Rioja Viñedos Singulares: Panel tasting results

Beth Willard, Matthew Forster MW and Pierre Mansour tasted 48 wines, with 3 Outstanding and 20 Highly recommended.

Rioja Viñedos Singulares: Panel tasting scores

48 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 3

Highly recommended 20

Recommended 20

Commended 2

Fair 3

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers were invited to submit up to two current release wines, red and / or white, classified as ‘Vino de Viñedo Singular’ as per the regulations of DOCa Rioja

This was an intriguing tasting that threw up some surprises, much like the viñedo singular category itself. Since the 2017 harvest, producers in Rioja have been permitted to classify specific vineyard sites, shifting the focus from the ageing process to the wine’s origin. In this tasting, we assessed wines from the first five vintages produced within this designation.

The highest scoring wines offered the clearest varietal character and sense of place. Among the three Outstanding wines (see below), the Garnacha-dominant blend of Quiñón de Valmira displayed the red cherry fruit that’s typical of the variety, accented by the flinty freshness of the higher zones of Monte Yerga. Meanwhile, Tronco Negro – from 90-year-old vineyards – exemplified the old-vine concentration that’s demanded by the category (vines must be at least 35 years old and yield at least 20% below the average for the rest of the DOCa).

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Rioja Viñedos Singulares panel tasting

It is interesting that the five top-scoring wines were from the cooler, Atlantic-influenced 2021 vintage. Rated only ‘Very Good’ (as opposed to ‘Excellent’) by the Consejo Regulador, 2021 is proving to be an exceptional year and these wines showed an extraordinary balance and judicious use of oak. Pierre Mansour believes the younger vintages ‘promise a better future for the category’ due to their vibrancy, elegance and freshness.

It is possible that some of the older wines, from the challenging 2017 vintage, for instance, are at an awkward stage in their evolution – with oak dominating and tannins appearing firm at the moment. However, they may just need a little more time to express themselves fully so shouldn’t be dismissed. It is worth revisiting these wines in the future as there are some fine producers among them. In fact, some of the lower scoring wines in this tasting have performed better on other occasions.

Matthew Forster felt there was a ‘lack of confidence from some producers to move away from traditional oaked styles’. In some instances, the panel found firm and drying oak tannin with traditional vanilla and coconut sweetness masking the wine’s terroir. These wines stood out in a category focused on vineyard expression.

See all the wines from the Rioja Viñedos Singulares panel tasting

With legislation governing village wines to be relaxed in Rioja, it will be interesting to see if the viñedo singular designation continues to deliver some of the fine examples of vineyard expression on offer, or whether producers instead choose to classify wines within the village category. Mansour praised the category for its intention to ‘highlight a sense of place’ but went on to explain that ‘as a marketing tool on its own, it has no inherent impact on sales’.

In 2022, a Decanter panel tasted 30 viñedo singular wines: this year, 48 wines were submitted to Decanter – an important increase. However, there are 161 wines in total within the classification, and as the 2022 panel concluded, we also believe that producers are hesitant to classify wines due to restrictive requirements – such as additional tastings – which might result in the rejection of a wine from one vintage to the next.

While there are undoubtedly some fantastic wines offering great expressions of individual vineyard sites, we may find going forward that the classification is challenged by developments in other categories within Rioja, such as the village wine category.

Viñedos Singulares 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 Spain and Eastern Europe. Formerly buying manager at Direct Wines, she is a DWWA Co-Chair and also a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino

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 and Portugal

Pierre Mansour is director of wine at The Wine Society, and has been buying The Society’s Spanish wines since 2008. He is a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and a DWWA joint Regional Chair for Spain

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