• Cellar Selection,  Garnacha,  Graciano,  Haro,  Mazuelo,  Spain,  Tempranillo

    Cellar Selection

    R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1980 It all started in the middle of the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, since the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed closely in their footsteps. Don Rafael fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro, the mythical capital of the Rioja Alta region. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing…

  • Garnacha,  Mencía,  Spain,  Weekend Selection

    Weekend Selection

    Dominio do Bibei Ribeira Sacra Lalama 2012 Dominio do Bibei is located in the Quiroga-Bibei sub zone of the Ribeira Sacra D.O. Like all Ribeira Sacra sub zones, this area is one of spectacular mountain ranges and rivers, but it is drier and harsher than the others. Javier Dominguez is the brainchild of this crazy adventure to recapture a once grand vineyard. Javier’s vision is reflected in the winery and its simple design. Gravity rules. There are no stainless steel tanks; wood or cement are the vehicles of choice and they come in all the different sizes. The idea is to return to the past to rediscover what was once…

  • Cellar Selection,  Garnacha,  Graciano,  Mazuelo,  Spain,  Tempranillo

    Cellar Selection

    R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva 2004 It all started in the middle of the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, since the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed closely in their footsteps. Don Rafael fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro, the mythical capital of the Rioja Alta region. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing wine…

  • Cellar Selection,  Garnacha,  Graciano,  Mazuelo,  Rioja,  Spain,  Tempranillo

    Cellar Selection

    R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1995 It all started in the middle of the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, since the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed closely in their footsteps. Don Rafael fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro, the mythical capital of the Rioja Alta region. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing…

  • Cabernet Sauvignon,  Cariñena,  Cellar Selection,  Garnacha,  Priorat,  Spain,  Syrah

    Cellar Selection

    Clos Mogador Priorat 2013 In an arid and magical place, French monks discovered “Eden’s Ladder”, Escala Dei (12th century). It was here that they made the Lord’s wine. In this very same arid place, 800 years later, a young French woman and a Catalan man, Isabelle and René Barbier, found the place of their dreams, Clos Mogador. René Barbier led the original Priorat movement, proving that exciting and unique fine wines could be made in this forgotten corner of Spanish Catalonia. At Clos Mogador, he nursed back to life abandoned old vineyards planted on steep hillsides, where the ancient Grenache and Carignan vines had learned to struggle against the aridity…

  • Cariñena,  Cellar Selection,  Garnacha,  Spain,  Syrah

    Cellar Selection

    I’Avi Arrufi Vi de guarda 2008 L’Avi Arrufi is an estate-bottled wine made by Celler Vinos Piñol with organically grown grapes in the high elevation region of Terra Alta, located south of Barcelona. The Piñol family has been wine growers for four generations. L’Avi Arrufi means, “Grandfather Arrufi,” the man who founded Celler Piñol in 1945. Today, less than 800 cases are produced of one of the family’s most distinctive wines, made from organically grown vines over seventy years old. L’Avi Arrufi is “liquid geography,” a wine that sings the special music of Terra Alta’s terroir composed of phrases and notes of the specific flavors of the Mediterranean climate. The…

  • Cellar Selection,  Garnacha,  Graciano,  Haro,  Mazuelo,  Rioja,  Spain,  Tempranillo

    Cellar Selection

    Bodegas Muga 2010 Rioja Selección Especial Reserva The Muga wine cellars were founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga Martínez who originated from a family with strong ties to the winemaking industry. On the death of the founder in 1969, his children Manuel, Isabel and Isaac Muga Caño took over the reins. Two years later in 1971, they moved their headquarters to their present location in the traditional Station District on the outskirts of Haro. Bodegas Muga has continued to grow as the years have passed but it has never lost the spirit of a family-run company. The winery controls every step of the viticultural and vinification process from the vineyards…

  • Cellar Selection,  Garnacha,  Rioja,  Spain,  Tempranillo

    Cellar Selection

    La Rioja Alta S.A. 2007 Viña Ardanza Reserva On the 10th of July 1890, five Basque and Rioja families shared their passion for wine and founded “Sociedad Vinicola De La Rioja Alta” in what is known as the Haro Station District. That day was the start of an ongoing searching for excellence that their descendants still pursue today. The company changed its name to “LA RIOJA ALTA“ in 1891, and in 1941 the company took on its present name, LA RIOJA ALTA, S.A. A year later, chairman of the board, Leandro Ardanza Angulo, registered the renowned brand name, “Viña Ardanza”. To give you a little taste of the town of Haro, in…

  • Exceptional Red,  Garnacha,  Spain,  Tempranillo

    Exceptional Red

    Solar De Castro Vendimia Seleccionada 2009 The winery’s oldest reference dates back to 1888, year in which Vicente Domeco de Jarauta presented a wine in Barcelona’s world-wide exhibition and won an award. In 1995 José Vicente Domeco de Jarauta built a modern winery where he begins to make commercial wines, and later in 2005, he created Winery Domeco de Jarauta on the occasion of the incorporation. his son Jose Vicente Domeco de Jarauta, who after studying enology in San Sadurni D’Anoia (Penedés) joined the family business creating a winery where its primary target was combining tradition, quality and innovation. A blend of 80% Tempranillo 20% Garnacha with 12 months of…

  • Cellar Selection,  Garnacha,  Graciano,  Mazuelo,  Rioja,  Spain,  Tempranillo

    Cellar Selection

    Muga 2006 Gran Reserva Prado Enea Since the XVII century, the Muga family has been linked to the wine world and to the area of Rioja. Fast forward to 1932 when Bodega Muga Winery was founded and today the winery operates with the same principals it did almost 100 years ago.  Muga also has its own cooperage and is able to control the right touch of oak desired in its offerings. Bodegas Muga vineyards are located on the foot of the Montes Obarenses, within the area called Rioja Alta. The site climate is exceptional due to, on the one hand, the singular geography and orientation of the vines and on…