First made as a single parcel in 2010, La Côte comes from the majestic La Grande Côte vineyard (sometimes referred to as La Côte d’Amigny), a south/southeast-facing hillside on the outskirts of Chavignol. La Côte has quickly become one of the heavyweights of Boulay’s range. It’s the domaine’s coolest terroir and the last to be picked. The site’s pure Kimmeridgian limestone soils and the late picking date deliver density and absurd precision on the palate. Vinified and aged in three and four-year-old barrels, the terroir gives a more expressive style than Monts-Damnés, yet one that still bristles with tension and mineral notes. If the vines are still relatively young by this domaine’s standards (a good 20 years all the same), they nevertheless express the mineral essence of this limestone terroir with incredible intensity. As always, La Côte is the most open of the single-vineyard wines, this year leading with ripe citrus—in the orange/bergamot spectrum—and crystalline passionfruit aromas. The palate is deep, complex, radiant and focused, with a great core of spicy fruit, driving acids and lovely purity, tapering to a super long, chalk-licked finish. It has everything to go toe-to-toe with a top 1er Cru Burgundy.

Opaque dark mahogany in colour, with an amber rim. This wine is reminiscent of figs, dates, raisins and licorice on the nose. Spectacluar flavour and density, but not at all cloying. Its light acidity leaves the palate clean. Very long aftertaste. Emilio Lustau is one of Spain's greatest Sherry bodegas and is named after Don Emilio Lustau Ortega who founded the family estate in 1896. Renowned for the quality of their Sherries, Emilio Lustau is probably best known for pioneering the Almacenista system, whereby individual dry Sherries are produced from small private holdings. These are bottled under Lustau's name but with the individual bodegas name on the label as well. In addition to their standard range of wines the estate also produces a stellar range of limited edition and Solera Reserva sherries which are amongst the finest wines in the region. A stellar producer of this famous wine style.

Quinta do Noval is an astonishing wine estate, with a rare combination of deep history and innovation. Founded in 1715, it has changed hands just twice over 300 years. The most important thing to understand about Quinta do Noval is, that unlike the other famous names in the world of Port, Noval is a single estate, a single vineyard, a producer that controls every step of production from vine to bottle. The Quinta do Noval 20 Year Old Tawny Port is made entirely from fruit cropped from the Quinta do Noval estate, so this is a step up in quality as well as age from the 10 year old. In Port and the Douro, Richard Mayson has referred to this category as, “the epitome of balance combining freshness and delicacy with the secondary toasted almond and walnut complexity from ageing in wood.” Noval’s contribution to the 20-year-old field is pure premier league. Sublimely elegant and refined, there’s so much intricacy and toffee-scented depth. It’s a perfect example of how delicious and complex a 20-year-old Tawny Port can be.