Weine, ES La Rioja:

92/100 Punkte Vinous Sep 2014
(all tempranillo; aged in French oak for 30 months): Inky ruby. Cassis, blackberry, licorice and dark chocolate aromas are complicated by notes of vanilla, cracked pepper and woodsmoke. Juicy, penetrating and quite primary, offering sweet dark berry, mocha and black pepper flavors sharpened by peppery spices and smoky minerals. Shows very good concentration with no excess weight and finishes sweet, gently tannic and long, leaving a sexy berry compote note behind.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker, May 2016
There is a white produced with Viura grapes that is only produced in cold vintages, which is exactly what the name of the 2013 Añadas Frías means. The grapes are sourced from a 1.5 hectare plot at 600 meters altitude of clay and limestone soils. It fermented in new 500-liter French oak barrels. The analytical data show figures more common in Chablis than in Rioja; the wine has a pH below three and there's no natural way the wine goes through malolactic. The nose showed intense iodine aromas and diesel-like notes, highly mineral, with a notable absence of fruit and oak. The palate is also soil-driven, with very chalky tannins and effervescent, citrusy acidity. It has a tremendously tasty finish, almost salty. This is one of those whites that feels like it was produced with stones rather than grapes. This should age in bottle forever. 1,476 bottles produced and filled in March 2015. This wine has only been released in 2007, 2010 and 2013, really

90/100 Punkte James Suckling August 2018
The full, plum-cake nose and the supple and slightly sweet palate make this easy to drink, but there is some structure behind all that and the finish is well balanced and quite long.

92/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2019

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker June 2019
The single-vineyard red 2016 Camino de Santa Cruz is a wine she wanted to call Rivas de Tereso, but she was not allowed, so she named it after the plot where the grapes grow. It's an aromatic red with intense aromas of violets and the hallmark signature of 2016, and has a surplus of minerality because of the high limestone content of the soils, with some Mediterranean undertones. With time in the glass, it reveals some classical Rioja notes of forest floor, truffle and mushrooms. It fermented in 300-liter amphorae and matured in well-seasoned, neutral 500-liter oak barrels for 12 months. The medium-bodied palate is elegant, and the tannins are round and make it very pleasant and approachable.

97/100 Punkte Falstaff, Oktober 2018
Komplexes Bukett mit Noten von dunklen Beeren, Pflaume, dazu etwas Grafit und ein Hauch Trüffel. Am Gaumen dicht gewobene Struktur, viel Kraft und Saft, mineralische und balsamische Noten. Ein edler, komplexer Tropfen aus über 80-jährigen Reben.

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker Apr 2015
The oak is a little more obvious in the 2012 Pujanza Cisma than in the Norte. This is also 100% Tempranillo from a single vineyard, a 0.8 hectare plot they call Finca Valcabada which was planted in 1925 and is located at 600 meters altitude. The wine fermented in French oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak barriques for 22 months. The nose seems less nuanced than the Norte, with the oak taking the lead role and perhaps it will develop in bottle but today it does not have those flowery tones of the Norte. The palate is compact and medium to full-bodied with abundant fine-grained tannins that are right now a little stiff. It ends quite dry and would need a little more time in bottle to harmonize. This is a great, modern Rioja. Mind the price tag, though. 1'200 bottles.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker June 2019
The 2016 El Espinal is a Maturana Tinta produced in a joint venture with Miguel Ángel Mato, who owns the vineyard in San Vicente de a Sonsierra and works with his horse for others like the Eguren family and Benjamín Romeo. This is the first vintage of this unusual wine made from vines regrafted from Garnacha to Maturana Tinta. I also tasted the 2017 next to this 2016 from a higher-yielding year; the wine had a shorter élevage (12 months in barrel), as the wine is a bit lighter. They didn't really want the green pepper the variety can easily deliver and waited a bit longer to pick the grapes and get aromas of white pepper, bay leaf and licorice, and this has less herbal notes than the 2017. It mixes some dark cherries with those varietal notes. This is drinking nicely today and might not be as long lived as the 2017.

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker June 2019
One of two new single-vineyard reds, the 2017 El Espinal comes from a plot in San Vicente de la Sonsierra at 650 meters in altitude, on sandy soils with clay and limestone surrounded by pine trees. The particularity here is that Maturana Tinta (a.k.a. Castests, a relative of Carmenere) was regrafted on Garnacha some 25 years ago, and this is a varietal Maturana, which is quite rare. It fermented in 225-liter barrels and matured in 600-liter barrels for 15 months. There is more concentration and more of everything, including the peppery and herbal aromas, and a pungent note of freshly cracked back peppercorn on the palate. It's a more powerful and long-lived year, and it's impossible to guess as Rioja because the profile is completely Atlantic and would fool almost everybody in a blind tasting. So, it's not for you if you hate the herbal character of the Bordeaux wines. 1,200 bottles were filled in March 2019.

93/100 Guía Peñín 2017

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2016
The eponymous 2014 Exopto has an unusual blend, as it's mostly Graciano with 30% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha. Sometimes Graciano does not ripen properly in cool vintages, so this cuvée was not produced in 2013. In 2014 they did a green harvest and lowered the yields to ensure proper ripening, even in a late and cooler vintage. It fermented in 1,500-liter oak vats with malolactic in barrel the following spring. The upbringing was in 50% new French oak barrels and lasted 18 months, the first six of which with the fine lees, which were not stirred. They managed a good ripening, harvesting quite late into early October. This wine mixes grapes from the warmer and cooler zones of Rioja, so it mixes the characters with focus in the Graciano. It is balsamic and aromatic, with aromas of peppercorns and a core of black fruit. The palate is serious, with depth and silkiness, as well as polished tannins; it is ready for a long life ahead. It could be d

92/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker Feb 2018
The eponymous red 2015 Exopto is an atypical blend of 70% Graciano from the south, a grape that can keep very good acidity and ripens nicely in warmer vintages (like 2015) and 30% Tempranillo from old vines. In previous vintages, the wine had less Graciano and some 10% Garnacha, but they didn't like what the Garnacha did to the blend in 2015, so they left it out for the first time ever. It fermented in 1,500-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts, daily pigéage and malolactic in barrel in the spring. The wine matured in 225- and 500-liter oak casks, and they have reduced the new oak to some 30%. Even though they have reduced the new oak and gone for larger volumes, it's still a little marked by the oak and might need some more time in bottle to finish integrating, because there is very nice stuffing here. It has very healthy acidity that should help it develop nicely in bottle. This is elegant and open, less stressed by tannins, within the power

92/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker Feb 2018
The eponymous red 2015 Exopto is an atypical blend of 70% Graciano from the south, a grape that can keep very good acidity and ripens nicely in warmer vintages (like 2015) and 30% Tempranillo from old vines. In previous vintages, the wine had less Graciano and some 10% Garnacha, but they didn't like what the Garnacha did to the blend in 2015, so they left it out for the first time ever. It fermented in 1,500-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts, daily pigéage and malolactic in barrel in the spring. The wine matured in 225- and 500-liter oak casks, and they have reduced the new oak to some 30%. Even though they have reduced the new oak and gone for larger volumes, it's still a little marked by the oak and might need some more time in bottle to finish integrating, because there is very nice stuffing here. It has very healthy acidity that should help it develop nicely in bottle. This is elegant and open, less stressed by tannins, within the power

90/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

91+/100 Punkte Robert Parker Feb 2018
The one white (so far) is the 2015 Horizonte de Exopto Blanco, produced with grapes from the scattered white vines intermixed with the reds in the old vineyards they work in Ábalos (12 different plots), usually in the poorer soils to balance yields. It's produced in a slightly oxidative way with a majority of Viura, 10% Garnacha Blanca and 5% Malvasía Riojana along with some other white varieties, all fermented together. Fermentation started in stainless steel without added yeasts and finished in barriques with an élevage of 12 months in contact with the lees, which were stirred during the first six months in barrel. There are some citrus and caramel aromas with good ripeness, and in a warmer and more Mediterranean vintage like 2015, it goes through malolactic, so the style of cooler years (2013, 2014, 2016) and warmer years is different. Here, there is more volume and more texture, but to keep the austerity of the soils, they look for freshne

91/100 Punkte Vinous, May 2017
(fermented and aged on its lees for a year in neutral French oak barrels) Light bright gold. Ripe tangerine, pear, tarragon and toasty lees on the nose, lifted by a hint of minerality. Dry and focused on the palate, offering concentrated orchard and citrus fruit, honey and buttered toast flavors and a subtle touch of honeysuckle. Closes smoky, tight and long, leaving a suave floral note behind.

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker June 2019
The white has the same name as the entry-level red, and I tasted the 2017 Horizonte de Exopto Blanco. For the white, they have added the grapes from one more plot in the village of Ábalos that's planted exclusively with white grapes (the rest are planted with a majority of red and only individual white vines), and production has grown to 6,000 bottles. Produced in a slightly oxidative way, it's mostly Viura and 10% each Garnacha Blanca and Malvasía Riojana, fermented together in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and finished in barriques. The élevage was in used 225-liter barrels (60% of the volume), concrete eggs (25% and used for the first time) and French oak demi-muids (the remaining 15%) and lasted 12 months. The new thing is the addition of the concrete egg, which seems to have added freshness, tension and aromatic complexity. In fact, the wine makes me think of a cool vintage (and it was not), and the wine is fresh and has great ac

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker Feb 2018
The red 2015 Horizonte de Exopto is a traditional blend of Tempranillo with 10% each Garnacha and Graciano, all from the village of Ábalos, including the Garnacha that previously was sourced from Rioja Baja. The aim is to show the character of the Sonsierra with freshness, balance, elegance and length provided by the limestone soils. It fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts, with destemmed and lightly crushed grapes, and a post-fermentation maceration of one week. It matured 50/50 in 600-liter demi-muids and 225-liter barriques, 20% of them new, for 12 months. It's very perfumed, expressive, open, long and complete, with good ripeness but without any excess. There is good definition, with fine tannins on the palate and better-integrated oak than some years ago. This is sourced from the same vineyards as the white, which is why the wines share the same name. 10,000 bottles were filled in November 2016.

93/100 Punkte James Suckling July 2017
Sweet black fruit and fine vanilla from the oak. Surprisingly plush for this category in spite of the serious tannins. Long and quite polished finish. Drinking well now.

94/100 Punkte James Suckling August 2018
Offers some riper fruits, in the prune and plum-paste zone, with a hint of black tea and some tarry flourishes. The palate has cool, sleek flavors of dark-fruit and licorice, supple tannins and a long, smooth finish. Seamless. Drink or hold.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker June 2019
The red 2017 Horizonte de Exopto is a traditional blend of Tempranillo with 10% each Garnacha and Graciano, but now not all of grapes come from the village of Ábalos#since 2016, they have added two plots in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. The destemmed and lightly crushed grapes fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured 50/50 in 600-liter demi-muids and 225-liter barriques for one year. The wine is surprisingly fresh, expressive and aromatic and has a touch of black pepper, perhaps because there are more grapes from higher-altitude vineyards that didn't suffer the frost, and the result might be fresher than some wines from 2016 or 2015. The move to bigger barrels and less oak seems to have paid back with much better integration of the wood and additional nuance. A great effort for the vintage and a bit of a surprise#lighter and less concentrated but more drinkable. 9,000 bottles were filled in November 2018.

94/100 Punkte James Suckling, July 2019
This is a beautiful play between fresh blackberries, violets and lavender and dried meat, vanilla and spices. Iodine, licorice and tar all in there, too. Full body, muscular yet grainy tannins and layer after layer of plush fruit, wrapped up neatly in tangy acidity. Drink in 2022.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker June 2019
The red 2017 Horizonte de Exopto is a traditional blend of Tempranillo with 10% each Garnacha and Graciano, but now not all of grapes come from the village of Ábalos#since 2016, they have added two plots in San Vicente de la Sonsierra. The destemmed and lightly crushed grapes fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured 50/50 in 600-liter demi-muids and 225-liter barriques for one year. The wine is surprisingly fresh, expressive and aromatic and has a touch of black pepper, perhaps because there are more grapes from higher-altitude vineyards that didn't suffer the frost, and the result might be fresher than some wines from 2016 or 2015. The move to bigger barrels and less oak seems to have paid back with much better integration of the wood and additional nuance. A great effort for the vintage and a bit of a surprise#lighter and less concentrated but more drinkable. 9,000 bottles were filled in November 2018.

94/100 Punkte James Suckling, July 2019
This is a beautiful play between fresh blackberries, violets and lavender and dried meat, vanilla and spices. Iodine, licorice and tar all in there, too. Full body, muscular yet grainy tannins and layer after layer of plush fruit, wrapped up neatly in tangy acidity. Drink in 2022.

92/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2019

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker June 2019
A varietal Garnacha from Riva de Tereso, the 2017 La Dula comes from a small 80-year-old plot planted in 1944, so production is extremely low. It's bottled unoaked and matured in amphorae to see what the pure grape delivers. It's fruit-driven and shows some ripeness from a warm and dry year. This tends to have very high acidity, so the grapes are picked late to achieve good ripeness. It fermented in tinaja (amphorae), where it's kept for a few months and then is bottled early. There are perfumed notes, and something herbal/wild that I like. The palate reveals fine-grained tannins and clean flavors. Only 670 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2018.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker June 2019
I didn't get the Burgundian nose in the 2016 La Mimbrera that I saw in the 2015. For proprietor and winemaker Tom Puyabert, 2016 is not a truly Atlantic vintage, and this feels somewhat more Mediterranean than the 2015, with notes of rosemary, thyme and even esparto grass, not something I have seen in many other wines from Rioja. The tannins might be amplified by the strong chalky sensation from the high limestone content of the soils, which also impart a special tastiness to the wines. It has a sapid, almost salty finish. There are more tannins, and the wine feels a bit young and in need of some more time in the bottle. 500 bottles were filled in April 2018.

90/100 Punkte James Suckling July 2019
Nice touch of complexity to this red on the nose with walnut, wet-earth and berry character that follows through to a medium-bodied palate, with fine tannins and a tangy, slightly bitter finish. Drink now.

92/100 Punkte James Suckling, December 2016
A deep and beautiful nose of ripe strawberries and hints of dried flowers and soft spices. Medium-bodied with medium, juicy and soft tannins and a long, fresh and fruity finish. Drink now.

91/100 Punkte Vinous Feb 2019
Vivid ruby. Aromas of ripe red and blue fruits, pipe tobacco and cedary oak develop a smoky element as the wine stretches out. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering lively cherry and boysenberry flavors and subtle licorice and spice nuances. Finishes on a chewy note, delivering sneaky tannins, a lingering suggestion of dark chocolate and strong persistence.

91/100 Punkte Vinous Feb 2019
Vivid ruby. Aromas of ripe red and blue fruits, pipe tobacco and cedary oak develop a smoky element as the wine stretches out. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering lively cherry and boysenberry flavors and subtle licorice and spice nuances. Finishes on a chewy note, delivering sneaky tannins, a lingering suggestion of dark chocolate and strong persistence.

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2019

93/100 Punkte Vinous Feb 2019
Brilliant ruby-red. An exotically perfumed, expansive bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, cherry liqueur, vanilla and pipe tobacco, energized by a smoky mineral overtone. Sweet and seamless on the palate, offering sweet, concentrated boysenberry, spicecake and mocha flavors that are given spine and lift by a core of juicy acidity. Rich yet energetic in style, displaying excellent finishing clarity, harmonious tannins and a lingering licorice note.