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It's always nice to have someone knowledgeable to guide you when trying to find a great bottle of wine. That's where wine critics come in. These are people who spend all of their time tasting wines, and can differentiate the best wines from the rest of the pack. Here we've collected all of the top-rated selections from various prominent wine critics into one category. You can feel great about buying top-rated wines from this category!
WE9090 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 5/1/2023 Dark garnet to the eye, this wine offers a bouquet of black cherry, caramel and freshly ground black pepper. It offers a sense of brightness on the palate, with plush tannins and flavors of cherry pie, raspberry preserves, orange zest, milk chocolate and herbes de Provence that head into a fruit-filled finish. (Mike Desimone)Premier SelectPremier Select wines are handpicked by our staff from amongst thousands of wines for their exceptional quality. They're made by a top producer and comparable to wines at twice the cost.
JS9191 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Thursday, August 2, 2018 Very ripe and slightly raw oak over black fruit and coconut candy. The palate has dense, chewy fruit and really assertive tannins. Needs a year or two to settle in.Premier SelectPremier Select wines are handpicked by our staff from amongst thousands of wines for their exceptional quality. They're made by a top producer and comparable to wines at twice the cost.
JS9797 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Thursday, February 3, 2022 A perfumed nose of plums, mulberries, mushrooms, caramel, sweet tobacco and sweet spices. Full-bodied with velvety, fine tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and supple with a creamy texture. Delicate and precise with a long, polished finish. 90% tempranillo and 10% graciano. Drink or hold. (James Suckling)RP9595 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 14th Jul 2022 They used the words subtlety, elegance, finesse, delicacy and silk to define the 2015 Gran Reserva 904 Selección Especial, a blend of 90% Tempranillo from their vineyards in Villalba, Briñas and Rodezno with 10% Graciano from the Montecillo vineyard in Fuenmayor that was picked 23 days later than the Tempranillo. The grapes were sorted optically for the first time, and they fermented in stainless steel where the wine went through malolactic too. The wine was put in barrel in January 2016—used American oak barrels built by their own coopers—where it matured for four years, during which time it was racked every six months. 2015 was a healthy vintage with balanced ripeness that delivered wines with good aging potential. They thought the wine needed a little more time in bottle to polish those tannins and have decided to hold it and release the wine around March 2023; it will be marked Selección Especial, the first 904 to do so, as they have very high hopes for this year and believe it’s one of the finest vintages. They think it will develop the sophistication in the palate with a little more time and that is should achieve the silkiness that is the signature of 904. This is very 2015; I saw quite strong tannins in all the 2015 wines I tasted from Rioja Alta. There are some 150,000 bottles of this. (Luis Gutiérrez)VN9595 pts. - Vinous - Apr 2021 Vivid ruby. Expansive red and blue fruit preserve, tobacco, potpourri, spice and botanical herb aromas, with vanilla and smoky mineral notes emerging as the wine opens up. Sappy, penetrating and gently chewy on the palate, offering vibrant, mineral- and spice-accented black raspberry, bitter cherry and rose pastille flavors that deepen and turn sweeter on the back half. Shows sharp focus and floral lift on the impressively long, youthfully tannic finish, which leaves behind notes of candied blue fruits and spicecake. (Josh Raynolds)SP9292 pts. - Wine Spectator - Sep 30, 2021 This elegant, sanguine red offers supple layers of dried cherry, sandalwood, vanilla and Kalamata olive, supported by smooth tannins. Hints of leather, tobacco, mineral and anise echo on the finish. A balanced, traditional style red. Drink now through 2031. 12,500 cases made, 3,200 cases imported. (Gillian Sciaretta)
JS9393 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Monday, November 2, 2020 A red with blackberry and plum aromas and flavors and orange-peel undertones. It’s full-bodied with ripe tannins and a flavorful finish. Give it a year or two to soften and come together. Drink after 2021.RP9191 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 30th Jun 2021 The organic entry-level 2018 Flor de Vetus is Tinta de Toro from vines around the winery next to VIllabuena del Puente planted in 1999 and certified organic in 2018. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in oak barrels for 11 months. It has contained ripeness and moderate alcohol and acidity, reflecting a cooler year with a long and slow ripening of the grapes. It’s sleek, polished and very balanced, with unusual elegance for the region. 124,027 bottles and 100 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2020.
RP9797 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 14th Jul 2022 They were eager to show me their 2010 Gran Reserva 890, their flagship wine from one of the most heralded vintages of recent times, the next vintage of this wine since 2005. It’s 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo that fermented destemmed and crushed with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats for 18 days, the Tempranillo and Mazuelo together and the Graciano separately. After letting the wine settle for the winter, they selected the lots that would age for six years in used American oak barrels with 10 manual rackings. The wine epitomizes the classical style of Rioja Alta with long aging in barrel, developed and tertiary wines with a silky palate and a complex and decadent nose of forest floor, truffles, cigar ash and cedar wood. They need a very special selection of vineyards at higher altitude that take longer to ripen, and they don’t do it fully every year. If they don’t, the grapes go to Ardanza, but in 2010, the days were warm and the nights very cold and the grapes ripened thoroughly and could stand the long time in barrel without being oaky. They have stopped the last rackings to keep a little more freshness, and the wine feels phenomenal. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this wine. It’s drinkable now but should also age for a very long time; it’s intense, complex and elegant. A selection of 236 barrels were blended and bottled unfiltered in March 2017 into 61,643 bottles, 4,189 magnums and some larger formats. There will be a 2011 of this wine and then 2015 and possibly 2016 (but no 2012, 2013 or 2014). This is a very intense 890. Classicism in a bottle. (Luis Gutiérrez)JS9797 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Thursday, October 14, 2021 A fragrant nose of blackberries, plums, earth, dried flowers, leather, cloves, sweet tobacco and cigar box. Full-bodied with seamless tannins and fresh acidity. Balanced and layered with great tension. Elegant, with a velvety texture and a long finish. Such length and beauty now with so much age. Drink or hold.
JS9292 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Thursday, October 14, 2021 A fresh, fruity red with plum and orange-peel aromas and flavors. Medium body. Clean and delicious finish. Tempranillo. Drink now.WE9090 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 9/1/2022 Dark garnet to the eye, this wine has aromas of black currant, licorice and Marcona almond. Its smooth tannins feel good on the palate. Opening flavors of bittersweet chocolate and mint hit the tastebuds first, followed by flavors of blackberry and raspberry that are joined by touches of vanilla and baking spice on the finish.
JS9797 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Sunday, November 20, 2022 This is as complex and savory as the rest of the Viña Tondonia wines, but also shows a tad more depth, with a hint of black plum and blue fruit on top of the orange rind, iron, tobacco and earthy spices. Expect some cedar and truffle to develop in the future. Juicy, zesty and tight, with a dusty tannins and bright berry fruit on the medium-to full-bodied palate. Drink or hold. (James Suckling)RP9696 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 14th Jul 2022 The 2010 Viña Tondonia Reserva has all I expect from a Reserva from Tondonia, complexity, elegance and evolution, a developed nose with notes of forest floor and wild berries, herbs and flowers, a touch of iodine, brick dust and very fine, polished tannins. It has the seriousness and elegance of Tondonia. This is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho (they use the masculine form of the name of the grape) and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in the ancient oak vats from when the winery was created 144 years ago and matured in well-seasoned, American oak barrels for six years. It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 6.6 grams of acidity. 260,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2017. (Luis Gutiérrez)
VN9797 pts. - Vinous - Apr 2021 Shimmering garnet. Aromas of dried cherry, potpourri, vanilla, cigar box and exotic spices; a smoky mineral quality builds in the glass. Sweet, concentrated and seamless on the palate, offering cherry compote, red currant and rose pastille flavors that put on weight and pick up a spicy nuance on the back half. Conveys a suave blend of power and delicacy and closes sweet and gently tannic, with superb persistence and an echo of candied flowers and red fruits. This bottling and the 2001 are the only Selección Especial versions of the 890 Gran Reserva that have been produced by La Rioja Alta.RP9595 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 28th Jun 2019 I tasted the 2005 Gran Reserva 890 again, and I liked it better this time than in my previous review, even if I normally like the Gran Reserva 904 better than this bottling, as I find it better balanced. I tend to feel less energy in this wine, as it spends a very long time in barrel, six years in this case. 2005 was an excellent vintage, and they implemented some improvements in the harvest, introducing 350-kilo boxes and refrigerated transport to the winery, which they think provides better grapes and potentially better quality of the wines. The palate is medium-bodied, the tannins have mostly melted, and it has lively acidity that lift the wine up. This is a very classical and polished Rioja. 57,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2012.SP9595 pts. - Wine Spectator - Sep 30, 2018 Cedar and sandalwood aromas give way to flavors of tea, tobacco, dried cherry, forest floor and orange peel in this expressive red. Round on the palate, supported by muscular tannins and juicy acidity. Big but graceful, mature yet lively, in the traditional style. Drink now through 2030. 4,753 cases made.
JS9292 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Monday, November 7, 2022 Classic Rioja here with a refined and savory nose showing fine spices, new leather, iron, plums and orange peel. Elegant and very nuanced on the medium-bodied palate that shows fine tannins and juicy berry fruit. Long, reserved and bright in finish. Drink or hold.SP8989 pts. - Wine Spectator - Oct 15, 2022 Fresh and balanced, this medium-bodied red offers plumped cherry fruit flavors accented by baking spices, iron and Earl Grey tea. Supple tannins lend a plush texture and firm the finish. Tempranillo and Graciano. Drink now through 2025. 90,000 cases imported. (Alison Napjus)
RP94+94+ pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 17th Jan 2023 There is around 20% new oak in the 2020 Flor de Pingus, and because it has a little younger vines (there was a land-consolidation project in La Horra in 2006!), there’ll be some Garnacha starting in 2021 and maybe some oak vats for aging too. All this shows the direction, where he found structure and volume in the palate, with textured tannins. It’s harmonious and elegant, aromatic and floral, perfumed and showy, with contained ripeness and around 14% alcohol. The palate is quite powerful, with abundant but fine tannins. 110,000 bottles were filled in July 2022. (Luis Gutiérrez)SP9292 pts. - Wine Spectator - Mar 31, 2023 Plush in texture and elegant overall, with a fresh spine of acidity enlivening black plum reduction and crushed black cherry fruit, violet and tobacco, vanilla and mineral accents as they wrap around a firm core of fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030. 9,000 cases made. (Alison Napjus)
JS9393 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Thursday, October 14, 2021 Enticing aromas of blackberries, leather and cedar with some dried flowers follow through to a medium to full body with firm tannins and a fresh, citrusy finish. Very traditional and real. Drink now.RP92+92+ pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 14th Jul 2022 2013 was a very tough vintage when they had to discard up to 100,000 kilograms of grapes and production of most of the wines was lower; it’s also the year when their father died, and they were very encouraged to make very good wines. The 2013 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza is the entry-level red from that year, the cooler of the shortlist of 2013, 2014 and 2015 I tasted next to each other. The wine is more austere even within the style they say is their wine for the by-the-glass market. It’s classical and developed with a polished palate after three years in barrel. It overdelivers for the conditions of the year. 90,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2019. (Luis Gutiérrez)
JS9191 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Friday, September 9, 2022 Fresh plums with vanilla, walnut and a hint of tobacco on the nose. A medium-bodied red with a juicy, fluid mid-palate, coated by supple, soft tannins and a creamy finish. Good length here. Drink now. (James Suckling)WE8989 pts. - Wine Enthusiast - 3/1/2023 Aromas of blackberry, dried mountainside herbs and black olives set the stage for flavors of black currant, Luxardo cherry, anisette, thyme and black truffle. Sleek tannins ply their way across the palate and drift off into a cool, spicy finish. (Mike Desimone)
RP9090 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 30th Oct 2020 I find balance, seriousness and some restraint in the 2018 Crianza. It has moderate alcohol and contained ripeness, integrated oak and a polished palate with fruit and spice flavors that make it quite recognizable as Rioja. It has some tannins that would welcome food and/or a little bit more time in bottle. It’s 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano matured in American oak barrels for one year. 240,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2020. (Luis Gutiérrez)
JS9696 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Tuesday, September 22, 2020 Extremely floral and attractive with crushed lavender, rosemary and violets to the blue fruit. Full body. Tight and integrated tannins and a lightly chewy finish. Shows depth and structure. One of the best from here in a long time. Drink in 2021, but already attention grabbing.VN9494 pts. - Vinous - Apr 2021 Deep, brilliant ruby. Cherry, cassis, vanilla and incense on the expansive nose, where a zesty mineral note adds vibrancy. Sappy and precise on the palate, offering sweet dark berry, cherry liqueur and violet pastille flavors along with hints of mocha and spicecake. Rich and ample in style but shows superb energy as well. Finishes sweet, seamless and extremely long, with lingering florality and polished, fully integrated tannins.RP9393 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 30th Oct 2020 The prototype of red from Rioja Alta could very well be the 2016 Imperial Reserva, fine, precise and powerful. The grapes for this cuvée were picked between October 10th and 25th, and it’s a canonical blend of 85% Tempranillo and the rest Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha with 14% alcohol and balancing freshness. It fermented with their own Imperial yeasts in oak vats of different sizes and matured in French and American oak barrels for 24 months. This wine has a very defined style that should not change; it has more oak than the Asúa Reserva and is made with grapes not only from Haro but also from Torremontalvo, Villalba and Briones. 2016 was a cooler year, and the wines are fresher and balanced. This has the mushroomy touch from the old cave and plenty of tannins that are going to require powerful food and/or time in bottle. A classic among classics. 150,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2019.
VN9898 pts. - Vinous - Feb 2021 Opaque violet. Intensely perfumed, expansive black and blue fruit preserve, potpourri, Moroccan spice and botanical herb scents are complemented by smoky mineral and vanilla flourishes. Sappy, penetrating and deeply concentrated on the palate, offering vibrant, mineral-laced black currant, bitter cherry, chewing tobacco, mocha and floral pastille flavors that deepen and turn sweeter on the back half. Shows superb focus and vibrant, floral lift on the wonderfully long, youthfully tannic finish, which leaves behind cherry liqueur, candied violet and spicecake notes.RP9797 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 30th Dec 2019 I was surprised by the aromatics of the 2010 Único, cropped from a powerful and concentrated year that delivered this blend of 94% Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo) and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 14.5% alcohol and a highish pH of 3.87. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in a combination of French and American oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats and aged for almost six years. It feels quite ripe and somehow old style, dominated by ripe black fruit, with a rustic and earthy touch. It has an ample palate, concentrated and powerful, with some earthy tannins. 85,185 bottles, 3,362 magnums, 228 double magnums and 36 Imperials were produced. It was bottled in June 2016.
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La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 Selección Especial
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