Produce of hand-harvested Garnatxa fruit from vines 10 to 35 years old planted to sandy clay/limestone soils and certified biodynamically-farmed. The fruit is whole-cluster fermented on its own indigenous yeasts in concrete vats then aged for a time in neutral French oak barrels prior to release. Limpid ruby in color just fading at the edges with aromas suggestive of red berries, grape pomace, spice, dried herb and an arid dusty dry vineyard floor (Henry noted that, with air, the wine revealed an even more joyous red berry fruit character along with a certain floral quality); ample and rounded on entry, then full and completely dry with a nice bursting berryish fruit quality and excellent intensity of lasting flavor leaving the mouth fresh and gently salivating.

A project of Christopher & Charlotte Cannan, René & Isabelle Barbier and Fernando & Marta Zamora, from a single very steep vineyard of 2 hectares (5 acres) planted to 100 plus year old Garnacha vines in the clay-limestone soils of the commune of La Figuera on the northern edge of Montsant looking onto the famous Serra de Montsant itself as well as having spectacular views of the Ebro valley and even the distant Pyrenees 200 kilometres away (hence the name Espectacle). Lovely translucent medium-ruby in color with an alluring, subtly perfumed red-fruited quality à la Chambolle-Musigny or Domaine Charvin (Lindsay noted a savory quality and strawberry fruit leather, she said it reminded her of being back on the farm, not the barnyard, but the carrot field; Henry noted bilberry, dried violet and anise; our winebuyer noted rhubarb); supple on entry, almost Burgundian cool, sophisticated, smooth and silken in texture, but then generating a more southerly warmth with sapid, mostly red berry flavors both elegant and intense with fine pulverized stony jittery tannins stretching the whole thing out long, long on the fine and gently mouthwatering finish. All in all, we are wholly impressed. This is ultra-fine wine on the world stage.

Produce of 100% Tempranillo hand-harvested from the Mayorita, Rebollar and Bardal vineyards, as well as selected plots in El Palo, Rodezno and Alto del Rey, Labastida. These vineyards are located at altitudes of 500 to 600 metres (that's 1,600 to 2,000 feet) above sea level and were planted in these chalky-clay soils more than 40 years ago. The Bordeaux winemaking model is in use here, involving destemming and crushing the grapes before putting them in tanks, where they undergo alcoholic and malolactic fermentation under controlled conditions. The wine is then matured for two years in American oak barrels manufactured in‑house; the first year in new oak and the second year in four year‑old barrels. Four rackings are carried out in the traditional way, under candlelight, from barrel to barrel, carefully separating the wine from the lees. Deep crimson to just tawny at the edges with myriad old world leaning aromas suggestive of rhubard, plum, red, black and blue berry fruits with a bit of air, stone and dried herb, then vanilla and a kind of dulce de leches/freshly picked dill quality from aging in American oak; velvety in texture, medium to almost full in body with gentle dusty tannins and taut berry flavors that remain fresh long on the finish. Is this perhaps our favorite popularly priced Rioja? In a word, sí.

CVNE, aka, Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España, was founded in 1879 in the town of Haro in Rioja by the Real de Asúa brothers, Eusebio and Raimundo and today is still controlled by direct descendants of the founding family. Their first wine was named after its initials, CVNE, later its verbal diminutive, Cune^® (pronounced KOO-nay). Produce of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha tinta and Mazuelo (Carignane) fruit harvested from their own vineyards in Rioja Alta, the wine is fermented in stainless steel at controlled temperatures, then aged for one year in American oak barrels. Ruby/garnet in color fading to just tawny at the edges; aromas of dark, ripe berries and spice with a kiss of sweet oak and a sense of parched and arid vineyard floor; round and supple on the tongue, medium to medium full in body with just the gentlest underpinning of ripe round tannins to lend structure; and, with just a little air, this opens up nicely to reveal a far more complex wine than its price would ever suggest.

In centuries gone by, casks of sherry were lashed to ships sailing for the Indies as ballast and were found to develop an extraordinary smoothness and complexity. Lustau has revived this style of sherry in the East India Solera wine, an inspired mingling of about 85% aged dry (20 years old) Oloroso with about 15% aged (10 years old) sweet Pedro Ximenez blended then aged an additional 5 years in the warmest part of the bodega, la sacristia. Raisined fruit, candied citrus peel, macerated cherries, caramel and roasted almonds are common descriptors that we might put forward, but somehow there is something left to be described — an ineffable — as if a benevolent form of alchemy were having its way with an already wonderful raw material. Richly textured and flavorful, just sweet, assuages the tongue whilst giving all its wonderful complexity of flavor.