Amiral De Beychevelle 2020
The vintage
A mild winter preceded a hot and humid spring, encouraging early vine budding. The hot and dry conditions recorded from mid-June were offset by salvaging rainy spells in mid-August, ensuring the berries’ proper ripening. The alternation of sunny days and cool nights in September was ideal for achieving optimal maturity.
The winemaking and ageing
The manually harvested grapes undergo a bespoke winemaking process in the estate’s plot-based fermenting room. Ageing is carried out in barrels (of which 40% are new).
Blend
The 2020 Amiral de Beychevelle is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (54%), Merlot (42%), Petit Verdot (4%) and Cabernet Franc (1%).
Tasting Notes
Nose: The expressive nose seduces with its floral fragrances, wherein notes of violet dominate.
Palate: The beautifully fresh palate seduces with its powerful and silky tannins as well as its union of fruity (red fruits) and spicy aromas.
Rimapere Pinot Noir 2020
Rimapere pinot noir comes from a single vineyard ideally located on the prestigious Rapaura Road, in the Wairau Valley, in the heart of the Marlborough region. This area’s cool climate and stony soil are perfect for ripening high-quality pinot noir.
The name Rimapere, meaning “five arrows » in the Maori language, pays a dual tribute to the Rothschild family’s emblem and the traditional local culture.
- Winemaking: Cold soak (7C) for a week in temperature controlled stainless steel open top tanks. Part of ferments had whole bunch inclusion. Ferments for a week with indigenous yeasts with pumping over and gentle hand punching. One week post ferment maceration.
- Soil type: Rapaura Series, Stony Soil free draining, with a small Silty top layer
- Varietals: 100% Pinot Noir
- Food and wine: Can be enjoyed on its own as an aperitif, or with white meats (chicken), veal, and meat with a sauce (truffle, morel), or cheese.
Arnaldo Rivera Barolo DOCG Vignarionda 2018
Wine produced from a single vineyard facing due south at an elevation of 330 m/1082 ft asl.
- Varietal: 100% Nebbiolo.
- Vinification: Fermentation and maceration on the skins for about three weeks in stainless steel at a controlled temperature. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in wood.
- Aging: 32 months in cask.
- Average Annual Production: 3400 bottles
Arnaldo Rivera Barolo DOCG Rocche di Castiglione 2018
Medium-intense ruby red colour. Complex and elegant nose. Notes of ripe red fruit (cherry, red berries) floral (rose petals with a hint of chamomile) and mineral nuances. Good intensity on the palate, fresh, well- balanced, silky, mouth-filling and rounded. The tannins are well-integrated. Long and persistent finish with good freshness.
Food pairings: Meat dishes such as game, red meats and seasoned cheeses.
Arnaldo Rivera Barolo DOCG Bussia 2018
Shiny garnet, it emerges with a fruity and Mediterranean presence, including almonds, carobs, red apple, cumin and strawberry jam. Correspondence on the palate, with smooth tannins and the appearance of notes reminiscent of fresh and macerated flowers. Very energetic and with excellent persistence.
"Quite dense and loamy on the nose with hints of dried red fruit and spice. Medium to full body and firm, fruit-coated tannins. Lots of energy and drive on the palate, giving a long, long finish. Give this plenty of time to unravel. Best from 2024." - 93 points, James Suckling
Arnaldo Rivera Barolo DOCG Undicicomuni 2018
Ruby red with garnet shades. The nose is elegant, with notes of cherry, plum and rose, followed by violet, berries, tobacco, cinnamon, licorice and vanilla. On the palate it is balanced, intense and with a pleasant freshness.
Serving temperature: 18/20 °C
"Quite dense and loamy on the nose with hints of dried red fruit and spice. Medium to full body and firm, fruit-coated tannins. Lots of energy and drive on the palate, giving a long, long finish. Give this plenty of time to unravel. Best from 2024." - 92 points, James Suckling
Arnaldo Rivera Barbera D’Alba DOC Valdisera 2019
First Drop Mother’s Milk Barossa Shiraz 2022
Not a sledgehammer style, this Barossa Shiraz is made for drinking! Soft, slurpy and textured it is balanced with good acidity, which refreshes the palate and makes you go back for a second / third glass. Sourced from 3 unique vineyards, it is fruit laden, savoury and dangerously easy to drink! It is matured for 12 months in French oak hogsheads to allow the fruit to express itself.
Colour: Garnet red with purple hues
Nose: A complex nose of dark cherry and blackberry aromas with a hint of forest floor and spice
Palate: Vibrant dark cherry and blackberry with a hint of ‘wombat rolled in all spice’ balanced with an even, textural palate with soft, supple tannins
Bodega Contador Benjamin Romeo Coleccion No. 4 Garnacha de la Dehesa 2015
It is a single-varietal Garnacha aged for 18 months in new French oak barrels. It has an intense garnet red color, in the nose it is complex with typical notes of the Garnacha variety, and in the mouth, it is balanced, fresh and fine. It goes well with many meat dishes, from roasted or grilled lamb, white meats with strong sauces, to aromatic and hearty meat stews and pork, lamb, duck, or pheasant stews.
Bodega Contador Benjamin Romeo Coleccion No. 3 El Chozo del Bombon 2015
The limestone soil that cares for this vineyard has a chocolate colour, land with a lot of mineral content. Don Andrés worked it with mules for his boss from a young age and when the heirs decided to sell it, there was no choice, ‘Buy it my boy’. The high vineyard which stretches from
El Bombón to the foothills of the sierra produces very special wines year after year, full of balance, freshness, tannin and minerality.
Fermentation in oak vats. 18 months in new 100% French Oak barriques. 3,000 bottles produced. 100% Tempranillo.
On the nose, balsamic and mineral aromas with chocolate and toasted notes. On the palate, volume, sweet tannin and long finish.
Bodega Contador Benjamin Romeo Coleccion No. 2 Carmen Hilera 2012
It is made from the Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano grape varieties, aged for 30 months in French oak barrels and then remained in the bottle for 36 months before being marketed. On sight it has a ruby red color, on the nose it is elegant with notes of ripe fruit and toasted touches, and in the mouth, it is tasty, long, and persistent. Ideal to accompany roasted red and white meats, Iberian sausages, and risottos.
3,000 bottles produced
Tempranillo 76%, Garnacha 11%, Graciano 8% and Mazuelo 5%
Bodega Contador Benjamin Romeo Coleccion No. 1 La Vina de Andres Romeo 2015
Colección Nº 1 comes from La Viña de Andrés, planted (Richter 110) in the La Liende district in 1985. Grafted the following year at the hands of Don Andrés, with the tempranillo variety sourced from an exhaustive stock of family vines. This collection springs from respect for the land and for its tradition, from start to finish. From the importance of classic viticulture practice and minimal yields.
Fermentation in oak vats. 18 months cask ageing in new 100% French oak barriques. No fining. 3,000 bottles produced. 100% Tempranillo.
On the nose, very ripe red fruit. On the palate, good volume, flavoursome and very fresh.