Spain

An ultra-rare non-vintage bottling of their Cubilllo Reserva from the 1970's!

A non-vintage Reserva plus level bottling from the 1970's!

An ultra-rare non-vintage bottling of cuvees from the 1950's and/or 1960's!

95 Points! The 2022 vintage of Murrieta’s Reserva continues on its path to elegance with this blend of 85% Tempranillo 7% Mazuelo, 6% Graciano and 2% Garnacha. American oak adds polish, effortlessly enveloping rose petal, damson and red cherries, and lending just the faintest hint of chocolate. It's fine, precise and, despite many years of development to come, it's immediately approachable. A wine evolving with the times and, quite rightly, one of the flagships of the region. - Decanter Magazine

94+ Points! The flagship white-label Reserva-style red 2022 Marqués de Murrieta wants to showcase the personality of the estate through blending places and grapes. In the 2022 vintage, it's 85% Tempranillo, 7% Mazuelo, 6% Graciano and 2% Garnacha. In the warmer and drier year, with two important heat waves that hurried things up, the grapes were hand-harvested between the 7th and 23rd of September, quite early, and they fermented separately in stainless steel. The wine matured in 225-liter American oak barrels for 25 months. Tasting with Vicente Cebrián, he told me he likes 2022 better than 2023 and 2024, which surprised me (let's see what he tells me next year...). It was a gourmand year, with rounder and glossier wines and with more volume, hedonistic and full. The wine is surprisingly balanced and elegant and doesn't show any excesses; the higher percentages of Mazuelo and Graciano provided the extra freshness needed but also had to age for longer in wood, but the oak is perfectly integrated, and the wine is clean and focused. It has contained ripeness and 14% alcohol, keeping a pH of 3.65 and 5.1 grams of acidity. It's a triumph over the adverse conditions of the year. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! Aromas of plums, cherries and touches of cedar and dried flowers. Medium- to full-bodied with polished tannins that are well integrated, supporting red and dark fruit flavors and subtle cedar notes. A well-crafted red. Precise, with impeccable balance and a savory touch. Tempranillo with around 7% mazuelo and 6% graciano. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

99 Points! Aromas of brine, green olives and flowers. This has distinct linearity and acidity and expressive floral and stone fruit flavors. Fruity, with vibrancy and balance. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2023 Silver Label is a ripe and balanced Monastrell with integrated oak. It matured in new and second-use French oak barrels for one year, but they were looking for lower toast and less impact of the wood in this wine versus earlier vintages, when it was 100% new oak. It has a fruit-driven nose with some spicy notes, a medium- to full-bodied palate and less alcohol than last year, 14.5%, with a tender mouthfeel. It's definitely a champion in drinkability. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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

93 Points! The youngest of the portfolio is the 2024 Louro, which has a balsamic, herbal and faintly medicinal nose (it does smell a little of bay leaf, which is what "louro" means in the Galician language!), quite aromatic. It fermented in 3,500-liter oak foudres, where the wine matured with the lees for four months. It doesn't lack ripeness; it comes in at 14% alcohol but retains good freshness and acidity. It's approachable and has a tender texture. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2024 Godello Louro do Bolo from Valdeorras is nuanced, with hay, anise, acacia and a hint of reduction layered over barrel influence. Dry and intense, it balances richness with vibrant acidity, enhancing the variety’s delicacy without losing intensity.- Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous

93 Points! A second wine made to be more accessible, translating as the “blonde” of the village, 2024 Louro Do Bolo is an outstanding village Godello from parcels through all the region planted in sandy and granitic soils. Medium-bodied, it has tremendous complexity and sophistication alongside a purity of citrus-driven fruit and fennel, with supportive acidity and enduring freshness. Fermentation is in French oak foudres, followed by aging on the fine lees for additional months. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

93 Points! The nose is vibrant, revealing limes, grapefruit and a zesty, saline edge. The palate is linear and well composed, showing precision and freshness. Aged four months in stainless steel. From organically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

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

92 Points! Aromas of creamy oak, vanilla, pine cones citrus and plums. A touch of sweet tobacco as well. Classic Rioja reserva style, with fresh acidity on the medium-bodied palate and nicely chewy tannins from the wood. Fluid, firm and quite long. Drink from 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points!  In spite of the massive tarte-tatin character in the nose, this is mouth-filling but bone dry and powerful with a rather silky finish for a dry Oloroso (which tends to bitterness and austerity). Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! 2020 was a cooler year with more rain, following the path of years like 2016 and 2018. The 2020 Selección Especial, produced with 70% Tempranillo, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Syrah, 4% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, is harmonious and moderately ripe at 14% alcohol, with nice balancing freshness. It matured for 12 months in French and American oak (35%) barrels, one-third of them new. They harvested it before it rained, and the wine has more herbal aromas and feels a little more Bordelais, balsamic, even minty. The oak is neatly integrated and folded into the fruit. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points! Grilled herbs, hedgerow undergrowth and dark cherries on the nose follow through to a medium- to full-bodied palate with lots of dusty tannins. Juicy and flavorful finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! The 2016 Gran Reserva 904 from Rioja Alta is composed of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. It aged for four years in American oak barrels, 20% of which were new. This has a slightly sun-kissed profile, opening with pronounced oaky aromas followed by classic tertiary notes of clove, licorice, vanilla and caramel, alongside hints of tobacco leaf and bay. This is complex in its maturity, offering good volume, creamy texture and a seamless flow across the palate. A touch of camphor appears at the finish, adding energy to the approachable character. The extended aging in oak defines the long, composed finale. - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous

97 Points! Such a deep and complex gran reserva with richness and depth. Genuinely intense and harmonious, with cigar box, pine cones, black mushrooms and high-grade wood and vanilla. Juicy, flavorful and really long. Goes on for a minute, if not more. Such a hedonistic Rioja that delivers sheer pleasure. 90% tempranillo and 10% graciano. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! The 2019 Vina Ardanza is a highly impressive, full-bodied blend of 80% older-vine Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha from two different parts of Rioja grown at the same altitude. The producer’s own American oak was used to age the Tempranillo 36 months and the Garnacha 30 months, 20% new. The fruity nose of black cherry and plum complements beautifully against Garnacha’s seductively spicy texture and mouthfeel. It’s lively, complex, and lengthy, with melty tannins. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

94 Points! No 2018 was produced, so after the 2017 I tasted last year, we jumped to the 2019 Viña Ardanza Reserva, produced with a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha. It fermented destemmed in stainless steel and aged in American oak barrels, 36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 months for Garnacha, and was blended before bottling. 2019 is a very good year for them, a small crop of powerful and concentrated wines when they produced all their brands, an exception. This is spicy, structured, balanced and powerful in this warm year, reaching the customary 14.5% alcohol and keeping a pH of 3.54 and 5.5 grams of acidity. It's still very young and undeveloped, with the classical profile, generous in American oak aromas and flavors that should slowly integrate in the wine with years in bottle. For them, 2019 means a change in Ardanza, less spicy (but still quite spicy, with clove, vanilla and tobacco leaves) and with more fresh fruit from the Garnacha. But the year is a modern version of 2015. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com