Viña Ardanza, Bodegas La Rioja Alta, Reserva 1996  ****

Bodegas La Rioja Alta make some of the finest traditional Riojas that combine the elegance of Tempranillo fruit with age. Despite the many changes in the region since I first came to know it in the mid-1980s La Rioja Alta have built on and maintained their very individual house style without cutting any corners.  Mid-deep with a brick red / amber rim; lovely, scented fruit embellished by savoury - leather oak, an exquisite combination; soft, elegant sweet fruit, supple and  refined with great balance and poise, slightly dusty tannins, a touch of tobacco but not drying out. Very fine. 18

Location: The Rookery
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Another wine from my Christmas mixed case from the Wine Society:

Montevertine 2006  IGT ****

Originally a Vino di Tavola because the Chianti Classico consorzio said the vineyard we untypical despite being planted in the 1960s with Sangiovese. This wine is 90% Sangiovese with the remainder made up from Canaiolo and Colorino.  High altitude vineyard run by Martino Manetti. Mid-deep youthful colour; black fruit, touch of tar but not teriibly expressive, still quite closed with more to give; firm, fine, quite sinewy with tea leaf tannins and acidity, very elegant and Burgundian and more evolved on the palate than on the nose, fine length with a streak of acidity extending right the way through. Very much a food wine. 17

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Château Grillet 2004 **** / *****

I have only tasted Château Grillet once before in my life - a rather disappointing 1979 that I picked up realtively cheaply in a wine oddments shop on the outskirts of Derby. Until recently the wine did not live up to its name or price. Now under the management of a new generation of the Neyret-Gachet family who have this 3.8 hectare vineyard since 1825, Grillet is worthy once more. Pale straw; restrained (closed initially though not over-chilled), opening up to reveal its wonderful perfume, apricots, blossom and something nebulous which I can only describe as being akin to a fine soap; lovely texture (suggesting low yields - Grillet was at one time regularly yielding considerably more wine per heactare than the appellation allowed),  rich, soft, creamy, fat but very well balanced with years still to live. Worth its price tag of  £59.00.  18.5

Cornas, Les Chaillots, Thiérry Allemand ****

From younger vines (less than 40 years old) on this small, relatively new estate (established in 1982): still deep and youthful in colour; classic, well-developed northern Rhone Syrah aromas: open, perfumed with black pepper, dark chocolate and blackberry; similarly opn and receptive on the palate, fine spicy character, great purity (blackberry and blackcurrant), lovely streak of acidity, not big but fine and taut, tannins verging on sinewy. Perfect now but should continue to develop for another five years.  £29.00 18 

Location: The Wine Society, Stevenage
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I am very grateful to Father Christmas for bringing me a mixed half dozen of Tuscan wines from the Wine Society which came together with a book called The Finest Wines of Tuscany by Nick Belfrage. This is part of a new series of regional guides published in association with The World of Fine Wine Magazine and, as you would expect, this is a well-produced and serious work but a good browse too. Most of the book is made up from profiles of leading producers in Chianti, Montalcino, Montepulcinao, San Gimignano as well as Umbria, Romagna and Marche. Each entry is supported by useful and well-written, realistic tasting notes. It was a real joy to drink two wines from this mixed case with the book at my side over Christmas. I am now going on a ten day detox but watch this space for more Tuscan Treasures in future.        

 Castello di Brolio, Chianti Classico 2001 ****

 Still very deep and youthful in colour; fine, complex, leathery, tar, slightly casky aromas, touch of tobacco over the top of perfumed fruit; full but fine, chewy fruit and meaty tannins, slight caskiness but this adds complexity, fine, firm and perfectly poised with lovely acidity, leathery, delicious, quintessential old fashioned Chianti (100 % Sangiovese whereas more recent vintages include Cabernet and Merlot in the blend). 18

Le Serre Nuovo delli Ornellaia, Bolgheri, 2006  *** / ****

The second wine of Ornellaia made from Merlot  (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (35%), Cabernet Franc (9%) and Petit Verdot (6%): mid-deep youthful ruby colour; very tight and unyielding initially, quite austere, skinny too, but opening in the glass to reveal scented, spicy fruit; elegant rather than opulent, tight knit with an austere finish, better on day 2 and 3 after opening – needs another two or three years to show at its best. 16.5

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Chateau Haut Bailly, Pessac Léognan 2000 ****

With the turn of the decade I decided to plunge into my 2000s for the first time. I don’t really have a handle on the vintage as yet although I did taste a fairly comprehensive range of 2000s in the spring of 2002 including Haut Bailly. At the time I wrote‘fragrant, quite delicate, dry but very refined, not as fat or as rich as some but great finesse'. Eight years on my note is pretty consistent with this: mid-deep garnet; closed initially with an underlying cedary character emerging on the nose; firm, quite austere, typically gravelly tannins and restrained, tight-knit blackcurrant fruit, fresh expensive finish (so much fresher than the 2003s, some of which I have already broached). Good and looking better the following day – but better still with five more years in bottle.   17.5

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