Wines

92 Points! Aromas of cherries and raspberries, dried flowers, chocolate, cedar and dry earth. Medium-bodied with round texture and dusty tannins. Ripe and velvety with a flavorful, slightly salty finish. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A lovely mix of red berries, bright orange peel and spicy cedar on the nose, following through to a full, round and silky palate with very fine tannins that are well integrated into the texture. Lots of flavor and good length. Hard not to settle down to a glass or two of this. - JamesSuckling.com

From the importer: Barrialto Sobre Lías Santa Brigida, bottled from a single 500L butt, is a blend of two different albariza soil sub-types. Palomino grapes from Pago Balbaína Baja near Jerez (albariza tosca cerrada soils), with grapes from Pago Maína, near Sanlúcar, (albariza barajuelas soil). Rafa says that the tosca cerrada albrariza lends the blend balance and fitness, while the barrajuela albariza lends a dry minerality and herbal salinity. Each wine Rafa produces is a unique snapshot of a place, time, and soil type in his vineyards in the Jerez region. As a result, production of these authentic treasures is in the hundreds of bottles, and they are exceptionally limited, coming to the US market in tiny allocations.

Hand-harvested palomino grapes (from 40+ year-old vines) are de-stemmed and pressed, followed by spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts from the vineyard without temperature control in a 500L ex-Manzanilla cask. After fermentation, it rests for nine months on its fine lees with bâtonnage in the same barrels before being racked into a stainless steel tank to settle before bottling unfined, with only a light paper filtration and minimal additional sulfur used before bottling.

93 Points! Intense nose with hints of coffee and black chocolate to the raspberry jam and dark cherries. Nicely dry and bitter with dark-chocolate character that extends to the long, polished finish with silky tannins. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

92 Points! When you buy something through our link, we may earn a small commission. Wine Enthusiast doesn't accept money for editorial wine reviews. Read more about our policy. Dark and intense in color, the wine has intense aromas of spiced black plums, blackberry pie and black cherries. Though the fruit is very intense, it is wrapped up by herbal and cocoa notes. The palate is lush and velvety, with fine tannins that give the wine the structure it needs to keep the fruit from being too dominant. This is a big, bold and beautiful wine. - Wine Enthusiast

91 Points! The 2019 Palazzo della Torre is simply stunning, with a perfumed mix of exotic spice, crushed cherries and vanilla bean. This is cool-toned and racy in style with silky textures contrasted by tart wild berry fruit and clove. Residual acids maintain a wonderfully fresh impression as this tapers off with traces of cocoa and rosy inner florals. The 2019 still shows a bit of its oak (about 20% new) when first opened, yet it comes together beautifully in the glass. Palazzo della Torre is a blend of traditional Valpolicella varieties and a 20% addition of Sangiovese, which takes this to the next level. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

95 Points! Dark and balsamic in the glass, the 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella captivates with masses of plum and cherry sauce offset by clove and cocoa nuances. It's velvety-smooth and elegant on the palate, propelled by racy acidity that also helps to sweeten its tart red and black fruits. The concentration here is potent and staining, as the 2016 finishes with dramatic length, leaving bitter hints of coffee grind and dark chocolate, along with fine-grained tannins that promise a very long life. This is a beast in need of taming. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

This no-frills Valpolicella is dangerously drinkable. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

The NV Solear Manzanilla is 100% Palomino from the Gibalbin and Santa Lucia vineyards grown on albariza soils, and averaging seven years aging under a veil of flor. The perfumed nose is dominated by roasted almonds, dry flowers (chamomile), bread dough and a whiff of sea breeze. The medium-bodied palate is crisp and penetrating, with a long finish. A subtle Manzanilla, ideal for tapas and sushi.- Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

92 Points! A blend of 90% Corvina with 10% Oseleta, the Allegrini 2018 La Grola shows medium dark intensity with lots of smoky overlays, including tobacco and campfire ash. At the core of the wine is a healthy dose of ripe blackberry and plum. The wine offers the power and textural fiber to pair with a classic steak in creamy mushroom sauce. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

90 Points! Vibrant nose with spiced cherries, plums, dried herbs, cloves and some bark. It’s medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and juicy cherries. Fruity and caressing mouth-feel, before a medium finish. - JamesSuckling.com

The NV Fino Jarana, aged in Jerez, has a beautiful, classical Fino nose of chalk, dry hay, dry straw (esparto) and nuts, while the palate is very dry, intense and pungent, long, with a pleasant bitter finish. It’s both intense and fine.- Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com