Spain
Read More
Spain
Photo
AI Chat
-
Wine Advocate (97)
No 2017 was produced, so after the 2016 I tasted a while ago, we jump to the 2018 La Dama, vinified by Enrique Basarte and Elisa Úcar and blended and bottled by Raúl Pérez, the new owner of the project. They always look for a more delicate expression of Garnacha from selected stonier plots of old head-pruned and dry-farmed vines in the village of San Martín de Unx that are worked organically and biodynamically but are not certified. The wine is stunning, elegant and aromatic, with depth, complexity and grip. It's incredibly young and expressive and doesn't show its age at all; it has a refined nose and is quite fruit-driven and floral, with very integrated oak (like never before), supple flavors and very fine tannins. It has good ripeness and contained alcohol (13.8%) and good freshness and acidity (with a pH of 3.46 and 6.3 grams of tartaric). 10,000 bottles were filled in October 2022.Inc. VAT£249.58 -
Wine Advocate (96)
The flagship 2018 Clos Martinet is the wine that started it all and is still a blend of Garnacha (Tinta and Peluda), Syrah, Cariñena, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell as it was since the beginning but now with a restrained 13.5% alcohol and higher acidity. Clos Martinet is a single five-hectare terraced vineyard planted with clonal material in 1986 on decomposed llicorella slate, iron and big rocks in the soil. The varieties are co-fermented depending on the date picked—at three different ripening times—in two concrete vats and 200-liter oak vats with indigenous yeast and whole clusters. The beginning and end of the élevage was in concrete, and in between they used 2,000- and 4,100-liter oak vats and some 20% in glass demijohn and amphorae. The wine is subtle and a bit shy, insinuating rather than in your face. There is a lot less ripeness than in the past. It's medium-bodied and fluid, fresh and balanced. This is a very elegant Clos Martinet. 11,070 bottles and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in June 2020.Inc. VAT£346.32 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Their flagship 2019 Clos Martinet, one of the wines produced in the first vintage of the new Priorat in 1989 by the father of Sara Pérez, is still a blend of Garnacha (Tinta and Peluda), Syrah, Cariñena, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell. The nose is dark despite the lowish alcohol (13.5%) and has an earthy touch, with hints of fountain pen ink and abundant grainy tannins. 14,000 bottles produced.Inc. VAT£319.92 -
(6x75cl) 2020Wine Advocate (96)
There is a lot of finesse in the 2020 Pegaso Barrancos de Pizarra, with a fine texture and almost powdery, elegant tannins, and it transmits a sensation of harmony. It's perfumed and floral and has more red than black fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, precise, clean, tasty and long. It's ripe, but the alcohol (15%) is completely unnoticeable. In fact, it feels less ripe than the Granito from 2020 that I tasted next to it. 4,104 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022.Inc. VAT£246.80 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
The youngest of the reds I tasted, the 2019 Pícaro del Águila Tinto is their most approachable red and is still serious, vibrant and aromatic with great length and still has good aging potential. They use the grapes from the warmest vineyards they have in the village of La Aguilera, form the northern part closer to La Horra, mostly Tempranillo but with some 5% of other varieties (red and white) interplanted in the old vineyards, fermented together with full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak barrels for 15 months. Like the 2019 Clarete, this is young and tender and has more tension than I expected for a warmer year. It has less oak than previous years (only 10% or 15% new barrels), and the wine feels better balanced and is floral and aromatic. It's medium-bodied with a very fine texture, a pretty wine that drinks very well and doesn't reflect a warm year at all, as it has incredible freshness. A great Pícaro. They produced 69,852 bottles and 850 magnums, a notable increase in volume... while they increase the quality! It was bottled in February 2021.Inc. VAT£319.90 -
Wine Advocate (93)
La Gundiñas is the wine that shows the most differences between 2017 and 2018. The 2017 La Vizcaína Las Gundiñas is dark and concentrated, a wine of sun, while the 2018 is delicate and feels like a mini Bonnes Mares! This is quite like a Cornas—meaty, juicy, a little reticent and powerful, with abundant tannins. This is one wine that behaves better in 2017 than in 2016. This is a plot that has ups and down; it might be more regular in the future, as they finally bought it in 2018. Some 5,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2019.Inc. VAT£175.92 -
(6x75cl) 2020Wine Advocate (95)
The 2020 La Vizcaína La del Vivo is super harmonious, tasty and balanced. The wine matured in two 2,500-liter oak foudres, and a small part fermented and matured in amphorae with skins. It's varietal and expressive and comes from two plots, one with sandy soils and another one in Cacabelos with some boulders. There's always a small percentage of Doña Blanca in the blend. It's very dry and has a chalky texture. 6,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2021.Inc. VAT£199.24 -
Wine Advocate (95)
I was impressed by the 2017 La Vizcaína El Rapolao, but the warm vintage was very good for a warmer vineyard like El Rapolao. This is hands-down my favorite of the 2017s from La Vizcaína, the wine that shows more freshness. It's harmonious and perhaps was harvested a little earlier than the others. Like the other wines from the range, this 2017 has more color than the 2018, as well as more power and a little more concentration, and it's also denser than the 2018, with tannins that are grittier and a little drier. But if I didn't have the 2018 next to this, I would only be praising it, because the 2017 is truly impressive, all in place and simply one step up in power and all the rest to keep the balance. 10,000 bottles were filled in May 2019. This is a late-budding vineyard, and it didn't suffer the effect of the spring hail from the year.Inc. VAT£248.44 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Raúl Pérez has purchased the plot of El Rapolao that he uses for La Vizcaína, close to 1.3 hectares, and they expect the wine to have a big change as they are taking over the viticulture and want to lower yields. The 2019 La Vizcaína El Rapolao has plenty of tannin and is more concentrated than the 2020. 5,000 bottles produced.Inc. VAT£176.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
There is more freshness in the 2020 La Vizcaína El Rapolao, where I even found notes of eucalyptus. It's medium-bodied and has fine tannins, very tasty and balanced. There are two new plots in 2020, so they produced some 7,500 bottles. He wants to reach 20,000 bottles here, and there will be a white Rapolao from a plot that he planted with Godello.Inc. VAT£250.32 -
Wine Advocate (96)
The 2019 La Vizcaína La Vitoriana comes from sandy soils and mostly north-facing vines, delivering elegant and floral wines. It's very young and fruit-driven, perhaps not as complex as the 2020. All of these reds are around 13.5% alcohol, medium-bodied and quite harmonious. 2019 was one of the larger crops, and there are 7,000 bottles of this.Inc. VAT£160.32 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2020 La Vizcaína La Vitoriana matured mostly in a troncoconic oak foudre and had a very short time in barrel. This wine has more Alicante Bouschet in the blend than others, and they didn't include the white grapes in the vineyard. But against all logic, the wine has more finesse than the 2019. 6,000 bottles produced.Inc. VAT£173.52 -
Wine Advocate (96)
The 2003 Tirant is a similar blend as the Amadis. Fermented in foudre and aged in French oak for 12 months, it is a more refined version of the Amadis with more complexity and elegance, but nevertheless still a beast of a wine. The purple/black color is followed by aromas of melting tar, blueberries, blackberries, and a touch of vanillin. The wine is dense and rich with layers of flavor, the tannin well hidden by the fruit. Give this bad boy another 4-6 years of cellaring and drink it for 15 years thereafter.Inc. VAT£469.55 -
Wine Advocate (95)
The south-facing Cariñena vineyard used for the 2018 Dits del Terra is worked biodynamically and is in the process of being certified organic. The grapes fermented in concrete with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 50% oak foudre and 50% in concrete. The 2019 will be 100% concrete. You can immediately notice the cooler year and the longer ripening cycle here compared with the 2017; there is more depth here, and the quality of the tannins is completely different and provide for a more elegant mouthfeel. The oak is neatly integrated and folded into the structure of the wine. It comes through as medium-bodied, powerful and elegant. It should develop nicely in bottle. 2,006 bottles were filled in September 2020.Inc. VAT£436.32 -
Wine Advocate (98)
Already bottled in June 2016, slightly earlier as it usually spends two years in foudre to avoid excessive fatigue because of too much oxygen in the wine, the 2014 Les Tosses is pure Cariñena from an old vineyard on slate soils at some 650 meters altitude. There is none of the rusticity I often link to the grape, this is extremely floral and perfumed, with plenty of violets, a little earthy too. The palate is extremely balanced, and I don't remember tannins as elegant as these in a Cariñena before. There is length, freshness and a very, very long finish. This might very well be the best vintage of Les Tosses so far. This wine feels very young and it's a bit shy, but giving it time it is just amazing. It should be much better with a little more time in bottle. If you decide to pull the cork soon, make sure you give it some time to breathe. There are 1,946 bottles produced. The vineyard is almost two hectares, and Dominik Huber only used part of it for this bottling, and the rest goes to Torroja. But, his idea is to increase the volume so he'll take longer to sell this vintage so he can keep the wine for one year longer in bottle before selling it. Smart thinking...Inc. VAT£943.92 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
I found a very complete 2015 Finca Martelo that followed the style and the quality path of the previous vintages. The release of this wine was an important milestone for Torre de Oña, where they look for the typicity of Rioja Alavesa through a blend of old-vine Tempranillo with 6% other varieties (Mazuelo, Garnacha and even white Viura). 2015 was a healthy harvest, and the wine shows a nice combination of power and elegance. It's clean and modern but with a traditional twist, some developed aromas and very fine chalky tannins from the limestone-rich soils. 80,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2019.Inc. VAT£167.98 -
James Suckling (95)
Wow. A glorious chardonnay that I have been admiring for decades. It’s full-bodied with layers of ripe apple, hints of white peach and nougat and vanilla undertones. Creamy. It’s full-bodied and gorgeous all the way through. Drink or hold.Inc. VAT£250.32 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Valdaya's top red, Mirum, keeps improving with every vintage and is now among the best wines in Ribera del Duero. Made with Tinto Fino from old-vine parcels - Los Bueyes and Las Piedras - in Baños de Valdearodos, it's very much a limestone-influenced style from 925 metres, with subtle wood, chalky minerality, red berry fruit, tension and floral, violet top notes. Long, stylish and beautifully judged. 2022-30Inc. VAT£389.98 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
One of the great wines of Spain, not just Ribera del Duero, Mirum comes from a single, 1.2-hectare parcel in Baños de Valdearados. Fermented in concrete vats and aged in 20% new wood, it's pure, focused and violetscented, with pure plum and black cherry fruit, wonderful vivacity and focus, textured tannins, subtle wood spices and a long, chiselled, balanced finish. Drink 2023-32Inc. VAT£329.98 -
Wine Advocate (95)
2020 was drier than average until the harvest, when it rained and diluted the grapes, and they had to wait to regain concentration. The result is that the 2020 Alión is a wine with better balance and freshness. They felt the skins were very ripe and they could extract more and use a little more American oak (4%) in the élevage. From 2019, they kept the press wine separate until June, and they keep separate quantities of press wines that are aged in different containers depending on the quality of the wine. They used a percentage of concrete and oak vats for the élevage, which gives the wine more verticality and freshness. It's a subtle and elegant Alión, not as dense as some other vintages, but with nice balance and very elegant tannins. In 2020, they produced 285,485 bottles of this wine, 7,115 magnums and some larger formats. It was bottled in May 2022.Inc. VAT£482.38 -
Wine Advocate (94)
The 2020 Macán Clásico was cropped from a more generous crop. The grapes were put in a cold chamber for one night and then underwent a cold soak of three to four days, after which they inoculated the yeasts—in 2020, 25% of it was their native yeast. It fermented in stainless steel, and the élevage was 45% in new French and 5% new American oak barrels, 28% in second use barrel and 22% in stainless steel for one year. The bottled wine has 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.78 and 4.5 grams of acidity (tartaric). This is one of the most elegant vintages of this bottling so far. It has showy aromatics with notes of smoky bacon, a bit meaty, and the thing that surprised me the most was the velvety texture. 202,697 bottles, 1,998 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in August 2022.Inc. VAT£283.55 -
(3x75cl) 2005Vinous (97)
(fermented in large oak tanks and aged for six years in new French and American oak barriques) Saturated ruby. Explosively perfumed aromas of fresh ripe red fruits, floral oils, pipe tobacco and incense take on sexy vanilla and woodsmoke nuances as the wine opens up. Densely packed yet shockingly lithe on the palate, offering intense cherry liqueur, red currant and spicecake flavors given spine by a core of juicy acidity. Shows superb energy and clarity, finishing sweet, smoky and extremely long; velvety tannins add gentle grip.Inc. VAT£1,114.38 -
Tim Atkin MW (99)
Reserva (14%) The 2014 Único is the second wine in a row from a cooler, so-called Atlantic year, although the harvest was considerably less wet than 2013. Sourced from the best 40 hectares on the Vega Sicilia estate, covering a total of 30 parcels, this is a stunningly floral, complete, layered Tinto Fino with lily, wild rose and mountain herb aromas, subtle French and 25% American oak, some added backbone from 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a palate of bramble, black cherry, Asian spices and tobacco embellished and freshened by a bright, chalky finish.Inc. VAT£1,188.18 -
Wine Advocate (98)
The NV Único Reserva Especial 2024 Release was produced with a blend of wines from 2010, 2011 and 2012, not that far from the previous release, which was from 2009, 2011 and 2012, as they are slowly trying to increase the average age of the wine. As I've seen in the last few years, they look for a house style from yesteryear, combining more developed characteristics with elegance and freshness. This blend of Tinto Fino with some Cabernet Sauvignon is also lower in alcohol, 14%, with a pH of 3.85 and 5.1 grams of acidity. The color denotes some evolution with a faint orange around the rim. The nose is complex and elegant, a more developed version of the 2014 Único that I tasted next to it, with truffle, forest floor, ripe black fruit, sweet spices, leather and meat. The palate feels quite polished, with a superb texture, sleek and elegant, with very fine tannins, subtle bitterness and a long and lingering taste. This is a superb blending exercise. 18,288 bottles and 272 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2020.Inc. VAT£1,233.18 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
Reserva (14.5%) Valbuena nearly always contains a little Merlot, and that's the case on this 2019, which is dominated by 97% Tinto Fino. Aged in a classic combination of French and 15% American oak, it's a bold, layered, well-structured cuvée with blackberry and blueberry fruit supported by good acidity for the vintage, a balsamic undertone, stylish, youthful tannins and plenty of backbone.Inc. VAT£445.19 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
The latest vintage of Etienne Cordonnier’s wine, made with the help of Rioja legend Jesus Madrazo, is every bit as exciting as the 2014. Now housed in its own winery in Languardia, this is fasting turning into one of the very best producers in the region. Combining Tempranillo with 7% Graciano, it’s wonderfully perfumed and refined with polished tannins, tangy acidity and orange peel and blackberry fruit flavours. Delicious.Inc. VAT£311.09 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Now established in his own state-of-the-art modern winery and the owner of 19 hectares in Languardia, Navaridas and Lapueble de Labarca, divided into 19 different parcels, Etienne Cordonnier is producing one of Rioja’s most distinguished wines. The 2016 is the best release yet, made from Tempranillo and 8% Graciano and showing scented, floral elegance, fine tannins and subtle wood. Margaux meets Rioja?Inc. VAT£361.24
-
Wine Advocate (97)
No 2017 was produced, so after the 2016 I tasted a while ago, we jump to the 2018 La Dama, vinified by Enrique Basarte and Elisa Úcar and blended and bottled by Raúl Pérez, the new owner of the project. They always look for a more delicate expression of Garnacha from selected stonier plots of old head-pruned and dry-farmed vines in the village of San Martín de Unx that are worked organically and biodynamically but are not certified. The wine is stunning, elegant and aromatic, with depth, complexity and grip. It's incredibly young and expressive and doesn't show its age at all; it has a refined nose and is quite fruit-driven and floral, with very integrated oak (like never before), supple flavors and very fine tannins. It has good ripeness and contained alcohol (13.8%) and good freshness and acidity (with a pH of 3.46 and 6.3 grams of tartaric). 10,000 bottles were filled in October 2022.In Bond£188.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
The flagship 2018 Clos Martinet is the wine that started it all and is still a blend of Garnacha (Tinta and Peluda), Syrah, Cariñena, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell as it was since the beginning but now with a restrained 13.5% alcohol and higher acidity. Clos Martinet is a single five-hectare terraced vineyard planted with clonal material in 1986 on decomposed llicorella slate, iron and big rocks in the soil. The varieties are co-fermented depending on the date picked—at three different ripening times—in two concrete vats and 200-liter oak vats with indigenous yeast and whole clusters. The beginning and end of the élevage was in concrete, and in between they used 2,000- and 4,100-liter oak vats and some 20% in glass demijohn and amphorae. The wine is subtle and a bit shy, insinuating rather than in your face. There is a lot less ripeness than in the past. It's medium-bodied and fluid, fresh and balanced. This is a very elegant Clos Martinet. 11,070 bottles and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in June 2020.In Bond£270.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Their flagship 2019 Clos Martinet, one of the wines produced in the first vintage of the new Priorat in 1989 by the father of Sara Pérez, is still a blend of Garnacha (Tinta and Peluda), Syrah, Cariñena, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell. The nose is dark despite the lowish alcohol (13.5%) and has an earthy touch, with hints of fountain pen ink and abundant grainy tannins. 14,000 bottles produced.In Bond£248.00 -
(6x75cl) 2020
Wine Advocate (96)
There is a lot of finesse in the 2020 Pegaso Barrancos de Pizarra, with a fine texture and almost powdery, elegant tannins, and it transmits a sensation of harmony. It's perfumed and floral and has more red than black fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, precise, clean, tasty and long. It's ripe, but the alcohol (15%) is completely unnoticeable. In fact, it feels less ripe than the Granito from 2020 that I tasted next to it. 4,104 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022.In Bond£185.00 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
The youngest of the reds I tasted, the 2019 Pícaro del Águila Tinto is their most approachable red and is still serious, vibrant and aromatic with great length and still has good aging potential. They use the grapes from the warmest vineyards they have in the village of La Aguilera, form the northern part closer to La Horra, mostly Tempranillo but with some 5% of other varieties (red and white) interplanted in the old vineyards, fermented together with full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak barrels for 15 months. Like the 2019 Clarete, this is young and tender and has more tension than I expected for a warmer year. It has less oak than previous years (only 10% or 15% new barrels), and the wine feels better balanced and is floral and aromatic. It's medium-bodied with a very fine texture, a pretty wine that drinks very well and doesn't reflect a warm year at all, as it has incredible freshness. A great Pícaro. They produced 69,852 bottles and 850 magnums, a notable increase in volume... while they increase the quality! It was bottled in February 2021.In Bond£228.00 -
Wine Advocate (93)
La Gundiñas is the wine that shows the most differences between 2017 and 2018. The 2017 La Vizcaína Las Gundiñas is dark and concentrated, a wine of sun, while the 2018 is delicate and feels like a mini Bonnes Mares! This is quite like a Cornas—meaty, juicy, a little reticent and powerful, with abundant tannins. This is one wine that behaves better in 2017 than in 2016. This is a plot that has ups and down; it might be more regular in the future, as they finally bought it in 2018. Some 5,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2019.In Bond£128.00 -
(6x75cl) 2020
Wine Advocate (95)
The 2020 La Vizcaína La del Vivo is super harmonious, tasty and balanced. The wine matured in two 2,500-liter oak foudres, and a small part fermented and matured in amphorae with skins. It's varietal and expressive and comes from two plots, one with sandy soils and another one in Cacabelos with some boulders. There's always a small percentage of Doña Blanca in the blend. It's very dry and has a chalky texture. 6,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2021.In Bond£150.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
I was impressed by the 2017 La Vizcaína El Rapolao, but the warm vintage was very good for a warmer vineyard like El Rapolao. This is hands-down my favorite of the 2017s from La Vizcaína, the wine that shows more freshness. It's harmonious and perhaps was harvested a little earlier than the others. Like the other wines from the range, this 2017 has more color than the 2018, as well as more power and a little more concentration, and it's also denser than the 2018, with tannins that are grittier and a little drier. But if I didn't have the 2018 next to this, I would only be praising it, because the 2017 is truly impressive, all in place and simply one step up in power and all the rest to keep the balance. 10,000 bottles were filled in May 2019. This is a late-budding vineyard, and it didn't suffer the effect of the spring hail from the year.In Bond£191.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Raúl Pérez has purchased the plot of El Rapolao that he uses for La Vizcaína, close to 1.3 hectares, and they expect the wine to have a big change as they are taking over the viticulture and want to lower yields. The 2019 La Vizcaína El Rapolao has plenty of tannin and is more concentrated than the 2020. 5,000 bottles produced.In Bond£126.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
There is more freshness in the 2020 La Vizcaína El Rapolao, where I even found notes of eucalyptus. It's medium-bodied and has fine tannins, very tasty and balanced. There are two new plots in 2020, so they produced some 7,500 bottles. He wants to reach 20,000 bottles here, and there will be a white Rapolao from a plot that he planted with Godello.In Bond£190.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
The 2019 La Vizcaína La Vitoriana comes from sandy soils and mostly north-facing vines, delivering elegant and floral wines. It's very young and fruit-driven, perhaps not as complex as the 2020. All of these reds are around 13.5% alcohol, medium-bodied and quite harmonious. 2019 was one of the larger crops, and there are 7,000 bottles of this.In Bond£115.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2020 La Vizcaína La Vitoriana matured mostly in a troncoconic oak foudre and had a very short time in barrel. This wine has more Alicante Bouschet in the blend than others, and they didn't include the white grapes in the vineyard. But against all logic, the wine has more finesse than the 2019. 6,000 bottles produced.In Bond£126.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
The 2003 Tirant is a similar blend as the Amadis. Fermented in foudre and aged in French oak for 12 months, it is a more refined version of the Amadis with more complexity and elegance, but nevertheless still a beast of a wine. The purple/black color is followed by aromas of melting tar, blueberries, blackberries, and a touch of vanillin. The wine is dense and rich with layers of flavor, the tannin well hidden by the fruit. Give this bad boy another 4-6 years of cellaring and drink it for 15 years thereafter.In Bond£372.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
The south-facing Cariñena vineyard used for the 2018 Dits del Terra is worked biodynamically and is in the process of being certified organic. The grapes fermented in concrete with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 50% oak foudre and 50% in concrete. The 2019 will be 100% concrete. You can immediately notice the cooler year and the longer ripening cycle here compared with the 2017; there is more depth here, and the quality of the tannins is completely different and provide for a more elegant mouthfeel. The oak is neatly integrated and folded into the structure of the wine. It comes through as medium-bodied, powerful and elegant. It should develop nicely in bottle. 2,006 bottles were filled in September 2020.In Bond£345.00 -
Wine Advocate (98)
Already bottled in June 2016, slightly earlier as it usually spends two years in foudre to avoid excessive fatigue because of too much oxygen in the wine, the 2014 Les Tosses is pure Cariñena from an old vineyard on slate soils at some 650 meters altitude. There is none of the rusticity I often link to the grape, this is extremely floral and perfumed, with plenty of violets, a little earthy too. The palate is extremely balanced, and I don't remember tannins as elegant as these in a Cariñena before. There is length, freshness and a very, very long finish. This might very well be the best vintage of Les Tosses so far. This wine feels very young and it's a bit shy, but giving it time it is just amazing. It should be much better with a little more time in bottle. If you decide to pull the cork soon, make sure you give it some time to breathe. There are 1,946 bottles produced. The vineyard is almost two hectares, and Dominik Huber only used part of it for this bottling, and the rest goes to Torroja. But, his idea is to increase the volume so he'll take longer to sell this vintage so he can keep the wine for one year longer in bottle before selling it. Smart thinking...In Bond£768.00 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
I found a very complete 2015 Finca Martelo that followed the style and the quality path of the previous vintages. The release of this wine was an important milestone for Torre de Oña, where they look for the typicity of Rioja Alavesa through a blend of old-vine Tempranillo with 6% other varieties (Mazuelo, Garnacha and even white Viura). 2015 was a healthy harvest, and the wine shows a nice combination of power and elegance. It's clean and modern but with a traditional twist, some developed aromas and very fine chalky tannins from the limestone-rich soils. 80,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2019.In Bond£120.00 -
James Suckling (95)
Wow. A glorious chardonnay that I have been admiring for decades. It’s full-bodied with layers of ripe apple, hints of white peach and nougat and vanilla undertones. Creamy. It’s full-bodied and gorgeous all the way through. Drink or hold.In Bond£190.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Valdaya's top red, Mirum, keeps improving with every vintage and is now among the best wines in Ribera del Duero. Made with Tinto Fino from old-vine parcels - Los Bueyes and Las Piedras - in Baños de Valdearodos, it's very much a limestone-influenced style from 925 metres, with subtle wood, chalky minerality, red berry fruit, tension and floral, violet top notes. Long, stylish and beautifully judged. 2022-30In Bond£305.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
One of the great wines of Spain, not just Ribera del Duero, Mirum comes from a single, 1.2-hectare parcel in Baños de Valdearados. Fermented in concrete vats and aged in 20% new wood, it's pure, focused and violetscented, with pure plum and black cherry fruit, wonderful vivacity and focus, textured tannins, subtle wood spices and a long, chiselled, balanced finish. Drink 2023-32In Bond£255.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
2020 was drier than average until the harvest, when it rained and diluted the grapes, and they had to wait to regain concentration. The result is that the 2020 Alión is a wine with better balance and freshness. They felt the skins were very ripe and they could extract more and use a little more American oak (4%) in the élevage. From 2019, they kept the press wine separate until June, and they keep separate quantities of press wines that are aged in different containers depending on the quality of the wine. They used a percentage of concrete and oak vats for the élevage, which gives the wine more verticality and freshness. It's a subtle and elegant Alión, not as dense as some other vintages, but with nice balance and very elegant tannins. In 2020, they produced 285,485 bottles of this wine, 7,115 magnums and some larger formats. It was bottled in May 2022.In Bond£382.00 -
Wine Advocate (94)
The 2020 Macán Clásico was cropped from a more generous crop. The grapes were put in a cold chamber for one night and then underwent a cold soak of three to four days, after which they inoculated the yeasts—in 2020, 25% of it was their native yeast. It fermented in stainless steel, and the élevage was 45% in new French and 5% new American oak barrels, 28% in second use barrel and 22% in stainless steel for one year. The bottled wine has 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.78 and 4.5 grams of acidity (tartaric). This is one of the most elegant vintages of this bottling so far. It has showy aromatics with notes of smoky bacon, a bit meaty, and the thing that surprised me the most was the velvety texture. 202,697 bottles, 1,998 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in August 2022.In Bond£217.00 -
(3x75cl) 2005
Vinous (97)
(fermented in large oak tanks and aged for six years in new French and American oak barriques) Saturated ruby. Explosively perfumed aromas of fresh ripe red fruits, floral oils, pipe tobacco and incense take on sexy vanilla and woodsmoke nuances as the wine opens up. Densely packed yet shockingly lithe on the palate, offering intense cherry liqueur, red currant and spicecake flavors given spine by a core of juicy acidity. Shows superb energy and clarity, finishing sweet, smoky and extremely long; velvety tannins add gentle grip.In Bond£919.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (99)
Reserva (14%) The 2014 Único is the second wine in a row from a cooler, so-called Atlantic year, although the harvest was considerably less wet than 2013. Sourced from the best 40 hectares on the Vega Sicilia estate, covering a total of 30 parcels, this is a stunningly floral, complete, layered Tinto Fino with lily, wild rose and mountain herb aromas, subtle French and 25% American oak, some added backbone from 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a palate of bramble, black cherry, Asian spices and tobacco embellished and freshened by a bright, chalky finish.In Bond£980.50 -
Wine Advocate (98)
The NV Único Reserva Especial 2024 Release was produced with a blend of wines from 2010, 2011 and 2012, not that far from the previous release, which was from 2009, 2011 and 2012, as they are slowly trying to increase the average age of the wine. As I've seen in the last few years, they look for a house style from yesteryear, combining more developed characteristics with elegance and freshness. This blend of Tinto Fino with some Cabernet Sauvignon is also lower in alcohol, 14%, with a pH of 3.85 and 5.1 grams of acidity. The color denotes some evolution with a faint orange around the rim. The nose is complex and elegant, a more developed version of the 2014 Único that I tasted next to it, with truffle, forest floor, ripe black fruit, sweet spices, leather and meat. The palate feels quite polished, with a superb texture, sleek and elegant, with very fine tannins, subtle bitterness and a long and lingering taste. This is a superb blending exercise. 18,288 bottles and 272 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2020.In Bond£1,018.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
Reserva (14.5%) Valbuena nearly always contains a little Merlot, and that's the case on this 2019, which is dominated by 97% Tinto Fino. Aged in a classic combination of French and 15% American oak, it's a bold, layered, well-structured cuvée with blackberry and blueberry fruit supported by good acidity for the vintage, a balsamic undertone, stylish, youthful tannins and plenty of backbone.In Bond£361.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (96)
The latest vintage of Etienne Cordonnier’s wine, made with the help of Rioja legend Jesus Madrazo, is every bit as exciting as the 2014. Now housed in its own winery in Languardia, this is fasting turning into one of the very best producers in the region. Combining Tempranillo with 7% Graciano, it’s wonderfully perfumed and refined with polished tannins, tangy acidity and orange peel and blackberry fruit flavours. Delicious.In Bond£240.00 -
Tim Atkin MW (97)
Now established in his own state-of-the-art modern winery and the owner of 19 hectares in Languardia, Navaridas and Lapueble de Labarca, divided into 19 different parcels, Etienne Cordonnier is producing one of Rioja’s most distinguished wines. The 2016 is the best release yet, made from Tempranillo and 8% Graciano and showing scented, floral elegance, fine tannins and subtle wood. Margaux meets Rioja?In Bond£285.00
