Tm

The first vintage of Finca Allende’s top wine, I think? Ready to drink now. Elegant. Perhaps not completely top drawer, but certainly a level …

The exemplar Gran Reserva, and just that: a ripe, deep vintage giving black fruit character, with a careful coating of American oak primarily. Fine …

Saw this in The Sampler and thought why not? In the end, this is past its best – hollowing out and leaving some brisk …

Fascinating way to start MW study group studies, blind. A much more satisfying old-school Rioja than the 1991 Bosconia. Pale garnet, with a tawny …

A second vintage of this, from a similar source. And again, a good example of a £10-15, modern-style, attractive Reserva Rioja. A touch jammy, …

A nice tawny port, with some elegance, balance and complexity, but not worth £68, with some over-dominance of the oak. Medium tawny, with a …

The final bottle of this, and it showed much better. A classic, old-school Rioja at maturity. Medium garnet with a broad, brick tinged rim. …

I thought I’d grabbed the 1992 to bring to Booker, as an interesting wine – being their first vintage, albeit an inauspicious one – …

Bought for Andy’s 40th in April. Starting to fade, but once great. Still nice though. Pale garnet with a broad, brick / caramel rim. …

Port and cheese on Easter Saturday after a red-wine-fuelled venison dinner in the Lake District. Overall, a very nice Port, reflecting the quality of …