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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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…
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Muga 2005 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. Opening a bottle, which I let sit for about an hour, the color was a glistening bright ruby. The nose was clean with plenty of ripe red and black fruit with a touch of spice and herbs. The wine…
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Muga 2009 Reserva Unfiltered 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. Opening a bottle, which I let sit for about an hour, the color was a glistening deep ruby. The nose was clean with plenty of ripe red and black fruit with a touch of spice. The wine is made from 70%…
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Martinez Lacuesta 2005 Reserva Félix Martínez Lacuesta, obtained a law doctorate from the University of Madrid, founded the bodega in 1895, at 21 years of age, together with his brothers. He was the first president of the National Society of Winemakers and Associated Industries and he directed the La Rioja Wine Syndicate. In 1909 Don Félix Martínez Lacuesta was granted a registered trademark “Martínez Lacuesta” for all types of wine, one of the oldest trademarks in Spain. Fast forward to 2009 where the company’s director Don Luis Martínez Lacuesta completed a new bodega in Haro, on a piece of land called Ubieta, that has been in operation since 2010. Opening…
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Ramón Bilbao 2005 Gran Reserva Bodegas Ramón Bilbao was founded by Ramón Bilbao Murga, an experienced wine trader who had been selling wine since 1896 from premises at Calle Las Cuevas in Haro. Ramón Bilbao was a forward-looking grape grower; a pioneer in the art of ageing. The winery was handed down from one generation to the next until the year 1966, when Ramón Bilbao Pozo, the last of the descendants, died. The business was converted into a corporation with new shareholders. New facilities were built, also in Haro. The new company wished to continue the work of its founder, Ramón Bilbao, and concentrated on making aged wines. The family…
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La Rioja Alta S.A. 2001 Gran Reserva 904 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. La Rioja Alta, S.A. 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, the renowned brand name, “Viña Ardanza”, was registered. To give you a little…
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Sierra Cantabria 2009 Crianza Founded in 1957 by Guillermo Eguren, Sierra Cantabria is sheltered in the heart of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, a town of historic winemaking tradition, positioned in a unique location between the River Ebro and the Sierra Cantabria mountain range. The Sierra Cantabria mountains and the Ebro river create a special microclimate with Mediterranean and Continental characteristics providing mild winters and gentle summers, unique for vine cultivation. In addition, the summers get a “thermal jump” with intense heat during the day with crisp night temperatures which creates an increase in the level of polyphenols, found in many fine wines. The soils are calcareous clay which is…