This is a stellar white Rioja. It’s the flagship of Altos, a cellar founded in 2006 by winemaker Jean-Marc Sauboua, and already with 125 Golds. Old-vine Viura and Chardonnay, fermented in barrel, this is intense, citrusy and toasty.
Casa Primicia is one of the oldest buildings in Rioja Alavesa – in the 15th century it was where the Church collected tithes. In 1985 the Madrid brothers bought it and converted it into a winery. A host of prestigious awards soon followed, including the ‘Grand Prix d’Honneur’ at Vinexpo in Bordeaux. Grapes for this wine come from a beautiful 40-year-old vineyard and a good vintage.
Winemaker was Fernando Domingo (he trained under great oenologist Don Manuel Ruiz Hernández), who aged the wine in American and French oak barrels for 18 months, the rest in bottle, to obtain the perfect balance of subtle spice and deep fruit. A superb Rioja Reserva with red berry notes, cocoa, vanilla and toasty oak. Excellent with tapas, lamb or rice dishes.
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Lavish plum and raspberry, wrapped in cinnamon spice and vanilla oak in this fabulous 94-point Reserva. It's made by the award-winning Castillo Labastida in Rioja, Atlantic and mountain-cooled Alavesa region.
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Spain’s sparkling wines are all too often overlooked in favour of Prosecco or Champagne. But what if you could have a fizz that’s made like a prestige Champagne at the price of a Prosecco? Introducing Oriol Rossell’s supremely elegant, organically farmed Cava. Oriol Rossell is a historic estate that’s run just like a top Champagne house. Grapes are hand picked from estate vineyards and the wine is made in the traditional method as used in Champagne. This artisan method results in a top quality bubbly that rakes in awards.
Oriol Rossell’s flagship cuvée even beat Dom Pérignon in a blind tasting! This Brut Nature Reserva is supremely dry with complex citrus fruit, fine minerality and a luxurious, creamy mousse. A fizz for any occasion.
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In the last decade, the crisp, pure and characterful whites of Spain’s Galicia have come to the fore, Albariño in particular. Especially in the excellent subregion of Rías Baixas. Located a stone's throw from the Atlantic, the vines here are cooled by ocean breezes. This means the grapes ripen slowly and that slower pace means more aromatics, greater depth of flavour and a lovely freshness. Taste all that in this sprightly Selección Especial Numerada 60, with its tang of the sea.
It’s a special bottling, just for our customers, from the fresh 2021 vintage too. Offering striking lemon and lime zip, while balancing floral hints, minerality and white stone fruit, it makes an elegant glass on its own or partner to salads, paella or fresh fish.
He travelled the world making wine before an assignment to Spain in 2003. He fell in love with the ancient Garnacha bush vines of Calatayud and now can't drag himself away. This is his 'King of Garnacha' red, from his old, gnarled vineyards (50-120 years old) at a lofty 1000m above sea level. There, the blazing daytime sunshine ripens the grapes, while cold nights draw out the aromas and ensures excellent structure to this long-lived wine. Most other growers have abandoned their vineyards here – it's too hard to make a living. But Norrel teases out the very best from his grapes to make this exceptional, oak-aged red. Dark, spiced, silky and aromatic it's an exciting discovery that shows off the unique and characterfilled wines Spain is famous for.
