A Damascene conversion!

Cava, Spanish for painfully dry, headache inducing fizz... or so I thought. This was the second of two holiday cavas that have changed my opinion 360 degrees on Spain's most well known fizz. Knowing the Raimat still whites, I went with a producer that I know and love...

Raimat, Cava, Brut Nature, Chardonnay Xarello, NV

Pale yellow with a green hue. Lots of bubbles with a delicate and crisp palette. Very refreshing and lovely balance of acidity and fruit. Citrus (like the delicious lemons at Pollença market) and floral with very subtle undertone of tropical fruit. A very good and well balanced wine and not bad for €9. 2.5* 7/ 10

In wine heaven!

What better way to end a tough week at work than with friends, a rack of lamb and a bottle of mature Rioja...

Remelluri, Rioja Reserva, 2000

Lighter than expected with a translucent, very burgundian, colour with a tawny, almost golden, rim which reveals its age. The most striking element of this wine is the  beautiful nose of damsons, vanilla, plums, and just a hint of spice and mushrooms/ sulphur (is that what people refer to as reduction?). Initially quite austere on the palette but then flourishes on the finish which is long and full of plums and damsons with a typical velvet soft vanilla undertone from the oak.  This is a very subtle wine but with layers of interest, each revealing more complexity. 4* 7/ 10

¡Ay, Bierzo!

I don't drink enough Spanish wine, which is a shame as Spain is producing some great wines from an increasing range of interesting terroirs such as Bierzo. This is made from 100% Mencía from 90 year old vines and aged in French oak for 18 months, followed by a year in bottle.



Bierzo, Peique, Selección Familiar, 2005
Brooding, deep, dark and impenetrable, almost black. The nose is very promising with chocolate and spice followed by toasted oak and a whiff of manure (in a pleasant way!). There is a lot of oak and alcohol, but once they recede there's a lighter palette than the colour suggests. The fruit blossoms with raspberries, blackberries, prunes, and a lot of acidity which makes this an excellent food wine. In fact, it's as though this is a white wine trapped within a red wine. The finish is fairly short but well supported by the oak and acidity. Although not young, I think this wine needs another few years to shake off the oak. This is a very good and interesting wine, full of character, but the palette doesn't quite match up to the promise of the nose. 3* 6.5/ 10