Red Wines


La Rioja The Rioja wine region extends for 120 km along the upper reaches of the Ebro river valley in north central Spain, flanked to the north by the protective peaks of the Sierra Cantabrica and from the arid southerly winds by the Sierra de la Demanda. In the west and on the higher ground are the two cooler Atlantic influenced regions of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, to the east the Rioja Baja basks in the Mediterranean warmth. The climactic variation determines the cultivation of the different grape varieties, in the west Tempranillo and the all-important Graciano ripen during the long autumn and gain their greatest elegance, while in the east Mazuelo, aka Cariñena, and Garnacha Tinto are charged with the power of the sun. Within the last five years a new breed of winemaker has emerged, ignoring both the tradition and winemaking rules of La Rioja. By seeking out the oldest vineyards, particularly of Tempranillo , that craft wines that have a greater intensity and purity of fruit. The wines spend far less time in wood, therefore do not comply to the crianza or reserva specification and the preference is for the finest French oak over the traditional American.
	£ Bottle	£ Magnum
TINTO
10 Livor, Viña Ijalba, organic tempranillo	19.95
09 Alto Rio, tempranillo	19.00
08 Tritium roble, (lightly oaked)	23.00

These wines, whilst necessarily Joven under the regulations of Rioja, are made by maverick winemakers, who hold more value in the quality of the produst than slavishly following regulations. they are unusual wines, which deviate from the norm, but are well worth exploring.

06 The Charge, La Bascula, tempranillo	31.50
06 Lanzaga, tempranillo	39.00
05 Allende, tempranillo	46.00
06 Paisaje VII, garnacha	48.50
03 Paisaje VIII, tempranillo	52.00

CRIANZA
05 Viña Cubillo, tempranillo/garnacha/mazuelo/graciano	42.00
05 Urbina, tempranillo/mazuelo/graciano	35.00
06 Bodegas Landeluce (carbonic maceration)	31.50
07 Fernandez de Pierola, tempranillo	29.00
07 Ijalba, graciano	25.50
08 Alto Rio, tempranillo	23.00

RESERVA
99 Decenio, Bodegas Las Orcas	34.50
00 Viña Tondoñia, tempranillo/garnacha/mazuelo/graciano	64.00
04 Fernandez de Pierola, tempranillo	37.50	60.00
05 Capricho de Landaluce	75.00
06 Viña Izadi, tempranillo	32.00
06 Roda, tempranillo/graciano/garnacha	63.00

GRAN RESERVA
96 Urbina	63.00
91 Viña Tondonia	144.00
01 Castillo y gay	120.00
95 La Rioja Alta ‘890’	220.00

Castilla Leon
05 Pegaso, garnacha	55.00

Valdeorras From the interior of Galicia where the native grape is black mencia, a tightly sprung flowery and light grape redolent of the slate terrain from which it grows. Wonderful chilled.
10 Valderroa, mencia	24.00
10 Gaba do Xil, mencia	25.00

Bierzo The adjoining region to Valdeorras, mencia takes on a deeper broodier weight in the hotter slopes of Castilla-Leonand exposure to some oak.
06 Tilenus, crianza, mencia	42.00
06 Pittacum mencia	33.00

Valencia
10 El Bone Homme, monastrell/cabernet sauvignon	26.50

Cigales Stretching north along both banks of the Pisuerga river this is a relatively recently established D.O. However wines have been made here since Roman times and generally they offer great quality and value.
09 Val de los Frailes, tempranillo	19.00
07 Cesar Principe, tempranillo	54.00

Carineña
09 Viña Urbezo, tempranillo/garnacha/syrah	27.60

Conca de Barbera
West of Peñedes, north of Taragona,east of Costers del Segre, this area is a relatively new DO, with a history of growing grapes for cava, but has a perfect micro climate and terroir for some varietals. There are a small band of bodegas taking advantage of them to create magnificent wines.
10 Nas de Gegante, biodynamic, no added sulphites (garnacha/carineña/merlot/garnacha/chenin blanc	38.50
La Llopetera. pinot noir, biodynamic	48.00

Mentrida A wine region located just outside Madrid where the up and coming winemaker Daniel Gomez Jimenez-Landi is winning huge plaudits for his amazing organic syrah/garnacha wine.
09 Sotorrondero, Jimenez-Landi, syrah/garnacha	35.00
09 Bajondillo, Jimenez-Landi, syrah, cabernet, merlot, garnacha	26.50

Islas Baleares-Mallorca-Binissalem Callet is a grape that is specific to the Balearic Islands and is probably the lightest of all the Spanish varieties. Like a hot summer island breeze, it is redolent of herbs and distant dried fruits.
07 AN/2 Cellers Anima Negra, callet	39.50
08 Macia Batle, callet/manto negro	33.00
08 12 Volts, callet/fogoneu/ cabernet/merlot/syrah	45.00

Calatayud
08 Tres picos, garnacha	39.50
05 El gordito, garnacha	30.50
07 Las Rocas, garnacha	21.50

Sardon del Duero
08 Rivola Abadia Retuerta, tinto fino	28.50

Jumilla Along with Toro this region is unique in Europe for never having suffered from phylloxera. The age old monastrell vines when properly cultured produce earthy, brambly wines with distinct minerality.
08 Nudo, monastrell	16.95
09 Almuvedre, monastrell	20.00

Yecla The adjoining, less cultivated region to Jumilla.
03 La Pamelita, monastrell (sparkling red)	39.75

Utiel-Requeña Once a work horse grape with little pedigree, bobal is now being turned into wonderfully expressive wines, with depth and leathery tannins.
06 Finca Terrarazo, bobal	54.00

Manchuela Up the slopes of Utiel-Requena the slightly hotter Bobal of Manchuela shows great Finesse as a 100% varietal wine. PF is incredibly powerful with dark and brooding fruit, undertones of summer herbs
09 P. Franco, Bodegas Ponce, bobal	40.00

Toro Ever so slightly further south than Ribera del Duero lie the baked plains of Toro where tempranillo is called ‘tinto de toro’. The regions vast plains have been immune to phylloxera just like Jumilla in the south, which means that there are some truly ancient vines that can be found.
TINTO
08 Elias Mora, tinto de toro	27.50
06 Numanthia, tinto de toro	55.00

CRIANZA
06 Elias Mora, tinto de toro	37.00

Ribera del Duero Ribero del Duero, has, in fairly recent times become the new frontier for Spanish winemaking despite the long term presence of Vega Sicilia. There has been extensive planting of new vineyards at high altitude and the founding of many new bodegas. Tempranillo is known here by its local name of Tinto Fino and makes wines with a different profile to the wines of La Rioja. The shorter growing season, the greater variation between day and night time temperatures, the thinner skin of the grapes, the fresh acidity and the underlying sweet fruit character combine to give the wines of Ribero del Duero a finesse and complexity unique in Spain and sought after across the world.

TINTO
07 Cepa Gavilan, Viña Pedrosa, tinto fino	35.50
09 Martin Berdugo, tinto fino	25.00
10 Treslacuestas, roble, tinto fino	28.00

CRIANZA
07 Valdubon, tinto fino	29.75
06 Viña Pedrosa, tinto fino	46.50

RESERVA
01 Bodegas Peñafiel, tinto fino	35.50
06 Bodegas Alion	90.00
98 Pesus	360.00
98 Dominio de Pingus	380.00
02 Vega Sicilia, Valvuena	220.00
98 Vega Sicilia Unico	280.00
70 Vega Sicilia Unico, magnum	900.00
90 Pesquera Gran Reserva	240.00

Vinos tintos de Catalunya Outside of the more well known regions such as Priorato, many of the smaller regions of Catalan Spain have silently been turning out some of the most outstanding and exciting wines in Europe. More influenced by their French neighbours than their Castillian ones these wines tailor their modern characteristics with grace and style.

Terra Alta
09 Vall Major, garnacha/syrah	19.00

Costers del Segre
09 Alges, garnacha/syrah/tempranillo	40.00

Navarra
06 Pago de Larrainzar, merlot/cabernet savignon/tempranillo	52.00
08 Raso de Larrainzar, tempranillo/merlot/cabernet sauvignon/garnacha	45.50
05 Tandem, tempranillo/cabernet sauvignon/merlot	31.80
09 Emilio Valerio, Laderas de Montejurra, organic, biodynamic tempranillo/garnacha/cabernet/syrah	24.50

Penedes
07 Terraprima, biodynamic-organic cabernet franc/garnacha	31.00
97 Reserva Real, Miguel Torres	100.00
05 Augustus, cabernet sauvignon/merlot	28.00

Emporda
09 Oriol, Vinyes del Aspres, garnacha/cariñena/syrah/samso	29.00
06 Vinyes del Aspres, garnacha/cariñena	41.00
06 Saulo Negre, Espelt, garnacha/carinena	31.50

Catalunya
05 Clos d’Agon, Peter Sisseck, cabernet sauv/cabernet franc/syrah	105.00

Somontano
02 Enate, Merlot-Merlot	45.00

Priorato On a dark starry night in 1163 a shepherd boy awoke to a vision of angels descending from Heaven. Enter an Order of Carthusian monks who founded a priory on the site, Priorat de Scala Dei (Priory of the Stairway to God). The monks planted grape vines on the craggy steep mountain sides, where today very old garnacha tinto and cariñena bush vines cling to the slopes at altitudes between 100-700 metres. Yields are very low resulting in intensely concentrated wines that can last for a generation or more. Recently small parcels of cabernet sauvignon and syrah have been planted to enhance aromas and to stiffen further these heavenly wines. Typically, the wines are very vinious with savoury, minerally black fruit, with hints of cigar, tar, mocha and liquorice. They are as dark as the night.
05 Llicorella,Cellars Unio, garnacha/carineña/cabernet/tempranillo	39.50
08 Serras del Priorat, garnacha/carineña/cabernet sauvignon	39.50
06 Mas Alta, Artigas, garnacha/carineña	43.50
08 Font de la Figuera, garnacha/carineña	52.00
06 Mas la Mola, garnacha/carineña, cabernet sauvignon	60.00
01/04 Cims de Porrera, carineña/garnacha	76.00
07 Clos de Manyetes, carineña/ garnacha	96.00
07 Clos Mogador, garnacha/cabernet sauvignon/syrah/carineña	96.00
99 L'Ermita, garnacha/cabernet sauvignon	400.00

Montsant The region that encircles the Priorat. The wines are similar to Priorat wines but offer real value as they are from just outside the much sought after D.O.
05 Laurona, garnacha/merlot/syrah/cabernet sauvignon	42.00
08 Orto, samso/tempranillo/garnacha	33.50
08 Can Blau, mazuelo/syrah/garnacha	45.00
06 Venus ‘la Universal’, syrah	48.00
07 Dido ‘La Universal’, garnacha/syrah	35.00
04 Espectacle, garnacha	98.00

Portugal
Pegoes
Castelao is a grape related to Saniovese. Black cherry, ripe pomegranite. Excellent with pork.
08 Fontanario, castelao	22.60
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