Wine Advocate (94)

The 2019 Reserva, sold as Crianza in Spain, comes from a dry and warm year with low yields and concentrated wines. The grapes from the Haro zone, the four from Rioja, Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano fermented destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts, and 80% of the volume matured in French oak and the rest in Centro European and American oak, 20% of them new, for 22 months, during which time the wine was racked every eight to nine months. This is serious and young but balanced, nuanced and complex. They are shortening the time in oak, as they feel they have better and younger barrels and think the wines need less time in oak and more time in bottle. This is very Muga, very Rioja and very good. They produced an impressive 960,000 bottles and 18,000 magnums of this. There is only one master blend that is bottled at different times. I tasted a bottle that was filled in April 2022 (because of the lack of availability of bottles!).

Wine Advocate (94+)

The youngest of the reds I tasted, the 2019 Pícaro del Águila Tinto is their most approachable red and is still serious, vibrant and aromatic with great length and still has good aging potential. They use the grapes from the warmest vineyards they have in the village of La Aguilera, form the northern part closer to La Horra, mostly Tempranillo but with some 5% of other varieties (red and white) interplanted in the old vineyards, fermented together with full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak barrels for 15 months. Like the 2019 Clarete, this is young and tender and has more tension than I expected for a warmer year. It has less oak than previous years (only 10% or 15% new barrels), and the wine feels better balanced and is floral and aromatic. It's medium-bodied with a very fine texture, a pretty wine that drinks very well and doesn't reflect a warm year at all, as it has incredible freshness. A great Pícaro. They produced 69,852 bottles and 850 magnums, a notable increase in volume... while they increase the quality! It was bottled in February 2021.

James Suckling (97)

Blackberries, black cherries and hot crushed stones with cement and black licorice. Subtle yet complex aromas. Medium to full body and an exquisite texture, with intense tannins and a long, flavorful finish. The verve and mouth-feel is luxurious and captivating. This is very structured. Try after 2024.

Wine Advocate (95)

Raúl Pérez has purchased the plot of El Rapolao that he uses for La Vizcaína, close to 1.3 hectares, and they expect the wine to have a big change as they are taking over the viticulture and want to lower yields. The 2019 La Vizcaína El Rapolao has plenty of tannin and is more concentrated than the 2020. 5,000 bottles produced.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2019 La Vizcaína La Vitoriana comes from sandy soils and mostly north-facing vines, delivering elegant and floral wines. It's very young and fruit-driven, perhaps not as complex as the 2020. All of these reds are around 13.5% alcohol, medium-bodied and quite harmonious. 2019 was one of the larger crops, and there are 7,000 bottles of this.

James Suckling (94)

Fresh blackberries, tangy spices and hints of graphite and oyster shell on the nose, following through to a full-bodied, juicy palate, with fine-grained, chalky tannins that dissipate into the center-palate before a long, tangy finish. Drinkable now, but best after 2024.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

I tasted this at the property from barrel, thrilled to follow it now in bottle. Grabs you from the first moments with its sage, thyme, dried flowers and incense aromatics, clings to your nostrils, drawing you in, so much depth of flavour to the vivid raspberry and sour cherry fruits, delicate and yet powerful. Hard to describe how little artifice is conveyed in the glass, it's not a wine that is coated in new oak, instead it is delicate, poised, crafted, utterly gorgeous, so moreish. Harvest October 6 to 18, 3.8ha, old gobelet vines, with any replacements coming from massal selction. Iconic winemaking partnership Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza. I hope everyone folllowed my advice from the first vintage to get on board because it is more than living up to its potential, and its tiny quatities means that first come are almost certainly first served.

An exquisite example of Catalan viticulture, the Torres Mas de la Rosa 2019 is a gem from Spain's renowned Torres winery. This Priorat red captures the essence of the region's licorella soil, yielding a complex and commanding wine. Crafted using the artisanal Carthusian method, it's entirely handmade from the vine to the cellar. Handpicked from century-old Grenache and Carignan vines, planted in steep slopes at an altitude of 400 metres, this mixture delivers an elegant bouquet.

The nose of the Torres Mas de la Rosa 2019 provides an array of dark berries, adorned with subtle notes of Mediterranean herbs and minerals. The palate is truly rich and audacious with a harmonious balance of ripe tannins and vibrant acidity, leading to a profound and lingering finish. A genuine expression of the producer’s commitment to tradition and quality makes it a must in a true connoisseur’s collection.

Decanter (98)

Ripe dark fruits, notes of cherry, dried fig and boysenberry along with sage, black liquorice, potpourri, light rose petal and violet floral notes. Very fine tannins on the palate with a powdery aspect to the wine overall, lengthy acidity leading to a crisp finish. Very open note, but still developing. Certified as 'velles vinyes'.

Tim Atkin MW (94)

Alión is a pan-Ribera blend, using grapes spread over 70 hectares, principally in the Burgos villages of La Aguilera, Moradillo de Roa and Roa. Aged in a combination of concrete and 70% new French and 5% American oak, this was picked early to counter the heat of the vintage. It's bright, focused and acid-driven, with scented wood and blueberry and black cherry fruit. Will age gracefully for a decade or more.

Indulge in the esteemed Vega Sicilia Macan Classico 2019, a paragon of the Rioja region. A collaborative creation by iconic Spanish producers Vega Sicilia and Benjamin de Rothschild, this vintage embodies meticulous craftsmanship. The selection process is stringent - only Tempranillo grapes nurtured in calcareous clay soils are deemed worthy. Thanks to the continental climate with Atlantic influence, these grapes garner a unique richness. Through unhurried fermentation and 15 months in French oak barrels, the Vega Sicilia Macan Classico 2019 develops ripe fruit flavours harmonized with whispers of spicy undertones and striking minerality.

Exhibiting an audacious, translucent crimson hue, this wine showcases silky tannins and an enduring finish. Vega Sicilia Macan Classico 2019 personifies elegance and meets the discerning palate with complex layers of aroma. Consider this wine as the pinnacle of your collection, testament to the unmatched brilliance of the Rioja's highly esteemed terroir.

Wine Advocate (94)

The wine released in 2024 is the 2019 Pintia, from a very dry year when they did a softer vinification and used some 15% stainless steel for the élevage to keep the fruit and freshness. It fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts. It's a powerful year; the wine has 15% alcohol and is round and full-bodied. It's a heady and ripe Pintia. They had to be careful with the harvest date, and they harvested early and quite quickly. Even though the wine is ripe and heady, with notes of grenadine and small ripe berries, it's also exotic and spicy, quite showy, lush and full-bodied, with 2019 tannins. It's a more powerful wine that is going to require patience. They produced 224,724 bottles, 6,587 magnums and some smaller and larger sizes. It was bottled in May 2021.

James Suckling (99)

Vintages blended seamlessly together. Unique to Vega Sicilia. The tobacco, spice and earthy depth here is terrific. Very complex iodine and almost oyster shell minerals. An array of red and black cherries and plums. Very complex. Very fresh. A blend of 2006, 2007 and 2009. Try in 2022.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

Reserva (14.5%) Valbuena nearly always contains a little Merlot, and that's the case on this 2019, which is dominated by 97% Tinto Fino. Aged in a classic combination of French and 15% American oak, it's a bold, layered, well-structured cuvée with blackberry and blueberry fruit supported by good acidity for the vintage, a balsamic undertone, stylish, youthful tannins and plenty of backbone.

Wine Advocate - Robert Parker (95+)

The 2019 Punto de Fuga Corral del Mate is from their joint venture with Matías Michelini from Argentina. It comes from a 0.53-hectare plot within the paraje Corral de los Altos on limestone, schist and alluvial soils and was fermented with 100% full clusters in 1,000-liter vats and matured in a used 500-liter oak barrel for 15 months. It has the finesse of the Lecciones de Vuelo and the ripeness and depth of the Señora de las Alturas, so it's quite complete with the purity and freshness that seems to define their style, with imperceptible oak and varietal character but with great complexity and nuance. It's medium-bodied and reveals very fine, chalky tannins and terrific balance, finishing dry with the limestone sensation. A wine to convince terroir deniers... Only 660 bottles of this low-yielding vintage were filled in July 2021.