Tempranillo/Tinto Fino

This old family firm has been revitalised by the arrival of Alvaro Palacios, who has already made his name, starting from scratch, with his extraordinary Priorat wines. He has since returned to the family property in Rioja Baja, and in a very short space of time, has decreased production by 60 percent and increased quality by a far higher factor.

This wine is made using carbonic maceration method and subsequently aged for 5 months in wooden vats and French oak barrels. Once bottled, the wine is fresh and fruity, with red berry fruit and ripe damson. This is a wonderful example of youthful Rioja.

This old family firm has been revitalised by the arrival of Alvaro Palacios, who has already made his name, starting from scratch, with his extraordinary Priorat wines. He has since returned to the family property in Rioja Baja, and in a very short space of time, has decreased production by 60 percent and increased quality by a far higher factor.

This wine is made using carbonic maceration method and subsequently aged for 5 months in wooden vats and French oak barrels. Once bottled, the wine is fresh and fruity, with red berry fruit and ripe damson. This is a wonderful example of youthful Rioja.

This is instantly seductive, with notes of cedar, wood smoke and punnet-loads of ripe, plummy fruit. This is a blend of Garnacha (88 percent) and Tempranillo, grown in a single vineyard on the slopes Mount Yerga. Twelve months in French oak – half of it new – contribute to its voluptuous mouth-feel, while the effects of altitude, as well as the deft timing of the 2014 harvest, ensure it remains fresh and lithe. A great match for all manner of meat dishes, but rabbit paella would be top of my list.

For me this is the sweet spot of La Rioja Alta’s range. Exhibiting aromas of spiced plums, damson and sweet spice with hints of Asian spice and vanillin on the nose. Succulent brambly fruit sits at the core of the palate which is medium bodied. Ripe, integrated tannins hold the framework for the layers of sweet cherry and strawberry fruit, savoury notes of leather and cured meat, entwined with a gentle spiciness. Texturally pleasing, a gentle creaminess coats the palate courtesy of American oak maturation, which is wonderfully balanced by a complementing acidity; maintaining freshness and balance through to the long finish. Wonderfully produced with lots going on, you can buy with confidence here with the quality assurance coming from one of Rioja’s most famed and adorned bodegas. Delicious to enjoy now but will continue to evolve and develop further complexity over the coming 7+ years, drinking from 2018 – 2024+.
Chris Lamb - Private Account Manager

Cillar de Silos’s flagship wine, the Torresilo rarely disappoints, yet the 2014 is a particularly fascinating wine. The cooler weather of an ‘Atlantic’ vintage has brought real finesse and a beautiful depth of flavour along with the signature 2014 lavender perfume. The 60- to 120-year-old vines provide good concentration, tempered by 16 months in new French oak. This may technically be of Reserva status but it is a stunning, top level Ribera del Duero wine. Try with: braised lamb, venison or rich roast pork.

Pagos Viejos is a wondrous concoction produced from the oldest vines within three of the great vineyards of Artadi; El Carretil, La Poza de Ballesteros and Valdeginés. Dark and brooding in style, it has plenty of spice on the nose which mingles gently alongside the ripe yet fresh fruit. The tannins are chunky and encompassing, providing a sturdy frame for the multi-layered blueberry, red cherry and raspberry fruit. The finish is very long and seamless, this will age beautifully.
Martyn Rolph, Private Account Manager

La Poza de Ballesteros, the second of the three single vineyard sites faces Valdeginés in the San Ginés Valley, its west exposition engendering a wine with a different character, firmer, denser and with more stentorian tannins.

Biurco is a vineyard that we have enjoyed visiting over the years; it has a tranquillity and beauty and, predominately west-facing, is particularly attractive in the evening. The soil is homogenised clay and limestone, and the wine is marked by the charm of its aromas; violets, truffles and dark chocolate to name but three. If its stablemate Valdeparasio is linear, this wine is more fleshy and noted for both the sweetness of fruit on the palate and the power on the finish with layers of sumptuous ripe red cherry, fresh strawberry and vanilla new oak. Drink 2018-2029

The Cueva is all Tempranillo and is sourced from seven different vineyards, all of which have either sandy clay or calcareous clay soils. Aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak, the 2011 has a powerful nose of ripe blackberry and soft spice; the ripeness is also evident on the palate, which is powerful yet has finely integrated tannins and a hint of balsam on the finish, as one often finds with high quality Tempranillo.
Nicholas Stewart -  Fine Wine Team

Following the exceptional 2010, the 2011 Altos de Lanzaga was the top of the range until Las Beatas arrived and stole the show. Still you should not overlook this exceptional cuvée from four plots of old, head-pruned vines in the village of Lanciego at 500-600 meters altitude, which are worked biodynamically. The wine fermented in 3,000-kilo oak vats with wild yeasts for 20 days and matured in 1,500 and 225-liter oak barrels for 18 months.

It is a little reticent, very young and a little closed, subtle and a little shy. The palate shows very good flavors of red berries and flowers, plus a great balance between alcohol and acidity that give the wine length and persistence. 2,530 bottles produced.

Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza work about 18 hectares of vineyards in the villages of Lanciego and Labastida and produce some 45,000 bottles of Rioja per year. Their single-vineyard Las Beatas, in its second vintage, is even better than the debut 2011. As I decided last year after tasting the first vintage of this magnificent vineyard, located not so far from Remelluri, Rodríguez's family winery, I went to see the vines after a colossal snow storm.

You can sense the terroir walking up the terraced plots, you see that place has to produce a special wine. They have some small parcels of old vineyards and are replanting the rest.
94+/100 Luis Gutierrez, eRobertParker.com #218 Apr 2015 

‘Powerful’ and ‘dense’ appear repeatedly in my tasting note. Afternoon and evening sun produce more ripeness at La Poza, a sense of exuberance which is tempered by fine acidity and floral characters. Mouthfilling tannins, but supple enough to make this approachable in five years or so. Generous with good ageing potential.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Juan Carlos López de Lacalle, owner and winemaker of Artadi, is recognised as one of the greatest names in the business in Spain. The winery was once a co-operative of 13 growers who owned well-sited vineyards around the town of Laguardia in the Alavesa wine region of Rioja. Juan Carlos saw the potential of these wonderful vineyards and purchased the Bodega, immediately amending the philosophy and style of winemaking. The winemaking is modern with an emphasis upon fruit driven wines, characterised by the terroir of individual vineyard sites – a far cry from the philosophy of traditional Rioja producers. French oak is used, not American, allowing the principle variety, Tempranillo, eloquent natural expression.

Biurco is a vineyard that we have enjoyed visiting over the years; it has a tranquillity and beauty and, predominately west-facing, is particularly attractive in the evening. The soil is homogenised clay and limestone, and the wine is marked by the charm of its aromas; violets, truffles and dark chocolate to name but three. If its stablemate Valdeparasio is linear, this wine is more fleshy and noted for both the sweetness of fruit on the palate and the power on the finish. Until 31st August 2017 this product is discounted by 20%. Prices shown include discount; no further discount will be applied at checkout.

The west-facing vines relished the afternoon sun in this temperamental vintage and the wine is suitably lifted and fragrant. Notes of balsam, black tea and cassis are all entwined and a cool, sophisticated mid-palate promises great things. 
Simon Field - Wine Buyer

Andres is the child of a single vineyard; ‘La Liende’ close to the village of San Vicente de Sonsierra to be precise. The soils are located close to what is charmingly described as the Ebro Meander, and include a high proportion of clay. They are also relatively steep and devoted to Tempranilo. As are we; mocha and mineral notes dance alongside the ripe red, blue and black fruits. Beyond the youthful bravado there is real finesse and great potential here.

The smallest and highest of Artadi's single vineyards, Montes El Carretil is marked by deep penetrating roots and a distinctive clay-sandstone soils. This Rioja wine is rich, energetic and dense, with very marked tannins at the moment and a fine mineraldriven finish. Notes of scorched earth, spice and black olive. A wine described by Juan Carlos Lopez, with no shortage of resonance, as ‘full of soul and life’. Sounds even better in Spanish…
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer


Possibly the best of the "new" single vineyards, El Carretil is the only wine that might challenge the supremacy of El Pisón. This is a pure Tempranillo from soils richer in calcium carbonate that produces more austere tannins and a different, chalky texture. Analytically, this wine is always more acidic (lower pH than any of the rest). The nose is austere and a little closed, it takes time to start revealing its aromas as the character is more backward.

Here the oak is perfectly integrated (and all these wines mature for 14 months in brand new French oak barrels and never come through as oaky), serious and mineral. It's not a fruit-driven wine, it talks more about the soil, compact, serious and a bit taciturn. The palate is solid, with great consistency, austere and with chalky tannins. It is vertical, straight, slippery and elegant but still very young and in need of time to develop more complexity in bottle.

The entry is sharp but then it seems to gain volume as it warms up inside your mouth, growing like the incredible Hulk; a gentle giant, incisive and pure. It could be drunk now but it should blossom with some more time in the bottle. It has great acidity and the combination of stuffing, acidity and balance will secure a long, slow development. The acidity cleanses the palate but at the same time makes it very long.
We all know about El Pisón, but we should also pay attention to El Carretil. 4,000 bottles produced.
Luis Gutierrez eRobertParker.com #218 Apr 2015 

As usual the blend in Valbuena is 90% Tinto Fino ( Tempranillo) and 10% from a balance of Malbec and Merlot. The wine was aged for less than two years, the significant majority of which took place in new barrels ( half French and half American). It is perhaps the presence of Malbec, allied to the warm vintage and the use of American oak that have engendered a wine with a gregarious ( almost a 'come-hither') personality.

Black fruit and mocha dominate the nose; then the palate is equally forward with a generosity of texture and a warmth of fruit that do not fail to seduce. An extremely appealing vintage!
Simon Field MW, Buyer

Valbuena is Vega Sicilia’s second son, aged for a shorter period and designed to drink sooner, but still capable of extended cellaring. Made from young vines (around 80% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), the rest Melot and Malbec), which are destined later in life to contribute to Unico or the Reserva Especial, this gives a stunning taste of the estate’s quality at a fraction of the price.
 
Wonderful nose of tea, tilled earth, perfumed cassis fruit, hickory and vanilla pod. Soft, silky, delicious fruit, followed by a wave of mouthlining tannins, truffle, eucalyptus and blackberry; impeccable balance and excellent value for the quality on show.
Fine Wine Team

A perfect ambassador for new-wave Rioja from a memorable recent vintage. There are truffles and wild herbs on the nose and a full, richly textured palate with excellent length. A wine for keeping.
The 2004 Aurus is 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano from 60-year-old vineyards with tiny yields. It was barrel fermented and aged in 100% new French oak. The wine is still a baby, with lots of fat, sweet, layered, mouth-filling fruit, plenty of structure, and a pure, super-long finish. It merits... bottle age and should still be drinking well two decades from now. Kudos to Finca Allende for a magnificent set of 2004 Riojas! J. Miller in e-RobertParker.com (Feb 07)

El Carretil is a richer wine, more densely textured, with notes of mocha and blueberry evidenced on the nose. The fruit character is etched with lapidary care and the finish has poise, freshness and length. 
Simon Field -Wine Buyer

If Calvario is Miguel Ángel’s Burgundy then his Bordeaux is this polymesmeric effort, Aurus. Made from 85% Tempranillo and 15% Mazuelo, this has been aged in new oak for 24 months. Already it is harmonious on the palate, with dark commanding fruits, hints of raisin and liquorice, and very firmly managed tannins. It is persistent and bristling with potential.
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

Finca Allende, the estate created by brother and sister team Mercedes and Miguel Ángel de Gregorio, is located in the hill town of Briones in the Rioja Alta. ‘Allende’ can be roughly translated as ‘further’; its philosophy being to go further and further towards creating the perfect Rioja. This has been done by marrying the old and the new, by embracing the traditional grape varieties but then treating them to new French oak.