2012  

"The 2012 Valbuena was cropped from a vintage with a very dry and warm summer that resulted in very healthy grapes. Since the 2010 vintage, this wine is fermented plot by plot following the findings from a soils study they did. The élevage is in French and American oak barrels that on average lasts some 18 months followed by another 18 months in 20,000-liter oak vats, but of course some lots had more time in barrique and others more time in vat. It has ripe tannins and a powerful mouthfeel but with a soft texture. Even if it's not widely mentioned, it always has had some French grapes, mainly Merlot, but this 2012 is the first Valbuena ever to be really 100% Tempranillo - because the Merlot didn't behave well in this warm and dry year. It follows the path opened by the 2010, more precise and elegant, rounded by that extra time in larger vats to finish polishing the tannins. I find this 2012 halfway between 2010 and 2011. It has depth and elegance, more serious than Alión, which is always the (maybe unfair) comparison. 174,545 bottles and some larger formats were filled in April 2014." - 95pts WA

1998  Gran Reserva

"The 1998 Gran Reserva 904 is a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano aged in American cask for four years. It has a very fine nose with notes of dried honey, cloves, raisin and wild heather that blossom in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of orange peel on the entry. It has an effortless sense of harmony and poise, with a crisp tense finish and suffused with a sorbet-like freshness. It just dances across the palate, a memorable Rioja with style and panache. Drink now-2030." - 95pts WA

2006  Benjamin Romeo 'La Cueva del Contador'

Benjamin Romeo 'La Cueva del Contador'

2011  Torroja Vi de Vila

50% Carinena, 50% Garnacha. Terroir al Limit is a partnership between super-star South African winemaker Eben Sadie and former chef Dominik Huber. Their go-to reference wine/estate is Domaine de la Romanee Conti and it’s apparent that their range of wines is modeled after the Burgundy tradition of village wines, 1er cru site wines, and Grand Cru single vineyard wines. Terroir al Limit is a true garage wine project focusing on old vines of garnatxa and carinena located primarily around the historic village of Torroja. The philosophy of the estate is to capture the character of the terroir by minimizing the effect of winemaking to minimal processing and natural handling of the grapes, enabling the individual sites to express themselves fully. The vines are farmed biodynamically although they are not certified.

2016  Bierzo Tinto

Bierzo Tinto -- "I loved the 2016 Ultreia El Rapolao, which opened in a very spectacular way with time in the glass. It has notes of wild berries flowers and herbs intermixed with some earthy notes. The palate is intense but terrifically balanced, with very fine tannins but keeping a touch of rustic elegance that gives it character. This comes from one of the oldest plots in Rapolao, one of the cooler vineyards in Valtuille. It has unusual depth and intensity, and a rare combination of power and elegance. 1,200 bottles." - 96pts WA

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

2007  Reserva, "La Navilla"

100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), vines over 60 years old. Aged 20 months in French oak barrels, minimum of 10 months in bottle. The vineyards are located in Pedrosa de Duero in the D.O. Ribera del Duero, a town with a winemaking tradition that spans over a hundred years. 844 m. over sea level, leads to a very special microclimate. The big differences between the day and night temperatures are fundamental to obtain fresh and well balanced wines. 14% alcohol.

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

2014  Ribera Sacra

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

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.

2010  Gran Reserva

Gran Reserva

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