You'll be very hard-pressed to find a more impressive wine at this price than this absolute cracker from Castillo de Aresan. Few wines pack so much flavour and texture into such a well-priced package.

The Lomo Alto is one of the stars of their range. It's a blend of grapes (Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot), all of which perform well in the hot La Mancha climate. The vineyards are at an average 750m altitude, so the cooler nighttime temperatures ensure the grapes retain a good level of acidity and lead to well-balanced wines. 

This wine isn't barrel-aged, however, you could be forgiven for thinking that it is, such is the depth and complexity of flavour. It's rich in texture and has concentrated flavours of blackberry, blackcurrant and sweet spice.

The bottle's label suggests that this is a wine to accompany your favourite cut of beef. Indeed it will do very well, but to be honest, this is a wine to be enjoyed every day of the week with whatever you're eating. We certainly do.

The lesser known Bordeaux variety, Petit Verdot, thrives in the slightly warmer Languedoc. It's not widely planted, and is often blended with other varieties, but Domaine Mas Belles Eaux have rightly chosen to show it off in all its magnificence. 

This is a big wine with huge personality. The aroma is an alluring combination of dark fruit, violet and a hint of clove. On the palate it has a strudy backbone and rich texture. Dark fruits again dominate with a hint of cocoa in the background.

'The 2009 is the finest Chasse Spleen since the 1989. Its deep purple color is accompanied by notes of graphite, black currants, sweet spice, and a hint of Chinese black tea. Full-bodied and opulent with well-integrated acidity, tannin, wood, and alcohol, it is a lush beauty to enjoy over the next 20+ years. (Tasted two times.)' - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188), April 2010

A rich, deep colour that immediately announces the tone of the vintage. It appears as a highly concentrated wine. The rich, complex nose confirms this impression, with a blend of black fruit and spices such as black pepper, cinnamon and vanilla.

In the mouth, the attack is at once fresh and profuse. The sense of volume continues mid-palate while velvety tannins gradually develop, giving the wine its body without ever becoming overbearing. Everything is in perfect balance. A few notes of cocoa and coffee complement he broad aromatic palette right up to the prolonged finale, supported by extremely mature tannins.

While the pleasure it procures may tempt some to drink it young, I suggest waiting a few years. Indeed, everything indicates long and propitious ageing.

"The 2014 La Lagune is a wine that showed extremely well when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle, it has a very well defined, quite intense bouquet with blackberry, cedar and pencil box aromas—classic in style, demonstrating impressive breeding. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannin, bright and vivacious black fruit laced with graphite, fine mineralité and it fans out wonderfully on the Pauillac-like finish. You know, I suspect this might even surpass the 2015 La Lagune... let's see. This is excellent." Drink 2019 - 2035. 92 pts, Neal Martin, Wine Advocate