Bodegas y Viñedos Alión 2008 In April 1982, the Alvarez family purchased Vega Sicilia from its previous owner Hans Neuman, a Venezuelan businessman. Wine thus became the cornerstone of the family’s new business project. In 1991, the Alvarez family created Alión, a modern up-to-date wine, quite unlike the classicism of Vega Sicilia. Coming under the same denomination of origin, just 15km from the earlier brands, it marked a turning point in wine production in Ribera del Duero. Opening a bottle of “modern” Ribera del Duero was an absolute joy. The color was a glistening dark Ruby red with concentrated aromas of dark fruits, floral scents and some oak spice. The…
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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…
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Bohigas Brut Reserva Cava – Special Magnum Fermí Bohigas is a family-owned winery that has roots dating back to the 13th century. The estate is located in the town of Òdena in the River Anoia valley, about 45 minutes west of Barcelona. The current family and their ancestors have been growing grapes and making wines at this location consecutively since 1290. Their first bottling took place in 1870. They first used the name “Bohigas” on a wine label in 1978. Today, the family’s estate encompasses 300 hectares of which 110 are split between two separate vineyard properties, named “Can Maciá” and “Can Batllevell”, both of which have their own cellars.…
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Campillo 1996 Reserva Especial Bodegas Campillo represents the culmination of the accumulated experience of four generations of winemakers who sought a site at the heart of Rioja Alavesa, Laguardia. Strategically placed in a location in which all key factors: altitude, climate, soil and terrain are ideally suited for growing grapes and ageing their wines. Juilio Faustino Martínez always had the dream of creating a winery surrounded by vineyards, thus transforming the concept of château to the land of Rioja wine. To this end he started his project by acquiring 35 hectares of land near Laguardia in the 1980s which were later expanded to 50. After several years, in 1988, everything…
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Ulacia Getariako Txakolina Blanco 2014 Ulacia Getariako Txakolina Blanco is a wine from the Getaria in the Basque Country of northern Spain, just west of San Sebastian, where wine here has a history going back 1000 years. Getaria is a fishing village on the Bay of Biscay, with Getariako Txakolina being the DO for the vine growing area around it. The region as a whole is maritime with a considerable Atlantic influence, though the vines are planted in the hills surrounding it, often on the southeast facing, on steep, un-terraced slopes for maximum sunshine and protection from sea breezes. The soils are largely clay, covered with sand. Txakolina is a…
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Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas Viña Pedrosa 2007 Reserva Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas, a Pioneer in Ribera del Duero, began activities in 1980, when three brothers, Benjamín, Manuel and Adolfo Pérez Pascuas, convinced of the excellent potential that lay in the vineyards owned by their father, Mauro, decided to initiate an ambitious project, to make one of the best wines in Spain and to carve a niche for it in the international marketplace. This is a family cellar which has focused on quality from its very beginnings, with hard work and intense dedication. Currently, 500,000 bottles are produced yearly and this limited production allows for strict controls of the whole winemaking process…
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Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Tinto Pesquera 2011 Wines produced by Alejandro Fernández are made exclusively from the difficult, quick-maturing Tempranillo variety, of which he is the acknowledged master. His world-famous Tinto Pesquera is aged a minimum of 18 months in oak, with selected Reservas and Grandes Reservas remaining in barrel for 24 months and longer. Already over 70 years old, Alejandro shows no sign of letting up, rising at five every morning and personally overseeing all stages of the winemaking. The attention to detail is evidenced in this excellent vintage. Opening a bottle the color is a very dark Ruby with aromas of red/black fruits with hints of espresso, toast and…
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Campillo 2001 Gran Reserva Bodegas Campillo represents the culmination of the accumulated experience of four generations of winemakers who sought a site at the heart of Rioja Alavesa – Laguardia. Strategically placed in a location in which all key factors: altitude, climate, soil and terrain are ideally suited for growing grapes and ageing their wines. Juilio Faustino Martínez always had the dream of creating a winery surrounded by vineyards, thus transforming the concept of château to the land of Rioja wine. To this end he started his project by acquiring 35 hectares of land near Laguardia in the 1980s which were later expanded to 50. After several years, in 1988, everything…
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Alto Moncayo 2009 Garnacha Bodegas Alto Moncayo is truly among one of Spain’s finest wine estates. Bodegas Alto Moncayo is a joint venture of Jorge Ordoñez, Jose Miguel San Martin, Dan Phillips together with Bodegas Borsao. Their flagship wine is Alto Moncayo made from 100% old vines Grenache grapes. Their website is still being developed, but check out what they have and read the reviews from Robert Parker, a top U.S. wine critic. Located in the town of Bulbuente, Spain, the winery possesses very unique soils of red clay and the hillside location provides soils very poor in organic matter and shallow. Opening a bottle of the 2009 Bodegas Alto…
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Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Tinto Pesquera 2010 Reserva Wines produced by Alejandro Fernández are made exclusively from the difficult, quick-maturing Tempranillo variety, of which he is the acknowledged master. His world-famous Tinto Pesquera is aged a minimum of 18 months in oak, with selected Reservas and Grandes Reservas remaining in barrel for 24 months and longer. Already over 70 years old, Alejandro shows no sign of letting up, rising at five every morning and personally overseeing all stages of the winemaking. The attention to detail is evidenced in this excellent vintage. Opening a bottle the color is a very dark Ruby red with aromas of earthy red/black fruits with hints of…