Viñedo Singular: panel tasting results

Rulei is a demonstration of the uniqueness of the high-altitude vineyards in the Najerilla valley, which historically specialised in Garnacha vines, though they are now all but abandoned. This wine is pure Garnacha from a centenarian vineyard. Aged 10 months in French oak barriques, and just 2,200 bottles produced. Yolanda Ortiz de Arri: Deep ruby, with a ripe nose and mineral character. This is bright yet restrained, with a long finish. Sarah Jane Evans MW: The sumptuous aroma leads to a rich, plummy palate that’s coated with dark chocolate and has a creamy note. The tannins give it structure but don’t dominate. Long. Winemaking not intrusive. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: A very intense nose of black fruit and liquorice with pencil and mint. This is a future icon, which has amazing density, a distinctive identity, and a deep, multi-layered fruit expression. Restrained finish. An unforgettable wine.

Sínodo was founded in 2014 by three friends who’d studied oenology together and all worked in different wineries before starting their new project. Raposeras is their 105-year-old vineyard of just 0.16ha, planted in 1916 by the great-grandfather of one of the team. It’s mainly a Tempranillo vineyard, with just five of the vines planted to Garnacha. It is made with the utmost care and attention to detail, which shows in the glass. Yolanda Ortiz de Arri: Ripe red fruit on the nose. A dense wine, with a longlingering, dusty finish. Sarah Jane Evans MW: A dark, brooding style of wine, all about graphite and liquorice, along with roasted coffee. Still a baby, but with a promise of great intensity. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: Distilled essence of Tempranillo, intensely concentrated. Sinewy, inky texture, with lots of rounded tannins. Made for the long run – can be left for at least five years, and will last much longer.

This wine demonstrates how a well-managed and quality conscious cooperative can release unique icon wines. From an old Tempranillo vineyard owned by some of the 240 vine-growers in Sonsierra, who have identified their very best vineyards and sought to express their individuality. Yolanda Ortiz de Arri: A ripe, floral wine that gives immediate but sheer pleasure. Packed with personality. Would be nice to try this with food. Sarah Jane Evans MW: Finely oaked nose. Deep blackcurrant fruit and a layer of oak on the palate. Ripe and supple despite a difficult vintage. Chalky texture. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: This is a very good benchmark for Tempranillo, with Atlantic character. Damson fruit, hints of marmalade and then a nice freshness on the palate. It has stern but not harsh tannins and a memorable openness on the finish.

Amaren perhaps represents the concept of a village winery better than any other producer. Based in the high Alavesa village of Samaniego, it sources grapes from vineyards less than 5km away. Amaren was created in 1995 as a new project by Luis Cañas, but it quickly developed its own personality, and has become a pioneer of Viñedos Singulares, with two impressive examples including this one. Yolanda Ortiz de Arri: Inky but lifted, with mineral, damson and ripe blackberry. Balanced and restrained, with a long life ahead. Sarah Jane Evans MW: Smoky overlay on the nose. It’s dark on the palate, with tannic grip, and damson and bitter chocolate, plus lovely fruit underneath. Very long finish. An individual style. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: Laden with damsons and cranberries, a wine with restrained oak influence and a sinewy dense texture, with elegant bitterness. Has a clear identity and distinctiveness.

Cedar, eucalyptus, toast and dark fruit lift; sumptuous palate and a long finish with a saline edge.

A juicy, deep wine with an array of herbal and fruit flavours, and fine-grained tannins. Concentrated, it distils a vineyard, leaving a long memory.

Elegant, dense, velvety fruit, promising a sumptuous style. Still young, but tannins will integrate. Fine intensity with a blackcurrant liquorice profile.

Very ripe black fruit; perfect. Damson-like but not bitter, with lots of sweet tannins that give grained texture and a graceful, persistent finish. A wine with signs of a strong identity.

A top-notch wine of huge density, with balancing acidity; exceptionally ripe, on the edge of being excessive. Very impressive, massive style.

Rhubarb and redcurrant aromas. Dark fruits and dark chocolate abound on the palate while darts of lemon refresh. Fine tannins, youthful with an exceptionally long finish.

An intriguing nose, with lots of fruit and a mix of lavender, liquorice and cedarwood. Very powerful, but extremely refined and complex. It needs some years in bottle to soften up.

Has a gently smoky aroma and a succulent, supple, juicy palate. Bright and refreshing with undertones of bitter chocolate and cranberry.

Lovely red fruit and herbal aromas. Deliciously juicy and distinctly black-fruited and spicy, with a silky quality to the tannins. Fresh, with a long, long finish.

Intense aromas of blackberries, with pungent hints and evidence of French oak. Atlantic expression of Tempranillo: fresh and intense, open. Far too young to drink now.

Intense blackberry fruit, with a sinewy texture, impressive concentration and a slow finish. It shows the value of individual vineyards in Rioja.

Joyously juicy palate with a line of acidity. Harmonious tannins. Viñedo Singular wines are often modern in style, but this seems a classical Rioja.

Sumptuous dark fruit overlaid with berries on the nose. Dense, dark fruits on the palate with a lively lift of acid. Firm, grippy tannins will soften in due course.

Heavily oaked on the nose, showing its true character on the palate, with impressive depth, lots of fruit and unique tannic texture. Far too young to drink now, it will improve over many years.

A classic Rioja with a surplus of complexity, marked by the traditional ageing method. This has lots of red fruit, and is very expressive.

This has bright citrus charm, with appealing mineral, savoury flavours and good structure. Very clean and expressive, persistent.

Deep, with very tight tannins, balancing acidity, and great depth and intensity. Well textured with concentrated ripe fruit. Very interesting.

Plush and ambitious, with polished cedar aromas. This is a confident wine and carries it off well. Notes of eucalyptus and rhubarb add complexity.

A deliciously rich, exuberant wine that’s full of oak and fruit. It’s powerful and joyful, with a persistent finish.