Vina Arana Gran Reserva, La Rioja Alta
La Rioja Alta is one of the great names in the world of wine, making truly magnificent wines. Vina Arana was always made as a Reserva, but from the 2012 vintage, they have extended the ageing to elevate it to Gran Reserva. The result is impressive – very smooth and complex; drinking well now but will improve for decades to come!
Pesquera Tinto Reserva 2018, Ribero del Duero, Spain
Now, one of Spain's most iconic wineries, famously compared to Petrus by Robert Parker.
Allesandro Fernadez makes powerful and complex wines from his Tempranillo vineyards, with the Reserva aged for 30 months in barrel. This is still young and will become smoother and more complex with time.
The perfect full-bodied wine for roast lamb.
Rioja ‘Edicion Limitada’, Montecillo
70% Tepranillo 30% Graciano
A fine example of modern Rioja from an estate that is really firing on all cylinders. Unlike most traditional Rioja's, this is aged in mainly French oak barrels (as opposed to American oak); the finer grain on the oak retains, and emphasises the richness of the wines, so you get more concentrated, dark fruit flavours.
Full-bodied, smooth and decadent, this is a really impressive wine (lots of accolades...94pts Decanter etc). A good wine for steaks and BBQ as well as strong hard cheeses.
‘Larrosa’ Rioja Rosado, Izadi
Izadi is based in Villabuena in Rioja Alavesa, the highest part of Rioja. The hillside winery (whose precipitous slope allows for gravity assisted production) was founded in 1987 by Gonzalo Antón as a modern breakaway from the traditional style of wine produced by other members of his family.This Rose is stunning! Similar to top Provence Rose in style but perhaps slightly fruitier (and great value); elegant and beautifully packaged, this is juicy and delicious.The perfect garden wine, with enough flavour to stand up to some spice and lots of garlic. Prawns, cold meats, picnics...
Montecillo Rioja Crianza
Montecillo has a history dating back to 1847 and is now owned by the famous Osbourne family. Since they have taken over they have completely reinvigorated the estate with real attention to detail in the vineyard and a more modern(in a good way!) approach in the winery and cellars. This Crianza has everything you could want from a Crianza Rioja at a really good price; lovely strawberry fruit nose and a rich, smooth palate.
Obviously, this goes well with roast lamb, lamb chops, steak, BBQ etc but it's pretty versatile and drinks really nicely on its own.
