Wines

From the importer: ‘Argille di Tagghia Via’ 100% Nero d’Avola, and takes its name from the church of the Madonna di Tagliavia, a few hundred yards away. The vineyard is planted between Corleone and San Giuseppe Jato.  Soil is impermeable alkaline clay with some sand, poor in organic matter and limestone. Fairly dark violet-tinged red in the glass.

A berryish, spicy aroma (hint of black pepper); lead pencil; somewhat reminiscent of Syrah. Very concentrated palate and fresh acidity. Finish honestly tastes like blackberry, with a faint hint of coconut, a common Nero d’Avola note. A much better, fresher wine than most Nero d’Avola but still forward and drinkable. Try it with red meats, flavorful pasta dishes.

From the importer: The domaine’s top red wine is the cuvée Charles de Batz, which was the original name of d'Artignan. The wine is composed of 90% Tannat with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines that are between 50 and 100 years old. After being completely destemmed, the Cabernet and Tannat are fermented separately in cement tanks. During this time, a bit of micro-oxygenation or microboullage takes place. The wine then goes into oak (50% new) in an underground cellar where it also undergoes malolactic fermentation. After 12 months in wood, it is blended and bottled after a very light filtration.

Very ripe, rich Madiran that takes no prisoners. This wine succeeds in obtaining more fruit than tannin! The color is nearly opaque—wine doesn't get much darker than this. It displays notes of black fruit (blackcurrant and blackberry) along with just a hint of red fruit. There is a cedar-like creaminess to the oak which is extremely well-integrated. Tannins pick up on the finish but, let's face it, this is Madiran and that is to be expected. These tannins seem to dissolve when the wine is matched with richly flavored meats like leg of lamb, duck, goose or game.

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

92 Points! Opaque ruby. Spice-accented dark berries, mocha, cola and pungent flowers on the highly perfumed nose. Appealingly sweet black and blue fruit and floral pastille flavors become livelier and pick up a hint of vanilla with air. The blue fruit and floral notes recur on an impressively long, penetrating finish that features subtly gripping tannins and a hint of exotic spices. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

98 Points! The phenomenal 2020 Las Gravas was produced with 92% Monastrell from 30- to 40-year-old vines on north-facing gravel soils (hence its name) complemented with 8% Garnacha. It fermented with 30% full clusters and indigenous yeasts in underground stone lagares and matured in a combination of 500-liter barrel and 5,000-liter foudres for 16 months. It has classical parameters, 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.47 and 4.87 grams of acidity per liter. The wine is super perfumed and floral, really showy, elegant, nuanced and refined, with the notes of pine needles and wet soil much subtler than in the 2019. There is an ethereal character to the 2020s that I haven't found in any previous vintage here, but at the same time, the wines are very mineral and have lots of energy and light. There is precision, cleanliness, definition and elegance like I hadn't seen before and refined tannins with a pungent mineral sensation in the textured finish. This is an incredible wine for the price asked. - Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com

93 Points! Notes of pastry, roasted pineapple, minerals, cashews and fine lees on the nose. This is a flavorful and round verdejo, but subtle and tactile, with a bright streak of acidity passing through the palate and leaving a broad but fresh-toned mouth-feel. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! A full-bodied white with sliced apple, white pineapple, waxy lemon and some pear. Slightly waxy. Long and flavorful. An excellent example of verdejo. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! The 2019 Quintaluna, pure Verdejo from the province of Segovia, fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and was kept with the lees for nine months. A small fraction of the wine was in oak foudres and barrels. This feels like a ripe vintage, not as ripe as 2017 but with an exotic touch and more varietal notes of freshly cut grass. It's balanced and soft, with integrated acidity and rich flavors. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

Quintaluna expresses the genuine character and freshness of Verdejo. The grapes are sourced from a range of small vineyards across various towns in northern Segovia: Nieva, Aldeanueva del Codonal, Aldehuela del Codonal and Santiuste de San Juan Bautista. The vineyards are planted on sandy soils with a high codon content, bringing minerality, freshness and finesse to the wine. Most of the vines are ungrafted, dating back to the 19th century prior to the phylloxera epidemic having been protected from the devastating plague by its sandy soil. A smaller section of the vineyard is comprised of younger vines that are hand-selected and low-yielding.

94 Points! Extremely perfumed with violet and blueberry aromas that follow through to a full body with creamy, refined tannins. Wonderful depth, due to the compact fruit and vertical line of tannins. Black pepper to the dark fruit. Better in two or three years. Try after 2022. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! A full-bodied red with aromas of black cherries, blackcurrants, violets and black licorice. Tannic and chewy with a firm core of dark fruit. Try from 2023. - JamesSuckling.com

90 Points WS Top 100 2022 #47! This bright red ripples across the palate, with savory hints of cured tobacco and loamy earth underscoring the black currant and black raspberry fruit. Medium-bodied, with lightly chewy tannins. Drink now through 2027. - Wine Spectator