There is a change in the 2022 La Bruja. It is no longer a village wine from Rozas de Puerto Real. In 2022, it is a regional wine, and in 2023, it also will be a regional wine but from Ávila, from the Cebreros appellation...

The cooler and more austere 2014 Espectacle del Montsant could have some similarities with 2008. It has beautiful floral aromas and hints of orange peel and wet stones. It has a serious, balanced and austere palate, a...

The 2015 Espectacle del Montsant is a ripe and classic vintage for this exceptional wine produced from a single vineyard in Montsant. This has a forward personality—open, expressive and showy in the nose—from a typically...

The 2022 Garnacha Arroyo del Tórtolas is 100% Garnacha from Gredos. The attractive nose offers precise pomegranate aromas with hints of pink grapefruit, herbs, dried roses and rosehip. The palate is medium-bodied with...

Usually my favorite here, the 2022 Garnacha de Viña Bonita was produced with grapes from the vineyard that produces their most elegant wine, a plot on white granite soils whose grapes fermented with 80% full clusters and...

The most elegant of the reds is the 2023 Garnacha de Viña Bonita, from a plot planted in 1925, 2.5 hectares of old north-facing vines on sandy white granite soils surrounded by Mediterranean forest and centenary olive...

98+ I was able to taste the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Chaupin on two occasions, rating it one point higher on one of those as well. Incredible notes of red and black fruits, violets, scorched earth, ground pepper...

Rich black cherry and strawberry fruit, with impressive density and palate weight. The balance is good, with fur-coat tannins and admirable freshness. Yet again, this vintage turns out a wine seemingly far too good for...

One of the finest wines to come from the Roussillon is unquestionably the 2016 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Les Trois Marie which is 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah brought up in foudre and barrels (20% being new). It’s a...

This has a beautiful nose of blood oranges and wild berries with a saline note. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, precise and linear, with red fruit lifted by vibrant acidity and chalky tannins that bring harmony...

I love the 2021 El Puño Garnacha, which was produced in a similar way as the 2020, only with a slightly higher percentage of wine in barrel (50% versus 40%), but the oak goes unnoticeable. It has notes of blood orange and...

From Torrijo de la Cañada, the 2022 Mataquemada Parcelas Singulares was fermented with about 40% whole clusters. Cherry and delicate pomegranate scents meet herbs, strawberry and rosemary. The palate is dry and agile with...

I suspect 2011 was too harsh for Garnacha, though the Cariñena behaved better. The 2011 Espectacle del Montsant shows signs of the heat on the organic and earthy nose with hints of malted cereals, graphite and peat and a...

The 2020 Espectacle del Montsant has 15% alcohol, lower than the two previous vintages despite being a warmer year, and it has power and concentration (from the weather and the low yields from mildew), reaching a good...

The 2020 Espectacle del Montsant has 15% alcohol, lower than the two previous vintages despite being a warmer year, and it has power and concentration (from the weather and the low yields from mildew), reaching a good...

A joint venture between Eric Solomon and proprietor Nuria Altes, this is an unreal value made from 100% Grenache from vines planted nearly 100 years ago. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a flowery perfume...

Boysenberry, elderberry, dried purple flowers and dark, peppery spices show on the nose of this very cool-climate expression of Grenache. The palate's structure is very firm, framing violet, wild mint, loamy earth and...

The more recent 2014 Pegaso Barrancos de Pizarra was finally my favorite of all the bottles I tasted in this sitting, which were quite a few. This aged in ancient large clay amphorae and used 500- and 600-liter French oak...

The 2024 Corral de los Altos presents clean red fruit on the nose, with roses, fresh cherry, rosehip and subtle herbal tones. Juiciness and freshness define the dry, energetic palate. Lightly firm tannins add tension and...