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  

"The Imperial range starts with the 2012 Imperial Reserva, the usual Tempranillo with 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo that represent the Haro style of serious wines bottled in a Bordeaux bottle. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in oak barrels for two years. The nose is quite spicy, less balsamic and with more fruit than the Gran Reserva. The palate feels very balanced, with fine tannins and good freshness, even if it ended with some warm fruit. The texture is silky and even if it's approachable now, I'd wait a little for the oak aromas to get better integrated. 150,000 bottles." - 92pts WA

1998  

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.

2004  

"The 2004 Gran Reserva 890 is the top of the range here, a wine that is only released three/four times per decade in exceptional years. They start by sourcing grapes from their oldest vineyards and going through a slow process of aging the wine in American oak barrels for six years, with ten manual rackings, and each time there is a selection of only the best barrels. The bottled wine is 13.5% alcohol with a remarkably low pH (3.0) that to me means 'quality' of the acidity, which is a healthy six grams per liter (in tartaric). The nose is all about forest floor aromas, game, cigar ash, incense, old furniture and some smoked meat. The palate shows what the technical data was hinting--very fresh with slightly dusty tannins and nice acidity. It's polished, but feels livelier than some older vintages. 38,000 numbered bottles." - 94+pts WA

2004  

"The 2004 Gran Reserva 890 is the top of the range here, a wine that is only released three/four times per decade in exceptional years. They start by sourcing grapes from their oldest vineyards and going through a slow process of aging the wine in American oak barrels for six years, with ten manual rackings, and each time there is a selection of only the best barrels. The bottled wine is 13.5% alcohol with a remarkably low pH (3.0) that to me means 'quality' of the acidity, which is a healthy six grams per liter (in tartaric). The nose is all about forest floor aromas, game, cigar ash, incense, old furniture and some smoked meat. The palate shows what the technical data was hinting--very fresh with slightly dusty tannins and nice acidity. It's polished, but feels livelier than some older vintages. 38,000 numbered bottles." - 94+pts WA

2016  Bierzo Tinto

Bierzo Tinto - Village: Valtuille de Abajo -- Vineyard: El Rapolao -- Year of plantation: One parcel in 1920 and another in 1980 -- Hectares: 1.5 -- Altitude: 550 meters ASL -- Soil: Clay in the older parcel with more organic material in the younger one -- Orientation: North and West -- Plant density: 3600 vines / hectare -- Varieties: Mostly Mencía with Bastardo (Trousseau), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) -- Elaboration: Whole cluster fermentation in large oak vats. 30-day maceration followed by one year of aging in used 225 and 500-liter barrels. Bottled without fining or filtration.

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.

2004  

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.

2011  Tinto

Tinto -- Mencia, Bastardo, Grenache & Mouraton. On the lighter side, very elegant, the weight of a new world pinot noir but with the depth & flavor profile of a Ribeira Sacra.