The overwhelming flavour here is ripe, but still a bit crunchy pear, which is just how I like my Albariño. In the leaner, acid driven style, yet has the texture and mid palate flavour that just makes it so easy to finish the bottle. Classic aromatics of white peach, pear, jasmine and kaffir lime leaf. Not the most complex of wines,  it’s refreshing, tasty and moreish, what more could you ask from a $30 import?   91 Pts.

Source: Rathdowne Cellars Price: Around $33 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasantiagoruiz.com

Other Vintages: 2004

I am going to be lazy here, this wine is fairly much exactly the same as the 2008, so I’ve just reused the notes here. I must say however, cool fresh, understated white wine at 11% is a refreshing change on a 40 degree day…

The nose shows plenty of herbal and grassy notes, with some fennel bulb and cucumber over the top of lemony fruit. Tight and driving in the mouth, it’s fresh and light and easy to drink. More of that lemon and herb fruit on the palate, the acidity keeps things humming along. More of a food style for my money, but definitely a fun, budget alternative to either NZ or French Sauv Blanc. 86 Pts.

The important things are all there: warm, ripe plums, dark cherry, vanilla and wood shavings, a bit of chocolate. Round and supple, slightly raspy tannins on the finish, length and a bit of acid to drive things along. 87 Pts.

Source: Ce Soir Imports Price: $14 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.salvadorpoveda.com

Other Vintages: 2003, 2007

One of the things I really enjoy with this wine is that is comes sprinting straight out of the blocks. Cherry and blueberry fruit, vanilla, thyme and cinnamon. It’s not rustic, but not totally refined either, fresh and hearty with plenty of texture and life. Sappy cherries and plums on the palate, I’m finding the 06s quite sappy and I like it a lot. Good finish of herbs and fruit.  90 Pts.

Source: Ce Soir Imports Price: $29 Closure: Conventional Cork

Straight into it with a nose of pear and apple, kaffir lime leaf and lemon. Packed full of flavour, a good spike of acid and good length. Textured. In the mouth there is some gooseberry, fresh pear and a little sage for interest on the finish. Very tidy drinking. 91 Pts. $28

Source: Echalon wines RRP: $28 Closure: Screwcap

The nose opens up with figs, bloody meat and earth, it only gathers interest from there. Pencil shavings, some wild thyme and olives. Lovely. Easy to drink in the mouth, balance is good and the acid drives things along nicely. More of those figs and meaty notes on the palate, this would go well with some lamb shoulder. Tangy and long its a joy to drink now…plenty to like here, and as usual the price is excellent. 90 Pts.

So, what do you do when you are trying to make the best wine from Rueda. Old bush vines are essential, no idea on the age of the vines used here but they are older than those used for Basa. Once the grapes are off the vine, leave the wine making kit bag at home and let it the wild yeast do it’s thing. Sure there might be some cooling used to keep everything fresh during fermentation, perhaps just some concrete tanks for example. Then give it some texture. Let it mature on lees for an extended period or stir it up a bit…but basically leave it alone.

Finish it off with a cool label and name and you’re done. The name is a reference to how they keep the wild pigs out of the vineyard, that old favorite of shopping centres and train stations has been used here: place a radio in the vineyard and play boring or bad music at high volume and they’ll keep clear. I’m told wild boar is good eating, so personally I’d take another approach and live high on the hog.

Lively nose of subtle, tropical fruits, rocky/mineral type notes and a bit of the ol’ mountain herb. Lovely, mealy texture, lees notes, with a bit of old hay and earth. Savoury and super long finish, a shake of minerals, lemon, guava and an apple that’s been in your school bag a couple of days longer than it should have (I  like this). Walks a fine line between texture and acid, you could call it chubby if you where so inclined, but just right for me. This won’t be for everyone, but with some good food (thinking corn fed, free range roast chicken) it will really lift. 92 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $60 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.telmorodriguez.com

This is the ‘estate’ wine, there is also a regional wine from bought in grapes from growers sourounding the estate. These guys are most famous for their Selección de Añada, an aged release that sees about 3 years in tank before it’s bottled, which is quite a rare thing for an Albariño based wine.

Super aromatic nose, loaded with pear, apple, jasmine, a slight lemon twist. Nicely textured, more in the fuller figured camp than the striking acidity crowd, but not flabby though. Pear and white peach in the mouth, long finish, talc and minerals. Tangy white peach leaves a lovely after taste. 92 Pts. $38

Source: Echalon wines RRP: $38 Closure: Screwcap

I did have a short lived affair with Bordeaux and Priorat for a couple of years, before the prices got way out of control. These days I just buy more Alion and Vega Sicilia Valbuena. No it’s not the same, and that the point. I got sick of finding old and tired wines in the cellar after 5 years (Priorat) and spending a month’s pay on a case or two of wine (Boardeaux). Sure these wines aren’t cheap, I’d be lucky to buy a 6 pack of each these days, I do however feel I get better value for money and more enjoyment from the wines of Ribera del Duero.

On this tasting the 2005 is showing more fruit and herby undergrowth than last time, with a grab bag of other notes showing up as the wine gets more air: olives, violets, blackberry, mulberry and some cherry. Oak is in a supporting role, a bit of sawn wood and freshly ground coffee in the background. Long and layered in the mouth, I would almost call this lean at the moment, needs time to develop that lovely texture shich shows up by the last glass. Structured, but enjoyable at the moment. Give it a big sleep to get the most out of it, 10 years is perfect, this will easily go 20+ years in the cellar. 94+ Pts

Source: Boccaccio Cellars Price: $139 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasalion.com

LZ comes from one of the two vineyards that is fully owned and managed by Compania del Vinos de Telmo Rodriguez, this one located just outside the small village of Lanciago on the Basque side of the Rioja. (The other one is in Galacia, where the Gaba do Xil wines are made). Its basically one hill side just outside the village, you could call it and estate if you like, that is loosely modeled on the burgundy quality pyramid of village wines in the lower areas, 1er Crus at the top and Grand Grus in the middle. And I do mean loosely, it’s not quite as hard as that. Setup to be biodynamic (and now certified as such)and modern, but keeping the old traditions in the back of mind, the vines are all trained in goblet (or en Vaso in Spanish).

Up top there is a modern winery that looks like it’s straight out of a Bond film, well a modern, sustainable Bond film. Recycled barrel staves, compressed earth walls, natural temp control and gravity flow instead of pumps, the bodega ticks all sustainable, low input buildings, yet still manages to look like a something out of the thunderbirds (very cool in my book). Built low into the hilside, you wouldn’t know it was there if you weren’t looking for it. But at the heart of the bodega are these huge concrete fermenters. Custom made, trucked up the impossibly small road to the winery and lifted in place, these big grey silos are the key to making LZ the wine it is. Concrete provides excellent temperature control, and in combination with the building itself, keeps fermentation temps low and preserves all of that lovely fruit flavour. Whatever they are doing, it is surely working. I think this might just be the best young wine from Rioja I’ve ever seen…

The wine itself is a joy to drink. I’m a fairly harsh critic of  joven wines from Rioja, I often find them full of green herbs and sulfur, preferring the riper offerings from Ribera del Duero and Toro usually. But this is the polar opposite, lively with a core of red and blue fruits, wild herbs and an earthy quality. Sappy and meaty, lengthy finish that leaves the taste of minerals, ripe fruit and herbs. Middle weight with soft tannins,  spot on for summer and autumn drinking. Just the kind of thing I could drink every day for a month and be totally happy with. Grill up some mushrooms with garlic and oil, lovely. Clearly the best LZ yet. 91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $25 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.telmorodriguez.com

Other Vintages: 2005, 2006

Ever since, I’ve been buying two Rioja Reservas in every vintage. This is one of them, the other is Remelluri, which is almost a national treasure in the Basque area and is set to move towards an organic operation with Telmo Rodriguez moving back into the role of wine maker with his sister looking after the vineyards. Getting back to Muga Reserva, it’s a typical Rioja blend of 70% Tempranillo , 20%Garnacha, and 10% Mazuelo and Graciano aged in big old vats for 6 months, then into french and american oak for 24 months. While this clearly meets the Reserva requirements, in Spanish speaking countries it’s sold as a crianza…no idea why.

Classic nose of wild thyme and oragano, earthy cherry, mulberry and woody spices. Perfect balance between fruit and structure with minerally acid. Tannins that build and build to give a sense of contrast with the acid. The fruit doesn’t stick out, it’s savoury and fresh, it sits inline with the oak, tannin and acid. Purity, complexity and structure. The finish is long with the sense of clay, minerals and tangy red fruits. Just lovely drinking. Not as imediately rewarding as the 2004 now after a decant, but this is a long term wine, drink over the next 20 years. 93+ Pts.

Source: ?? Price: Around $60 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasmuga.com

Pear and melon, slightly tropical with a little pepper on the nose. Nice mouthfeel and length, kinda juicy but fresh. Not much to really talk about in the mouth in terms of flavour, but good acidity and length lends itself perfectly to fried seafood. Kiddy safe, no sharp edges. And at 12.5% I really like this for casual lunch time drinking and snacking. 87 Pts.

Source: Fourth Wave Wine Partners RRP: $12 Closure: Screwcap

Musky raspberry and violet, black cherry and malty biscuits on the nose. Earthy, a little herbal and fresh. Musky, with plenty of smooth tannins. It is a little lacking in the acid department, leaving it a little flat in the mouth and the finish on the shorter side, this gets better with a bit of air. More dark cherry and pepper in the mouth. Give it a bit of air to open up and your laughing. 87 Pts.

Source: Fourth Wave Wine Partners RRP: $19 Closure: Screwcap

Opens up with loads of wild bramble and herbs, with some red and black cherries smashed in with some wild violets. Wild and rustic with character and real appeal. It needs plenty of air to open up, but once it does, it’s packed full of smooth long tannins, a good line of acid straight down the centre and excellent length. Plums, cherries and a little choc in the mouth, spice and herbs. Give it a year or two to develop and dig in. 92+ Pts.

Source: Boccaccio Cellars RRP: $80 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegasmauro.com

Oak, lots of oak. That’s my first thought. Ok, it is quality oak and it’s not totally dominating the fruit initially but it’s fairly obvious. A bit more air and the fruit comes up to meet the wood halfway, starting to look good. A little herby, a touch of cola and plenty of ripe dark red fruits. In the mouth it’s a different story, your in first class here. It sits on a fine line between medium and full bodied, excellent acid and rough suede like tannins. A bit of a tight rope walker this one, one step either way it wouldn’t work. But it pulls it off convincingly. Not the best vintage of Flor de Pingus, but I have a feeling this will be a late bloomer in about 5 years. 90+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $195 Closure: Conventional Cork

Other vintages: 2005, 2006