Finca Allende, the estate created by brother and sister team Mercedes and Miguel Angel de Gregorio, is located in the hill town of Briones in the Rioja Alta. “Allende” can be roughly translated as “further”; its philosophy is 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.

This is a benchmark white Rioja. Classic aromas of vanilla and oak precede ripe peach and mandarin fruit. The wine is incredibly fresh and has a fascinating nutty, savoury character too. This would be a wonderful match with Spanish tapas such as marinated pork and olives.

Gorgeous ripe nose of peach, citrus, fine spices and lanolin. Layered and creamy on the palate, with sweet, earthy flavours, supported by vivid and balanced acidity. Finished by a symphony of fresh flavours, this wine is a revelation and reinvents white Rioja. 8 months in new French oak. 73% Garnacha Blanca, 15% Malvasía, 12% Viura.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Following on from the huge success of the 2012 Spanish Gold offer, the team at Berry Bros. & Rudd knew that we would have to find some truly outstanding new wines to better the offer in 2013. Fortunately we have done just that and are very proud to present our latest, major Rioja producer, Bodega Contador. The property was founded as recently as 1995, but the fact that it has become one of Rioja’s most respected wineries in such a relatively short time, is testament to its superb terroir and the brilliant wine making skill of proprietor Benjamin Romeo. Starting off with an awe inspiring cellar hewn into the rock beneath the Castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, finding extra space in his parents’ garage, where he crafted the stunning 2004 and 2005 vintages, which both received 100 points from the Wine Advocate. In 2008 Benjamin completed his new, state of the art winery, built into the hills of Rioja surrounded by his vineyards. Benjamin’s wine making is relatively modern, with individual vineyard plots farmed to very small yields and vinified separately, before ageing for a comparatively short 18-20 months in new French oak (as opposed to the traditional American oak). The results are extraordinary. Grenache-based blend, this Cacareaba offers orange blossom and stone fruit aromas, touch of almond and white peach on the palate. Lovely creamy texture.
Chris Lamb, London Shop

Generous notes of cherry, raspberry, clove and tea. Pure and fine, with gentle tannins and texture which builds gently across the palate. The 2012 feels ‘light on its feet’ and silky with a lovely flow throughout. This is the most refined, discreet offering from Artadi.
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.

One word summarises the Mustiguillo message and that is Bobal, one of the greatest and most under-rated Spanish grape varieties, now on the cusp of a renaissance. Mustiguillo is a family project, dedicated to organic viticulture and the pursuit of elegance and finesse rather than excess oak and the like. A well-rehearsed mantra maybe, but one that does not have many adherents of such pedigree.

Located on terraced escarpments of ancient Dolomite limestone, the vineyards of Quincha Corral are seen by many as the definitive statement of the Bobal varietal. The bonus of the superlative 2012 vintage underlines this statement with a deeply coloured wine, its rich, smoky, floral aromas and luxuriant, grippy mouth-feel harnessing an ensemble that has a long and successful life to look forward to.

‘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.

Plenty of structure here; rounded tannins to frame the volumous fruit. Darker and more backward, a touch of toasty oak on the palate. Very much built for the long term but good acidity is present and detail should emerge over the coming years.
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.

This is the world’s best and most expensive Mencia, fruits of a 0.55 htr amphitheatre of ancient vines and an almost religious creed of self-belief. Maturation in 600 litre vats allows it to be more expressive in youth; black tea, incense, forest floor and finely defined fruit; beyond that there is a paradigm of pure potential.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Álvaro Palacios is not exactly a new face on the wine scene; he has helped revolutionise the Spanish wine industry by making rich, complex wines in Priorat. Álvaro, with his nephew Ricardo Pérez, established Descendientes de J. Palacios in 1998 in the village of Villafranca del Bierzo. They named the estate in honour of Álvaro’s father who passed away in 2000.

There were 2037 bottles of Moncerbal produced in 2012 and its makeup is described as 98% Mencia and 2% white grapes…varied indigenous white grapes, one infers, so fantastically interbred that their precise identity is a mystery. The 2012 is spicy on the nose, echoed by a peppery twist on the finish. In between there is pure red berry fruit, a hint of eucalypt and even aniseed adding aromatic complexity.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Álvaro Palacios is not exactly a new face on the wine scene; he has helped revolutionise the Spanish wine industry by making rich, complex wines in Priorat. Álvaro, with his nephew Ricardo Pérez, established Descendientes de J. Palacios in 1998 in the village of Villafranca del Bierzo. They named the estate in honour of Álvaro’s father who passed away in 2000.

2012 was a relatively dry vintage, with drought threatening at some points. The blend here is 96% Garnacha and 4% Samso; Garnacha is described as La Reina, the queen of all varieties, generous, soft and benevolent and, of course, completely devoid of caprice. Mules till the soil here as they always have done, and the high mineral content of the sub-soils (zinc, aluminium and iron) lends definition and purity to the grapes. The wine is rich and velvety and yet with ethereal charm and, to use a phrase which Alavro would like, has real presence.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Álvaro Palacios, whose family owns the prestigious Rioja Bodega, Palacios Remondo, spent two years at Château Pétrus before setting up on his own in Priorat in 1989. From the very beginning, he set out to produce world-class wines by using fruit from extremely low-yielding old vines and by applying ultramodern winemaking techniques. The cream of the crop is the single vineyard wine L'Ermita, which was first produced in 1993. Arguably the most individual red wine in Spain, it is certainly now the most expensive.

Virtually flawless, Flor de Silos comes from pre-phylloxera Tinto Fino vines, grown on sandy soils in the eastern part of the DO. The  wine exalts in all that is good about Ribera del Duero, namely an unabashed deep purple colour, ripe ripe fruit ( black cherry and damson are especially evident) and pure linear acidity, courtesy of the altitude of the  vineyard. Balsamic notes, spice, sousbois and licorice are all evidenced, underlining an inherent complexity which demonstrates very well why 2012 has a good reputation. The wine has been aged for eighteen months in French barrels. 

Alión was the first 100 percent Tinto Fino wine aged in 100 percent new oak in Ribera del Duero.. and where the mighty Vega Sicilia lead, others follow……and the style is now very popular in the DO, but, unsurprisingly, seldom equalled. Exuberant fruit and age-worthy restraint go hand in hand; the 2012 is a cornucopia of violets, damson, black olive and toasty oak… less flamboyant than some of its forebears ( 2009 being an example), maybe, but still with plenty of matière and an impressively structured finish.
Simon Field, MW - Wine Buyer

A blend from El Carretil, La Poza de Ballesteros and Veldeginès, the 2012 Pagos Viejos is beautifully judged. Structured and full (presumably from the El Carretil element) floral aromas on the nose give way to powerful blueberry and dark cherry notes across the palate. The freshness of the vintage is apparent, with lovely acidity and energy at the core.
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.