Spring Clean Day Two

The red 2017 Escalada do Bibei is a little riper than the red from the Sil and, at 13.5% alcohol, it's also riper than the previous vintage and comes through as juicy and chewy, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins and a dry finish.

From 85 year old vines that come from a small 1 hectare vineyard at altitude on complex soils of quartzite, slate and clay. Primarily Garnacha, there is some Macabeo that has been field blended in the vineyard. Blood orange, raspberries combined with sweet and savoury spice. The tannins a chalky and extremely well knit.

Enrico fell in love with this wine during the harvest. It’s so fresh and pure, with exceptionally fine, silky, saline tannins, and remarkable length. There’s complexity too: citrus fruit and red berries, and then a hint of seaspray. Wonderful, and balanced on the finish.

This vineyard, that shares the estate’s name, has marne and clay at the top, and then a little sand lower down. So there are 2 soils in the same cru. It’s savoury and pure, and there’s a density and hints of smoke on the finish. This is such a charming Barbaresco: an unbelievable bargain.

The Nervo comes from Serravalian soils, and shows the high-toned fruit, citrus lift, and minerality that you'd expect from such origins. In 2018 it's a real stunner: not to be missed.

A lovely wine from the vineyard surrounding the estate, this is some of the best value that you'll find in Piedmont. Delicate but not overly, the finish here is stunning, with so much energy and poise. Delicious, and approachable younger than some.

4ha in the higher part of the cru. More floral, with a lovely fruit character. More sandy soil, south facing, and first to ripen. There’s almost an amphitheatre here that creates a microclimate. The fruit is slightly darker. It’s almost opulent on the nose, but there’s such energy and vibrancy on the palate. This feels like a step up, with lovely salinity and depth.

From Tortonian soils, as found in Barolo and La Morra, this is for those who like a slightly silkier, richer style of Nebbiolo. Notes of tar and tobacco on the finish, and there's exotic spice, too. Beautifully complex, and very long.

Bottled in July 2020. Beautiful pale colour. Lovely nose, with impressive depth and purity. This has powdery tannins, slightly dark fruit, with excellent tannic structure and purity. Very finely judged, and lots of energy here. Really lovely, classically styled, and so delicious already. With a year or two in the bottle it will be even better.

From Albesani, San Cristofono, Messoirano, Gallina. Very soft and silky, nice depth and purity here, and good perfume. It’s very nicely lifted and simple, but nice cool Neive style. Excellent length, from a great vintage.

From a historic vineyard for Dolcetto, but now lots of people have made it as a Barbaresco. Very pure and fine, juicy, lovely soft fruit: Italo’s father bought it in 1930, and he would go and pick grapes to eat. South, steep, windy, ideal for Dolcetto. Very pure this, lovely energy and good tannins. This is excellent.

Really nice fruit, almost citrus and red berries. Good concentration, nice hint of reduction, and there’s lots of tannic structure here. This is very finely judged and good length, Slightly herbal in character, quite mineral on the finish.

Selection of grapes, of barrels - quantity can change from year to year. Quite balsamic in character, really nice energy, this have coiled energy on the palate. Very nice texture, this is quite backward, but with time it will be outstanding. From a truly great vintage, don’t miss this.

Bramble fruits, plum and black cherry fruits dominate the nose, with rosemary, thyme and leather, black olive and tobacco notes adding layers of complexity. The tannins are firm and pronounced, yet integrate brilliantly with the wine’s generous core. A rich wine that has plenty of energy.

Produced from a family estate in the heart of the Basque town of Getaria, Spain this wine is wonderfully zingy and fresh. The nose is full of lemon verbena, green apple and white pepper spice. There is a touch of spritz on the palate and the acidity is crisp and refreshing. The core has hints of white peach, white blossom and a salinity that offers a sense of place to this very easy to drink dry white wine.

This charming barrel-aged pinot from Stodden in the tiny Ahr district on the Rhine opens with cherry blossom, sandalwood and dried herbs. There is real fruit intensity of red and black cherry on the palate, hints of cocoa, with a silky texture and a focused, refreshing finish.

This is a brilliant introduction to the estate, from a selection of vineyards in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Dernau and Rech. Cherry fruit and some spice, and then a long and mineral finish. Just such a delicious Pinot Noir, with excellent potential.

Planted in the early 1980s, Alexander Stodden has cared for this vineyard since 2001. From Greywacke soils, with some clay, this is a spectacular wine from the first Ahr vintage since their devastating 2021 flood. It’s bright and cherry fruited with plenty of cedar spice, and herbal nuances. Stodden is one of the leading lights of German winemaking, and this is a great-valueGrand Cru wine that firmly cements the estate’s place as the country’s premier producer of red wine.

This wine is comparable in quality to the Grosse Gewächs level Spätburgunder from this estate. Expect the spiciness of Krauterberg, a breadth and creaminess of Sonnenberg and a minerality and complexity that you would associate with Herrenberg and Mönchberg. This wine has a delicious red berry perfume that is reminiscent of some of the best Pinot noir in Germany and beyond. Wild strawberries, jasmine tea and spice are the main charcteristics that shine in this wine. The tannins are tight knit and there is great tension on the core thanks to the crisp acidity and silky palate. The wine has an innate quality that you can enjoy now or will develop and age for many years to come.

From the oldest vines on the estate (alte reben means old vines), this is a wine that wows with its intensity, power and structure. Notes of thyme and a pure core of blue and red fruit are encased in wonderfully refined tannins. And it’s the length that really marks this wine out as special: it’s detailed, pure, and incredibly long. Spectacular.

From the vineyard above the winery, and a real insider’s pick. South facing slate soils craft a dark and brooding Pinot Noir, but one that retains brilliant dancing acidity. This is made from the same side as the GG Herrenberg, and shows much of the same character: it’s a baby grand cru.

Expect bright, wild berry fruits from Pegel 735 with lots of energy and a very quaffable wine indeed. Rescued by H.O Spanier is more smoky in style with a signature bacon fat character from Stodden's wines. The wine is more brooding in profile with a zesty acid profile. Alexander Die Grossen is the Grand Cru wine that has an attractive perfume and presents jasmine tea and wild strawberry notes that continue for a long time on the palate.

From extremely rocky terraces, this is mineral style of Pinot Noir that opens with a lift of wild herbs, violets, and warm earth. Linear on the palate the cherry fruit is accented with notes of pepper and cocoa. Very focused on the finish, this is a very detailed and precise wine.

From the remarkable Herrenberg with a soil of weathered-slate, greywacke this is a powerful and muscular iteration this vintage. Ripe cherry and hedgerow fruit, this maintains real precision on the palate with finely etched tannins, and aromas of sandalwood, cocoa, and nutmeg. The finish is so long and detailed, this is a wine that will age effortlessly.

This 2018 is showing great purity of red cherry and berry fruit, supported by liquorice and clove spice. Hints of blood orange and a stony minerality add complexity, combined with the wine's chalky tannins and vibrant acidity.

The 2020 vintage is bright and alluring with great juiciness and suppleness. Red berry perfume dominates the aroma profile, with sweet spice and wild flowers evident on the palate. There is a silkiness to the core that makes this wine very quaffable.

Translated as 'little rascal' in local dialect, this 100% Sangiovese IGT spends 15 months in barrique prior to bottling that gives the wine an additional weight and spice. Bramble fruits and red cherries are supported by rose, liquorice and leather. The tannins are powdery and well integrated and this wine is a real delight to drink now whilst waiting for the Brunello to come around.

The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the best examples you’ll find from this vintage. The nose is orange blossom infused, with lots of morello cherry, and then a real core of slightly herbal fruit. The tannins are firm but mineral, and have you reaching for another glass, while the finish is long and perfumed. A stunning Brunello, with a long life ahead.

A perennial Lay & Wheeler favourite, quality of the 2019 Birba is incredibly high. Baked earth, slightly smoky black fruit, and plenty of floral notes make this a very intriguing and enjoyable wine. From the same pedigree as La Gerla’s storied Brunellos, the 2019 Birba is approachable in its youth and should continue to excite for years to come. With 15 months ageing in oak barrels, the wine has taken on additional texture and spice.

Lovely delicacy on the nose. Feel a touch of oak, but it’s nicely spiced and plenty of juicy cherry fruit. There’s plenty of focus and a lovely density to the fruit. Lots of potential and density. Lovely drive here, and very saline on the finish. There’s a beautifully clean finish here, such a drinkable wine.

The 2021 Rosso di Montalcino from La Gerla opens with an immediate lift of dried cherry blossom, grilled herbs, and ripe cherry fruit. Offering plenty of hedgerow fruit on the front of the palate the tannins have a refreshing, sinewy feel and a touch of spice and dried red berry fruit linger on the finish.

A wine that is intensely concentrated with cranberries, red berries and star anise. Tannins are structured, with an attractive sweetness to them. The core has great purity and salinity as well as juiciness and depth.

La Pieve is a single-vineyard in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, planted in 1997, originally blended until the quality was deemed worthy of a single vineyard bottling. Black cherry, liquorice and balsamic notes with layers of sweet and savoury spice. This wine encompasses power and finesse.

Perfumed and elegant, blood orange, sea spray and flowers. Amazing balance of fruit and minerality. So long, fine and finessed, with a touch of peach on the finish. This is a wonderful Sangiovese, so elegant and refined with amazing length. Bravo.

More power, spice and balsamic, impressive length, power of tannins and excellent mineral length. Like the density here - silky and mouthfilling, without being overblown.