Bodegas Lan A Mano 2020, Rioja, Spain

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Full bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth and black pepper.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This young Tempranillo is surprisingly approachable already, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Needs time to open up properly, but really nice right out of the bottle.

Elegant rich and robust.

A blend of 87% Tempranillo, 9% Mazuelo and 4% Graciano. Grapes are grown at 1,500 feet of elevation. Aged in new French oak barrels for 13 months.

14% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$50.

Advertisement

Bodegas Pascual Diodoro Autor 2011, Ribera Del Duero, Spain

Dark ruby in color with a reddish/ brick rim.

Beautiful nose of dark fruits with tobacco leaf, light cedar, light vanilla, herbs, prunes and spices.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward.

Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, prunes, light spices, light cedar, light cola, chocolates and black pepper.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This is a A wonderful Tempranillo from Ribera Del Duero. Rich yet elegant, and fruit forward.

Showing great complexity now, with a soft mouthfeel.

Needs time to open up properly, so be patient.

100% Tempranillo grapes were aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.

14% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$50.

Bodegas El Lagar de Isilla Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, Spain

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Inky in color with a short purplish rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, blueberries, black plums, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, dark coffee, chocolates, light earth, eucalyptus, light cola and black pepper.

Full bodied and elegant with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, spices, chocolates, coffee, cedar, light vanilla, tobacco leaf, herbs, light earth, black tea and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Ribera Del Duero. Very unique for this region.

This 6-year-old is showing nice complexity with a soft mouthfeel. Rich yet elegant. Fruit forward and smooth.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly and show its elegance and complexity, so take your time and be patient.

A great wine to share with friends and talk about. Thank you Pillar and José for sharing this with me.

Good by itself and will pair very nicely with the traditional grilled baby lamb dish.

Feels like a Napa Cabernet with a lot of Old World influence. Interesting stuff. Definitely not what I expected from this region, but this is gorgeous.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 7 to 10 years.

A tiny production of only 600 bottles. This is bottle number 212. Aged in French Oak barrels for 20 months.

15% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$75.

Bodegas TresPiedras Unanimous Finca La Tejera 2020, Ribera Del Duero, Spain

Dark ruby/ Inky in color with a wide purplish rim.

Full bodied with medium acidity.

Dry and fruity on the palate.

Showing black plums, cooked cherries, spices, chocolates, herbs, light vegetables and black pepper.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 3 year old red blend from Ribera Del Duero is starting to drink nicely now. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better with airtime.

Good by itself, and a nice sipping wine that doesn’t need food.

Showing good structure, and a good quality wine.

A pleasure to drink it with the winemaker. Thank you Jorge for sharing this with me.

This Single Vineyard is delicious now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Will be nice to revisit it in 5 years and see how it evolved.

A field blend of Tempranillo, Bobal, Garnacha and 20% Albillo Mayor (white grapes). Grapes are from over 100 year old vines in a tiny Vineyard, about 1.5 Acre in size. Aged for 13 months in used French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

Bodegas Septien Bolicario de Silos 2021, Arlanza, Spain

Deep purple in color with a wide purplish rim.

Fruity nose of red fruits and spices.

Medium plus in body and smooth, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate and very fruity with mild complexity.

Showing red cherries, black plums, currants, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice and peppercorn.

Long finish with soft tannins and cherries.

This is a very easy drinking Tempranillo blend from Arlanza, Spain. Fruit forward and drinks very much like a Beaujolais.

Good right out of the bottle, and would be nice to revisit it in a couple of years.

Good by itself or with food. A good wine to sip on by the porch.

Drinking this with the winemaker makes it even better. Thank you Andres for sharing this with me.

A field blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha and Mencia. Aged in French oak barrels for 11 months. A tiny production of only 2,005 bottles. This is bottle number 1,061.

14% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$40.

R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rioja Reserva 2011, Spain

Reddish in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nose of red fruits with earth and mildew notes.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel. Elegant and restrained.

On the palate red fruits with earth, light wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, tobacco leaf, herbs, light wet leaves and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This recent release of this Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely now.

A good quality wine. Easy drinking, and a good food wine that I paired with dried meats and crackers.

This 11 year old feels so very young still, and will continue to age nicely in the next 25 years.

Needs time to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle too.

A blend of 70% Tempranillo with Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged for 6 years in used American oak barrels.

13% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60.

Bodegas Lan Culmen Rioja Reserva 2017, Spain

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim and medium intensity.

Full bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Showing black and red fruits with tobacco, cedar, vanilla, leather, earth, chocolates, tobacco, spices and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Tempranillo from Rioja. Nicely balanced and still very young, although it is a 6-year-old wine.

I had the 2011 a couple of years ago and loved it too.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

Good right out of the bottle, and good by itself or with food.

A blend of 91% Tempranillo and 9% Graciano. Aged in new French oak barrels for 25 months. Made only in special vintages, a few times per decade.

14% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$65.

Vega Sicilia Unico Tinto 2010, Ribera Del Duero, Spain

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Beautiful nose of blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, cedar, vanilla, licorice, eucalyptus, herbs Mediterranean spices, light earth, black pepper, chocolates and dark coffee. What a gorgeous nose this is.

Medium plus to full bodied, elegant and smooth, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, spices, cedar, leather, vanilla, earth, chocolates, tobacco, peppercorn, coffee, light cola, eucalyptus, herbs and black tea.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a beautiful wine from Ribera Del Duero. Soft and smooth. Rich and elegant. Fruit forward with lots of earth and chocolate notes.

This 13 year old is still young, and showing great complexity at this point.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime. So much better after 3 hours of airtime, and definitely worth the wait.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.

Wine Spectator 96 points. Robert Parker 97 points.

Loved the nose at this point. Feels like a high end Napa Cabernet with some age. So interesting.

Thank you Enrique for sharing this jem with me.

A blend of 94% Tempranillo and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in French and American oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

98 points.

$500.

Vega Sicilia Unico Tinto 2010, Ribera Del Duero, Spain

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Beautiful nose of blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, cedar, vanilla, licorice, eucalyptus, herbs Mediterranean spices, light earth, black pepper, chocolates and dark coffee. What a gorgeous nose this is.

Medium plus to full bodied, elegant and smooth, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, spices, cedar, leather, vanilla, earth, chocolates, tobacco, peppercorn, coffee, light cola, eucalyptus, herbs and black tea.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a beautiful wine from Ribera Del Duero. Soft and smooth. Rich and elegant. Fruit forward with lots of earth and chocolate notes.

This 13 year old is still young, and showing great complexity at this point.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime. So much better after 3 hours of airtime, and definitely worth the wait.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.

Wine Spectator 96 points. Robert Parker 97 points.

Loved the nose at this point. Feels like a high end Napa Cabernet with some age. So interesting.

Thank you Enrique for sharing this jem with me.

A blend of 94% Tempranillo and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in French and American oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

98 points.

$500.

R. Lopez de Heredia Vinã Bosconia Rioja Reserva 2010, Spain

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing black currants, plums, sour cherries, light oak, spices, peppercorn, dark coffee, tobacco leaf, earth, wet leaves and herbs.

Short finish with round tannins and tangy pomegranates.

This 13 year old is showing nice complexity now. Tasty and a good food wine.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

This 2010 vintage was probably the best vintage in Rioja in the last 20 years. So nice to try these kind of wines.

Robert Parker 94 points.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, so be patient.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 80% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha with Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged for 5 years in used American oak barrels.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$40.