Red Wine Emilio Moro Malleolus de Valderramiro 2016. Decant 1 hour before serving. One of the great names in contemporary Ribera del Duero, the Emilio Moro winery has been creating opulent red wines from the region’s classic Tempranillo grape for half a century. The property is now run by the third generation of the Moro family represented by José and Javier Moro, as well as their father, Emilio. The family owns 5 hectares of prime Tempranillo vineyards planted by their grandfather in the tiny town of Pesquera de Duero. The Moro family’s Malleolus de Valderramiro wine is named after the Latin word small vineyard” and refers to the family’s practice of crafting wines from the exceptional qualities of their land. This is a single vineyard wine made from the Pago de Valderramiro vineyard which was planted almost a century ago in 1924. The intense continental climate here in the Ribera del Duero combined with these ancient vines ensures that the grapes are extremely concentrated yet finely balanced with freshness and smooth tannins. The young wine is transferred to American oak barrels after fermentation to undergo malolactic fermentation which adds extra complexity and helps soften the tannins. It is then moved to French oak barrels where it spends 18 months to fully integrate the different components and add delicious toasty and spicy hints to the dark fruit flavours.
2016
Red Wine Emilio Moro Malleolus de Valderramiro 2016
Red Wine Mouchao Ponte das Canas 2016. Herdade do Mouchao is a historic winery in Portugal’s Alentejo region that specialises in producing excellent red wines from the local Alicante Bouschet grape. The estate’s roots date back to the 19th century when Thomas Reynolds first moved from Porto to Alentejo to enter the prosperous cork-making industry. Later his grandson, John Reynolds saw an opportunity to start making both wine and corks and purchased the 900 hectare Herdade do Mouchao estate. Unfortunately the estate was seized in 1974 by order of the powerful military government ruling the country at the time. The Reynolds were only able to regain the estate in 1985 and today the family works around 38 hectares of vines. This luscious, juicy red is the younger brother of their flagship Tinto cuvee made in a lighter and more approachable style. The blend features Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Shiraz grapes sourced from estate vineyards. As is traditional in the region, the grapes are trodden by foot in large open stone lagares or troughs and left there to ferment. The young wine is then aged in a combination of tropical hardwood casks and smaller barrels with bottling 18-24 months after the harvest.
2016
Red Wine Movia Modri Pinot Noir 2016. Founded in 1700, the Movia estate has been owned by the Kristančič family since 1820 and is made up of 18 hectares of vines which are partly located on the other side of the border in Italy. The winery is located in the Goriška Brda region in western Slovenian which is blessed with a balmy Mediterranean climate of hot dry summers cooled by sea breezes and mild winters. These conditions are ideal for premium winemaking and the family produces delicious wines from both local and international grape varieties. This Pinot Noir is one of Movia’s flagship wines and is crafted from 30 year old vines which are farmed organically, harvested late and picked by hand to ensure optimum maturity and quality. The must is then fermented using wild yeasts and macerated for up to 4 weeks to capture the full expression of this noble grape variety. The young wine is then matured on the lees in oak barrels until it is deemed ready for bottling. The result is an elegant and refined Pinot Noir with ample red berry and forest fruit notes seasoned with hints of leather and dried herbs. The smooth tannins and rich texture make this a very easy-going wine which is ideal to drink with tomato-based pasta dishes, game or red meat.
2016