97 WA / 96 JS #29 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of Spain 2021 The single-vineyard red 2019 Finca Dofí comes from the 14 hectares of vines planted across three parajes (lieu-dits) in Gratallops. This year, it's...
96 WA / 95 JS The single-vineyard 2020 Finca Dofí comes from the 14 hectares of vines planted across three parajes (lieu-dits) in Gratallops, a blend of 83% Garnacha, 12% Cariñena, 4% Picapoll—a grape...
94 DE / 93 JS / 93 WA A famously difficult year in Rioja with frost and hail, as well as some botrytis. However, Macán shows plenty of promise with dark damson fruit, very fine tannin and well managed oak. Definitely...
94 JS / 94 WA / 92 DE Aromas of blackberries and crushed stones with some black licorice and violets, following through to a medium body with a solid core of fruit and such attractive fruit and fine tannins at the finish...
The vineyard is a narrow north facing 1.2 hectare steep hillside. The vines are 65 years old. The granitic soil is shallow and poor in organic matter, and therefore very unfertile. The changing features of the soil along the...
95 WA The 2017 Garnacha de Viña Bonita has a pale color and a fragrant, floral nose, which is a constant in the 2017 single-vineyard bottlings. Here there is a notch more finesse and complexity, more filigree and...
Viña Bonita is an 80 year old vineyard on the top of the hill of the property at 700 m. Its soil is a thin layer of compacted granite; cultivators frequently scratch the bedrock. The parcel covers 2.8 hectares, and...
97+ WA / 95 VM Approximately 300 cases produced only in the finest vintages from the Raul Perez Family The floral 2018 Valtuille Cepas Centenarias is the next vintage after the 2015, as no 2016 or 2017 could be produced...
96+ WA / 95 VM Approximately 142 cases produced only in the finest vintages from the Raul Perez Family The 2018 Valtuille El Rapolao, like the rest of the single-vineyard wines, has not been bottled separately...
98 WA The just-bottled 2017 Clos Erasmus is a blend of Garnacha with 25% Syrah that fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats and matured in 228-liter oak barrels (40% new). It feels very aromatic, expressive and open,...
98+ WA The serious and powerful 2019 Clos Erasmus feels quite classical Priorat, with notes of graphite, black fruit and licorice; it's a solid Priorat with weight, concentration and clout. There are still some smoke, toast...
100 WA The still young and primary 2020 Clos Erasmus feels very floral and ethereal (within Priorat and Clos Erasmus); it's a fresher and lighter expression but without being weak. It's still a baby that needs to burn the...
95 WA The 2017 Laurel is a blend of the younger vines, some barrels that were declassified from Clos Erasmus and the remaining Cabernet Sauvignon, and in the low-yielding and dry 2017 vintage, it's 70% Garnacha, 20%...
96 WA 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...
98 WA The flagship 2018 Clos Mogador is a blend of 45% Garnacha, 29% Cariñena, 16% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that fermented with natural yeasts and showcases their philosophy—slow fermentations with long...
99 WA The flagship and eponymous 2019 Clos Mogador is nothing short of phenomenal. They have done a lot of improvements in the vineyard work since the arrival of Christian, son of René Barbier, who is big-time into...
96+ WA / 96 DE The 2016 Manyetes Vi de Vila Gratallops combines the rustic personality of the warm place—the slate soils and the old Cariñena vines—and the freshness of the 2016 vintage. It has those...
97 JS / 96 WA / 96 JA / 95 DE A full-bodied, ripe and delicious red with firm, lightly chewy tannins. Lots of cherries, dried flowers, coconut and rosemary. Lavender and white roses, too. Firm and very well structured...
96 WA Following the new classification of wines, the 2019 Villa de Corullón is a Vino de Villa (village), produced with grapes from 6.71 hectares divided into 200 small plots they own on slate-rich soils at 500 to...
97 WA / 96 JS I find the 2020 Moncerbal a little more closed than the other 2020s, darker and serious. It's still moderately ripe, with 13.8% alcohol, sweet tannins and a soft texture. Today, it shows a little austere and...
97 WA / 95 JS I was blown away by the 2020 wines in barrel in June 2021 and found the 2020 Villa de Corullón very ready, open, expressive, floral and ethereal. It destroyed the idea I had of a warm and ripe 2020...
99 WA / 98 JS The bottled 2020 Pingus has settled, and the strong Mediterranean accent that was quite strong early on seems to have calmed down. The wine shows more of the serious Pingus character and is harmonious,...
98 WA As with other wines, I also tasted the 2018 Espectacle del Montsant next to the 2017 to catch up, as I last tasted the region some 16 months ago. 2018 was a cooler year of slow ripeness, and the grapes achieved an...
95 JS / 94 WA Dried flowers and dark fruit on the nose with some mahogany and bark. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and lovely polish and length. Compact and long. Tangy, too. Special wine, showing its age and tradition...
95 WA / 94 VM The 1981 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva has a vibrant nose reminiscent of coeval Burgundy, with scents of citrus peel, orange rind, singed leather and a Tuscan delicatessen. The palate has a penetrating orange...
96 WA / 95 JS / 94 VM Following the appreciation of the 2007 vintage from María José López de Heredia, the red 2007 Viña Tondonia Reserva is showing great, revealing unusual finesse and elegance...
98 JS / 97 WA / 97 DE / 97 WE / 95 VM #11 Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2022#36 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of Spain 2022 Extremely well-mannered, traditional character to this, showing layer...
93 WA The 2010 Termanthia is broody and introspective on the nose, the aromatics almost cowering following the 2009. The palate is full-bodied and robust with good weight. This is perhaps the most powerful Termanthia that I...
97 JS / 94 WA Blackberries, black cherries and hot crushed stones with cement and black licorice. Subtle yet complex aromas. Medium to full body and an exquisite texture, with intense tannins and a long, flavorful finish...
94+ WA / 94 JS There is around 20% new oak in the 2020 Flor de Pingus, and because it has a little younger vines (there was a land-consolidation project in La Horra in 2006!), there'll be some Garnacha starting in 2021 and...
96 WA There is more freshness in the 2020 La Vizcaína El Rapolao, where I even found notes of eucalyptus. It's medium-bodied and has fine tannins, very tasty and balanced. There are two new plots in 2020, so they...
97 WA It's not clear which vintage is better for the Ultreia range, as it depends on the wine. I think the 2019 Ultreia El Rapolao is better than the 2020, perhaps because it's from a warmer and riper year, when this wine...
97 WA This is the first time I have tasted La Vitoriana from Ultreia, and the 2019 Ultreia La Vitoriana is the first vintage produced. It is from the north side of the same vineyard produced by Castro Ventosa. There are...
94 WA / 17 JR The nose of the 2019 Ultreia Saint Jacques is nothing short of spectacular. It shows the varietal character and the juicy and round style of the Valtuille vineyards. It's harmonious, clean and expressive. They...
98 JD / 97+ WA / 95 JS The 2019 Finca el Bosque is another single vineyard and comes from a site on a deep, gravelly escarpment overlooking the Ebro River. It offers more ripe blue fruits and cassis as well as sappy herbs,...
The Gran Reserva 1999 is an elegant wine, elaborated with Pedro Ximénez grapes harvested in mid-August and laid under the sun for 7 to 9 days to concentrate all their sugars. After the press, it was left to rest for...
96+ WA / 96 JS The current release of their top Priorat is the 2019 Mas de la Rosa, from the 1.9-hectare 80-year-old plot in Porrera that I finally visited with Miguel Tores junior. It's an impressive amphitheater of old...
96 WA/ 96 VM / 94 WE / 93 WS The 2014 Valbuena, mostly Tempranillo with some 5% Merlot fermented by plot, making a selection from their 210 hectares of vineyards, and then matured in a combination of barriques and larger...
98 JA / 98 DE / 97 JS / 96 WA #38 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of Spain 2021 The talented Telmo Rodriguez is launching this wine onto the Place with its first vintage for the entirety of its production. The grapes...
100 JS / 98 JA / 97 DE / 96+ WA / 96 WI #1 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of Spain 2022#9 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2022 Such a deep yet complex and sophisticated nose, showing discretion, perfume and...
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