Table of contents for July-September 2023 in Selectus Wines

@selectuswines The hot weather is back, the days are starting to become shorter again, and the vineyards… well, what exactly does their next harvest have in store for us? It seems to me that either there are problems created by too little water or problems created by too much water! At the time of writing, the winemakers in La Rioja are very worried about the upcoming harvest as the region has been hit by massive storms that may well have wiped out an entire year's work. A loss of this magnitude has not been seen in the region in 40-50 years. Let's hope they can recover as many grapes as possible and produce those gorgeous wines that brighten up our lives. Due to the above and with climate change clearly…

XAVIER AYALA @DiariSommelier @diarisommelier.cat Riesling, sometimes referred to as the White Lady, is one of the world's most prized white grape varieties. It is found all over the planet and in all types of wine: dry and sparkling as well as wines of varying degrees of sweetness. In fact, the wine's sugar content is the basis of the classification system in this varietal's land of origin on the slopes of the Rhine River. Here the wines are classified into categories that range from the driest to the sweetest. In order these categories are Trocken, Halbtrocken, Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. Thousands of accounts have been written about its origins. Perhaps the most audacious and popular in our part of the world is that it is a first cousin of…

ELYSSIA PINOT NOIR ROSAT • FREIXENET D.O. Cava / Sant Sadurní d´Anoia, Barcelona — Spain / www.freixenet.es P.V.P.: 9,99€ / 100% Pinot Noir / 12º Elyssia rosé is part of the great Freixenet family and one of its most modern and versatile offerings. It boasts a pretty onion skin or slightly salmony pink hue, making it visually seductive. On the nose, it shows remarkable complexity, blending fresher and fruitier aromas with pronounced toasted nuances. On the palate, it is as delectable as a strawberry-flavoured candy. It is well-balanced with a long, smooth finish. This is an easy-drinking cava, perfect for pairing with crunchy, fatty appetisers, such as smoked salmon on toast. El Elyssia rosado forma parte de la gran familia Freixenet y nos presenta uno de sus productos más modernos y…

RAFEL SABADÍ / Sommelier @RafelSommelier @rafelsabadi LAN VERDEJO 2022 · BODEGAS LAN D.O. Rueda / Fuenmayor, La Rioja – Spain / www.bodegaslan.com / P.V.P.: 7,25€ 100% Verdejo / 13,5º This is a pure Verdejo from a selection of plots from the winery's vineyards situated at an altitude of 700 metres in the province of Valladolid. The wine remained in contact with its lees until its bottling to enhance its creaminess. It boasts a ripe, balsamic nose with exotic scents, laurel leaf and stone fruit intermingled with varietal notes of freshly cut grass. The palate is soft, dry and well-balanced with a lovely smooth acidity and a wealth of flavours. Puro verdejo procedente de una selección de parcelas de viñedos propios situados a 700 metros de altitud en la provincia de…

ALBARIÑO ATLÁNTICO 2020 · MAR DE FRADES (GRUPO ZAMORA) D.O. Rías Baixas / Arosa, Pontevedra, Spain / www.mardefrades.es P.V.P.: 22,55€ / 100% Albariño / 12º This Galician sparkling wine is made using the traditional method. It originates from Albariño vines trained on trellises and harvested 10 days earlier than those that go into the winery's other wines, to preserve the fresh character of the grape. This single varietal Albariño shows an excellent balance between freshness and weight of fruit with a fabulous texture and lovey bright bubbles that inject energy and add depth to the whole. Espumoso gallego elaborado por el Método tradicional. Procedente de cepas de albariño con conducción en espaldera y vendimiadas 10 días antes que las utilizadas para el resto de vinós de la bodega, para preservar…

ARTIGAS 2020 · MAS ALTA D.O.Q. Priorat / La Vilella Alta, Tarragona – Spain / www.bodegasmasalta.com P.V.P.: 24,1€ / 80% Garnacha tinta, 10% Cariñena y 10% Cabernet Sauvignon / 15,5º Mas Alta was founded in the late 90s (1999) by two Belgian families with technical support from renowned French oenologist Michel Tardieu. Its flagship wine Artigas is made from Grenache, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the village of Vilella Alta. It is elegant and fine but without being too soft on the palate where it shows an excellent structure. The notes of Licorella slate are very much in evidence and nicely wrapped in a gorgeous crunchy, fleshy fruit. This is a delightful wine that should be seriously considered as the way forward for many Priorat wines that want to…

BIN 149 2018 · PENFOLDS Wine of the World / Magill and Barossa Valley, South Australia – Australia www.penfolds.com / P.V.P.: 159,9€ / 100% Cabernet Sauvignon / 14,5º / Perelada Comercial www.pereladachivite.com We now come to the iconic winery of the southern hemisphere and one of the world's most awarded and respected producers. This magnificent winery was founded in South Australia in 1845. Its Bin 149 seeks excellence from the Northern Hemisphere Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Napa Valley supported by the emblematic Cabernet Sauvignon from South Australia. Aged in French and American oak, this wine is fragrant and intense with opulent aromas of very ripe black fruit interwoven with pronounced minty notes and aromas derived from its ageing including toast, coffee and cedar. It is rich and complex, with…

SPIRITS DESTILADOS SPIRITS Maestro Dobel is the first crystalline tequila in the world and will surprise even the most demanding palates. It represents the perfect combination of innovation and tradition, not surprisingly, since the Dobel family has been dedicated to the production of tequila for 11 generations. It is made exclusively with blue agave and a blend of reposado, añejo and extra añejo tequilas. After completing its aging process, Maestro Dobel undergoes an innovative filtration process called “diamond”, which gives it an extremely delicate, subtle and gentle mouthfeel, while maintaining a remarkable body. This unique technique selectively eliminates color, creating an exceptional tequila that is one of a kind. What will surprise the newcomer to the category is that it is a completely transparent and colorless tequila, but presents a complex…

A WINERY THAT HAS MADE AN IMPACT ON YOU: Una bodega que le haya impresionado: Pernod Ricard in Australia (Barossa) A WINEMAKER?: Un enólogo: FERNANDO MORA A WINE REGION?: Una zona vinícola: BURGUNDY A GRAPE VARIETY?: Una variedad de uva: CHARDONNAY A WINE TO ENJOY?: Un vino para disfrutar: GODELLO FROM EMILIO MORO A WINE TO SHARE?: Un vino para compartir: CLOS DES MOUCHES CHARDONNAY. DROUHIN A WINE TO PAIR WITH A GOOD MEAL?: Un vino para una buena comida: JEAN LEON VINYA LE HAVRE RESERVA THE MOST EXPENSIVE WINE YOU HAVE EVER DRUNK?: El vino más caro que ha bebido: A VERY OLD VINTAGE OF VEGA SICILIA ÚNICO THE MOST EXPENSIVE WINE YOU HAVE EVER BOUGHT? El vino más caro que ha comprado: A PINOT NOIR FROM BURGUNDY FOR…

MAISON FONDÉE 1812 ALEXANDRA ROSÉ 2012 · LAURENT PERRIER A.O.C. Champagne / Tours-sur-Marne – Champagne – France www.laurent-perrier.com / P.V.P.: 512€ / 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay / 12º / Marqués de Riscal / www.marquesderiscal.com In a constant quest for perfection and supreme elegance, this legendary Champagne House takes us on a sensory journey to the Grands Crus region of Champagne with this offering. This is nectar turned into wine. For its crafting, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from the finest Grand Cru plots are selected and blended in a proportion of 80-20%. After its production, it is left to age on its lees for at least 10 years, in the peace and quiet of the cellar. Finally, it sees the light and then fills us with light! Its colour…

ALBARIÑO 2022 · FILLABOA (MASAVEU BODEGAS) D.O. Rías Baixas / Salvaterra de Miño, Pontevedra – Spain / www.bodegasfillaboa.com P.V.P.: 15,8€ / 100% Albariño / 12,5º Founded in 1998, Finca Fillaboa is owned by the Asturian group Masaveu. This winery is known for having one of the best and largest vineyards in Galicia. This vintage shows all the features of a well-crafted Albariño, highlighting the fruity and floral aromas typical of the varietal, accompanied by a very aromatic, fresh and persistent palate. When it comes to quality Albariños, Fillaboa is always a reference due to its consistency year after year. Fundada en el año 1998, es propiedad del grupo asturiano Masaveu. Finca Fillaboa destaca por ser uno de los mejores y más extensos viñedos de Galicia. Esta añada muestra las características…

ALES ROSES 2022 · TERRA REMOTA D.O. Catalunya / Sant Climent Sescebes, Girona – Spain / www.terraremota.com P.V.P.: 10€ 100% Garnacha negra / 13,50º / Diprimsa / www.diprimsa.es This rosé is very much in line with the winery's philosophy of seeking finesse and accessibility. Crafted from Grenache Noir, one of the winery's flagship varietals, from l'Empordà and Terra Alta, this rosé is aged for 4-6 months on its fine lees to add texture and complexity. It is precise, well-crafted and has all the qualities required of this type of wine. It is also flavoursome and well-balanced with red fruit, strawberry candy and fresh herbaceous flavours. Surprising for this price point. Un rosado muy en la línia de la casa, también en busca de la fineza y accesibildad. Elaborado con garnacha…

GRAN RESERVA 2016 · MARQUÉS DE VARGAS D.O.Ca. Rioja/ Logroño, La Rioja – Spain / www.marquesdevargas.com P.V.P.: 39,9€ / 85% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo y 5% Garnacha / 14º This Gran Reserva is a nod to Rioja history, to classic Rioja, an expression of the Finca Hacienda Pradolagar house style and vineyards. It is crafted from the Tempranillo, Garnacha and Mazuelo grapes that have the greatest ageing potential and matured in barrels for 24 months (16 months in French oak and 8 months in American oak), followed by 36 months in the bottle. The result is a concentrated wine with black fruit flavours interwoven with elegant notes derived from its ageing, very polished tannins and a long aftertaste. It is a wine that is true to its origins showing us a…

SPAIN ALAVA Hotel Marqués de Riscal – A Luxury. Elciego Collection Hotel Restaurant Zaldiarán. Vitoria-Gasteiz ALBACETE Rest. Maralba. Almansa ALICANTE Hospes Amerigo Restaurant Quique Dacosta. Dénia Rest. L´Escaleta. Cocentaina Rest. Tula. Xàbia ASTURIAS Restaurant Casa Marcial. Arriondas Restaurant La Salgar. Gijón Restaurant Auga. Gijón BARCELONA Hotel Mercer Hotel The Serras Hotel Le Méridien Restaurant Rías de Galicia Restaurant Hofmann Restaurant Moments Santa Eulalia Restaurant Xerta Joyería Rabat Joyería Suárez Hotel Majestic Hotel Omm Restaurant Windsor Hotel The Palace Celler de Gelida Rest. Angle Barcelona Restaurant La Clara Restaurant Nectari Restaurante Cinc Sentits Arsenal Masculino Restaurant Via Veneto Restaurant Abac Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I Restaurant Gaig Restaurant Bravo 24 Hotel W Barcelona Club de Golf Sant Cugat. Sant Cugat del Vallés Club de Golf Vallromanes. Vallromanes Rest. L´O. S.Fruitós del…

SW EDITORIAL REDACCIÓN SW Created by our winemakers based on the classic Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Parellada varietals with a touch of Chardonnay, Freixenet ICE is a sophisticated cava with fine, elegant bubbles that delights the senses. It exudes aromas of white flowers and fruits – peach, pineapple, pear – on the nose while, on the palate, it is creamy, intense and pleasantly sweet with a long finish. To give it an extra refreshing touch, just add a few leaves of fresh mint. Freixenet ICE Rosé is a fruity cava, made from Grenache and Pinot Noir, boasting a bright raspberry pink hue. It discloses subtle aromas of wild berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and, in particular, sloes, making this cava totally unique. On the palate, it is luscious, fresh and…

TASTING PANEL JOAN ARBOIX ROURA Mallorca, 1981 @Joanet112 Professional sommelier since 2006, he began his career as a sommelier at the Moo restaurant (1* Michelin) in Barcelona. He has also worked for the Ritz Carlton in Spain and Chile as a sommelier and maître d'. Sommelier and Director of beverages in the Santi Taura Group. Balearic Islands Sommelier Champion 2008. Sumiller profesional desde el año 2006. Trabajó como sumiller en el restaurante MOO de Barcelona (1*Michelin). Ha trabajado para Ritz Carlton en España y Chile como Sumiller y Jefe de Sala. Actualmente, Sumiller y Director de bebidas en el Grupo Santi Taura Campeón de Sommeliers de les Illes Balears en 2008. ANNA VICENS Girona, 1973 @annavicens Professional sommelier since 1997, she is currently President of the Catalan Association of Sommeliers,…

BARÓN DE CHIREL VIÑAS CENTENARIAS 2021 · MARQUÉS DE RISCAL V.T. Castilla y León / Rueda, Valladolid – Spain / www.marquesderiscal.com P.V.P.: 46€ / 100% Verdejo / 13º This was one of the best wines of the SW panel's tasting session. It is a Verdejo from century-old, pre-phylloxera, ungrafted vines growing in the Aldeanueva del Codonal and Aldehuela areas of Segovia. It shows a seamless incorporation of the Austrian Stockinger oak with the ripe fruit. It is elegant, seductive and fresh with concentrated flavours and aromas and a well-balanced and well-rounded palate. One of Spain's most important whites. It should age wonderfully well in the bottle. Uno de los mejores vinos de nuestra sesión de cata del panel de SW. Se trata de un verdejo procedente de viñas centenarias plantadas…

VICTORIA 2022 · JOSÉ PARIENTE V.T. Castilla y León / La Seca, Valladolid – Spain / www.josepariente.com P.V.P.: 12,9€ / Garnacha, Tempranillo y Viogner / 12,50º Victoria is a way for Martina and Ignacio Prieto Pariente to express their admiration for their mother. It is an elegant wine with a fashionable style and a floral and fruity character, vivacity and delicacy. With its magnificent design on a magnum size bottle, we can well imagine it in Ibiza, being poured into the glasses of tourists thirsty for a drop of decent wine. It is crafted from very low-yielding old Tempranillo, Viognier and Grenache vines. It shows a lovely aromatic expression with aromas of fresh fruit and spring flowers, a refreshing acidity, pleasant minerality and a saline finish. Victoria nace de la…

MAURO VS 2019 · BODEGAS MAURO V.T. Castilla y León / Tudela de Duero, Valladolid – Spain / www.bodegasmauro.com / P.V.P.: 59€ 100% Tempranillo / 14,5º This is one of Spain's great fine wines reaffirming its position as a firm favourite with wine drinkers year after year. As the VS (Vendimia Seleccionada) in the name suggests, it is the result of a very careful selection of grapes. These grapes originate from two vineyards located in the districts of Tudela de Duero and Traspinedo and the aim is to create a wine with as much expression as possible. Its long, 26-month ageing in French oak barrels endows it with extraordinary elegance and consistency. It is dense, well-structured and deep. This wine expresses the vine and the grape and has the maturity…

DESTILADOS SPIRITS MARIA DE LA PEÑA @MariaDelaPenya @bymariadelapena RUM, THAT GOLDEN ANDVAROMATIC DISTILLATION, HAS EXPERIENCED A RESURGENCE IN RECENT YEARS, CONSOLIDATING ITSELF AS ONE OF THE MOST APPRECIATED AND DEMANDED BEVERAGES IN TODAY'S MARKET. ITS VERSATILITY, RICH HISTORY AND WIDE VARIETY OF FLAVOR PROFILES MAKE IT A FASCINATING OPTION FOR DISTILLED SPIRITS LOVERS Rum, originally from the Caribbean and Latin America, has left behind its image as a spirit associated exclusively with tropical cocktails. It is now appreciated as a sophisticated and complex beverage, capable of rivaling with more traditional distillates such as whisky or cognac. Its production process, which combines the distillation of molasses or sugar cane juice and the aging in oak barrels, gives rum a wide range of flavors and aromas. The rum industry has been able to…