Dominio de los Duques Cava Brut DO
RRP £9.99
ABV 11.5%
80% Parellada, 20% Macabeo
Producer: Pago de Tharsys
Deep golden colour. Sweet pineapple nose. Unlike my winter pineapple at breakfast today that was mean and sour. Full-flavoured and rich. Price about right.
Lime Leaf Verdejo 2012 Vino Blanco
RRP £7.99
ABV 13%
100% Verdejo
Producer: Bodegas Real Compania
Low on aroma for verdejo. Also, very watery. This has been chilled right down and in the summer, this would be refreshing but it doesn’t have the tang that I want from verdejo.
Altos de la Guardia Blanco 2012 Rioja DOC
RRP £9.99
ABV 13%
60% Viura, 40% Malvasia
Producer: Altos de la Guardia
Very little aroma. These are really chilled, and smell of little. Lacking flavour. This has a little structure from oak, but the fruit is lacking.
Las Minas del Sil Godello Palomino 2012 Valdeorras DO
RRP £9.99
ABV 12.5%
70% Godello, 30% Palomino
Producer: Bodegas Abanico
Lacking aroma (served v cold). Nice mouth feel. Some weight. Good balance of fruity and savoury. Tangy and refreshing finish. Good.
7 Cupos 2011 Ribeiro DO
RRP £12.49
ABV 13%
100% Treixadura
Producer: Distribuciones de Calidad Vinalia
Again, no aroma as served freezing cold. Pretty sweet. Weighty and serious. Good.
Sendero des Santos Albariño 2011 Rías Baixas DO
RRP £12.99
ABV 13%
100% Albariño
Producer: This is from a secret source, well connected on the ground to sniff out a special parcel especially for Laithwaite's...
Smells oaky. There’s also texture in there. Apparently it’s just lees texture. Blimey. Very full-bodied and almost chewy. Very nice and a good label. Not for Albarino purists.
Niño de las Uvas Rosado 2012 Bullas DO
RRP £8.99
ABV 14%
100% Monastrell
Producer: Bodegas del Rosario
Pale salmon pink. Just a hint of aroma. Slightly off-dry and odd. Might be good with Asian food.
Cabeza de Toro Bobal 2012 Utiel-Requena DO
RRP £7.79
ABV 12.5%
100% Bobal
Producer: Pago de Tharsys
Jazzy label. Young with a wet stones aroma. Young, and refreshing, palate. About as different from Rioja as you can get within Spanish reds.
Campo de Corazones 2012 Jumilla DO
RRP £7.79
ABV 13%
70% Monastrell, 20% Syrah, 10% Garnacha
Producer: Hacienda del Carche
Dark aromas, with some metal and some ripe plums. Light in the palate, with the same slightly metallic touch. Not sure what it would be good with.
Niño de las Uvas Monastrell 2012 Bullas DO
RRP £10.99
ABV 14%
100% Monastrell
Producer: Bodegas del Rosario
A touch of drains – needs swirling (decant this at home). A lot of tannin. Really dries the mouth. You need a great big griddled steak with this. It almost tastes chargrilled itself.
Peña Garnacha 2010 Calatayud DO
RRP £8.99
ABV 14.5%
100% Garnacha
Producer: El Escocés Volante
Appealing ripe aroma. Perfumed, almost tropical. Sweet, ripe fruit, high alcohol and spicy finish.
Vent del Mar Garnacha Negra Syrah 2012 Terra Alta DO
RRP £11.99
ABV 14.5%
80% Garnacha Negra, 20% Syrah
Producer: Bodegas Abanico
Light on the nose. Nice palate. Some texture, oaky and with dark but fresh fruit. The price is just about right.
Tierra Omaña 2008 Bierzo DO
RRP £14.99
ABV 14.5%
100% Mencia
Producer: Bodegas Abanico
A little whiffy. Decant this. It smells of overripe grapes, but is also very inviting. Smooth, gentle and nicely oaky palate. Delicious. Please do decant it, though.
Sierra Collado Shiraz 2011 Campo de Borja DO
RRP £11.99
ABV 14%
100% Shiraz
Producer: El Escocés Volante
Very dark and plummy aroma. Baked palate. Dark and rich but I can’t get excited about Spanish shiraz.
Curato de Cillar 2012 Ribera del Duero DO
RRP £9.99
ABV 14%
100% Tempranillo
Producer: Cillar de Silos
The aroma is dark fruit led. Savoury and OK but lacking much interest.
Marqués del Valle Tempranillo 2012 Rioja DOCa
RRP £7.99
ABV 13.5%
90% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha
Producer: Vintae
Sweet, raisined fruit on nose and palate. Great little wine for the price. Warm. Not obviously American oaky, but hangs nicely in the mouth.
Marqués del Valle Crianza 2010 Rioja DOCa
RRP £9.99
ABV 13.5%
100% Garnacha
Producer: Vintae
Much more upfront American oak. Sweet vanilla and white pepper. Ditto on the palate. Good price. A nice house Rioja.
Selección Especial Numerada 1 Pila No. 08DN 2009 Rioja DOCa
RRP £13.99 on offer at £7.99 from September - December
ABV 14%
100% Tempranillo
Producer: This is from a secret source, well connected on the ground to sniff out a special parcel especially for Laithwaite’s...
Sweet and heady with American oak – lovely. This is delicious. A load of coconutty sweet oak but it’s refreshing and really delicious.
Familia Martínez Bujanda Rioja Gran Reserva 2001 DOCa
RRP £17.99
ABV 13.5%
85% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo, 5% Graciano
Producer: Bodegas Martínez Bujanda
Quite farmyardy and developed. An old compost heap, perhaps. Pretty aged on the palate. This might work during 2013 but I wouldn’t get it for the cellar or for next year. Savoury and delicious.
Bodegas Primica Gran Reserva 2004 DOCa
RRP £19.99
ABV 14%
100% Tempranillo
Producer: Bodegas Primicia
Dark, baked plum aroma. Delicious taste. Not faded or over-aged at all. Juicy and moreish.
Gómez Cruzado Vendimia Seleccionada 2012 Rioja DOCa
RRP £12.99
ABV 14%
100% Tempranillo
Producer: Gómez Cruzado
Very ripe fruit on the nose. Young and purple with warm alcohol. Not doing it for me at the moment, but if you sat on it for a while, then perhaps.
Gómez Cruzado Reserva 2007 Rioja DOCa
RRP £17.99
ABV 14%
100% Tempranillo
Producer: Gómez Cruzado
Lovely, inviting aroma. The price is on the previous page of my laptop and I was hoping I could afford to buy a load of this. Damn! Savoury, with black pepper, toasted coconut oak. Nice palate taste, but I might have liked a touch more vibrancy, more acidity. It’s still absolutely lovely.
Gómez Cruzado Gran Reserva 2001 Rioja DOCa
RRP £60.00 (Magnums only)
ABV 14%
100% Tempranillo
Producer: Gómez Cruzado
Oh, a magnum: how lovely. Nicely developed, slightly composty aroma. Beautiful palate. Very toasty, if that’s your thing. Bright and delicious finish. Might put this on my Christmas list. Very desirable.
Hacienda de Lluna Moscatel Rosado 2012 Valencia DO
RRP £4.99
ABV 5%
95% Moscatel, 5% Garnacha
Producer: Anecoop
Light pink. Light, rosy aroma. Petillant and absolutely delicious. Like a moscato and rosewater spritzer. Yum.
