CHRISTMAS DAY REDS
2018 Robert Oatley, Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Western Australia
Approx £62.89 for six (£10.49 each), Costco; £11.76; cambridgewine.com THE value here is bonkers given that the winemaker, the flavour, the region and the vintage are all top class. Larry Cherubino crafts blackcurrantsoaked Cabernet and this 2018 is one of the finest he has ever made. Drink in place of a red Bordeaux.
2018 Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, La Source, Yannick Amirault, Loire, France
£17.95, down to £15.95 each by the case, leaandsandeman.co.uk DARK, deep and brooding, this is amazingly intense for a red from the cooler climes of the Loire Valley. It will match game dishes, stews, rich gravies and, most importantly, fine cheeseboards, such is the gravitas and power contained within the sleek, black cherry-soaked wine.
2016 Edmeades, Zinfandel, Mendocino County, California
£15.95, pauladamsfinewines. co.uk; £18.70, drinkfinder.co. uk; £18.99, wineunlimited. co.uk; £17.99, simplywinesdirect.uk THE Zinfandel grape is tailormade for a Christmas feast. While this is a rich, decadently spiced, deeply rewarding red wine with glossy fruit and a luxurious texture, it is the breadth of flavour which really catches one’s interest. Cinnamon spice, cloves and cranberries can be found, along with redcurrants, blueberries, darker berries and plums. There is smoky oak too, and this all adds up to a flavour cacophony only Zin can deliver.
2016 Rudera, Syrah, Western Cape, South Africa
£21.25, wildvines.shop RUDERA is an elite Cape winery and the wines are exceptionally rare, so it was exciting to hear that this wine and the rest of the portfolio have found a permanent UK home at South Africa specialist Wild Vines. There is wondrous intensity here, coupled with genuine drama and class, and the pepper and black fruit notes are at the top of their game in this fouryear-old wine. A massive treat for hedonists and collectors alike. This is one of the finest wines of the season.
2018 Berry Bros & Rudd Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir by Benjamin Leroux, France
£18.95, bbr.com MADE by the brilliant Ben Leroux and already drinking perfectly thanks to its silky, ripe, fleshy fruit and pure red cherry theme, this is another brilliant turkey wine which treads more lightly than my other red selections and suits palates which prefer sensitive red flavours over more bombastic creations.