La Cueva Del Contador 2016
La Cueva del Contador 2016 grapes were selected from 35-55 years old vineyards, where a yield around a kilo of grapes per vine is produced to get the fruit and tannin concentration wished.
La Cueva del Contador 2016 is bright and dense red-violet in colour. The nose is deep and wraparound. Highlight the red and black compote fruit with spicy, mineral and balsamic notes, also a touch of toasted. The wood is fine, present and it has to be integrated. In the mouth it is powerful and well balanced in terms of maturity and freshness. Final is long and fresh. It is elegant.
100% Tempranillo
Que Bonito Cacareaba 2019
Que Bonito Cacareaba 2019 features a brilliant yellow colour. On the nose is a fine and elegant wine. With citrus aromas, notes of aromatic herbs and wild flowers, also with stone fruits touches (apricot, plum). Mineral future. The contribution of oak promises a good integration.
The palate is fresh and fine, with a good skeleton. A great balance between ripeness, acidity and freshness has been got making the harvest on time. It will have a long life. It’s a great white wine. Very fine one. Minerality and Elegance.
45% Garnacha Blanca, 38% Viura, 17% Malvasía
Juyondai Shichitare Nijikkan
The Juyondai Shichitare Nijjukkan Junmain Daiginjo sake is a premium sake that is considered as one of the rarer series of rice wine in Japan. It is highly sought after as the production for this sake is considerably less than those of other kinds of sake.
Utilising the special technique created by Takagi Shuzo, 75kg of rice water is used, extracting sake after pressing the bag 7 times and allowing it to drip from the bag. This time consuming method and small amount of sake collected each time make this sake very are and limited. Polished to 35%, the sake excuses a velvety texture amidst its richness.
With a ginjyo aroma of ripe melon and white peaches, the sake is beautifully layered with delicate fragrance.
Food Pairing: Sauce skewers, Hot pot, Boiled food, Seafood, and Salt-grilled dishes
La Cueva Del Contador 2021
La Cueva del Contador 2021 is a red wine endowed with a robust personality and a ripeness that captivates from the initial taste. On the nose, we encounter an array of ripe red and black fruits intricately woven with delicate hints of spices that contribute to its elegant complexity. On the palate, it presents as full-bodied and well-structured, delivering a sumptuous texture that encourages one to ponder its bottle maturation potential. This red wine is a reliable choice for those in pursuit of depth and a noteworthy ageing potential.
Red wine Aged in wood Respectful agriculture. 18 months in French oak barrels.
100% Tempranillo
"I found cleaner aromas and a fresher quality and finer tannins in the 2019 La Cueva del Contador, a quite complete wine with elegance and finesse combined with power and concentration. The oak is still noticeable after 18 months in new barriques, and I'd wait a little longer before pulling the cork. It has the perfume of La Cueva in the background. It should resurface with a little more time in bottle. 10,000 bottles produced." - Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker 
Arnaldo Rivera Barolo DOCG Cannubi 2018
Cannubi is one of Barolo's most famous vineyards, "A vineyard kissed by God" writes James Suckling. Intense, complex and incredibly well made. This is a wine not to be missed.
Ruby red in the glass with slight reflections. The aroma is intense with notes of raspberry, cherry and smoke. The taste is complex with notes of sun-ripened raspberries, dark cherries, licorice, tobacco, flint and smoke. The finish is long with a nice structure of slender tannins and delicate acidity. Perfect with dishes such as ossobuco, beef ragu, mushroom risotto, antipasti etc.
La Cueva Del Contador 2019
La Cueva del Contador 2018 is bright and very dense red-violet color. The nose is deep and with a great volume. Highlight the red and black compote fruit with spicy, mineral and balsamic notes, also a touch of toasted. The wood is fine, present and it has to be integrated. Good
evolution. In the mouth it is powerful and well balanced in terms of maturity and freshness. Final is long and fresh. It is elegant. It promises long life.
100% Tempranillo
Juyondai Bessen Morohaku
The Juyondai label, produced by Takagi Shuzo brewery, has earned itself a cult status amongst saké aficionados. Takagi Shuzo was originally founded in 1615 in the northern Japanese Yamagata Prefecture.
Made with 100% Yamada-Nishiki rice, the quality and exclusiveness ensure this rare expression is one of the most highly sought after sake. The Junman Daiginjo is described as bold and flavourful. The nose offers an intense floral and a burst of green apple with hints of melon and fragrant rice. It is light, refreshing and a perfect showcase of the high-quality Yamadanishiki rice.
Food Pairing: Sauce skewers, Hot pot, Boiled food, Seafood, and Salt-grilled dishes
First Drop 2% Barossa Shiraz 2020
VINTAGE 2020: Below average rainfall over winter followed by a very dry spring; with high winds and cold nights in November disrupting flowering; and hot, dry conditions in December and early January reducing bunch and berry size; resulted in yields at least 50% below the 10-year average. Thankfully a cooler February and March led to slower ripening despite the low yields. Whilst variability within vineyards, caused by the earlier extremes in the season, meant for tricky picking decisions and reds that show great depth and structure. 2020 was yet another challenging vintage, to rival 2019, but again it’s delivered one of which to be proud.
VINIFICATION: The fruit is crushed/destemed and fermented at temperatures ranging from 20-25°C for 8 days on skins. The ferment is managed by a variety of techniques, including ‘aerative pump overs’ and ‘drain and returns’ which assist in extracting colour, flavour and tannin from the grapes. At the end of fermentation, it is drained/pressed, and transfered to 3 and 4 year old French oak hogsheads to undergo MLF. Post MLF, sulphur dioxide is added, and the wines mature sur lie for 20 months. This wine was bottled in April 2022.
Colour: Dark plum
Aroma: Lifted black fruit aromas with a hint of earth and spice.
Palate: Rich, phat, dark berry fruits, with hints of dark chocolate and Indian ink, supported by a dense core of tannins.
Foor Pairing: Brownies
Tenuta Sant’Antonio Amarone Della Valpolicella Antonio Castagnedi 2018
A family tradition, a wine that tells a story. Antonio Castagnedi loves his family and the good wine of his land. This is dedicated to him and to his love. Produced from the municipality of Mezzane di Sotto - Monti Garbi District (Verona)
- Colour: ruby red with purple reflections.
- Nose: ripe red fruit, spicy aromas of liquorice, black pepper, and hints of chocolate.
- Palate: well balanced, with fat tannins, soft, warm, savoury, elegant, fine and fresh.
- Corvina and Corvinone 70% - Rondinella 20% - Croatina 5% - Oseleta 5%
Luce Brunello 2018
Vineyard
The estate consists of 615 acres of land, 217 of which are planted to vine. Sangiovese is planted in the higher elevation parcels (up to 1500 feet), which are rich in sandstone and limestone, while the lower altitude clay plots are better suited to Merlot.
Winemaking
The Sangiovese is harvested during the first week of October. Fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for 12 days, followed by 4 weeks of skin maceration. Aging occurs in Slavonian oak barrels for a minimum of 24 months.
Tasting Notes:
Luce Brunello shows an intense ruby red color. The nose is complex and fragrant, with notes of ripe red fruit, supported by pleasant sensations of blond tobacco and exotic spices. In the mouth, the wine is harmonious, rich and highly structured, with silky tannins that together with freshness give a very long persistence. A sophisticated and powerful wine.
Almaviva 2020
Intense ruby red, the nose reveals stable, frank aromas of ripe cassis, plum and blackberries, associated to mineral hints and fine notes of vanilla, coffee, grilled orange zest, tobacco and cacao. The mouth shows outstanding balance, great acidity, a firm tannic structure, and exceptional persistence. A brilliant wine, elegant, constant and precise in its character, showing a palate of class, with persistent and refined tannins.
Fresh and deep nose, full of blueberries, minty cassis, mussels, cigars, dark spice and roasted sesame oak, which will need a year or two to fully integrate. A medium-to full-bodied Almaviva with supple, silky tannins and a wealth of black and blue fruit that provides a lot of charm now. Voluptuous and flattering on the palate, hallmarked by its tension and taut texture. Very long.
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenère, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Drinkable now, but better from 2024.
First Drop The Cream Barossa Shiraz 2016
The Cream is blended at the optimum time from the best barrels from First Drop’s most prized vineyards to create the ultimate expression of Barossa Shiraz from the vintage. A rich, textured, seamless wine that combines power and elegance. It’s seductive, with a pedigree that will see it mature for a further 10 to 15 years. Indulge now or reward yourself later.
Single Vineyard Location:
35% Ebenezer
35% Greenock
30% Seppeltsfield
Colour: Black
Nose: Lifted black fruit aromas with hints of smoke, tar, leather, orals and Indian spices
Palate: Rich kirsch and black fruits, dark chocolate and licorice, balanced with textured, lingeringly seamless tannins
"A spicy and brambly nose showing lots of liqueur notes derived from fruits, such as blackberries, dark cherries and dark plums. A hint of ivy extract and licorice, too. The palate is very composed with a surprisingly vibrant line of acidity that runs right through the middle, carrying ripe but structured and firm tannins to the very nicely structured finish." - 95 points, James Suckling