Type of Wines

wines

So much dried flower, mushroom, iron, rust, sweet berry, and grilled orange. Full-bodied with very elegant and refined tannins that melt in the mouth and give a real sense of place and integrity. Balanced and harmonious. The finesse and finish is endless. Production was 30% less than in 2011. Already so drinkable. A wonderful future. This is the new 1934 or 1964, two legends. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 100 JS

The 2013 Reserva Viña Tondonia is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 10% Graciano and Mazuelo, grown in the calcareous soils of the Tondonia meander in Rioja Alta. Aged extensively in American oak, it offers restrained black fruit, wild herbs, balsamic hints and sweet spices with gentle cedar and vanilla notes. Medium-bodied with chalky grip and a layered, tertiary finish, this is a benchmark classic—refined, enduring and unmistakably Tondonia.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe canonical red 2013 Viña Tondonia Reserva has a developed nose of dried roses and tar that transported me to Piamonte but soon took me back to the López de Heredia cellars in Haro with the mixture of mushrooms, truffles, damp earth and decayed leaves, hints of brick dust and spice. 2013 was a rainy year, with 753 liters of it, well above the average of 530 liters in Haro. It was also a cooler year, and the ripeness was slow, so they didn’t start picking until the seventh of October, but they had to hurry up because of the risk of botrytis. The crop was not so big, because they suffered from hail in July that affected the Viña Tondonia, coupled with strong winds that broke many branches. The breakdown in 2013 comes to 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in old oak vats with indigenous yeasts. All the wines age in old American oak barrels in their caves, in this case for no less than six years. It comes in at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.4 and 6.6 grams of acidity, perhaps a lighter vintage with higher acidity that translates into a lot of energy, a fine-boned palate and very fine tannins with a vibrant finish. 190,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021. It should be released in the spring of 2025, almost 12 years after the harvest. And look at the price...Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPWhat a juicy wine. Medium-bodied, showing lots of citrusy allure to the savory plums with a touch of leather. Very bright and succulent. The tannins are firm but resolved. Really long. So delicious and irresistible now but will hold for sure.James Suckling | 95 JS

Dark black cherry in color, this wine has a nose of Chambord, dark chocolate and violet. It is smooth at first sip, with notes of chocolate and coffee that fill the palate and are quickly joined by clove, black plum and cassis flavors.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEBrooding depth with excellent complexity. There’s an attractive umami touch along with notes of dried black mushrooms, dark spices, pine cones, dark chocolate, focused blackberries and dark cherries. It has a full body and fine-veined tannins. Juicy, fleshy and long, but still quite reserved. An exemplary, well-rounded Rioja gran reserva that’s already approachable, but will improve in the next four to eight years.James Suckling | 94 JS

One of Spain’s best-known and beloved wines, this vintage, the 2015 Unico, like always, saw five years of aging in barrel and vat and another five years in bottle. It was bottled in May 2021. Blending 96% Tempranillo and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Vega Sicilia estate, usually from the same plots of 40+-year-old vines, it opens in expressive, juicy, lush pomegranate and dark cherry carried by supple, silky tannins and bright acidity. The length and structure are remarkable. The grapes were harvested “al dente,” when they were crisp, fresh, and juicy, perfectly ripe. There is tremendous balance between the wine’s acidity and freshness and full-bodied power. This will age 60 years and is winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga’s first vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2015 Vega Sicilia Unico is Tinta del País with 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from Ribera del Duero. The nose is aromatically complex, with balsamic notes, forest floor, delicate herbs such as rosemary and thyme and an evolved profile showing vanilla, maraschino cherry and dried fruit. Silky and layered, the palate features chalky tannins and a smooth texture, offering depth and nuance. Subtle oak, fresh plum and herbs combine for a long, refined finish. A classic expression of elegant Ribera.Vinous Media | 98 VMVery whole and round with a generous width on the mid-palate offset by an assertive energy, supported by vivid acid and a well-presented tannic framework. An interesting counterpoint to the more chiseled linearity of the 2014 iteration. With all elements very much in their right place, but fruit still unapologetically punchy, it’ll be interesting to see how this evolves as tertiary complexity softens the primary and secondary vividness. Cocoa powder, dry tobacco leaves and seaweed hover over juicy plum, dark cherry and black olive. Very long, spicy finish with lingering tapenade and salty liquorice.Decanter Magazine | 98 DECSit back and enjoy this Unico if you are going to open it now. Exotic spices and touches of balsam and cumin come up after the unleashing of blackberries, chocolate, iron, incense and violets. So fine-grained and polished, with a mouthful of velvety tannins that are so cohesive, close-knit and still reactive. Impeccably structured, it’s vertical before going extremely long and linear. A consistent Unico that seduces with a hint of iron-like minerality and rusticity. Drink on release or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2015 Único comes from a year with a fast ripening, and they had to harvest early to keep the crunchiness of the fruit. This was the first harvest produced 100% by winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga. The aging was five years in oak, one and a half years in barrels and three and a half years in oak vats. It’s a big vintage, produced with 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s ripe, with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.88 and 4.8 grams of acidity. The grapes were cooled down for one day, then the bunches were selected and fermented with a pied de cuve in vats. It’s a ripe and concentrated vintage, with a classical modern Vega Sicilia nose that’s expressive, aromatic and open, with notes of dark cherries, spice and cigar box. It has a medium- to full-bodied palate with abundant fine-grained tannins, good balance and the rustic elegance of the best Ribera del Dueros. In 2015, they produced 84,184 bottles, 3,645 magnums and some larger formats, less than in 2014, which was the largest production of Único ever. It was bottled in May 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis enticing red is fluid and silky on the palate, offering a core of plumped cherry fruit accented by notes of licorice root, rooibos tea, vanilla and milled pepper. There’s length and expression without overpowering weight as this integrates fine tannins, a satiny texture and lively acidity. Long and focused. Tinto Fino and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2040. 7,016 cases made, 393 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The 2016 Único was perfumed and elegant, showcasing a very good vintage in the region. Winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga started in 2015—a powerful year—and he remembers 2016 as a very balanced year, with higher yields and finer-boned wines. The winter was mild, and there was a cooler than average spring and a warm summer. September was dry, which provided healthy grapes and balanced ripening. The harvest started the 22nd of September and finished the 11th of October. The bottled wine is 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.82 and 4.8 grams of acidity. It has the old Vega perfume, intoxicating, complex and nuanced, full of personality and a very energetic palate, vibrant and fresh, not lacking power but with lots of elegance. The wine is released 10 years after the harvest, combining time in new and used American and French oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats, and it obviously spends plenty of time in bottle. This is a monumental vintage of Único. A total of 92,292 bottles, 3,695 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in May 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPA beautifully poised Vega that is already approachable. Everything is in harmony, showing an almost ethereal quality in contrast to the denser 2015 vintage. There’s a hint of minerality paired with the blackberries and dark cherries. The tannins are firm yet softened. Medium to full body and a finish that lingers for a minute. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JS

The current 2016 Jesús Yllera is floral and perfumed and is evolving nicely and absorbing the oak, coming through as both elegant and powerful, with fully developed flavors and a polished palate. It’s sleek and balanced. 145,000 bottles were filled in July of 2018.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Complex scents of black cherry, liquorice, spice and smoke. Bright entry to the palate; refreshingly spicy, with layers of lemon sorbet and sweet raspberry. Restrained but full-flavoured with a long, appealing, rounded finish. Beautiful blend.Decanter | 95 DEC

José Luis Ripa has only started his own label recently, dedicated to solely making Rioja Rosado. He probably has plenty of red and white Rioja in his cellar to drink already, as his wife is Maria José López de Heredia! His 2018 Rosado is composed from a blend of eighty-five percent Garnacha and fifteen percent Tempranillo, with the wine is fermented and raised in older, French oak demi-muids for eighteen months prior to bottling. The wine offers up a refined bouquet of strawberry, blood orange, chalky soil tones, rose petals, a touch of oak from the older casks and a lovely array of Rioja spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with outstanding depth at the core, bright acids, lovely balance and grip and a very long, gently vinous finish. This is truly a stunning bottle of Rioja Rosado! It is delicious already, but is clearly built to age and will have little difficulty cruising along for twenty years or more! Great juice. (Drink between 2023-2050).John Gilman, A View from the Cellar | 94 JGThe rosé 2018 RIPA Vino Rosado follows the same path as the 2017, 60% Garnacha and 40% Tempranillo aged and matured in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels where the wine matured for 30 months. The vintage was quite cold, and the grapes were picked on October 20. The wine has a more vibrant palate and a lower pH, with more freshness. It’s quite marked by the long élevage, so it takes on a specific profile with more nutty and spicy notes and a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. It’s spicy, vibrant, still round and lush, with a dark color, very different from the pale Provençal examples... 6,200 bottles were filled in December 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

In 2012, Sandra Bravo settled in the high altitudes of Rioja Alavesa, where she found small parcels of old-vine garnacha that reminded her of vineyards she had worked with in Priorat. This 2018 is the first release of her Garnachas de Altura, from a collection of small parcels in Rivas de Tereso, a village of 21 people in the northern reaches of Rioja, above San Vicente de la Sonsierra. The vines average 70 years of age and grow at elevations of 2,300 feet in a mix of clay and limestone soils; Bravo has purchased some of the parcels, and farms them all, converting them to organics. She allows the wine to ferment spontaneously in old casks, then ages it in clay pots. You can taste the influence of the altitude and the limestone in the bright, zesty coolness of the fruit, in the light intensity of the strawberry flavors and crushed-black- peppercorn crunch. It’s a lithe Rioja delivering the beauty of the hills, a wine to enjoy fresh and young.Wine and Spirits | 94 W&SThere is a new 2018 La Dula Garnachas de Altura produced with grapes from high-altitude vineyards in the village of Rivas de Tereso, small plots of old vines at 650 meters in altitude. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in 300-liter amphorae at low temperature, which means a very slow fermentation. The wine has a bright ruby color that is quite attractive and a perfumed and floral nose. It’s medium-bodied and textured with very fine chalky tannins, and it has good freshness and very good balance, purity of flavors and length. It matured in foudre for eight months, but the oak is perfectly integrated and not noticeable. This is plain delicious. 3,650 bottles were filled in August 2019.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThere’s an apple and pear mix here that has fresh allure on the nose and delivers a zippy and attractively fresh palate that has good weight, flesh and a gently creamy, apple sorbet-like finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JS

The 2018 Vino de Finca is a blend of Monastrell with 25% Garnacha from a cooler, more continental vintage. The Monastrell is from 20- to 30-year-old vines, and the 8-year-old Garnacha is from limestone-rich soils. It fermented in the underground stone pools with 25% to 30% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in 5,000-liter foudres and 500-liter barrels for 12 months. As all the Garnacha plots are now in production, there has been a higher percentage of it in the blend since 2017. The selection of plots used for this wine results in something more serious, more austere and with more depth than the entry-level Casa Castillo. He doesn’t use Syrah in this blend because he thinks without Syrah it has a more Mediterranean profile, with aromatic herbs, thyme, rosemary and lavender and the slightly more rustic notes of the Monastrell. 53,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2019.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The elegant red from Toro, the 2019 Aciano was produced with the grapes from a three-hectare plot of old ungrafted vines planted in 1919 on sand, sandstone and limestone soils. It’s aromatic, perfumed and elegant, with moderate ripeness (for the zone), 14% alcohol and very good freshness and balance, coming through as fine-boned and medium-bodied with very fine tannins. It fermented with 100% full clusters that were foot trodden daily during the fermentation with indigenous yeasts and then only wetting the cap, with a soft and very long maceration that lasted some 45 to 60 days. It matured in 500- and 800-liter oak barrels and 1,500- and 2,100-liter oak foudres for 12 months, followed by a further 12 months in concrete. Delicious and super elegant Toro! 8,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPA touch of nice funk and freshly turned soil adds interest to the aromas of salted plums, peppercorns and cherries. Quite honest, with a distinctive texture to the palate. Naturally juicy and fresh, with firm tannins that tightly coat the palate. Slight bitterness at the end. Tinta de toro. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS

The 2019 Brega is more open and expressive, with gorgeous kirsch, herbes de Provence, pepper, and leather-like aromatics, and it’s full-bodied, has a broad, layered mouthfeel, plenty of tannins, and a great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDA bold and ripe garnacha with some nicely baked red cherries and strawberries, with some white pepper spices. Nice texture on the medium- to full-bodied palate, showing close-knit, chalky tannins and a ripe, but juicy finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSThis dark-violet-colored wine has a bouquet of blackberry, purple plum, clove and vanilla. Silky smooth on the palate, it offers Mission fig, black-cherry, clove, eucalyptus and milk-chocolate flavors wrapped in a web of plush tannins that glide into a enduring finish.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA harmonious red, with fine, crisp tannins providing trim definition to concentrated flavors of black cherry reduction, Kalamata olive, wild herbs and milled pepper. Long and fresh on the palate, with mineral accents on the finish. Drink now through 2029. 1,650 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WSAn unashamedly big and powerful wine, appealing to those who prefer their wines rich and oaky. This is from the Jorge Ordónez-owned Bodegas Breca, from two very old plots planted in 1900 and 1918. With smoky bacon, woody spice and layers of red fruits, the wine is high in alcohol but not driven by it.Decanter | 90 DEC

The white 2019 Peñalba López Vino Blanco is still sold as Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León, as it’s a blend of Albillo Mayor, Albillo Real, Viura and Chardonnay; but it’s a full-fledged Ribera del Duero otherwise, as it was produced with grapes from their estate vineyards in the Finca Torremilanos. Like all of their wines, it’s certified organic and biodynamic. It fermented and matured in oak barrels for 17 months, a much longer élevage than before. It has moderate alcohol and very good acidity coupled with some creamy hints, white flowers, pollen and spices. It was bottled without added sulfites, which gives it a somewhat wild profile, and it has character and something intriguing about it, with a tasty palate, long and tasty. 8,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

The juicy and chewy unoaked red 2019 Señorío de P. Peciña Cosecha Tinto has bright ripe fruit and an earthy touch, a medium body and soft tannins that give it a supple texture. It’s a blend of Tempranillo with 3% Garnacha and 2% Graciano fermented with indigenous yeasts and kept in tank until bottling.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP(Rioja “Cosecha”- Bodegas Señorío Pedro Peciña (Rioja Alta)) The 2019 Rioja “Cosecha” from Bodegas Peciña is a lovely wine, with plenty of black fruit informing both the nose and the palate. The bouquet is bright and jumps from the glass in a mix of black cherries, dark berries, cigar smoke, just a touch of Rioja spice tones and a good base of soil. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied and tangy, with a fine core of ripe fruit, good focus and grip, moderate tannins and a long, well-balanced finish. This is still a young wine, but it is eminently drinkable already and will only get better with a bit of bottle age. This augurs extremely well for the Crianzas, Reservas and Gran Reservas we will see down the road from the 2019 vintage, as this wine is really excellent for its level! (Drink between 2021-2040)John Gilman | 90 JG

Even if already sold out, I also tasted the white 2020 Cullerot because it’s probably their finest vintage for this wine. The nose is very expressive, with notes of flowers, talcum powder, fennel and aniseed, pollen and herbs, with a soft texture combining volume with freshness in a year when the grapes ripened properly. It’s been settled by some time in bottle and feels very harmonious and ready. It has 13.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.23 (the white does not go through malolactic) and feels very balanced, tasty and supple. 40,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP(Cullerot Blanco- Celler del Roure) Celler del Roure is blessed with ancient cellars carved into the bedrock below the winery, where past generations fermented and aged the wines in amphorae dug into the stone. They were not used for several decades, but recently the winery decided it would be interesting to see how these amphora wines would taste and started to produce a lineup of bottlings made from these ancient vessels. The Cullerot Blanco bottling is composed of a blend that includes Pedro Ximénez, Macabeo and Malvasia, among other varieties co-planted in the vineyards. The wine starts out fermentation in stainless steel tanks and then is transferred to the amphorae embedded in the rock for six months of aging. The 2020 Cullerot comes in at thirteen percent alcohol and offers up a complex nose of tart orange, breadfruit, lemongrass, lovely soil tones, citrus peel and a touch of honeysuckle in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, nicely ripe and complex, with a fine core, excellent soil signature, zesty acids and a long, complex and very well balanced finish. This is most impressive! (Drink between 2022 - 2028)John Gilman | 92 JG

The fruit for Safrà is grown biodynamically at 600m on sandy soils in Finca Els Corrals, mainly from 20- to 40-year-old Mandó vines harvested before fully mature, with about 15% of Garnacha Tintorera in the blend. Produced by owner Pablo Calatayud and winemaker Javier Revert, the wine was vinified in stainless steel using indigenous yeasts, with one third of the fruit in whole bunches. This was followed by six months’ maturation in earthenware jars. Sarah Jane Evans MW: Earthy, winey aromas – a clear expression of the variety. Refreshing notes of dark plum and cherry, with light citrus. Long, intense finish. An original. Christine Allen: Redcurrant, fresh cherry and high-tone florals on the nose. Lingering spiced fruit and a floral finish. A stunning example of what Valencia can do. Beth Willard: Enticing chalky, creamy milk chocolate and raspberry aromas. Pretty floral character, with rose petal, sweet fruit and ripe tannins. Very fresh and drinkable.Decanter | 95 DECThey consider 2020 Safrà the more balanced vintage to date, with the help of the Arcos structure, which makes it longer and more complex. It’s 70% Mandó and 30% Arcos that fermented in stainless steel vats with 30% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in 2,600-liter tinaja for six months. It has 13% alcohol and a pH of 3.45. It’s juicy, floral, tasty and fresh, with very fine tannins and a long, focused finish. The combination of Mandó and Arcos works quite well; the blend is serious, with structure keeping the brightness. All of these wines are incredible values. 20,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RP

Torre Muga is the top wine among the current releases from this Haro-based bodega, right up there with the best bottlings of this avowedly modern blend of Tempranillo with 10% each of Mazuelo and Graciano. A Rioja with a French accent, as it were, it has coffee bean oak, violet and green herb aromas, granular tannins, blackberry and bramble fruit and the structure to age in bottle. 2026-42. Tim Atkin | 98 TALastly, the 2020 Torre Muga just about jumps out of the glass with its complex red and black fruits, savory flowers, tobacco, lead pencil shavings, and graphite-like aromatics. Plush, full-bodied, concentrated, and beautifully balanced, it shows the softer, more rounded style of the vintage and has ripe tannins and a great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDTorre is a bolder, more concentrated expression of Rioja from Muga. Meaty and tarry nose with smoked bacon. Lots of grilled herbs and some dark sweet spices. Powerful, broad and full-bodied on the palate with lots of vertical, dusty tannins that lead you towards the long, juicy finish. Tempranillo, mazuelo and graciano. Better from 2025.James Suckling | 96 JSThe more modern wine in the portfolio is the 2020 Torre Muga, which has notes of toast, smoke, sesame seeds, smoky bacon, spices, herbs and ripe berries. It is a wine they started producing in 1991, and the change in style also influenced the quality approach and selection of vineyards, grapes and oak for the barrels that they later applied to other wines. It has a polished palate with very fine tannins, chalky and elegant. It’s a more approachable vintage, round, velvety and soft, though perhaps without the aging potential of 2021, but it’s very pleasant. It’s long. They didn’t bottle the 2020 from Aro, so some of those grapes might have finished in this bottle. It was bottled in December 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe garnet-hued 2020 Torre Muga is a blend of Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano sourced from Rioja Alta, aged for 18 months in new French oak barrels. Its ripe aromas reveal balsamic and clove notes, featuring a delicate core of plums with hints of cedar and vanilla. On the palate, it is dry and plush, with a lingering juicy sensation and a fairly chalky texture. This is a complex Rioja wine that nods to a riper Bordeaux style.Vinous Media | 94 VMA bold but poised red, with fine, chalky tannins. Lively acidity lends definition and tension to the panoply of flavors, which partners savory game, espresso, cured tobacco and iron notes with ripe boysenberry, crème de cassis, cocoa powder and licorice accents. This should age nicely, but why wait? Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano. Drink now through 2034. 3,000 cases made, 600 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Looking at the 2020 Vatan, it comes from a single vineyard planted in 1900. Raised in barrel, this deep purple-hued beauty offers up a gorgeous array of cassis and darker berry fruits as well as integrated classy oak, roasted herb, graphite, and Asian spice-like nuances. It’s a rich, powerful wine yet stays light on its feet and balanced, with beautiful tannins and integrated acidity.Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDThe 2020 Vatan comes from exceptionally old vines in the Quemaos vineyard situated in the Villaester de Abajo area. Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, it displays a dark purple color. The balsamic nose reveals plums, sour cherries and subtle blackberries over a cedar layer. Rich, creamy and juicy on the palate, the supple tannins and mild intensity lead to a nuanced, enduring finish. This is a vibrant interpretation of a successful year for Toro.Vinous Media | 94 VMLooking at the 2020 Vatan, it comes from a single vineyard planted in 1900. Raised in barrel, this deep purple-hued beauty offers up a gorgeous array of cassis and darker berry fruits as well as integrated classy oak, roasted herb, graphite, and Asian spice-like nuances. It’s a rich, powerful wine yet stays light on its feet and balanced, with beautiful tannins and integrated acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEAn elegant, medium- to full-bodied red that marries a pretty range of macerated black raspberry and boysenberry fruit, violet and bay leaf notes with supple tannins and lively orange peel acidity. Shows hints of spices, mineral and graphite that linger on the finish. Drink now through 2028. 3,500 cases made, 2,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WSAn overlay of vanilla ice cream to the fresh blackberries and cherries with a hint of coffee and hibiscus flowers. Juicy and tight on the palate, with some fluidity in the center palate. The finish is crunchy and succulent, although it is quite tight and grippy. Come back in 2025.James Suckling | 91 JS

The 2020 Valbuena 5° ages five years in oak and bottle, which gives it its name. Harvest was challenging due to Covid and rain, requiring due diligence in the field and a faster, earlier harvest than anticipated, the grapes coming from the Vega Sicilia estate’s vines with about 35 years of age. It’s an ethereal, medium-bodied wine of lovely delicacy and elegance, 97% Tempranillo blended with 3% Merlot, then aged 12 months in French and American oak, six months in stainless steel and then 18 months in bottle. Blackcurrant, cedar, and balsamic highlight a citrusy freshness. It will hit its prime in five years and age another 20-25.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDProduced with a selection form the more ethereal parcels that don’t deliver the power sought for Unico, Valbuena 5º is however much more than a younger sibling of the iconic wine. The 2020 vintage, a child of a challenging growing season, both due to natural and operational challenges (remember Covid?...), it is a great achievement of nuanced power and detailed complexity, with a luscious fruit core lined with oregano, dried sage and thyme. Dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans build a broody background layer while Assam and Oolong tea leaves add umami depth. Beautiful detail and depth to the tannins.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECValbuena 5 used to be the baby Unico, and nowadays it is more like its younger brother with a lot of resemblance and just a bit less depth and tannins. Valbuena 5 comes from younger vines and sometimes different parcels from Unico. On the palate, this is more open and linear, while Unico is more profound and vertical. Notes of iron, blackberries, cedar, minerals and cocoa powder. Medium- to full-bodied with melted tannins and a long, long finish. Drinkable from 2025, but will hold for years.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2020 Valbuena is from a year marked by COVID-19 and lots of rain before the harvest, which resulted in a more ethereal wine, with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.9 and 4.45 grams of acidity. It was produced with 97% Tinto Fino and 3% Merlot, cooled down for 24 hours and then fermented with indigenous yeasts from a pied de cuve in stainless steel. It matured in barrel and oak vats during the first year, and in the second one, it aged exclusively in oak vats of different sizes, 8,500 and 21,000 liters. In 2020, the wine is finer-boned, more fluid and only medium-bodied, perhaps because of the dilution from the rain; the tannins are fine-grained and polished, but there’s less juiciness in the wine. It calls for food. With time in the glass, the wine opens up and becomes more aromatic, and it even seems to gain juiciness and change texture. This is a production of 186,286 bottles, 5,673 magnums and some larger formats. It was bottled in May 2023.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2020 Valbuena 5º is Tinta del País from Ribera del Duero. Balsamic and herbal aromas mingle with forest, red fruit, cherry, violet and a hint of apple peel on the nose. The palate is intense, with a velvety texture, moderate concentration and enveloping flow. Chalky tannins and a touch of creaminess define the structure. Ample and richly flavored, with subtle oak in the background. A fine example of elegant Ribera.Vinous Media | 95 VMA harmonious red, fresh and medium- to full-bodied, with a lovely skein of ground espresso, anise and paprika aromas lacing the black plum, cassis, violet, vanilla and loamy earth notes. Its fine-grained tannins are well-integrated and emerge to firm the long, focused finish. Tinto Fino and Merlot. Drink now through 2035. 15,525 cases made, 812 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

This has aromas of orange peel, plums, raspberries, wild strawberries, violets and tobacco leaves. Excellent freshness with lightly bitter citrus and herb notes lifting the wild berry fruit, supported by fine tannins. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS(Godello “Pagos del Galir”- Virgen del Galir) The 2020 Godello “Pagos del Galir” bottling from Cuné’s Virgen del Galir property is lovely this year. As I have mentioned in the past, this wine hails from the single vineyard of A Malosa, with the wine fermented and raised in stainless steel tanks. The 2020 is fairly ripe, coming in at fourteen percent octane this year, but impressively fresh and vibrant on both the nose and palate,. The bouquet offers up a refined blend of lemon, pear, a bit of raw almond, stony minerality, citrus blossoms and just a whisper of beeswax in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a superb core, lovely soil signature and grip, sound framing acids and a long, well-balanced and quite wide open finish. Like many 2020 whites, this does not have a ton of acidity, but plenty to carry it over the next ten to twelve years. (Drink between 2022-2035)John Gilman | 92 JGThe white 2020 Pagos del Galir A Malosa Godello was produced with grapes from a large vineyard (21 hectares!) planted over four years after purchasing over 100 small plots from local growers. So, it has different soils, expositions and altitudes. In 2020 they used the grapes from the lower and middle parts, the oldest plantings on slate soils fermented in stainless steel, barrels (500 and 600 liters) and oak foudres and then matured in foudres and barrels for seven months. 2020 saw a very early harvest with higher yields than 2019, resulting in a wine with 13.5% alcohol and 6.5 grams of acidity. They have seen that small barrels don’t work in the region and have moved to larger sizes, all from French oak. The nose has a Burgundian feeling to it, spicy and with a toasty twist. The oak is still there, so it might need more time to get that creaminess integrated, but it’s very clean and of high quality. There is great purity, definition and precision here. The wine is elegant and subtle, with a long, dry and tasty finish. It has good acidity, one of the challenges with Godello. 19,000 bottles and 300 magnums were produced. It was bottled in May 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91+ RPLight, vivid yellow. Fresh, mineral-tinged citrus and orchard fruits and a powerful floral quality on the perfumed nose. Juicy and focused on the palate, offering lively Meyer lemon, pear and honeysuckle flavors that deepen through the back half. A dusty mineral flourish adds firm cut to the persistent finish, which features clinging citrus fruit and floral notes.Vinous Media | 91 VM

2020 was a challenging year that gave them a lot of work in the vineyard, but it it paid off. The 2020 Laurel feels very elegant, balanced and fresh, a little lighter perhaps, with perfectly ripe tannins, a little in line with 2016 or 2013. It might be a little unusual for the house style or perhaps a slight change, as they are gradually going for softer vinifications; you don’t really need to extract in Priorat, because the wines are powerful enough on their own. It’s still extremely young and has a lactic touch (that blows off with a bit of time in the glass); it was only bottled at the end of May 2022, three months before I tasted it. Even if it’s the second wine here, it’s a wine that needs a little bit of time and improves in the bottle. Having said that, the 2020s feel more open, expressive and approachable than the 2019s, which are more tannic and powerful while the 2020s feel a little more Burgundian if you like. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Laurel so far. After some time in the glass, the aromatics of the Syrah (which was perhaps a little more this year, some 12% versus 8% in 2019) made an appearance—violets, smoked bacon. Daphne Glorian told me that everything was easy, that the wine was expressive and open from day one and that the fermentations were smooth. There are some 19,000 bottles of this.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

The house red 2020 Tinto showed superbly. It’s a blend of Tempranillo from the Obarenes Mountains (Sajazarra and Fonzaleche) with 20% Garnacha from Cárdenas on clay and some 5% white that has 14.2% alcohol but feels perfectly balanced and integrated. It has a serious, harmonious nose with complexity and depth but also youth. It has a soft and juicy texture with focused and clean flavors, finishing with an almost salty twist. Super tasty and easy to drink! Great value too. It matured in a mixture of 1,000- and 3,000-liter oak foudres and 225- and 500-liter barrels. 22,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

A traditional red blend of 80% Tempranillo with 10% each Garnacha and Graciano, the 2020 Horizonte de Exopto combines grapes from Ábalos and, since 2016, also San Vicente de la Sonsierra, as he cannot produce village wines from there as his winery is in Laguardia! This year he also added the new plots from Baños de Ebro that represent 15% of the blend and which he feels add fresh red fruit notes and silky tannins. It showcases the Sonsierra zone with fresher Tempranillo with balance, length and the chalky sensation from the limestone soils. It fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts and matured 50/50 in 600-liter demi-muids and 225-liter barriques for 12 months. It follows the path of the 2019 with a little more freshness. 12,000 bottles were filled in November 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPHibiscus, blackberries and some cherry compote and spiced dark fruit. A full-bodied Rioja, loaded with juicy yet resolved tannins that seal off the palate, before a delicious, peppery finish. Tempranillo, graciano and garnacha. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JS

The white 2021 Cargol Treu Vi has notes of pollen and yellow fruit with some browning apples. It has contained ripeness and 12.4% alcohol with a very low pH and high-ish acidity but comes through as more evolved and somewhat riper than the phenomenal Principia Mathematica form this same vintage. It has pungent flavors and a medium-bodied palate, with some spice from aging in 300-liter barrels for 10 to 11 months. 2,100 bottles were filled in August 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The bread-and-butter wine here is the 2021 Bela, produced with Tempranillo from the village of Villalba de Duero (mentioned on the label), from sandy and clay rich soils on limestone mother rock that delivers powerful but not overripe wines with a short-ish élevage to achieve a fine-boned and fresh wine. The grapes were picked between October 1st and 25th, mostly Tempranillo but some 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot too, and it matured in French oak barrels for nine months. The wine has 14.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.57 and close to five grams of acidity, textbook parameters from the zone and textbook profile of classical Ribera; it’s ripe without excess, with very integrated oak and a velvety palate with silky tannins. It reminds me of the historical wines from the early 1990s, Valribeño and so on, with some rusticity but very honest and characterful. With time in the glass, it develops a precise note of licorice intermixed with berry fruit and some spices and herbs. They feel this is the wine they wanted to produce from the beginning; they consider it their best vintage to date irrespective of the style of the year, with 2019 more powerful, 2020 more elegant and this 2021 something in between. 85,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP