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Bodegas Riojanas, Gran Albina 2004
£19.99
This 'Alte Expression' Rioja is made from hand-selected grapes and gets 24 months in new American oak caskes, creating an intense, concentrated and very modern style of red wine with chewy tannins and opulent fruits. Unlike traditional riojas, which are ready when released (although some can be kept), this needs a few years bottle age to reveal its true glory
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Bodegas Riojanas, Monte Real Gran Reserva 1998
£18.49
Unusually for Rioja, this is a single vineyard wine. The Rioja Alta fruit gives extra weight and body to this smoky, spicy wine, which is ready to drink but should keep in your cellar a while if you like
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Niepoort, Vertente 2002
Online Catalogue | Sipped and Savoured | Niepoort, Vertente 2002
 | Tasted April 2008
Dirk Niepoort is surely the leading producer in the Douro valley, producing a stunning range of innovative table wines as well as world class ports. This is the 'starting' of the range, but a wine that many producers around the world would kill to have as their top cuvee! Produced in vineyards around Quinta da Napoles form vines between 15 and 70 years old. |
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Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Marel, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz
Region: Douro Valley, Portugal
Soil Type: Pure Schist
Winemaking: Fermented in traditional Lagares and then blended before ageing in a mixture of new and used French oak
ABV: 13% |
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Tasting Note
A complex, mature wine which shows off fruit and winemaking in a balanced, integrated way. Meaty aromas of cigar box, spice and leather with blackcurrant fruit and wild bramble flavours. Soft tannins lend structure but no more, and the herbal fruit is nicely rounded off with vanilla and pepper. The juicy and soft red fruit finish has delicious cherries and hints of chocolate. This is certainly a wine to contemplate, not quaff!
Cellaring
This wine is at its best, but will remaind there a year or so. If you fancy keeping some, watch out for the coming 2005 vintage which will cellar until 2011
If you like this, why not try....Dirk's ports are his hallmark, so get a hold of the Junior Tinto before it disappears (labelling issues!), truly the greatest ruby port in the world, or trade up to Secundum 2000 for the cellar or Vintage 1987 for the table |
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Online Catalogue | Sipped and Savoured | Niepoort, Vertente 2002
