Celler del Roure’s Parotet 2022 is a Valencia DO red from Moixent, Spain, built around local varieties and the estate’s signature use of buried clay jars. The winery is known for working with indigenous grapes and for maturing wines in underground earthenware vessels (tinajas), a method intended to keep the wines fresh and transparent rather than marked by oak.

For the 2022 Parotet, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate reports a clear technical picture: it is “a blend of 60% Arcos and 40% Mandó,” with “50% fermented in stainless steel with malolactic,” followed by élevage where “all of the wine spent 12 months in 2,600-liter buried clay tinajas.” Production is listed at “10,000 bottles,” and it “was bottled in October 2023” (Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate).

In terms of style, the published reviews point to a wine that emphasizes definition and balance rather than power. Gutiérrez calls it “clean, subtle and elegant, with purity and balance,” adding that it is “tasty and long, with a dry and tasty finish.” He also notes a clear step up from the prior vintage, finding “more intensity, more brightness and a more complete wine in the 2022 Parotet” compared with 2021.

Vinous is equally enthusiastic, awarding an excellent 95 points and describing aromatics of “spice, intense balsamic herbs and dried flowers” (Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous). On the palate, Hidalgo emphasizes finesse: “Light-footed…with fine lines and delicate tannins,” while still being “herbal, savory and layered,” ultimately “reach[ing] another level of depth for the region.”

With two 95-point assessments from major critics, Parotet 2022 stands out as a high-performing, terroir-leaning Valencia red that pairs freshness and perfume with quietly persistent, savory length.