Esk Valley Terraces (2021 Vintage) 2021

Modest and passionate about his vineyards, Abel and his wife Maite have been making understated wines in San Vicente since 1988.

Lying in the shadow of the Sierra Cantabria, Abel has vineyards in the finest parts of the Alavesa. His knowledge and understanding of the soils is enthralling and to taste in his cellar can be an education on the effects different soils have in different years. He wants only to express the fruit and the soil and unlike many Riojans, he leaves it more or less at that. He does not want to stamp the wines with any particular style or mark of his own other than his respect for the very natural quality of the grapes and for the magical places that they were grown.

A very classy and compelling wine. Deeply coloured with a pure, intense bouquet of crushed fruits, spice and oak. Elegant oak aging enhances the wine’s complexity and class.

The "other" wine made by Ch. Palmer, first made 1998 the grapes come from different plots than those of Ch. Palmer and with a different blend Alter Ego is produced (and marketed) as very much it's own thing alongside Ch. Palmer. Generally the Alter Ego has slightly more Merlot than "normal Palmer, but the 2020 vintage is actually the other way round, with this being the Cabernet Sauvignon dominated version.

"Chocolate shavings and smoked coffee bean on the nose, it's a vintage where you can't get away from the tannins, but here they have sinew and juice, like the best translation of the tannins in the year. This has real purity of fruit (very low SO2 addition at Palmer), together with the gourmet touch that you want in Alter Ego. 45% of overall production. 3.73pH. Survived mildew better than in 2018 because of experience in dealing with the conditions. August 15 to 29 for the harvest. A yield of 31hl/ha." Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)

A complex nose showing notes of black cherry, plum, violets, coffee and raisins. The palate is smooth and rounded, with a richly-textured mid-palate and a medley of spice, dried fruit characters and supple tannins. The wine remains elegant, being so beautifully integrated and sweetly rich, but with a long and complex, dry finish.

Montressor

Pale gold in colour with a fine mousse. It is rich and aromatic on the nose, well balanced on the palate and shows great finesse and complexity.

“This is taut and linear with lovely citrus and pear fruit. It has nice texture with some lemony brightness, a hint of cherry and nice precision, showing really good balance and nice acidity.” 91 points Jamie Goode, WineAnorak.com April 2022