Wines of the week

Soy sauce and spice

Leyda, Reserva Syrah, Leyda Valley, Chile 2019. £10, Co-op, alc 13.5% Black pepper on a nose of ripe black fruits, soy sauce and sweet spice. Ageing for 12 months in stainless steel and used French oak barrels preserves its sour-cherry and black- and red-berry fruits. Perfect for beef dishes.

Laser-beam acidity

Pikes, Traditionale Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia 2020. £14.45–£17.95, NY Wines, Vinvm, Wine Direct, alc 12%

Pikes has made Traditionale every vintage since the family founded the winery in 1984. This 2020 is delicious now, but will age for a decade or more. Classic bone-dry, lime-cordial flavours, flinty minerals and laser-beam acidity. Top value.

Entry-level sweet wine

Château Tirecul la Gravière, Les Pins, Monbazillac, Southwest France 2020. £14.50/50cl, Lea & Sandeman, alc 12.5%

Bruno and Claudie Bilancini’s entry-level sweet wine, selected practically berry by berry from younger mainly Muscadelle and Semillon vines on their 25-acre estate. The citrus acidity is fresh, but not piercing.

Depth of cassis

Zuccardi, José Zuccardi Malbec, Paraje Altamira/ Gualtallary, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina 2016. £32.99, AG Wines, alc 14.5% Intense, harmonious black-fruit aromatics; spice, savouriness, florality. Ageing in concrete and old oak gives fine tannins and silky mouthfeel. Incredible depth of cassis, a base note of dry earthiness and ground black spices. Layers unfurl: plum, velvety mulberry and raspberry, and pomegranate.