Spain

95 Points! The 2021 Almirez, sourced from La Jara, Villabuena del Puente and Valdefinjas vineyards in Toro, was aged up to 14 months in oak barrels. Garnet in hue. Its ripe aromas feature plums, dried flowers, undergrowth, licorice and garrigue against a cedar backdrop. Dry and rich on the palate, the mild and balanced flow leads to a lasting, juicy, cherry-like finish. The 2021 is a nuanced Toro wine. - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous Media

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95 Points! The 2021 Dominio de Anza Selección de Parcelas goes back to the elegance, perfume and refinement of the wines from 2018 and 2019—floral and clean. It comes from multiple places in different villages, all vinified separately in a year he found to be marked by the rain during the harvest. This has very good freshness. He used more full clusters this year, and the élevage was in 500-liter barrels and oak foudres. It's very attractive and easy to drink. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95 Points! An extremely well-aged and understated Rioja, showing discreet complexity with plums, oranges, leather, dusty red berries and minerals. Juicy and bright on the palate with a zesty nature to the berry and orange citrus. Silky, taut tannins and a long yet elegant finish. Lots of finesse here, with almost pinot etherealness. Tempranillo, graciano and mazuelo from selected plots. 36 months aging, with American oak in use, too. Drinkable now, but can hold for another 10 years. - JamesSuckling.com

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92+ Points! The ripe red 2018 Terra de Cuques is a 50/50 blend of Garnacha and Cariñena from different vineyards around the village of Torroja (there are some grapes from Poboleda, a cooler village) that fermented equal parts in stainless steel and concrete; it matured in concrete and foudres but with the intention to abandon the aging in oak in the near future. It has lots of notes of licorice and Mediterranean herbs, intermixed with ripe berries and very little impact from the oak. The palate is round and reveals abundant grainy tannins. This is a powerful Terra de Cuques. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95 Points! The 2022 As Sortes feels very young and a little raw and undeveloped, with great freshness. Despite being a very warm summer, they had rain (20+ liters) that was absorbed by the grapes, which made a delicate wine, much fresher than expected. Of course, the high altitude of the vines and the late ripeness and harvest here also have to do with the fresh character of the wine, which transcends the character of the year. I'd wait a little to pull the cork...He's one of the finest white wine producers in Galicia and in Spain. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95 Points! Ripe, tarry plums and black cherries with violets, rocks, coffee and graphite. Refined notes of balsamic fruit and cocoa powder, too. Full-bodied and juicy with an iron fist of tannins, yet at the same time so velvety and polished. Very long, focused finish, showing lots of finesse and layers. Drinkable now, but better after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2019 Alión was cropped from a drier vintage compared with the average, and the wines from that year tend to be powerful, concentrated and with structure. They shortened the maceration by 11 days and used concrete for part of the élevage, trying to reduce the impact from the oak in the wine. They define 2019 as a powerful, concentrated and juicy vintage, sensual and unctuous. The wine is ripe at 15% alcohol and has mellow acidity (4.4 grams) and a pH of 3.88, reflecting the warm and dry year that delivered powerful and concentrated wines, similar to the wines from 2015. It's quite fruit-driven, ripe and juicy, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins despite the limited pumping over they did to avoid extracting too much, and the maceration was also shortened. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95 Points! The 2008 Carmen Gran Reserva has a classic nose with notes of American oak, some herbaceous character (I mean it in a positive, fresh way) in the shape of some spearmint. It displays an array of notes of tobacco, cured meats, leather, balsamic herbs and a hint of chalk. The medium-bodied palate reveals a powerful Gran Reserva, with intense flavors, great acidity and length. This wine is very different in style to the rest of Benjamin's wines, following the patterns of the classical Riojas of yesteryear. Bravo! - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95+ Points! The depth of the nose of the 2020 El Veneno already talks about a much better vintage with very complete and full wines that are floral, expressive and ripe but delicate, what they always look for: delicate wines with power, the proverbial iron fist in the velvet glove. It's varietal, Mediterranean, fresh, expressive, rich and complex, with abundant, chalky tannins that coat your mouth and give it a dry sensation, earthy and mineral. It has more of everything. The finest vintage of El Veneno to date. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95 Points! The extremely affordable 2016 Viña Real Gran Reserva Especial recovers the "Especial" mention from the old Reserva Especial vintages from a very good year. It's a classical Rioja Alavesa blend of 95% Tempranillo with 5% Graciano from their own vineyards. It's open and expressive, with notes of berries, fresh blood and iron, orange peel and sweet spices with the oak still present and in need of some more time in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied and feels lean and serious, with abundant chalky tannins. This should be a classical vintage of this wine in the making. It matured in barrel for two years and no less than three in bottle. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95+ Points! The spectacular white Godello 2021 La Salvación was produced with grapes from a one-hectare centenary plot in Arganza, the northernmost and cooler village in Bierzo, a plot that was regrafted from Mencía some 17 years ago. The destemmed grapes were pressed in a pneumatic press, and the juice fermented in 500-liter oak barrels after setting for 24 hours. It matured in those barrels for one year, with the lees but without bâtonnage. It has 12.56% alcohol and very good freshness and acidity, consistent with a cold year, with an expressive nose of dry flowers and pollen, aromatic and showy, open and clean, very precise and pure. It has less alcohol than the previous year, with a super fresh palate. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95 Points! A really drinkable Ribera del Duero that shows restraint and finesse. Dark cherries and grilled herbs with a hint of white pepper and cocoa powder. Full and supple with fine, precise tannins. Very long, persistent and rather intellectual. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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98 Points! Very impressive complexity and width on the nose, showing lots of savoriness with mushrooms, sandalwood, cedar, sweet spices, dried oranges and tobacco. Really even and juicy on the palate with fine and very present tannins. Juicy, creamy finish lasting a minute. Really elegant and layered. It goes on and on. A real Rioja Gran Reserva and I recommend buying a case! The first vintage that La Rioja Alta labelled ‘Seleccion Especial’. So appealing now, but this will evolve well in the next 20 years. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! They used the words subtlety, elegance, finesse, delicacy and silk to define the 2015 Gran Reserva 904 Selección Especial, a blend of 90% Tempranillo from their vineyards in Villalba, Briñas and Rodezno with 10% Graciano from the Montecillo vineyard in Fuenmayor that was picked 23 days later than the Tempranillo. The grapes were sorted optically for the first time, and they fermented in stainless steel where the wine went through malolactic too. The wine was put in barrel in January 2016—used American oak barrels built by their own coopers—where it matured for four years, during which time it was racked every six months. 2015 was a healthy vintage with balanced ripeness that delivered wines with good aging potential. They thought the wine needed a little more time in bottle to polish those tannins and have decided to hold it and release the wine around March 2023; it will be marked Selección Especial, the first 904 to do so, as they have very high hopes for this year and believe it's one of the finest vintages. They think it will develop the sophistication in the palate with a little more time and that is should achieve the silkiness that is the signature of 904. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95 Points! A harmonious red that marries modern pomp with restraint and elegance. Full-bodied and lush, yet fresh and well-defined by sinewy tannins. Features flavors of pureed blackberry, licorice snap, herbed black olive and mocha that expand on the palate, with tarry smoke and loamy earth character. Best from 2023 through 2033. - Wine Spectator

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95 Points! A traditional beauty that effuses iron, warm earth and savory tobacco leaves, together with plums, spices and orange zest. This is juicy and still tight, with firm but savory tannins. Medium-weight and quite zesty in texture, as is the case with the other López de Heredia reds tasted this session. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2011 Viña Tondonia Reserva is darker and shows riper fruit, a rounder palate and some dusty tannins. A year of ripeness, concentration and tannin, the wine is powerful with the finesse of Tondonia. Tasting this next to the textbook 2010 Tondonia revealed how this has more muscle and a wider back and the 2010 epitomizes the finesse and elegance. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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95 Points! A very complex, aged Rioja with savory plums, mushrooms, bark, red earth, orange peel and cedar. Quite juicy, fresh and bright on the palate with a tangy, zesty palate, full of berries and oranges. Firm, long and complex with a mouthwatering finish. Such a traditional taste! Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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95 Points! The 2018 Clos Figueres follows the path of cleanliness and precision of the 2017 in a better vintage. It's Garnacha and Cariñena from old vines with Cabernet sauvignon, Syrah and Monastrell, which seems to be a Mediterranean grape that is coming out of the closet in Priorat. It fermented and matured in new and second use 300- and 500-liter French oak barrels for 14 to 16 months. It's powerful and ripe at 15% alcohol, but with a low pH and good freshness. It's nuanced and complex and has elegance and some floral notes, with a more developed nose compared to the younger 2019 and 2020 tasted next to it. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Clos Figueres ever. 5,150 bottles were filled in February 2020. - Luis Gutierrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

94 Points! Aromas of dark plums, lavender, dried thyme, cloves, black olives and chocolate. It’s full-bodied with fine tannins and fresh acidity. Supple and velvety. Sweet spices and chocolate on the long, elegant finish. Try from 2022. - James Suckling

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95 Points! I love the subtle and elegant red 2018 Lacima. It is a bright translucent ruby color and has a beautifully perfumed nose with an explosion of red fruit (pomegranate) and flowers with a spicy and herbal touch. It's a blend of 75% Mencía, 20% Brancellao and the rest Mouratón and Sousón. The palate reveals pungent flavors, very good ripeness and balance; it feels very open and inviting. There is a note of blood and fresh meat that complicates the nose. It finishes with long, dry and clean flavors that last for a long time. There's stuffing, freshness and balance to develop nicely in bottle. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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97 Points! A true gem is the NV Amontillado Solera Fundación , a solera blend that spent 50 years or more in American oak casks, with some of the blend going back to the original blend started in 1729. It’s a tiny production release but offers extraordinary notes of caramel, toasted nuts, iodine, and blue cheese-like characteristics. Deep, full-bodied, thick and opulent on the palate, it stays balanced and light, and is a sensational, truly special Amontillado fitting for a special occasion. - Jeb Dunnuck

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95 Points! The 2018 El Cismático was produced with old-vine Garnacha from the villages of Villarroya de la Sierra and Cervera de la Cañada, four small vineyards. It fermented in open-top vats with 20% full clusters and was punched down by hand. They wine matured in second use 500-liter French oak barrels and some concrete for 13 months. As a lot of the reds are completely unoaked, this felt quite oaky and creamy, one that needs a little more time in bottle to absorb the impact from the wood. The wine is floral, expressive, showy and exuberant, peachy and juicy, with very fine tannins, with good acidity and balanced alcohol, harmonious, reflecting a slow and good ripening of the grapes. Most of these reds are showy and exuberant, not shy wines at all, generous and hedonistic. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com Learn More

95 Points! Both wines from 2018 showed very fresh and young, younger than you'd have anticipated. The 2018 El Terroir follows the path of previous vintages and is a Garnacha selection of their organic and biodynamically farmed plots (but not certified), fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in barrel for 18 months. It's clean and aromatic and has herbal freshness, a certain leafiness that even makes me think of Mencía. The oak is neatly integrated and folded into the wine, which comes through as balanced and elegant, with a Mediterranean twist that is characteristic from San Martín. It has a medium to full-bodied palate with very fine, chalky tannins. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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