Wine Advocate (93)

The 2019 La Bruja de Rozas was one of the few 2019s already bottled when I tasted the whole range in November 2020. This is a village Garnacha from Las Rozas de Puerto Real, their first approach to the grape, trying to capture the essence of the fresh fruit and the fluidity of the wine. 2019 is a ripe vintage, and the wine is a little more powerful, juicy and balanced, with rich aromas and flavors. It comes from different plots of old vines ranging from 40 to 65 years of age and planted at some 900 meters in altitude on sandy granite soils in a zone that has plenty of rain, averaging 800 liters per year. Like all of their vineyards, these plots are worked organically and biodynamically. Each vineyard fermented separately in oak vats with indigenous yeasts with a soft maceration. The wine matured in oak vats of different sizes, ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 liters. The 2019 effect seems to be quite mild here; the wine follows the profile of the 2018, despite being a little riper, and it's still very balanced. There are notes of flowers, basil and a touch of bacon intermixed with the wild berries and herbs. There's a little more concentration, and the tannins are a little chalkier and more austere. But there is no excess ripeness or anything out of place, and it has acidity and length and finishes dry and mineral. 41,853 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2020.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2021 La Bruja de Rozas is their edgiest and most austere mineral and soil-driven version of their entry-level red. It's herbal, with no concession for fruit, and it has electricity and grip. It's a good preview of what's to come from 2021. It has a lot of 2018 and 2016 characteristics, a cool summer, a year with rain and even some during harvest that complicated matters and made them lose some grapes, but there's more grip, more minerality, more depth, layers and subtleness. It needs time in the glass, and my guess is that at age eight it's going to reach an outstanding level. A grown-up Bruja, it’s more for soil fanatics than the general public, and it’s one to lay down in your cellar (by the case) while you drink your 2020s. There were 55,184 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2022.

Unveiling an exceptional vintage, the Comando G Navatalgordo 2022 is a masterful representation of Spain's finest viticulture. This remarkable wine is hailing from the harsh, mountainous terrains of Sierra de Gredos, a region celebrated for its unique granite soils. The two youthful vintners, Daniel Landi and Fernando García, behind Comando G harness the potential of these surroundings, employing biodynamic principles, rigorous selection, and old vine Grenache clusters to render this majestic libation.

Comando G Navatalgordo 2022 epitomises the quintessence of a classic Grenache, boasting an intriguing amalgamation of red fruit notes underpinned by an alluring minerality. The craftsmen used whole-bunch fermentation, and an extended maceration process with gentle punch-downs, followed by 14 months maturation in large French oak foudres to confer this wine its unassailable complexity and depth.

Tasting Comando G Navatalgordo 2022 is akin to savouring the essence of Navatalgordo terroir, a wine elegantly enveloped in its unique geographical narrative.

Experience the pure essence and seasonal rhythm of the Spanish terroir with Comando G Rozas 2022. Cultivated in the elemental wilds of the Sierra de Gredos mountains, this robust Grenache breaks conventional norms through meticulous vinification, resulting in a characteristically vigorous and complex spirit. Crafted by Fabio Bartolomei and Daniel Landi, the guiding hands behind the revolutionary Comando G winery, this wine embodies their rebellious spirit and reverence for native soil.

Comando G Rozas 2022 is marked by vibrant minerality, framed within lively strawberry and thyme aromas that adorn a poised, profound palate. A meticulous whole-bunch fermentation process ensures the integral preservation of the grape's character. Organic viticulture and an unhindered respect for seasonal variations in the vineyard augment the wine's authentic expression of place. Experience Comando G Rozas 2022 – a triumphant anthem to nature and the art of winemaking.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2015 Clos Santuy is produced with the grapes from an ungrafted, head-pruned 1.12-hectare vineyard in the village of Piquera de San Esteban in the province of Soria, just outside the limits of Ribera del Duero, so it’s sold as Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León. The vineyard is planted at some 968 meters in altitude on shallow sandstone soils and is enclosed by a dry stonewall. Bougnaud has been working and vinifying this plot separately since 2010 and noticed its personality and aging potential, but this 2015 is the first vintage to be released. This is a textbook elegant and fresh Ribera from the cooler part; it’s ripe and powerful but really in balance and includes some 10% of white Albillo grapes that surely add to the silky texture and the fresh sensation on the palate. What a portfolio Galia showed in 2015, and this jewel of the crown filled some 1,073 bottles in September 2017. Bravo!

Wine Advocate (96)

The nose of the 2016 Clos Santuy was a little more discrete and reticent than the 2016 Villages. This comes from a 1.2-hectare plot of ungrafted vines in the village of Piquera de San Esteban that somehow was left out of the Ribera del Duero appellation. There is a sense of harmony and depth unlike that of the Villages, which felt more open and immediate. The palate is pure rock, austere and chalky, with a sense of minerality that was striking. It's approximately 80% Tempranillo and 20% Albillo fermented together with 20% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in one 225-liter barrel and one 600-liter demi-muid for 22 months. 1,095 bottles were filled in September 2018.

Wine Advocate (95)

The nose of the 2016 Villages was stunning. It's a blend of Tempranillo with 9% Garnacha and 4% white Albillo from vineyards in Piquera de San Esteban, Fuentelcésped, Hontangas, Cuevas de Provanco, Quintanilla de Onésimo and Trigueros del Valle. It fermented by soil types with indigenous yeasts and some 20% full clusters (the Garnacha was 100% whole clusters) and matured in a mixture of 225-liter barriques, 600-liter demi-muids and 1,200-liter foudres for 21 months. The élevage was very respectful with the wine, which comes through as floral and terribly aromatic, ripe without excess and with a medium to full-bodied palate, pungent flavors and great length and persistence. The tannins are round and velvety, and there is a sense of integration and balance that I liked very much. 16,140 bottles and 230 magnums were filled in July 2018.

Halliday Wine Companion (96)

There's a lot happening here, all of it good. 80% is sourced from the Eden Valley, 20% the Barossa Valley, co-fermented on skins for 14 days, matured in French oak (10% new), the barrel size ranging from 225l to 2250l. There's a poultice of red and black fruits and ribbons of fine, ripe tannins. You can't deny a wine like this.

Halliday Wine Companion (95)

Matured in French and American hogsheads (18% new) for 18 months. The bouquet does indeed bellow from the glass like that a euphonium. It has a swag of red, black and purple fruits all in tune, something very different for drinking now.

Matthew Jukes (18)

I am particularly partial to Keyneton Euphonium, and it is a genuinely noble creation in 2017. The 2017 is a tighter, more structured style than the expansive 2016, and yet I like it enormously for very different reasons. There is no need for this blend to load muscle and weight on the palate, even though many wines do just this. Imagine, if you will, a KE sporting a perfectly tailored three-piece suit, broad across the shoulders and nipped in at the waist – this is the silhouette of 2017 Euphonium. Elegant, controlled and suave, this is a perfumed wine with a gorgeous, smoky, red-fruited feel. The acidity is mouth-watering, making this intense red wine feel refreshing and savoury. I am extremely impressed and if you consider the diminutive price tag, this is a work of genius. While I appreciate that it could not be more different in delivery than the mighty 2016, I find its balance and elegance exceptionally alluring. You could indeed open a bottle today and enjoy the flavours from the off, but there is a rigidity and poise here buried in its core that will enable this wine to mellow for a good ten to fifteen years.

James Suckling (95)

Spicy and creamy shiraz-based blend with velvety tannins framing a silky core of dark fruit, licorice, cloves, grilled herbs and spices. Five spice and smoked paprika coming through. Full-bodied yet elegant. 65% shiraz, 23% cabernet sauvignon, 9% cabernet franc and 3% merlot. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

My mind went into orbit when I tasted this wine. Tasting like a magical concoction of 4-parts Serralunga d’Alba and 1-part Bonnes-Mares (Morey-side), this wine’s 43% Eden Valley Shiraz component makes it the most energetic, challenging, and utterly mesmerising vintage I can remember. I have always been a Struie fan, but it often sits down in the pack alongside some of the more powerful Shirazes, so one has to look deep into the portfolio to truly appreciate its charms. In 2021, while it is not a bigger wine, it is undoubtedly more intense and aeons longer on the finish, so I can see it standing shoulder to shoulder with its more fêted siblings for years to come.

James Suckling (96)

This has a very attractive, blackberry and red-plum nose with some leafy elements, as well as plenty of oak spice and hints of black tea. This has a fleshy, supple, bold and round palate. Very supple, sleek and long. Silky, yet sturdy. Very drinkable now and will last a good two decades. A vinous slam dunk! Drink or hold.

James Suckling (96)

A very youthful vintage, this is taut and will age very well. Aromas of blackcurrants, tar, blackberries and baking spices lead to a palate that has such an intense, gently smoky thread with a succulent, juicy red-plum, berry and spice finish. Light espresso. Super long-aging Signature here. A blend of Barossa cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. Try from 2024.