Juicy blackberry and stewed black cherry meet rich development notes of leather and graphite, lifted by gorgeous lavender and violet florals. Chocolate, vanilla, and a kick of black pepper and cooking spices from 14 months in new French oak. It's full-bodied and deeply, deliciously spicy.

Monte la Reina has one of the more dramatic origin stories in Spanish wine - in the 11th century, the Crown of Castile handed this hilltop estate to the town of Toro as a thank you for its loyalty. A royal gift. Literally. The estate got even more glamorous in the 19th century when the Count of Villapadierna built a neo-Gothic palace on the grounds, which today does double duty as a boutique hotel. Wine, history, and a castle - not a bad combination. Fast forward to 1983, when the Inaraja family took over the 1,400-hectare estate and had a bold idea: in a region where Tinta de Toro (in other words, Tempranillo) reigns supreme, why not also make seriously good Verdejo? Spoiler: it worked. Monte la Reina became one of DO Toro's white wine pioneers, combining a passion for sustainability with a knack for coaxing real complexity and character out of a grape that most of their neighbours weren't even bothering with. Rule-breakers, in the best possible way.