Spain

94 Points! The nose of the 2023 Alma de Mar is very leesy and smoky, with a very austere, chalky palate with a strong sensation of granite and sea breeze. It comes from grapes grown very close to the sea, and the wine tends to be quite vibrant but also has structure and volume. 3,000 bottles produced. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points! I was really looking forward to the 2017 Las Enebradas, because the first vintage, 2016, was the revelation of my last review of the zone of Gredos. I was quite surprised because the profile is very different: the wine has a lot more color and up to 2% more alcohol. Nacho Jiménez, one of the partners, explained that the profile of the 2016 vintage was exceptional and hard to replicate, as yields were higher and it rained just before they picked the grapes, so the wine is a lot lighter. 2017 was very different, a lot warmer and with lower yields, and the grapes delivered a concentrated juice with a lot more color, tannin and alcohol. It has a more Mediterranean profile, more in line with the rest of the wines. This fermented with 50% full clusters and temperature control and matured in one 500-liter oak barrel. Despite the higher ripeness and the headier character, the wines from Navatalgordo have a different texture and fine thread, the finesse of a cooler place and sandy soils at higher altitude (even if the vines are south-facing here), and you see it when tasting this next to the wines from Cebreros. It's more elegant and fresher. 570 bottles were filled in August 2019. - Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com

96 Points! The bottled village red 2022 Corullón was produced with grapes from around 90 different plots and had a short élevage of eight months in barrel. It is 93% Mencía, 4% Jerez (Palomino), 2.5% Alicante Bouschet and 0.5% Gran Negro bottled at 13.5% alcohol. It's floral and aromatic, but compared with the more-austere 2023, it comes through as more generous, riper and a little gentler, with more fruit but with elegance and freshness that nobody expected during the torrid summer and harvest. It keeps the freshness and poise, with fine-grained tannins. 25,392 bottles and some smaller and larger formats produced. It was bottled in August and November 2023, as they had to stop for the harvest. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com 

90 Points! The entry-level 2023 Laya, produced with 70% Garnacha Tintorera and 30% Monastrell from dry-farmed 30-year-old vines on limestone and stony soils fermented in open-top stainless steel vats. It fermented with neutral yeasts and matured for four months in used French oak barrels, where it also underwent malolactic fermentation. It is fruit-driven and easy to drink, juicy, with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.79 and 5.6 grams of acidity. It has a very dark color and an expressive nose redolent of black olives and tomato vine, notes descriptive of the variety, with a Northern Rhône whiff. It's juicy and round on the palate, with polished tannins. It delivers way above its price point. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

A brambly nose with potpourri, simple candied cherries and a touch of white pepper. Generous and sweet-ish on the palate, this has medium body, soft-grained tannins and easy fruit in the finish. Vegan. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

Bodegas Morca is located in the village of Borja, in the province of Zaragoza. Grapes of Garnacha from small plots with low yields are hand-picked and fermented separately in small vats, then transferred into French oak barrels to stay for 6 months to complete its ageing procedure. This opaque purple wine exhibits richness and finesse with layers of blackberry, blueberry and plum notes, mineral, mocha and spice box details edged with dark chocolate, licorice and cracked pepper.

92 Points! A harmonious red that leans toward traditional in style without forsaking its concentration or fruit expression. An overtone of tobacco, vanilla and milled white pepper is a fragrant thread winding through ripe and juicy black cherry and plum fruit, framed by refined, supple tannins. Hints of leather, red licorice and wild thyme play on the fresh, focused finish. Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! This is so gorgeous and well polished with aromas of berries, tobacco, cedar and fresh mushrooms. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a beautiful, textured finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

Killer deal!

From the winery: Viura, Garnacha Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco. Tempranillo Blanco grapes come from our vineyard Finca Carbonera, the highest growing point in the DOCa Rioja (700-950m / 2300-3100ft.). The natural farming characteristics provide ideal conditions for making fresh white wines with elegant, crisp acidity.

Garnacha Blanca is grown in our estate in Rioja Oriental, Los Almendros, which Mediterranean climate and limestone soils retain the variety’s fresh and fruity character.

Viura is from the Arenzana area, enjoying the perfect conditions to farm Rioja’s most characteristic white variety.

96 Points! The 2021 Vatan Tinta de Toro opens with aromas of violets, lavender, fresh plum and raspberry, framed by subtle oak and a touch of cedar. Intense and creamy, the palate is broad and flavorful, with velvety, finely textured tannins. The finish is long, delivering depth and nuance. This is a balanced and elegant Tempranillo with a measured profile. Tannins show gentle grip, bringing tension that complements the wine’s volume and richness. A superb vintage that lends this wine exceptional depth. - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous Media

91+ Points! The pale, fruit-driven and very young red 2022 Bozeto de Exopto is juicy and approachable, mixing 60% Garnacha with 35% Tempranillo and 5% Graciano. Fresh and dominated by the Garnacha, it is ripe without excess at 14.5% alcohol, reflecting the conditions of the year. Only the Tempranillo aged in oak vats, and the Garnacha was kept in concrete. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

97 Points! Focused herbal, wild black fruit and tobacco nose. The youthful palate is poised and approachable with a soft texture, high tannins and brisk acidity. It has an intensity of flavour in the mouth and an energetic, impressively long, finish. A very accomplished expression of Graciano. The value here is superb! - Decanter World Wine Awards

Caberrubia is an unfortified and ancestral style of Sherry that once was commonplace in Jerez. Caberrubia is harvested in early September, dried for 6-7 hours, then crushed by foot in lagars. The wine is then racked into botas, where indigenous yeast begins the fermentation. After fermentation, the wines with the most “Fino” character are racked into barrels leaving only a small space at top for the development of flor. Each year a selection of the most suitable casks is made to release a NV wine that expresses the fruit concentration and salinity characteristic of Carrascal.

94 Points! Glossy, pure fruit here showing excellent concentration of red berries, cherries, hibiscus, stones and subtle spices. Concentrated and deep on the palate with outstanding volume for this vintage. Vertical and pretty long. One of the best Corimbos here. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! 2019 was a warm year, but the style of the wines is quite balanced, and the 2019 Corimbo shows quite faithful with the character of the year. It has a contained 14% alcohol and shows balance and seriousness. The nose shows some restraint, with varietal berry fruit and measured oak. It matured for 14 months in oak barrels, 80% of them French and the rest American. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

The experimental yet profound Alta Alella (Cava) VRIACC ICL 2019 probably turned out shockingly better than anyone within this program had anticipated. It is a beautiful wine, organically grown (of course) and produced with the ancestral method in bottle for the second fermentation with no added sulfites. It basks in its complete lack of artifice, a clean, pure, intensely flavored result with soaring aromatics of citrus and white flowers, a fresh yet quietly concentrated palate and a length of finish that we only see from the best cava wines. It’s cava, but it isn’t, y’know what I mean? It’s something new and wonderful, and a joy to drink. Not only that, it’s a sign of GREAT things to come as these intrepid wineries, scientists and vine experts work together to make sure there are more and even more beautiful wines coming down the pike over the next few decades.

93+ Points! The Mercenario range changes with the 2022 vintage and the wines will be renamed, the red to 2022 Ollos Tinto. 2022 was a warmer year, and the blend is 50% Caíño and then equal parts of Brancellao, Sousón and Espadeiro. It fermented in bin with some 35% full clusters and the rest destemmed grapes and had a long and soft fermentation, followed by time in used barrels. It has a perfumed nose with notes of flowers and herbs, spicy and tasty. The wine is clean and precise, with a light to medium-bodied palate with vibrant flavors and almost unnoticeable tannins. It's elegant, fresh, light and perfumed.- Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! 2021 was a very good vintage for Dominio del Bendito, and the 2021 Las Sabias shows the freshness of the year with the ripe, concentrated, powerful house style. You don't really feel the 16.5% alcohol in this wine, and it comes through as full-bodied but balanced, with ripe fruit and tannins and integrated oak after spending 16 months in French oak barrels. It is finer-boned than other years. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

This bottling is made up of 100% Muscat of Alexandria from multiple old mountainside vineyards located in the Valley of the Lagares, Almáchar, of the Málaga DO where the inclinations are up to 70°.

The result is pure liquid joy, floral, bright, vivid, sparkling (duh), with fresh tropical fruit aromatics and a shocking opulence on the palate balanced by bright acidity. Fruity but not blatantly sweet, rather refreshing actually, the alcohol here is a moderate 10.8%, giving it a more serious air than its Asti brethren, more like a gorgeous Clairette de Die for all you French wine nerds.

#Fruity_Sparklers

94 Points! The Lindes collection comes alternately in Bordeaux and Burgundy bottles, depending on the amount of Garnacha in the wine, with a Burgundian bottle for the wines with more Garnacha. The new 2020 Lindes de Remelluri Viñedos de Labastida is made with grapes from 11 grape growers in the village with different lieux-dits ranging from 440 to 710 meters above sea level, and the final blend was 89% Tempranillo, 6% Graciano and 5% Garnacha. The winemaking and aging were similar for all the wines to highlight the differences from the places, in this case, the character of Labastida, which is more floral and with more finesse than San Vicente, more serious, more delicate but not without clout. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

95 Points! This shows dark fruit with floral notes of violets and a hint of graphite. Medium- to full-bodied with firm, polished tannins, dark fruit character and a long, deep, persistent finish. This comes exclusively from vineyards planted in the village of Abalos. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93+ Points! The serious and austere new 2020 Lindes de Remelluri Viñedos de Ábalos was produced with grapes on marl and limestone from the Marqués de Legarda, who is mentioned on the label. It's a blend of 73% Tempranillo, 17% Graciano, 6% Garnacha and 4% other varieties, presented in a straight Bordeaux bottle. It reflects more the character of Haro than the Rioja Alavesa, wines with more Graciano. It's medium to full-bodied with 14.17% alcohol and has fine-grained, chalky tannins. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com