Published February 15, 2024
The origins of Spanish winemaking date back to Roman times, when wine was crudely fermented in terracotta amphorae, but in the 12th century Benedictine monks from France began tending grapes and making wine. The beginning is the beginning.th In this century, the world began to pay attention to Spain’s high quality wines. When you visit wineries in Rioja, you will often see medals from the late 18th century.th This proves that the wines of this house were highly valued both then and for some time afterwards. After two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and the Franco dictatorship, when Spanish wine was underappreciated, here comes modern Spain and great wines made by world-class winemakers. We feel that we have entered an era in which Spanish wine cannot be ignored. While Spain offers great wines in all 69 regions, we chose to focus on the great Tempranillo-based wines of Ribera del Duero and Rioja. We luxuriated in dozens of selections to narrow it down to these seven sure-fire winners. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
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Bodegas Riollanas 1978 Monte Real Gran Reserva Rioja Spain
A perfect birthday or anniversary gift, this 46 year old wine tastes like it was bottled just yesterday. Bodegas Riollanas is one of the few wineries in the cellar with great vintage wines, and I had the pleasure of touring him on my recent trip to Rioja. This blend of Tempranillo, Mazuelo, and Garnacha has aromas of plum, mint tea, and caramel, as well as a touch of saddle leather. The first sip bursts with fruity sweetness, balanced by excellent acidity and flavors of orange, apricot, plum, dark chocolate and star anise. It’s perfectly drinkable now, but will probably last a few more years in the cellar.
Buy now: $235
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Tempos Vega Sicilia 2012 Unico Tinto Ribera del Duero Spain
Vega Sicilia is one of the finest and best known (if not the finest and most famous) wineries in all of Spain. It is served at high-level state events, and although we were not there, we heard that Unico was served at the wedding of King Felipe and Queen Letizia. A deep purple in the glass, this stunning wine has aromas of butterscotch, milk chocolate and black raspberry, with flavors of Bing cherry, mocha, black plum and dried herbes de Provence. The tannins are strong and silky smooth, with a long and flavorful finish.
Buy now: $589
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Arsuaga 2016 Gran Reserva Ribera del Duero Spain
Arzuaga is one of our favorite wineries (of many!) in Ribera del Duero. The Arzuaga family has been making excellent wines since his early 1990s, and now no trip to the winery is complete without a visit to the world-class spa and lunch or dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant. 2016 Gran Reserva has notes of blackcurrant, dark plum, and black olive tapenade. Soft on the palate, the voluptuous tannins add intensity, revealing flavors of English toffee, black currant, red cherry, toasted hazelnut and dried sage. The long finish has a touch of wet river rocks and fragrant herbs.
Buy now: $135
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Vivartus 2016 Ribera del Duero Spain
The Irrera family recently built a state-of-the-art winery and brought in consultant Jean-Claude Berrouet, best known for vinifying over 40 vintages at Pétrus in Bordeaux. He uses Tempranillo grapes (and small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) from vines that are over 80 years old and up to 3,200 feet in elevation. We also minimize the use of new barrels to achieve a soft oak effect. The 2016 is a deep garnet, almost black-purple color with aromas of black cherry, cranberry, and bittersweet chocolate, with flavors of pomegranate, dark chocolate, saddle leather, and a touch of hickory wood smoke. There’s a lot of weight in the center of the palate, with pleasantly grippy tannins and a long, lingering finish. You can drink it from now until 2036.
Buy now: $100
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Pago de Calaobejas 2018 Cuesta de las Libres Grandes Anyadas Ribera del Duero Spain
Pago de Calaovejas Cuesta de las Libres Grandes Anyadas, as the last two words of its name suggest, is only built in the best years. (Grandes Anyadas means “great vintage” in Spanish.) The winery’s only 100% Tempranillo wine, this single-vineyard wine is grown on the “hare slopes” with late-day sunlight. It is built on a south-west facing plot. Aged for 24 months in new 225 liter extra fine grain French oak barrels and aged for 24 months in bottle before release. The 2018 vintage is garnet in color with aromas of red and black raspberries, dark chocolate, aniseed, and wild brush. There’s a nice sense of spice on the palate, with flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, clove, fennel, and tangerine zest. Powerful tannins are held in check by lively acidity. Let’s keep drinking until 2040.
Buy now: $260
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Sierra Cantabria 2019 Finca El Bosque Rioja Spain
The Egren family has been growing grapes since 1870 and is now in its fifth generation running the family business and making wine. They manage a total of six wineries, each with a unique personality and producing wines with distinctly different flavor profiles. Fin Frog Bosque is one of his favorites produced by the modern generation. Aromas of cassis, black raspberry, and crushed purple petals lead to flavors of caramel, black currant, and brown baking spice. The tannins are silky smooth and the finish lasts forever. From now on he can drink until 2039.
Buy now: $180
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Altadi 2018 La Poza de Ballesteros Alaba Spain
The LaCarre and Laolden families started Artadi in 1992 and currently own and manage 138 acres of vineyards in the foothills of the Sierra de Toronyo Mountains in Spain’s Sonsierra Alavesa region. Like many winemakers in the region, they focus on allowing each vine and parcel of land to express its individuality in the wines they make. The grapes for this charming wine are grown on three acres in El Villar de Alaba, and the resulting wine has heady aromas of fennel bulbs, mint leaves, blackberries and blackcurrants. Flavors of cassis, anise and eucalyptus are then all wrapped up. In a sheath of silky tannins.
Buy now: $150
author
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Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jensen
