Next door to Rioja, Navarra has always been less traditional. Its winemakers were some of the first to break rank and grow non-traditional Spanish grapes. A daring move, but one celebrated now – Navarra Cabernet continues to impress.
This mellow 2017 comes from the 65-year-old Señoria de Sarria bodega, an estate highly regarded throughout the world which lies in Puente La Reina. The fruit that went into this wine usually goes into their flagship Reserva Especial, but winemaker Milagros Rodriguez put some aside to make this exciting blend.
Powerful Cabernet Sauvignon with silky old-vine Graciano, aged two years in barrel and another four years in bottle, this is a magnificent, mellow red, packed with dark fruits and sweet spice. It needs time to open up, so decant if you can, and then serve with your finest roast lamb.
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Opi Sadler is behind many of our most popular Argentine reds. And for good reason - he is a magician of a winemaker. He learnt his skills from an early age in the dark cellars of his grandfather. His family had always made wine and Opi took a healthy interest. That was despite being a little spooked by the sleeping bats that always seemed to come to life as he crept down to the cellar with his candle. He remembers vividly how they'd knock into the it and leave wax prints all over his grandfather’s cellar, hence the name of this wine.
Spicy, liquorice-scented Shiraz, cassis-laden Cabernet and dense Malbec create a wine with bags of appealing ripe fruit. Smooth enough to drink solo and great with spare ribs or veggie wraps. Open early.
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Trapiche selects three top growers each vintage and honours them with a special bottling. Robert Parker says “these wines are among the finest values in high class Malbec”. The apogee of fine Malbec, Coletto has riveting intensity and finesse.
96pts, Tim Atkin, 2022
94pts, James Suckling, 2022
93pts, Robert Parker, 2022
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