Spain

Wine Advocate 94 points. "....In this cooler year, it has contained ripeness and moderate alcohol. This is more expressive and open, showing everything from the first moment. 2018 is a special year, cooler and with more rain, and the wines combine power with elegance. For Pablo Eguzkiza, the year is a little like 2013. It's medium-bodied with fine, abundant tannins, with plenty of fruit and a dry, chalky finish. 86,800 bottles produced. It was bottled between April and May 2020." LG Aug 2021. #NEW

Wine Advocate 92+. 2011 was a warmer and riper year, but there's not a huge difference between the 2011 Viña Bosconia Reserva and the 2010; this is perhaps mellower, with more integrated acidity. It's 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.3 and 6.7 grams of acidity measured in tartaric acid per liter, and it fermented in the 144-year-old oak vats and matured in used American oak barrels for five years. 88,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2018. LG Jul 2022. #NEW

Wine Advocate 95 points. I just love the elegance and harmony of the 2018 Cirerets despite the 16% alcohol marked on the label. It's a village wine from La Vilella Alta produced with 60% old Cariñena planted in 1962 (La Veana) and 40% young Garnacha planted in 2002 (Cirerets). It is powerful yet elegant and harmonious with a soft texture, sleek tannins and very pure and penetrating flavors. Really delicious and hedonistic. This is certified organic and biodynamic since 2016. 16,000 bottles. It was bottled in July 2020 and is already very harmonious and has the stuffing and balance for a good development in bottle. LG Dec 2020.

Ribera del Duero. 90% Tempranillo, 5% Cabernet , 5% Merlot. Montecastro is a barrel-aged, single-variety Tempranillo red wine made by Montecastro Bodega y Viñedos in the D.O. Ribera de Duero (Castile and León). Montecastro was set up by friends who joined forces in 2000 to make their dream come true: making quality wines in the heart of Ribera del Duero. The winery started out with the support of French winemaker Bertrand Erhard, which then peaked the interest of Peter Sisseck himself. So since 2012, the prestigious expert’s wine group, Hacienda Monasterio, has taken responsibility for the technical management of new productions. This...

Montecastro is a barrel-aged, single-variety Tempranillo red wine made by Montecastro Bodega y Viñedos in the D.O. Ribera de Duero (Castile and León). Montecastro was set up by friends who joined forces in 2000 to make their dream come true: making quality wines in the heart of Ribera del Duero. The winery started out with the support of French winemaker Bertrand Erhard, which then peaked the interest of Peter Sisseck himself. So since 2012, the prestigious expert’s wine group, Hacienda Monasterio, has taken responsibility for the technical management of new productions. This includes a range of fresh and very elegant wines that are...

James Suckling 96 points "Really beautiful aromas of crushed blackberry, brambleberry, hazelnut, walnut, and light coffee, following through to a full yet so reserved and polished body with fine, creamy-textured tannins. Fresh and exquisite finish." #GEM

Wine Advocate 97 points. The most classical of their wines, the 2015 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano, mostly from Rioja Alta (Sajazarra, Cellorigo and Fonzaleche), but the Garnacha is from different plots in the zone of Tudelilla at high altitude. These grapes are always picked last, but the wine has a similar alcohol level as the rest, around 14.5% in a warm year like 2019. The modus operandi is similar to other of the top cuvées—harvested into 200-kilogram boxes, destemming, optical sorting and fermentation in small oak casks with indigenous yeasts. The élevage in this case is extended...

Top Ten Best Selling Wines - December 2022 Under $60 James Suckling 93 points. Plenty of dried flowers, dark berries and sandalwood on the nose. Full body. Firm and silky tannins. Gorgeous finish. Drink or hold.. Wine Spectator 93 Points. This generous red is rich and round, with ripe tannins and orange peel acidity. Cherry, dried currant, licorice, vanilla and spice flavors are ample yet focused. A balance of traditional and modern styles. Drink now through 2030. #TOP10

Top Ten Best Selling Wines - December 2022 Under $60 A perfumed nose of dark cherry, plum, coconut, cedar and dried thyme. Full-bodied with chewy tannins. Rich and structured with a chalky texture and a firm, delicious finish. Better from 2022. 92 Points James Suckling. #TOP

James Suckling 96 points Numanthia is the most emblematic wine from Bodega Numanthia, and is considered as one of the great wines from D.O. Toro. Numanthia gets its name from Numancia, a city famous of the resistance of an epic attack from the Roman army. The citizens defenced the city until the end, choosing death rather than surrender. Drawing a parallel with history, the Numanthia vines have resisted the extreme climate for almost 100 years and have been able to overcome some "bloody" episodes like the phylloxera epidemic in the nineteenth century. Numanthia is a single variety Tinta de Toro, the reigning variety in D.O. Toro. It is made...

WA 93. The organic Garnacha 2019 La Montesa fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats and matured in barriques for 12 months. As it was very recently bottled, I tasted from two bottles, one uncorked the day before and the other uncorked just before the tasting. The bottle from the day before was more expressive in the nose, but I also liked the austerity of the just-opened bottle. The wine is concentrated and powerful, richer and more concentrated than the 2018, with more density and ripe flavors. It has a medium-bodied palate with very fine tannins. The 800,000 kilos of grapes were hand harvested and selected, trying to avoid...

Wine Advocate 90-91. The young 50/50 blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo from the zone of Alfaro in Rioja is the 2019 La Vendimia. It was scheduled to be bottled after mid-July 2020, after aging in oak vats and barrels for four months to add some complexity while preserving the freshness and primary character of the wine. It has a nose that combines the floral character of the Garnacha and the more serious profile of Tempranillo, with the two being quite integrated. It's juicy and lively, medium to full-bodied, with 14.3% alcohol, reflecting the heat and drought of the year. It has attractive aromas and flavors that are refined and elegant,...

Wine Advocate 95 points. The 2019 Propiedad was produced with grapes (mostly Garnacha but also some 8% other traditional varieties) from organically farmed vineyards in the lieu-dits (parajes) Las Mulgas, Valfrío, Valviejo and Corral de Serrano in Alfaro. It fermented in 15,000-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 5,000-liter oak vats and some 2,000-liter foudres in a more traditional way, not in the barrique that arrived in Rioja from Bordeaux, for 18 months. The vineyard in Las Mulgas is the one that dominates this blend with the depth and clout of the old vines. This is like a village vieilles vignes from...

Wine Advocate 91 points. As with many reds from 2017, I was pleasantly surprised by the 2017 Hado, which Carlos San Pedro told me could be a modern version of the 2005 (and 2016, perhaps 2007). It has good ripeness, black rather than red fruit and spicy oak. The palate is still a bit tannic, but this wine will not be released until October 2019, so it will have some time to polish those tannins in bottle. LG June 2019. #22

Concourse Internationale de Lyon, Gold Medal. 100% Tempranillo from 40 year old vines. Matured for 12 months in French and American oak. Bright cherry-red with ruby-red tones, well covered. Complex and expressive on the nose, ripe fruit aromas and hues of good wood. Well balanced and fresh with a long aftertaste.

Concours International de Lyon, Gold Medal. Calification:DOCa Rioja Vineyards:4th Generation (60 years old) Varietal:100% Tempranillo Aeging:14-20 Months(French and American) Matured in the cool and undisturbed depths of our 200 years-old underground cellar. Brilliant dark and intense cherry red colour. On the nose it is elegant and complex. Ripe fruit aromas appear over a base of mineral, spice and toasted wood. Tasty, fleshy, with a touch of wood, mineral, and licorice. Even and persistant finish. #NEW

Wine Advocate 91 points. The entry-level red is the 2019 Románico, produced with Tinta de Toro (a.k.a. Tempranillo) from younger vines (10 to 25 or 30 years old, some of them grafted) in the villages of Valdefinjas and Toro. It fermented in a traditional way, foot trodden and with soft pumping overs, with indigenous yeasts selected from their own vineyards and matured in used French oak barrels for an average of six to eight months, as some wine is kept in stainless steel and other lots are aged in barrel for longer. This is primary and fruit-driven (black fruit), with purity and something floral; it's juicy and tender, with ripe, round...

94 points Wine Spectator: “This full-bodied red is generous yet structured, featuring depth and balance. Ripe flavors of plum and currant mingle with cocoa, clove and mineral notes, supported by mouthcoating tannins and balsamic acidity. Harmonious and long. Best from 2022 through 2037." Bodegas Valderiz is located in Roa, where some of the most complex Tinta del Pais grapes in Spain are produced. In 1980, the head of the family, Tomas Esteban considered his options for making the most of their plots. The vineyard began to take shape over the next 10 years with the efforts and devotion of his sons Juan and Ricardo. The current commercial...

Wine Enthusiast 95 points. "A black fruit aroma melds with a balsamic tone and a hint of road tar on the nose. The palate deals a forceful combination of tannins and acidity, while this Gran Reserva from a hot, dry year tastes of ripe black fruits backed by oak and vanilla. Drink through 2028. " Michael Schachner. Decanter World Wine awards 95 points. Intense and complex aromas. Its deep notes of ripe black and red fruit are mixed with the smoky aromas and the hints of coffee, chocolate and leather with a touch of undergrowth. In the background, a subtle and elegant minerality is felt along with its good balsamic aromas. Only made in...

WA 92+. All the guest winemakers that take part in the Lecciones de Vuelo joint venture with Viña Zorzal are offered to produce their interpretation of the paraje Corral de los Altos in Fitero. The 2018 Corral de los Altos is Zorzal's own interpretation of a 45-year-old plot of 2.1 hectares of Garnacha planted on a north-facing stony part of the village. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel with some 25% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in seven used (second and third use) 500-liter oak barrels. This has contained ripeness and a medium to full-bodied palate with the classical chalky tannins and texture from the...

Wine Advocate 91 points. The entry-level red simply called 2019 Garnacha is what they define as their regional bottling, using grapes from the villages of de Corella, Cintruénigo and Fitero, produced in an approachable and easy-to-understand way. It had a gentle vinification, starting with grapes of moderate ripeness with a good pH, fermented with indigenous yeasts and using 20% full clusters. The difference in vintage is noticeable when tasted with a majority of 2018s; this is a clearly riper and more open vintage, with a more Mediterranean character, with sweet fruit and aromatic herbs. It reminds me of some of my favorite old-time...

Tim Atkin MW 91 points. “Intense red colour with garnet edge Complex aroma, red fruits, wild herbs Roasted notes of coffee, black chocolate. Fresh, fruity, fleshy, tasty, round, complex, balanced, long and persistent in the mouth". Tempranillo 100%. From a selection of the Tempranillo harvested at optimal health and maturation in small 15 kg boxes. In the winery, a manual selection of bunches and destemming occurs and crushing without pressure. Produced by malolactic fermentation in the barrel and then an aging of 14 months in French and American oak barrels, 50% of which are 12 months old.

James Suckling 90 points. “Intense cherry red. Powerful, mineral, toasty aromas, with notes of dark roast coffee Full and fleshy in the mouth, with ripe tannins that still retain some hints of oak, with good acidity". GRAPE VARIETIES 90% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha. Harvesting Takes place between the 10th and 28th October the grapes are collected in small trailers with a capacity under 3 000 kilos. Aged for 15 months in American and French oak barrels, it remains a minimum of 6 months in the bottle before being launched on the market.

James Suckling 90 points. “Bright red cherry colour. Red berries, sweet spices, lively, expressive in nose. In the palate is fruity with round tannins, long and fresh finish”. GRAPE VARIETIES 90% Tempranillo, 10% garnacha Fermentation in stain Steel vans of 20Hl. Temperature control at 24o/26o C during 10 days . Malolactic fermentation at 20o C during 8 days Aging in oak during 10 months (70% French oak , 30% American oak.

James Suckling 90 points. “Intense cherry red covered with black fruit aromas, meaty in the mouth balanced with tender tannins Chocolate and coffee notes, persistent and clean finish. Oxygenation is required". GRAPE VARIETIES 100% Tempranillo. Manual harvesting from our bunch vineyards with vines older than 28 years old average alcoholic fermentation in tanks of 200 Hl with a controlled temperature Aged during 18 months in French and American oak We kept a minimum of 9 months in bottle before to release to the market-