Pintia, Tempos Vega Sicilia 2020
Pintia 2020 is opulent yet elegant — generous on the palate while retaining the freshness of a long-aging vintage. Layered aromas of blackberry, graphite, sandalwood and dried Mediterranean herbs. The palate offers black cherry, mocha and liquorice, with sturdy tannins that soften into ripe cherry and milk chocolate on a long, polished finish.
AALTO Ribera del Duero 2022
Aalto 2022 is a concentrated red wine, with a purple color, very elegant and powerful. On the nose, it's very complex, with notes of red fruits and hints of spices (licorice). On the palate, it's silky and well-balanced, with a very tasty acidity. Impossible to have just one glass!
Red wine Aged in wood. 20 months in French and American oak barrels.
94 Parker Points
La Rioja Alta Viña Arana Gran Reserva 2017
🍷 Tasting Profile: The wine typically shows a complex, layered nose with aromas of balsamic red and black fruits (like cherry, blackcurrant and raspberry) intertwined with spice, vanilla, toasted oak, cinnamon, brioche and subtle earthy or mineral notes from its long barrel ageing. On the palate critics and sellers describe it as medium-full bodied, balanced and fresh, with silky, fine-grained tannins, lively acidity and a long, persistent finish that combines fruit, spice and oak harmoniously.
📊 Critics’ Views: The 2017 vintage has been well-received by critics, with most scores in the 93–96/100 range. James Suckling (96) highlights a deep, savoury nose with energy and a long finish, while Jeb Dunnuck (94) praises its classic structure, integrated acidity and gravelly mineral profile. Vinous (94) notes its sun-kissed red fruit, balsamic wood and fine texture, and Wine Advocate (93) calls it harmonious and elegant, a strong performance given the challenging vintage.
📅 Ageing Potential: Critics generally agree the wine will continue to evolve positively with further cellaring. Many suggest peak drinking from the mid-2020s into the 2030s or beyond, with structure and freshness that should support longer-term development.
Dominio de Atauta 2020
Dominio de Atauta 2020
Intense aromas of black cherry, plum and smoky, mocha notes. Powerful, ripe fruit flavours combine with a darker, more brooding, wild character and hints of garrigue which open up in the glass. There is substantial tannin on display but, despite this, they are fine grained and integrated. After the initial power and explosion of flavour on the palate the finish shows freshness and elegance. This would be best approached after an hour in a decanter, and best enjoyed over the next 2-10 years.
Pair with roast lamb, good cuts of beef, or game.
95pts – Ribera del Duero: Panel tasting, Decanter (Feb ‘ 24)
Classic Ribera from a producer in one of the region’s wildest and most rugged areas, the valley of Atauta. The bodega works with pre-phylloxera vines, 130-190 years old. These vineyards are located at 940m-1,010m, resulting in fresh acidity and elegance. To balance the wine’s lively backbone, it is fermented in either large wooden vats or concrete, then aged for 14 months in French oak. Beth Willard: A really complete wine with beautiful fruit, precision and great balance. The oak is fine and lightly toasted so doesn’t dominate the fruit. Tannins are supple, the palate velvety. David Williams: Keen and succulent: mulberry and cherry with a little bittersweet hit of blood orange and citrus pith. Complexity, and substance. Diana Rollan: Blackcurrant, liquorice, violets and plum compote. Muscular and concentrated with good balanced acidity and a savoury, herbal character.
Viña Tondonia Reserva 2013
Viña Tondonia Reserva 2013
96/100 Robert Parker
This wine spends 72 months in barrel, yet don’t expect it to result in an oaky wine, as it’s polished, refined, on both the nose and the palate. A wine that’s very easy to drink, thanks to its delicate mouthfeel and low alcohol content. Its colour displays evidence of its evolution, with a brick-red rim when first released, although its ruby-red colour remains constant over time. On the nose it offers the typical aromas of a classic Rioja, toasted and cocoa, but there’s also ripe fruit, yet without highlighting any particular variety used in its production. On the palate it’s a wine which is clearly dry and juicy, with refined tannins, extremely inviting and with an extraordinary freshness, foretelling a long life ahead. The secret is the old oak barrels, a very good selection of grapes, patience and wisdom. It knows how to please.
Emilio Moro Finca Resalso 2024
Coto de Imaz Rioja Gran Reserva 2018
Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva 2018 unfurls with grace and nuance in each sip. Its aromatic spectrum evokes a stroll through an autumnal forest, with hints of damp earth and aged leather, interwoven with the sweetness of toasted coconut and the vibrancy of ripe red fruits such as cherries and plums. On the palate, it reveals an enthralling complexity, with tannins that gently caress and a lingering finish that leaves an impression of concentration and completeness. A red wine of character and maturity that eloquently speaks for itself.
91/100 Deano da Vino - Classy, and even silkier than the 2017, and insane value for a Rioja Gran Reserva
