Tempranillo/Tinto Fino

Once again, sisters María and Cristina Amézola de la Mora have produced our own-label Rioja. A nose of fresh hedgerow fruit and subtle vanilla leads to a generous but fresh palate of raspberries and blackberries, with hints of cinnamon and exotic spice. The layers of fruit reveal the wine’s complexity and finesse. This is gloriously enticing.
Catriona Felstead MW, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Amézola’s 2016 Crianza, produced from 90% Tempranillo and 10% Mazuelo, has excellent depth and structure. Fine-grained tannins are complemented by oozing dark blackberry fruit and lifted by a red-fruit freshness which mirrors the elegant nose. As a Crianza, this wine has been aged for 15 months in oak (60% American and 40% French). This gives the wine subtle hints of vanilla spice and nutmeg which are beautifully combined with generous, ripe fruit notes. Try this with Vietnamese food or classic tapas dishes. Ready to drink, but will keep.
Lucy Bland, Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

Rollo Crittenden introduced Italian varieties t this pioneering Mornington estate. Following in their father’s footsteps, today siblings (“hermanos” in Spanish) Rollo and Zoe are experimenting with Spanish varietals. For their Tempranillo, they aim to make a youthful easy-drinking style, where the primary fruit characters are dominant. The wine spends only five months in old oak to give extra complexity, without eclipsing its generous bouquet of plums, cherries and sweet spice. Extremely enjoyable now, this will drink well to 2021. 
Stefania Masin - Wine Buyer

This delicious red Vermouth is made from 100 percent Tempranillo by the energetic Oscar Aragón of Cillar de Silos. It is one of the most unusual Vermouths we have come across, with an absolutely glorious note of lavender that transcends the more classic bitter herbs. This would be an excellent base for a mouth-watering Negroni or would add an unusual twist to a classic Martini- but it is also superb on its own over ice- summer in a glass. 

This Crianza spends 13 months gently maturing in barrel, then a further year in bottle prior to release. It displays ripe fruit notes while remaining remarkably fresh thanks to the region’s significant diurnal shift. Deep ruby in colour, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, blackcurrant, forest fruits and fresher raspberry notes alongside subtle hints of cedar and nutmeg. On the palate, it is fleshy but structured, with a finesse and silkiness that lingers on the finish. Ready to drink now.
Lucy Bland, Assistant Buyer

 Amézola de la Mora is a small family-owned estate in Rioja Alavesa run by sisters Cristina and María Amézola. When they took on the winery after their father’s death (1999), they were the youngest wine-producers in the region. They have done an outstanding job of combining tradition and innovation.

This is a classic Rioja, medium ruby with an intense nose of black cherry, damson and fresher notes of raspberry, complemented by exceptionally well-integrated notes of toasty vanilla and baking spices, a result of the 22 months spent in both French and American oak. Fine-grained tannins melt in the mouth for a smooth finish. Drink now to 2021.

This Crianza spends 13 months gently maturing in barrel, then a further year in bottle prior to release. It displays ripe fruit notes while remaining remarkably fresh thanks to the region’s significant diurnal shift. Deep ruby in colour, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, blackcurrant, forest fruits and fresher raspberry notes alongside subtle hints of cedar and nutmeg. On the palate, it is fleshy but structured, with a finesse and silkiness that lingers on the finish. Ready to drink now.
Lucy Bland, Buying Assistant (July 2019)

Finca Allende, the estate created by the exuberant Miguel Ángel de Gregorio, is located in the hill town of Briones in the Rioja Alta. “Allende” can be roughly translated as “further”, reflecting the property’s philosophy to go further and further towards creating the perfect Rioja. 

This is intense ruby with purple edges. Fresh, vibrant blackberry, cranberry and wild forest fruits dominate before the subtle cedar and tobacco is revealed. The oak is perfectly integrated. It’s very lively on the palate with excellent depth and an elegant structure. Drink now to 2021

The 2016 Torresilo exhibits generous red and black bramble fruit with a crunchy hint of elderberries. It is a sophisticated wine, juicy and fresh but with great concentration. The tannins are plentiful yet tissue-like and soft; the length long and rewarding. Winemaker Oscar Aragón’s control over the use of the 70 percent new and 30 percent second-use French barrels really impresses in this 2016. Drink 2019-2025.

The Wine Advocate - There was no 2012 or 2013 produced, so we jumped from the 2011 to the 2014 Torre Muga, a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Graciano and 10% Mazuelo from the middle of the slope in the village of Villalba de Rioja (where the Muga family comes from). It combines the freshness of the higher-altitude vineyards of the Prado Enea with the power of the lower ones used for the Muga range. It fermented in oak vats and had a shorter levage of only 15 months (it used to be more), and the different varieties were kept separated until the penultimate racking when they were blended. There is more volume here and some more spice from the levage, with an open and expressive nose. It's medium-bodied with some fine tannins and less weight in the mid-palate than other vintages. 20,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in September 2016.
Luis Gutirrez - Wine Advovate 

A blend of the classic Rioja grapes with Tempranillo dominating the blend, this is full of vanillin spice and bright red fruit. Beautifully structured with fine tannins, this will clearly reward some extended time in the cellar, if you can keep your hands off it!
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager

It certainly feels that in 2014, the wine has come of age. It has a beautiful nose of raspberries, blackberries and Christmas spice. The approach on the palate is initially gentle, like a caress, yet the power and perfection of this wine gradually builds. Layers of such juicy, pure, crunchy fruit come through, perfectly offset by a graphite edge giving focus and linearity. The purity, freshness and sheer class of this wine is incredible; the gentle skill of Gonzalo Iturriaga is apparent in its harmony and balance which has much more restrained oak than has been common for Valbuena in the past. The tannins are silky smooth and present with definite grip on the finish yet with a corduroy texture to begin. This is a wine that will stand the test of time, there’s no question about it. It is absolutely delicious. Drink 2024-2040.
Catriona Felstead MW, Spain 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.

2012 is an excellent vintage in Ribera del Duero, shown to great effect here. Dark and robust, there’s an attractive bloody character to the fruit. Supple and gentle throughout with a lovely creaminess to the fruit. Lots of violets on the finish, with herbs and spicy richness. Drink 2016 - 2021

Following a vintage as profound as 2004, 2005 has come as a very pleasant surprise.  Many Spanish producers have on the whole been cautiously subdued regarding the 2005 vintage, partly due to wariness of declaring back to back exceptional vintages.  Although slightly different in style to the 2004, this new 2005 release is arguably its equal.  There is less structure, and more finesse but it is exactly what we now expect from this wonderful Gran Reserva.  A sweet, dark cherry and wild raspberry core is bolstered by that classic creaminess to the fruit.  There’s the classic vanilla, and sweet spice hints that you’d expect but this is tempered by fine acidity, very clean and fresh, serious precision for a wine of this style.  Light on its feet right across the long palate, but not at the expense of vibrancy; this can be enjoyed direct from release or cellared for the long term.  One only has to look at the cost of mature vintages (’94, ’85, ‘82) to see the benefit of buying at first release.   
Martyn Rolph - Private Account Manager

The sun baked vineyards of Toro provide no lac k of ripe and textured fruit – brooding blackberry and plum. The challenge here is to match the superb concentration with freshness and finesse – something that 2011 Pintia achieves with unerring ease. Full bodied and dense with notes of liquorice, scorched earth, and savoury smoky/nutty oak characters. The acidity and fine grained tannins add a sense of succulence and precision. A robust, impressive red with more than a hint of class.
Martyn Rolph - Private Account Manager

Vivid red. The nose displays an array of ripe red fruits, pungent flowers and exotic spices, with vanilla bean and coconut accents building with air. Sweet, broad and luscious, offering intense cherry-vanilla and raspberry liqueur flavors that deepen on the back half. Shows excellent depth as well as finesse, with velvety tannins adding shape to the very long, gripping finish. This suave, seamless Rioja spent six years in American oak barrels. Drink 2019 - 2026
93/100 points, Josh Raynolds, vinous.com, Nov 2015