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  

"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. -- "D:95 – A blend of Mencía with Bastardo and Alicante Bouschet from a 1.5ha plot at 550m, fermented with stalks in open-top vats then aged for a year in 225l and 500l barrels. It's intense, with a complex aromatic expression showing nice red cherry fruit with clear development of dried fruits and a slight brioche character. It's delicately built - round, open and multi-layered. It shows maturity and finishes with elegance and emotion, very slowly." Drinking Window 2018 - 2030 -- WA: 95+ - "The cool and elegant character of the El Rapolao plot seems to have been amplified by the weather conditions in the 2016 La Vizcaína El Rapolao. Pérez does not own all the vineyards, so sourcing can sometimes vary within the same vineyard, and since 2016 it comes from two old plots where the Mencía is mixed with other varieties; the wine seems to have gained in depth and complexity as a result. In 2016 he did a slightly shorter maceration and matured the wine in 500-liter oak barrels for a little over 12 months. The vineyard yields well, and the wine is always expressive, balanced and elegant. It seems like slightly higher yields suit it better, and the wines have good tension and an herbal twist that adds to the complexity and freshness. 5,000 bottles produced."

2016  Bierzo Tinto

D:93 - "This east-facing, sunny site on clay soils was planted between 1930 and 1936, during the Second Republic. The wine it produces, another Mencia field blend, uses 100% stems with a short 25-day maceration, and is aged in neutral oak. It has seductive aromas of fine cedar, violets and roses. The palate is very flavoursome and generously plump, full of expressive bramble fruits and an underlying lively line of acid. It's the most immediately approachable of the Vizcaina range." Drinking Window 2019 - 2024 -- WA: 92 - "Produced with grapes from the warmest plot they work for La Vizcaína range, the 2016 La Vizcaína La Poulosa seemed nicely balanced out by a cool growing season. It's showy and aromatic, quite expressive. It has a long maceration after fermenting with 100% full clusters in 5,000-liter oak vats, where the wine matures for the same length of time as the maceration and then is transferred to barrique to complete one year in oak. It's juicy and quite showy with glossy tannins and a round texture. It's a more approachable, commercial style of red. There are some 5,500 bottles."

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