95

2012 Mas Amiel, N Vers le Nord, Maury Sec, Languedoc Roussillon

( POA, 14% )

I was sent this wine direct from France, so I don’t have a UK stockist for it, but it surely won’t be long before someone imports it, because it’s one of the best red wines I’ve ever had from the Roussillon region. Made from a combination of Grenace and Syrah, grown on three different soil types, it’s a marvel. Deeply coloured, concentrated, yet not over-ripe or pruney in the least (something that’s not true of a lot of dry Maury reds) it’s mineral and tangy, with a chalky undertone and flavours of balckberry, plum and sweet Asian spices. A remarkable red wine. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: 91-95, France, Red, Grenache, Syrah/Shiraz
90

2012 Terraprima Massís del Garraf, Penedès

( £12, 12.5% )

An off-the-wall blend of Riesling and the Cava grape, Xarel-lo, this is something to challenge your friends with in a blind tasting. It’s got that slight earthiness of Xarel-lo, leavened by the acidity and lime blossom notes of Riesling, made in a dry style that works really well with food. Stony, mineral and ocean-influenced. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: £10-£20, 86-90, Spain, White, Riesling, Xarel-lo
90

2012 João Portugal Ramos, F'Oz, Alentejano

( £8.49, 14%, Waitrose )

João Portugal (yes, that’s his name) Ramos makes some of the best value reds in Iberia. This southerrn Portuguese blend of Aragonez, Trincadeira and Castelão is well up to his usual high standards, combining flavours of blackberry, bramble and orange zest in a wine that’s fruity, refreshing, yet substantial enough to serve with red meat. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: £5-£10, 86-90, Portugal, Red, Castelão, Tempranillo, Trincadeira
91

2010 Colet Navazos, Extra Brut, Penedès

( £13, 12.5% )

An ambitious, Xarel-lo-based Cava that spent 30 months on lees before disgorgement, this is rich, toasty and savoury, with creamy bubbles, a dry finish and bags of nutty, honeyed complexity. A first class alternative to cheap Champagne. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: £10-£20, 91-95, Spain, Sparkling, Xarel-lo
90

2008 Los Amigos, Rogue Vine, El Insolente Single Vineyard, Itata Valley

( POA, 13.2% )

Made by Leonardo Erazo, whose day job is as winemaker at Altos Las Hormigas in Mendoze, this is one of a series of outstanding Chilean wines made from specific sites in Itata. The grape vareity here Carignan, which deserves to be considered as one of Chile’s best varieties. It’s a refreshing, minerally, savoury red with bottle-aged characters of game and sweet spices, fine, but firm tannins and bright, cool climate acidity. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: 91-95, Chile, Red, Carignan
88

2013 Oller del Mas, Petit Bernat, Pla de Bages

( £9, 14% )

A great value blend of Picapoll Negre, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot made in an easy drinking style, with a touch of oak for added structure and complexity. Supple, attractive, raspberry and red cherry fruit with smooth tannins and balancing acidity. A really good quaffing red. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: £5-£10, 86-90, Spain, Red, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Picapoll Negre, Syrah/Shiraz
94

2013 Los Amigos, Rogue Vine, Grand Itata, Itata Valley

( POA, 13.2% )

Made with a combination of old vine Cinsault and País, grown in the southerly Itata Valley, this is one of the most exciting Chilean reds I’ve had in years. Perfumed, spicy and full of personality, it’s fresh and minerally with subtle raspberry and red cherry fruit, understated (non existent?) oak influence and vibrant, cool climate vivacity. Like a Pinot Noir crossed with a northern Rhône Syrah, but with an ancient Chilean personality that is all its own. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: 91-95, Chile, Red, Cinsault, País
90

2011 Celler de Capçanes, Mas Collet, Barrica, Montsant

( £12, 14% )

An oak-aged blend of Garnacha, Tempranillo, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Capçanes co-operative that shows why Montsant is such a good value alternative to neighbouring Priorat. The oak is just a top note here, despite the name of the wine, adding complexity to the flavours of plum, cassis and hot stones. The wine finishes with a dry, mineral flourish that ties it all together, like a bow on a gift-wrapped present. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: £10-£20, 86-90, Spain, Red, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Grenache, Tempranillo
93

2010 Los Amigos, Rogue Vine, El Insolente Single Vineyard, Itata Valley

( POA, 12.8% )

Like the 2008 vintage of El Inosolente, this is made entirely from bush vine Carignan grown in the Itata Valley. If anything, it’s a step up in quality, which is saying a good deal. Deeply coloured and concentrated, yet not heavy or ponderous in any way, this is a wine that’s all about fruit and balance rather than oak and extraction. Perfumed, savoury and refreshing, with bramble and balckberry fruit, firm but harmonious tannins and a long, refreshing finish. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: 91-95, Chile, Red, Carignan
94

2011 Los Amigos, Rogue Vine, Super Itata, Itata Valley

( POA, 13.1% )

If its name is anything to go by, this is the top of the range red from Leonardo Erazo’s Itata operation. It’s a typicaly harmonious blend of Syrah, Malbec and Carignan, made in homeopathic quantities. Light, fresh and focused, it’s another outstanding red with savoury tannins, tangy acidity and a beguiling combination of flavours: clove, pepper, plum, black cherry and graphite. Complex winemaking of a high order. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: 91-95, Chile, Red, Carignan, Malbec, Syrah/Shiraz