Spain

90 Points! A big, dense, chewy wine, the 2023 Breca El Nacido is grown in iron-rich soils that retain good moisture where the site contains some white varieties as well (mostly Macabeu), blended into the whole. From the Garnacha de Aragon clone, it has rich, concentrated red fruit, mostly cherry and plum, with a back beat of soy and leather and velvety tannins. There’s some good acidity on the back of the palate that helps balance, but this is all about intensity. Drink now and through the next 7-10 years. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

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Bodegas El Vínculo La Mancha Crianza is a 100% Tempranillo (Cencibel) red wine from La Mancha, Spain, produced by Familia Fernández Rivera. 

The vineyards, located at elevations of 650 to 750 meters (about 2,100 to 2,450 feet), benefit from cooler temperatures, while the soil is a mix of sand and clay.

The average vine age is around 50 years. 100% Tempranillo, the grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and fermented in stainless-steel tanks. The wine is aged for a minimum of 12 months in American oak barrels.

Maroon color, clean and bright. The wine features prominent black fruit aromas of blackberry and violet, accompanied by a hint of licorice, typical nuances of the Tempranillo variety. Aging in American oak barrels imparts enveloping aromas of coffee and toffee. On the palate, it’s a wine with polished and well-integrated tannins. An attractive, fruity, and fleshy entry with very well-integrated and pleasant acidity, hints of roasted notes like toffee or coffee.

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91 Points! The young entry-level 2024 Laya was produced with 70% Garnacha Tintorera and 30% Monastrell from dry-farmed 30-year-old vines on limestone and stony soils. It fermented in 20,000-liter open-top stainless steel vats with neutral yeasts and matured for four months in used French oak barrels, where it also underwent malolactic. It's heady, with notes of very ripe dark berries and is young and primary, fruit-driven, easy to drink and juicy, with velvety tannins, 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.76 and 5.4 grams of acidity. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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91 Points! A ripe nose of blackberries, dark cherries, dried violets, potpourri and sweet spices. Full-bodied with powdery tannins. Textured and creamy. Supple, chocolatey finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

90 Points! The ripe and juicy 2019 Casar Mencía has a fruit-driven nose with notes of ripe berries and some flowers. It's at the higher end of ripeness on the Mencía spectrum and has 14.5% alcohol. It matured in 500- and 700-liter oak barrels for one year. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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91 Points! The bottled 2024 Camins del Priorat is a regional blend produced with a slightly different blend each year, depending on the character of the year. In the less warm 2024, the blend was 40% Garnacha, 20% Cariñena, 20% Syrah (much higher in Syrah), 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot (lower in the Bordeaux varieties), and the rest is a blend of Garnacha Blanca, Picapoll Blanc and Pedro Ximenez from 90 plots in nine villages from Priorat. The idea is to remove the French varieties in 2026. It fermented with part of full clusters and indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, oak and concrete, with 28 days of maceration, and matured in barriques and oak vats for eight months. It has a nose of ripe berry fruit, herbs and spices, with hints of honey and pollen. It develops notes of balsamic and dry hay with time in the glass. This is a little more international; it's the least Priorat of the portfolio. It has 14.1% alcohol, a pH of 3.52 and 5.12 grams of acidity. It's juicy and velvety, with very fine tannins and a sleek texture. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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91 Points! This sleek white crackles with energy and racy acidity, with flavors of crunchy pear, persimmon, lime peel and lemon thyme underscored by stone and salt notes. Offers good length on the bright, minerally finish. Drink now through 2028. - Wine Spectator

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90 Points! Oregano and tobacco front the nose with savoury expressiveness, led by blood orange, Earl Grey and bergamot. There's firm, herbal grip from strong, round tannins. Subtle florality adds elegant top notes to the otherwise intense, dark core. A great-value wine, perfect for more than everyday drinking. - Decanter Magazine

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91 Points! The wines are quite transparent with the character of the vintages, and this is the case for the 2017 Señorío de P. Peciña Crianza. It's a little more developed, showing some tertiary aromas plus the spices from the American oak barrels where the wine matured for 24 months. It was bottled with 14.28% alcohol and a pH of 3.66. The palate is polished and has a fine chalky sensation and tasty flavors. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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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

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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

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91 Points! The 2019 La Cuvee sparkling wine was produced with a blend of 55% Xarel.lo, 35% Macabeo and 10% Parellada from 12 growers that work a total of 461 hectares of biodynamic vineyards certified by Demeter. Fifteen percent of the wine spent one year in 300-liter oak barrels and then refermented and aged with the lees in bottle for 40 months and is sold with five grams of residual sugar. 2019 reminded them of 2013 and 2009, possibly the last classical vintage in the zone in recent times. It has a more developed nose from the longer élevage and is ripe and with more autolysis of the lees and with a little more noticeable sugar in the finish. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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91 Points! This year, the 2019 Sologarnacha Amphora Aging was produced with grapes from a vineyard planted in 2017. It's "only" 13.5% alcohol (most of the other wines are much higher in alcohol) and has a perfumed and floral nose, showing some lightness after a short maceration to keep the more ethereal part of the variety. The wine matured in a clay tinaja for five months. Only 295 bottles were filled in July 2020. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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92 Points! An excellent introduction to this extreme category. Intense caramelized-grapefruit character with plenty of toffee aroma. However, for a pedro ximénez, this has a certain lightness of touch and the sweetness is restrained. Long, raisiny but clean finish. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com Learn More