Wine Advocate (98)

The NV Pedro Ximenez Solera 1927 is non-vintage, but does have some 1927 material in it. This is totally dark brown/amber with notes of figs, toffee, caramel syrup, molasses and coffee. It is dense, super sweet, intense, rich and an amazingly, unctuously textured, thick beverage to consume slowly and introspectively after a meal. Drink now through 2050, or even longer.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

Malvasía Riojana, or Rojal, is a very rare grape that’s only found in old co-planted field blends as a rule. But here it takes centre stage in a brilliant wine that’s fermented and aged on its lees in concrete eggs. Saline, focused and refined, with jasmine and wet stone aromas, a creamy mid palate and a long, focused, pithy finish. A stunning debut. 2021 – 2026.

Tim Atkin MW (97)

Jorge Monzón and Isabel Rodero's Albillo Mayor is one of Spain's greatest whites. Think of it as a cross between a Jura Vin Jaune and a Viña Tondonia Blanco from Rioja in style. Nutty, salty yet produced without a veil of flor yeast, it's a subtly wooded delight, showing old vine concentration and the leesy, waxy, oxidative complexity that comes from a two-year fermentation without added sulphur.

Tim Atkin MW (98)

One of Spain's greatest white wines, produced outside the Ribera del Duero Denominación de Origen for the time being, this is a field blend of Albillo Mayor with 5% of other varieties. Salty, stony and appealingly reductive, with some lovely struck match top notes, it has the concentration of its 100-year-old vines, bread, almond and citrus peel flavours and a chiselled finish. World class.

Celebrated as an epitome of excellence, the Fillaboa Rias Baixas Albarino 2020 is a remarkable embodiment of Spanish viticulture originating from the prestigious Rias Baixas region in Galicia. This distinct single-varietal Albarino was meticulously curated by Fillaboa, a revered estate known for its commitment to maintaining indigenous varieties and implementing sustainable practices in their vineyards.

The wine was produced through careful vinification in stainless steel tanks to extract maximum esseence from the low-yielding, hand-harvested grapes all while maintaining utmost integrity of the Albarino character. The result is a strikingly splendid wine with expressive aromatic profiles of citrus, stone fruits, and subtle floral hints.

Upon tasting, the Fillaboa Rias Baixas Albarino 2020 reveals a harmonious balance of minerality and vibrancy, ending with a lingering finish. This wine's elegance and flavour complexity make it an impeccable pair to seafood and shellfish. An experience in a bottle that is truly unforgettable.

Wine Advocate (93)

2015 was considered a very good vintage, because it was warm, dry and healthy, and the 2015 Viña Gravonia Blanco has a little more alcohol at 13%—only half a degree makes a big difference, and the wine is not as lively as other cooler vintages. For María José López de Heredia, the wine is too alcoholic; the vintage had perfect ripeness and the grapes were super healthy, but the wine lacks the citrus freshness and the vibrancy Gravonia should have. 27,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021. The wine matured for four years in well-seasoned American oak barrels.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2011 Viña Tondonia Blanco Reserva reflects a warm and ripe year, and the wine is more evolved and already hints at some caramel and honey. It has a mellow palate without the vibrancy of the 2010 I tasted next to it. This wine matured in used, ancient American oak barrels for six years. 19,000 bottles were filled in November 2019.

Indulge in the sumptuous experience of Oxer Marko 2021, exclusively crafted at the esteemed basque winery of Oxer Bastegieta. Located in Artadi, Spain, this boutique winery has produced a remarkable vintage, utilising age-old traditions complemented by innovative techniques. Exquisitely grown on calcium-rich clay and limestone soils, the hand-picked Hondarribi Zuri grapes are meticulously vinified via indigenous fermentation, yielding a wine that is resplendent with complexity and refinement.

The hearty essence of the Oxer Marko 2021 manifests impressive freshness, tangibility on the palate, with distinct notes of green apple, citrus, and blooming white flowers. This bottle encapsulates the essence of its terroir, reflecting the geographic singularity of its birthplace. Recommended for discerning connoisseurs, this captivating blend marvelously exemplifies Bastegieta's dedication to superior viticulture and relentless pursuit of perfection. The Oxer Marko 2021 is an unparalleled ode to Spanish wine-making majesty.

Thoughtfully crafted in the heart of the Basque Country, Oxer Marko Gure Arbasoak 2022 exhibits an exquisite bond between tradition and modern winemaking techniques. Produced by the renowned Oxer Bastegieta, a devoted biodynamic practitioner, it is predominant with autochthonous varietals, lending it an authentic regional character. This wine reflects Bastegieta's strategy to achieve the ultimate expression of the terroir, with sustainable viticulture principles enacted meticulously across Marko's 4 hectares estate.

Fermented naturally with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels, the Oxer Marko Gure Arbasoak 2022 unfurls a complex, yet delicately balanced palette. Expect enticing notes of fresh fruit interwoven with subtle spicy undertones and a lingering mineral finish. Its old vine grapes contribute to the inherent depth and intensity, while the refreshing acidity maintains the wine's elegant structure.

A stellar representation of the Basque artisanal wine scene, the Oxer Marko Gure Arbasoak 2022 can't fail to captivate connoisseurs seeking a unique, hedonistic experience.

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

100% Malvasía de Sitges. Organic viticulture. Hand-harvested. Gentle pressing. Fermented in stainless-steel vats and aged on its lees for 9 months with bâtonnage twice a month. Neither fined nor filtered. Tasted blind. Fabulous! It is a saline, linear wine with a lot of energy, depth and very serious too. Elegance, strength, minerality and a clear sensation of wet stones. Very long and precise. Umami sensation on the back palate. I am impressed with this wine. World class. (FC) 12.5%

Pazo Senorans Rias Baixas Albarino Seleccion Anada 2012 is the latest released vintage of the wonderful white, and we can rest assured that it is a wine of immense personality. Awarded 98 points from the Peñin Guide, the leading wine magazine in Spain, this sings with fascinating notes of “white fruit, citrus fruit, fine lees, petrol”. It possesses a richly flavourful and elegant palate ending with a lengthy finish.

Decanter (96)

Part of an accomplished range of Riojas from Laguardia producer Pujanza, this 100% Viura is grown on the small 3.5ha limestone vineyard of San Juan de Anteportalatina at 600m. This terroir produces a distinctive and distinguished white, with layered aromas, savoury notes, fresh lemon, preserved lemon, a touch of salinity, and stony minerality. Rioja's answer to white Burgundy: elegant, mineral, toasty, buttery, citrus, with real verve - a seam of focused acidity. Vibrant finish, long and layered with fresh grapefruit, saltiness, toasted nuts. Aged for 12 months in French oak and concrete. Limited production.

Wine Advocate (98)

The single-vineyard Sorte O Soro had not been produced since 2016, and the 2019 Sorte O Soro is the next vintage after that. This plot has always shown additional elegance, freshness and salinity since he started vinifying it in 2004, because of the altitude (710 meters above sea level) and the north exposure to the Bibei Valley, where the old clone is planted on fine granite sand and quartz soils. Like As Sortes, this Sorte also fermented and matured with lees in new 500-liter French oak barrels for eight months. It has 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.12 and higher acidity (at 7.5 grams) than the rest of the 2019s. It feels very harmonious, elegant and nuanced with some creaminess, with notes of wet pollen and yellow flowers. The palate reflects the soil, with vibrant granite and very fine sand and electric quartz (saline), and it's also round and powerful from the clone that is planted in the vineyard. This vineyard is in the process of being organically and biodynamically certified. 2,240 bottles were filled in September 2020. I tasted the 2019s and 2020s from Rafa Palacios in Valdeorras. For him, these are two very good years. 2019 had a mild and dry winter and a rainy and cold spring that delayed budding, followed by a mild summer with fewer hours of sunshine, which meant a delay in the ripening process. Harvest was more than one month later than usual, and the grapes achieved very slow ripening and full development of aromas and flavors while keeping the acidity. The harvest started in October and finished in November. It's a beautiful, homogeneous vintage with very good wines. 2020 saw a moderately cool and rainy winter and a dry and cold spring that resulted in 20% less bunches than in 2019. The summer was also quite dry but, fortunately, not too hot. Given the low yields, maturation was accelerated, and the harvest began at the beginning of September for Louro and from September 25th for As Sortes. Given the scarce water, the plants had to work harder deep down into the soil, which marked the wines; the silica and quartz from the sandy soils of O Bolo shaped a saline identity and the wines achieved a lot of elegance and balance. It's a more heterogeneous vintage, and the higher-altitude vineyards behaved better. The 2020 O Soro is out of this world. He gave me a quick preview of the very cold 2021, a vin de garde vintage but a challenging year with a lot of rain. They are in the process of certifying their vineyards (organic and biodynamic), but they have some problems in the vineyards with neighbors who are not organic, so it will probably be faster for O Soro and Sorte Antiga.

Decanter (98)

Sampled from a vat, this is one of the best As Sortes I have ever tasted, comparable to the iconic 2011. It's a prodigy of subtleness and elegance. Everything is firmly delicate in this wine. Restrained aromas open up parsimoniously, with a steely structure like a great Burgundy, but with flinty acidity almost like Grosses Gewächs from Rheingau. Despite the fact that the sample was not yet bottled, the wine had no oak influence, just the indication that it had been aged, as top Godello must. Rafael Palacios is refining his work year after year, reaching the magic of the greatest wines. A top wine, and one to keep.

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.

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.