The 2010 vintage in Rioja 'is by pretty much universal agreement a great, ageworthy vintage of balance, seriously structured wine' - so wrote Josh Raynolds back in 2015 for vinous.com. His comment is backed up by the decision of the official Rioja Control Board (Consejo Regulador) to officially rate 2010 as 'Excellent' - an accolade awarded only...
Read more
The region of Priorat in Catalonia, north-eastern Spain, has fascinated me for some time, partly as I am interested in Grenache/Garnacha in all its many guises and partly as the character of this region isn’t so easy to pinpoint on account of the varied winemaking approaches that have evolved. The style of Priorat has changed greatly over ...
Read more
When I tasted the Curly Flat wines many years ago, I was stunned by just how good they were. This would have been in the early to mid-2000s and these wines were hugely impressive in the context of New World Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Today, the wines are even better, and they are hugely impressive in the context of Pinot Noir ...
Read more
Having just returned from a brief tasting trip to Spain, I am now able to offer a new wine from a relatively new producer to Atlas. We have offered Recaredo’s impressive Reserve Particular a couple of times before and received some great feedback. Here, I am pleased to offer their outstanding 2017 Subtil at £155 per 6 bottle c...
Read more
The 2019 vintage will go down as a low-yielding but highly successful one for New Zealand and I have been awaiting the chance to taste new releases for some time as many producers have suggested it is their finest vintage to date, with Marlborough proving particularly noteworthy.
I was fascinated to see how one of my favourite...
Read more
2020 completes a trio of hot, dry years in the southern Rhône, all of which have delivered some notable successes. The 2020s that I have started to taste show a more supple accent in contrast to the more powerful 2019s, yet they are by no means lacking in richness and substance. I have now tasted through a range of samples, and it reveals ...
Read more