Spanish Wine

Expert Reviews 

Wine Spectator 91 Points | Takes a flattering approach, featuring a lightly sweet, rounded edge to the date, blood orange, toasted pecan and fruitcake aromas and flavors, with toasted marshmallow and bourbon-glazed peach notes on the finish. Drink now.

Wine Enthusiast 93 Points | Aromas of burnt orange and baking spices are upright and snappy for a Sherry that s fairly creamy. Fine acidity is what keeps this on an even keel and what gives lift to flavors of caramel, brown sugar and candied walnut. This is full and voluminous on the finish. 

Winemaker Description

Enjoy your BR on the go with the new format: Sparkling BORN ROSÉ canned wine. You can also opt for the Canned Rosé wine version.

Crafted from a mix of Grenache Noir and Tempranillo grapes, BORN ROSÉ Barcelona is both organic and vegan, and is light on sulphites and alcohol. Born in Barcelona.

WE DON'T MAKE WINE. WE MAKE ROSÉ. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description

Villapanes is a rich mahogany color and boasts seductive, toasty aromas of almonds, caramel, fig and a hint of floral perfume. On the palate it is dry, generous and full-bodied, with persistent and lasting flavors.

Pair with roast poultry, red meat or salty, aged cheeses. 

Expert Reviews 

93 Points Wine Spectator | A shade darker than its peers, relying more on black walnut, Brazil nut and singed orange peel notes, while dried persimmon and quince flavors add a succulent side. Light rye and green tea hints echo through the razor-sharp finish, where sweet details peek in.

91 Points Robert Parker | The NV Villapanes Oloroso wears a dark amber-brown robe and has a very intense nose, showing some marmalade, dark tobacco and brandy notes. The palate is textbook Oloroso, round, ample, warm, a little spirity, ending with dry walnut flavors. It manages to balance power and elegance quite well.

91 Points Wine & Spirits | Dominated by notes of salted almonds, this Oloroso has its fair share of sweetness to balance that saline side, making it more readily accessible to a wider range of palates and fitting perfectly with smoked pork.

Winemaker Description

Very dry, crisp and fresh with a slightly salty finish. Winemaker Description. 

Expert Review

93 Points Wine & Spirits | Deliciosa grows at the Pago Miraflores in Sanlúcar de Barrameda and it’s typically aged for five years under flor. This lastest saca shows a lovely mix of almond flavors, salt and white fruit, all melding into the wine’s deep mineral notes. It’s substantial enough to serve in the company of blackened redfish.

Winemaker Description 

With an average age of four and a half years, Manzanilla La Guita en rama displays all the freshness, smoothness and fine minerality expected of this type of wine. An authentic treasure in 37.5 cl format , ideal for those looking to get started in the exciting "manzanilla universe". 

Deep garnet red in color. On the nose it is serious and elegant. The evolution in the glass translates into an increase in intensity and aromatic complexity where fruit continues to be the backbone of the wine. On the palate it has a well-structured body with ripe, silky tannins. Easy to drink with a persistent aftertaste. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description 

100% Palomino and aged for 5 years in bota, this is an invigorating white wine with a subtle, floral, mineral nose. Great intensity with sea breeze salinity running through an impressive structure, there is tension on the palate. 

The yeasty, baked bread flavours are in balance with apricots and golden apples. In the mouth the texture is silky and round, with an extremely long and clean finish. A unique style of Manzanilla to be served chilled with food or as an aperitif. 

Winemaker Description 

Contrabandista has a nutty aroma with toffee-caramel tones and a rich finish. Serve slightly chilled as an aperitif or pair with creamy cheeses and pates. 

Pale rose color, with fine and persistent bubbles. Hints of red and citrus fruits dominate on the nose. On the palate, fresh, lively, and genuine, characteristic of the ancestral País varietal. Winemaker Description.

Zekun Shuai writes:  A clean and slightly acidic sauvignon blanc with gooseberries, guava and chalk. Medium body on the palate with bright acidity and light mid-palate flavors. Drink now. Glass stopper.  - James Suckling

Habla de Ti 2022 is an enchanting white wine, captivating with its vivacity and lightness. On the nose, it unfurls a spectrum of scents reminiscent of crisp green asparagus and sweet mango, complemented by an herbaceous hint of tomato leaf. Upon tasting, its exuberant nature is affirmed with flavors of tropical fruits that pirouette across the palate, leaving a lasting and exceedingly delightful impression. This wine is a feast for the senses, perfect for savoring at any given opportunity.

Winemaker Description 

Made using wines made with 50% Garnacha Blanca and 50% Xarello grapes, El Bandarra Vermut Bianco is infused with more that 40 botanicals to create its complex bittersweet character.

Expert Reviews 

95 Points James Suckling | Black cherries with cedar and dried flowers, as well as dusty earth. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm tannins that are long and polished. Lots of structure. Very typical and focused. Drinkable now, but better in 2024. (2018).

Robert Parker 94 Points | I tasted two vintages of the estate red that represents the blend and the character of the place. The 2018 Reserva comes from a cooler year and is a blend of 86% Tempranillo, 6% Mazuelo, 6% Graciano and 2% Garnacha with 14.12% alcohol and a pH of 3.48. The grapes ripened thoroughly and the wine is tasty but has a vibrant palate with freshness and depth. It has a classical nose and is complex and spicy with an earthy touch, a little developed and with fine-grained tannins. Very tasty. It spent 18 months in oak barrels, 90% of them French and 10% American; they are reducing the amount of American oak in this wine. (2018). 

91 Points Wine Spectator | A medium-bodied red, round and creamy, with supple tannins and citrusy acidity providing definition for appealing flavors of pureed black cherry and boysenberry fruit. Offers accents of mocha, violet and star anise, with savory hints of tobacco and mineral showing on the finish. Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano. Drink now. (2018). 

A very expressive and powerful Tempranillo. Aromas of plum, cassis and concentrated blackberry compote. Medium acidity with an enticing and velvety finish. Made from 100% Tempranillo, the wine was aged for 12 months in a combination of new and second-use French oak and American oak barrels.  Oscar Garcia, Lead Wine Buyer, 67wine

92 Points James Suckling | Plum and blackberry with chocolate and some cream on the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied with tight, chewy tannins that are polished and poised. Nicely crafted. (2018).

Deep colored wine with a high, glyceric, and unctuous layer in the glass. Intense bouquet, with sensations of fruity freshness wrapped in washed oak that complements well without masking the varietal fullness of the Tinta del País variety in the Ribera del Duero. Fresh, vivid, elegant complexity, with long-lasting creamy and toasted nuances on the palate. Enveloped and dense polymerized tannins. Subtle and elegant. Balanced enough to drink now but can be aged in the bottle for several years. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description

Bright red cherry in color with pronounced aromas of cassis and ripe red fruit. On the palate, this wine is clean, complex and elegant. Well-balanced with vibrant acidity, the 2018 Crianza from Finca Nueva contains perfectly integrated tannins and an agreeable finish. 

Expert Review

James Suckling 89 Points | Plums, dried herbs, blueberries and cassis blossom. Medium body with fine tannins. It has a blueberry-like character on the palate with some tartness in the short finish. (2019). 

Elaborated with grapes of more than 40 years old, is the best expression of Rueda and its terroir: youthfyl and bright, it shows fresh and lively varietal notes of sweet grapefruit and pineapple, combined with anise and fennel.

Bone dry in the palate, its medium body is coupled with a crisp, refreshing acidity to drink at all times. It will suit any type of delicate flavors and lightly seasoned white fish or seafood. Winemaker Description. 

96 Points James Suckling | Mineral, macadamia, pine nuts, white sesame and white fruit with a touch of spice. A bright and linear Capellania that shows excellent tension, freshness and complexity. Long and appetizing finish. More taut and gastronomic now. 100% viura. Drink now or hold. 

95 Points Tim Atkin | The cooler 2018 vintage was ideally suited to the production of high-quality whites like this pure Viura from a six-hectare plateau at 485 metres within the extensive Castillo Ygay estate. Modern, perfumed and poised, it has finely integrated French oak, fennel, thatch and beeswax aromas, herbal complexity and a nutty, fragrant, citrus zest palate. 2025-40 

94 Points Wine Advocate | To catch up with the current vintages that I shall review every 12 months from now on, I tasted two vintages of some of the wines, including the whites. The 2018 Capellanía is 100% Viura from the plot that names the wine. The vineyard is six hectares planted in 1945 at 485 meters altitude, the highest in the estate. It fermented in concrete, the first vintage to do so, as it was fermented in stainless steel until then, and matured in second-use French oak barrels for 22 months. It spent a further seven months in concrete, a long élevage, with the idea to produce a structured white with aging potential, while keeping the varietal character. The wine is subtle and elegant, following the path of all the wines in the portfolio here, still marked by the élevage in oak, spicy and smoky. The palate is balanced, with a nice combination of fruit and oak, with a soft texture, clean, focused and tasty. It has 14% alcohol, a low pH of 3.1 and 6.10 grams of acidity. 21,836 bottled and 688 magnums produced. It was bottled in July 2022. This is now released with the Gran Reserva back label.

Winemaker Description

Interesting bouquet where the mineral qualities provided by the dark slate soils perfectly combine with the typical red fruit nuances of the Garnacha. Rich and tasty wine with a well balanced elegance and finesse, complexity and length. 

Winemaker Description

This Clos Mogador 2021 is all delicacy on the nose. The fruit is fresh, the aromatic Mediterranean herbs refined. The palate, on the other hand, is deep, with a satiny texture and a measured grip. A rarity that thrills from the start, just a prelude to the magnitude it will reach.

Expert Review

97 Points James Suckling | A beautiful, fresh red with lots of vibrancy. Mineral, flint, freshly crushed blueberries and red berries. Juicy, polished tannins with a little more crunch to the fruit this year. Has a nice firmness compared with the sweeter tannins in 2020. Really fluid, bright and vivid. Long. Drink or hold. (2021). 

Winemaker Description

The Parra family’s pursuit came from the devotion of the three brothers (Francisco, Javier, and Luis) to find a sense of place in their home of La Mancha. They founded their property with the conviction to organically and biodynamically farm every vine under their care.

The Parra family works two large vineyards in La Mancha near the town of Las Messas (The Tables), totaling some 445 acres, or about 180 hectares. One of the vineyards is named Entresendas (Between Paths) and sits within the dried river bed. Entresendas benefits from the rich, alluvial soils, common to old river beds and perfect for the cultivation of grapes. The other vineyard is officially named Olla del Monte (Cooking Pan in the Mountain), but is known locally as the Cuesta Colorá because of the colorful scarpland soils of chalky clay covered in a fine layer of pebbles that hold the day’s heat well into the night.

For the Gulp/Hablo, the extremely gulpable wines, they tapped Juan Antonio Ponce of Bodegas Ponce to make the wine. With this partnership, they were able to create a wine that beats the competition without sacrificing on quality.

A supremely easy drinking light bodied red wine that truly lives up to its "Gulp" name. Showing nicely with bright red fruits and fresh herbs. Pair with roasted root vegetables & quinoa. 

Pells is 100% Macabeu from a single, northeast-facing vineyard named “Vinya de la Caseta,” planted in 1969. The grapes are spontaneously fermented in a used 225L French oak barrel and 600L clay amphora with around 90 days on the skins.

After racking, the wine ages for 6 months without any stirring. Producer Description.

Winemaker Description

Produced from 100% Tinto Fino from vines age 30 years, aged 12 months in French Oak with minimal filtration. The result is a wine with a beautiful ruby colour with deep and intense aromas of red and black fruit with hints of liquorice and spice. The palate elegant and fresh with predominant fruit structure balanced by soft tannins and a lovely expressive finish.

It has the tannic richness of Ribera del Duero Tinto Fino, and smoky power from its oak, but the wine carries itself with some delicacy, its crisp fruit bringing fresh air.

Dominio Romano was established in 2005 when the Pares Balta family decided to to initiate a project in Ribera del Duero. Selecting the finest old and wild Tinto Fino vines in the best terroirs of the region, and farming with the utmost respect for the environment and tradition, the family produces wines that transmit the character of the autochthonous grape.

Expert Review - Vintage 2015

Mike DeSimone of the Wine Enthusiast writes 95 Points | Dark ruby in color, this wine has a nose of black cherry, cedar chest and violet candy. A pleasant floral note is a constant companion to blackberry, anisette, clove and dark-chocolate flavors that are enclosed in a shell of muscular tannins. A soft note of pomegranate permeates the grippy finish. Drink through 2035. 

Winemaker Description 

A 1er Cru RBD from Yolanda and Carolina García Viadero whose mission is to place the Tinto Fino varietal among the world’s best.  Bursts of blackberry and cassis, relaxed opulence and richness.

Winemkaker Description

The grapes are collected from vineyards on the slopes of the Verin Valley. It is a fragrant, light, very fruity and delicate wine, an outstanding example of the Galician Mencía variety.

Our Professional Review

Oscar Garcia Moncada 67Wine.com | Martinez Lacuesta Crianza 2018 exudes aromas of currants, blackcherry and raspberry with a nice undertone of baking spices. Medium body with well-integrated, smooth tannins. Savory and pleasant finish. One of my go-to Crianzas to drink year around.

Winemaker Description

A tasty and well-structured wine with a deep black-cherry color. The fruity taste has an elegant finish with perfectly integrated sensations of oak. Highly recommended to accompany white or red meats, game or mature cheeses. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2021 

Wine Spectator 92 Points - #56 Top 100 Wines | This muscular red finds fine balance and poise, integrating firm, sculpted tannins and bright orange peel acidity. Offers rich and expressive flavors of boysenberry and blackberry coulis, licorice, singed apple wood and ground coffee. Hints of toast, tar and dried mint and thyme linger on the fine-grained finish. Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2031. 6,000 cases made, 2,000 cases imported.

Winemaker Description 

The wine exhibits a glass-coating opaque purple color. The nose is expressive with pain grille, underbrush, brier, minerality, blueberry and blackberry fruit. On the palate is a plush, opulent wine with great density, savory flavors, and a lengthy finish.

The Bodegas El Nido winery is located in the Valle de La Aragona, inside the Murcia district of Jumilla. The vineyards are 76.8 acres of very old Monastrell vines (also known as Matar or Mourvdre) all vaso trained and oriented northeast, and 28.8 acres of 30-year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines on north facing hills. The vineyards have a foot deep layer of chalky stones over substrata of sandy soil. The Bodegas El Nido is a collaboration of the Gil Family and winemaker Chris Ringland, one of the best Australian enologists.

A blend of 70% Monastrell and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Aged 24 months French & American oak.

Winemaker Description

A blend of 70% Monastrell and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 24 months French & American oak. The wine exhibits a glass-coating opaque purple color.

The nose is expressive with pain grille, underbrush, brier, minerality, blueberry and blackberry fruit. On the palate is a plush, opulent wine with great density, savory flavors, and a lengthy finish.

Winemaker Description

Wine made with only grapes, well-kept vineyards, and healthy land.” 

This is the mantra of Castellano winegrower Alfredo Maestro, a bright light amongst an abyss of industrially farmed, over-ripe, over-oaked, and over-manipulated wine-scape that is the Ribera del Duero these days.   

Alfredo Maesto is a city man, who has become a farmer as a choice and not because of circumstances. He is guided by passion and love, which we find in each of his bottles. His production is mainly of reds (Tempranillo and Garnacha) which can be drank both young and aged; then there’s the LoveAmor, the albillo (white grapes) pure which surprises even the most demanding of tasters. Alfredo Maestro manages some vineyards near Madrid, but mainly in Castilla y Leon, in Penafel in the Ribera near Valladolid (the Spanish Bolgheri), land which has always celebrated the most famous Spanish reds. To process natural wines in this piece of land is like finding yourself on the frontline in the Caporetto battle and yet, Alfredo Maestro, teacher both in name and facts, acting as a righteous Charon he takes on the task of ferrying heretic sommeliers from vanilla wines with shavings icing towards the right way of pure, real wine. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description 

This saca de Junio comes from a Fino solera that has aged in a bodega in El Puerto de Santa Maria. It has spent the entirety of its time aging beneath a veil of flor. Typically used for blending purposes, this remarkable solera has never previously been bottled on its own. 

Nicolas Palazzi was raised surrounded by his family’s vineyards in Bordeaux and introduced to spirits, Cognac and Cognac cellars through a dear friend of Nicolas’ grandfather. This gentleman will be referred to as “Mr. X”.

Established somewhere in the Cognac region of France, Mr. X’s family started distilling at over a century ago. Recognizing in Nicolas a fledgling passion for Cognac, this mysterious man shared his knowledge and connections within the small and commonly impenetrable world of artisan Cognac. This gave rise to PM Spirits, as Nicolas began sourcing, collecting, aging and blending these rare casks and subsequently releasing limited series bottling in the USA.

PM Spirit’s passion for artisan spirits has slowly broadened its focus over the years to include within its portfolio other small-scale hand-crafted distillates such as Sicilian Grappas, French Eau-de-vies & Liqueurs, Rum, Tequilas, Mezcals.

Winemaker Description

Appearance: Intense bigarreau cherry color, clean and vivid from the high level and variation with evolution.

Aromatic intensity and complexity, where mainly black fruits appear which develop high roasts and tobaccos, with underlying balsamic notes.
taste    

In the mouth, it is fleshy and round, well structured, balanced, tannic, and with a persistent aftertaste. A very special wine with a singular character.

Pairing recommendation: Ideal for vegetables, juicy meats (roasts, lamb, game, etc) and cured cheeses.

Expert Reviews

92 Pts James Suckling: “concentrated, mature-berry character, generous tannins and a discreet hint of sweetness that make this an appealing wine with along, fresh finish.”

96 Pts Decanter Magazine: A nose of mature fruit and fruitcake, with balsamic hints, the palate is concentrated and complex with layers of lovely sweet black cherry fruit and velvety tannin.

Winemaker Description

The Gratavinum winery is located in the Priorat D.O.Q. of Spain was founded by the Cusiné family as a project to craft the most traditional wines from Penedés. This family also owns the Parés Baltà winery in Penedés and the Dominio Romano winery in the Ribera del Duero.

Following the Cusiné family philosophy of winemaking, all of the wines by the Gratavinum winery have been certified organic since 2004 and this winery pays the utmost respect to the environment and biodiversity of the region.

The Gratavinum winery crafts wines from the classic grapes of this region, Grenache and Cariñena, along with two very well adapted foreign grape varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

The enologists at Gratavinum have adapted their winemaking to include new techniques and systems to craft organic wines that present the maximum expression of their grapes.

Expert Reviews

Vinous Josh Raynolds 92+ Points | Dark purple. Complex, highly perfumed bouquet of red berries, cherry pit, incense and dried flowers. Spicy raspberry and cherry flavors show a refreshingly bitter quality and are given depth by a note of licorice. Packs a serious punch but there's a surprisingly lithe quality to this wine too. The finish clings with impressive tenacity and repeats the cherry and floral notes. I'd let this wine rest for at least another three years or so. By the way, the 2007 Calvario has put on weight in the last year but also possesses superb energy; I rated it 94 in August. - Vinous 92+

Wine Advocate Neal Martin writes 90 Points | The 2008 Calvario is a blend of 90% Tempranillo, 9% Garnacha and 2% Graciano aged for 18 months in new French Allier oak. The nose offers broody blackberry and briary at first, leisurely unwinding to reveal black olive and violet aromas, with the oak well-knitted into the fruit profile. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, sturdy tannins complemented by the fleshy black fruit laced with just a pinch of white pepper towards the much more elegant finish. It deserves a couple of years in bottle. (2008).

Decanter Sarah Jane Evans MW writes 93 Points |  A wine that smells of luxury and plenty of attention, showing the right balance between oak and fruit and a balancing acidity; expressive and charming, solidly built. Impressive, with tightly crafted tannins, and it should improve over time. Drinking 2019 -2023.

Winemaker Description

Vivid deep ruby red wine, with aromatic intensity, pepper, licorice and cocoa notes on black fruit background and balsamic notes.  On the palate it is round, well structured, balanced with every nuances of the grape and the oak.

Ideal match to vegetables and juicy meat: lamb, roasts, game, and aged cheese.