Cellar candidate in Rioja

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

The Eguren family's icon Tempranillo from old Sonsierra vines: dense, polished and mineral, aged in new French oak, one of modern Rioja's prestige reds.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

A rare varietal old-vine Graciano: dark, peppery and structured with vivid acidity, showcasing a grape usually confined to blends.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Muga's icon wine, a tiny-production Tempranillo-Graciano from old vines aged in new French oak; concentrated, polished and ageworthy, the house's collector bottle.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Miguel Angel de Gregorio's icon red from old Briones vines, aged in new French oak; dense, polished and mineral with great longevity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The architectural estate's icon red, made in small lots from selected Tempranillo: dark, polished and mineral, aged in new French oak.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The estate's prestige red from old vines including pre-phylloxera Cabernet plantings; dark, structured and French-oak-aged, more international in cut while keeping Rioja freshness.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

A single-vineyard old-vine red from a steep Briones plot; structured, mineral and fresh, the estate's terroir flagship alongside Aurus.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Elegant

A single-vineyard barrel-aged Viura that bridges modern and traditional white Rioja: citrus and nut over a mineral, ageworthy frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

An extraordinarily rare white Gran Reserva, released decades after the harvest; the 1986 was relaunched to acclaim, with profound nutty, waxy oxidative complexity and electric acidity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The estate's flagship from the Ygay vineyard, released only in exceptional years after a decade-plus of ageing; the 2010 was named Wine Spectator Wine of the Year 2020, a savoury, classical Gran Reserva of great longevity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Roda's icon: selected old-vine Tempranillo with super-ripe, plush tannins yet remarkable freshness, aged briefly in new French oak to preserve fruit purity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A revived traditional cuvee, long-aged in oak and bottle: savoury, complex and classical, the prestige red of the Muriel group.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Benjamin Romeo's cult garage wine from old San Vicente vines; deep, polished and powerful yet fresh. Multiple vintages have earned perfect 100-point scores from Wine Advocate.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

A rare varietal Graciano, the estate having pioneered single-variety bottling of this normally blending grape; dark, peppery and structured with vivid acidity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The estate's prestige red from a plot beside an ancient olive tree: dense, polished and mineral, aged in new French oak, the flagship of the Laserna estate.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The house's modern prestige Reserva from the Vina Lanciano estate: dark, polished and mineral, aged in French oak.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The estate's modern, French-oak-aged prestige red with a dash of Cabernet: darker, denser and more international in cut than the classic Reserva while keeping Rioja freshness.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The grower family's old-vine single-plot Tempranillo: dark, mineral and structured, the estate's prestige red from Samaniego.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The house's pinnacle Gran Reserva, made only in exceptional years and aged around six years in oak; ethereal, sandalwood-scented and extraordinarily long, a benchmark for traditional Rioja.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

A modern classic Gran Reserva: four years in American oak give the house's signature sweet-spice and dill lift over a silky, savoury, ageworthy Tempranillo frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

The estate's icon red from very old vines cropped to just three bunches per plant; dense, polished and mineral, aged in new French oak.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The house's prestige red blending high-altitude Tempranillo with old-vine Garnacha; structured, mineral and modern yet balanced, from a revitalised Haro boutique.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Made only from Rioja Alta fruit in the best years; the 2004 was the first Spanish wine named Wine Spectator Wine of the Year in 2013. Classical, savoury and long.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The second wine of Contador, from old-vine Tempranillo: dense, polished and powerful but more approachable, sharing the estate's mocha-and-cassis signature.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

Another of Artadi's single-vineyard old-vine Tempranillos, this plot giving a slightly darker, more structured wine with the house's mineral signature.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

The Haro house's prestige Gran Reserva from estate Tempranillo, aged in French oak: classical yet polished, savoury and built to age.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

The classical Gran Reserva from the historic Elciego house, long-aged in American oak; savoury, dried-fruit and tobacco-led, made only in the better years.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The house's prestige old-vine Tempranillo: dark, polished and mineral, aged in new French oak, the flagship of the Haro estate.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Elegant

A barrel-fermented prestige white blending Viura with Tempranillo Blanco: textured, savoury and mineral, one of the house's terroir-driven flagships.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

A barrel-selected Gran Reserva above the Reserva tier: long-aged, savoury and polished, blending the house's traditional and modern sides.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

CVNE's prestige Alavesa red from selected old vines: dark, polished and mineral, the flagship of the Vina Real cellar.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Muga's traditional flagship, made only in great vintages with long oak ageing in the bodega's own cooperage; a deeply savoury, classical Gran Reserva of real longevity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

The estate's signature Reserva, made with the shoulder-selection method: powerful and polished yet structured and savoury, built to age.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

A pure old-vine Tempranillo from the best parcels, aged in new French oak; darker and more structured than the regular Roda, with a mineral, savoury core.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

Muga's modern, French-oak prestige red: dark, dense and polished, with mocha and cassis over firm tannins, a counterpoint to the traditional Prado Enea.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

The estate's cult prestige red, made only from the shoulders of the best bunches and aged in new French oak; dense, polished and mineral with great longevity.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Elegant

A single-vineyard old-vine Tempranillo with the house's signature floral lift and minerality, more accessible than El Pison but built on the same site-driven philosophy.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Reborn as a Gran Reserva, Vina Arana is the more elegant, fresher and more savoury of the house's classic pair, with a touch of French oak adding finesse.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The richer, more Burgundian sibling to Tondonia, from a warmer estate vineyard; rounder fruit and spice but still carrying the house's signature freshness and old-oak savour.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Contemplative

Spain's most celebrated single-vineyard Tempranillo, from a tiny old-vine plot at Laguardia; intense yet ethereal, with floral lift, silky tannins and profound minerality.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Savoury · Contemplative

A pure-Viura oxidative white aged four years in oak, lighter than Tondonia Blanco but with the same waxy, nutty, saline signature and remarkable freshness for its age.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

A barrel-aged white Rioja with cult status: deeply oxidative, nutty and waxy, with piercing acidity that keeps it electric for decades, often compared to white Burgundy and old Hunter Semillon.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Released only in great years and only after a decade-plus in the cellar; ethereal, savoury and impossibly fresh, the Gran Reserva is one of the wine world's great old-style reds.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The reference traditional Rioja Reserva: pale brick colour, oxidative dried-fruit and balsamic aromatics over a fine-boned, high-acid frame that drinks like old Burgundy.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

A varietal Graciano from the family's variety-collection vineyards: dark, peppery and structured, showcasing a heritage Rioja grape.