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RIBERA DEL DUERO 2025: GENÉRICOS SCORE TABLE

Our first Ribera del Duero report, looking at the wines released in the 12 months leading to our tasting, gave us a snapshot of the challenges and transformations happening apace in the renowned region. Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for all 40 Generico wines tasted by Almudena Alberca MW and Decanter's Spain Editor Ines Salpico.

RIBERA DEL DUERO 2025: RESERVA AND GRAN RESERVA SCORE TABLE

Our first Ribera del Duero report, looking at the wines released in the 12 months leading to our tasting, gave us a snapshot of the challenges and transformations happening apace in the renowned region. Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for all 41 Reserva and Gran Reserva wines tasted by Almudena Alberca MW and Decanter's Spain Editor Ines Salpico.

Our first Ribera del Duero report, looking at the wines released in the 12 months leading to our tasting, gave us a snapshot of the challenges and transformations happening apace in the renowned region.

Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for all 40 Generico wines tasted by Almudena Alberca MW and Decanter's Spain Editor Ines Salpico.

Wines are listed in score order. Click 'view' to expand the row revealing the tasting note.

See also

Ribera del Duero Report 2025: Our experts’ favourite new wines redefining this premium Spanish region

Ribera del Duero Report 2025: Why the region’s white varieties are a secret weapon waiting to be unleashed

Ribera del Duero Report 2025: Meet the five charismatic mavericks producing the region’s emerging classics

Our first Ribera del Duero report, looking at the wines released in the 12 months leading to our tasting, gave us a snapshot of the challenges and transformations happening apace in the renowned region.

Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for all 41 Reserva and Gran Reserva wines tasted by Almudena Alberca MW and Decanter's Spain Editor Ines Salpico.

Wines are listed in score order. Click 'view' to expand the row revealing the tasting note.

See also

Ribera del Duero Report 2025: Our experts’ favourite new wines redefining this premium Spanish region

Ribera del Duero Report 2025: Why the region’s white varieties are a secret weapon waiting to be unleashed

Ribera del Duero Report 2025: Meet the five charismatic mavericks producing the region’s emerging classics

Not subscribed? Sign up today with the code RIBERA25 for 20% off an annual subscription

Unfair as it is to name so few, these producers featured prominently on the top lines of our score tables.

Common to all of them is a deep curiosity, each from different points of view, for what makes Ribera del Duero what it is – not merely as a wine region but as a landscape and community.

Cruz de Alba

Join Sergio Ávila, Cruz de Alba’s head winemaker (pictured above), on a tour across Cruz de Alba’s vineyards and he’ll have you spotting foxes, deers, hawks, nests and dens.

He’ll also make you taste vine shoots, from different plots, as evidence of the way soil profile directly impacts on the sap that flows inside each plant and the way all tissues grow (and taste).

It’s a fascinating, eye-opening experience led by a biodynamic pioneer whose wines defy categorisation and showcase a trademark earthy appeal. Not everyone will like them, but no one can stay indifferent.

Beyond the character of the wines, the impact of Cruz de Alba’s project in Ribera is showing that a different kind of vineyard management is possible – perhaps essential to the preservation of a balanced, resilient landscape.

There’s a lot to learn from Ávila’s gentle unorthodoxy.

Francisco Barona

It’s hard not to be seduced by the robust elegance of Barona’s wines. Behind them is a winemaker with equal amounts of talent and charisma. His energy, work ethics and childlike curiosity are remarkable – as is his self-criticism.

As the most ruthless critic of his own work and wines, Barona only releases his wines at their best. Working form select plots of old vines, many of which he has painstakingly recovered from total abandonment himself, preserving precious plant material, means quantities are very small.

Barona is Ribera del Duero at its best: true to itself, muscular yet lifted; ageworthy but supremely drinkable. Fight for your allocation if you can.

(During a visit to Barona’s winery we tasted exciting barrel samples of upcoming vintages and of unreleased white wines. The former confirmed that upcoming releases will be as outstanding as the current ones; the latter are among the most exciting whites we’ve tasted this year. Do it Francisco!)

Magna Vides

Pablo Arranz and Andrea Sanz are two of the most prominent names of a wave of Ribera del Duero producers changing (or refocusing) the region’s identity by recovering old vines and preserving its precious genetic material.

With Arranz in charge of viticulture and Sanz responsible for winemaking, the husband-and-wife team started with a handful of old vineyards inherited from Arranz’s family and has since expanded to a total 20ha.

Seeing as they do everything themselves they say that they’re now at capacity.

Work in the cellar is light-handed but very precise, producing wines that straddle the ‘natural’ border without ever losing focus and technical exactness.

Above all, there’s a deep understanding of the Ribera landscape and of its traditions, backed by research and personal implication. Magna Vides is their life project.

Valdemonjas

With great consistency and coherence, both technical and aesthetic, Valdemonjas has built an intriguing range of unpretentiously sophisticated wines, in which texture and purity of fruit take centre stage.

The project is helmed by two generations – father and son, Alejandro and Alexis Moyano – straddling tradition and (sophisticated) innovation with ease.

Moyano Sr worked as managing director at Abadía Retuerta between 1992 and 1997, overseeing the property’s reinstatement of its winemaking operations.

After taking on other technical roles at Retuerta’s parent company, he decided it was time to found his own wine project.

He brought with him a wealth of technical and operational knowledge, balanced by a soft confidence and listening ability. Both of which his son has inherited and are translated into Valdemonja’s wines.

Their small, expertly designed, energy-passive winery – perched over Ribera del Duro’s golden mile and surrounded by a beautiful garden of indigenous herbs and flowers – is a physical expression of their philosophy.

The Moyanos have two leading, like-minded consultants working alongside them; the renowned researcher Jesús Yuste steers viticultural operations, while Italian oenologist Luca D’Attoma advises in the cellar.

Vizcarra

The wines of Vizcarra delivered a strong performance across categories, with a matter of fact, relaxed complexity; serious without compromising on drinking pleasure.

The winery is synonymous with Juan Carlos Vizcarra Ramos, who, as second generation at its helm, built on his father’s efforts with a maverick slant.

Vizcarra Ramos studied in Rioja before returning to the family winery in 1991. He quickly started experimenting and questioning what the wines of Ribera should be.

His was the first carbonic maceration wine released with the DO Ribera del Duero stamp, for example. He went on to build a gravity-fed winery, where he works gently and precisely.

With his eldest daughter Celia now working alongside him, the continuity and evolution of this project is worth keeping an eye on.

Ribera del Duero Report 2025: Wines from five stand-out producers

Wines grouped by producer, in alphabetical order.

Related articles

• Our experts’ favourite new wines redefining this premium Spanish region
• Why the region’s white varieties are a secret weapon waiting to be unleashed
• Ribera del Duero adopts the new old ways

Ribera del Duero might be synonymous with red wines. Yet, one of the region’s fastest-evolving styles comes in different shades of yellow and gold.

The emergence of Ribera del Duero whites is, above all, an inevitable consequence of the renewed engagement with the local viticultural heritage and winemaking traditions.

The effort to preserve old, neglected old vineyards – many of them intriguing field blends – has expanded the winemaking palette beyond Tinto Fino.

White variety Albillo Mayor is now claiming its rightful place as one of the region’s leading varieties – in quality if certainly not in quantity.

With 353ha planted (2024 data) against 25,615ha of Tinto Fino, Albillo Mayor accounted for less than 1% of production in the 2024 harvest (609,395hl of a total 95,496,603hl).

Indeed, in the past couple of decades the vineyard area has steadily decreased.

Considering that most white grapes can be found in older plots, this trend is a worrying symptom of the abandonment of old vines that a new wave of producers is determined to stop.

Feedback effect

Albillo Mayor’s contribution goes beyond the exciting wines it can produce though. Blended with Tinto Fino (either in the field or in the cellar) for both reds and claretes (wines produced by co-fermenting reds and white grapes, stylistically falling between an intense rosé and a light red), it’s become an essential element in the pursuit of finesse and balance.

Also interesting is how this ‘white wine revival’ is informing the choices and palates of winemakers more broadly. Many of the producers we spoke to are playing with Albillo, using its skins as pied de cuve for red fermentations (using already fermenting must to kickstart a new fermentation) and/or using barrels previously used for white fermentation to age their reds.

Are we on the cusp of Ribera del Duero’s own ‘white revolution’?

The numbers above suggest that this is not the case. But the stylistic and cultural impact of this yet timid revival cannot be underestimated.

Setting the bar high

It’s hard to offer a conclusive assessment of current white wine production in Ribera given that only 15 of the 316 wines we tasted were white (all single varietal Albillo Mayor).

Still, the tight line up made a strong case. The baseline quality is notably high and the best examples show both strong sense of place and ageing potential.

Albillo Mayor’s textural appeal and affinity with wood (and indeed other fermentation and ageing vessels) make it an obvious candidate for expressive, ageworthy fine white wines.

Our top-scorers successfully combined concentration, texture and phenolic grip to deliver both moreish intensity and smoky finesse.

A word of encouragement

Less than a conclusion, this year’s report delivers a message of encouragement for producers, many of whom are still approaching the category tentatively.

The fact that we tasted many (outstanding) barrel samples and ‘unreleased experiments’ is testament both to this hesitation and to an incredible potential, yet to be fully unleashed.

Looking ahead to our future reports, we hope producers embrace white wine production (and Albillo Mayor) with confidence and determination, not just as an experiment or afterthought.

Ribera del Duero Report 2025: The whites

Related articles

• Ribera del Duero adopts the new old ways
• Ribera del Duero Report 2025: Our experts’ favourite new wines redefining this premium Spanish region
•  Collector’s Guide: Spain

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There was a feeling of careful optimism when Almudena Alberca MW and I spent a week, in late May, in Ribera del Duero, tasting and talking to producers for this report.

The verdant hills, dotted with the joyous, profuse colourfulness of wild flowers, painted a very different picture from previous years of bleached-pastel drought. Would the same contrast be reflected in the wines?

The impact of these challenging vintages, especially in a region where concentration and tannins are stylistic trademarks, could be problematic.

Our fears were unfounded. What we encountered in the glass was, instead, a willingness to embrace viticultural challenges and seek balance without avoiding the different profile and power of the fruit brought in by each harvest.

The contrasts were obvious but welcome.

Playing with time and style

Beyond the older vintages found in the Reserva and Gran Reserva categories, most of the wines submitted (released in the 12 months leading to our tasting) were from the 2021 and 2022 harvest.

The former, a cool ‘pre-drought’ vintage had a potential for freshness and finesse which were leveraged by its best examples (on the other hand, the lower-scoring iterations struggled with harsh tannins and difficult integration of wood).

The 2022 vintage followed with potentially problematic concentration. However, winemakers were able to translate it into a robust classicism, deftly using wood to add complexity to the intensity and ripeness.

In both vintages, the standout wines begin to show an expressive development that underscores both the identity of the vintages and the further ageing potential, albeit following very different trajectories – chiseled definition for the 2021s; opulent complexity for the 2022s.

Affordable diversity

A refreshing surprise was the early release of some energetic 2024s, full of crunchy if broody primary fruit.

It’s a daring proposition that shows Ribera del Duero producers willing to venture further and further from the stylistic assumptions of what a Ribera red should taste like – and of how long it should wait in the cellar.

On the same note, the older vintages released under the generic category are also increasingly symptomatic of the wider changes happening in the region.

Producers are less bound by ageing and labelling categories and truly willing to ‘listen’ to the wine (rather than imposing a stylistic recipe), experiment with fermentation vessels and hold stock for maturation in bottle prior to release.

This gives the consumer intriguing (and affordable) access to various vintages – all, in their own way, showing great drinkability – as well as to a range of approaches and styles, beyond the traditional categorisation.

The top-scoring wines from the ‘generic’ category (i.e. not labelled as Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva) featured below, clearly showcase this diversity.

Back to the vineyard

The common denominator seems to be – and was apparent both in the tasting room and while visiting producers – a fierce and humble engagement with what’s happening in the vineyard.

The increasingly viticulture-led approach is both a necessity – imposed by climate change and extreme weather events in recent vintages – and part of the soul-searching catalysed by a movement to rediscover a ‘pre-modern’ Ribera del Duero.

A renewed focus on old plots, clonal diversity and softer-handed winemaking approach, is yielding more diversity and expressiveness. And the increased focus on white wines is yet another symptom of this shift and creative energy.

All of this helps us to understand the different faces of Tinto Fino we tasted, all with their own identity. There was nuance and depth, difference and character, against a backdrop of technical ability and consistent quality.

Challenges notwithstanding, Ribera del Duero is turning an interesting corner. Rather than outliers, the terroir-specific wines are as essential for understanding of the region as the high-achieving stylistic-led counterparts.

Extremely able and knowledgeable winemakers play on both camps.

Moving forward, with nature and markets in turmoil, the way Ribera del Duero producers seem to be attuned with their vineyards and the clear intent with which they work in the cellar promise great things in coming releases.

Not least because the very essence of Ribera del Duero seems to be questioning its founding premises. That there is a willingness to do so is remarkable in itself.

Ribera del Duero Report 2025: Top-scoring diversity

Related articles

• Ribera del Duero adopts the new old ways
•  Vega Sicilia’s 2025 releases: Singularity beyond Unico
•  Collector’s Guide: Spain

Spain’s melting pot of historic producers and exciting modern projects offers a wealth of options for fine wine collectors at many price levels, even if trading on the secondary market is a work-in-progress.

From legendary Rioja and Ribera del Duero to mountain Garnacha, Spanish reds are in a rich vein of form quality-wise.

Collectors are taking notice. Spain’s secondary market presence remains minor, but Vega Sicilia topped the Liv-ex Power 100 ranking in December last year.

Many leading Spanish labels also continue to be a source of relative value.

This report focuses mainly on reds, drawing on data and exclusive reporting for Decanter Premium subscribers to deliver an introductory guide to top names, vintages and market performance.

That said, Spain’s bewitching and long-lived Sherry styles, high-end sparkling cuvées and superb white wines are not to be overlooked, as demonstrated by a host of top medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025.

A downloadable PDF version of the Collector’s Guide: Spain is available here

Key Spanish fine wines to know

Tempranillo in various guises (as Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero for example) takes centre-stage for reds, but not exclusively. Garnacha is a driving force behind several small-volume, sought-after bottlings, and a wealth of other varieties play important roles.

Historic Rioja producers, like R. López de Heredia, join Ribera del Duero powerhouses Vega Sicilia and Dominio de Pingus as the most-searched-for Spanish names on Wine-Searcher.

Wines in bold were among those recently named in Decanter’s list of ‘10 Spanish icons to try before you die’ (See also February 2025 magazine issue).

This list can only ever provide a snapshot, yet it still demonstrates Spain’s exciting blend of tradition and dynamism.

Rioja’s DOCa denomination is celebrating its centenary year, and several top producers pre-date this, but many of today’s leading Spanish labels have also emerged on the international stage in the past four decades.

Vega Sicilia dates back to 1864 and extraordinary mature vintages still turn up at auction, but the arrival of the Álvarez family in 1982 took things to the next level. Dominio de Pingus, led by Danish-born winemaker Peter Sisseck, quickly shot to fame after its inaugural 1995 vintage.

Exploring terroir and preserving old-vine heritage have been key themes. Álvaro Palacios helped to rejuvenate Priorat’s wine scene and his L’Ermita, now a Gran Vinya Classificada, debuted with the 1993 vintage. Other pioneers include Clos Mogador, created by René Barbier, and Clos Erasmus.

Comando G in the Gredos region, west of Madrid, has achieved cult status after founders Daniel Landi and Fernando García first launched the flagship ‘Rumbo al Norte’ with the 2010 vintage – a 100% Garnacha sourced from an historic 0.3 hectare plot. It’s the youngest entrant in Decanter’s Spanish wine icons list.

Another entrant, Muga’s Prado Enea Gran Reserva, is a leading Rioja to know.

Other key Spanish names, although far from an exhaustive list, include Muga, Artadi, Roda, Telmo Rodriguez, Benjamín Romeo (Contador), Ramón Bilbao, Torres, LVMH-owned Numanthia, and Xavier Ausàs, the ex-Vega Sicilia technical director who founded his own Ribera del Duero project in 2016.

More projects to discover

Discovery is one of the great joys of wine, and Spain is a treasure trove in this regard. Decanter’s first Rioja report, published earlier this year, named Carlos Sánchez and Sandra Bravo (Sierra de Toloño) among standout producers.

There are developments aplenty, too; witness Rioja’s new single-vineyard classification, introduced in 2017 or the consolidation of its ‘White Revolution’.

Vega Sicilia already has its Toro-based Pintia winery and Rioja venture Macán with Benjamin de Rothschild, but is also building a winery in the Albariño stronghold of Rías Baixas in Galicia.

Decanter’s Spain editor, Ines Salpico, recently explored new-wave Ribera del Duero, noting: ‘An exciting array of new projects is introducing the region to a younger audience seeking fresher, lower-intervention, ready-to-drink wines.’

One example is Bendito Destino, El Olmar 2021 (96pts) from London-based sommelier Terry Kandylis.

‘Garnacha and white varieties [are] co-harvested, co-fermented in concrete and aged for two years in a used French oak barrel,’ said Salpico. ‘It’s a superb, elegant wine, with outstanding detail and purity.’

Top Rioja vintages

Vintage guides often clash with a wine world that defies generalisation.

Caveats aside, some top Rioja wines from exceptional vintages ‘develop great complexity over decades and stay in pristine shape even after a century or more’, said Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW in a Rioja vintage guide for Decanter.

‘Such acclaimed vintages from the 20th century include 1948, 1952, 1955, 1964, 1982, 1994 and 1995.’

Rioja’s DOCa council lists several other years as ‘excellent’, such as 1934.

More recent five-star vintages include 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2010, said Ballesteros Torres, who also gave ‘4+’ ratings to 2012, 2016 and 2019.

All gran reserva wines, and some reservas, should be built for ageing, but not all wineries reference the classification system.

‘Know your producers; names are more relevant than classifications and vintages,’ Ballesteros Torres wrote.

Five Decanter Wine Legends through time

• Torres, Gran Coronas Reserva, Cabernet Sauvignon 1970
• R López de Heredia, Viña Tondonia Blanco 1964
• Bodegas Roda, Roda I Reserva 1994
• Vega Sicilia, Unico 1964
• Dominio de Pingus, Pingus 1995

Winery release strategies

Many top Spanish wines are released after several years of maturation, or ‘when ready to drink’. This partly reflects minimum ageing rules in some cases, but producers also run to their own schedules.

Alongside Unico 2015, Vega Sicilia also recently presented its Alión 2021 (95pts, Decanter). Technical director Gonzalo Iturriaga described 2021 as ‘a super vintage’ in general.

Some wines are offered ‘en primeur’ (on a futures basis), such as those of Álvaro Palacios. UK merchant Corney & Barrow told Decanter’s Market Watch recently that it would launch its offer for Dominio de Pingus’ 2024-vintage wines in August 2025.

Some UK merchants also recently launched pre-arrival ‘en primeur’ offers for the already-bottled La Rioja Alta, Gran Reserva 890 2011 (£780 6x75cl in bond, Lay & Wheeler).

La Place de Bordeaux is increasingly a source of international fine wine releases, too, and single-site Rioja wine Yjar, by Telmo Rodriguez, is among a new wave of Spanish entrants.

Aged white Rioja unicorn

Long-aged white Rioja can be a true rarity and a wonder. Marqués de Murrieta’s Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco was first produced in 1917, and only 13 vintages have been released.

Last release: 1986 vintage (97% Viura, 3% Malvasia) | 99pts (Decanter). Bottled in 2014 after 20 years of ageing in American oak barrels and nearly six years ‘settling’ in concrete tanks.

Source: Capellanía vineyard, Ygay estate, Rioja Alta

Production: 8,125 bottles

Price: £825 (1x75cl ex-vat) via Hedonism | £650 – £1,000 (1x75cl, in bond) via BBX Marketplace, Berry Bros & Rudd.

Hunting value

Value is relative, of course. López de Heredia’s Viña Tondonia Reserva, a Decanter Rioja icon, averaged well under $100-a-bottle on Wine-Searcher (See ‘fine wine market’ section below), and even Vega Sicilia’s Unico is generally priced below Bordeaux first growths.

Shopping through a producers’ range can bring rewards. Pingus ‘Psi’ is ‘a brilliant entry-point into old-vine fruit in the region’, said Guy Seddon, head of fine wine buying at Corney & Barrow, in last year’s offer brochure.

A wealth of under-the-radar wines also offer plenty of opportunities for intrepid collectors keen to build a drinking cellar.

Three value Spanish reds under $50*

Rioja

Bodegas Palacios Remondo, Finca La Montesa, Rioja, Oriental 2021

96pts | $19

From the historic family estate of Alvaro Palacios, ‘Very young now, this [Garnacha-dominant wine] will give much pleasure as it matures.’ – Sarah Jane Evans MW.

Ribera del Duero

Magna Vides, Tinto, Ribera del Duero 2022

96pts | $29

Magna Vides was created by Pablo Arranz and Andrea Sanz to preserve their grandparents’ legacy. ‘It is yielding some of Ribera’s most exciting and elegant wines.’ – Ines Salpico.

Bierzo

Luna Beberide, Paixar Dragonte A Serra, Vino de Paraje 2022

97pts | $34

From Mencia vines at 700 – 1,000m altitude, this wine is ‘at once wild and finessed’. Slate soils ‘deliver a steeliness and vibrancy’ for long and elegant ageing. – Beth Willard.

*Global average retail price per 75cl, ex-tax.

Spain on the fine wine market

Average global retail prices for leading Spanish wines have risen in the past five years, suggested data from Wine-Searcher, although prices will vary by vintage, market and merchant.

As in other areas of the wine world, prices can rise over time as supplies diminish. Muga’s Prado Enea 2001 averaged $209 in May 2025, for instance, well above the wine’s $97 average price.

However, Spain remains a relatively minor player on a fine wine secondary market dominated by French juggernauts Bordeaux and Burgundy.

While quality is high, it is a commonly-held trade view that many collectors prefer to keep treasured bottles for their own future pleasure – rather than trade them.

Matthew O’Connell, CEO of the LiveTrade online trading platform at international merchant Bordeaux Index, said active trading on Spanish wines was generally limited, with Vega Sicilia a rare exception.

Spain accounted for 2.4% of trading by value on Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade, in 2024. That is comparable with the Rhône (2.8%), but behind a big five of Bordeaux (36.2%), Burgundy (22.6%), Champagne (11.8%), Tuscany (9.8%) and the US (6.1%).

Vega Sicilia has dominated trading on Spanish wine, in value terms, in 2025 so far at Liv-ex. The five top-traded wines are:

• Vega Sicilia, Alión 2020
• Vega Sicilia, Alión 2019
• Vega Sicilia, Unico 2014
• Marqués de Murrieta, Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2014
• Vega Sicilia, Valbuena 5.° 2019

Liv-ex data also indicated a mixed recent performance on price for several leading Spanish wines.

A tough market

Current fine wine market conditions remain subdued. A boom period up to late 2022 has given way to one of the most challenging phases in recent history.

The Liv-ex 1000 index, which tracks prices of many of the most collectible wines, has dropped around 22% in two years and was nearly back at its mid-2020 level.

It has, nevertheless, more than tripled in the past two decades.

Vega Sicilia: New ground but prices soften

Within a subdued landscape, Vega Sicilia last year became the first Spanish producer to head Liv-ex’s Power 100 ranking of global brands.

‘This is overwhelmingly a story about Unico, and to some extent [multi-vintage] Unico Especial,’ said Liv-ex.

US demand drove trading, although signs of a pull-back in April and May could reflect wider buyer hesitancy in the face of import tariffs, noted Liv-ex’s head of market intelligence, Tom Burchfield.

Unico prices have also dropped after peaking in March 2023 – albeit they have risen significantly over 20 years (See Liv-ex Unico index).

Spain at auction: A rising force?

Online auction house Idealwine sold 3,500 bottles of Spanish wine at auction in 2024, up 83% versus 2023. The top lot was a bottle of Unico 1923, sold to a private buyer in Poland for €2,438, including taxes.

Other highlights included a bottle of Rumbo al Norte 2020 at €813, and a bottle of Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial (red) 1934 at €550.

Sotheby’s saw Spanish wine auction sales double last year. Its five best-selling Spanish producers were:

• Vega Sicilia (76% of total Spain auction sales)
• Pingus (8%)
• ‘Vina Sastre’ Pesus (4%)
• Álvaro Palacios (3%)
• Clos Erasmus (2%)

The remaining 7% of Spanish wine sales featured various names, including Marqués de Murrieta, Terroir Al Limit and Artadi.

Nick Pegna, global head of wine and spirits at Sotheby’s, said: ‘Vega Sicilia has always dominated [our Spain sales], because the wines are so sought-after, particularly Unico but also Valbuena.’

He highlighted the availability of decades-old Unico at auction.

‘The time they’ve had in oak means they can age incredibly well,’ he said. ‘They’re generally quite sensibly-priced, but people who want them absolutely love having them.’

Large-format Unico can be a real treat. US auction house Hart Davis Hart sold a six-litre bottle of the 2008 vintage for $5,975 in June 2025 (high estimate: $3,500).

Spain to attract new collectors?

Pegna said current figures must be seen in the context of Sotheby’s focusing on mature wines at auction. ‘You’re almost looking back in time a little bit to what people were collecting 15 years ago.’

He said several factors make Spain well-positioned to attract a new generation of collectors, including relatively accessible pricing and its status as a destination.

‘I think there’s a new generation for whom food and wine tourism is going to be their landing point in this world,’ Pegna said.

Spain excels here, he added. ‘Whether it’s Artadi El Pisón, López de Heredia, Vega [or] Pingus, there will be so many wines that people will come across for the first time at these moments and I think they will stick with them.’

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Disclaimer

Please note that this report has been published purely for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or investment advice. The report includes Wine-Searcher monthly global average retail prices in US$ to provide a consistent point of comparison, as well as data and opinion from other trade sources. All of this information is subject to change, and the prices and availability of wines cited will vary between countries, currencies and retailers. Decanter and the editorial team behind this report do not accept liability for the ongoing accuracy of its contents. Seek independent and professional advice where necessary and be aware that wine investment is unregulated in several markets. Please be aware that prices can go down as well as up.

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On 4 June, the Xunta de Galicia approved DO Ribeiro’s request to add the traditional grape varieties Merenzao, Espadeiro, Branco Lexítimo, and Albilla do Avia to its list of principal grapes and effectively phase out so-called ‘foreign’ grapes Palomino, Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) and Tempranillo over the coming years.

Quality vs quantity

Palomino and Garnacha Tintorera were introduced to Ribeiro after the phylloxera epidemic at the turn of the 20th century, and quickly became popular for their high yields – important for growers whose incomes were dependent on the quantity of grapes produced. But quantity didn’t translate to quality, and many winemakers returned to traditional grapes such as Treixadura, Lado, Caíño, and Sousón at the end of the 20th century, motivated by a renewed interest in wines with character and sense of place.

Despite that shift, Palomino, Garnacha Tintorera, and fellow ‘foreigner’ Tempranillo were still authorised in Ribeiro. Now, these three varieties will be gradually replaced as the focus moves entirely to traditional grapes. ‘The changes represent a serious commitment to quality and a unanimous commitment by all parties to winemaking based on native, preferred grapes,’ said Luis Vázquez, managing secretary of DO Ribeiro.

Although the occasional replacement of vines in pre-existing vineyards will still be permitted, the vetoed varieties may no longer be used to establish new vineyard sites. ‘Since legally you can’t just remove a planted variety from the bylaws, what was decided was to allow the current plantations and encourage growers to re-graft their secondary varieties with principal varieties in order to convert the entire area to top-quality grapes,’ said Vázquez.

Tradition as guideline

In keeping with the focus on tradition, Ribeiro will add the red varieties Merenzao (Trousseau) and Espadeiro (Camaraou Noir) as well as whites Branco Lexítimo and Albilla do Avia to its list of principal grapes. According to the official resolution published by the Galician Ministry of Rural Affairs, the inclusion of these varieties ‘brings greater diversity to Ribeiro wines, which can improve their market reach and also help preserve the genetic heritage represented by these minority varieties’.

While Merenzao, Espadeiro, and Branco Lexítimo are all found elsewhere in Galicia, the Estación de Viticultura e Enoloxía de Galicia (EVEGA) maintains that Albilla do Avia – not to be confused with the various grape varieties known as Albillo – is unique to Ribeiro.

Winemaker Manuel Formigo said he has ‘95%’ of the Albilla vines in DO Ribeiro. Formigo’s father owned a nursery and came across Albilla in the 1970s, when elderly growers brought him vines from the upper part of the Avia Valley. Since 2016, Formigo has made around 1,500 bottles a year of varietal Albilla. ‘It’s very explosive on the palate, with floral and citrus notes,’ said Formigo, who compares Albilla to Chenin Blanc.

Formigo recognises Albilla’s limited reach, but hopes its new status will encourage growers to experiment. ‘People have started to graft Albilla and you’re beginning to see it,’ he said. ‘I don’t think it will be the next Albariño, but if people start to understand what Albilla can do, I think it has potential.’

Perhaps the same will happen with the other varieties now given leading status in DO Ribeiro’s legal framework.

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2024 was a big year for Vega Sicilia. The Ribera del Duero powerhouse celebrated its 160th anniversary – not least with a lavish event at London’s National Gallery, under the watchful eye of dramatic masterpieces from the Spanish Masters – and rose to the top of Liv-Ex’s Power 100 ranking.

Perhaps a landmark moment that marked the beginning of a new chapter in the world of fine wines, one in which ‘outperforming underdogs’ have become established frontrunners.

The momentous year built up anticipation for Tempos Vega Sicilia’s 2025 releases – in particular the 2015 iteration of the iconic Unico.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of Tempos Vega Sicilia’s 2025 releases, including Unico 2015

A new, personal chapter

It was not just among critics and collectors that Unico 2015 created a pre-release buzz. The vintage had a particular meaning for technical director Gonzalo Iturriaga, who presented the first Unico produced under his full leadership with a mix of nervousness and joy.

It was in 2015 that Iturriaga took over from Xavier Ausàs after his lauded 25-year tenure at the helm of Tempos Vega Sicilia (TVS) following the retirement of the great Mariano García.

Big shoes to fill no doubt, especially considering the ambitious portfolio growth led by Ausàs.

Iturriaga is humble – and pragmatic – and admits that the responsibility he inherited relies more on the preservation of a style and lineage than leaving a personal imprint.

And yet it is impossible for a winemaker not to lead his wines along a preferred path.

Iturriaga’s steps seem to follow a gentle classicism, built upon technical ability and expressive restraint. This allows the style of Vega Sicilia and the character of the vintages to come through with vividness.

It is therefore perhaps a combination of personality and vintage that shapes Unico 2015. Its completeness and roundness provide an interesting counterpoint to 2014’s sharper edges.

If one of Unico’s hallmarks is approachability upon release (and its equal potential for cellaring – not an easy technical feat), 2015 does not disappoint.

Plural takes on uniqueness

Unico’s younger Ribera del Duero siblings also perform well in two vintages – 2020 for Valbuena 5º and 2021 for Alión.

Each wine is also meaningful for Iturriaga: the former requiring him to spend long stretches alone in the cellar due to the pandemic; the latter for its expressiveness and energy.

2021 ‘is a super vintage,’ said Iturriaga. ‘I love its detail and potential. We’ll see great wines from this year. And 2024 promises something similar.’

Being responsible for the flagship Ribera del Duero range is perhaps the most visible but arguably not the hardest of Iturriaga’s tasks as TVS’s technical director.

Overseeing the projects in Rioja (Macán, in partnership with Benjamin de Rothschild) and Toro (Pintia), pose a different set of challenges and, in a way, higher scrutiny, as they stand against more-established names in both regions.

In Rioja, the shared responsibility of building a brand alongside Benjamin de Rothschild might seem easier than it is. Perceived as ‘outsiders’, the Macán wines are yet carving their space.

In the bottle one finds really elegant – and, again, technically pristine (which is not to say they are ‘technical wines’) – examples of modern Rioja.

Both Macán 2020 and Macán Clásico 2021 show purity of fruit and increasingly deft wood integration (one of Iturriaga’s ongoing concerns).

He’s also working on incorporating greater percentages of grapes (namely Garnacha and Graciano) that he believes will benefit the balance of the Macán wines.

To this end, the partnership is currently planting its own field blends.

Ripeness with bite

Having had the opportunity to tour the Pintia winery with Iturriaga, I was impressed by the pragmatic, highly-efficient design, one which he contributed himself and indeed reflects his reflective, precise, no-nonsense demeanour.

The latter is reflected in the wines produced there. They capture, with technical acumen, the powerful essence of Toro’s old, ungrafted vines. Fruit intensity and vibrant acid are leveraged to integrate alcohol and tame the tannins.

This technical ability is again showcased in the newly-released 2020 vintage. Iturriaga mentions that picking at the precise right time (‘we like to harvest “al dente”, when the grapes are mature but still retain a good crunch,’ he explains) and managing maceration are key.

But there are also clear signs of the new approach to ageing, with some batches matured in clay amphorae. This seems to help carve the tannins and give polish to the flavours, while retaining the alluring, savoury rusticity that is so characteristic of Toro’s best wines.

It’ll be interesting to see where Iturriaga and his team take Pintia having recently started to work with field blends peppered with Garnacha.

Eastern promises

An increasingly important part of the TVS portfolio, the Oremus wines have so far been classic examples of ‘old-school’ Tokaj: technically correct, pure but perhaps allowing winemaking and style to take the lead.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised by the latest vintage of the Mandolás Dry Furmint. It marks a departure from a ‘style first’ approach, allowing for the true character of the Hungarian grape to come through.

Furmint’s filigree aromatics lift the textural richness and moreish nuttiness, showing how a lighter hand in the cellar can underscore complexity and character. Iturriuaga confirmed that this is the desired vision for all of Oremus’ wines.

I’ll therefore be curious to taste, in 2026, the 2021 vintage of the longer-aged Petrács, whose current, 2020 release doesn’t yet show the expressiveness of the Mandolás 2021.

Overall, TVS’ 2025 releases show consistency but also an ever so gentle change in trajectory, no doubt a function of Iturriaga’s soft confidence and attentive listening skills.

Tempos Vega Sicilia 2025 releases scored and tasted:

Wines grouped by style and ordered by score

Related content

Ribera del Duero adopts the new old ways

Spanish Icons: Vega Sicilia, Unico

 Ribera del Duero – five vintages you can enjoy now

Andy Howard MW, Eugenio Egorov and David Williams tasted 110 wines, with 32 Highly Recommended

Value Spanish Tempranillo: Panel tasting scores

110 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 0

Highly recommended 32

Recommended 71

Commended 7

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release still dry red wines of any Spanish classification (DOCa, DO, Vino de la Tierra, Vino de España) made from minimum 85% Tempranillo (or any accepted synonym, such as Tinta de Toro, Tinta del Pais, Tinto Fino). Maximum price €12 in the domestic market, £15 in the UK

Although this tasting didn’t result in any Outstanding awards, these Tempranillo-dominant wines retailing at £15 or less put on a good show. The judges were surprised and delighted to taste so many elegant, mature and great-value wines.

Of 110 wines tasted, 32 (29%) were awarded 90 points or more (Silver medal equivalent), with a highest score of 94pts. A further 71 wines were Recommended.

In total, 93.6% were Highly recommended or Recommended – a strong result given the price constraints.

Scroll down to see notes and scores of the top-scoring wines from our value Spanish Tempranillo tasting

Wines perpetually punching above their weight

Considering the price of the wines, David Williams was impressed: ‘“Value” in the title of a tasting can lower expectations. But this line-up genuinely represented excellent value.’

Andy Howard MW agreed: ‘From virtually no other country could mature, expressive and well-made wines be found at values even vaguely comparable to these.’

Eugenio Egorov felt that ‘the wines exhibited a vibrant, expressive style, with a reduced reliance on oak allowing the underlying fruit to shine through, resulting in wines that were more elegant, with a strong sense of identity’.

Howard summed up the panel’s views: ‘We saw very well-made wines that expressed both the grape variety and their region, many at their peak, yet many still with a long life ahead.’

Rioja proved to be both the largest entry and highest performing DO with 24 (almost 36%) wines out of a total of 67 being awarded 90pts or more. In terms of vintages, 2021 was the strongest performer, displaying the quality of this highly rated, cooler year.

There’s no hurry to drink most of these wines, while the amazing ability of Rioja to age was demonstrated by the two 2015-vintage wines tasted.

Both scored 92pts, with the judges giving drinking windows up to 2034 – a remarkable testament to the ability of these modestly priced wines to age.

See all the wines from the value Spanish Tempranillo tasting

What to eat with value Tempranillo, by Fiona Beckett

Although the tasting is headlined Tempranillo, we’re mainly talking inexpensive Rioja here, and the good news is it’s a hugely versatile wine, not least with the simple, inexpensive meals we all tend to make at this time of year.

Think sausage and mash, shepherd’s (and cottage) pie, even mince on toast.

Tempranillo is also surprisingly good with meat dishes that have a touch of spice, especially lamb curries such as rogan josh, or a tagine. On the veggie front, anything based on beans should work.

Inexpensive Tempranillo is a good wine to choose in a tapas bar or for a tapas spread at home. And a great glass with a late-night nibble of cheese – especially sheep’s cheese such as Manchego.

Older vintages, which might be regarded as more of a treat, are great to bring out with a Sunday roast or a pot roast or pheasant casserole, making the best of the last of the season’s game.

Value Spanish Tempranillo panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Andy Howard MW is a Decanter contributing editor and DWWA Regional Chair. A retail wine buyer for more than 30 years, he now runs his own consultancy Vinetrades, focusing on wine education, judging, investment and sourcing

Eugenio Egorov is head sommelier at AA five-star The Stafford in London. Born in Ukraine, he began his hospitality career in restaurants in Italy and Florida, USA, before moving to London in 2014, where he rose through the ranks as a sommelier at the likes of 45 Park Lane and The Dorchester

David Williams is wine correspondent for The Observer, a regular contributor to Decanter on all things Spanish, and a widely published wine writer, author and competition judge

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Bordeaux prices have dropped notably over the past 24 months, according to data from international merchant Bordeaux Index (see chart below).

This partly reflects a wider market malaise, although Bordeaux didn’t rise by as much as Burgundy, Champagne and Tuscany in the prior boom period.

Matthew O’Connell, CEO of the LiveTrade online trading platform at Bordeaux Index, said trading activity on Bordeaux ‘is pretty muted and it’s not obvious what the catalyst [for growth] is’. Bordeaux remains a cornerstone of the market, yet it has been facing a ‘significant stock overhang’, said Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade.

It said that a relatively high number of Bordeaux wines were trading below their release prices, although trading in older vintages, from 2009 and back, was more resilient.

Liv-ex’s Bordeaux 500 index fell 21.3% in value in two years to 31 December, and was also down 4.1% over five years.

The Fine Wine 50 index, which tracks first growths, has dropped 8.7% in five years. Several global trade leaders recently said to consultancy group Wine Lister that Bordeaux is likely to see resurgent demand in the next five years. O’Connell said that Bordeaux would likely benefit from any pick-up in the broader market.

Bordeaux 2015: 10 years on

Bordeaux Index’s annual ’10 Years On’ tasting in February focuses on the well-regarded Bordeaux 2015 vintage. This could be a prompt for buyers, depending on how critics view the wines, suggested O’Connell.

Price performances have been mixed since en primeur. Château Haut-Brion 2015 was being offered on LiveTrade at its original UK release price of £4,250 (12x75cl in bond).

Château Margaux 2015, the final vintage of the estate’s late, great MD Paul Pontallier, was offered at £8,600 – double its UK release price. Figeac 2015 was up by 52% versus its UK release price, with Mouton Rothschild and Angélus up 2% and 8% respectively, LiveTrade data showed. La Mission HautBrion 2015 was down 25%

The Bordeaux Index view

Bordeaux currently occupies an unusual position in the fine wine market. It remains the most significantly traded region – due to the overall quantities available and prominence – but at the same time it has perhaps the most subdued relative demand dynamics across the collector base.

The trajectory of prices – which have been pretty flat across five years and down across the last couple – struggles to attract investment-focused buyers, while there is an argument that collectors are looking elsewhere and are potentially jaded by successive muted en primeur campaigns.

This makes for difficult reading for Bordeaux enthusiasts, due to the remarkably high quality and consistency levels of wines from the region – especially in the last decade or so. Some believe that a resumption in overall fine wine market momentum might particularly benefit Bordeaux, while others tend to think that the region has to make some changes in its pricing and distribution to catalyse overall activity.

We potentially sit between these two positions, retaining great enthusiasm for the region and its significance but conscious that certain changes could drive outsized recovery of interest.

Fine wine & spirits specialist Bordeaux Index kindly sponsors this section of Decanter, and provides its view on the market here every issue. It can be found at bordeauxindex.com.

Expert’s unsure about fine wine market’s future

Opinions are split among global trade leaders on when the fine wine market will see a broad return to growth, according to a recently released survey.

One quarter of the 53 CEOs and wine department heads surveyed by consultancy group Wine Lister said they expected the wine market to pick up again in 2025, but 49% of respondents said this won’t happen until 2026, and 26% said it would take until 2027 or later.

Respondents from Asia were the most downbeat. Those in the Americas were the most optimistic, with Europe-based trade leaders in the middle, said Wine Lister in its annual Wine Leagues report.

When asked what could help the market, 80% of respondents said lower release prices for fine wines and 68% said a stronger Asian market.

Lower interest rates and greater geopolitical stability were also cited as important factors.

Unico bucks the market trend

Vega Sicilia has reasserted its credentials as a name to watch on the market, and the 2015 vintage of its flagship Unico debuted in early 2025. Unico 2015 was offered at £837 per 3x75cl in bond in January (Bordeaux Index, Lay & Wheeler).

A month earlier, Vega Sicilia became the first Spanish winery to top the annual Liv-ex Power 100 ranking of secondary market performance.

Vega Sicilia was ‘one of 2024’s few bright spots’ in a subdued market, said Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade. ‘Starting from a relatively low level, [Vega Sicilia] trade value is up 455.8% on last year,’ it said.

Prices haven’t shot up, though. Unico 2013 saw relatively strong trading, but its price dipped 3% in 12 months to 3 January, Liv-ex data showed.

Matthew O’Connell, CEO of the LiveTrade online trading platform at Bordeaux Index, said Vega Sicilia generally sees good buyer interest. Auction houses Hart Davis Hart (HDH) and Christie’s offered a variety of Unico vintages in late 2024. Highlights included:

• Unico 1981 (9x75cl) sold for $5,377.50 Unico 1975 (£4,409; high e: $4,500, HDH)

• Unico 1995 (11x75cl) sold for $5,736 (high e: $5,500, HDH)

• Unico 2004 (12x75cl) sold for $3,824 (high e: $3,800, HDH)

• Unico 1970 in magnum (3x150cl) sold for $8,125 (high e: $7,500, Christie’s)

• Unico 1975 (3x75cl) sold for $2,500 (high e: $2,800, Christie’s)

Sales prices include buyer’s premium.

Disclaimer: Decanter’s Marketwatch pages are published for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice. Wine prices may vary and they can go down as well as up. Seek independent advice where necessary and be aware that wine investment is unregulated in several markets, including the UK.

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Dominio de Pingus, Pingus, Ribera del Duero

First vintage: 1995

‘It’s almost a damnation to produce a wine that becomes an icon from day one,’ says Peter Sisseck when describing the attention and pressure that fell upon him with the release of Pingus’ first vintage.

It all started with few expectations and a lot of wonder; the Danish winemaker was working at Hacienda Monasterio and felt Ribera del Duero, with its wealth of old vines, deserved a true ‘vineyard wine’.

See below for one recommended vintage of Peter Sisseck’s Pingus to try

‘It came quite naturally to me: to make a wine from old vines, at a friend’s garage, without much technique, very artisanal. There was a lot of innocence about it and no [long-term] projects, or business plans.’

However, he still needed to sell the wine. He took it to friends in Bordeaux (where he worked before joining Monasterio) and it was offered, en primeur, through the La Place system; it sold out in days and was received enthusiastically by leading critics.

‘It ended up in the right hands and the right market,’ Sisseck says, adding that it filled a gap for a terroir-driven Ribera, for which there was clearly an appetite. Indeed, Pingus’ success has arguably underpinned an ongoing transformation in the region, a reappreciation of its vineyard stock and renewed confidence among producers.

Pingus – produced from 4.2ha of old Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) vines – gave birth to Dominio de Pingus. The winery, which was finished in 2004, now houses the production of the flagship wine alongside two younger siblings: Flor de Pingus (‘our village wine’) and Psi (in partnership with local growers, part of an effort to save old vines that are at risk of abandonment).

According to Sisseck, this all forms part of an ongoing journey. About the wine itself, he says: ‘I haven’t changed anything; and I’ve changed everything. I don’t stick to a recipe. If anything, we are more and more precise (in winemaking and viticulture), because we need to respond to challenging conditions.’

And it’s precision, along with a distinctively framed depth, that makes Pingus a chapter of its own in the long history of Ribera del Duero.

The wine to try before you die

Dominio de Pingus, Pingus, Ribera del Duero, 2018 – 98pts

£642 (ib)-£925 Berry Bros & Rudd, Brunswick, Corney & Barrow, Crop & Vine, Farr Vintners, Harrods, Ideal Wine Co, Latimer Vintners, VinQuinn US$1,300-$1,400 Benchmark, Jungle Jim’s, Naples Fine Wine, Sunfish Cellars

100% Tempranillo, aged for 22-24 months in second-use 225L and 500L French oak barrels, with a portion in 2,500L vats.

Impressive depth and focus, with dense bramble, plum, black olive and mulberry at the core. The firm, well-honed tannins have a distinct earthy bite of liquorice root, perfectly offset by refreshing thyme, oregano and macerated sage.

An elegant veil of sweet spice and toast adds depth of field, keeping the finish in focus with lingering freshness and vibrancy. Organic.

Drink: 2025-2045 Alcohol: 14.5%

Spanish Icons: Dominio de Pingus, Pingus

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Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero

First vintage: 1915

The fact that Vega Sicila became, in 2024, the first Spanish winery to lead Liv-ex’s Power 100 ranking is mostly due to the enduring and increasing investment appeal of its flagship wine, Unico (Spanish for ‘unique’).

With origins dating back to 1864, Vega Sicilia was founded by Don Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, who brought cuttings from Bordeaux to add to the local Tinto Fino (Tempranillo).

The blending of the indigenous and imported grapes has since become the estate’s signature.

Scroll down for the vintage of Vega Sicilia Unico to try before you die

Vega Sicilia affirmed its reputation as one of the first Spanish fine wine producers in the early 20th century, under the ownership of Antonio Herrero. The Alvarez family purchased the estate in 1982 – the same year DO Ribera del Duero was created – and a new phase of expansion and brand-building began.

Gonzalo Iturriaga, technical director at Tempos Vega Sicilia (the umbrella under which the Ribera del Duero-based group manages its projects in Spain and beyond), points out that Unico, like all of Vega Sicilia’s wines, is released when it’s ready to drink – which explains why vintage releases don’t follow chronological order.

The masterful delivery of drinkability married to power, upon release, makes Unico stand out among its peers. Iturriaga has overseen production of all the group’s wines since 2015, following the departure of Xavier Ausàs. The latter, in turn, replaced the renowned Mariano Garcia, who produced his first vintage at Vega Sicilia in 1968.

That only three winemakers have overseen the production of Unico over more than half a century helps to explain both the consistency of the wine and strength of the brand.

‘When one arrives at a place like [Vega Sicilia], it’s important to be very respectful of the history, philosophy and style of the wine… We are lucky to work in a winery where we don’t need to follow trends and can remain faithful to our style.’

Although Unico remains a blend of Tinto Fino with a lesser, varying percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for at least 10 years, there have been stylistic changes.

‘In the last couple of decades, we’ve reduced the impact of wood – ageing more in foudres and less in barrique – in search of better textural definition and greater complexity,’ Iturria explains. The best, it seems, may be yet to come.

The wine to try before you die

Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero 2014 – 97pts

£258.33 (ib)-£453 Berry Bros & Rudd, Burnett & Herbert, Christopher Keiller, Corney & Barrow, Farr Vintners, Hic, Humble Grape, Ideal Wine Co, KWM, Laithwaites, Millésima, Petersham Cellar, Roberson, Tanners, The Oxford Wine Co, Waud Wines US$600-$700 Widely available

94% Tempranillo and 6 % Cabernet Sauvignon grown at 700m-900m; bottled in June 2020 following maturation in two stages, first in 225L French and American oak barrels, then in 22,000L wooden vats. Showing appealing roundness and approachability, with soft, ripe strawberry, red cherry and plum lined with black pepper and nutmeg.

No rush to drink it though, as there’s great vividness to the fruit, with a refreshing acid streak and assertive, sculpted tannins. Seductive floral and herbal nuances – violets and dried oregano – hover and linger.

Drink: 2025-2050 Alcohol: 14%

Spanish Icons: Vega Sicilia, Unico

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The man behind the creation and consolidation of some of Spain’s most recognisable wines could have perhaps enjoyed an easy, early retirement, resting on the laurels earned during his long and successful tenure at Tempos Vega Sicilia (TVS).

However, in 2015, Xavier Ausàs decided to leave the group owned by the Álvarez family to embark on a personal journey.

Since then, Ausàs has been busily but calmly exploring his winemaking skillset at the helm of his eponymous project as well as a consultant to wineries in across Spain and beyond.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of Xavier Ausàs’ six vintages of Interpretación

Apprentice turned master

Born in 1968 in Figueres, the Catalonian town most famous for being the birthplace of Salvador Dalí, Ausàs left Spain as a teenager to study viticulture and oenology in France, first at the Lycée Agro-Viticole de Blanquefort (Bordeaux) and then at the Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier.

He joined Vega Sicilia in 1990 and would stay for the next quarter of a century, honing his craft as assistant winemaker to the great Mariano Garcia.

Following Garcias’s retirement, Ausàs was promoted to technical director of TVS in 1998, in what marked the beginning of 17 intense years overseeing the company’s iconic Ribera del Duero winery.

In addition, he helped guide the budding projects in Toro (Pintia, first vintage 2001), Rioja (Macán, in partnership with Benjamin de Rothschild, first vintage 2009), Tokaj (Tokay-Oremus, first vintage 1993) and Ribera del Duero itself (Alión, first vintage 1991).

It was under Ausàs’ technical leadership that the group consolidated its reputation beyond its flagship wine and brand, building a portfolio of enviable character and consistency.

So what prompted the decision to leave his leadership position at the thriving empire to focus on the establishment of his own, modest realm?

‘Life is made of different chapters. And I would have never been able to build a personal project while at Vega Sicilia. I spent 25 years there and was eager to explore other regions, different grape varieties, different wine profiles and different ways of working.’

Shared visions

And exploring he is. Further to the establishment of his own winery in Ribera del Duero, Ausàs is now consulting for an interesting and varied array of producers: Marqués de Vargas in Rioja; Ànima Negra, the maverick Mallorca venture founded by Miquel Àngel Cerdá and Pere Obrador in 1994; Conde de San Cristóbal, Dominio Fournier and Valdubón, all in Ribera del Duero; Finca Río Negro, against the dramatic backdrop of the Sierra Norte natural park in Guadalajara; and Château Grand Boise in Provence.

‘It’s really interesting to explore so many different ways of working and managing an estate. And yet, now matter how different, the goal is always the same: to produce the best possible wine – even if at each project this goal is approached with very different visions and resources.’

While Ausàs recognises that his experience at TVS has given him a particularly good skillset, he highlights how these new experiences are allowing him to flex different management and winemaking muscles.

Interpreting Ribera’s soul

There’s a particular, perhaps unsurprising focus to Ausàs personal project. A counterpoint to the intense multitasking of his previous role at TVS and current, varied consulting gigs.

He produces a single wine (first vintage 2016), Interpretación, at his winery in Quintanilla de Onésimo, on the western edge of Ribera del Duero, using Tinto Fino/Tempranillo fruit from different parcels across the appellation.

While between 60 and 70% of the fruit hails, each vintage, from Ausàs own vineyards in Naval de Roa, the remainder of the blend is sourced from trusted growers with whom he has forged close relationships over the past three decades.

‘I wouldn’t buy fruit from just any grower. These people are like an extended family – I’ve been to their children’s christening and weddings. There’s a mutual; appreciation and trust that is paramount to the work we do.

‘Not least because it gives me the chance to have priority access to their best fruit from the plots I need. The binomial man-terroir is at the centre [of my philosophy].’

As explained by Ausàs for a piece earlier this year on the many changes taking place in Ribera del Duero, different terroirs contribute different aspects to the blend: ‘From Nava de Roa [Ausàs’ own vineyards] I get structure and intense blue fruit; from Gumiel de Mercado, cool red fruit; from Roa de Duero, chalky minerality; and from Moradillo de Roa (where the highest parcels are at 950m of elevation), fresh acidity.’

He uses his recognised blending skills and his deep knowledge of Ribera’s terroirs – the key requirements to the consistency of all of the region’s famous wines – in pursuit of a faithful expression of both vintage and of his own philosophy.

Powerful elegance

By committing to regional blending – as opposed to the terroir specificity being championed by others – Ausàs wants to create a vehicle to, as his wine’s name suggests, convey his personal interpretation of Ribera del Duero while also capturing the essence of each year.

‘The trend nowadays is using own fruit only and producing parcel-specific wines. Our philosophy is the complete opposite,’ Ausàs explains.

‘We intentionally don’t work with our own fruit only. We need different expressions of Tempranillo to make the best wine. We make a multi-parcel wine in order to bring the maximum nuance and complexity to the bottle.’

Ausàs is also wary of trying to make ‘ethereal’ wines in the region: ‘We can’t make a “pseudo-Rioja” or a Burgundy wine in Ribera. Our identity is about powerful elegance – and I remain committed to that.’

This commitment is supported by a deft winemaking approach that juggles intensity and nuance. Albeit unapologetically powerful, Ausàs consistently shows – across the six vintages already released (scroll down for tasting notes) – a poised, fine tannic structure, an assertive acid line and seamless integration of wood and alcohol. ‘The three pillars that build my wine’s foundation are: aromatic purity, freshness and elegant intensity,’ he explains.

Xavier Ausàs – Key facts:

1990: Joins Tempos Vega Sicilia (TVS)

1998: Becomes technical director of TVS

2016: Establishes Ausàs Bodegas y Viñedos in Quintanilla de Onésimo (DO Ribera del Duero) after leaving TVS in 2015

Wines produced: Interpretación, a single-variety Tinto Fino, first released in 2016. It is a blend of fruit from Ausàs own vineyards in Nava de Roa, as well as trusted growers in Gumiel de Mercado, Roa de Duero, and Moradillo de Roa

Knowledge and enjoyment

Is climate change threatening his ability to deliver this? ‘Not really. We’re now able to achieve ideal maturation more easily – especially in our own vineyards whose cool soils lead to later, slower ripening. But there’s a much higher risk of frosts. So viticulture and harvest date are more important than ever.’

Yet again, his experience and technical ability come into play. Not least in the 2024 harvest: ‘It could’ve been a disaster but we managed it very well. Making the right decisions [on harvest date] is crucial – a two-day delay might mean either heaven [optimum maturity] or hell [complete loss of crop].’

It is apparent, when speaking to Ausàs, that, empowered by the experience at one of the wine world’s most complex wine jobs, he is now relaxing into this new chapter – and having fun.

There’s a sense of both confidence and curiosity that somehow comes through in the wines. Ausàs personal project is an interesting addition to Ribera del Duero, bridging modern classicism and maverick curiosity – a useful reference point for both flagship producers and ‘new kids on the block’.

‘Don’t overlook the essence of Ribera,’ Ausàs says. And don’t ask the lazy man to do the busy man’s job.

Xavier Ausàs Interpretaciòn – all released vintages scored and tasted:

Wines in order of release, with latest release shown first. 

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 Ribera del Duero – five vintages you can enjoy now

The motivation for this piece was, at the outset, to document the evolution of the exciting projects that, over the last 20 years, have been carving out an ‘alternative’ face of Ribera del Duero. It quickly became apparent that the real story concerned the efforts of the producers behind these projects to save the region from socio-economic decline.

Throughout the 1950s and ’60s, Spanish people fled rural areas, creating what became known as España vacía (‘empty Spain’): large swathes of the country’s interior suffering from continued depopulation, and a decline in access to public services and infrastructure as a result.

Old vineyards and wineries were left behind, and with them, a winemaking tradition yielding wines that were restrained, fresh and pleasantly rustic. The exodus created opportunities for cooperatives and other big players to consolidate their presence. In Castilla y León in the country’s northwest, a bold new style of Ribera del Duero wines emerged, to great commercial success.

Seven modern examples of Ribera del Duero listed below

Back to the soil

Pablo Arranz and Andrea Sanz (pictured below) of Magna Vides in La Aguilera, north of Madrid, explain that they wanted to return and ‘fill the gap created by our parents’ generation’, while also preserving the heritage left by their grandparents: ‘Not only the vineyards we inherited, but also the magical memories – images, smells – of how they made the wines.’

Similar feelings motivated Jorge Monzón of nearby Dominio del Aguila to return to Ribera following education in Madrid, Bordeaux and (crucially) Burgundy: ‘I wanted to drink from the source, before industrial winemaking became dominant.’

For these small projects that emerged at the dawn of the 21st century, a stylistic departure from the modern, muscular style of Ribera del Duero was as much a choice as an inevitability.

Working mainly with old field blends (Arranz and Sanz have so far identified 20 varieties in their Aguilera vineyards), their wines are inherently different to the Tinto Fino-dominant wines that consumers know as Ribera del Duero today. In 2023, the flagship Tinto Fino (Tempranillo by its local name) represented 97.4% of the region’s production, according to annual data from the region’s consejo regulador.

Picking dates

‘Many people ask why I don’t make an Albillo [Mayor],’ says Germán Blanco of Quinta Milú. ‘I tell them that I can’t. Otherwise my reds won’t be as good. These white grapes add an element that is part of the wines’ identity.’

Colour is not the only factor at play in field blends: with all grapes harvested at the same time, the different maturation points of co-planted varieties means that some are picked before or after phenolic maturity is fully achieved.

What’s more, many of these producers are not afraid to harvest Tinto Fino itself at lower potential alcohol than most of their market-leading counterparts would consider desirable or acceptable.

Monzón even suggests that the accepted idea of technical maturity might be misleading – an issue also raised by Terry Kandylis, prominent London-based sommelier and co-founder of Bendito Destino in Canalejas de Peñafiel.

Says Monzón: ‘We have to question how the indicators associated with so-called phenolic ripeness are interpreted, as well as the [vineyard] practices that had been introduced – aggressive green prunings for example – that focused on [obtaining maximum] colour and alcohol. I am guided, above all, by aromatic maturity.’

On the shoulders of giants

The identity of these small projects is rooted in tradition and place. This has given producers the confidence to highlight the geographical diversity and complexity that had perhaps been overlooked by the brand-led regional blends.

However, the idea that specific terroirs and restraint are an essential part of Ribera’s identity is not unanimously embraced. Xavier Ausàs spent 25 years at Vega Sicilia, 17 as technical director (he left in 2015), creating regional blends to perfection.

He says Ribera’s identity is ‘powerful elegance – we shouldn’t shy away from it’.

Still, Ausàs’ blending acumen relies on a deep understanding of Ribera’s many terroirs. Now at the helm of his own eponymous project, he explains: ‘From Nava de Roa I get structure and intense blue fruit; from Gumiel de Mercado, cool red fruit; from Roa de Duero, chalky minerality; and from Moradillo de Roa (where the highest parcels are at 950m elevation), fresh acidity.’

For Ribera del Duero’s most prized names – Vega Sicilia, Pingus, Pago de los Capellanes – it was a fundamental understanding of the region’s terroirs that enabled them to forge the modern style that catapulted Ribera onto the global fine-wine stage.

A line can be drawn between their commercial success and the emergence of, and excitement around, newer, smaller, off-piste projects – some of which, like Dominio del Aguila, now have their own cult following.

Structual poise

There is a feeling of creative shift and hopeful renewal in the air in Ribera as producers, large and small, explore intra-regional diversity with more confidence. This enables them to differentiate themselves, while challenging each other, stylistically as well as philosophically.

‘There are a number of exciting projects changing the face of Ribera del Duero,’ explains Sergio Avila of Cruz de Alba in Quintanilla de Onésimo. ‘The wines produced across the region are very different now from what they were 10 years ago – there’s more freshness and less intervention. There’s obviously a response to changing tastes and market demands.’

This evolution has no doubt been catalysed by the success that new names have achieved in export markets – such as Dominio del Aguila and Quinta Milú in the UK.

There is something more than simple quality that makes all these wines distinctive. It’s a strength of character and structural poise that relies, as Ausàs puts it, ‘on definition rather than hormones’. The weight of the ‘power in the elegance’ might be different, but there’s a shared quest for detail, focus and underlying freshness.

Taking the heat

Climate change has also been a catalyst for the region’s evolution and soul-searching. ‘Sustainability and precision viticulture are no longer a fashion; they’re a necessity,’ says Avila, who pioneered biodynamic farming in the region. Monzón and Blanco echo this sense of urgency, particularly after years of severe drought.

They believe that traditional field blends offer an ideal blueprint for new, climate change-resilient plantings because of the genetic diversity inherent to the vines. Arranz and Sanz are already putting this principle into action by making massal selections – propagating vines by taking cuttings from the best existing ‘mother vines’ on an estate – of their older plots.

The traditional training system is another important variable: ‘Bush-training is naturally much more suited to protecting the grapes from intense sun and heat,’ concludes Blanco. Elevation – Ribera del Duero’s vineyards sit between 720m and about 1,100m – and limestone-rich soils are two other climate change-mitigating factors.

Regardless, wines with higher alcohol are seen as an inevitability. According to these producers, this further justifies the need to rethink the work in the vineyard and, says Blanco, ‘the ever-greater importance of working more gently in the cellar’.

The path ahead

The mid-century rural exodus paved the way for the consolidation of the region’s most established names and the development of modern Ribera del Duero wines.

If their identity is now being questioned by new blood, it is worth noting that the bigger stakeholders – cooperatives and privately owned wineries of a certain scale – have nevertheless been fundamental to the continuity and viability of viticulture in the region.

Ribera’s 26,123ha are split, according to the consejo regulador, into 63,630 individual parcels, with 7,877 growers supplying fruit to only 311 wineries. This granularity can be a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity.

It creates space for experimentation and for younger winemakers to tap into an invaluable pool of older vines (28% of the region’s vineyards are more than 30 years old and 8.2% are more than 80 years old) and historical field blends.

The path to a successful future for Ribera del Duero will rely on producers, large and small, reflecting on the region’s heritage, tackling climate challenges and rebuilding a social infrastructure – schools, hospitals and so forth – that will enable families to thrive here.

In the meantime, an exciting array of new projects is already introducing the region to a younger audience seeking fresher, lower intervention, ready-to-drink wines, building on the success of the bolder styles that have already made Ribera del Duero a household name.

Seven wines that show the present and future of Ribera del Duero

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David Williams, Matthew Forster MW and Diana Rollan tasted 118 wines, with 2 Outstanding and 20 Highly Recommended.

Spanish rosado & clarete: Panel tasting scores

118 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 2

Highly recommended 20

Recommended 57

Commended 26

Fair 13

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release, still rosado (produced from red grapes following the saignée/sangrado or direct press method) or clarete (25% red grapes/must and 75% white grapes/must, blended before alcoholic fermentation) wines from any ageing category of joven, roble, crianza, reserva or gran reserva

This tasting featured one of the best wines I and my two fellow judges, Matthew Forster MW and Diana Rollan, have encountered in a Decanter panel tasting. A unanimous 97-pointer, Bodega Hacienda Lopéz de Haro’s Classica Gran Reserva Rosado 2013 is vying for a place in my personal pantheon: is this the finest Spanish rosado I’ve ever tasted? It’s certainly up there.

In a rosé winemaking world that is increasingly preoccupied with imitating the model of extremely pale, delicately flavoured wines, patented (with extraordinary recent success) by Provence, the Classica was a vivid and timely reminder.

Other styles of rosé are available – and a long tradition of making deeper-coloured, more powerfully flavoured and more robustly textured rosados is one of Spanish wine’s many strengths. And sure enough, it was wines made in this tradition that stood out and attracted our highest scores.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Spanish rosado & clarete panel tasting

Spanish rosé tradition

We were less enamoured with wines that seemed to be trying to copy Provence. It’s not that these pale wines were bad per se (indeed, some were very good). It’s just that, as Rollan said while discussing one of the higher-scoring pale wines: ‘It’s a perfectly well-made wine: refreshing, fruity… But what it doesn’t have is any kind of Spanish character. The world doesn’t need more Provence-style rosés.’

And she added: ‘Spain has its own rosé tradition and it’s a shame when they just try to copy something that you find all over the world.’

Forster agreed. ‘With some exceptions, the better wines for me were true-to-type rosados, made in a more traditional full-bodied style, rather than wannabe Provence-style rosés,’ he said. ‘There were also a couple of experimental wines that really stood out, demonstrating sophisticated winemaking and a more confident, authentic approach.’

On the strength of this tasting, ‘authentic’ rosados can be found all over Spain, and while Rioja claimed the top two scores, there were high-scoring wines of real character and interest from Galicia, Navarra and various parts of Catalonia.

Varietally speaking, Garnacha was a consistent performer, but Tempranillo struggled, with many showing an awkward, green/unripe side and noticeable alcoholic heat on the finish.

See all the wines from the Spanish rosado & clarete panel tasting

Clear disparity

The scores suggest I was more enthusiastic than my fellow judges about the claretes we tasted, although we all appreciated the variety and character on offer in these white-and-red-grape co-fermentations, which varied from light reds to those that more closely resembled orange wines.

Overall, perhaps our most significant finding was the big disparity between wines from the best producers and the rest. It may be the legacy of a time when rosé was effectively a by-product of red wine production.

But there’s a sense that some producers have, in Forster’s words, ‘underestimated the technical challenges associated with this form of winemaking and are struggling to find their way’.

Great rosés may be marked by an easygoing, easy-drinking grace, but making great rosé is by no means as easy as it looks.

Spanish rosado & clarete panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

David Williams is wine correspondent for The Observer, a regular contributor to Decanter on all things Spanish, and a widely published wine writer, author and competition judge.

Matthew Forster MW is an independent wine consultant and education specialist, and founder of The Wine Partnership. A former director at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, he has a particular passion for the food and wine cultures of Spain, Portugal and South America.

Diana Rollan is group head of beverage for D&D London restaurants group. A DWWA judge for Spain, she formerly managed training and wine buying at Hakkasan Group as its UK head of wine.

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Beth Willard, David Williams and Diana Rollan tasted 59 wines, with 6 Outstanding and 20 Highly recommended.

Ribera del Duero: Panel tasting scores

59 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 6

Highly recommended 20

Recommended 32

Commended 1

Fair 0

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release, 100% Tempranillo (Tinta del País/Tinto Fino) premium red wines retailing at £15 and above in the UK 

It was one of those days that ended with blackened teeth, beaten-up gums and tongues tied up with tannin. Welcome to Ribera del Duero! But rarely had any of us undertaken a panel tasting of such exceptionally high quality and consistency. The wines were representative of an appellation which now sits with ease alongside the other great winemaking regions of the world.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Ribera del Duero panel tasting

If you haven’t had a proper look at Ribera del Duero recently, now is the time to revisit this wonderful region of northern Spain. David Williams was both pleased and surprised by the overall freshness and balance of the wines: ‘Things have changed in the past five years.’

Stylistically there has been an important shift in the region to wines which better represent the vineyards, with less extraction and acidity, reflecting the elevation of Ribera [720m-1,100m, according to the Ribera consejo regulador]. This can be seen in the six Outstanding wines selected here. As Diana Rollan went on to explain: ‘The younger generation is producing fresher wines.’

Great typicity, identity and character were on show in this tasting. The wines were bold with intense fruit, high but balanced acid, and evident but well-managed tannin. Many of the wines are born from very old vines – note Dominio de Atauta’s pre-phylloxera vineyards in Soria, at the eastern end of the region – while others are combining concrete vats and larger oak barrels to integrate oak in a more elegant manner. However, there is no denying that this is a region of power and intensity.

Rollan felt that ‘these are great wines, but challenging and not always approachable’. For those new to the region, it takes some time and knowledge to become comfortable with the style and premium prices. Williams lamented ‘it can be an expensive mistake’. Hopefully this selection helps to point out some key names to follow.

Among the top wines in the tasting are some names that have already made their mark in Spain but are not yet well known in this market. Marta Maté is a rising star in Ribera del Duero, a dynamic winery that is worth wider appreciation. And among the highest scorers is Interpretación, made by former Vega Sicilia winemaker Xavier Ausàs, who now has his own project focusing on some of the best parcels across the region.

See all the wines from the Ribera del Duero panel tasting

The panel wasn’t too bothered by the high alcohol of the region, here largely in the range of 14.5%-15.5% – it is Ribera after all! But we recommend sticking mostly with the wines around 14%-14.5%. We struggled with some above this level – but maybe we’re not as capable of coping with it as we once were in our younger and more adventurous days.

While the ageing capacity of some of these wines is truly exceptional and provides a great opportunity for collectors, we loved the vibrancy and immediacy of some of the younger vintages. 2021 is a particularly excellent year whose quality is already clear and would be a great starting point for those looking to revisit the impressively expressive wines of one of the world’s great fine wine regions.

Ribera del Duero panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Beth Willard is involved in sourcing wines for both the on- and off-trade in the UK, with a particular focus on Eastern Europe and Spain. Formerly buying manager at Direct Wines, she is a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and from 2024 is our new fifth DWWA Co-Chair.

David Williams is wine correspondent for The Observer, a regular contributor to Decanter on all things Spanish, and a widely published wine writer, author and competition judge.

Diana Rollan is group head of beverage for D&D London restaurants group. A DWWA judge for Spain, she formerly managed training and wine buying at Hakkasan Group as its UK head of wine.

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Hugging the banks of the Duero river in Spain’s northwest, with a range of altitudes and aspects, Ribera del Duero’s patchwork of terroirs is a winemaker’s playground.

The grape that dominates here is Tempranillo, known as Tinto Fino, with producers often blending across different sites to achieve balance and complexity, while others pick from a single vineyard to showcase the uniqueness of an exclusive plot.

Its invaluable old bush vines, making up half of the region’s planted vineyards, add to Ribera del Duero’s distinctive landscape, and to its wines, which are bold, full-bodied and ripe.

Scroll down to see 15 top-scoring Ribera del Duero wines from DWWA 2023

One leading grape variety but an excitingly varied terroir; the option to blend up to 25% of other varieties; diverging traditional and modern winemaking techniques using new French oak, American or both.

With all this going on, the Decanter World Wine Awards results become a helpful guide to discovering the best of the region and its producers’ individual styles.

Tasted and rated blind by leading experts, with tasting notes providing layers of insight into the varied expressions of Ribera del Duero wines, discover below the top-scoring wines from the 2023 competition, with more to search at awards.decanter.com

Unearthing Ribera del Duero: Top-awarded wines to try

Astrales 2019

Platinum, 97 points

£33 Decántalo†

Intriguing and highly concentrated with an abundance of ripe berries and cassis, violets and sweet spice beautifully framed by a robust structure and finely tuned acidity. Very powerful and complete; a long life ahead. Alcohol 15%

Balbás, Tempranillo Reserva 2018

Platinum, 97 points

balbas.es

Enticing fruit and red floral aromas. A modern, muscular style with pronounced ripe tannins and a sweet spicy and toasty character. Will reward patient cellaring and is sure to turn an ordinary meal into a magnificent dinner. Alc 15%

Bardos, Moradillo de Roa 2020

Platinum, 97 points

bardos.wine

Demure fruit enhanced by a savoury saline lift. Youthful and firm with mid-palate flesh that humours the brooding tannic profile, and an elegant poise which leaves the mouth refreshed and ready for more. Fabulous. Alc 15%

Pago de los Capellanes, Doroteo 2018

Platinum, 97 points

POA £ Enotria&Coe, POA $ Antalva Imports

A seductive, charming nose combines fruit, oaky spice and violet florals. Vibrant multi-layered palate with sandy, fine tannins and notes of red cherry, blueberry and earth. Long, persistent and appetising. Alc 15%

Alejandro Fernández, Tinto Pesquera Janus Gran Reserva 2018

Gold, 96 points

POA Armit

Bold, spicy nose with coconut oak, red and black fruit. Lively and fresh palate with herbal, floral and orchard fruit notes. A rather heart-stopping wine that encourages contemplation. Alc 14.5%

Cillar de Silos, La Viña de Amalio 2019

Gold, 96 points

£47 (ib)-£74.99 Bancroft, Berry Bros & Rudd, Lay & Wheeler

This wine has been given so much love. It has dense, ripe red fruit and the marked acidity and freshness that give it a welcome drinkability. Long, warm finish. Good ageing potential. Alc 14.5%

La Capilla, Vendimia Seleccionada 2019

Gold, 96 points

£29.99 Fine Wines Direct UK, US$60 Total Wine & More

Super-complex black pepper, floral and dried wild herb nose, with a lick of posh oak. Very rewarding in the mouth with ripe, spicy tannins and excellent length. Alc 15%

Trus, Reserva 2017

Gold, 96 points

US$45-$50 Boutique du Vin, Knows Imports, Kysela Pere et Fils

Graceful with a high-toned, very ripe red fruit nose. Nicely textured in the mouth with well-integrated oak and ripe tannins. Poise and elegance: a well-made, eminently pleasurable example. Alc 14.5%

Bodegas Peñafiel, Dominio de Miros 2018

Gold, 95 points

bodegaspenafiel.com

Vibrant black olive, herbal and red fruit nose. The palate is abundant with fine-grained tannins and layers of ripe fruits, oak spices and earthiness. Long, satisfying finish. Calls for another glass. Alc 15%

Bodegas Santa Eulalia, Conde de Siruela Reserva 2017

Gold, 95 points

POA $ Alphapac Fine Wines

Elegant and restrained aromas of blackberry and plum. Sweet and pure fruit with beautifully slick, ripe tannins, nicely integrated oak and a real lift of acidity. Nicely textured and absolutely delicious. Alc 14.5%

Carmelo Rodero, Pago de Valtarreña 2020

Gold, 95 points

£48.50-£69 H2Vin, Highbury Vintners, JN Wine

Incredibly inviting, multi-layered, expressive umami-laden, black fruit nose with a broad, free-flowing palate structured with refined tannins, well-integrated oak and pure fruit. Very impressive finish. Will improve. Alc 15%

Portia, Summa 2019

Gold, 95 points

POA £ Amber Beverage UK

An accomplished, spicy, oaky red with cedar and juicy black and red berry notes, high acidity and well-integrated oak. It has great mocha persistence and typicity. Exceptional ageing potential. Alc 15.4%

Pradorey, Finca La Mina Reserva 2018

Gold, 95 points

£23.95 C&D Wines, Village Wines, Waud Wine Club

Magnificent black cherry, tea leaf, cocoa and violet perfume. Elegant, round and silky on the palate, with ripe polished tannins, amazing structure and nicely integrated oak. Fruit-driven and persistent finish. Alc 15.5%

Protos, 5 Año Reserva 2016

Gold, 95 points

£35 Vinissimus†

Lead pencil and cola nose. This is a pure, linear and direct fruit-driven style, the palate ripe, juicy, silky and delicious: pristine fruit and delicious with a very long finish. A new Ribera starts to shine. Alc 14.5%

Valdubón, VX Diez NV

Gold, 95 points

£29.95 Jascots, Slurp

A delicious wine with alluring tomato leaf and ripe cherry aromas. Succulent and juicy in the mouth with zippy acidity, well-integrated alcohol, savoury undertones and a long, complex, fresh finish. Very moreish. Alc 14%

Search all DWWA 2023 results

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Below, we have listed the best Spanish wines as rated by our experts – all achieving a mighty 96 points or above. Perfect Iberian pours for the festive season.

Which red Spanish wine to pick

If you’re unsure which wine to pick, then think about what you and your guests enjoy and what food you will be eating.

The elegant red fruits and spice of Rioja are perfect with lamb, while the darker fruited, muscular wines of Ribera del Duero work well with beef, and the meaty, mineral tones of Priorat are a good match for furred game.

Tempranillo-based Rioja is a great alternative to Burgundian Pinot Noir or Tuscan Sangiovese, with all three sharing bright acidity and vibrant, complex red fruit characters.

Ribera de Duero, meanwhile, is a great Bordeaux alternative, as its dark fruits and muscular tannins echo the style of classed-growth Medocs.

Priorat is unique in its bloody, meaty, stony character, however alternatives could include South African Syrah grown on granite soils, and even some Valpolicella Ripassos or Amarones.

The best Spanish red wines for Christmas – no expense spared

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Rioja’s rising stars: the winemakers to watch out for

Vega Sicilia lies behind the trees at the eastern end of Ribera del Duero’s Golden Mile along the river Duero. It’s just within the Ribera del Duero DO, naturally enough since when the DO was created it could not afford to omit its oldest and most famous bodega.

The DO was created in 1982, with a handful of wineries; today there are more than 300. On 15 April in the same year David Alvarez agreed the purchase of Vega Sicilia. His son Pablo, a young lawyer, became general manager in 1985.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 40 vintages of Vega Sicilia Único

The winemakers have been few across the subsequent 40 years. In situ when Alvarez arrived was Jesús Anadon. In 1985 he handed over to Mariano García, who was winemaker for 13 years, until Javier Ausàs was appointed. Today’s technical director, Gonzalo Iturriaga, has been in post since 2015.

When these wines are kept for so long before release, where does Iturriaga think his influence began? ‘I count from Unico 2013 and 2014 as being part of the work of my team and me,’ he says. ‘Unico 2013 spent three years in our hands and the 2014 spent four years.’

Looking back to the early days in the 1980s, Pablo comments: ‘We were the one-eyed guy in the land of the blind. Vega Sicilia was quite advanced for the age, but it was time for renewal and modernisation… We began by recovering all the vineyards of Vega Sicilia dating back to the 19th century, we carried out the first soil and vine studies.’

In addition herbicides and chemical fertilisers were banned, and a clonal selection of the vines was carried out. The estate covers some 1,000ha. Forty years ago there were just 80ha of vineyards. Now there are 210ha at 700-900m, with 24 different clones of Tempranillo and 19 types of soil across 64 plots. Unico comes from a 40ha plot.

The heart of Unico

Unico is all about ageing – typically it is not released until 10 years after the vintage. The ‘recipe’ changes slightly from year to year but the process involves, as the winery puts it, ‘building the structure of the wine’, moving it from different ages and sizes of oak vats, followed by extensive bottle ageing.

Under iturriaga, since 2015, the approach is changing. ‘We have been building our capacity to age in large-capacity vats,’ he says. ‘That means we are using fewer barrels and more large formats, with the aim of reducing the impact of the wood. This will increase precision and definition in the texture of the wine, as well as give greater complexity.’

In terms of numbers, between 2005 and 2010 the wine spent 18 months in new barrels, 12 months in used barrels and almost 30 months in large format. By contrast 2014 spent 12 months in new barrels, six months in used barrels and 42 months in large format.

Unico is only made in the good vintages. Thus there was no Unico in 2001, 1997, 1993, 1992, 1988, 1984, 1978, 1977, 1971 or 1967, when the wine did not come up to the expected standard. A tip: in those years the fruit will have gone into Valbuena, which should make those Valbuenas a good buy.

Given the breaks in production, this tasting of ‘40 vintages for 40 years’ of Unico in magnum took us back to 1960 (unfortunately the 1964 was corked). The real stars were in the odd-numbered years and especially the 1970s.

The tasting

The tasting took place at the two-times Best Restaurant in the World winner, El Celler de Can Roca, in Girona. It was an extraordinary combination of the grandeur of Vega Sicilia, with the playful artistry of chef Joan Roca, and the astonishing wine service of ‘Pitu’ Roca and his team.

At the first sitting of the morning each taster had 22 wine glasses to taste the even-numbered vintages, plus a water glass and a spittoon. A personalised folder contained a gilded tasting book. With four of us tasting at a round table, there was scarcely room to breathe.

After the break (for delicate canapes in the garden and glasses of Salon 2012) we returned to a further 18 glasses for the odd-numbered vintages, plus a series of little lunch dishes. Complex to handle but all of it delicious.

Six years ago, I was fortunate to be a guest of Vega Sicilia at a similar vertical of Unico at Restaurante Etxebarri outside Bilbao, hosted by the great Brazilian collector Célio Almeida. That tasting was from 2004 and 1960. Astonishing today to compare my scores and notes, and see how little they had changed. These are wines of exceptional longevity.

The generosity of the event started the night before at the Roca brothers’ Mas Marroch. The party of 30 international wine writers and journalists was greeted with glasses of Bollinger RD 2007, and later Bonneau du Martray 2017 Corton-Charlemagne, 2016s of Cos d’Estournel and Léoville las Cases, plus wines from the Vega Sicilia cellar.

The following evening, those of us with the energy were indulged at El Celler de Can Roca with Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 2013, Comtes Lafon Meursault-Perrières 2017, and no less than four 2015 Burgundies: Domaine Dujac Bonnes-Mares, Clos de Tart, Comte Liger-Belair Echezeaux, and DRC Richebourg.

Pablo and his wife Elisa Kwon are always exceptionally generous hosts. They were self-effacing too. Apart from an informal speech on the first evening, there were no set piece moments to celebrate 40 years of stewardship and investment.

Under Pablo’s management, Vega Sicilia has grown – and with it what is now the Tempos Vega Sicilia group – from 200,000 bottles in 1982 to 1.2 million in 2021.

The other wineries in the group include Alión (Ribera del Duero) which came in 1991 and Oremus in Tokaji, which is still their only investment outside Spain, in 1993. Pintia (Toro) was added in 2001, followed by Macán – the joint venture in Rioja with Bodegas Benjamin de Rothschild – in 2009.

The most recent addition to the portfolio is Deiva in Rías Baixas. Deiva was announced to mark the 40th anniversary. The first harvest in the new winery will be 2023, with the first wine to appear on the market in 2025.

See Sarah Jane Evans MW’s tasting notes and scores for 40 vintages of Vega Sicilia Único

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Ribera del Duero: eight producers to watch

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A relatively young classic on the Spanish fine wine scene, Ribera del Duero’s red wines are made mainly from Tempranillo (as is Rioja) and need considerable ageing in oak barrels to acquire their balance and silkiness, and to attain complex aromatic expression.

Ribera wines tend to improve with bottle cellaring, developing a new array of aromas and a smoother palate. There is much serious character in top Ribera wines, which have a particular style that is considered to be in line with great wines all over the world.

For that reason, wine collectors and investors keep a watchful eye on Ribera del Duero.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 10 wines from five top vintages ready to drink now

Its best wines are deemed worthy of cellaring, like great Bordeaux or Rioja, with a reasonable anticipation that they will become more valuable over time. However, speculation of that kind is still largely theoretical for Ribera, as there are (as yet) very few wines providing liquid proof of long term ageability.

The Ribera del Duero DO was created only 40 years ago, in 1982, so it could be said that Ribera has more in common with SuperTuscans or Napa icon wines.

Time will tell

Before 1982, just a handful of wineries in the region were producing quality wine, led by Vega Sicilia, for a long time a magnificent lone rider. Its Unico 1970 bottling should be in the list of greatest wines ever, in my opinion. Nonetheless, there is something in Ribera del Duero’s wines that gives confidence in their future. The firm structure, with abundant tannins that can withstand the vagaries of slow ageing in bottle; the concentration and power; the capacity to develop tertiary aromas while avoiding sliding into decadence.

In terms of climate, the region is highly continental, experiencing extreme temperature variation – both daily and seasonal – as well as many climatic hazards such as late frosts, drought and heatwaves. Because of this, vintage variation is relevant. In addition, there are myriad different terroirs in this elongated region, which is a kind of horizontal Burgundy, if you will.

Tempranillo wines need ageing in oak vats to acquire their complexity and realise their full potential; there’s no point in expecting high quality from non-aged wines. However, there are several approaches to ageing in Ribera del Duero, which may, or may not, result in extra ageability.

From five excellent vintages, I recommend here a number of wines which can be drunk now. For more recent vintages, I would select differently if I intended to recommend wines worth cellaring, since most of the top wines are far from their peak. Indeed, the last eight Ribera vintages have been excellent, meaning that top wines will require a long time to reach optimal drinkability.

1986

This is the first great vintage after the creation of the Ribera del Duero appellation in 1982. It was a year of perfect weather, with no particular incident and adequate temperatures throughout the season. Top 1986 wines brought Ribera to the attention of fine wine lovers all over the world. At the time, Ribera’s vineyards were very old, with particularly low yields and great natural balance in the grapes. This was no doubt an extra factor for quality. There was also a very small production, since fewer than 10 wineries were registering their wines at that time.

Some modern-style wines made headlines in the late 1980s, but others, such as the ones I have selected, would not be released until well into the 1990s. With a supple, more delicate style, these wines were made for this century. They represent the unique combination of the gift of nature, plenty of ambition and the luxury of slowness. They were made in the very traditional style of long ageing in barrique and bottle.

Gran reserva wines, now rare, represent, in great vintages, milestones in the Spanish wine scene. The amazing blend of complexity, silky firmness and an assertive identity was a breakthrough for the restricted number of fortunate people who could taste these wines. Many other great Riberas have been produced since, but I think that none of them will occupy the iconic status of 1986. If you ever happen to see a top 1986 Ribera gran reserva, grab it.

Tempos Vega Sicilia,Unico Gran Reserva 1986

Alejandro Fernández, Tinto Pesquera Janus Gran Reserva 1986

2001

The year of all wonders in Ribera del Duero, and many other Spanish regions, too, notably Rioja. Some experts say even the clumsiest winemaker could have produced a great wine in 2001. The season started with ideal conditions, after a moderate winter with good rainfall, leaving enough water in the soil to feed plants throughout the annual cycle. Springtime was fresh but sunny, with lovely budding. But a hard frost came in May, and the production potential was decimated. Then, a long period of low humidity and moderate temperatures kept the remaining grapes healthy. A warm summer, with short periods of very high temperatures, supported full ripening. The high temperature variation between day and night during the ripening season helped the grapes to retain good acidity.

A nightmare became a bonanza, except for the yields, which were strikingly low at 2,280kg/ha [in 2018-2021, the DO reported yields ranging from 4,134kg-5,406kg/ha, and regulations permit up to 7,000kg/ha]. Since Ribera’s vineyard area was much smaller than it is now, and only a fraction of wines were made for long-term ageing, it’s difficult to find good 2001 Ribera today. Even average wineries released wines of pure bright fruit, rounded tannins and great concentration, with lots of regional identity. The best are still improving with bottle age. I would recommend going for the top-tier names. Their wines are very likely to be in pristine shape now, and some will have potential for further improvement. I would love to be able to drink a Ribera 2001 in 2051 (not just for professional reasons… ).

Valduero, 12 Años Gran Reserva 2001

Dehesa de los Canónigos, Gran Reserva 2001

2010

This was the year of the velvet revolution in Ribera. A bunch of pioneers replaced the perennial quest for power and concentration with a much more intricate focus on balance and delicacy. Until then the region was, on the one hand, a niche for classic long-aged wines and, on the other, the flagship for muscular, fruity, oaky wines. In 2010, a few producers found a third way: in coming to understand the different terroirs, looking for the right ripeness (and avoiding any hint of overripeness), minimising the use of new oak, and limiting the emphasis on oak tannins and spicy aromas in the wines.

They did this in an ideal vintage in 2010, though it started as a catastrophe due to a late frost in May, when the buds were already developing. This delayed the vine cycle and limited yields. A rainy and windy June ensued, at which point very few people would have predicted great things for this vintage. But an almost miraculous, persistent ripening season resulted in amazing grapes, with balanced acidity and fully ripe tannins. Yields were lower than average, at 3,379kg/ha (see above, 2001), so now there’s not much 2010 left to be found. Most 2010 wines are a pleasure to drink now, however, because they have retained their bright fruit and a smooth mouthfeel. But don’t hesitate to hang on to the best: they are mere infants. Ribera producers call this vintage historic, and I couldn’t agree more.

Dominio de Pingus, Pingus 2010

Cillar de Silos, La Viña de Amalio 2010

2012

In Spain, DO authorities classify vintage quality a few months after harvest. Unfortunately, this classification is generally of little use. Theoretically, vintages can be classified as excellent, very good, good or average. In practice, most vintages are rated either excellent or very good; indeed, in the last 15 years only the terrible 2013 vintage was classified as ‘good’. There is not a lot of discernment here. Besides, these classifications refer to areas that often are remarkably large and diverse – as is the case with Ribera – but do not make any distinctions between sub-zones, not to mention individual vineyards. They group young vines destined for the ‘roble’ category (short-ageing, average-quality wine) together with rare centennial vineyards bound for glory. What’s more, I sometimes get the impression that previous years’ classifications carry as much weight as does the quality of the current vintage.

This is the case in 2012. It is ‘merely’ considered as very good, while 2009, 2010 and 2011 are ‘excellent’. At the time, many thought that the appellation could not afford a fourth-in-a-row excellent-rated vintage. It is true that weather conditions were more complicated in this season; but it’s also clear that, in some cases, the quality was outstanding – even better than 2011, in fact.

It was a year of extreme drought, which marked a huge difference in quality between old bush vineyards and younger trellised vines. For the latter it is an unremarkable vintage, with low acidity, cooked fruit and high alcohol; but for the old vines it is great. Go for wines from leading old vineyards, such as Dominio de Atauta (£28ib CrumpRichmondShaw),with its pre-phylloxera vines (none younger than 85 years), or Dominio del Aguila’s Peñas Aladas (£275 Highbury Vintners), an amazing vineyard nearing 100 years.

Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas, Gran Selección Gran Reserva 2012

Aster, Finca El Otero 2012

2019

One of the first vintages clearly influenced by the new climate patterns. Preceded by a dry winter, the season started with low water reserves in the soil. A slightly fresher than usual springtime supported the harmonious development of grapes. A first heatwave took place during flowering but luckily did not affect yields. Summer was hell, but the high altitude of Ribera’s vineyards (720m-1,100m, according to the consejo regulador), which results in diurnal temperature variation, combined with the experience of growers in dealing with long periods of high temperatures and no rain, meant that Ribera del Duero was an exception among regions in Spain. While most of the rest of the country was heavily affected by the scorching summer, in Ribera the season progressed with no major incident and perfectly healthy grapes.

Old vineyards, and those in cooler climates, benefited more than regular vines. Because of climate change, among other things, this appellation is going for a clear-cut demarcation between the great vineyards and the others. The 2019 vintage is classified as ‘excellent’. Again, I think that a distinction should have been made between top wines and the others. The wines with the best potential are not yet ready to drink, so my picks highlight wines that are delicious to enjoy now. Most producers speak highly of this vintage. I tend to agree on the quality of the best, but would like to hold back on forming an overall opinion until three to five years from now.

Portia, Summa 2019

Viña Mayor, Secreto 2019

See tasting notes and scores for 10 wines from five top vintages ready to drink now

Wines are listed youngest vintage to oldest in pairs of recommendations

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Bodegas Vizar is located in the municipality of Villabáñez, to the east of Valladolid is Spain’s Castile and León region, bordering the Ribera del Duero DO.

Vizar’s application to obtain the Dehesa Peñalba vino de pago DO was first put forward to, and approved by the Agrarian and Technological Institute of Castilla y León (ITACyL), in 2019. The proposal was then submitted to the European Commission, which granted the final green light earlier this month.

‘We started the process in 2015 and this involved a lot of hard work,’ MD and co-founder Felipe Zarzuela told Decanter. ‘We had to pass hard audits… having obtained this achievement is a great recognition of our effort and quality. A well-done job since we started the project.’

Spain’s vino de pago classification was originally introduced in 2003. The single-winery DO is awarded to estates whose vineyards benefit from unique environmental and climatic characteristics that differentiate them from surrounding regions and denominations. Dehesa Peñalba’s vineyards are located on a river basin, with a topsoil consisting of pebbles, gravel and sand, and marl-limestone underneath.

‘This means filtering soils which are dry and sandy on the surface. It’s a warm terrain but that is cool underneath, with good water reserves and poor in organic matter and nutrients,’ Zarzuela explained. ‘Our estate’s winegrowing heritage dates back to the 14th century. We also benefit from a special microclimate, being surrounded by the Duero river and its canals, and by centuries-old mountains and pine forests that produce a cushioning effect against adverse conditions.’

Bodegas Vizar boasts some 90ha of land, comprising vineyards planted to Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Verdejo. The wines are currently being labelled as IGP Tierra de Castilla y León and will only be allowed to carry the Dehesa Peñalba vino de pago DO as of the 2022 vintage, yet Zarzuela has appealed for the DO to be retroactive.

‘We are requesting the possibility of it being retroactive, so our first Dehesa Peñalba DO vintages could be Vizar Selección Especial 2019 [a Tempranillo and Syrah blend] and Vizar Syrah 2015. We have to wait for the audit but we will know this soon.’

The quality requirements for a Vino de Pago are comparable to those of a wider denomination. All the grapes used must come from estate-owned vineyards and the wine must be produced and matured within its premises.

Most of the about 20 vinos de pago currently active in Spain are located within the large Castilla-La Mancha region, but some are also found in Aragon, Navarra and in the surroundings of Valencia.

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My appointment with Francisco Barona sounded like something out of a Graham Greene novel. ‘Meet me in front of the bullring in Roa,’ he’d told me on the phone. I was intrigued. Did he want to share his love of the corrida before we talked and tasted? Would he arrive dressed as a matador? The answer was more prosaic.

Barona is in the process of building a bodega nearby and, for the time being, he presents his wines in a modest ground floor room in the centre of town. The bullring is the nearest landmark.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for two Francisco Barona wines

The tasting itself was considerably more eventful.

It wasn’t just that Barona turned up with an armful of vine cuttings, harvested that morning to show me the varieties that make up his field blends. It was also the remarkable quality of his wines, as good as anything I’ve sampled in Ribera del Duero. But more than anything, it was Barona’s life story that inspired and enchanted me.

This young winemaker – he’s still only 37 – has packed more adventure into his three and a half decades than most of his contemporaries will manage in twice the time. Sit down and pour yourself a glass of red while I share the details.

The beginning

It all began mundanely enough. Barona was born into a family of what he calls ‘humble growers’ in Roa. A poor student, he found his inspiration working in vineyards. ‘I could drive a tractor by the time I was 12 and at weekends and during the holidays I helped my dad or worked at neighbouring Bodegas y Viñedos Robeal.’

He left school at 18, with grades in his Bachillerato (Spanish A-levels) that weren’t good enough for him to go to university to study winemaking. More hard graft in the vineyard beckoned.

Serendipity was about to change his circumstances for the better, however. Barona had become friends with Gonzalo Iturriaga, now the winemaker at Vega Sicilia but then at Alonso del Yerro, who suggested he go to France to gain some experience. ‘I don’t speak French,’ he said. ‘You’ll learn,’ replied Iturriaga, who offered to put him in contact with Château Pavie Macquin in St-Emilion. ‘I had no idea where St-Emilion was,’ admits Barona.

In July 2003, the 19-year-old Spaniard arrived in Bordeaux to take up a temporary post as a vineyard labourer. Within two weeks, his new employers were so impressed by his work ethic that they took him on full-time. Later the same year, they urged him to study for a BTS VO (Brevet de Technicien Supérieur), a further qualification in viticulture and oenology, and said that they would pay the fees. Barona was the only foreign student; when the course ended three years later, he’d come second out of 63 people. The top four graduates were guaranteed a place at Bordeaux University, so by 2008, Barona had added a prestigious Diplôme National d’Oenologue to his CV. This time, he finished top of his class. ‘At school in Spain, my teachers told me I was stupid,’ he says.

In the course of his studies, Barona worked at Château Malescot St-Exupéry in Margaux and, more importantly in terms of his future, Château Angélus in St-Emilion, where the family estate’s co-owner Hubert de Boüard became a mentor.

After graduation, the next stop was Hartwell Estate in the Napa Valley to improve his English. ‘I learned a lot about wine,’ Barona remembers, ‘but most of the workers were Mexicans, so my language skills didn’t progress much.’

Francisco Barona at a glance

Born 9 May 1984

Studied Lycée Agricole de Blanquefort (BTS); Université de Bordeaux (Diplôme National d’Oenologue)

Worked Bodegas y Viñedos Robeal, Château Malescot St-Exupéry, Château Angélus, Hartwell Estate, Klein Constantia, Dominio Basconcillos

First vintage of Francisco Barona 2014

Owns 30ha of old vines

Current production 16,000 bottles

Family Married to Beatríz; two children

A return to Spain

He thought about returning to Spain, but decided against it because the financial crisis was throttling the economy. De Boüard got him a job at Klein Constantia in the Cape instead. After six months in South Africa, it was finally time to head home to Ribera del Duero.

Barona’s first idea was to speak to his great uncle, Millán Cristóbal, who owned 3ha of old vines in Roa that were so good that Vega Sicilia bought most of the grapes. Would he consider selling some of the crop to a relative? ‘He told me to get stuffed.’

Barona needed work, so he circulated his CV to local wineries. Dominio Basconcillos in Gumiel de Izán was interested and offered him an interview. ‘José María Basconcillos asked me what score I’d give myself as an oenologist out of 10,’ remembers Barona with a smile, ‘so I said 10.’ He hired the self-confident young winemaker on the spot. Barona remained at Basconcillos until 2020, crafting some superb reds from this marginal, high-altitude site. But all the time he was there, he was developing his own project, too.

From the start in 2009, Barona was determined to acquire old vineyards. The problem was that growers didn’t want to sell them. Castilians are fiercely attached to their land and famously stubborn, to boot. His father had 14ha, but they were planted with higher-yielding Italian clones. ‘I wanted nectar, nectar, nectar,’ says Barona. There was only one solution – to buy abandoned parcels for a song and coax them back to life.

Barona purchased 4.5ha across five parcels in Anguix, La Aguilera and Roa, working evenings and weekends on their recuperation. It took him five years before they yielded a crop, but it was worth the toil. The grapes were very promising indeed – sweet, fresh and full of flavour. He was ready to make his first Francisco Barona wine.

Fulfilling ambitions

Most people would have been happy with those 8,000 bottles, especially if they had a demanding day job, but Barona’s ambitions went beyond that. Fate was about to lend a hand once more. In 2013, a family from Barcelona with 10ha of old vines in Anguix was looking for a buyer and got in touch. Could Barona help them out and take a commission on the sale? He could, but he had a much better idea. He’d buy them himself.

The only problem was that the family wanted €400,000 and Barona had no money. And then he remembered the €6,000 that he and his wife Beatríz had just been given as a wedding present to redo their kitchen. Without asking her, he offered that as a down payment on the vines and resolved to borrow the rest from the bank. ‘My wife nearly divorced me on the spot when she found out.’ The bank wasn’t impressed either, but this is one determined hombre. Eventually, he bought the vines for €200,000, accumulating debt that he was confident he could pay back in time. ‘It was the deal of the century,’ he says.

By 2017, Barona was just keeping his head above water. He owed the bank €45,000 in interest, his house was in danger of being repossessed and his wife still didn’t have a new kitchen. Those 8,000 bottles of 2014 were now on the market, but who would buy them? ‘People underestimate how hard it is to start a new project when you have no contacts,’ says Barona. But then he remembered a distributor from Galicia who’d expressed an interest in his project from the start. Barona invited him to come and taste the wine. It was so good that the Galician bought the lot.

The fledgling project was finally on its feet. Five years later, Barona has rapidly established himself as the best young winemaker in Ribera del Duero. He now makes two wines – both field blends of Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) with Albillo Mayor, Bobal, Garnacha and Jaén Blanca. The first comes from the 29ha he has accumulated since 2009, including the 3ha that his great uncle finally sold him just before he died in 2017; the second – Finca Las Dueñas – is from half a hectare of vines, planted in 1928, part of what he acquired with the help of the bank and that wedding gift.

Both are world-class wines, drawing on the experience that Barona has acquired in the 25 years since he started driving a tractor as a boy. ‘I’ve worked like a mule all my life,’ he says. ‘I’ve sweated blood.’ We wine drinkers should be grateful for his sacrifice. And so should Spain.

Natural touch: the wines of Francisco Barona

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Expert’s choice: Ribera del Duero under £30

Ribera del Duero runs east to west in Castilla y León, and is home to many top Spanish wines.

The region is far from homogeneous; indeed, there is a huge diversity of terroirs. To say that a wine is from Ribera del Duero can be as vague as saying that a wine is from Burgundy.

There are just two main grape varieties: Tinta Fina (aka Tempranillo) for red wines and Albillo Mayor for white wines.

Scroll down for Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW’s top Ribera del Duero wines under £30

Tempranillo gives an amazing array of wine styles and qualities in Ribera, but labels are not very helpful for navigating this complex mix. Indeed, the regoin’s consejo regulador recognises only one classification, based on the time a wine spends ageing in oak barrels – as in many other regions of Spain.

However, at present such classification is almost irrelevant, except for the gran reserva category, because it doesn’t give a true indication of quality.

Most producers at the top omit any such classification, despite the fact that they age their wines for a long time. As a result, wine lovers must rely on their knowledge of brands or on expert recommendations.

In my view, clear and certified label indications relating to the specific origin of a wine are urgently needed. If there is one region that would benefit from an ad-hoc classification, it’s Ribera del Duero.

Little siblings

As a whole, the appellation is becoming a must-buy for top collectors because of the increasing number of iconic wines, often at very high prices. These can be a deterrent for anyone looking to buy wines in the mid-price range; however, there is a lot of affordable wine – under the categories roble (oak) and joven (young) – that is perfect for everyday drinking, even though it’s by no means indicative of Ribera’s potential.

For value-conscious wine lovers, the region’s prestige can be sampled through the wines in-between – those that, being affordable (£30 per bottle or less), show the quality and multiple identities within this appellation.

These fall into two categories. First, the second wines of very prestigious houses, which keep an air of family identity with the major wines, and are often only marginally inferior to them, but at a fraction of the price.

Second, the top bottles from ambitious wineries that are increasing their quality and fine-tuning the profile of their wines. These include newcomers, wineries under generational transition, or simply wineries that have hired or acquired new skills.

Some of those wines may be an excellent investment, since the producers are likely to become iconic, in time.

My selection here includes wines from both types, plus one clairet wine (rather than rosé), that are another demonstration of the potential for excellence in Ribera del Duero.

All wines except one were aged for a remarkable time in oak vats: a necessary condition for red Tempranillo wines to realise their potential.

Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW’s top Ribera del Duero wines under £30:

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Spain flies below the radar in a fine wine market dominated by famous French and Italian labels, but there is still plenty for investors and collectors to consider.

Vega Sicilia’s Unico, a flagship investment grade Ribera del Duero wine, has appeared solid but not stellar on the market of late. ‘Vega underperformed the wider wine market last year,’ said Matthew O’Connell, CEO of LiveTrade and head of investment at Bordeaux Index. ‘An index of seven vintages of Unico on LiveTrade implies price growth of only 6%,’ he told Decanter.

Demand is there, however. ‘We sell through [Unico] quickly,’ O’Connell added, although he said Unico Reserva Especial, a separate multi vintage blend, is less well understood.

‘I’d say Vega [Sicilia] follows what you might have historically described as a sensible wine pattern; prices go up gradually and they start to peak more when they’re harder to get.’

Looking at secondary market demand for Spain more broadly, Sotheby’s told Decanter that its top five Spanish producers at auction in 2021 were Vega Sicilia, Dominio de Pingus, La Rioja Alta, Alvaro Palacios and Artadi (in Rioja’s Alavesa sub-region). Liv-ex, a global marketplace and analyst for the wine trade, also highlighted momentum behind Marqués de Murrieta Rioja.

Meanwhile, Rioja’s debut on the prestigious Place de Bordeaux distribution system last year – in the shape of Yjar 2017 from winemaker Telmo Rodríguez – caught the attention of many critics. Rated 98 points by Decanter, Yjar 2017 was released internationally at £924 per 12-bottle case in bond, according to Liv-ex.

The move is another sign of Spain increasing its fine wine market presence.

‘We’ve really championed Spain in the last four to five years and we’ve a great following for it,’ said Georgina Crawley of UK-based merchant Goedhuis & Co. Rioja is one of the few regions worldwide where it’s possible to taste wines back to the 1950s and 1960s, she added.

For collectors, Spain offers a treasure trove of riches. ‘I’m loathe to speak too much about Spain, because I think it’s probably the last great (open) secret in the wine auction world,’ said Charles Antin, head of wine auction sales at Zachys. ‘These are amazing wines, with complexity and ageing potential, at affordable prices.’

Antin told Decanter: ‘We sold about $628,000 of Spanish wine at auction in 2021 – not a large amount of our $109m in sales, for sure. That said, the wines we did sell sold for 45% over the low estimate, so the demand is there.’

Vega Sicilia and Dominio de Pingus dominated Zachys’ top 50 Spanish lots sold in 2021, although Antin also highlighted an 18-litre melchior of Alvaro Palacios’ L’Ermita from Priorat.

Despite Spain’s ongoing reputation for offering value, prices for top Spanish wines haven’t been static (see ‘Monitor’, below). Analyst group Wine Lister recently reported a price index for Spain that was up by 42% over 10 years.

However, O’Connell said he only saw Vega Sicilia and Pingus as true investment-grade options. Quality is unquestionably high on other producers’ best labels, including many in Rioja, but there is a lack of active trading, he said.

Leading Rioja names such as López de Heredia, Roda or Muga sell quickly, but demand is more collector-driven. This isn’t negative, said O’Connell, but ‘for a liquid market you have to have two-way activity’.

He said López de Heredia prices have risen, yet trading was limited. ‘It sells on release and people keep it, and that’s not an active market.’

Investing in Spanish wine: latest sales activity – Major names still lead

Liv-ex said recently that the number of different Spanish wines trading on its global marketplace has risen 290% in five years. Marqués de Murrieta’s Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, Rioja 2010 was a standout performer last year, up by about 50% in price over 12 months to £1,600 (12x75cl in bond, Liv-ex market price). Still, Liv-ex said Vega Sicilia’s Unico (see p134) constituted about 21.5% of the value of 2021 Spanish wine trades. This was led by demand for the 2010 and 2006 vintages. Unico 2009 rose the most in price, up by 11%, but ‘still offers relative value compared with other vintages’, Liv-ex added.

At a recent Sotheby’s auction, two magnums of Unico 2009, sold separately, fetched £875 and £813, against a pre-sale high estimate of £550 per lot. The auction’s top Spanish lot was six bottles of Pingus 2005, which fetched £4,000.

Beyond wine, Charles Antin of Zachys pointed to interest in Chartreuse liqueur, ‘from the time when it was made in Tarragona’. These bottles have ‘a certain mystique that still drives collectors wild’.

Tasted & rated for Decanter Premium

Vega Sicilia, Unico, Ribera del Duero 2012

The 2012 is the newest release of Unico, a wine dominated by Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. Unico 2012 is ‘a textbook example of controlled, red-fruited elegance’, wrote Sarah Jane Evans MW, giving it 95pts. Although perhaps more restrained than ‘the glorious 2009’, Evans praised Unico 2012’s ‘sumptuously ripe fruit’. She also gave 97pts to the new edition of multi-vintage wine Unico Reserva Especial. ‘The 2022 release, a blend of the complexity of 2008, the structure of 2010 and the freshness of 2011, is far more than the sum of its parts.’

The Bordeaux Index view

Fine wine & spirits specialist Bordeaux Index kindly sponsors this section of Decanter, and provides its view on the market here. It can be found at bordeauxindex.com Spain was certainly one of the less eventful segments of the wine market in 2021, with the two most significant blue-chip wines – Vega Sicilia and Pingus – registering mid single-digit type returns, figures which do not compare well to the broader wine market.

Demand remains on an upwards trajectory but somewhat staccato, not gathering the momentum which regions such as Tuscany have achieved in recent years. Nevertheless, we see both Vega Sicilia and Pingus as wines which merit a place in a diversified wine portfolio, just not as top-priority items.

There continues to be outsized demand for certain wines such as López de Heredia Rioja, though ongoing secondary market availability restricts the investment relevance of such names even if the underlying numbers are interesting. Certainly there is old-fashioned financial merit (ie, ‘buy two, sell one in a few years, drink the other for free’) in Rioja – something to be welcomed by collectors.

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Ribera del Duero is the extreme member of Spain’s top wine family: very hot in summer, freezing cold in winter, yielding continental wines grown on a high plateau.

For almost a century, the Moro family has been growing vines here, at the self-titled Bodegas Emilio Moro.

See tasting notes and scores for the latest Emilio Moro wines

Behind the name is a real Emilio Moro, born in 1932 – the year that his family started vine growing in the region. Its Finca Resalso vineyard was planted that same year. Fast-forward to 1982, and the launch of the Ribera del Duero DO, which was created with fewer than a dozen wineries.

Six years later, Emilio – with his sons José and Javier – decided to join the pioneers and transform from growers into winery owners. They launched their first wine under the fledgling DO in 1989. At the time, they were working with just 5ha of vines that their grandfather had planted around Pesquera del Duero.

Originally, the family vineyards were more extensive but, as in so many places, vines had been widely uprooted in Spain’s economic downturn. Oddly, this had one great advantage: when it came to expanding once more: they were able to use the best clonal material of Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) from their oldest plots.

Today, the winery emphasises the special heritage of Tinto Fino, with its smaller berries.

New generation

Emilio died in 2008, and the third generation – lead by José Moro Espinosa – is now driving change. They describe their work as a blend of tradition, innovation and social responsibility, emphasising the use of technology to promote sustainability in the vineyard and manage the winemaking process.

Theirs are big, bold, forthright wines, expressing the equally forthright character of the land and its people. Typically, the wines are fermented in stainless steel and aged in mostly French oak, with some American wood.

The wine known as Emilio Moro 2018 (their largest production) typifies the house style, offering power and plentiful black fruits.

It’s made from younger vines, grown on a blend of different soil types at around 750m, and aged in a blend of French and American oak. Each of the bottles has a small disc above the label, illustrating an aspect of family history – in this case, Emilio harvesting with his father.

The next step up in the series is Malleolus, derived from majuelo – the local word for a small plot of vines. These are older vines (25-75 years), including some that were rescued from the widespread vine pull during the latter part of the 20th century. With the launch of Malleolus in the late 1990s, the winery decided to step back from the traditional categories of crianza and reserva. Instead, it prefers simply to label its wines with the vintage – like so many producers nowadays.

Singular wines

The winery’s single vineyards form the basis for its top wines. Malleolus de Valderramiro is from the family’s oldest vineyard (4.2ha), planted in 1924 on clay soils with limestone, while the vineyard for Malleolus de Sanchomartin (0.7ha) was planted in 1944 at a higher altitude, and in soils with a greater limestone content.

As a result, Sanchomartin has greater freshness, whereas Valderramiro is more powerful and structured. The ‘regular’ Malleolus takes grapes from some of these old vineyards, together with the plantings of selected clones from the 1980s.

The most recent launch among Moro’s top wines is the Clon de la Familia – one of Spain’s most expensive treasures. As the name suggests, this is a homage to the best clone of Tempranillo, as well as to the family who preserved it. The wine is intended to reflect the three soil types in the Moro vineyards: limestone, clay, and sand.

Launched in 2007, the family also has a separate winery in Ribera del Duero, named Cepa 21. Stylistically, the wines are modern and expressive, and Cepa also has a strong focus on wine tourism. In 2016, the family launched a third outpost, this time in Bierzo to the northwest of Castilla y Leon.

White wines (made from the Albillo grape) are now permitted in the Ribera del Duero DO. However, José Moro preferred to go to Bierzo, regarding the Godello grape as the best of Spain’s white varieties.

At present, Moro produces three whites: the young Polvorete; El Zarzal, lees-aged in foudres; and La Revelía, lees-aged in French oak barrels.

Sarah Jane Evans MW tastes and rates the latest Emilio Moro wines

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Ribera del Duero: eight producers to watch

Ribera del Duero: top wines to buy now

Given the prestige and the fame of its top wines, most notably Pingus and Vega Sicilia, it’s easy to forget that Ribera del Duero is a young DO, established in 1982. In the ensuing 39 years Ribera has accumulated plaudits and brickbats in equal quantity. For every person who considers it Spain’s top red wine region, there’s another who finds the wines too powerful, too oaky or too pricey.

Ribera is certainly historic – the Romans tended vineyards here – but the DO is best viewed as something inchoate: as a work in progress, if you prefer. It has expanded from 6,460ha in the early 1980s to 24,157ha today and is still growing. And remember: the region may be young, but many of its best vineyards (21.8% of them) are more than 50 years old.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 12 top wines from eight Ribera del Duero producers

Often viewed as homogenous, Ribera del Duero is extremely diverse in altitudes, soil types and aspects. How could it be otherwise in a region that’s 115km long, 35km wide and varies between 740m close to the river (from which the DO takes its name) and 1,000m up on the moorlands, which have been brought into play by a changing climate.

Ribera del Duero’s 307 bodegas are heterogeneous too, of course. All of them work with Tempranillo (known here as Tinto Fino: the grape covers nearly 96% of plantings, after all), but Albillo Mayor (white), Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha and Merlot (among others) play a part, too. And styles vary considerably from village to village, winery to winery.

Ribera has changed a lot in the last decade and will continue to evolve. As it does, these are eight of my favourite bodegas to keep an eye on.

Ribera del Duero producers to know:

La Loba

La Loba is a tribute to Ana Carazo’s grandmother, who features on the labels of her wines and was called ‘the wolf’. There’s something of the lone wolf about Carazo, too, who does everything herself at this remote boutique winery close to Ribera del Duero’s eastern extremity. She’s the kind of person you’d want on your Armageddon team.

Born in Alicante, where her parents owned a wine wholesale company, Carazo ended up running a bodega in Matanza de Soria, the home of some family vineyards, after working in Bierzo, Jumilla, the Loire valley, New Zealand and, gaining experience with a number of different producers, Ribera del Duero. La Loba was created in 2011, with a focus on old vines, terroir expression and low intervention.

Carazo works with 3.5ha in Matanza de Soria as well as the neighbouring villages of Alcubilla del Marqués, Pedraja de San Esteban and Quintanilla de Tres Barrios. Most of these are on clay-based soils between 960m-1,000m, once considered marginal in some Ribera vintages but now a safer bet thanks to climate change. Some of these parcels could be 200 years old. ‘One of my projects is to date them exactly,’ she says.

Two wines are produced here: La Loba and cheaper La Lobita. Both are marked by their freshness and precision as well as restrained use of oak. ‘I use Tempranillo to make my wines, but what I really want you to taste is Soria.’

Vivaltus

Based in a spectacular location between the castles of Peñafiel and Curiel de Duero, Vivaltus is one of Ribera del Duero’s most exciting new projects. Owned by Grupo Yllera, it has rapidly established itself among the region’s best reds, with a first release in 2016. The key to the project’s success was persuading the legendary French winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet, formerly of Château Petrus, to come on board, according to Marcos Yllera. ‘We wanted to create something unique, so we went to Bordeaux to talk to the person recognised by many as the best winemaker in the world.’

Berrouet had definite ideas about what he wanted to produce, and they weren’t wines with lots of colour, tannin, oak and extraction. Instead, he would pick earlier, minimise the use of new barrels and use up to 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2016 vintage – plentiful and comparatively cool – was a boon in one sense, but Berrouet (consultant) and Montxo Martínez (winemaker) worked the same elegant magic in 2017, which was a much warmer and more concentrated year.

Clay and limestone-based vineyards in Fuentenebro, a comparatively new area in the south of Burgos, are at the core of the grand vin, with support from grapes grown in La Aguilera, Curiel de Duero and the Atauta valley in Soria. Unlike Petrus, Vivaltus is a regional blend – if you can’t find or afford the top wine, there’s always La Fleur Vivaltus, made with the same assemblage of Tempranillo and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Garmón

The García family – father Mariano and sons Alberto and Eduardo – have projects in Castilla y León (Mauro), Toro (San Román) and now Rioja but are most strongly associated with Ribera del Duero, where García padre is referred to as ‘the master’ thanks to the 30 years he spent at Vega Sicilia and his part-ownership of Aalto (founded in 1999). Garmón Continental – a cuvée of the family’s surnames, García and Montaña – is a more recent project, having released its first critically acclaimed wine as recently as 2014.

The bodega may be located in Olivares de Duero, close to the western limit of the DO, but, apart from some vines in nearby Quintanilla de Onésimo, it works almost exclusively with 35ha in cooler Burgos (Anguix, Baños de Valdearados, La Aguilera, Moradillo and Tubilla del Lago). With the exception of lower-lying Quintanilla, these are all located between 800m-1,000m. ‘We don’t have a recipe,’ says Eduardo García. ‘There are so many factors to take into account: plantation density, altitude, orientation, training and pruning methods, soil types, picking dates, yields and vine age. We’re trying to express the personality of each vintage.’

Eduardo has worked at Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux, Domaine Hubert Lignier in Burgundy and Ridge in California, but he’s most excited about what’s happening in Spain, especially Ribera del Duero right now. ‘The styles of the best bodegas are increasingly self-confident and distinctive,’ he adds. ‘And as the years go by, they are showing their class.’

Ausàs

Xavier Ausàs, or Javier Ausás if you prefer the Spanish spelling of his name, is a Catalan who was brought up in Valladolid and has spent most of his working life in Ribera del Duero. He is arguably best known for the 25 years he spent at Vega Sicilia – he started cleaning harvesting boxes before succeeding Mariano García as technical director – but he has been doing his own thing since 2015, both as a consultant and producer.

The experience he accumulated at the region’s most famous winery helped him with the creation of Ausàs Interpretación, which hit the market with the 2016 vintage and is a pan-regional cuvée. He blends the wine from 10ha (half of which he owns) located in four different villages in the province of Burgos – Gumiel del Mercado, Moradillo de Roa, Nava de Roa and Roa de Duero – ranging between 760m-900m and aged from 35 to 80 years. ‘I’ve known some of these vineyards for 30 years, so I understand what they contribute to a blend,’ Ausàs says, ‘be it tannins, acidity, elegance or structure.’

Partly educated in France and now consulting there, Ausàs is always ‘eager to learn’, by tasting and drinking wines from other countries, he says. A cosmopolitan figure who understands his adopted region like few others, he aims to achieve ‘purity and freshness’ in his wine, making a Tinto Fino that has structure, but is still refined.

Valdaya

Valdaya was founded in 2006, but the quality of this small, high-quality bodega’s wines improved dramatically with the arrival of Marta Ramas and Miguel Fisac in 2013. (Ironically, the young, well-travelled couple couldn’t have picked a more challenging first harvest.) Having studied in Bordeaux under Professor Denis Dubourdieu, they worked in California, South Africa and New Zealand before returning to Spain, giving them a broad international perspective that’s reflected in the styles of wine they like to consume at home. ‘We drink wines from anywhere and everywhere,’ says Ramas, ‘as long as we can afford them.’

Ramas and Fisac only work with grapes from the north bank of the Duero river, specifically the villages of Baños de Valdearados, Gumiel de Mercado and Sotillo de la Ribera. They draw on 14ha in total, located from 850m-920m and aged between 50-90 years old. Each of their three wines comes from a different soil type: limestone for flagship red Mirum, sand for second wine Valdaya and clay for entry-point Valiente.

The philosophy at Valdaya has been pretty much the same since 2013. ‘Each year we learn a little bit more about our parcels,’ adds Fisac, ‘and we’ve introduced one or two new things like fermentation in concrete for Valiente. But as a rule, we try to intervene as little as possible. It’s all about expressing the character of the vintage and of our soils.’

Marta Maté (top)

‘I make village wines,’ says César Maté of his impressive seven-label range from Tubilla del Lago and Gumiel de Mercado in the extreme north of Ribera del Duero. He admits that even 30 years ago the area would have struggled to ripen Tinto Fino in cooler vintages, but now it suits his fresher, lower-alcohol style to perfection. ‘Who says our region’s reds are unbalanced?’ he asks. ‘Some are, but they don’t all taste the same, thank goodness.’

Marta Maté was created in 2008 by Maté and his partner Marta Castrillo – hence the name – and works with 45ha of vineyards, 70% of which the bodega owns and farms organically. All of these are above 900m and vary in age between 17-150 years old.

‘Honesty’ and ‘sincerity’ are the watchwords here and they are reflected in Maté’s desire to express this cooler-climate terroir as well as the differences between vintages.

‘We pick later than they do in Soria,’ he says. ‘We get natural freshness in our wines, more verticality.’ Oak is kept to a minimum, so that ‘you don’t notice it’.

Maté’s love of Burgundy is reflected in the style of wines he makes, especially Viñas del Lago, sourced from 24 parcels co-planted with Tempranillo and other grapes. ‘It’s our homage to Tubilla del Lago,’ he says. Even more refined is Marta Maté itself, a varietal Tempranillo that represents outstanding value alongside its peers.

Valdemonjas

This small, family-owned bodega is located in Ribera del Duero’s so-called ‘golden mile’, up the road from Vega Sicilia, in Quintanilla de Arriba. Most of its vineyards are on a north-facing slope and are vinified according to soil type, row direction and altitude. ‘We get our best results from rows that run from north to south, rather than east to west,’ says owner Alejandro Moyano.

The Moyanos – Alejandro and son Alexis – work alongside consultant Luca D’Attoma and made their first wines in 2012. Their vineyards are split between two sites: the 7.1ha of Pago de Valdemonjas that surround the winery, and a much smaller 0.6ha parcel in La Horra, used to make the bodega’s top wine, Abrí las Alas. From the 2021 vintage onwards, they will have access to a third 1ha plot in Quintana del Pidio.

Possessing an ‘aversion to astringency’ in reds, Alejandro makes wines that are inspired by his love of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and white grapes, as well as Tempranillo of course.

The style varies from wine to wine – Abrí las Alas sees 100% new wood and is a richer, bolder wine – but the focus is generally on elegance and balance. El Patio is a juicy, unwooded style that sees no added sulphur; El Primer Beso is a sappy, concrete-aged delight; while Entre Palabras and Los Tres Dones are deftly oaked, terroir-focused expressions of, respectively, six and three of the Pago de Valdemonjas’ nine terroirs.

Legaris

It might seem perverse to include Legaris, owned by Cava behemoth Raventós Codorníu, in a list of producers to watch in Ribera del Duero, especially as the Catalans have been making wines here for more than 20 years. But there have been significant changes since 2014 and the top wines are improving with every vintage.

The bodega’s roble, crianza and reserva bottlings are sound enough, yet the real excitement starts with its series of terroir-focused reds. Páramos de Legaris was the first of these, produced from parcels above 900m on the moorlands (páramos) of Peñafiel, Pesquera and Moradillo de Roa. The wine was so successful that winemaker Jorge Bombín extended the range from 2015 to include (to date) four village-specific wines: Alcubilla de Avellaneda, La Aguilera, Peñaranda de Duero and Moradillo de Roa.

Vine age varies considerably, but all four wines show the influence of cooler sites. Earlier picking dates are crucial too. ‘People often wait too long,’ says Bombín. They are appreciably different in style, depending on soil type as much as anything, yet all show a lightness of touch that would challenge the prevailing image of Ribera del Duero. ‘If you want muscular wines,’ says Bombín, ‘these won’t work for you.’ Volumes are comparatively small, but they are worth tracking down. ‘They are playthings for us, in a way, but we are learning from them with every vintage. It’s another side of Ribera del Duero.’

Tim Atkin MW’s top wines from eight innovative Ribera del Duero producers

Wines are listed alphabetically in score order

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Ribera del Duero: Top wines to buy now

Spanish wines you should have in your cellar

If you listen to the man responsible for its existence, the success of Spain’s most celebrated cult red wine is almost entirely down to forces beyond his control.

Fate, good fortune, the right place at the right time… these are the motifs in Peter Sisseck’s story of how he came to hit the jackpot with his tiny-production Ribera del Duero in the mid-1990s – and how it continues to command some of the highest wine prices in Spain, a quarter of a century later.

Scroll down to see scores and tasting notes for the latest Pingus releases

But if it’s true that there’s something a little implausible about the story of Dominio de Pingus, then it’s also true that its telling might prompt the listener to pull a kind of reverse Lady Bracknell. To have one successful wine project may be regarded as fortunate, to have two (or three) looks, well… might it be that Sisseck deserves some credit himself?

The Pingus legend starts with Sisseck’s background, far from the vinous mainstream, in Denmark. But if his industrialist family ‘were not wine buffs, or “five-bottle men”’, Sisseck says, they nonetheless liked wine. A precocious interest soon developed. ‘Some people collected stamps; I collected wine labels.’

Bordeaux inspiration

One family member helped turn the boyish collector’s impulse into something more serious: Sisseck’s uncle, Peter Vinding- Diers, was a respected consultant winemaker in Bordeaux, and it was during childhood visits to the region that Sisseck developed an idealised vision of the wine-grower’s life.

‘It was very glamorous,’ Sisseck says. ‘Not in a château-ish way, but it was cultured; just the conversation. I met people like Anthony Barton, who are icons today. Suddenly I saw something I wanted to do.’

Not quite ready to leave his family and friends in Denmark, Sisseck studied agricultural science in Copenhagen rather than go to a winemaking school overseas. ‘I’m happy that I didn’t get programmed,’ Sisseck says. ‘I was blessed to be a free-thinker, not to be dogmatic.’

Still, he was soon learning the specifics of wine in Bordeaux – before fate intervened again. ‘29 June, 1990: I was on my way to California. I believed that one time in your life you should go west, my boy, so I was quite keen to try my luck there. Paul Draper [of Ridge Vineyards] kindly offered me a job, but I couldn’t start until after August. In the meantime, I was offered the opportunity to go and look after a newly planted vineyard in Ribera.’

Spanish scene

That project, Hacienda Monasterio, ‘was an incredible opportunity. The idea was to make one of the most truly vineyard-based wines. We didn’t want to buy grapes, it wasn’t a revolutionary thing [in the world] – but it proved to be very revolutionary in Spain, and still is.’

Sisseck never did make it to Ridge, and celebrated 30 years with Hacienda Monasterio in 2020, though his involvement is much reduced these days. ‘I live next door,’ he says. ‘Now and again I pop over and kick their asses! I’m not hands-on, but I will help with the blends and vinification, and the bigger picture.’

His years setting up the project provided a crash course in the local conditions at a crucial point in Ribera del Duero’s development. As Sisseck says, while wine production in the region predates the Romans, its more recent (post-medieval) history had, with one important exception, been one of isolation and decline. ‘Rioja has much more of a developed wine tradition. Ribera was – is – the New World.’

The exception, of course, was Vega Sicilia, with whom Sisseck worked closely, sourcing vines and sharing resources while developing the vineyard for Monasterio.

The 1980s had seen the beginnings of a renaissance throughout the region, albeit not one without its issues. ‘It started off really nicely in the beginning,’ Sisseck says, ‘with small- size wineries, 30,000 cases volume, most of them having their own grapes or [sourcing them from] very good neighbour friends, old vine-based.’ Large-scale, ill-advised and poorly executed planting soon took its toll, however. ‘In 10 years, it had turned into one of the most badly done vineyards in the world.’

Going solo

With Spain entering one of its periodic moments of intense economic crisis in the early-to-mid 1990s, and with the 1993 Monasterio vintage ‘not exactly flying out of the door’, Sisseck, by now married with two young children, began to worry about his livelihood. ‘Would I still be in a job in a day or two?’

But he was still convinced of the area’s potential. ‘Talking to my friends in Bordeaux, they said, “Why don’t you make a wine for yourself?” It was the time of the garage movement, of course, and in travelling around the area I’d got to know the region, and [the village of] La Horra I liked very much, with its big concentration of old vines. I wanted to make very pure Tinta Fina, with no technology: a small project, very old vines, let the wine make itself, natural yeast.’

And that’s exactly what he did. On what he calls a ‘gravelly tongue’ of land over a clay- limestone foundation in a ‘sea of silt’ in La Horra in the middle of Ribera del Duero, he found a 4.2ha vineyard planted with bush vines in 1929, effectively in two plots separated by 500m. ‘The wine I made from there became Pingus 1995. I had never tasted anything like it and that was really special,’ Sisseck says of that first 12-barrel production.

He showed it to Vinding-Diers, who was impressed and advised him to sell it en primeur on the Bordeaux Place. ‘Everything was aligned,’ Sisseck says. Bordeaux was in an optimistic mood after a series of difficult en primeur campaigns, and Sisseck’s friends were able to get the wine to the big critics – Stephen Tanzer, Michel Bettane, and, crucially, Robert Parker all loved it. ‘It went ballistic. It wasn’t planned; there was no business plan. It was the first time that this thing had happened to a Spanish wine.’

In late November 1997 came the event that established Pingus’ place in wine legend. The year had started off badly for Sisseck as it was, with frost wiping out any prospect of a Pingus vintage. Then a ship containing 75 cases of Pingus 1995 – nearly a quarter of the total production, destined for the US market – sank in the deep Atlantic off the Azores. A disaster it may have been, but demand for the wine in the US suddenly soared, and the net effect was that the bottle price more than doubled to some $450 – and a star was born.

Pingus at a glance

Dominio de Pingus

Established 1995

Vineyard 4.2ha

Grape varieties Tinta Fina (Tempranillo)

Annual production 5,000 bottles

Region Ribera del Duero

Flor de Pingus

First commercial vintage 1996

Vineyard 30ha across four sites

Grape varieties Tinta Fina and 5% Garnacha

Annual production 50,000 bottles

Region Ribera del Duero

Psi

Established 2006

First vintage 2007

Vineyard 200ha

Grape varieties A blend from mostly old vines

Annual production 350,000 bottles

Region Ribera del Duero

The evolution

Since that explosive first vintage, ‘everything and nothing has changed’, says Sisseck. The vineyard remains the same, although it has transitioned to biodynamics and has been divided into five sub-plots, reflecting the subtle gradations of sand and clay.

Thanks to global warming, there have also been changes in the way it is managed. The yields are higher and the harvest is, generally speaking, earlier, both being decisions imposed by the behaviour of the vines rather than the dogma of the winemaker.

‘Harvesting earlier is not necessarily a choice: you have to work towards it, as the vineyards become better balanced,’ Sisseck explains. ‘We have been working them for 25 years now – they are very fit old men.’

According to Sisseck, the warming climate has also influenced work in the cellar. Up until 2004, the policy was to use 100% new oak, understandable since the 1995 vintage had been made that way as he ‘had to buy everything new’, and why change a winning recipe?

Then came 2005, ‘the first very warm year’. He says: ‘One of the first things I noticed was that with slightly higher alcohol, the impact of the new barrel felt more intense. Alcohol itself is a high extractor, so 12% alcohol will taste less woody than 15%. In 2006, we started experimenting with wood. It took me a while, but by 2012 we weren’t using any new wood – we use 12-month-old used barrels.’

Other wines

The source of those used barrels takes us to another chapter of the Pingus story. First produced commercially in 1996 in response to Sisseck’s American importer, who ‘wasn’t content with the small quantities we could give him’, Flor de Pingus is the ‘village wine’ that sits alongside the Pingus ‘grand vin’.

‘It’s not a second wine, it’s the “other” wine,’ Sisseck says, stressing that it has always used different vineyards: until 2004 the grapes came from a vineyard rented from a neighbour of Vega Sicilia; since 2005 it has its own four sites covering 30ha in La Horra, including a small proportion of Garnacha.

Inspired by the lushness of Pomerol Le Pin, Sisseck says he still looks for ‘that sexiness’ in Flor, which today uses 25% new oak.

The Burgundian model extends to Sisseck’s third Ribera project, Psi. Sisseck’s ‘regional’ wine, Psi was conceived in the mid-2000s as a means of conserving Ribera del Duero’s old- vine heritage, much of which was sacrificed to a local scheme that sought to make highly fragmented vineyards easier to farm by concentrating them into larger, contiguous plots.

‘I could see why the scheme was going on, but at the same time, a lot of the vineyards were really great and it was sad to see so many being pulled out,’ Sisseck says. ‘In the eastern part of Ribera, they hadn’t been through this concentration. I thought we could help them get a good return out of their old vineyards, but they had to be compensated properly.’

The success of his project meant Psi’s production soon outgrew the slightly ad-hoc winemaking facilities, which by 2016 were spread across the wineries of seven different co-ops. Psi’s purpose-built winery now makes 350,000 bottles a year, from 800 plots of ‘mostly old vines’ covering 200ha, and including one-tenth of the old vines in Ribera.

From Ribera to Jerez

Sisseck likes to describe himself as a ‘specialist in limestone’. And his latest collaboration with the owners of Hacienda Monasterio cements the idea: a fino Sherry-focused project based on two vineyards (2ha in the pago Macharnudo Alto and 8ha in pago Balbaína) planted on some of the best historic sites in the limestone soils of Jerez.

For Sisseck, this is the consummation of a desire to make a worthy white wine partner for Pingus in what he believes is Spain’s greatest white wine region and idiom. It also connects perfectly with his work in the limestone soils of Château Rocheyron, the St-Emilion estate that he co-owns.

Sisseck’s interest in the soil is not merely academic. Like many of the best wine-growers of his generation, he has a deep and longstanding commitment to biodynamics. And he clearly relishes the idea of connecting Pingus to an older tradition. ‘When you think of Janasse and all the great guys in Côte-Rôtie, they were farmers, they had apricots; the old châteaux were farms, they were working farms. A vineyard is not sustainable in itself. We have to try to understand it as part of a bigger ecosystem.

‘This cult of wine that we’ve had for the last 20 years, I cannot deny that I’ve benefited greatly from it,’ he continues. ‘But sometimes it saddens me a bit. I recently read a lot of books by Hugh Johnson, one of the true greats, and refreshingly he makes wine belong to a tradition of culture and doesn’t solely focus on just the wine itself.’

And so he turns to his latest project. ‘We’ve been making cheese,’ Sisseck says with a smile. ‘We need to start making something from the cows.’ Queso de Dominio de Pingus? Something tells me that may be one to watch.

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Ribera del Duero represents the contrast between wines that take a long time to be made and aged to reach their full potential, and the hectic movement of new wineries, innovative winemakers, previously unheard-of old-vine vineyards, new wine styles, ceaseless market ups and downs…

I could have proposed a list of wines that are ready to drink now, most of them made many years ago, but that would not be very practical or fair to newer wineries.

Instead I decided to start anew, creating a list from a tasting of the best wines in the region that are available in the market now, which I went about selecting from more than 150 samples I received.

For top Ribera del Duero, I keep two principles in mind. First of all, there are no miracles in this region. All great Ribera wines are the result of careful site(s) selection, mature vines, low yields, smart winemaking and deft ageing.

Messages such as ‘I do nothing, nature makes the wines’ are just fairy tales. Tinta Fina, as Tempranillo is called here, is tricky to work with; picking grapes at the optimal time is difficult. Besides, Tempranillo will not release its potential unless exposed to (sometimes very long) barrel ageing. So top Ribera can be neither very young nor cheap.

Beauty in diversity

Second, Ribera del Duero shares many features with Burgundy. It is a narrow, elongated region with distinctive terroirs along its axis. One red grape predominates all along, but its expressions are extremely diverse.

Within each sub-zone, municipalities are distinctive. Pesquera has little in common with Quintanilla; La Aguilera is quite different from Roa; and San Esteban de Gormaz is a world apart from the other sub-regions.

In addition, there are a few vineyards that are the cradle of the greatest wines only when the vines are old enough and trellised to provide low yields. Vega Sicilia – not only the region’s historic icon, but also the front-runner in terms of research – shows the way with its detailed vineyard parcellation.

Some of the wines in this selection of 20 are single-vineyard; I hope that one day they will become Ribera grand cru, or whatever the name. Others are blends of several top sites – these can be as good as the single-vineyard wines, but are more representative of the house style than a particular place.

Indeed, there is an increasing diversity of red wine styles, from blockbusters to wonders of refinement, from explosive fruit to deliciously decadent and complex developed expressions, from amazing aromatic precision to impressive concentration. None of them is intrinsically superior to the other; they are just different expressions of a region that yields beauty out of harsh climates, varied soils and lots of individual craftmanship.

So I would advise you not to look for a Ribera profile, but to enjoy its diversity.

All the selected wines are among my favourites, but not all my favourites are on the list. I had to sacrifice a few dozen wines that I could have happily recommended, in order to provide more diversity and information – the top wines of Ribera del Duero would be better represented by a 50-best list.

Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW’s top Ribera del Duero wines

What makes wine a superior beverage is its capacity to improve with age, sometimes for a very long time. However, there are very few wines that have this potential. They need to be fine wines, to be soundly structured and to have something else that shows up with time in bottle. There is no precise definition as to what the ‘something else’ consists of.

Therefore, wine writers recommend best time ranges to enjoy the wines based upon their own experience and assimilation. On this occasion, Sarah Jane Evans MW and I decided to do something different to find our selection of Spanish wines to keep in your cellar.

We are proposing a number of wines, available in the market, which we feel are very likely to improve with ageing. The rationale for our selection is that we tasted the wines in pairs, comparing the latest vintage in the market with a 2012 or older vintage. The wines recommended comply with three conditions: they are premium wines, they are very good now, and they got better with bottle ageing.

Spain is a country of great diversity; we thought it would be more useful for professionals and consumers to explore that diversity instead of concentrating in a few places with a clear historic record of great ageability. Besides, Spain is undergoing a quiet revolution in its vine-growing and winemaking practices. New places, new grape varieties show up as potential pillars for classic wines with ageability, but in these cases there is little historic background to confirm this impression. We needed to check those assumptions against facts: a comparative tasting. Therefore, we tasted wines from a wide range of origins – wines that are not so obvious a choice when looking for wines for the cellar, but which have proved worth the cellaring effort.

Widespread potential

The most classic wine region, Rioja, would have filled five wine lists like this one without any difficulty. There are many stunning Riojas that are over 60 years old. However, other appellations are less evident to the wine lover. We intended to discover and highlight demonstratable potential in these places as well. In addition, we found some superb wines that have been transformed by viticulture. We thought it was worthwhile including some of those wines undergoing Spain’s quiet quality revolution, which are now showing great ageing potential.

There are all types of wines worth cellaring. Red wines obviously represent the majority of our selection, but the potential in some white wines is amazing. Cava and other sparkling wines provide a nice confirmation of what we suspected: the best Cava can improve in bottle over many years. Comments are unnecessary for sweet and fortified wines, made with the purpose of lasting forever. We received no rosé samples; this is on one hand a pity, because we know of a few rosé wines with a splendid potential; on the other hand, it is quite logical, as there are very few wines with such capacity.

We tasted 280 wines to reach this selection of just 24 recommendations. It was a very hard selection process; many wines deserving to be in this selection could not be included. We would appreciate the reader taking this selection for what it is – an exercise to highlight a number of wines that we loved and are definitely worth cellaring. However, there were many other wines that were very worthy of inclusion, but we had to omit from the final list.

Introduction by Pedro Ballesteros Torres. All wines were tasted by Sarah Jane Evans MW and Pedro Ballesteros Torres to decide on the top 24.

First published in the Decanter 2019 Spanish supplement

Top 24 Spanish wines you should have in your cellar

Well known for its classic wine regions such as Rioja and established icons like Vega Sicilia, Spain is also home to a huge number of innovative producers who are pushing the boundaries of viticulture and winemaking in the country.

The Viñateros tasting in London was a showcase of their talents. In Spanish the term viñatero signifies a wine-grower, and a focus on viticulture and wines with a sense of place was a theme that united the diverse selection of producers at the event.

The line-up included leading names such as Telmo Rodriguez, who since the 1990s has been focusing on recovering old vineyards across Spain – from Malaga to Valdeorras – and notably resurrected the tiny 1.9ha Las Beatas vineyard in Rioja’s Labastida, to glowing acclaim.

Similarly a group of friends who met studying oenology at Alicante University founded winemaking collective Envínate in 2007, with the aim of creating wines from diverse areas of Spain that all vividly express a sense of place. Roberto Santana, Laura Ramos, Alfonso Torrente and José Angel Marchante started in Ribeira Sacra then expanded into Tenerife, Almansa, Manchuela, Extremadura and Montilla.

In the Sierra de Gredos near Madrid, another group of winemaking friends who met while hiking, saw the potential of this mountainous region, which is now attracting significant attention thanks to its high-altitude plots of old Garnacha vines, many of which had previously been abandoned. The friends – husband-and-wife Javier García and Laura Robles, David Velasco and David Moreno – became the boutique wine company 4 Monos (four monkeys) and now own 5ha of vineyards in the region, as well as working with local growers.

Go your own way

Not yet an official DO, Gredos runs across a series of valleys and takes in three regions: Vino de la Tierra de Castilla, DO Vinos de Madrid and DO Méntrida. Elsewhere, growers with vineyards that are sited within official DOs have chosen to go their own way and make wines outside the DO regulations, in order to find the best expression of fruit from unique individual plots.

Scottish master of Norrel Robertson MW consults and makes wine all over the world, but owns high-altitude vineyards in the rugged hills of Calatayud, where he prefers to makes wines outside the DO system for his aptly named wine label El Escocés Volante: The Flying Scot.

Other winemakers are shedding a new light on established regions. In Ribera del Duero, home to Vega Sicilia, Jorge Monzón and Isabel Rodero eschew the rich and bold styles traditionally typical of the region in favour of more elegant and expressive wines. Their winery Dominio del Aguila was set up in 2010, working with fruit from vineyards that are over 100 years old and focusing on native grapes such a as Tempranillo, Blanca del País, Bobal, Garnacha, Albillo and Tempranillo Gris, all farmed organically and biodynamically.

Their extraordinary Pícaro del Aguila Clarete – a style traditionally produced in Ribera del Duero that’s not quite a rosé, but a mixture of red and white grapes, which are barrel-aged – perfectly demonstrates their focus on creating wines with longevity. At Viñateros I tasted the 2016 vintage alongside the 2011, which is still amazingly fresh and certainly stands out from other premium Spanish rosés.

The list of innovators goes on. Verónica Ortega left her native Cádiz to search out plots of very old vines in Bierzo, where she works with traditional field blends, successfully experimenting with ageing her wines in amphorae. Former wind engineer, Fernando Mora MW, fell in love with wine and decided to become a winemaker, starting out with 28 vines planted in his grandparents garden in Aragón and founding his Bodegas Frontonio winery in a friend’s garage.

Manuel Cantalapiedra makes distinctive natural wines in Rueda, focusing on single plots of Verdejo; while Pablo Calatayud of Celler del Roure champions the local grapes and winemaking traditions of his native Valencia reviving the tradition of making wines in huge (4,000-litre) tinajas (amphorae).

The selection below offers a snapshot of Spain’s dynamic wine scene – but there’s plenty more to discover.

New Spanish Wines to try

‘This wine is my Lionel Messi,’ says Xavier Ausàs proudly. ‘It’s young with plenty of potential.’ He’s talking about only the fourth vintage of his Interpretación, a brand that was launched in the UK on 28 February 2020. The tasting was held at Fortnum & Mason, exclusive stockists of the brand.

As Ausàs himself recognises, the reason that the world is interested in his new wine is because he worked at Vega Sicilia in Ribera del Duero for 25 years, spending 17 of them as technical director.

‘When I started we were making 200,000 bottles of wine. By the time I left, ready for a new challenge, we were making more than 1.5 million a year,’ he says. ‘And we had gone from one winery to five: Vega, plus Alión [1991], Oremus in Tokaji [1993], Pintia in Toro [2001], and the joint venture with Benjamin de Rothschild in Rioja, Macán [2009].’

For his first seven years at Vega Sicilia, Ausàs worked for Mariano García. ‘I came with new ideas, with a technical training. Mariano taught me to be patient, and instinctive.’ Working with García, he also got to know and understand the diversity of Ribera del Duero. This has stood him in good stead for the creation of Ausàs Bodegas y Viñedos, and its first release of 2016.

‘I know all the growers – I’ve been buying grapes from them for Alión for a number of years,’ explains Ausàs. These relationships are reflected in his label logo, which is a pair of cupped hands. ‘It’s a symbol of friendship. It also represents transparency and honesty.’

The building blocks

Interpretación is a blend of parcels in Ribera del Duero, his interpretation of the region. Ausàs varies his purchases depending on the character of the vintage. Nava de Roa, with its sandy soils, ‘brings blue flowers’ and elegance. ‘It’s delicate and I don’t give it new oak,’ he says.

Gumiel del Mercado, with clay soils, ‘delivers blue fruits in a generous year, and red fruits in a cool one, as well as acidity’. Roa de Duero and Pesquera bring elegance, while Moradillo de Roa at 950m brings freshness. The Moradillo fruit provides ‘the pillars’, the structure, for the wines, and has new oak treatment.

The wines are notable for their refined oak usage. They are fermented in stainless steel and concrete, and aged in French oak, 30% new, in two sizes: half in 225-litre casks and half in 500-litre casks.

Winemaking philosophy

‘Ribera del Duero can be strong and elegant. I don’t understand why it always has to be massive,’ says Ausàs. ‘My aim is to express the wine, not the wood,’ he adds.

The Ausàs philosophy is based on three principles: pure aromas, freshness and good tannin structure. The first four vintages of the project express these principles clearly – despite the different character of the vintages.

Interpretación 2016 reflects the most ‘Atlantic’ year of the four. It has already sold out in Spain, but is just starting to attract consumers in the UK, a buying market that prefers wine with greater maturity. Stylistically it reveals the transformation of the wine with bottle age.

2017 was the year of the great frost in Europe, with subsequent drought in Ribera del Duero. As a result production was greatly reduced, except in areas such as Moradillo, which escaped because of its altitude. The benefit of this is a more concentrated character.

The Interpretación 2018 barrel sample, which will be bottled in June 2020, is currently expressive, fresh and floral. The 2019 barrel sample – the ‘Lionel Messi’ of the line-up – is from what promises to be a very good vintage, even at this early stage.

When Ausàs is not in his own winery at Quintanilla de Onésimo, you will find him on the road. His consulting business takes in a number of famous names including: Fournier (acquired by Gonzàlez Byass in 2019) and Pago de Carraovejas in Ribera del Duero; Ossian and Prieto Pariente in Rueda; Anima Negra in Mallorca; Marqués de Vargas in Rioja; Prieto Pariente in Castilla y León; and Domaine les Grands Bois in Provence.

Sarah Jane Evans MW’s ratings and tasting notes:

North Spain consists of five regions, two distinctive climates and a little transition zone. The four regions facing the Atlantic ocean (Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia) are known as Green Spain. It rains a lot here – more than in England. There are many different types of soil, topography is very rugged and temperatures are mild.

The grape varieties in this corner of Spain are original and indigenous, with ancient origins. It is believed that, at the time of the Romans, vineyards extended into the Atlantic and northern latitudes thanks to accidental crossings between Mediterranean grape varieties and the native varieties of northern Spain. Other varieties could have been imported through the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in the Middle Ages.

Potential unlocked

Green Spain and its microclimates are paradise for distinctive red wines redolent of their origins, expressing freshness, delicacy and subtlety. Sadly, these qualities were the reason for the style being relatively unknown throughout the centuries, as locals preferred the hearty reds from the south. Today these northern wines – while still not widely available – are appreciated in high-end markets because of their finesse and inimitability. They are the benchmark for the Atlantic character: pale, with restrained aromatic expressions, crisp acidity, suave tannins, a gentle yet persistent finish and lots of personality.

The fifth region is Spain’s largest, Castilla y León. It’s a huge, high-altitude plateau with a markedly continental climate – very cold in winter and very hot in summer – and it receives more sunlight and less rainfall than Green Spain. The small transition zone I mentioned is Bierzo: quite isolated from the rest of the region, with a unique viticulture more than 2,000 years old. Within the rest of Castilla y León there are many microclimates, exposures and soils, giving rise to a remarkable diversity of vines and wines.

Castilla y León’s red wines have a few things in common with those of Green Spain, but they are, for the most part, very different. They tend to be darker, often with ripe fruit aromas. These wines develop well in oak barrels – indeed, for some of them, such as the Tempranillo-based wines of Ribera del Duero and Toro, oak ageing is a must. Acidities are remarkably lower, although the best wines are still quite fresh (Bierzo is an extraordinary case: it tastes amazingly fresh, which theoretically indicates high acidity, when in fact it is actually quite low). The most outstanding wines have the capacity to improve for a very long time with bottle ageing, a factor contributing to the mythical status of Vega Sicilia (and in due course, I daresay, other wines from Ribera).

The north Castilian plateau is surrounded by mountains. This is probably why its wines are unique, and it explains why they don’t have a significant history of being exported. The region is landlocked, so transporting the wines to rich urban markets was an expensive and hazardous undertaking. Consequently, only those wines from Spain’s coastal areas had the opportunity to gain recognition in foreign markets. It was only at the end of the 20th century, once Spain had joined the European Union, that Castilla y León could build the necessary infrastructure and access the global wine trade.

After that, it wasn’t long before Ribera del Duero became one of the world’s classic red wine regions. Toro and Bierzo are steadily improving towards that elite level, while León, Arribes del Duero, Salamanca, Cigales and Arlanza have become exciting quality proposals with varied profiles. Watch this space: in a few years, my ‘best of’ list will feature a completely new set of wines.

Wine selection

The 20 wines I have chosen are based on criteria beyond quality evaluation. There are more than 50 great wines in Ribera del Duero alone. Similarly, Bierzo and Toro lay claim to more than a dozen each. But I think it is of interest for readers to see the scores of wines from regions that are less visible. In addition, I intentionally dismissed those wines mentioned in my article ‘Spanish wines you should have in your cellar’ (Spain supplement, November 2019 issue) to avoid duplication. I also did not include the Gredos area, as this is a separate region that should more appropriately be considered part of central Spain.

Pedro Ballesteros Torres’ top 20 picks from north Spain

Earlier this month I was a guest at the Salón de Gourmets Fair in Madrid, where Vega Sicilia’s technical director of winemaking, Gonzalo Iturriaga, showed Vega Sicilia’s new releases from Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

These ‘new’ releases seem something of a misnomer, given that the youngest Único on sale is now the 2009, 10 years old already.

Fine-tuning

The tasting revealed the effect of the subtle adjustments to the wines provided by a programme of extensive investment. Vega Sicilia’s own new winery came on-stream in 2008, while Macán’s winery in Rioja was completed for the latest 2016 vintage, and Alión and Pintia have also both seen investment in production facilities.

This has resulted in many more options available to the teams: ‘no winemaker has as many resources as I have’, says Iturriaga.

Learning curve

Overall there is a judicious transition to less new oak, together with more choice between French and American oak, depending on the vintage. There is also greater diversity in the material and size of large-format vats for ageing.

The wines are also released with more bottle age, where necessary. Thus, Macán is now released with five years of ageing rather than four.

Iturriaga reflects that working outside Ribera del Duero has been a learning process. ‘In Rioja, you have to be very careful with extraction. I was surprised just how gentle you have to be.’

‘We have to be really on top of the fruit as it ripens in all our vineyards. For instance, in Toro I like to harvest when the grapes are “al dente”, otherwise you get jammy, low acid wines.’

The estates

At Macán they have also changed the profile of some of the barriques, brought in more large-format vats, and are reducing the level of new oak to 50%. The completion of the new winery means that the styles of extraction for Macán and little brother Macán Clasico can now be more clearly separated.

At Pintia in Toro, new oak is being reduced from 90% to 80%, and malolactic fermentation in barrique is also being cut back to 50%.

At Alión in Ribera del Duero, they have been using concrete vats during the ageing process since 2016, and are increasing the percentage of American oak used, as opposed to French.

Único has seen its own transformation, with less time spent in new oak, and less time in barrique, replaced by a few more months in 220hl vats. This makes the wine much more approachable young, though it should retain its power for the long term.

A key feature of the winemaking here is the potential to add from 3% up to 15% of other vintages. ‘This is what helps the wine age so well, and enables us to balance the pH, the acid and the alcohol from vintage to vintage’, declares Iturriaga.

Vega Sicilia new releases rated (plus some older gems): 

About Vega Sicilia

Vega Sicilia, founded in 1864, built a global profile for the Ribera del Duero region decades before the creation of the denomination in 1982. That same year current owners, the Alvarez family, purchased the property. The Tempos Vega Sicilia group produces around one-million bottles a year.

Ribera del Duero is renowned for its reds from Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), but Vega Sicilia’s founder also introduced Bordeaux varieties. Today, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot still play a part in the wines, along with a certain Bordelais approach to winemaking.

What Sarah Jane Evans said about last year’s releases:

‘Evolution not revolution’ is the mantra at Vega Sicilia. There were promising signs of the implementation of the gradual development across the wines at the first international launch of the Vega Sicilia new releases for 2018.

Reserva Especial, the traditional NV blend across three vintages, was the star. It makes the case for blending being more than just the sum of the parts.

The new winery at Vega Sicilia opened in 2010, so the Reserva Especial does not yet reflect the changes to the technology.

Technical director Gonzalo Iturriaga joined in September 2015, and is working on a number of fronts.

‘For instance, with Valbuena we’re looking at going back to stainless steel for the second year, after that important first year in oak. We are trialling a number of different coopers. We are also playing with the size of the vats. In the future we are working more with the concrete; and with Alion we are starting to bring in a little American oak. Overall our work is moving from wood to velvety tannins.’

The tasting certainly revealed brighter wines, moderated oak, less tough tannin. The subtle changes don’t alter the signature of the wines, but they do provide freshness, and some more fruit. This work has been echoed in Rioja, where the focus has been on suiting the appropriate oak and winemaking to Tempranillo.

See all of Decanter’s Vega Sicilia tasting notes

See all of Decanter’s Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia Macan tasting notes

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Sarah Jane Evans MW looks at 'little brother' Valbuena, from one of Ribera del Duero's leading estates, Vega Sicilia...

Valbuena 5° may be seen as the little brother of Vega Sicilia’s flagship wine, Único, but it’s not actually little at all: in the years that Único isn’t made, the fruit will go to Valbuena.

Named after the nearby village of Valbuena de Duero, the ‘5°’ refers to the age of the wine, released after five (quinto) years of barrel and bottle age. There was formerly also a Valbuena 3, now discontinued.

The vines used for Único and Valbuena comprise 140 out of the estate’s 210ha under vine. This vineyard area is made up of 52 individual plots, sorted by a combination of soil type, grape variety and vine age.

Today, the average age of these vines is around 35 years, although technical director Gonzalo de Iturriaga argues that the soil is more important – following a detailed survey, 19 different soil types have been identified on the estate.

Replanting takes place with massal selection from their own vineyards; all bush vines at 2200-3000 vines per hectare.

Scroll down for Sarah Jane’s Valbuena 5 tasting notes & scores

The tasting

I recently had the opportunity to compare several vintages of Valbuena 5° at a tasting hosted by Berry Bros & Rudd, revealing how it’s building its own independent personality apart from Único and its neighbour Alion.

This vertical covered a lot of history, including the work of no less than three different winemakers: 1995 was from the hands of the longstanding Mariano García, the majority of the wines from Javier Ausás, and Gonzalo de Iturriaga arrived in time to blend the 2013.

Technical director de Iturriaga commented that you can taste the vintage variation in Valbuena, whereas Único, only made in the best years, is less likely to reveal its vintage differences.

However, to lessen the impact of this variation there’s ever more technology to protect the vines from the fierce continental climate, such as helicopters in the vineyards to help the vines against the frost.

A key feature of Valbuena in the new winery (opened in 2010) is the complex handling of different sizes, types and ages of oak vats and barrels over the course of 30 months or so. This continues to be an evolutionary process, with the possibility of less new oak in the future.

The Valbuena 5 vertical:

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Pingus creator Peter Sisseck has implored fellow winemakers in Spain to remember the 'art of blending' grapes from different locations alongside a more recent trend for single vineyard recognition.

Spain has a great heritage of blending grapes from a variety of vineyards and it would be a shame it that was lost, Peter Sisseck told an audience at the Decanter Spain & Portugal Fine Wine Encounter last weekend.

He joined Sarah Jane Evans MW for a special masterclass of Spanish wines, including Pingus 2013 and Psi 2010 and 2015 from Ribera del Duero.

Sisseck did not criticise moves to give individual vineyard sites greater recognition, such as the Rioja single vineyard classification that was agreed last year.

But he said, ‘When we talk about Spain and Rioja, even though we are understanding more about single vineyards, we should not throw the baby out with the bath water. We should not forget what was done really well in the past as well.’

He referenced the Rioja Gran Reserva wines of the 1940s and 1950s as a particular high-point of that region’s blending prowess.

It was hard to guess the precise sites used for those wines, but the cellarmasters of this era ‘knew exactly where the grapes came from and [this method] was a fantastic way of blending things together’, Sisseck said.

Pingus Psi is produced by blend several terroirs in Ribera del Duero, whereas flagship wine Pingus comes from Tempranillo vines aged more than 60 years in the sub-region of La Horra.

Now available on Decanter Premium:

Ructions in Rioja – by Sarah Jane Evans

Sisseck also spoke to Encounter guests about his belief in preserving ‘old vines’, where possible.

‘When I arrived in Ribera there were only 9,000 hectares of vineyards and 6,000 were more than 50 years old.’

Things have changed since then as Ribera has expanded and modernised. Ribera del Duero now has 22,552 hectares of vines, according to its DO body. Sisseck told Decanter.com that he believed there were around 2,000ha of vines left over 50 years old.

‘Some would call it the success of Ribera, but I call it the horror of the Ribera, which is that everybody forgot about old vines and pulled them out and planted new ones.’

Vines: How old is too old? – Ask Decanter

Debate around the extent to which older vineyards should be preserved is common across the wine world.

Yields generally drop off as vines pass their peak age, and older vineyards have been replanted for financial reasons – albeit old vines are prized by some winemakers for conveying extra complexity and concentration in the wines, and a sheer sense of place and history.

There is no legal definition of what constitutes an old vine. In Bordeaux, it is common for vines to be replanted after around 35 years.

Also read on Decanter Premium:

Why I find Ribera del Duero hard to love – by Sarah Jane Evans

In partnership with ARAEX Grands

Ribera is Spain’s answer to Burgundy and the cradle of some of the best wines in the world, writes Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW. Here, terroir is everything…

In partnership with ARAEX Grands

Ribera del Duero profile

Fact file

Climate: Short, hot summers and cold winters. It is protected from any maritime influence by a ring of mountains. The vineyards are situated at high altitude.

Grapes: Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Garnacha.

Soils: Clay/sand, with layers of limestone, marl and chalk.

Vineyard area:22,552 ha *

Wineries: 288*

Annual production (2017):97.8 million bottles*

Max. production per hectare: 7000kg*

*Source: Ribera del Duero DO.

Wine lovers know that Burgundy is a classic region that delivers an amazing variety of red wines mostly from one grape variety, thanks to its diverse terroirs.

Those terroirs are defined in a complex legal system that sets up a hierarchy for the land, classifying it in categories going from plain Burgundy to Grand Cru. Imagine now that Burgundy were just one appellation, with no legal hierarchy of terroirs. Individual producers would define the terroirs; all terroirs would appear the same in the labels.

Anyway, the diversity and the quality ladder would still be there, but you will need to find it out in different ways… This is Ribera del Duero. Ribera is the cradle of some of the best wines in the world. Instead of matching an archetypal profile definition, the top Ribera wines are virtuoso interpretations of diverse terroirs and a single grape variety, occasionally blended but always dominant, Tempranillo.

While Burgundy follows a North-South axis, Ribera occupies a 115 km long stretch of land, following an East-West axis.

The climate is continental, with harsh winters, hot summers and high daily temperature variation. It is a dry area with very diverse soils, including clay, sand, limestone, marl and chalk. It consists of three distinctive regions.

The core towns of each region are:

• Peñafiel
• Roa
• San Esteban de Gormaz

Around Peñafiel, wines tend to be fruitier and rounder in youth, then ageing graciously.

At the Roa sub-zone wines are characterised by their elegant structure and firm backbone.

In the more continental and smaller area of San Esteban de Gormaz the wines, coming from pre-phylloxera vines growing in sandy soils, render unique purity and depth of fruit expression.

To make things more complicated, many great Ribera wines are blends from a number of vineyards, often from at least two of those sub-zones.

Despite its long history, Ribera is a young appellation, just 35 years old. Now approaching adulthood, there is a growing pressure to classify terroirs, broadly in line with the Burgundian model.

But laws develop slowly: for a few years wine lovers will have to deal with a simple labelling system based upon trust on the producer. Some people think this is a better way to approach excellence.

Promotion: A word from our sponsor ARAEX Grands

The following Ribera del Duero wines have been recommended by ARAEX Grands… 

Rolland & Galarreta, Ribera del Duero

Two cultures and two different winemaking styles but a common goal have brought together French winemaker and consultant Michel Rolland and Spanish wine entrepreneur Javier Galarreta.

This wine is rich, concentrated and fleshy and shows elegance and complexity. On the palate, it shows silky tannins, with a succulent structure and excellent depth.

Cair, Ribera del Duero Crianza

After a long search to find the right terroir and vineyards, Juan Luis Cañas settled in La Aguilera, a small hamlet in the northern part of the DO, rich in old vines planted in chalky-clay, sandy and gravel soils.

Full and powerful on the attack with good balance. A meaty, juicy mouth feel with sweet tannins. Long, lingering finish.

Valtravieso, Ribera del Duero

This dynamic winery (pictured top) blends tradition with state-of-theart production processes to make a wine that is unique, full of sensations and expresses the singularity and personality of the region.

The wine has a good attack in the mouth which demonstrates its good structure, with some sweetness brought about by an excellent glycerine which rounds the tasting. Balanced tannins and acidity.

The quality of its top wines is not in question, but this highly rated Spanish region has struggled to win the affections of some wine lovers, including Sarah Jane Evans MW. Here, she explains why, and meets producers determined to change her mind.

Let’s start with this fact: Spain’s most historic and internationally famous winery is in Ribera del Duero. It’s so famous that I don’t need to name it, but for the sake of clarity I will: Vega Sicilia.

The second fact is that in 1982 a wine from Alejandro Fernández, the simply named Tinto Pesquera, was spotted by US critic Robert Parker. In the same year the Ribera del Duero DO (Denominación de Origen) was created, and the Alvarez family purchased Vega Sicilia. Ribera was on the map.

The third fact is that in less than 40 years since then Ribera has undergone huge growth, and is today home to almost 300 wineries.

Now let’s move on to the awkward part, my opinion.

Generalising wildly, I find it hard to fall passionately in love with wines from this exceptionally highly rated region. For a long time I thought I was alone, like the person who says a rude word during a sudden silence at a dinner party. However, having researched this more closely I realise I am one among many.

A Spanish wine enthusiast, a buyer for a top-end independent business in the UK, says despairingly: ‘I just can’t sell Ribera del Duero; my customers won’t buy them, they just don’t like them.’

He stocks wines from Vega Sicilia and a couple of other brands, but cannot delve deeper. Another common complaint is price: Ribera isn’t cheap. Says one buyer: ‘I can’t find a wine I like that my customers can afford.’

The price of Ribera del Duero is certainly an issue, but the key factor is the style.John Hoskins MW of Huntingdon’s Old Bridge hotel notes: ‘If someone asks for Rioja we can sell them anything Spanish, if it’s in a round, “smooth” [the favoured word] style. And of course Ribera rarely does that, normally trying too hard.’ He goes on: ‘We do have consumers who like big wines, but they tend to want big and soft. So big Garnacha works well. But big Tempranillos rarely work.’To get a Spanish perspective I spoke to Amaya Cervera, the perceptive commentator of the award-winning wine website www.spanishwinelover.com. I asked if it was a national or cultural issue in Spain.

‘You’re right; the English critics have never been very keen on Ribera del Duero’s wines. The region that produces naturally powerful wines with a very fruity, oaky profile is still the most popular in the Spanish market – above all in the mass-market roble category which, with rare exceptions, is very marked by oak.’

Learning curve

Riojano Ricardo Arambarri, whose company Vintae makes wine in Ribera del Duero and elsewhere, explains how this has come about.

‘It’s not necessarily due to the vineyards and the grapes, but the style in which it is made. Ribera del Duero is a very young appellation and has a short history of fine winemaking. Apart from Vega Sicilia, the first successes came at the end of the 1980s through to the early 2000s,’ he says.

‘Those successes came from a very over- extracted, oaky style that stood apart from the classic Rioja style. During that time, the market, influenced by Robert Parker’s preferences, welcomed that style and the appellation enjoyed huge success.’

Ribera del Duero delivers structure, power, intensity. Plus also freshness, dark fruit and tannins. The clue is in that stylistic preference for tannin and the oak ageing.

As a producer says, off the record: ‘I often hear winemakers saying, “If it doesn’t taste tannic, it’s wrong”. Unfortunately there’s a trend here among winemakers in Ribera del Duero – it’s an alpha male fight over who can make the biggest.’

In La Aguilera, one of the towns that is highly rated for its old vines, Germán Blanco of the young project Quinta Milú adds that in Ribera del Duero an additional factor is that they work with ‘a variety – Tempranillo – which makes wines with high polyphenols delivering colour and tannin, and low acidity’.

The other factor, he says, is: ‘The boom a few years back, when people planted vines like mad. As a result we have lots of young vines – and lots of young vines planted in poor sites.’

In that sense, Ribera’s future is all ahead of it. For while the region has fine bush vines, some of them pre-phylloxeric, two-thirds of vines have been planted since 1991. Blanco’s comment about sites holds the promise for the future, as producers better understand the diversity of their plant material and soils.

One such is María del Yerro of Alonso del Yerro, who thinks it has taken almost 10 years of effort.

Stéphane Derenoncourt, her consultant, is well respected in Bordeaux, but had no prior experience in Spain.

‘Our aim has been to make wines with ageing potential, fine wines with vintage character that reflect the terroir,’ she says. ‘Stéphane started in that unbearably hot vintage of 2003. Since then we have changed the way we manage the vines and understand our soils better with the help of Claude Bourguignon, and of course the vines are older. Since 2012 our soils have begun to give wines of a really exceptional quality.’

Long-term plans

Del Yerro mentions the heat. Ribera del Duero is no easy place to work. It’s a continental climate, hot and dry in summer. A significant feature is that temperature ranges from -20°C in winter to 42°C or higher in summer. And the risk of frost lasts until late, often into June. Altitude is important too: even the DO’s lowest vineyards are higher than most of Spain’s.

A key is the heterogeneity of its soils. The DO measures 111km by 35km, running along the Duero river. Within that, there are some 35 different soil types, spread between the river banks and the high plateau. There has been work on soil mapping, but sub-zones are not yet formally recognised. This will undoubtedly help consumers to understand specific characters of Ribera del Duero and find the sub-zones they prefer.

There’s an urgent need to preserve the old vineyards and enhance younger vines. Peter Sisseck has been working in Ribera for several years. His Psi project was created to foster Ribera del Duero’s vine heritage. ‘There are high potential vineyards, but they need to be managed properly. For this we need people with skills. But there’s no prestige working in the vineyards, so we have to find a way to give that prestige back. That’s why we will be doing courses, teaching young people pruning and vineyard work’.

He adds: ‘The idea of Psi is not just to help the old bush vines. We need to ensure the vines are in the right place: they are our connection to the past. We used to have 9,000ha, of which 6,000ha were old. We now have 22,000ha, and 2,000ha of them are old. It’s not that people aren’t replanting, but they are planting in the valley. In 10 years’ time, the kids won’t remember where the best places are.’

Positive moves

So how best to enjoy Ribera del Duero, and its changing styles? The simple message is don’t drink it too young (unless it’s a joven, or roble).

Says Almudena Alberca, technical director of Viña Mayor: ‘Ribera wines are meant to be aged in bottle and consumed when they’re old, when all the polymerisation has been done, and the wine is soft and elegant. But this is not the reality of today’s markets. Wine is released when it is too young, when all the tannins are still playing rock and roll.’ Like other producers across the region, she is adjusting and tweaking in the vineyard and the winery.

Even at Vega Sicilia, technical director Gonzalo Iturriaga says he is making trials in the wineries across the group, reducing time in oak, using concrete vats, and experimenting with coopers. Oscar Aragón at Cillar de Silos has a new project at Dominio del Pidio, and it’s about fermenting in concrete and ageing in traditional underground cellars in Quintana del Pidio.

At the east end of the DO, in the vineyards in Soria province, producers such as Dominio de Atauta and Dominio del Aguila are releasing wines that have more elegance, and less oak. But Cervera warns: ‘It’s very complicated there in cold years and can produce really tannic wines.’

Ribera del Duero has established success in its national market, and this risks stifling innovation. But Blanco is positive: ‘There’s an alternative trend of those of us in smaller bodegas who want to reveal the soils in our wines, and we prefer the wines to mature without being drowned in oak. The good thing is that quality restaurants and independent wine shops rate our fresh wines highly.’

However, it’s not easy. Says Alberca: ‘A few of us want to produce something that is easier to drink. That doesn’t mean simple – these are complex wines. However, my clients feel that something is missing. They name another brand and they say, “That wine has more colour than yours, and more oak; yours only has 10 months’ ageing – does that mean yours is lower quality than a crianza?”’

As in Rioja, the quality wine classification requires specific time in specific barrels. This system values time in oak above vineyard age or quality. But things are changing here, as in Rioja: Cervera notes that Pago de Carraovejas, for example, has stopped making its crianza and reserva, and produces a ‘generic’ wine, meaning it can choose the time in and type of barrel, resulting in less obvious oak.

Sisseck reminds me to celebrate the essence of Ribera del Duero: ‘We can’t make Burgundy here. Our wines are full of character. That’s why you have to be careful with the tannins – they must be ripe and well-extracted. You can build texture, but you need to do it with care.’

Ribera del Duero: best recent vintages

2017 Devastating frost in April means it will be a very small harvest for many of the region’s producers, but they are positive about the quality of fruit they have

2014 A cool year, but producing balanced and fresh wines

2010 Turning out to be an excellent vintage: the wines are powerful, structured but still fresh

2009 A hot vintage, but the wines are nevertheless ripe and balanced, though perhaps a little less powerful than 2010

2005 Some outstanding wines were made in this year, with depth and generosity, plus firm tannins

2004 Another excellent year: supple, pure fruit and fine elegance

2000 A really good year, better perhaps than 2001 which was Rioja’s outstanding vintage; the long-lasting wines have developed with fine balance

Evans’ dream dozen from Ribera del Duero

• Sarah Jane Evans MW is co-Chair of the DWWA, and author of The Wines of Northern Spain (on sale April 2018, early orders via Amazon)

Why it makes the Decanter hall of fame?

Vega Sicilia, Unico 1964, Ribera del Duero, Spain

Bottles produced 96,000

Composition of blend 65% Tempranillo, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, Malbec & Albillo

Yield N/A

Alcohol 13.5%

Release price 2,700 pesetas (equivalent to €16)

Price today £473 (average price at auction)

A legend because

Vega Sicilia is Spain’€s most prestigious estate, and, until the 1950s, probably the only one with an international reputation. Most of its production goes into a wine called Valbuena – it is made from younger vines and contains more Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon, and is aged for five years before release – but the finest parcels are reserved for Unico. This wine is produced only in the top vintages, and 1964 was truly outstanding in Ribera del Duero. It also happened to be the centenary of the founding of Vega Sicilia.

Looking back

The estate was founded in 1864 and planted mostly with French varieties brought back as cuttings from Bordeaux by Eloy Lecanda, whose father owned the property. These flourished alongside the local Tinto del Pais, today known as Tempranillo. By the early 20th century, Vega Siclia was already recognised for its supreme quality. But distribution was restricted primarily to friends of the family. In 1964, the company was under the stewardship of Jesús Anadón, who used his prestige to help found the Ribera del Duero DO in 1982.

The vintage

The winter was cold and rainy, but the summer was exemplary for vines, with cool nights alternating with hot days. The harvest took place in early October, also in fine conditions.

The terroir

The vines, of which a high proportion are old, occupy more than 200 hectares at an elevation of around 700 metres. The soils are dominated by limestone and schist, and the fact that many vineyards are planted on north-facing slopes means good acidity levels are retained in the grapes and wines. Although French varieties still play a part in the Vega Sicilia blends, the lion’s share is Tempranillo, which is trained as bush vines; by contrast, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are trained along wires using the Guyot system, as in Bordeaux. Green-harvesting, as well as the naturally low production of the old vines, keep yields in check. Harvesting is highly selective, with picking dates varying according to the variety, parcel and age of the vines.

The wine

The winemaking at Vega Sicilia has always been extremely complicated, and the winemakers have often been reluctant to spell out their techniques in any detail. What characterises Unico, a Gran Reserva, is that it is aged for many years both in small American and French oak barrels (coopered on the premises), both new and older, as well as in larger casks and sometimes cement tanks, often going back and forth between these options. The winemakers were aware of the risks of oxidation and volatile acidity, to which Unico is prone, so the barrels were always kept topped up. The process is prolonged as well as complex, and in some vintages the wine was aged for 16 years before being bottled and released (though more recent vintages have only spent about six years in wood). Inevitably, the blend varies slightly from year to year. Bottling dates could also vary, depending on the demand for the wine. The 1964 vintage, made by Jesús Anadón, began its life in large casks for two years, then a further two years in 575-litre barrels, and completed its ageing in mostly older barrels for a further seven years. It first appeared on the market in 1976.

The reaction

Decanter’€s Michael Broadbent, tasting the wine over a span of 10 years, remarked: ‘Initially tannic but eventually beautifully evolved.’€ He observed that Unico is a wine that requires decanting and proper aeration for the bouquet to display itself fully.

In 2001 Serena Sutcliffe MW of Sotheby’s detected ‘earthy mushrooms on the nose, with violets and aniseed. Lovely, opulent, Burgundian taste. Sweet, melting violetty fruit’.

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More wine legends:

• Wine legend: Pingus, 1995

• Wine Legend: Biondi Santi, Tenuta il Greppo 1975

• Wine Legend: Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia 1985

Sarah Jane Evans MW chaired the final masterclass of the day, "The evolution of Ribera del Duero", at Decanter's Spain and Portugal Encounter on 27th February. Here are her top five wines from the class.

Ribera del Duero D.O. is famous for its Tinto Fino, also known as Tempranillo, wines. Those who attended ‘The evolution of Ribera del Duero‘ masterclass at last Saturday’s Spain and Portugal Fine Wine Encounter were treated to a stellar selection of wines.

• See our upcoming Decanter events

Sarah Jane Evans MW chaired the class and has chosen her top five wines from the session, ranging from a 20-year-old Reserva from Alejandro Fernández to a more recent 2005 Aalto PS.

• READ: 12 great value Ribera del Duero wines

All five wines are 100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo), and show different expressions of terroir in Ribera del Duero, as well as the changing trends in wine-making over the last two decades.

Sarah Jane Evans MW is the DWWA Regional co-Chair for Spain and Portugal. 

Ribera del Duero can offer real value for money, says Pedro Ballestero Torres MW, who picks 12 Ribera del Duero wines under £30.

The quality of basic Ribera del Duero has definitely improved; the wines are more balanced; brettanomyces is less widespread; young wines are fresher and fruitier; prices are lower than in pre-2008; and oak is less prominent and more integrated. Now quality, distinctiveness, balance and drinkability are the priorities for producers. The wines are still rich and still powerful, but not the monsters of the past. Ribera’s top wines are characterised more and more by finesse rather than power.

• See below for Pedro Ballestero Torres MW’s great value Ribera del Duero

There is no better time to get to know Ribera del Duero. There are wines at every price range and style, but most are affordable, delivering real value for money. They tend to be suave and rich, with a velvety touch, and very food-friendly. The best wines are made to keep and will improve over time, ranging from a few years to decades. They represent an excellent investment in future pleasure and, increasingly, price. The top wines are truly unique, with a great diversity of expressions – some terroir-driven, others based upon top-quality fruit and long, careful ageing.

Pedro Ballestero Torres MW is Decanter World Wine Awards Regional co-Chair for Spain

Great value Ribera del Duero: Under £30

Spanish winery Vega Sicilia has appointed a new technical director after confirming that Xavier Ausàs was to leave the group.

Ribera del Duero based Vega Sicilia said this week that its new technical director will be Gonzalo Iturriaga de Juan.

He previously spent several years as technical director for Bodegas Habla in Extremadura and was most recently an export sales director for winemaking equipment supplier Lamothe-Abiet.

The move comes a week after Vega Sicilia’s owner, Pablo Alvarez, confirmed to Decanter.com that Xavier Ausàs would depart after 17 years as technical director for the Spanish wine group’s wineries across Spain.

Alvarez said the decision to part ways was amicable and he wished Ausàs well for the future. It was not clear what Ausàs was going on to do.

This week, Alvarez was quoted by Spanish press as saying the change marked a ‘new phase’ for Vega Sicilia, which celebrated its 150th anniversary last year.

Vega Sicilia is known colloquially as Spain’s ‘first growth’ and was bought by the Alvarez family in 1982.

Gonzalo Iturriaga will take the reins at Vega Sicilia during a promising time for Spanish wine. Decanter contributor and Spain specialist Sarah Jane Evans MW has said Spanish wines are some of the most exiciting in the world at the moment.

• See also: Six top Spanish wines to try

Vega Sicilia's technical director of the past 17 years, Xavier Ausàs, is to depart the renowned Spanish wine producer, owner Pablo Alvarez has confirmed to Decanter.com.

Xavier Ausàs’ departure from Vega Sicilia was decided on 3 August, following 23 years at the Ribera del Duero based wine producer and 17 of those spent as technical director for its wineries across Spain. Ausàs’ joined Vega Sicilia’s sister winery, Alion, in 1992.

His replacement is due to start work at the beginning of September and Vega Sicilia intends to announce the successor’s name next week.

‘On 3 August, following a two hour conversation, we came to the conclusion that it was better to separate our professional relationship,’ Pablo Alvarez told Decanter.com.

‘In previous months we had held conversations on this matter and therefore decided by mutual agreement for each of us to follow our paths in a friendly way.’

• See also: Vega Sicilia celebrates 150 years with wine world stars

Alvarez praised Ausàs for improving Vega Sicilia’s wines without compromising their personality. ‘He has done a great job at Vega Sicilia and we wish him the very best for his future.’

It was not immediately clear what Ausàs is going on to do.

Vega Sicilia is one of Spain’s best known wineries and was acquired by Alvarez in 1982.

Last year, the winery held a party to celebrate its 150th anniversary, recruiting top Spanish chefs Joan Roca and Juan Arzak to create a menu around a selection of wines including two vintages of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet, a Vega Sicilia Unico and two wines from Oremus estate in Tokaj.

Spain is one of the favourite wine-producing countries among Decanter readers. Sarah Jane Evans MW and Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW explain how to build the perfect Spanish cellar, including wines to buy for all budgets, their top tips, vintage guides and further reading on the subject.

Picture credit: Thomas Skovsende

Quick links:

• Spanish cellar: Insider tips
• Spanish cellar: Regions and vintages
• Spanish cellar: Further reading
• Sarah Jane Evans MW’s Spanish cellar for £300
• Pedro Ballesteroes Torres MW’s Spanish cellar for £800

Spanish cellar: Insider tips

Picture credit: Thomas Skovsende

Insider tip #1

Try lesser wines from the most prestigious estates – they often provide unbeatable value. That’s why the £300 cellar selection here includes wines from producers that also appear in the £800 cellar selection.

Insider tip #2

Ignore the ‘official’ vintage ratings, provided by the appellations, as they are useless. During this century, not a single vintage in any region has been less than ‘Good’!

Insider tip #3

Spain’s dry climate is ideal for organic and biodynamic viticulture. Many top wineries do not indicate that they are organic on the labels, but you should find it on the winery website.

Insider tip #4

Spanish wine is good value for money, but avoid anything sold as a bargain. Heavily discounted wines tend to be mediocre.

Next page

Spain is one of the favourite wine-producing countries among Decanter readers. Sarah Jane Evans MW and Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW explain how to build the perfect Spanish cellar, including wines to buy for all budgets, their top tips, vintage guides and further reading on the subject.

Spanish cellar: Regions and vintages

Rioja

2012

Vines could not recover from the preceding stressing vintage; yields were quite low. The best wines can be even more concentrated than 2011. Ageing capacity is difficult to gauge at the moment.

2011

Even hotter than 2009, but without any rain to relieve the drought. Many wines needed heavy corrections. The best are probably among the densest Rioja wines ever.

2010

A warm and dry vintage, but less so than 2009. Excessive water stress was counterbalanced with timely rains. Balanced in general, some wines are outstanding. Ageworthy.

2009

A very warm and healthy vintage, with heavy rain at the end of the season resulting in a large harvest. The best producers released good-quality wines.

Ribera del Duero

2012

Another hot and dry year, but thanks to rains in July and September old vines produced elegant yet concentrated wines, with slightly less alcohol than in 2011.

2011

Officially rated ‘Excellent’, but this needs to be confirmed as the wines mature. A very hot year, with much heat stress.

2010

The dream vintage. Perfect, when phenolic maturity was in harmony with alcoholic maturity. Great ageing capacity for the best wines.

2009

Much hyped at release, it’s a warmer vintage than 2010, with lower acidities, so many wines are out of balance. The best are great, but many will pass their peak soon.

Priorat

2012

Dry weather and modest yields – a Garnacha year of great quality. The best wines will probably be more refined than 2011.

2011

A vintage of very long drought. Expect powerful, very concentrated wines.

2010

Wines are suppler than usual, and international varieties fared better than native grapes. Nice for mid-term consumption.

2009

Abundant harvest with many fresh and balanced wines. Not for long ageing.

Next page Previous page

Spain is one of the favourite wine-producing countries among Decanter readers. Sarah Jane Evans MW and Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW explain how to build the perfect Spanish cellar, including wines to buy for all budgets, their top tips, vintage guides and further reading on the subject.

Spanish cellar: Further reading

Picture credit: Thomas Skovsende

• Sarah Jane Evans MW’s Spanish cellar for £300
• Pedro Ballesteroes Torres MW’s Spanish cellar for £800

The most up-to-date information is online: foodswinesfromspain.com is a comprehensive, official site, with lots of data, while winesfromspainuk.com has news of events in the UK, plus maps and information. Specialist importers and retailers often have useful material on their websites.

The Finest Wines of Rioja and Northwest Spain, by Jesús Barquín, Luis Gutiérrez and Victor de La Serna (2011). The most up-to-date book on Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Navarra, Bierzo, Galicia and the Basque Country. Excellent, thorough descriptions and accurate analysis. Inevitably there have been changes since the book was written, but this remains a very useful guide with profiles – and superb portrait photos – of the leading producers.

The Vinologue series: Priorat (2014), Montsant (2014) and Empordà (2012) by Miquel Hudin and Elia Varela Serra. Useful pocket guides for visitors to the wineries and the regions.

Previous page

If you're in the mood to treat yourself and want to see some of the best that Spain has to offer, then see scores, tasting notes and prices on six interesting new releases from the recent Wines of Spain tasting in London.

See below for six reasons why Spain’s reputation for fine wine is on the rise.

• Chivite Coleccion 125 Blanco 2012, DO Navarra (100% Chardonnay)

From Chivite’s Legardeta single estate in Navarra close to the Pyrenees, this is one of Spain’s most northerly vineyards at an altitude of nearly 600m altitude. Barrel fermented by the Bordeaux oenologist and consultant, Denis Dubourdieu, using a mix of new and second use oak barrels, this benchmark chardonnay is fresh, elegant and savoury. On the palate, stone fruits mingle with ripe melon and pear which are followed by a toasty finish. Expertly textured, with superb mid-palate weight and balance. The 2012 is only just starting to drink now and has a long life ahead of it.

93 points/100

Drink 2015-2023

Indicative price: From £24.95

Stockists: Waitrose and Berry Bros & Rudd (BBR)

• Chivite Coleccion 125 Reserva 2010, DO Navarra

A delicious 100% Tempranillo which also comes from the Legardeta estate. A bright lifted nose of raspberries and strawberries leads on to a sweet and supple red fruit profile on the palate. The focus is on precision and elegance rather than power, so the tannins are gentle and soft while the acidity is bright and balanced. Traditional tempranillo at its best.

91 points.

Drink 2015-2022

Indicative price: from £24.95 x one 75cl bottle

Stockists: Waitrose and BBR

• Martires 2013 Finca Allende DOCa Rioja 100% Viura

This extraordinary white hails from a tiny (1ha) vineyard in Briones in Rioja Alta with old vines (planted in 1970) on loamy clay soils. Yet the first debut vintage of Martires was only as recent as 2008. This richly cosseted Viura is barrel fermented in 100% new French oak which is evident in the colour and texture of the wine. Both the nose and palate are powerful and exotic with notes of peach, lemon sherbet, lime and honeysuckle, together with a saline savouriness. Yet the wine doesn’t lack freshness alongside its glossy richness and complexity. Long and powerful.

92 points

Drink 2015- 2023

ABV 14.5%

Indicative price: £95

Stockist: BBR.

• Calvario 2007 Finca Allende DOCa Rioja

Another Allende masterpiece from a south-east facing vineyard in Briones with a mix of gravel and red clay, together with stones that wouldn’t look out of place in Chateauneuf du Pape. The blend is 90% tempranillo, 8% garnacha tinta and 2% graciano from the classic 2007 vintage in Rioja. The primary fruit nose is scented and serious with a hint of sous bois bottle age. On the palate, the wine unfurls revealing layers of supple red fruits, plums, balsam and cigar box, all cloaked in ripe velvet-like tannins and medium body. Wonderful elegance, restraint and complexity.

94 points

Drink 2015- 2025

ABV 13.5%

Indicative price: £95

Stockist: BBR

• Corimbo 1 2010 Bodegas La Horra, Ribera del Duero

From the Roda stable, this stunning red is a joint venture with the Balbas brothers who provided access to some excellent old vineyards in Burgos in Ribera del Duero. It’s 100% tempranillo and is only the second vintage from this label in the UK after the 2009. The 2010 is altogether fresher with ripe cassis and black fruits, tealeaf, minerals and spice. The acidity is linear and balanced, while the firm tannins suggest this has good ageing potential. Alcohol weighs in at 14.5% but is not remotely intrusive. The same goes for careful oak handling in US and French barrels.

90 points

Drink 2016-2026

ABV 14.5%

Price £45

Stockist: Hedonism Wines

• La Comtesse de Pazo Barrantes 100% Albarinho 2011, Marques de Murrieta, DO Rias Baixas

Oak aged Albarinho might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but this was right on message for my palate. Murrieta are best known in Rioja, but this comes from its 12 hectare estate in Rias Baixas’ Salnes Valley. I picked out pear, citrus and orchard fruits together with cream and honeysuckle. Also lovely richness, vibrancy and density. Needs food and best decanted if you plan to drink it sooner rather than later.

91 points

Drink 2015-2022

ABV 13.5%

Indicative price £36.99

Stockists: ND Wine Merchants (Swansea), The Tasting Room (Bath), Planet of the Grapes.

Written by John Stimpfig

Ribera del Duero's ruling council has launched a bid to permit the production of white wine in the Spanish DO wine region.

Harvest in Ribera del Duero. Image credit: Cesar Manso / AFP / Getty

Ribera del Duero DO is famous for its red wine production of Tempranillo grapes, but existing rules do not allow white wines to have DO status.

‘It is about opening new opportunities and options for producers,’ said Enrique Pascual, chairman of the Ribera del Duero regulatory council.

‘Our proposal contemplates allowing the production of white wine under DO label. The varieties of white grapes would be the same ones currently permitted in Castilla y Leon,’ he told Decanter.com.

White wine production in Ribera del Duero is limited to Castilla y Leon IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) and it accounts for less than 3% of the region’s wine production.

Under the new proposal, a wide range of varieties would be authorised for production with DO status, including Albillo, Pirules, Malvaisa, Viura, Verdejo, Albariño, Hondarrabi Zuri, Palomino, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Treixadura and Viognier.

Pascual denied that the proposal had come about as a consequence of the limited production space available in the neighbouring Rueda DO wine region. He added that the proposal had emerged as result of conversation with local producers.

While many producers in Ribera del Duero have backed the proposals, some have voiced concerns over allowing for the production for such a wide range of white varieties. Pascual said a draft of the proposal had been submitted to vineyards and would require government and European Union approval.

Related Content:

• Antonio Banderas launches Ribera wine
• Ribera del Duero 2010: panel tasting results

Written by Barnaby Eales

In less than 16 years, Javier Zaccagnini and Mariano Garcia have achieved their aim – to make a wine in Ribera del Duero equal to the world’s best. Sarah Jane Evans MW meets the duo and discovers the secrets of their success

Aalto at a glance

Appellation Ribera del Duero

Vineyards Owns or rents 110ha, made up of 200 plots, none bigger than 1ha, sourcing from nine villages, and some new sites including in front of the winery

Grape variety Tempranillo, known in the region as Tinto Fino, with a thicker skin and a smaller berry. Verdejo planted for a white wine project Soils Vineyard sites reflect Ribera del Duero’s diversity: clay, limestone, sand and pebbles

Production Aalto’s production has been steady at around 200,000 bottles, but is now increasing to 250,000. Production of PS is no more than 10,000 bottles

Exports 70% of production exported

How has Aalto made it to the top so quickly? The plan in 1999 was to ‘make a wine that in the space of 15 to 20 years should reach the quality of the best wines in the world’. Many would say it has already achieved this ambitious aim. Three facts are significant in explaining the rapid ascent: old vines, insider knowledge and the remarkable duo behind the project.

To start with, the old vines. By seeking out plots of mature bush vines, Aalto never had to go through the usual process of planting vines and having initial years of moderate success while waiting for the wines to mature. Here comes the insider knowledge. Aalto winemaker Mariano Garcia had been in charge of the wines at Vega Sicilia for 30 years, even before the advent of the current owners. Meanwhile, managing director Javier Zaccagnini had been the director of Ribera’s regulatory body, the Consejo Regulador, for six years. Between them, they knew exactly where to look.

Meeting the pair, they seem an unlikely combination for success. Zaccagnini has an MBA, speaks four languages, and is a man bounding with nervous energy, constantly alive with ideas. Classical music is the soundtrack to his life and endless car journeys, and his partner is a professional musician. Garcia is tall and long-limbed, with the glamour of a mature rockstar. With his white hair and silver beard, plus a gold chain round his neck, the word debonair could have been invented for him. If you attend a vertical of Vega Sicilia, you’ll be tasting many of Garcia’s wines.

The two became friends working in Ribera del Duero, when Zaccagnini would bring visitors to Vega Sicilia. By that time Garcia had already established his own project in Castilla y León, Mauro, one which is now run by his son Eduardo. His other son Alberto is running the Astrales winery in Ribera del Duero. When Garcia left Vega Sicilia, Zaccagnini’s proposal that they start again, in the same region, to make the best wines using the best vine material, in the way that he wanted, was too good to turn down.

In the beginning

Zaccagnini’s achievement has been to build a business where Garcia felt free to develop his ideas and follow his own way of working. At dinner, he stresses Garcia’s significance: ‘Mariano is 80% of our success.’ The fact that we are all talking over a very good dinner is a reminder that Garcia likes to make time for a really good meal. He’s recognised throughout Spain for his seriousness about food: his office in the Mauro winery is covered with plaques from organisations recognising the importance of his contribution to gastronomy. His wine philosophy owes a good deal to his pleasures in the kitchen: ‘Don’t manage the wine too much. Intervene at little as possible. The same goes for chefs.’

Garcia was ‘born in the vineyards’, as his great grandfather’s family had land in Castille. He was encouraged to taste as a young man, and was attracted to the creativity in winemaking. Zaccagnini’s own start in the world of wine was less promising. True, he was born in one of the three great Sherry towns – El Puerto de Santa Maria – and his grandparents had a bodega. However, neither of his parents drank. It wasn’t until he was 29 that ‘I suggested to my brother that we do a wine appreciation course.’ He’d qualified as an agricultural engineer and, being ‘ambitious’, ran not one but two businesses simultaneously. By then he had two daughters but never saw them. ‘I was on the point of a heart attack. One day, driving home, I was so stressed I stopped the car, lay back, looked at the roof and thought if I don’t stop working like this I’ll be dead.’ He moved into a gourmet food business, bringing him closer to the world of wine.

In 1992 Ribera’s fledgling Consejo Regulador, then just 10 years old, appointed him as director. It urgently needed a blast of the Zaccagnini management magic. For instance: ‘We had 600 growers producing fruit. At vintage they had to fill in paperwork for every load. By the end of the harvest we had 30,000 chits to process. It took the consejo till March each year to add up them up!’ His solution: a credit card for the growers.

A consejo is not always the most exciting place to work. But it was magic for Zaccagnini. He ended up with the dream of having a bodega of his own.

Why call it Aalto? Because it’s a short, internationally pronounceable word, and one that has the real advantage of appearing top of the list in any guide.

Careful selection

Aalto is a pure expression of Tempranillo. It might seem a curious choice to commit to one variety when with a more extreme climate than Rioja there’s a risk of losing the crop. Garcia is unperturbed, and loves the character of the wine: ‘Even St-Emilion [with Merlot] lacks the subtlety of Tempranillo.’ He explains, ‘The Tempranillos in Rioja, Ribera, Toro, are all the same genotype. But they are unlike the Ribera Tempranillo, which has adapted to our different climate.’

The key to Aalto’s complexity is the choice of the best fruit from across Ribera del Duero’s diverse terroirs. The top villages include Roa, La Horra, La Aguilera, Fresnillo and Moradillo. People were territorial, set on keeping cuttings within each village so that today there is much variation between villages. Zaccagnini says, ‘We could do a Burgundy style classification here in Ribera if we wanted.’

Certainly there’s a lot to be said for the Burgundian comparison: turn the map of Ribera 90˚ and it shows the same long, narrow shape and spread of villages. Indeed, Peter Sisseck of Pingus, Hacienda Monasterio and Psi is part of a new long-term project with the Consejo to map these soils. At Aalto, each plot is harvested and handled separately, with different oak treatments. Aalto spends usually 20 months in oak, 50% new French, the other 50% one- to three-year-old French and American. The small-production PS (Pagos Seleccionadas) sees 24 months in 100% new French oak. Both PS and Aalto are blended after ageing.

In good company

How then do they differ from Vega Sicilia? In one sense they are not directly comparable, as neither Valbuena nor Unico is 100% Tempranillo. The former has a little less than 10% of Merlot and Malbec; the latter, a similar dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon. The Vega Sicilia wines also undergo a different ageing regime. Valbuena spends 30 months in barrels and vats of different ages and origins, with a further two years in bottle. Unico has 10 years of ageing before release, while the Reserva Especial carries on the tradition of blending across three vintages. These are wines built for the long haul.

Aalto and PS, by contrast, both 100% Tempranillo, with between 50% and 100% new oak, are an obvious new generation, altogether more concentrated, bolder and more direct wines. Liquorice, dark fruits, and fine oak dominate the palate. Perhaps the better comparison is with Alión, a Vega Sicilia project started in Garcia’s time, which is a bold, modern statement of 100% Tempranillo with 100% new French oak. Both share the same approach of superb ripe fruit, with a similar focus on selection and concentration. Both are made for drinkers who like their wines younger. Yet Aalto is still a baby compared to Alión, which was launched 13 years before, and it promises plenty.

After Aalto’s first decade, it acquired new backers in the form of the Masaveu family, which owns the Fillaboa estate in Rías Baixas, among others. Zaccagnini is very comfortable: ‘They understand the nature of the wine business and are very hands-off. Everything is reinvested into the very best equipment for the winery.’ Their support means that building has begun again on the discreetly positioned winery, as well as the continued investment in plantings of carefully selected vines for decades ahead.

Looking forward to the next 15 to 20 years, Garcia and Zaccagnini will have to think about a succession plan, for a new team to build on their achievement. Surely no successors will ever be as interesting, diverting and contrasting as Garcia and Zaccagnini – or as good company. Whoever it is, though, can be sure that Aalto has been created on that most secure foundation, fine old vines.

Written by Sarah Jane Evans MW

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In less than 16 years, Javier Zaccagnini and Mariano Garcia have achieved their aim – to make a wine in Ribera del Duero equal to the world’s best. Sarah Jane Evans MW meets the duo and discovers the secrets of their success

Aalto: a timeline

1978 Mariano Garcia (above) founds Mauro winery in Castilla y León

1992-1998 Javier Zaccagnini is director of the Consejo Regulador, the regulatory board for Ribera del Duero

March 1998 Garcia leaves Vega Sicilia, where he has worked for 30 years

February 1999 Aalto founded, to make two wines: Aalto and, in exceptional years, a small production of PS (Pagos Seleccionados: ‘selected vineyards’)

2000 Planted 12ha in Quintanilla de Arriba, around the site for the winery

2011 First commercial launch of Zaccagnini’s Sei Solo

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In less than 16 years, Javier Zaccagnini and Mariano Garcia have achieved their aim – to make a wine in Ribera del Duero equal to the world’s best. Sarah Jane Evans MW meets the duo and discovers the secrets of their success

Aalto: Sei Solo

This is Javier Zaccagnini’s own project, launched in 2011, from 60-year-old wines in La Horra. As he says, ‘Aalto was Mariano’s project; I wanted one of my own.’ His focus is on developing a Burgundian-style Tinto Fino with more elegance and less power than is common in Ribera del Duero. As a result there is no new oak.

The small-scale production is fermented in four small 20hl vats; the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations are spontaneous; no press wine is added to boost the concentration. ‘I wanted to forget about structure and power; that’s not my style.’ The wines are matured in 228-litre and 600-litre, two-year-old French oak barrels.

The final blend creates two wines: Sei Solo, of which there were 1,200 bottles in 2011, and Preludio, 4,000 bottles. And the name? Stemming from his great love of music, it comes from six solo masterpieces for the violin, by Bach.

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In less than 16 years, Javier Zaccagnini and Mariano Garcia have achieved their aim – to make a wine in Ribera del Duero equal to the world’s best. Sarah Jane Evans MW meets the duo and discovers the secrets of their success

Five of the best from Zaccagnini & Garcia

Aalto, PS 2004

18.5/20pts (95/100pts)

Fascinating insight into ageability of PS (Pagos Seleccionadas) in a very good year. Gloriously aromatic, floral, and black fruits. Bright, fresh, complex, with a clean, mineral edge. Still so young, a sign of the potential of Ribera del Duero.

Price: £80 (in bond) City Wine Collection, Turville Valley Wines

Drink 2015- 2025

Alc 15%

Sei Solo 2012

18.5/20pts (95/100pts)

Glorious mineral elegance. A big wine with a warm alcohol depth. Intense dark fruit with a long, finely textured, intense finish.

Price: £36.66 (ib) Justerini & Brooks

Drink 2016-2024

Alc 15%

Aalto, PS 2011

18/20pts (93/100pts)

A vividly powerful Ribera del Duero, showing what this region is capable of using old vines, and thick-skinned Tinto Fino. Dense and spicy, with black fruits, and liquorice and fennel complexity. Oak gives fine smokiness. Flinty, mineral finish.

Price: £49-£89.60 Christopher Keiller, Fine & Rare, Hedonism, Justerini & Brooks

Drink 2018- 2030

Alc 15%

Aalto 2011

17/20pts (90/100pts)

Spicy, glossy Tinto Fino, showing a fine-tuned midpalate, with some slightly drying, dusty tannins. An enticing richness of quality fruit (suggesting sweet blueberries) with a savoury seasoning. The oak is a feature, but the quality is fine and balances the richness. Very big with a warm ripple of alcohol. 50% new oak – 85% French oak and 15% American.

Price: £49-£89.60 Christopher Keiller, Fine & Rare, Hedonism, Justerini & Brooks

Drink 2015-2020

Alc 15%

Sei Solo, Preludio 2012

17/20pts (90/100pts)

Boldly aromatic with black fruits, fine leather and liquorice. Signs of fine oak barrels lead the palate. Dense, excellent fruit matched by spicy palate. Four-square structure. Fermented in small oak vats in a corner of the winery and aged in oak barrels for 18 months. A very promising beginning to the project.

Price: £16.67 (ib) Justerini & Brooks

Drink 2018-2020

Alc 15%

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Not since Jean-Claude Rouzaud's legendary party back in 1997 have there been so many wine luminaries from around the world gathered together for an anniversary celebration.

Pablo Alvarez, Vega Sicilia’s owner, is a well-known gastronome. He takes eight hours to make his tomato sauce, his nephew revealed, and he certainly spared nothing in ensuring that Vega Sicilia‘s 150th anniversary celebrations would enter the annals of great wine parties.

Two of Spain’s most celebrated chefs, Joan Roca and Juan Arzak, devised a menu to complement the wines which included two vintages of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet, three vintages of Vega Sicilia’s Unico and two wines from the group’s Tokaj estate, Oremus.

The A-list of the wine world arrived in force to enjoy the celebrations. Those at the party included: Pierre Lurton of Chateaux Cheval Blanc and d’Yquem, Paul Symington of Symington Port, Pierre Henry Gagey of Louis Jadot, Marcel Guigal, Angelo Gaja, Bill Harlan of Harlan Estate, Jean Charles Le Bault de la Moriniere of Bonneau du Martray, Etienne Hugel, Hubert de Billy of Champagne Pol Roger, Robert Drouhin of Egon Muller, Mauricio Gonzalez, Olivier Bernard, Jerome Philippon and collector Bipin Desai.

The next night was another party for 600 people, with famous celebrities guests including actress Goldie Hawn.

While clearly keen to mark 150 years in style, it was clear that Pablo Alvarez – who bought Vega Sicilia in 1982 from Hans Neumann – is not resting on past glories.

The cellar has some of the most innovative technology in winemaking, including one of the only two stainless steel ‘elevator tanks’ (the other one is at Chateau Cos d’Estournel). So-called elevator tanks are intended to aid the transfer of wine from one vat to another by harnessing the power of gravity, rather than using a pump.

‘We feel our cellars are shabby when we visit Pablo’s,’ said one anniversary party guest.

Future projects at Vega Sicilia include planting an oak forest to the north of the vineyards to aid freshness.

Wines served at the anniversary celebration include:

• Tio Pepe Fino en rama, Gonazlez Byass
• AOS Amontillado, Osborne,
• Sir Winston Churchill, Pol Roger, 1996,
• Bollinger RD 2002,
• Montrachet DRC, 2011 and 2009

Vega Sicilia wines served:

• Valbuena 5, 2010
• Unico 1953, 1981 (magnum), 1994
• Oremus Tokaj Eszencia 2005
• Oremus Tokaj Aszu 6 Puttonyos 1972

Sarah Kemp is Decanter’s publishing director

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Buy tickets to the Vega Sicilia masterclass at the Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter

Vega Sicilia is one of many world-leading wine estates taking part in the inaugural Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter this November. Be among the first to get tickets to the event, and to book your place at an intimate tasting of Vega Sicilia wines.

Decanter Vega Sicilia Reader Weekend

Join Decanter for an unforgettable wine weekend to Vega Sicilia in Ribera del Duero, one of Spain’s most prestigious wineries. Lunch will be hosted by Xavier Ausàs, Vega Sicilia’s winemaker, with an accompanying flight of Vega Sicilia wines. Book your place here.

Written by Sarah Kemp

This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for Ribera del Duero over £15 went to Matanegra, Vendimia Seleccionada, Ribera del Duero 2010 (14%)

Tasted against:

• Cillar de Silos, La Viña de Amalio, Ribera del Duero 2009
• Comenge, Ribera del Duero 2009
• Viña Mayor, Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva 2007

Profile:

Matanegra is a collaboration between José Luis Escudero and César Martín, set up in 2005: Escudero is technical director and Martin oversees the finances and logistics.

‘It is the result of a profound reflection onwhat we wanted to do with these ancient grapes that belonged to our fore fathers. The experience they gained over years of caring for these vineyards and the development of local wines was the perfect platform for the creation of Matanegra cellar.’

The 20-hectare, biodynamic estate certainly has historic credentials. Whereas a lot of Ribera del Duero went through a period of major replanting in the 1980s and 1990s, the average age of the vines that produced this Trophy winneris 90 years, densely planted on south-facing slopes that protect them from the biting winters.

‘Quality, quality, quality,’ is the working standard Martin applies to each of their three wines, but the Vendimia Seleccionada is Matanegra’s crown jewel. Only made in certain years, it is the ultimate expression of the Tempranillo grape from its land and, in Martin’s words, is the fruit of ‘all our hard work and the unique terroir, concentrated into one bottle’.

Written by Decanter