2011 Spain

This white Rioja, its name quite simply and appropriately meaning  ‘pleasing’, is a fine testament to the expressive potential of the Viura variety, which Álvaro describes, perhaps a little extravagantly, as ‘the Chardonnay of the south’. Light straw colouring, then a nose of pear, white peach, jasmine and vanillin. The palate is fascinating, with fruit, butter, nuts and vanillin all evidenced. Richly textured and long. 
Simon Field MW -  Wine Buyer

Cantallops is the most northern village in the DO of Empordà, itself the most northerly of the Catalan wine regions. The vines undulate within the foothills of the Pyrenees and the winemaking at Vinyes dels Aspres is traditional, allowing the distinctive sandy-slate soils to express their personality with great dignity.

Garnatxa dominates the blend here, with minority shareholdings divided between Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. 16 months of ageing in French barrique has yielded a wine of pedigree and poise, with generous Garnatxa ripeness held in counterpoint by subtle mineral notes and finely etched tannins. 
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

The blend in 2011 is divided equally between Grenache, Syrah and Marselan, but when one considers that Marselan is itself a hybrid of Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon, the algebraic make-up becomes a little more complicated. Be that as it may, this wine is as charming and approachable as ever, wearing its expensive décolleté of 15 months new French oak ageing with considerable aplomb, one may even say dignity.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer This family run Valencian property sits at 550m altitude on limestone soils covering 30 hectares, making it a relatively boutique producer compared to most, larger Spanish bodegas. The maritime influence here allows Syrah and Cabernet Franc to flourish, alongside Monastrell (Mourvèdre) and Garnacha. International white varieties Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling also thrive here. The impressive, affordable wines of El Angosto clearly show the huge potential laying outside Spain’s major wine regions.

The Quest is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Part fermented in granite lagares which winemaker Raul Bobet has crafted out of the local rocks, the wine is exuberant and with a pit-cherry freshness, behind which the Cabernets kick in, the Franc adding forest floor notes, the Sauvignon depth and structure. Silky and seductive, the wine finishes well. 
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

Here we have 80-year-old Garnacha vines, gnarled in Dali-esqe defiance of gravity, and yielding such parsimonious volumes that the production is very limited. The wine is aged in 500-litre barrels, and has an intense nose of lavender, liquorice and blueberry; the palate rejoices in a fruit basket of indulgence, with damson and blackberry to the fore. The finish is powerful, underlining, with great aplomb, the sheer quality of the ensemble.
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

Ribeira Sacra is one of the most exciting regions to emerge from Spain in recent years. Situated in the north-eastern corner in Galicia, the area is remote, the landscape arid and mountainous. Dominio do Bibei's Javier Domínguez is producing modern wines with beautiful definition and verve, using traditional grape varieties. The vineyards are steeply terraced with little topsoil – the old vines working hard to survive amongst the rocky terrain of slate/schist. These are thoughtful wines, which not only please but also challenge the senses through their extraordinary purity and detail.

A 100 percent Mencía farmed on step slate and granite slopes, this has been aged in foudre for seven months; crushed raspberry, black tea and cassis are all evidenced. The palate shows cool fruit, but no lack of concentration, not to mention very finely etched tannins.

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

Mustiguillo were delighted when this outstanding site was awarded a stand-alone Vino De Pago status. Located on terraced escarpments of ancient Dolomite limestone the vineyards are seen by many the definitive statement in the Bobal varietal.

These old vines, some of which were planted before 1940, do not hurry to mature; in 2011 the harvest finished at the end of October.

The result is unabashed complexity, encouraged by fermentation in open-top 225 ltr vats and a 19 month barrel maturation. Intense red and blue fruits, hints of soft spice and violets and a grippy, rich palate. Mediterranean wine with altitude..and attitude! Excellent.  

Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer

Visiting la Poza and Valdegines, each on the gentle slopes of a valley, with differing aspects and orientations, one can clearly see how Artadi are in the vanguard of the Parcellaire movement in Spain, that is to say the identification of specific plots to give specific character to the wines. La Poza gets afternoon sun and is harvested a week earlier than Valdegines. Its pure clay/limestone soils give wines of power and structure; the 2011 has a nose of eucalypt, soy and black tea, and a ripe fruit character on the palate, nicely supported by the finely-chiselled tannins.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer

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 

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.
Nicholas Stewart - Fine Wine Team

Described by some as a vinous gamble, Martires has proved itself a winner in no small measure as a result of excellent Viura grapes and terrior alike. The nose is concentrated and yet simultaneously elegant with notes of apple, beeswax and cinnamon stick. The palate is rich but there is a fine mineral character which lends balance to the equation; challenging yet rewarding. 
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.

The jewel in the crown of this remarkable estate. This outstanding Rioja shows the full potential of the Tempranillo grape, with a tiny amount of Garnacha, for flesh and meatiness. A soaring nose of perfume, strawberries, raspberries and vanilla, combined perfectly with tilled earth, roasted meats and cinnamon. The palate has exceptional power, yet perfect poise, which is always the sign of a great wine: layers and layers of fruit develop on the palate, which is at the same time spicy and savoury. Eventually the soft, smooth weight gives way to an ethereal, fine, yet driven finish of bright acidity, fine tannins and delicate flavours of rosemary and red fruits. 
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.

La Faraona is the definitive statement of Mencia, produced from a precipitous 0.55-hectare plot and, for the first time in 2011, matured in 600-litre barrels, allowing the naturally dense yet exuberant fruit full and glorious expression. The encyclopaedic aromas include loganberry, cassis, black tea and laurel… all recaptured on the palate, all nascent and poised, and threatening perfection.
Simon Field MW, Berrys’ Spain Buyer

L’Ermita is a monolith, and one of the most dense, brooding, colossal wines I have tasted in my career. There are enormous layers of dark fruit on the nose, lined with edges of cherry and combined with reams of violet, crushed rock and delicate spices. It has simply enormous weight on the palate, but what really impresses is the fantastically balanced freshness and acidity. This is a beast, but it is as intellectual as it is muscular. 
Fine Wine Team

The 2011 Pingus has a gorgeous, pure black cherry, cassis and blueberry scented bouquet interlaced by orange blossom and apricot. The oak is beautifully assimilated into the aromatic profile. The palate is full-bodied with a decadent entry. The tannins are ripe and rounded, imparting great tension and focus. There is both dimension and grace to this formidable Pingus that should blossom once it finishes its gestation. This is an outstanding Ribera del Duero wine. Drink 2020-2035+.
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate #202, Aug 2012

Ungrafted vines from fantastically unpromising sandy single-vineyard soils are the source of one of Spain’s most exciting jewels, named, appropriately enough, after the pater familias of this very gifted family. The 2011 is the quintessence of fine Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), aged in new French oak for 18 months, yet gloriously fresh and exuberant. A nose of cedar, graphite and blackberry gives way to a dignified palate dominated by ripe fruit, needless to say, but with an interesting sub-text of tea, iodine and lavender. The tannins are very fine and the wine’s future is assured over the next decade.

The 2011 Cirsion is unashamedly modern and ripe, with a very exuberant nose where the oak is perfectly integrated with notes of blackberries, plums, dark cherries and damp earth, peat and a core of violets and blueberries. This is a wine from selected bunches with a special ripeness that they consider produces a wine that needs shorter time in barrel (some eight months) and is accessible and released earlier. Exceptionally in 2012, this wine has 5% of Graciano; until now it’s been a pure Tempranillo.

There will be no Cirsion in 2013 and they have serious doubts about 2014. Next year we will taste that 2012, a special wine they produced to celebrate their 25th anniversary. It will be released in June 2015. It actually feels like the wine closes down in the glass. I believe this wine will benefit from a couple of years in bottle and wouldn’t touch it until 2017. This 2011 is a limited cuvée of 6,114 bottles.
93/100 points Luis Gutierrez, eRobertParker.com #218 Apr 2015

A tremendous nose of rich spices soars alongside a brilliant red fruit perfume; star anise, clove and sweet earthy notes all combine here. Wonderful red fruit spills on to the palate, with acidity equal to the task of balancing its depth. The best is saved until last though: a delicious finish, wrapped in a cape of mouth-coating, fine and very long tannins.
Fine Wine Team