Red wines

Symington Family Estates Pombal de Vesuvio Douro, Portugal 2020

This renowned and long-established Douro producer is the family behind some of the region’s greatest fortified wines. But table wines are an increasing focus too, with this red blend joining the white Pequeno Dilema, as well as this year’s Best Value Fortified Trophy-winning Graham’s Six Grapes, in a strong peformance for the Symingtons at the Top 100 2023.

A blend of 50% Touriga Nacional, 45% Touriga Franca and 5% Tinta Amarela from the Symingtons’ legendary Quinta do Vesuvio estate, it’s full of “inky fruits, dried herbs, and spice, with integrated tannins,” the judges said. “Well defined, complete with lots of layers; crunchy red fruit too. Long finish, impressive, excellent value for a very smart wine.”

Fells

RRP £23 ABV 14.5%

Quinta dos Carvalhais Dão Touriga Nacional

Dão, Portugal 2019

One of Portugal’s largest producers, Sogrape is also one of its most quality-conscious, responsible for some of the country’s finest wines in numerous regions.

The company acquired Quinta dos Carvalhais, in the Terras de Azurara sub-region of the Dão, in 1988, and has since invested heavily in both vineyard and winery, and has been instrumental in the region’s recent renaissance.

This 100% Touriga Nacional is aged for 12 months in a mix of new and old French oak barriques. “Something of Bordeaux here, with a nose of cedar, graphite, blackcurrant and floral tones,” the judges said. “The tannins are fine and powdery, with a touch of spice. Really enjoyable.”

Liberty Wines

RRP £24.99 ABV 13.5%

Esporão Reserva Red

Alentejo, Portugal 2020

Another key player in the modern history of Portuguese wine, Esporão emerged on the scene in 1973.

Today, the company has estates in the Douro and Vinho Verde, but it was a pair of wines from Alentejo, the region where it all began and with which it is still strongly associated, that wowed the Wine Merchant Top 100 judges this year.

The first is a “richly engaging but polished” blend from a 20-year-old organic vineyard planted on a granite and schist base, with a loam and clay structure, which has been aged for 12 months in a combination of French and American oak.

“Plums and berries and spice all in effect with a lovely soft sheen of sweet oak and a smooth, smooth feel,” the judges said.

Hatch Mansfield

RRP £22.30 ABV 14.5%

Esporão Colheita Red

Alentejo, Portugal 2021

In its 50 years of existence, the team at Esporão have always been conscious of their responsibilities as stewards of the land, and, as with its Reserva partner in the Top 100 this year, this “excellent value” red blend has been made from the estate’s organically-managed vineyards.

Those vineyards are planted to seven varieties that were chosen for their adaptation to the local climate and conditions, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet leading the blend in a wine that has been made with foottrodden grapes and aged in concrete tanks for six months for a fruit-forward style.

“Bright vivacious red plum, dark cherry and fruits of the forest all coming together with juicy-fruity style and some spicy notes,” the judges said. “Soft tannins – excellent value.”

Hatch Mansfield

RRP £15.65 ABV 14%

Ana Rola Wines

Rola

Vinhas Das Marias

Douro, Portugal 2019

Douro Valley native Ana Rola is one of Portugal’s most talented winemakers. She made her name at one of the Douro’s leading producers before deciding to launch her own project in 2014. Her base is Quinta de Remostias, an 18thcentury estate in Peso da Régua, in the heart of the Douro, where she makes a range of cuvées from local varieties. This Top 100 selection is named for the fact that both Ana and her best friend called their daughters Maria.

A blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesa, it has a “dark inky colour,” the judges said “Raspberry, strawberry, and menthol. Savoury freeze-dried raspberries, beautiful balance. Sichaun pepper. A big hug of a wine. Exceptional.”

Marta Vine

RRP £37 ABV 14.5%

Legendary Dracula Nobilis Cabernet Sauvignon & Feteasca

Neagra

Dealu Mare, Romania 2020

Romania has become an increasingly popular option for wine lovers in recent years. Much of the impetus for the growth in premium Romanian wine has come from the Dealu Mare region, the source of this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with local favourite red variety

Feteasca Neagra.

Aged for 10 months in second-fill Romanian oak, it offers a “pencil shavings nose, blackberries… it’s like opening a whole box of fresh pencils,” the judges said. “Herbal palate, liquorice, green pepper and a fresh finish. Great balance; lovely.”

Transylvania Wine

RRP £24.99 ABV 14.5%

Dominio de Atauta Parada de Atauta

Ribera del Duero, Spain 2019

If you were looking for an estate to illustrate why Ribera del Duero is such a good place to make wine, you could do worse than Dominio de Atauta.

With its 25 different terroirs in 500 plots, the 45ha Dominio de Atauta vineyard is an example of Ribera del Duero’s Burgundian level of terroir diversity: at 975m of altitude, the highest point in the region, the vineyard also benefits from Ribera’s famed diurnal variations. Finally, the vines are aged between 6o and 100 years. The result? “Elegance to the max with super bright mulberry juiciness, absolutely full of life but with a powerful darker serious side: intense, but with a great streak of acidity.”

Boutinot

RRP £24.99 ABV 14%

Marco Abella Clos Abella

Priorat, Spain 2019

The judges may change each year, but Marco Abella rarely misses out on a Top 100 award of some sort, and this year was no exception for the highly respected Priorat estate. The heartbeat of Clos Abella is the 60% Carignan component from the El Perer plot at 550m altitude, which is blended with 40% Garnacha for a wine that shows off the classic Abella combination of power and mineral refreshment.

“A very complex nose, with lots of primary and tertiary notes,” the judges said.

“Great body, lots of grippy tannins but well integrated. Loads going on, with a persistent finish. A really excellent wine – everything you want from Priorat.”

Vindependents

RRP £50 ABV 14.5%