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Home , Jumilla (DO), Sherry, Spanish wine

SPAIN: Old and New In our 11 years we have never before devoted a list to a broad geographical selection of Spanish . An admission: I have been slow to wake up to the revolution taking place in over the last fi fteen years. Memories of oxidised, fl at and fruitless whites smelling of hair oil, and strawberry jam and vanilla-fl avoured reds exhausted by excessive ageing in wood have for too long coloured my view of the country’s wines. (Those offers of ancient but cheap reds with faux-parchment labels from the Laithwaites / Daily Telegraph /Avery’s stable depressingly perpetuate this stereoptype). But there is another Spain: a land of young wines, full of fruit, from a hugely diverse bunch of varieties, bottled with elegantly designed labels, and that is what we now commend to you. Leaving aside the marine fringes (in particular rainy , but also near the Med), Spain is hot and dry. This makes organic relatively simple, and we include organically farmed and certifi ed wines from and Manchuela. The most important factor enabling successful quality -making in Spain is altitude, which brings slightly cooler temperatures. A lot of the centre of Spain is on a plateau, and in this list we include numerous wines from vines grown from 500 metres right up to 1200 metres of altitude. What are the other qualities which make interesting and exciting? First is the heritage of old vines. As in the south of , Spain retains large plantings of very old vines, especially the red varieties, , , Monastrell (Mourvèdre), Garnacha and . These deliver concentrated, high quality juice - great raw material. Second, and less well-known to us here, I detect an exciting regionalism. One might be aware of the Catalan or Basque spirit of independence, but on wine labels from Galicia and Valencia too one sees words which are absolutely not Castilian Spanish. That regionalism is expressed in the preservation and celebration of local grape varieties, many unique to Spain, and winemakers are creating individual and distinctive blends right across the country (the wines in this list include fruit from no less than 16 white and 16 red varieties). Finally - although really one should lead on this - the reds in particular offer amazing value. Unsurprisingly the domestic wine market has collapsed since 2008, and never before have I encountered so many estates quite so keen to sell to us, and open to gentle negotiation. In the list below the wines are set out (very roughly) in a circle: starting with Galicia in Spain’s north-west; passing eastwards across the north of Spain; down the Mediterranean coast from ; cutting back inland and westwards across Castila - La Mancha; before fi nishing with from the south-west. We know most of these wines will be unfamiliar to you - we are introducing several estates below to the UK market. If you want to dip in, I recommend the mixed cases overleaf as a good place to start. Simon Taylor - September 2013 Mixed Cases Each case contains two bottles of each of the six wines listed, and all with a discount of at least 10% on the bottle prices.

Value Reds £77.00 Spanish (two whites and four reds) £126.50 Code SPA113 Code SPA213 2012 Segares, Tempranillo (see p.5) 2012 Aba de Trasumia, Albariño, Rías Baixas (see p.3) 2012 Bodegas Borsao, Garnacha, Joven, 2012 Manuel Formigo, Finca Teira Blanco, Ribeiro (see p.3) Campo de Borja (see p.6) 2011 El Lagar de Isilla, , Roble (see p.4) 2011 Celler del Roure, 16, Setze Gallets, Valencia (see p.8) 2008 Segares, Rioja Crianza (see p.5) 2012 Bodegas Luzón, Castillo de Medax, Jumilla (see p.9) 2008 Bodegas Altza, Ayres de Escal, Priorat (see p.7) 2011 Bodegas Luzón, Finca La Solana, Jumilla, Monastrell, 2009 Celler del Roure, Les Alcusses, Valencia (see p.8) Seleccion Especial (see p.9) 2012 Pasos de la Capula, Tempranillo, de Top Tintos (six reds) £161.50 Castilla (see p.11) Code SPA313 The New Spain (three whites and three reds) £98.50 2009 El Lagar de Isilla, Ribera Del Duero, Crianza (see p.4) 2007 Segares, Rioja Reserva (see p.5) Code SPA213 2008 Lealtanza, Rioja Reserva (see p.6) 2012 Formigo, Ribeiro Blanco (see p.3) 2008 Bodegas Altza, Ayres de Escal, Priorat (see p.7) 2012 Las Colinas del , Garnacha Blanca, Terra Alta (see p.7) 2008 Celler del Roure, Maduresa, Valencia (see p.8) 2011 Celler del Roure, Cullerot, Valencia (see p.8) 2011 Tierra Fuerte, Méntrida, (see p.11) 2012 Las Colinas del Ebro, - Garnatxa, Terra Alta (see p.7) 2012 Bodegas Antonio Arraez, Vivir Sin Dormir, Jumilla (see p.9) 2012 Bodega Vega Tolosa, Bobal Icon, Manchuela (see p.10)

White Wine Fortifi ed wines

2 labels). His is a tiny enterprise - producing only 2,500 cases a North West: Galicia year - with a cellar under the family home, and vineyards on stony, granitic slopes. His whites have lovely peachy fruit; and Viña Moraima, Galega all three wines have delightfully moderate and splendid Viña Moraima is a tiny co-operative (only around 4,000 acididity and freshness. cases produced a year) established in 2006 near the coast by 2012 Formigo, Ribeiro Blanco, 11° Pontevedra. Most of the growers are small farmers with vineyards on the slopes of the Salnés Valley: and some of the vines, largely Bottle £8.95 Case £102.03 Code FOQ112 high trained on trellises in the traditional manner, are very old From a of , , , Torrontés, indeed. Albariño and , this is a light, fl oral and gently stone- This is the second we have shipped of this authentic fruited wine. Relaxed mouthful of peach and ripe citrus, plus a Albariño, which evinces a hint of characteristic salinity. It’s a very faint herbal sense. Juicy, pretty and light. Now-2014 reasonable price for a dry and mineral example, which makes a perfect aperitif, but is equally good with white fi sh or scallops. 2012 Manuel Formigo, Finca Teira Blanco, Ribeiro, 12.5° 2012 Aba de Trasumia, Albariño, Rías Baixas,12.5° Bottle £11.95 Case £136.23 Code FOQ312 Bottle £11.50 Case £131.10 Code TRA112 Treixadura (65%) , Godello (20%), Torrontés (15%), from Manuel Light fl oral and apricot scent - but a much more intense palate Formigo’s oldest vines, some 60-65 years old, and largely from of tangy apricots, pure, with marine freshness and bite. Long. the terraced vineyards of Mino Teira. Really open peach blossom Now-2015 and fresh apricot aromas, with sandalwood and spearmint nuances. Juicy, full-fl avoured gush of stone fruit, weighty and Adega Finca Teira, Beade rounded. Finishes fi rm and dry. A perfect seafood wine, of the We wanted to fi nd a producer of Ribeiro wines, as although they type so popular within Spain. Now-2015 are not very well-known here, in wines from Ribeiro 2012 Manuel Formigo, Finca Teira Tinto, are much admired and sought-after as the best accompaniment to the Atlantic fi sh the Spanish love. The maritime-infl uenced Ribeiro, 12.5° vineyards of Ribeiro lie just inland from Vigo in Galicia; Bottle £9.95 Case £113.43 Code FOQ612 where predominantly white varieties (about 80%) thrive, from 40% Sousón, 30% Caiño, plus 15% each of Brancellao and Portuguese Treixadura to Godello, Albariño, Torrontés, Loureira Garnacha, this is similar to a light and refreshing northern Italian and even Palomino. red such as a . Brilliant vivid purple, and offering - I came across young Manuel Formigo de la Fuente and was like cherryade scent, it’s light, bright, and has the crunchiness of immediately bowled over by his wines. (Formigo is the local redcurrant and red cherries. A hint of spritz. Bring on a plate of variation of hormiga, i.e. ant, so drawings of ants adorn his chorizo and jamon iberico. Now-2015 3 North: Ribera del Duero 2009 El Lagar de Isilla, Ribera Del Duero, Crianza, 14.5° El Lagar de Isilla, La Vid Bottle £15.95 Case £181.83 Code LAH409 El Lagar de Isilla, a bodega established in 1995 in La Vid, just 100% Tempranillo from 40-70 year old vines, given about east of Aranda de Duero and due north of Madrid, owns about fourteen months in half French and half American . 40 hectares of vines - half fairly recently planted and half 60-90 The latest vintage is hugely showy and extrovert, showing melting years old - on largely sand and clay soils. We have offered their red fruit, vanilla and spice, with lots of backing tannin. Very wines for many years now, and these, which win numerous supple, this accompanies the Sunday joint superbly. Now-2019 accolades within Spain, offer remarkable value from the deeply 2008 El Lagar de Isilla, Ribera Del Duero, fashionable region of Ribera del Duero. In this area the local name for Tempranillo is Tinto or Tinta del País. Reserva, 14.5° Bottle £23.25 Case £265.05 Code LAH308 2012 El Lagar de Isilla, Ribera Del Duero, Under 800 cases a year are made of the estate’s Reserva, 100% Joven, 14.5° Tempranillo, including fruit from some parcels of 80-90 year Bottle £9.25 Case £105.45 Code LAH212 old vines. Fresh raspberry and cedar aromas, and that same 100% Tempranillo, unoaked. Deep ruby. Ripe and juicy fruit, youthfulness of fruit is evident in the ripe, pure, velvety palate. vital with red fruit and black plums, with some spice. This rather Opulent and svelte, with subtle tannins. Decant - give it lots of wild and rustic wine is always better after a year or so in bottle. air - if you want to drink this now. Now-2019. Needs hearty food, something like a cassoulet. Now-2016 2011 El Lagar de Isilla, Ribera Del Duero, Roble, 14° Bottle £11.50 Case £131.10 Code LAH111 95% Tempranillo with 5% , given just fi ve months in French and American oak. This has become the best- selling wine in our Lagar de Isilla portfolio, consistently delivering open, lifted scents of blackberries and black cherries with sweet vanilla; and then a powerful but composed glass full of briary fruit, not sweet, with accents of black pepper and balsamic . Robust tannins. Bold. Now-2018

4 The wines have a distinctive house style: all are from only North: Rioja Tempranillo, and all exhibit a lovely purity of red fruit, with a lush texture aided by being bottled with minimal fi ltration. The cellar Bodegas Nestares Eguizábal, Galilea holds a mix of about 2/3 American and 1/3 French oak barrels. At last we have found a small - 25 hectares - family-owned Rioja 2012 Segares, Rioja Tempranillo, 13° estate which we can call our own: we have spent years looking! Founder José Nestares Eguizábal bought the land in 1983, and Bottle £7.95 Case £90.63 Code NES112 embarked for the next six years on replanting the whole estate to Unoaked Tempranillo, from 30 year old vines which deliver Tempranillo. Now the estate is run by two of his children, and the excellent concentration for an example of the joven style. Vibrant Bodega uses as its brand name Segares, the family name of their purple. Lifted scent. Very ripe, pulpy and strawberryish. Very grandmother. soft and juicy. Fresh fi nish. What a delicious simple pleasure. Situated in Rioja Media, the vineyards, in four plots, lie on a Now-2015 plateau at 520-650 metres between the Ocón and Jubera valleys. 2008 Segares, Rioja Crianza, 13.5° Bottle £11.95 Case £136.23 Code NES308 Classic Rioja aromas: oak supporting ripe black fruit with Vega del Rayo, Haro tobacco box, menthol, and balsamic vinegar. Lovely berry, black Bottles of Vega del Rayo’s Rioja charmingly still arrive in cherry and crunchy blackcurrant fl avours. Appealingly textured, the traditional gold wire cage. are sourced from and some incipient meatiness indicates how this will develop. At family-owned vineyards around Haro and Briones in Rioja this estate they hold back their Crianza for an extra year before Alta. A blend of about 70% Tempranillo, 20% Mazuelo release and that really benefi ts the wine. A cracking example. and 10% Graciano, which goes into American and Russian Now-2017 oak barrels, this combines clean and fresh red fruit with traditional . 2007 Segares, Rioja Reserva, 14° Bottle £17.25 Case £196.65 Code NES407 2010 Vega del Rayo, Rioja, Vendimia 100% Tempranillo, 40% in new French barrels, 60% in older Seleccionada, 12.5° American oak. Sombre purple. Complex bouquet, ranging from Bottle £8.50 Case £96.90 Code VEG210 toasty oak and cooked red fruit to smoke, nutmeg, clove and This is a cheerful, medium-bodied Rioja with lowish sealing wax. Very, very intense, all ripe and perfumed red and alcohol at a fair price. Open, pleasing scent of ripe red black fruit. Very pure, refi ned and still very youthful. Now-2020. berries. Clean, raspberry, red and black cherry character, with just a subtle note of sweet oak. Now-2015

5 North: Campo de Borja Lar de Paula, Elvillar Elvillar lies near to the on the edge Bodegas Borsao, Campo di Borja of Rioja Alta, with nearby vineyards at around 600 metres, Bodegas Borsao is a remarkable co-operative. Probably the biggest and the altitude brings real freshness to the wines. This we ship from, it vinifi es and markets wines from over 600 Crianza is 100% Tempranillo. growers, whose land undulates across the Moncayo hills. Despite 2008 Lar de Paula, Rioja Crianza, 13.5° this scale it turns out a splendid range, with Garnacha (), Bottle £12.75 Case £145.35 Code LAR208 the workhorse grape of the south of France, dominant, occupying some 70% of plantings. The young vine Grenache listed below is Aged in French and American oak barrels. Lar de Paula not a complicated wine - but it’s so reliable, and always juicy and make Rioja in a modern, fruit forward style. Ripe berries soft enough to enjoy on its own. and black cherries to the fore, with an attractive note of dried fruits, balanced by just the correct bite of red-cherry 2012 Bodegas Borsao, Garnacha, Joven, acidity. Now-2016 Campo de Borja, 13.5° [Screwcap] Bodegas Altanza, Fuenmayor Bottle £6.25 Case £71.25 Code BOR312 Altanza is a large estate based at Fuenmayor in Rioja Alta, Scent of berries. Upfront, lifted in style with open raspberry and Lealtanza (=loyalty) is the name they give to their and cherry palate and a juicy fi nish. Textbook, easy-drinking modern-style, fruit-forward wines. This wine is the “limited Grenache, just so ripe and enjoyable. Now-2015 edition” bottling (although it doesn’t say so on the bottle, the font marks it as such), all Tempranillo aged for a year in new French barrels. 2008 Lealtanza, Rioja Reserva, 13.5° Bottle £14.75 Case £168.15 Code LEA408 This is so smooth and smart, all mulberry and blackberry, polished and gently savoury. Drinking beautifully. “Sweet vanilla oak with juicy ripe plums, leather and spice. Concentrated and long with touches of animal notes and old furniture, and fi ne-grained tannins. Restrained, elegant, complex and harmonious” 17.5/20, Highly Recommended, and 6th equal in a big blind tasting of Rioja, magazine, September 2013. Now-2017

6 East: Catalonia Las Colinas del Ebro 2011 Carisma, Las Colinas del Ebro is a project in the Ebro Valley: Rafael Gewurztraminer , 12° de Haan of the forward looking Viños Abanico uses the fruit of his own vineyards plus bought in grapes to craft Bottle £14.50 Case £165.30 Code CAR111 the wines at the Herencia Altes winery. Terra Alta is - as This is the fi rst vintage of an unusual blend of equal halves of the name suggests! - composed of high vineyards in the the two varieties from two vineyards planted at 1170 and 1200 province of Tarragona. These wines, clean modern-style, metres on the edge of the (amongst the highest in Spain) fruit-forward examples, come from vineyards at 400-600 on either side of a valley. It’s named after Carles Ribes Masana, metres. the local farmer in Montanissell who dreamed up this quixotic planting. The Gewurztraminer is picked in late September, 2012 Las Colinas del Ebro, Garnacha Blanca, but the Riesling ripens later and is not harvested until the end Terra Alta, 13° [Screwcap] of October. OK, it’s not a bargain, but where else can you get Bottle £8.95 Case £102.03 Code CDE712 something this unusual? The rose petal of Gewurztraminer is This pure white Grenache, from 20-40 year old vines, is dominant on the nose, but the exotic fruit salad palate, showing a textbook example, offering the typical weight and lively papaya, lychee, grapefruit and lime, is also backed by a dry and freshness of the variety. Scent of ripe pears. Splendid refreshing stoniness. Now-2016 fl avours of pineapple, pear, and stone fruit. Well-textured. 2008 Bodegas Altza, Ayres de Escal, A lively Mediterranean wine to accompany Mediterranean Priorat, 14° cooking - tomatoes, herbs and vegetables. Now-2014 Bottle £11.95 Case £136.23 Code ALT108 2012 Las Colinas del Ebro, Syrah - Garnatxa, A well-priced Priorat from Grenache with Carignan, aged in a Terra Alta, 14° [Screwcap] mix of French and American oak. Splendid -like aromas Bottle £8.95 Case £102.03 Code CDE112 accurately anticipate the ripe, perfumed, cooked black cherry 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache, given just two months in and berry character. Lifted, slightly wild, showing old vine French oak. Soft tone. Aromas of very ripe, mildly cooked concentration and dusted with mocha, this well shows the fruit. Bountiful strawberry and raspberry fruit, lively, crisp authentic character of wine from the schistous soils of this and joyous. Pure, and really quite Rhône-like. Now-2016 fashionable Catalonian enclave. Perfect for spicy pork. Now-2015

7 East: Valencia Celler del Roure, Moixent 2009 Celler del Roure, Les Alcusses, Pablo Calatayud took over a tumbledown bodega, abandoned Valencia, 14.5° after the civil war, in 1996, and from this umpromising start has Bottle £11.50 Case £131.10 Code ROU309 created one of the leading estates in Valencia. He inherited not Les Alcusses is named after Bastida de les Alcusses, an early just the old building, but also 97 tinajas, large earthenware jars Iberian settlement near the cellar where archaeologists have formerly used for wine production, in an ancient vaulted cellar. found grape seeds and wine sediment in 4th century BC vessels. These are now being re-employed to good effect. Wines here are About half Monastrell with Garnacha Tintorera, Cabernet, Syrah artisanal and fascinating, intriguing blends employing local grape and , given about fi ve months in old French barrels. varieties alongside Rhône and Bordeaux grapes. Opaque purple. Enticing, typically Spanish aromas of cooked 2011 Celler del Roure, Cullerot, fruit tinged with vanilla and cedar. Powerful, smooth and classy, with perfectly integrated oak, a thread of acid, fi ne tannins, and a Valencia, 13.5° long, peppery fi nish. Now-2017 Bottle £9.95 Case £113.43 Code ROU611 Not everyone will like this: fi rst, its name translates as tadpole, 2008 Celler del Roure, Maduresa, and there’s a fuzzy image of one on the label; second, it’s from an Valencia, 14.5° unfamiliar blend - 30% Verdil (a local grape), plus Pedro Ximenez, Bottle £17.50 Case £199.50 Code ROU408 (= Viura) and ; third, it’s fermented and A wine which has been acclaimed as the best in Valencia, and aged in tinajas (large clay pots). Stone fruit aromas anticipate a the summit of owner Pablo Calatayud’s ambitions. Based on local peachy, honeyed palate, but that is counterbalanced by a fi rm, variety Mandó (Mandon - an almost extinct variety), along with almondy bitterness. Aromatic, with notes of tangerine, ginger and Syrah, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, spice, this is resolutely artisanal and distinctive. Now-2014 it benefi ts from decanting to realise the full power and wildness 2011 Celler del Roure, 16, Setze Gallets, of this melange of blueberries and damsons with chocolatey oak. Very concentrated, but retains freshness. Grand wine. Now-2019 Valencia, 13° Bottle £8.25 Case £94.05 Code ROU111 A vital blend of Garnacha Tintorera (= Alicante Bouchet) and Monastrell, picked early to preserve freshness. Cherry perfume. Sharp black cherry character, light, rustic and energetic with a peppery fi nish. Perfect for a plate of coarse sausages. Now-2018

8 South East: Jumilla

Jumilla is a large Denominación de Origen which straddles the 2011 Bodegas Luzón, Finca La Solana, Jumilla, border betweeen coastal and inland Castile - La Mancha. Monastrell, Seleccion Especial, 14° This region has a hot, dry climate, with little moderating infl uence of the Med, so it’s perfect for ripening high yields of red grapes. Bottle £7.50 Case £85.50 Code LUZ311 Monastrell (= Mourvèdre in France) is the dominant variety, 100% Monastrell given a few months in oak. Deep hue. Enticing giving deeply coloured, full-fl avoured wines, and making Jumilla aromas of red fruit, vanilla and fruitcake. Fresh, ripe raspberry one of the best sources of good value reds in the world right now. and blueberry fruit. Typically Spanish and yet offering a New here such as Luzón and Juan Gil are huge enterprises, World-like generosity and warmth. Plenty of fl esh, and a long, but we have also shipped a top Jumilla from Bodegas Antonio spicy fi nish. I heard that the winery were delighted to have sold Arraez - at a mere 15 hectares this is more our scale! containers of this wine to American Airlines to be served in business class - yet it’s a mere £7.50 a bottle from SVS. Now-2015 2012 Bodegas Luzón, Castillo de Medax, 2012 Bodegas Antonio Arraez, Vivir Sin Dormir, Jumilla, 13° Jumilla, 14° Bottle £5.95 Case £67.83 Code LUZ112 Bottle £8.75 Case £99.75 Code ARR112 An entry-level Jumilla from Monastrell and Tempranillo, a mildly old-fashioned (see the old style label) but gluggable Organically farmed (and certifi ed) Monastrell, given four months wine. Strawberry perfume. Gentle palate of crushed strawberries in , and winner of a gold medal in 2013 Millésime Bio. with just a little charming savouriness. Certainly soft enough to The open eye on the label is disconcerting, as is the exhortation drink on its own as a house red, but with just a little texture too. to “live without sleep”: perhaps this is a reference to this deeply Now-2014 hued wine’s vivacity. Scents of mildly cooked black fruit and cinnamon. Juicy, lively black-fruited attack, very ripe, smoky but 2011 Bodegas Juan Gil, El Tesoro, Monastrell / also nicely sharp, seasoned with liquorice and Asian spice. Supple , Jumilla, 14° [Screwcap] and fresh, this has a winning “drink me” appeal. Now-2015 Bottle £6.25 Case £71.25 Code TES611 Ripe aromas - 25% Syrah brings a cherry note. The dark and brooding Monastrell offers a spicy, black-fruited mouthful, surprisingly powerful and intriguingly bittersweet for a wine at this price. Now-2015

9 South East: Manchuela Centre: Rueda Bodega Vega Tolosa, Albacete Rueda is best known for dry (and often rather boring) white From an estate established in 1905, and still owned by the wines made from , Viura and , but founding Tolosa family, this strikingly labelled wine is organically we couldn’t resist this totally frivolous sweet and spritzy farmed. Here there are 40 hectares of old vine Bobal, largely wine. 80-85 years old, growing at around 750 metres of altitude. The Bobal grape is widely planted in Spain, fl owering late to avoid 2012 Diez Siglos de Verdejo, Canto 5 Frizzé, spring frosts, and retaining acidity in the heat and dryness of the Spanish summer. This is a bravura example of the grape, and Rueda, 5.5° perhaps the cheapest “Icon” wine you can buy! Bottle £5.25 Case £59.85 Code DIS112 This, from Verdejo with a little Sauvignon Blanc, is a very 2012 Bodega Vega Tolosa, Bobal Icon, sweet, mildly fi zzy wine of little alcohol (so it attracts lower Manchuela, 13° import duty, thus cheaper) but with wonderful grapey Bottle £9.25 Case £105.45 Code VET112 sweetness and a remarkable 150 grams of residual sugar This is extremely concentrated, delivering a potent, well- per litre. Chill this right down and serve like a Moscato on structured punch of bright black cherry fruit with hints of fi g and its own or with fruit or light cakes and tarts. High-toned liquorice. Three months in old barrels, mainly French, serves to scents. Very sweet, but with equally high acidity, and with just smooth over the rough edges and lend a sweet vanilla hint. a little prickle of bubbles which helps cut the grapey and Now-2016 tropical fruit sweetness too. Brings a smile, especially at this price. Now-2014

10 Centre: Castile La Mancha South West: Sherry 2012 Pasos de la Capula, Tempranillo, Vino de la Fernando de Castilla Tierra de Castilla, 13° [Screwcap] Fernando de Castilla was founded in 1972 by the Andrada- Bottle £6.95 Case £79.23 Code PDC112 Vanderwilde family, important landowners and growers in Jerez. We always look out for pretty, strawberryish Tempranillo, and all Fernando de Castilla, Classic Dry , 15° too rarely fi nd it! The grape which gives us the long-lived wines of Rioja and Ribera del Duero can deliver a charming wine for early Bottle £10.95 Case £124.83 Code FER2NV drinking too. This is from 30 year old vines grown at around 700 Though fortifi ed, this pale, dry wine has hardly more alcohol metres of altitude in La Mancha. Perfume of crushed red berries. than a Chardonnay. It is defi nitely more versatile, Simple, joyous, berried mouthful, with the merest hint of tannin. whether as an aperitif or to accompany or barbecued fi sh. Soft enough to be enjoyed on its own, it would also be great with An intense nose of hazelnuts with a distinct tang of sea salt. A grilled lamb. Now-2015 richly complex palate: cream, nuts, peppery hints. Finishes dry and whistle clean, with good length. Now-2014 Fernando de Castilla, Pedro Ximenez, 17° Centre: Mentrida Bottle £17.75 Case £202.35 Code FER5NV Brown, mellow tone. Enticingly fresh scent of fi gs and toffee. So Méntrida, a D.O. in the Sierra del Gredos mountains in the pure - essence of dried fruits - and refi ned; so not too treacly. Too , south-west of Madrid, allows a wide range of good to pour over ice cream, but if you insist... Now-2014 local and international varieties. 2011 Tierra Fuerte, Méntrida, Graciano, 14° Bodegas Lustau Bottle £12.50 Case £142.50 Code TIE111 Lustau, Dry , Don Nuño, 20° We loved this pure Graciano, an ancient Spanish grape usually Bottle £13.95 Case £159.03 Code LUS2NV used as a blending grape to add aroma and structure to fi ne Rioja. From decayed granitic soils, given eight months in 90% Always a well-aged example - 12 years in the system. new French barrels, this is rather grand. Floral aromas presage a Deeply coloured. Spicy, raisiny nose. Dry palate of baked silky, raspberry and mulberry palate. Bittersweet, with a proper prune and damson. Supple yet lengthy fi nish. Fascinating backbone, this is fi ne wine at a fair price. Now-2017 and understandably popular. Now-2014

11 Gutierrez Colosia Sanchez Romate Hermanos Sanchez Romate is a very traditional bodega, founded in the Gutiérrez Colosia, Moscatel Soleado, eighteenth century and based in . 15° [Screwcap] Half bottle £12.75 Case (12 x 37.5cl) £145.35 Sanchez Romate Hermanos, Fino Romate, Code GUT1NV 15° [Screwcap] A delicious alternative to a luscious Pedro Ximenez, made from Bottle £8.75 Case £99.75 Code SRH1NV grapes sun-dried in the traditional manner. From chestnut Fino Romate is a classic with a dry palate and pleasant to deep mahogany in colour. The characteristic notes acidity - the perfect aperitif. Try with cheese, Iberian ham, of Muscat stand out in the nose with the presence of the fl oral shellfi sh, and nuts, particularly salted almonds. Now-2014 aromas of jasmine. Intense and luscious: orange blossom and honeysuckle in addition to citric notes of lime and grapefruit. Sanchez Romate Hermanos, Rather wonderful. Now-2017 Romate, 15° [Screwcap] Bottle £9.75 Case £111.15 Code SRH2NV Given a minimum of fi ve years ageing. Light, lively golden colour. Intense almond nose with hints of spice and just a touch of orange. The palate has plenty of life with nutty almond fl avours, slightly salty but well-balanced acidity. Now-2014 Sanchez Romate Hermanos, Cortado Regente, 20° Bottle £21.25 Case £242.25 Code SRH3NV The rare style of sherry starts initially aging For orders and all enquiries, please contact: under fl or to become a fi no or amontillado, but after losing Simon Taylor: [email protected] that protective layer of fl or it develops in an oxidative Gordon Coates: [email protected] manner. This is aged for some 15 years. A delightfully François Dupont: [email protected] fragrant sherry, with aromas of hazelnuts, walnuts, spice and rosewood. Sitting somewhere between the two, it combines Telephone: 01962 712351 Fax: 01962 717545 the dry pungency of an Amontillado with the rich fullness of Email: [email protected] Website: www.stonevine.co.uk an Oloroso. Now-2015 No. 13 Humphrey Farms, Hazeley Road, Twyford, Hampshire, SO21 1QA 12