Stockist/Retailer: Mumbles Fine Wine

(2025) The last time I tasted this wine was 2012, in a restaurant in the Bekaa Valley over lunch with Serge Hochar, so quite evocative. Thick with sediment so decanting necessary in this 26-year-old wine, then heavenly on the nose with rich spiced berries and all sorts of gamy and vanilla nuances, high florals too. Rich, plummy and deep on the palate with fabulous fruit sweetness and purity, tannins resolved but working with oak spices to underpin solidly. Acidity is cherry-like and juicy in a lovely wine, drinking very well now but knowing Musar, could have decades ahead of it still.

(2025) A new wine from the Familia Torres, from a vineyard now certified as a Viñedo Singular, the highest grade in a relatively recent classification of Rioja’s vineyards. It sits on limestone terraces and is composed of bush-trained Tempranillo vines with an average age of 25 years. This Crianza spent a year in American and French oak barrels, but less than 10% of those were new. The nose is spicy with supple black fruits to the fore in the plum and blackcurrant spectrum. It is quite an elegant aromatic, subtle pencil-shaving notes mesh with the fruit. On the palate it is fresh and sappy, certainly a contemporary take on Rioja with crisp tannins and pert acidity giving agility rather than anything too sumptuously rich.

(2023) Sourced from six vineyards in the higher altitude Eden Valley, this was fermented and matured for 10 months in older French oak puncheons and barriques. It has an absolutely classic Viognier nose, with touches of ginger to ripe apricot and peach. Aromas verge on the exotic with fig and gentle nuttiness in the background. What a delicious wine as it's quite slippery, silky palate delivers copious confit lemon and sweeter nectarine. That plushness, with downy peach skins and hints of fig and toast, give wonderful breadth, though the finish is finely chiselled. Watch the video for more information.

(2022) The Kaaimansgat, or 'Crocodile's Lair' cuvée is a stalwart of the Bouchard-Finlayson range, barrel-fermented and aged for eight months, but with only partial malolactic and no stirring of the lees, to create a more linear style. The nose is Chablis-like, focused on cool apple and lemon, a gentle background mealiness only. In the mouth its all about oranges and lemons, with lovely zip and freshness, again just a gentle biscuity, nutty hint in the background, and a fine finish on fruit and clear acidity. A lovely wine for the price.

(2015) From the Atlantic island of Madeira, a modern style of Madeira in a 50cl bottle that has a rich tawny colour and delicious aromas and flavours of walnuts and rich prune and raisins, but also a dark, Seville orange marmalade cut. Tangy, yet sweet, its delightful to sip but would match Christmas morning mince pies so well.