Affordable Wines with Age

This really is a superb vintage of this wine, so much to love in the more traditional Rioja style here, liquorice, coffee, meat juices, leather, redcurrants, herbs and cedar. But the palate then delivers everything in su...(read more)

The 2016 Doyac feels a little basic and lacks cohesion on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy, red berry fruit, light on its feet and yet it just misses some complexity and grip towards the finish. One of th...(read more)

68% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot. Good deep colour, quite fleshy and supple feel, fine tannins and fruit depth - well done, very harmonious. One of the Bruno Borie (Ducru-Beaucaillou) stable, this spo...(read more)

We visited the La Mauriane cellar with Pierre Taix, and tasted the 2016 in its three component cuvées as well as an approximation of the final blend. The Merlot from the chalky hillside had fantastically delicious...(read more)

100% Tinta del País (Tempranillo) from de los Rios Prieto’s oldest and best vineyards, produced by the most refined and traditional methods, aged 24 months in French high-quality barrels, 24 months in bottle. Bril...(read more)

Tasting great now, it has been drinking well for a couple of years - why wouldn't you want this with new season grouse? Grown in very hard-to-manage narrow terraces on a precipitous slope, with each vine on a pole, so ev...(read more)

The 2016 Duluc de Branaire-Ducru is a soft, fruity wine to drink now and over the next few years, while the red/purplish berry fruit and floral notes retain their youthful vibrancy.

The 2014 Tronquoy-Lalande has a more elegant, refined bouquet compared to its peers, a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar, iodine and violets, perhaps picked a little later? The palate is medium-bodied with a ferrous...(read more)

The dry winter and cool spring led to low yields and immense aromatic intensity, to which the fresh ripening season added fresh acidity and purity of fruit. The 2012 displays the rich berry fruit character we expect from...(read more)

Salita has an intense ruby colour. On the nose it has pronounced fruity notes of cherry and raspberry, mild woody aroma and liquorice. The palate is is characterized by freshness, velvety tannins and by a very harmonious...(read more)

One of the highest points of this vertical tasting, the 2010 Suduiraut reveals a dense, powerful bouquet of ripe apricots, exotic fruit, mango, pineapple, saffron and spices. More solar than the 2009 and with a full-bodi...(read more)

2016 Pommard Charmots - This is drinking really well now. Probably Pillot's wine of the vintage! Ripe and forward. Still some primary fruit but edging towards something tertiary. Touch of tobacco and mushroom with dried...(read more)