The 2018 Paixar is all violets, wild berries and raspberry leaves, a captivating, aromatic, floral and elegant expression of old-vine Mencía from the slate soils of Dragonte (Corullón) at 700 to 950 meters in altitude. It...

A rich nose of raspberry, crushed strawberry, blueberry, coconut, cedar and sweet spice. It’s medium-to full-bodied with fine tannins and fresh acidity. Creamy, balanced and layered with vibrant, spicy character. Long and...

The more recent 2014 Pegaso Barrancos de Pizarra was finally my favorite of all the bottles I tasted in this sitting, which were quite a few. This aged in ancient large clay amphorae and used 500- and 600-liter French oak...

I was very pleasantly surprised by the bottled 2017 Vivaltus despite the fact that 2017 was a challenging year and was decimated by terrible frost in April that resulted in losses of up to 60% of the crop. The end of the...

(95+ points) Once again, I tasted the impressive 2018 Mencía de Espanillo that I already tasted last time, and it was interesting to see how different it was from the 2019 Mengoba, which is also from Espanillo and...

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. Tight and fresh at the end...

There is a high-pitched red fruit note on the nose of the 2017 El Molar, and it's a wine with a lot of light, something that is quite remarkable for a warm and Mediterranean year like 2017. This is a Garnacha that feels...

The 2020 Paixar is the one wine from the portfolio that is completely different from the others and comes from high-altitude vineyards in the zone of Dragonte on slate soils. In 2020 and 2021 they used the whole field...

Extremely well-mannered, traditional character to this, showing layer upon layer of savory complexity on the nose, with iron, dried meat, tobacco, balsamic fruit, dried red berries, orange peel, leather and dried...

(95+ points) The 2019 Laurel is quite closed and shows serious and shy. It's made with all the grapes that are not used for Clos Erasmus—young vines, the remaining Cabernet Sauvignon (no more than 5%), mostly Garnacha...

The 2017 Vinyes Velles was produced with 74% Cariñena and 26% Garnacha from slope vineyards older than 70 years on llicorella slate soils all within the limits of the village of Porrera. All of the wines are produced in a...

A beautiful red with rather flamboyant fruit, showing crushed berries, flowers and some chocolate and walnut undertones. It’s full-bodied and layered. Creamy texture. Drink or hold.

Fresh and very floral with violets and berries. Blackberries and orange peel, too. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, linear tannins. Excellent length and structure. Seriously structured, Better after 2024, but already...

A creamy, velvety-textured red from the Duero, showing cherries and chocolate with some walnut undertones. It’s full-bodied with pretty fruit and complexity. Lightly salty and savory. Drinkable now, but better in a year...

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 are using...

A 100% garnacha with aromas of dark cherries, plums, raisins, sweet spices and cigar box. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins. Rich, ripe and velvety with a flavorful, spicy finish. Drink now or hold.

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 tends...

The top of the range, the 2017 Selecció Especial is pure Cariñena from centenary vines on a "coster" (slope) of llicorella slate in the village of Porrera. The wine matured in 225-liter French oak barrels for 19 months...

Fresh and perfumed with dark-berry and chocolate aromas, as well as freshly cut flowers. Medium-bodied with fine, silky tannins and attractive berry and walnut undertones. Lightly silky and extremely drinkable. Drink now.

The perfect Mediterranean vintage produced an outstanding Garnacha. The 2020 El Molar fermented with 35% full clusters and matured in a combination of 500-liter barrels and 5,000-liter foudres for one year. The wine is...

The 1980 Don PX Selección is said to come from a warm and dry year that favored the raisining of the Pedro Ximénez grapes. This has lots of candied fruit and spice and combines the 17% alcohol with a whopping 340 grams of...

The 2016 Valbuena was produced with a blend of 94% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 6% Merlot from 140 hectares dedicated to this wine. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the first year it matured in barrels (75%...

What a debut! Even given the distinguished track record of Bordeaux-based consultant Jean-Claude Berrouet, this is a remarkable wine that is part of a welcome new trend in Ribera del Duero. Elegant and refreshing, it has...

The 2018 Vino de Finca is a blend of Monastrell with 25% Garnacha from a cooler, more continental vintage. The Monastrell is from 20- to 30-year-old vines, and the 8-year-old Garnacha is from limestone-rich soils. It...

The second new wine from 2015 is an homage to Nemesio Vicente, the founder of the winery, and produced with the grapes from the first Monastrell vines he planted when he took over the property in 1981, aptly called 2015...

The 2019 Las Gravas is a blend of 88% Monastrell from limestone gravel soils and 12% Garnacha also planted in the same gravel soils, but it's obviously much younger than the Monastrell and there's more Garnacha in this...

The 2019 Valtuille Cepas Centenarias comes from a single plot of ancient vines that could qualify as Vino de Paraje and in the future as Vino de Viña, but they are never going to do it because it's their traditional name...

I think the highlight from the 2020 vintage is the 2020 Parotet, the Arcos-based red blend complemented with 40% Mandó. In 2020 they used a little more full clusters of Arcos at the top of the vat, because they like how...

This is a red that is perfect for the by-the-glass market: the 2018 Quite is light and perfumed and has the Atlantic freshness of the 2018 vintage. It starts off a little reductive, and decanting it in advance could be a...