and dark S.L. [email protected] RIBERA DEL DUERO damson and blackberry fruit. Needs time.

VIÑA CIMBRÓN VERDEJO ALBERT USTRELL FERMENTADO EN BARRICA BODEGAS FELIX Stone fruit flavours of peach and nectarine combine winningly with racy acidity, SERRANO 90 2018 SANZ, S.L. [email protected] good texture and adroitly handled wood. Stylish Verdejo. RUEDA

Great value drinking from the Yllera Group, Pepe Yllera is a judciously wooded PEPE YLLERA 2018 BODEGAS GRUPO ANDREEA IRIMIA andreea.irimia@grupoyllera. 90 cuvée of Tempranillo with a little Cabernet Sauvignon. Juicy, perfumed and floral, it RIBERA DEL DUERO YLLERA, S.L. com combines summer pudding sweetness, with supple tannins and a kiss of vanilla spice.

12 LINAJES FINCA LOS DO5 MORGAN DA CUNHA Sourced from some of the highest vineyards in Ribera del Duero, this is a fresh, ARENALES 2016 HISPANOBODEGAS, morgan.dacunha@hispano- 90 tangy, focused style of Tinto Fino with a herbal undertone, firmish tannins and RIBERA DEL DUERO S.L. bodegas.com oak that needs time to integrate.

ERMITA DEL CONDE Historic plantings of the rare Albillo Mayor are the source of this complex, ALBILLO MAYOR 2016 ERMITA DEL CONDE, IRENE BURGOA 91 aniseed and jasmine-scented dry white, which combines stucture and VINO DE LA TIERRA DE S.L. [email protected] concentration with freshness and acidity. CASTILLA Y LEÓN

LA JOTA DE TORO ROBLE A stylish brand with a sense of humour, La Jota is a bold, bright, juicy Tinto de Toro LAURA GOMEZ OSCAR DIEZ RAMOS 2018 oscar@bodegasdiezgomez. 90 showing notes of coconut and wood spice, with medium-weight tannins, fig and COSTA TORO com bramble fruit, plenty of texture and supporting acidity. WINE PRODUCER CONTACT POINTS TIM’S TASTING NOTES

ESTHER DOMINGUEZ Definitely at the greener, leafier end of the Bierzo spectrum, this is fresh, stylishly PRADA SELECCIÓN 2016 PRADA A TOPE, S.A. MENCIA 90 oaked and perfumed, with filigree tannins, raspberry and cut grass undertones BIERZO [email protected] and a bright, satisfying finish.

DIEZ MIL Y PICO 2018 JUAN GOMEZ Baking spices, honey and pear flavours combine appealingly in this vibrant, juicy, VINO DE LA TIERRA DE JUAN GOMEZ GARCIA 90 GARCIA [email protected] well-balanced Verdejo is framed by subtle oak with a zesty, lemon peel finish. CASTILLA Y LEÓN

CONVENTO OREJA Scented, appealing and at the fresher, more fruit forward end of the Ribera del CONVENTO DE CRIANZA 2017 ANTONIO VAQUERO 89 Duero spectrum, this is a deftly wooded red with supporting acidity and bramble OREJA, S.L. [email protected] RIBERA DEL DUERO and black cherry fruit.

BODEGA SAN MONTE PINADILLO ROSADO Free-run Tempranillo juice supplies the fruit for this full-flavoured rosado, which ROQUE DE LA BLANCA RODRIGUEZ DE LÁGRIMA 2019 exportacion@bodegasanro- 88 is half-way to being a red wine, rather than a pale Côtes de Provence style. ENCINA, SDAD. RIBERA DEL DUERO quedelaencina.com Cranberry and wild strawberry flavours combine appealingly on the palate. COOP.

PANDRA VERDEJO 2019 BODEGAS ARIABAL, CELIA GARCIA VICENTE Juicy, lip-smacking Verdejo with lots of acidity at its core, this has appealing manager@bodegaspandora. 88 RUEDA SL com flavours of lemon and lime, some stony minerality and a zesty finish.

Packaged in a stylish skittle bottle, this is an assemblage of mostly Albillo with QUELÍAS ROSÉ 2019 DANIELA GOMEZ RUTH SIERRA DE LA GALA 88 50% Garnacha, Verdejo and Tempranillo, showing rapsberry and boiled sweets LORA [email protected] flavours, lees-derived texture and a fresh finish. WINE PRODUCER CONTACT POINTS TIM’S TASTING NOTES

SARA RIVERA 2017 Youthful, firm and richly oaked, with sweet bramble and bluberry fruit, chewy SARA RIVERA, C.B. SARA RIVERA 88 RIBERA DEL DUERO [email protected] tannins and lots of clove and vanilla spice. Needs time in bottle.

RODRIGUEZ & SANZO Very much aimed at a certain type of wine consumer - and why not? - this is RODRIGUEZ SANZO, WHISKY BARREL 2018 JAVIER RODRIGUEZ 88 dominated by smoky wood, but has enough fruit weight and sweetness to cope. S.L. [email protected] TORO Bold and intense, this is for people who like big wines.

ADEMÁN VALDEARANA 2017 BODEGA Y VIÑEDOS Ripe, supple and oak dominated, with lots of fig and mulberry fruit, savoury LAURA HOYOS 87 TORO MAIRES S.L. [email protected] tannins and a balsamic finish.

Dominated by smoky oak on the nose and palate, but with (just) enough strcuture ARDAL RESERVA 2015 BODEGAS BALBAS, INMA RODRÍGUEZ 87 to cope this is firm and serious with slightly drying tannins and lots of damson and RIBERA DEL DUERO S.L. [email protected] black cherry fruit.

LIBERSO CURIOSO BODEGAS DE Rich, honeyed and concentrated, this is a mature Verdejo that has good, VERDEJO 2017 CRIANZA DE IGNACIO HERNÁNDEZ 87 [email protected] supporting acidity but should be drunk up. RUEDA POZALDEZ, S.L.

CONCEJO RESERVA CONCEJO LAURA HOYOS Spicy and sweet, with lots of juicy fruit flavours, toasty oak, supple tannins and ORGANICO 2016 export@concejobodegas. 87 BODEGAS , S.L. a core of sweet plum and raspberry flavours. The finish is ripe and full-bodied. CIGALES com