Michael Stickings

Barahonda Barrica Monastrell/Syrah 2011, Do Yecla

Another good value from Yecla, this lush Monastrell-Syrah blend is rich and flavourful if not exactly profound. There isn't much structure, it doesn't hold together for long, and with a thick mouthfeel it comes across like a red-purple fruit smoothie, but the aromas and flavours of dark cherry, raspberry, blueberry, and spice, along with a certain earthiness and meatiness in the background, are certainly enticing. Comparisons to Australian Shiraz are apt, though this lacks elegance and sophistication even if it mirrors the fruit-forwardness.

Carmen Gran Reserva Carmenere El Penasco Vineyard 2012, Valle Del Rapel

This quite dense Gran Reserva lacks depth and complexity but is very flavourful nonetheless with an aromatic array of raspberry, plum, black pepper, tobacco, leather, and, more subtly, green pepper. Intriguingly, this array starts off smoky, then turns peppery, then minty, and then sweetness floods the palate, at least initially. Meaty notes develop with time, while the fruit dries up, and unfortunately it thins out through to the dry, chalky finish. It's fine overall, if not left for too long, when the soft, luscious fruit is still around.

Gérard Bertrand Grand Terroir Tautavel 2011, Ac Côtes Du Roussillon Villages

From rocky, sun-drenched Tautavel, in Roussillon, this brings ripe blackberry, raspberry, and dark cherry joined by characteristic earth and garrigue, as well as olive, mint, and, most notably, a fabulous mineral streak uniting these disparate elements through the long finish. An initial ascetic whiff departs quickly, leaving the rustic essence of the Midi to shine, chalky texture, muddled flavours, rough edges, and all. But Bertrand brings elegance too, as usual, a sense of proportion, and this is what lifts this authentic "Grand Terroir," one of his best, well above the regional norm.

Saint Roch Vielles Vignes Grenache Blanc/Marsanne 2013, Côtes Du Roussillon

This is a fairly simple Grenache Blanc-Marsanne blend from Roussillon, lightly-coloured with a certain aromatic austerity followed up by soft, rounded juiciness in the mouth. The flavours are mostly a combination of tart apple and lemon mixed with pear, but it's the rocky minerality that stands out and speaks to the schistous soil of the region. Light and refreshing, it isn't necessarily what one would expect given the generally rough, rustic reds of the area, but it's quite pleasant indeed, not to mention an excellent value.

Les Halos De Jupiter Costières De Nîmes 2012, Ac

A fabulous value from Costières de Nîmes, an earthy/savoury Grenache blend with predominant notes of smoked/roasted meat (even a whiff of bacon) and local herbs, and so very much a product of the region. The fruit is a bit suppressed, but there's fig and other darker fruit in there, as well as raspberry, with added complexity, and warmth, coming from cinnamon and pepper. Unfortunately, it ends fairly quickly on the palette, the flavours just evaporating, replaced with a mild astringency, but this is still a very absorbing wine that points to what Grenache can achieve in this part of the world.

Palacios Remondo La Montesa 2011, Doca Rioja

Dominio Dos Tares Estay Prieto Picudo 2011, Vino De La Tierra De Castilla Y León

What this wonderful Prieto Picudo lacks in complexity and elegance it more than makes for in richness, lushness, and intensity of flavour. Big and bold but not overwhelming, with a nice balance of fruit and wood, it has notes of dark cherry, cassis, sweet oak, vanilla, black pepper, baking spice, and leather, with some refreshing tartness on the finish. Unlike some other big Spanish reds, like Garnachas from the warmer south, this doesn't seem at all fake and confected, and while it's easy to see why this uncommon varietal is often used in blends, this effort proves it can stand on its own.

Conde De Valdemar Reserva 2007, Doca Rioja

Right upon opening, this is pure, well-matured (but not too mature) Rioja, with a lovely balance of fresh fruit and savoury spice featuring notes of ripe blueberry and blackberry, tangy cherry, sweet brown baking spice, new and aged leather, and meaty barnyard. It's mostly Tempranillo (90%), with the rest Mazuelo/Carignan and Graciano. There isn't all that much fruit left, and the savouriness takes over on the palate, but everything is nicely integrated at this point in its prime drinking window (if on the late side), the acidity balancing the ripeness through the dry, mildly tannic finish.

Jim Barry The Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Coonawarra, South Australia

The 2013 vintage of this fabulous wine lacks, at least in its youth, the chiseled precision and remarkable balance of the '10, the last vintage I tasted. The '13 is fleshier, more muddled, but really no less appealing. Like the '10, it gets better once it finds itself after a day or so, and it also has that graphite-currant duality, but it's iron/rust that balances the riper fruit. The savoury complexity isn't quite there, but the fruit is rich and profound, cassis, raspberry, and plum, and there's spice, leather, and that refreshing Aussie Cab mintiness as well, if less prominent. Great wine.

Celeste Crianza 2004, Do Ribera Del Duero

This was like unlocking an attic -- stale, musty, and dusty, with old wood and leather expressing decay. But then the fruit exploded, a vibrant arrangement of blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry, plum, and prune, with sweet vanilla, oak, Italian herbs, and white pepper coming later. On the palate, that richness gave way to some remarkable acidity, with cherry and raspberry tartness. This bottle was a couple of years past its prime, yet it showed a lot of life, the tannic structure still firmly in place. Not profound, but still solid even after all these years.