Remírez de Ganuza, Reserva, Rioja, Spain, 2006

Gold medal winner in 2021 DWWA; winemaker José Ramon Urtasun says: 'We wanted to submit a wine with maturity to show how well our wines age.' Youthful aromas despite its years, with succulent scents of morello cherry conserve layered with fine cedar. Arrives fresh in the mouth, with roasted fruit, nutmeg and sweet spice, ginger and white pepper, softened by a sumptuous, luscious mid-palate. Lively, citrus lift and long finish. Mostly drawn from plots in Samaniego and El Villar.

Remírez de Ganuza's wines bear the hallmark of attention to detail and this reserva, made from 60-year-old vines, is no exception. Richly engaging aromas: notes of spice, sweet tobacco, savoury and floral hints dance over red berries, cherry and juicy blackberry fruit. Precise structure: a framework of 80% French and 20% American oak supports long ageing. Over time complex layers have evolved around a core of poised black fruit, with hints of chocolate, nutmeg, black spice and smoke all underpinned by fine tannins. A wine to linger over.