2004

We arranged a visit at Pujanza on the recommendation of Madeleine’s good friend and new Contino winemaker, Jorge Navascues. I’m grateful to Jorge for …

With a first vintage in 1992, Bodegas Roda were pioneers of the ‘modern’ Rioja style that emerged in that decade. Every aspect of their …

Ruth and I first visited Ramón Bilbao just as tourists in 2014, when visiting Haro the first time. In 2018, by random allocation, we …

So I was debating what should be the last entry in Book 2 – something grand? Something famous? Then I just went for something …

If I hadn’t already put some space aside for this one, I wouldn’t have bothered once it became clear that the label was going …

Christian and I grabbed this when having a working dinner at Pearl. In spite of this being the 2004 rather than the advertised 2003, …

So, this opened the Planet of the Grapes food & wine matching night (well, after the excellent unfortified Fino), that happened to coincide with …

A bin-end from Planet of the Grapes, billed as a decent Burgundian Chardonnay, and overall I’d agree – balanced between richness and leanness. Overall …

Another from the Optimor mixed case, and from a winery well-rated by Robert Parker. Initially, I thought this might be an overblown ‘taster’s’ wine …

Number 4 from the Optimor case, and a very nice one too – for drinking not keeping. I reckon (surprisingly) that this one would …