Artuke, La Condenada, Rioja, Spain 2024

From 0.8ha of old vines at 520m-630m on sandy soils in Baños de Ebro, Rioja Alavesa; 80% Tempranillo combined with co-planted Garnacha Tinta, Graciano and white Palomino Fino. The berries are selected individually and spontaneous fermentation and malolactic take place in 600L French oak casks, where the wine then ages for up to 16 months. While this is young, it displays balance and appealing layers of fruit that suggest exciting development to come. With talc, rose petal and red cherry aromas, the wine opens up to a poised palate with direct acidity, elegance and ripe tannins. It is quite subtle, restrained and fresh. Absolutely charming. Organic.

Eguíluz, Carrapeciña, Rioja, Spain 2024

Fresh, elegant and finessed, this 100% Tempranillo wine is sourced from vineyards at 600m in Abalos, in the Rioja Alta sub-region's far north, and from vines up to 40 years of age. It's fermentated in stainless steel tanks with minimal agitation of the must in order to ensure gentle extraction, then aged for nine months in second-use 225L French oak barriques. Red cherry dominates, mingling with rose petal and supported by juicy, ripe tannins. Floral with just a hint of cinammon and fresh undergrowth, this is a wine that speaks to the cooler, fresher side of Rioja. Beautiful.

Manuel Quintano, Selección Particular, Rioja, Alavesa, Spain 2021

Super-pretty cherry and wild strawberry aromas open to an elegant palate with well-managed, ripe tannins. It is juicy, supported by fresh, direct acidity that drives the wine forward. Oak is very well integrated. 100% Tempranillo from vines aged 40 years or more, and a very good expression of both the vintage and the zone. Chalky tannic lift on the finish. Following malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged for 18 months in second- and third-use French oak barrels, clarified and bottled with no filtration, then rested a further 12 months in bottle before release.

Campillo, 57 Selección Especial, Rioja Alta, Spain 2019

Really alluring and approachable with a refreshing streak of blood orange flowing under the fleshy plum and juicy pomegranate. Expansive and savoury on the mid-palate with juicy tomato, beetroot and poached plum, top notes of parma violet and lavender. Beautiful fine-grained texture. The blend is mostly Tempranillo, from vines more than 60 years old at 700m in Laguardia, with 10% Graciano. They're fermented separately, then the Graciano and half the Tempranillo are moved into 225L French oak barriques to complete malolactic, after which they're combined with the rest of the Tempranillo to mature in French oak barrels, half new and half second-use, for 24 months.

Domaine Canadell-Sánchez, Montegoria, Rioja, Spain 2023

This is a very complete wine with beautiful elegance, balance and finesse. Fresh herbal aromas open to a palate with real depth and spice that combines ripe fruit and elegant acidity with sappy tannins and just a hint of peppery spice. Bay leaf, curry and black tea add points of interest. It is refreshingly approachable now but will open up with time. 100% Tempranillo from a single parcel of vines, La Concova, at 600m in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, just north of the Ebro river. The wine is fermented in wooden vats, then aged for 16 months in 500L French oak casks, selected to preserve the finesse of the fruit and expression of terroir. A really impressive wine that speaks of its origins.

Jesús Mendoza, Our Hands, Rioja Alta, Spain 2024

The small-scale, personal project of Remírez de Ganuza winemaker Jesús Mendoza, this wine blends Tempranillo with up to 10% of other varieties, from old vines aged at least 50 years in the San Vicente de la Sonsierra area. Fermentation with native yeasts is followed by 12 months in 228L second-use French oak barrels. Very perfumed with ripe strawberry jam and peach syrup. The core is super-fresh with direct, driven acidity and a vibrant, stony finish. There are layers of hard-boiled sweets, watermelon, strawberries and cream. A complex and expressive wine, charming.

Ramón Bilbao, Lalomba Finca Valhonta, Rioja Alta, Spain 2020

From Tempranillo bush vines planted in 2000 in the 2.8ha Finca Valhontas vineyard, which lies on the northern edge of the Rioja Alta sub-region in Villalba, surrounded and protected by the pine forest that covers the chalky-clay slopes of the Montes Obarenes. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks with malolactic in second-use 500L oak barrels, before ageing for 14 months in the same barrels, then refined for an additional 18 months in concrete. Great detail and energetic verve, weaving sweet plum jam, fleshy poached cherry and herbal tomato leaf. Lovely balance between the plush fruit and the refreshing, balsamic lift. The savoury, fragrant notes of bay leaf and rosemary oil linger endlessly, with cherry also persisting in the background. Pure, enveloping and delicious.

Ukan, Senderos de Ukan, Rioja, Spain 2022

Lovely purity and fluidity to the black and ripe red fruit. Beautifully crafted with an elegant tannic structure, covered in graphite and wet tobacco leaves. Lingering fresh cherry, blackberry and plum fruit supported by a mineral tannic backbone. Filigree veil of cardamom, lavender and thyme. Soft yet with remarkable definition and assertiveness. Sourced from several Rioja Alavesa vineyards planted between 1960 and 2002, this 100% Tempranillo is manually harvested and double-sorted before fermentation in 4,000L and 8,000L concrete tanks with gentle pumping over, then maturation for 11 months in 225L French oak barrels.

Finca Allende, Calvario, Rioja, Spain 2015

Perfumed, floral and lifted but still intense and reflecting its vintage. Quite bold with firm tannins, this still needs time to develop. The Calvario vineyard was planted in 1945, southeast-facing with bush vines on loamy clay soil, and gravel and stones running to depth. Cultivation follows the natural cycles of the plant; only organic fertilisers are used and no herbicides. A blend of 90% Tempranillo with Garnacha and Graciano, the destalked whole bunches are fermented and macerated on the skins for 20 days, then the wine is aged for 18 months in Bordeaux-type new French oak barrels. It is a concentrated and muscular Rioja that will open up with more time.

Muga, Torre Muga, Rioja, Spain 2021

Chocolatey, sweet oak combines with intense and bold red berry flavours in this concentrated expression of the region. Tannins are ripe but still quite firm, providing the structure to carry the fruit and spice. Sourced from vines in Villalba de Rioja, Briñas and Labastida, north of Haro, this wine blends Tempranillo with Mazuelo and Graciano, batch-fermented using indigenous yeasts and no temperature control, with malolactic taking place in new French oak casks, followed by 16-18 months of ageing in barrels according to grape variety. A modern and polished Rioja that has a lot of life ahead.

Roda, Sela, Rioja, Spain 2024

Roda's youngest wine is from dry-farmed, 15- to 30-year-old bush vines, all Tempranillo in 2024, with the wine spontaneously fermented in oak vats before maturing for 12 months in second-use French oak barrels. A juicy core of plum, cherry and poached pear, infused with Earl Grey tea, fills the palate with generosity and dynamism. Zesty freshness carries the wine with ease, lifts the mid-palate and drives the long finish. So well crafted, with tannins that are soft and drenched in blood orange and cherry juice. Fluid and elegant with a defined, poised structure.

Exopto, Las Mangadas, Rioja Alta, Spain 2024

Juicy and energetic throughout, supported by zesty, vibrant acid. Plum, sloe and blackberry explode at the core, sprinkled with oregano, thyme, tarragon and saffron. Moreish weight on the mid-palate is followed by a long, savoury finish full of perfumed Mediterraean herbs and black olive tapenade. Mostly Tempranillo with 5% Garnacha, with the fruit sourced from two sites in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, at 550m and 750m, and two sites at 450m in Abalos, at the northwestern edge of the Rioja Alta sub-region. The wine was fermented in concrete tanks then aged in a mix of concrete, clay amphora and oak foudre for 12 months. A delicous, fun wine, best enjoyed a bit chilled.