Can you imagine buying 1,008 bottles of wine in one year? That’s 200 gallons to be exact – the same amount that each American household was allowed to make for ‘personal use’ during Prohibition. And the go-to grape during this DIY time wasn’t Cabernet or Merlot, it was the bold and juicy Alicante Bouschet - widely planted in California but originally from Portugal.
Today, award-winning winemaker Jamie Quendera has crafted a mighty, Reserva-quality red, from rare 100-year-old vines. And the unique twist? Jamie aged the wine for 12 months in custom double casks. The top and bottom are French oak (imparting subtle spice) while the long side planks are American (for vanilla notes). The result is an ultra-smooth, cherry-ripe, well-spiced drop!
It won a Trophy for its first release, another Trophy and Gold for 2007 and 2009, and Gold for 2010.
It’s from the Elqui Valley, an extraordinarily high region next to the Atacama Desert.
Thanks to the wonders of irrigation, flourishing green vineyards stand out in stark contrast to their moonscape surroundings.
The award winning Viña Falernia was set up by Italians Aldo Olivier Gramola and Giorgio Flessati in 1995 and is one of only two wineries here.
Today they have extensive vineyards and a cellar packed with state of the art equipment.
With impressive richness, great complexity and finesse, this is a wine to decant and serve with roast lamb on a special occasion.
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It ended up being considerably longer than intended, but all's well that ends well, because 10 years later it's proved to be absolutely stunning – a silky, velvety luxury wine. A great choice with lamb.
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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.
But a huge haul of Golds later and they've changed their minds. The velvety black fruits that are so loved by our customers can now be enjoyed tenfold with the even richer Reserva edition.
José has searched out the very finest, low-yielding and intensely ripe Alicante grapes for this super cuvée, and you can taste the mouth filling difference.
Even more richness and spice, but at only 13%, it's still no heavyweight and has a lovely zip of freshness to all that blackberry, cassis and damson fruit.
Enjoy with richly flavoured casseroles and red meat dishes.
From a fourth-generation-owned Pauillac cellar, B de Fonbadet may fall under the humble Bordeaux label, but it’s intensity and complexity leave no doubt about its high-end quality. This 2019 has even won the Decanter’s esteemed Platinum medal.
Bleasdale Vineyards have been proudly owned by the Potts family for five generations. Founder Frank Potts was born in Hounslow, and joined the Royal Navy at the tender age of 9! He started his career as a powder monkey and travelled the world several times, before settling in South Australia in 1836. Originally a carpenter, in 1850 he spotted a great plot of land near the town of Langhorne Creek. He and his new wife decided to buy it and began farming. Theirs was the first winery of the region.
In 2007, Paul Hotker became their winemaker (Winemaker of the Year in 2018) and since then they've won 60+ Trophies. For 25 years, they've used Cabernet Franc in blends, but here have bottled it solo. Enjoy its crunchy fruit freshness. Serve cool.
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Château Lafite’s Barons de Rothschild in France and world renowned Nicolás Catena from Argentina – Bodegas Caro Aruma Malbec 2021.
Aruma brings together small batches of wine made from tiny parcels of premium Ucó Valley grapes – from Altamira, El Peral and San José – to create a fine, silky and complex blend. Hand-harvested, high grown, old-vine grapes provide outstanding quality, while the absence of any oak maturation ensures the wine shows great purity of fruit from Ucó terroir. Velvety smooth and deeply fruity with beautiful floral notes, this mouthfilling stunner is a delight from first sip to last.
James Suckling is impressed – he gives it a stellar 93pts. He also gave its 2020 vintage an impressive 92pts and commented: "Perfumed yet focused nose with lots of violets and deep but fresh blueberries. Very pure”.
Like most Argentine Malbecs (and indeed many fine French wines), it will match your finest cut of beef beautifully. Decant and pour into large glasses so that its full magnificent flavours can be suitably appreciated.
