Vega del Rayo Rioja Reserva 2009 and Boutinot Seguret CDR Villages 2011

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Vega del Rayo Rioja Reserva 2009
  Tempranillo from Spain

  Review Date : 01-Apr-2015

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Dark, deep red colour with black-garnet hues, lighter on rim. The bouquet is full and harmoniously packed with layers of ripe dark red berry and plum fruit interwoven with cedary oak and savoury earthy and minerally elements. The aromatics show a little lift and the beginnings of secondary interest. Medium-bodied, rich, lush and plush dark red berry and savoury plum fruit flavours form a deep, well-concentrated core with a layering of spicy, cedary oak. The fruit is supported by fine-grained tannin extraction, and the palate flows with positive drive and energy. This has good depth and density, and the wine carries to a long, well-concentrated finish of ripe plums and cedar. This is a rich and plush, well-concentrated Rioja with sweet and savoury fruit and harmonious, cedary oak. Match with roast beef, lamb and slow-cooked game meat dishes over the next 4-5+ years. 90% Tempranillo and 5% each Mazuelo and Graciano from 30-40 y.o. vines in Rioja Alta, indigenous yeast fermented to 13.0% alc., the wine spending 20 days on skins and aged 24 months in 2 y.o. American and Russian oak barrels. 17.5+/20 Apr 2015 RRP $28.00 Very dark, deep, black-hued ruby-red with youthful purple hues. This has a softly full and densely packed bouquet of savoury dark red fruits entwined with earth plum aromas, revealing oak, game and tarry elements that open out, to show cedary nuances. Medium-full bodied, the palate is softly rich, broad and mouthfilling with flavours of savoury red plum fruit, complexed by dried herb, earth and cedar notes. The acidity is soft, contributing to the rounded mouthfeel, but a fine-grained tannin presence grows to encase the fruit and carry the palate to a sustained, structured finish. This is a full, open Rioja with savoury, cedary oak flavours and plenty of extract and structure. Match with slow-cooked red meat dishes over the next 5-6 years. 40% each Tempranillo and Mazuelo with 20% Graciano from 30-40 y.o. vines from Bodegas Carlos Serres in Rioja Alta, fermented to 13.0% alc., the wine spending 20 days on skins and aged 24 months in 2 and 3 y.o. American and Russian oak casks. 17.5/20 Nov 2013 RRP $26.00
• Boutinot ‘Les Coteaux Schisteaux’ Cotes du Rhone Villages ‘Seguret’ 2011
  Grenache from France - Rhone

  Review Date : 01-Apr-2015

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Dark, deep, black-hued ruby red with youthful purple. This has a full nose with ripe blackberry and dark raspberry fruit aromas melded with minerals and nuances of pepper at the core. Lifted dark red florals emerge, showing the primary nature of the fruit. Medium-full bodied, the palate is fulsome and robust with deeply concentrated flavours of dark raspberry fruit entwined with earth and mineral notes. The fruit is sweet and rich, and balanced by fine-grained tannin extraction. The acidity is soft, lending roundness to the textures, and the wine flows smoothly to a gutsy, dry, grainy finish with raspberry and earthy nuances. This is a fulsome and robust, sweet raspberry and minerally flavoured Cotes du Rhone Villages. Match with most red meat dishes and Mediterranean fare over the next 5-6 years. Predominantly Grenache Noir with some Syrah from 50+ y.o. vines, from the ‘Les Turcs’ vineyard near the Seguret village, hand-picked and wild yeast fermented to% alc., the wine aged months in French oak barriques and 600 L demi-muids. 18.0-/20 Apr 2015 RRP $34.00