2014  Ribera Sacra

Organic/biodynamic Brancellao from RIbera Sacra in Galicia. " It's a light and pale-colored, subtle and aromatic red, with an ethereal palate where the fine-grained tannins are nicely balanced by refreshing acidity. This showcases the potential and elegance of Brancellao, a grape that was ignored for a very long time that still has quite a lot to say. With time it develops a slightly animal character that I've seen in other wines, and it's quite subtle and does not dominate; I wonder if it's inherent to the variety. I need a lot more experience with Brancellao, because it's a grape that is really starting... 3,800 bottles produced." - 93pts WA

2014  Ribera Sacra

Organic/Biodynamic Merenzao (Trousseau) from Ribera Sacra in Galicia. 167 cases produced.

2013  

"The 2013 Gratallops, their village wine, is a blend of 85% Garnacha and the rest Cariñena. The grapes were destemmed, lightly pressed and fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine went through malo and 16 months aging in oak barrels. It might be suffering a bit of bottle shock. In this vintage, the Garnacha was so rich that the percentage of Cariñena is lower to maintain the fluidity of the wine. In this vintage I give the edge to Terrasses. 600 cases produced." - 92+pts WA

2013  Velles Vinyes

"The 2013 Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes, from a rainy year and a late harvest that resulted in perfect ripeness and low yields, is a blend of 55% Garnacha and 45% Cariñena... grown on schist llicorella soils, fermented in a combination of oak and cement vats with natural yeasts and matured in barrique for one year. It has a meaty nose with aromas that transported me to the Northern Rhône, showing smoky bacon intermixed with violets and really well-integrated oak resulting in a very fine and elegant impression. It seems more refined than other vintages of Les Terrasses, lighter and more elegant with none of the volatility or oak of yesteryear. It is really fine, polished and is without edges. Somehow within the Atlantic vintage you can see the Mediterranean character. Awesome Terrasses and good value for Priorat. 7,960 cases produced." - 93pts WA

2014  Sobre Lias

Grape: Godello -- Origin: Galicia, Spain -- Appellation: Valdeorras -- Alcohol by volume: 13.5% -- Features: Organic, Biodynamic -- About the product: This is the wine of the family. A complex wine made form the oldest Godello vines in the world put together to showcase the best that Valdeorras, Godello and Valdesil can make.

2006  Ribera del Duero Reserva

100% Tempranillo. They say the nose knows and here is proof... The big brother Cathar has an inviting, expressive nose of ripe berry, coffee & smoke that promises & delivers a big & full-bodied, chewy, classy Ribera with dense boysenberry fruit & a silky mouthfeel. Room to grow, best to decant for an hour.

2012  Ribera del Duero

"I tasted the 2012 Pingus one week before bottling, so it should be pretty close to the final version as all the lots are assembled and everything is ready. But more than anything, the wine was so exciting that I could not wait until next year to let you know. The 2012 is produced with the biodynamically grown grapes from two very old Tempranillo plots (over 80 years of age), totaling 4.5 hectares in La Horra (Burgos): Barroso is located in an old Duero terrace with a gravel and sandy soil on a chalk and clay subsoil, and San Cristobal which is a clay southwest facing slope. In this vintage, 46% of the clusters fermented with the stems in small, 2,000-liter oak foudres. Malolactic fermentation was carried out in used French oak barrels and the wine was aged for 21 months in second-use French oak barriques: no new oak was used at all. 2012 is really impressive; the word that comes to mind is precision. It-s a really focused, sharp, elegant, harmonious and subtle Ribera, with a mixture of earth, fruit and spice singing in the same wave length. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with a level of precision and integration difficult to find. The tannins have an impressive silky texture, great length and persistence. I see Pingus coming to a new level with this vintage. 6,000 bottles will be filled in 2012. This is a superb vintage for Pingus, a good candidate for a perfect wine. I can only imagine how perfect these grapes were. I get butterflies in my stomach. Drink 2015-2028." - 97-100 WA

2009  

The Moro family has been farming the same vineyards in the Ribera del Duero since 1932, the birth year of Emilio Moro (the patriarch). Emilio Moro is the flagship bottling from the Bodega. It is produced from 100% Tinto Fino from vines ranging from 15-25 years of age. It sees 12 months of aging in French and American barrels. This is a classic example of Ribera del Duero and an excellent value in the magnum. A light, fresh nose, soft mouthfeel, flavors are ripe and dense, a bit extracted, light clay & vanilla notes. Perky acidity, typical for Ribera, a long coffee finish.

2013  'Las Gundinas'

'Las Gundinas' -- La Vizcaina is Raul Perez's project, working with family vineyards in his hometown Valtuille de Abajo. The "cru concept" here is to use identical winemaking practices on wines made from different hillsides in the village: all are 100% whole cluster fermented in mostly large (but some small, as needed) old oak vessels. Aged 12 months in French barriques. Very small production. All the wines are labeled as 100% Mencia; but in fact very few vineyards planted before the 1990s are 100% Mencia. Located on the Camino de Santiago pilgrim's route to Santiago de Compostela, the Bierzo region is home to many different vine orphans that were brought as hostess gifts from regions throughout Europe. These include, but are not limited to: Alicante Bouschet, Merenzao (aka Trousseau), and Jerez (aka Palomino Fino). In order to avoid complications and confusion, the DO years ago turned a blind eye to this reality and permits winemakers to label predominately Mencia wines as 100% Mencia in order to take the Bierzo DO. Organically farmed. WA: 94

2010  Crianza

100% Mencia from a tiny northwestern region near Galicia. If you like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc, you will love Manium! It has delicate and alluring perfume but it really delivers substance, style & structure for the price. An any day, everyday red that will work well with grilled steaks, portabellos & BBQ this Spring & Summer. Steeply terraced Bierzo is the latest DO in Spain to be enjoying renewed interest, investment and winemaking innovation. Recent improvements in producing Mencia have brought another spotlight to Spain's wine scene and wine lovers are appreciating the unique character that Mencia offers. The Manium has a crimson robe. 50-100 year old vines producing grapes with fine concentration. Aged in French oak for 12-14 months. Fresh & spicy, a dark core of blackberry & cassis is wound around bright red lively berry flavors, cranberry & strawberry with a touch of white pepper. medium to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Small production, approximately 2500 cases produced.

2005  

2004