Review Round-Up (June 2026)
Fortunate to have been born in the great city of Liverpool and to fall into the world of wine. More than 20 years later I'm Boutinot's marketing manager for much of Europe (mostly Italy and Spain) and more than content with my compact family, including 3 cats (sadly just the 11 legs) and a 1969 'Dark Star' (no, not a wine!)
We truly believe our wines are fantastic, but you already knew that – we wouldn’t sell them if we didn’t!
That said, it is always nice when someone else recognises the quality in our portfolio, even better when they write a lovely review in the press to tell everyone about it…
Here’s a round-up of what they’ve been saying about us recently!
Naia Verdejo, DO Rueda 2025: Fine, perfumed outline of hay, verbena and thyme to the pear, Golden Delicous apple and pineapple fruit. Blanched almonds and fleshy walnuts fill the mid palate. Persistent finish with lingering fresh mint, curry leaf, thyme and tarragon over flowing stream of clementine and pink grapefruit juice. 92pts Decanter Magazine (May 2026)
Rippa Dorii Verdejo, DO Rueda [Organic] 2025: Alluring, defined briny nose with green olive tapenade over Asian pear and green apple. The palate follows with similar precision. A distinct, characterful wine, with mouthwatering saline finesse. Gentle, lingering notes of blanched almonds and verbena. Organic certified. 92pts Decanter Magazine (May 2026)
Naiades Verdejo (barrel fermented), DO Rueda 2022: Interesting counterpoint between sweet and savoury flavours, layering honeyed almonds, hazelnut shell, pickled walnuts, cooked pear, glazed pineapple, and apple strudel, under a saline veil of asparagus, artichoke and green olive. Finely etched in hay and dried flowers. Spicy tingling rim of white and black pepper. 94pts Decanter Magazine (May 2026)
Señorío de Sarría Viñedo Cinco Garnacha de Viñas Viejas Rosado, DO Navarra 2024: From Sarria’s old Grenache vines in Puente de la Reina, this is a fabulous dark coloured rosado with impressive intensity and concentration. Berry yoghurt aromas open to a structured palate with a touch of tannin. Some herbal notes add to the complexity of the wine – a really serious example of this classic style of Navarran rose. 93 pts & a ‘Value Wine of the Year’, Beth Willard, Tim Atkin MW ‘Navarra 2026 Top 100’ Report (May 2026)
Seméli Moschofilero, PDO Mantinia 2025: Mostly herbal and lightly grapey. Slightly woody/cedary. A fresh white but lacks a bit of varietal character. (JH) 15.5pts JancisRobinson.com (May 2026)
Domaine Papagiannakos Assyrtiko, PGI Attiki 2025: Stony and herbal. Intense, pure citrus. Tight, long and concentrated. Stony-dry finish with explosive citrus purity. (JH) 17pts JancisRobinson.com (May 2026)
Domaine Papagiannakos Retsina, Mesogaia 2025: Intense and pure resin aroma. Essence of rosemary. Clean-cut, deep and one for retsina lovers as it’s an extreme but very expressive version. Long and satisfying. (JH) 17pts JancisRobinson.com (May 2026)
Domaine Papagiannakos Savatiano Old Vines, PGI Markopoulo 2025: Subtly fragrant. Herbal, citrus and with an attractively fine-grained texture. Subtle and yet intense at the same time. Dry with real depth. (JH) 17pts JancisRobinson.com (May 2026)
Silvia Heinrich Blaufränkisch, Burgenland 2023: Heinrich takes us on a journey up to the Blaufränkisch ladder with her Burgenland wines, but even here on the bottom rung the quality is mesmerising. Grown on loamy soils, and in Heinrich’s hands, the variety attains a smoky richness and depth of flavour that might suggest oak – but there is none. The Wine Merchant Magazine (May 2026)
Boutari Xinomavro, PDO Naoussa 2022: Pale rust red. A rather pale Xinomavro in terms of flavour. Grainy varietal finish and quite long. This, at least, is a wine that builds towards the end. An introduction to Xinomavro? (JR) 16pts JancisRobinson.com (May 2026)
Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2025: Fragrant with lemony citrus but not especially pungent. Fresh herbs, lime leaf, almost floral. Lively, dry and benchmark Sauvignon Blanc without excess. Green pea and tangy. Excellent balance and GV. Ageing well. (JH) 16.5pts JancisRobinson.com (May 2026)
Sound of White Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2024: Distinctive aroma that is the integration of oak and intense Sauvignon aromas: green fruits, mealy, herbal, creamy. Really interesting blend of flavours. Tastes dry but creamy, fresh and scented on the finish. Dramatic but harmonious. (JH) 17pts JancisRobinson.com (May 2026)
Nanny Goat Pinot Noir, Central Otago 2024: Mid crimson. Definite complexity on the nose. Dry finish and some serious intention here. I suspect it will become even more interesting. (JR) 16.5++pts JancisRobinson.com (May 2026)
Teliani Valley Winery 97 Saperavi 2024: Smoky nose, molasses and bacon. Dense, peppery, thick. Pulsing with dark-purple fruit, dried thyme and cacao. Very dark, meaty and tannic, but the tannins have fluted structure and hold the weight of the wine well. (TC) 16.5pts JancisRobinson.com (May 2026)
Teliani Valley Winery 97 Saperavi 2024: It’s fermented in stainless steel for around 12 days, which is a relatively short skin-maceration time, before being separated from the skins to continue malolactic fermentation and ageing in stainless steel. No qvevri, no oak, no ageing with skins, and it’s filtered before bottling. The result is a mouth-filling, rounded wine with velvet-soft tannins, refreshing acidity, ripe dark-plum fruit, liquorice, clove and touches of leather and spicy vanilla. Wine of the week JoannaSimon.com (May 2026)
Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha, DO Campo de Borja 2022: Tasted blind. This Garnacha offers a bit of everything – sweet notes, vanilla, coconut and blackberry. It shows appealing wild black fruit at a nicely judged level of ripeness. Very rounded, with a generous mid palate. A complete Garnacha style. A classic VGV wine, priced below €15 retail, and a well-known wine in Spain that consistently ranks among the best in terms of price/quality ratio. (FC) 17pts JanicsRobinson.com (June 2026)
Zarihs by Borsao Syrah, DO Campo de Borja 2020: Tasted blind. Vanilla, very ripe black fruit, with a sense of sweetness and lush, generous fruit, alongside cedar notes. The palate is sweet, rounded and supple, with very soft, sweet tannins. Oak and toasted notes tend to dominate over the fruit. (FC) 15pts JanicsRobinson.com (June 2026)
El Escocés Volante, El Cismático 2021: This is a wine with a strong sense of place – it truly smells of its surroundings. Herbal and complex, with very fresh black fruit, earthy and mineral nuances. Delicate on the palate yet long and deeply flavourful, with remarkable drinkability. Notes of rosemary, thyme and dried leaves evoke the wild, mountainous landscape, capturing its essence with precision. Beautifully crafted, with layers of spice emerging on the back palate. Bright acidity holds everything together, making it irresistibly moreish. A special wine. (FC) 18pts JanicsRobinson.com (June 2026)
Caparrone Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC [Organic] 2024: An organic wine from Contesa, whose focus is to express the best wines from the native grapes in the region. This version of Cerasuolo is bright pink, with ripe red plums, blood orange and a hint of fennel. Rounded acitivity with some texture on the palate and a good finish. 91pts Decanter Magazine (June 2026)
Domaine de Rimauresq Cru Classé Rosé, AOP Côtes de Provence [Organic] 2024: Pale rose gold. Tangy with strawberry, grapefruit and poached rhubarb. Structured, and aromatic. 90pts Decanter Magazine (June 2026)
