7 Stellar Wines From Spain’s Best Areas
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Spanish winemaking dates back to the Roman era when wines were crudely fermented in terra cotta amphorae, but it when Benedictine monks from France began tending vines and making wine in the 12th century the world began to notice quality wines from Spain. When visiting wineries in Rioja we are often shown award certificates from the late 18th century proving that this family’s wines were highly rated at that time and for some time after. Fast forward through two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and the dictatorial era of Franco when Spanish wines were not well regarded, to modern day Spain and its amazing wines made by world class oenologists. We truly feel we have entered a time when Spanish wines are forces to be reckoned with. Spain makes excellent offerings in all its 69 regions, but we’ve decided to concentrate on stunning Tempranillo-based wines from Ribera del Duero and Rioja. We luxuriated in the dozens of selections we tasted to narrow down to these seven sure-fire winners. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did—salud!
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Bodegas Riojanas 1978 Monte Real Gran Reserva Rioja Spain
An excellent bottle to gift for a birth year or anniversary, this 46-year-old wine tastes like it was bottled only yesterday. Bodegas Riojanas is one of the few wineries that keeps a cellar filled with exquisite library vintages and we were honored to take a tour on a recent trip to Rioja. This blend of Tempranillo, Mazuelo, and Garnacha has aromas of plums, mint tea, caramel, and a touch of saddle leather. There’s a delightful burst of fruit sweetness at first sip but it is balanced by excellent acidity and flavors of orange, apricot, plum, dark chocolate, and star anise. It’s drinking perfectly right now, but a few more years in your cellar would be fine as well.
Buy Now: $235
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Tempos Vega Sicilia 2012 Unico Tinto Ribera del Duero Spain
Vega Sicilia is one of the premier and most well-known (if not the premier and best-known) wineries in all of Spain. It’s served at high-level state functions and although we weren’t there, we’re told that Unico was on offer at King Felipe’s wedding to Queen Letizia. Deep purple colored in the glass this stunning wine has aromas of butterscotch, milk chocolate, and black raspberry with flavors of Bing cherry, mocha, black plum, and dried herbes de Provence. The tannins are powerful and silky smooth and there’s a savory finish that goes on and on and on.
Buy Now: $589
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Arzuaga 2016 Gran Reserva Ribera del Duero Spain
Arzuaga is one of our favorite wineries (we have many!) in Ribera del Duero. The Arzuaga family has been making excellent wines since the early 1990s and today, no trip to the winery is complete without a visit to their world class spa and lunch or dinner in the Michelin-starred restaurant. The 2016 Gran Reserva has aromas of black currant, dark plum, and black olive tapenade. It is soft on entry, but then voluptuous tannins build in strength and showcase flavors of English toffee, black currant, red cherry, toasted hazelnuts, and dried sage. There’s a touch of wet river rock and savory herbs in the long, long finish.
Buy Now: $135
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Vivaltus 2016 Ribera del Duero Spain
The Yllera family recently built a state-of-the-art winery and brought in consultant Jean-Claude Berrouet, who is best known for crafting more than 40 vintages at Petrus in Bordeaux. He uses Tempranillo grapes (and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) from vines that are more than 80 years old and planted at altitudes of up to 3,200 feet; he also minimizes the use of new barrels for a softer oak effect. The 2016 is deep garnet—almost inky purple—with aromas of black cherry, cranberry, and bittersweet chocolate and flavors of pomegranate, dark chocolate, and saddle leather with just a touch of hickory wood smoke. It has great heft on the midpalate with pleasantly grippy tannins and a long, long finish. Drink now through 2036.
Buy Now: $100
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Pago de Carraovejas 2018 Cuesta de las Liebres Grandes Añadas Ribera del Duero Spain
Pago de Carraovejas Cuesta de las Liebres Grandes Añadas is made, as the last two words of its name suggest, only in the finest years. (Grandes añadas is Spanish for “great vintages.”) The winery’s only 100 percent Tempranillo, this single-vineyard wine comes from a southwest-facing plot whose name means “slope of the hares” which receives sunlight late into the day. It is aged 24 months in new 225-liter extra fine grain French oak barrels and 24 months in bottle before release. The 2018 vintage is garnet colored with aromas of red and black raspberries, dark chocolate, anise seed, and wild brush. It has a nice sense of spice on the mid palate with flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, clove, fennel, and tangerine zest. Bold tannins are kept in check by lively acidity. Drink through 2040.
Buy Now: $260
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Sierra Cantabria 2019 Finca El Bosque Rioja Spain
The Eguren family has been growing grapes since 1870 and is currently in their fifth generation of family ownership and winemaking. They manage a total of six wineries, each having a unique personality and producing wines with distinctly different flavor profiles. Finca El Bosque is one of our favorites produced by the current generation. It has aromas of cassis, black raspberry, and crushed violet petals that lead to flavors of caramel, black currant, and brown baking spices. The tannins are silky smooth and the finish goes on and on and on. Drink now through 2039.
Buy Now: $180
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Artadi 2018 La Poza de Ballesteros Alava Spain
The Lacalle and Laorden families began Artadi in 1992 and today they own and manage 138 acres of vineyards located at the foot of the Sierra de Toloño mountains in the Sonsierra Alavesa region of Spain. Like many winemakers in the region, they focus on allowing each vine and each plot of land to express themselves in the wines they create. Grapes for this enticing wine are grown on a three-acre plot in Elvillar de Alava and the resulting wine has heady aromas of fennel bulb, mint leaves, black berry, and black currant that progress to flavors of cassis, anise, and eucalyptus all wrapped in a silky tannic sheath.
Buy Now: $150
Authors
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Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, also known as the World Wine Guys, are wine, spirits, food, and travel writers, educators, and hosts. They have been featured guests on the Today Show, The Martha…
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Source: Robb Report