The third edition of the La Vanguardia Wine Guide awards has shown once again that Spain continues to be a global wine reference. This publication, which has Lluís Tolosa as director, collects 100 wines that throughout the year have impressed those who write its pages.
In the first chapter of this guide and under the title "For its greatness", 17 wines are recommended that have ratings above 90 points, many of which have been awarded by the guide.
For example, the 200 Monges Gran Reserva 1994, which has been awarded the Best Red Wine Award. Or the Perelada Centenario 1923-2023, which has won the Anniversary Award for its 100 years of history. Find out the rest below:
“I chose the time! I decided that my best wines would mature in the cellars until they were able to move and excite.” Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, winemaker and owner of Vinícola Real, was one of the pioneers of new Rioja wines in the nineties. His collection of historic vintages reflects his entire philosophy.
The majority of Rioja wineries present their Reservas in their fourth year. The 200 Monges Reserva is released with the 2014 vintage, refined for almost a decade. Their commitment to time is extreme in their pack of four historic vintages: 200 Monges Gran Reserva 1994, 1996, 1998 and 1999. I have opened the oldest, their first vintage 1994. It is presented with the bottle labeled, but the most exciting is the from its Archive of Mythical Vintages, with penicillium after 30 years of maturation.
It was born from vines over 45 years old, made in truncated conical French oak vats and aged for 30 months in French and American oak barrels, bottled without any type of filtration. He shows that Rioja is at the world level in historical vintages, not only its century-old wineries, but also the new wineries of the nineties. Spectacular in complexity, depth and freshness. Soft and velvety. Black fruit, compotes, sweet spices, cabinetry and balsamic, with ripe and delicious tannins.
Throughout 2024 they will be celebrating their 30th anniversary with tastings of historic vintages. These wines generate their own almost mystical ritual. They create unique and unrepeatable moments, they are tasted in silence, you close your eyes, they stop time, they are meditated on and at the end they are discussed.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
The Beatas, don't forget this name! There are five Rioja wines that have reached 100 Parker points and this is one of them. It is born from 1.9 hectares in the most northwestern part of the Rioja Alavesa, an iconic work of art that has captivated many people around the world.
Telmo Rodríguez's wines are considered out of the ordinary for their commitment to diversity and the recovery of native varieties. His work in different regions of Spain has been internationally recognized and he is considered a reference in the world of wine and business.
Highlighting, among the most incredible things about this wine, is that eight, possibly nine native varieties are grown together. Vines planted on terraces, with harmony between old vines and young vines, an unusual estate.
This diversity gives him the ability to create unique and distinctive wines that reflect the character of the region. Each variety provides its own characteristics: aromas, flavors and structure, which combine harmoniously in this unique, complex and balanced wine after aging in a 1,200-liter foudre. Its fragrance intoxicates and captivates, for me it is like Guernica, a work that transcends borders and lasts in memory.
The only problem with this wine is its scarcity, there is no attempt to speculate on its price at all. Telmo told me: “The biggest problem is meeting the demand for this wine, which we already had in quotas.” Everyone wants it, but few are lucky enough to enjoy it. If you want to be immortal, look for it!
Author: Zoltan Nagy
“I was afraid of getting old until I realized that I was gaining wisdom day by day.” This is a phrase attributed to the novelist Ernest Hemingway. Plants may not be wise, but it is undeniable that they are not stupid at all. How else do we explain why they have developed and adapted during their evolution? How do we explain that they are capable of responding to environmental stimuli and sending phytohormonal signals to communicate with each other?
There is no doubt that the older a Vitis vinifera is, the greater depth it must transmit to the wine. For all these reasons, Do Ferreiro Cepas Vellas must be the wisest, most erudite and profound wine made in Spain. Its vineyards were officially planted in 1790. And perhaps it was earlier, because just that year there was a fire in Meaño and many documents burned.
Gerardo and Lola started the family winery in 1973, but it was not until 1995 that they decided to vinify the plot of old vines separately. What a success! A myth had just been born. It was, apart from white Remelluri, one of the first Spanish wines to be sold by quota and only to large restaurants.
I remember how lucky we were at the Bulli restaurant to have 24 bottles of this wine, which we jealously managed so that they would last all year. Today, his sons, Encarna and Manuel Méndez, are in charge of the winery, one of the most prestigious in the historic Salnés valley. They continue to safeguard this pure, herbal, fluid, delicate, huge, granitic Albariño of which we will only enjoy 8,000 bottles each year.
Author: Ferran Centelles
Best Wine from Catalonia at the 2023 Vinari Awards. I already wrote it in last year's edition: Albert Jané is one of the best wine producers in Catalonia. He comes from four generations of winemakers, but above all he is a great lover of vineyards.
After several years in the family business, in 2003 he started his personal project with the purchase of an old Garnacha vineyard planted in 1932 in Capçanes, in the Priorat of the DO Montsant. His other two projects are Autocton Celler, in the Penedès, and Ritme Celler, in the DOQ Priorat.
Eternal, indeed, the old vines that are preserved in the Priorat costers seem eternal, because their roots are deep, resistant, almost spiritual. The key to this wine is in the vineyard, since it is born from a selection of old vines, between 70 and 90 years old, rooted in the hard llicorella soils of Priorat and cultivated organically.
The yields are so low that each vine produces between 300 and 700 grams of grapes. Several strains are needed to make a bottle of this wine. Pure Priorat, traditional blend, 75% Cariñena, 25% Grenache, aged for 12 months in new French oak barrels, choosing a very light toast to respect the fruit expression.
Identification of the friendly and authentic wines of Albert Jané. Cherry color, lively and expressive. Memories of candied fruit, sweet spices and balsamic, with a soft and round finish, where mineral notes and soft, ripe and polished tannins appear. Sobremesa magazine placed it among the 5 best Priorat wines.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
One of the best tastings this year in Barcelona has been the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Jean Leon winery (1963-2023). Mireia Torres Maczassek, director of Jean Leon and fifth generation of the Torres family, together with Sergi Castro, presented the new image of their four Qualified Estate Wines: Vinya Gigi, Vinya Palau, Vinya Le Havre and Vinya La Scala, inspired by the first labels from the winery.
To check the evolution of a good Mediterranean cabernet, we were able to compare the Vinya La Scala Gran Reserva 2016 and 2001. More than two decades later, the 2001 vintage maintains fruit and freshness, no one would guess its age in a blind tasting. Ripe, warm and sweet, with great evolutionary notes, impeccable.
Even more exciting was comparing the Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva 1988 and 1970. They are wines from another era, prior to climate change, with 12-13 degrees, since the increase in temperatures began in the nineties. Four and five decades later they maintain fruit and freshness, evolved, tertiary, spicy, a lot of cabinetmaking.
The big news is the limited edition of Vinya Le Havre 2013, to be able to compare it with the 2019 vintage that is on the market. Le Havre, for the French port where Jean Leon stowed away in 1949 looking for the American dream that he found in Hollywood.
Classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Great 2013 vintage, fresh, fine and elegant. After a decade it displays maturity, depth, spices, black licorice, tobacco leaf and Mediterranean herbs. Pure history.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
The most important anniversary this year in the wine sector has undoubtedly been the centenary of Perelada (1923-2023). After the inauguration of their new winery, which in 2022 we award as the largest and most complete wine tourism project in Spain, they have now dedicated an entire year to celebrating its centenary.
The purchase of the Peralada castle in 1923, by the Mateu family, marked the recovery of the winemaking activity of the Carmelite friars, documented since the Middle Ages. For the last thirty years it has been Javier Suqué who has directed the winery, creating expressive wines from his five Empordà estates and promoting the new winery to go “from excellent wines to extraordinary wines.”
This year of celebrations had its climax with the exhibition Perelada 100. The senses of history, accompanied by an unprecedented experience, its immersive tastings in the IDEAL space (Centre d'Arts Digitals, Barcelona), where they united reality and metaverse like never before it had been done before.
Their commemorative wine is Centenario 1923-2023, a special edition of 1,000 bottles in tribute to the family, especially Javier Suqué. It is a wine that reflects his philosophy and personal taste, complex, elegant, discreet, classic and with hints of modernity. Syrah and red grenache from its emblematic Finca Garbet, deeply Mediterranean.
Great load of fruit, aromatic herbs, mineral and balsamic notes, with the freshness of the slates, the sea breeze and the north wind. Also commemorative, and more affordable, are their other two new wines: Obsequi (€15) and Amfitrió (€15).
Author: Lluís Tolosa
The most exciting visit this year at the Best Of Bilbao-Rioja awards was to Bodegas Valdelana. We visited its Garden of Varieties, with several vineyards from 1920-1940, an experimental vineyard with one hundred varieties from around the world and the rehabilitation of an ancient oil mill and a cave wine press for traditional grape treading.
At the Romaneda viewpoint, the last navigable stretch of the Ebro River, they have installed a gigantic swing with panoramic views, chill-out, terrace, wine bar, food truck and wine store, where they hold all kinds of events.
We were welcomed by Juan Valdelana, who has been making wine for 14 generations. Aware that the charisma of his father, Juan Jesús Valdelana, is almost unsurpassed, winner of the Best Of 2011, 2013 and 2017, and the Basque government award for best professional career in 2017. Even so, he told us that he and his sister Judit aspired to his own Best Of. I loved his wealth of training, experience, ideas and talent. And he got it: Best Of 2024 in Innovative Experiences, due to “the drive of the new Valdelana generation, a young, enthusiastic and innovative team, even capable of surpassing the achievements of previous generations.”
“The Singular Vineyards are the project of my life,” he told me. “They are treasures that I have been collecting since I was 18, planted between 1920 and 1940.” At the moment there are 7 wines coming out, all with the Juan Valdelana brand, “I have taken a step forward, in here you will see my way of being and living this.”
Finca Tronco Negro fascinated me. Premiering for Martín Berasategui, Arzak, José Andrés and El Celler de Can Roca. Only 20 units for sale to the public. Spectacular.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
The origin of the Pazo de Barrantes dates back to 1511, since then linked to the Cebrián-Sagarriga family and relevant episodes in the history of Galicia. After years of making Pazo Barrantes, they decided to withdraw it from the market to give it the highest standards of a great wine. After a long research and a lot of work in the vineyard, it was aged further in barrels and in the bottle to express its full maturation potential.
This is how this new Pazo Barrantes 2019 was born, with 7 months of aging in acacia barrels, only for 15% of the wine, the rest in stainless steel, and then looking for the best blend. Expresses white stone fruit, fresh citrus, balsamic nuances and notes of laurel and acacia.
Available in a collector's edition, with sustainable artisanal packaging, inspired by the redeiras, the seamstresses of the sea, in collaboration with the Galician artisan Sonia de Gerónimo. Only 50 exclusive units, for the 1.5 liter magnum version (RRP €450). Now the 2020 vintage has just been released, awarded as Best Albariño in the World in the prestigious American magazine Wine
Author: Meritxell Falgueras
LAN a Mano shows the great work of LAN in recent years. Beyond its classic widely distributed wines (LAN Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva), which they make with 400 hectares of different winegrowers, LAN has been developing a high range of wines from its Viña Lanciano, unique in Rioja due to its location, size, microclimate and beauty.
Viña Lanciano occupies a large meander of the Ebro River, with 24 plots acquired little by little to form a large vineyard of 72 hectares, one of the largest in Rioja, with very stony soil with boulders of river origin. First they made Viña Lanciano and then Culmen and LAN a Mano were born, from Pago El Rincón, 15 hectares of 40-60 year old vines.
LAN a Mano 2020 represents a new step forward. It shows the intense work of the internal winemaking team, with winemakers from Portugal (LAN belongs to the Portuguese group Sogrape), with a renowned Master of Wine and two prestigious international journalists. Together they have adjusted the production and aging, seeking more fruit, fluidity and tension in the mouth, reducing aging, changing the oaks, 9 months in French oak and 4 months in Caucasian oak.
The 2020 harvest was very good on the farm. They added more Graciano, an identity of the estate and facilitator of aging, and added some Mazuelo, which provides stable color, acidity and abundant tannins to the aging. It came out impeccable. Black fruit, plums, blackberries, cinnamon, roasted, balsamic, minerals and friendly, fruity tannins. Next, 94 Peñín points and 94 Wine Spectator points, rated among the great wines of Spain, at a moderate price.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
I always define these wines as wines with a second life and a second chance. Starting from something basic and simple, they transform into something simply magical, once they have been blessed by biological breeding. Another key ingredient will be the patience, experience and good work of the foreman, in addition to these unique floors. All this is the key to your success.
In the case of Coquinero, it has been raised in a traditional way, through the criaderas and soleras system, for at least 6 years. It pays tribute to the fishermen of El Puerto de Santa María, since Coquinero is the name by which the natives of this town who search for mollusks or coquinas are colloquially known. It is a tribute to their hard work.
It comes from the vineyards of Pago Balbaína, one of the most emblematic in the area. In the production process, the wine is headed and remains for a long time with the veil of flower, once again flaunting the calm and passage of time.
Organoleptically, they are generous wines in every sense. Its color is somewhat golden. Aromatically, an explosion of notes and nuances of almond-type nuts, oily notes, olive, saline notes and mineral touches in honor of albariza, that magical soil.
Its mouth, in line with the nose, is very wide, enveloping, full, sharp, dry and with an eternal finish. In that long finish, the marine and almond notes stand out. This winery is truly a true temple that is worth a visit. Long live Osborne.
Author: María José Huertas
This red wine symbolizes the enoscience, innovation and technology of Vega Sicilia in association with the Barón Edmond de Rothschild Wine Company. Two great legends of the world of wine came together in Rioja to create Benjamin de Rothschild
Vega Sicilia needs no introduction in Spain, it is one of the great myths of Spanish wine. But, for those who don't know, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild presides over the LCF Rothschild financial group, with several wineries around the world, including the legendary Château Lafite. At a meeting in Bordeaux, the two families conspired to unite two great wine cultures.
Macán Clásico is the second wine of Rothschild
This second wine, the Macán Clásico, offers a fresher and fruitier expression, closer and more accessible than that of its older brother. The aging time is shorter, 12 months in barrel, the impact of the American oak is reduced and toasts that provide more freshness are favored, with subsequent refining for 18 months in the bottle. Aging potential of 10-15 years. Because as Giorgio Armani said, “elegance is not standing out, but being remembered.”
Author: Meritxell Falgueras
This past December, the new wines distinguished with the Qualified Finca Wine category, the highest distinction in the wine quality pyramid in Catalonia, were presented. The solemn event took place in the Palau de Pedralbes, with Alba Balcells, general director of the Catalan Institute of Vine and Wine (INCAVI) and subsequent tasting of the distinguished wines, in charge of Toni Albiol, Best Sommelier of Catalonia 2023.
Raims de la Immortalitat very well represents the demands of a Qualified Estate Wine. Xarel·lo and red Xarel·lo from the Vinya del Pou, planted in 1970. It expresses the personality of an old vineyard from the Massís del Garraf, subzone of the DO Penedès. Very Mediterranean, natural from Sant Pere de Ribes, with the influence of the sea breeze and the Garraf Natural Park.
Fermented in French oak and chestnut barrels, as was tradition in Catalonia, with 6 months of aging. It expresses stone fruit, such as peach, with the fruit wrapped in smoky notes, vanilla, incense, with final balsamic nuances of Mediterranean herbs. It will grow a lot in the bottle.
Salvador Dalí was a close friend of the family and frequently visited the Torre del Veguer. The label shows a detail of Raïms' work of Immortalitat created by Dalí in 1970, precisely the year the Vinya del Pou was planted. In the artist's own words, "it symbolizes the immortality contained in the biological suspension." If you visit the winery, in the Dalí Room they preserve unique objects, several illustrations and a letter written by the artist with the lipstick of his wife Gala.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
New image for a great Priorat classic. This 2019 vintage provides a fresher and more contemporary design, with a luster that refers to the historical heritage of the La Fredat estate.
Cruor is made exclusively with grapes from this estate, a vineyard structured in terraces that provides great variety and complexity due to its different soils, altitudes and orientations. Its classic Priorat profile is always structured around the balanced blend of Grenache and Carignan, in a proportion that varies slightly in each vintage.
As this 2019 harvest was warm, in this vintage the proportion of Grenache has been reduced and the presence of Syrah, equally Mediterranean but not as warm, has increased. The macerations have also been more controlled, avoiding too much extraction, and it has been refined especially well with its 14 months of aging in French oak barrels and its rest time in the bottle.
Very expressive of the La Fredat estate. Complex, serene and deep. It is a wine that unfolds in layers, showing its different nuances. Flavors of red fruits and black berries, soft wrapping of Mediterranean herbs and undergrowth, then the spicy nuances appear and at the end the balsamic and more mineral notes. In the end everything fits together, with round and ripe tannins, very well made.
Casa Gran del Siurana was established in 2007 in the former Bellmunt del Priorat Agricultural Cooperative. Jordi Alentorn is the head of viticulture and Anna Gallisà has been the oenologist since 2013. Behind them is Delfí Sanahuja, technical director of the Perelada group.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Clos Galena has won the prestigious The European Award 2023 in the Winery of the Year category. Merche Dalmau, owner of the winery, collected the award personally at the ceremony held on November 29 at the emblematic Ritz Hotel in Paris.
Our joy is immense, because Merche Dalmau deserves everything. She created the Clos Galena project with her husband Miquel Pérez. She has a degree in pharmacy and owner of the Dalmau Pharmacy in Reus. For years they shared the dream of creating a sustainable and ecological winery on a farm in El Molar, quite innovative in Priorat in 1999.
But her husband died in 2013. Merche, who was in charge of the pharmacy, took over the management of the winery almost without strength and without knowledge. She got ahead thanks to her team, especially Toni Coca, technical director of the winery. With courage, enthusiasm and business art, someone from up there also helped align the stars.
Decanter placed it among the best wineries in the Mediterranian Fine Wine Encounter (London, 2015). The following year, Galena was the only Spanish wine with Grand Gold in the Mundus Vini BioFach 2016 and then entered the Top 100 of the North American magazine Wine Spectator.
The cherry on top was that Vellut's Formiga was one of the three wines chosen for the 2017 Nobel Prize banquet held in Stockholm, Sweden. Although it exports 80% of its production, since then it has kept this wine for the national market. This wine is a woman's pride and a country's pride.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
With an eminently local blend, 50% Grenache and 30% Cariñena, and its French complement of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, this wine is the reflection of the Cannan family. Of French-English origin, but based in the DOQ Priorat, they make some of the most internationally recognized wines and have one of the most popular and gastronomic wine tourism proposals in Gratallops.
Cristopher Cannan was one of the international promoters of Priorat and this year we are lucky enough to be able to read his memoirs, published first in English and now in Spanish. In his book, A Journey through the World of Wine, he reviews the evolution of the main wine markets in the world in the last 50 years, and also explains his family adventure to create their own wines in Priorat and Montsant. Now it is Anne-Josephine Cannan who, with the Women of Wine association, keeps the prestigious and highly rated Clos Figueras winery in vogue and with its artisanal production.
Font de la Figuera has a very rich, seductive and elegant blend, similar to that of its older brother, Clos Figueres. He aged for 12 months in one and two year old 500 liter French oak barrels. This cherry cherry with a sweet entry and mineral touches is extremely adorable with lamb, cannelloni and red meat. The tannins are ripe, very well integrated and full-bodied. Great finish, long and very persistent, with a pleasant spicy and toasted aftertaste. With time, herbaceous notes and more spices appear. Balsamic background with some floral touch, long longevity in the bottle.
Author: Meritxell Falgueras
Clarión has always surprised me because it is especially expressive, refined and balanced in all its vintages. He is part of the Viñas del Vero Selection, along with the red Gran Vos, where his technical team expresses more creativity and personality.
The secret of their harmony is that each year they vary the blend of white varieties to achieve the best expression and balance. They select their best vineyards, carry out different microvinifications and obtain different single-varietal white wines, preferably Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer, but also other varieties. They then assemble these wines in the most appropriate proportions to create a great aging white wine. It is one of the most emblematic whites of the DO Somontano.
Born with the 1996 vintage and catapulted to fame with the 2002 vintage, when it was served at the dinner before the wedding of the current kings of Spain, D. Felipe and Dña. Leticia. Its great uniqueness as a white wine for aging is that it is made without any passage through wood. Pure fruity expression, carefully searched. First, allowing some parts of some vineyards to mature longer to obtain greater concentration in the pulp of the grapes. And then, once the ideal blend was achieved, with aging exclusively in the bottle, coming to the market in its third year, the 2020 vintage is now released.
It stands out for its magnificent evolution. Always soft, elegant and silky. It expresses stone fruit, floral notes and fine spices that expand, both in the glass and in the bottle. Great value for the price. Safe bet.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
This organic and vegan local wine is a tribute to the mythology of Briones and its authentic landscape. It is the latest innovation from winemaker Rafael Vivanco, who draws on the passion for wine culture in capital letters for four generations.
Brunes is born from two fabulous plots of their own vineyards: Orizabal, where they grow Tempranillo, and La Isla, where they have Maturana Tinta, a Riojan variety of which Vivanco is the largest grower. Violet red color, fresh and young, after 12 months of aging in French oak barrels, concrete and stainless steel tanks, with 9 months of refining in the bottle.
The name Brunes alludes to the medieval name of Briones, as recorded in documents from the 8th century. The label bears the image of the Red Devil corkscrew, an American design by Gerald Youhanaie, registered in 1985 and exhibited in the visitable collection of the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture, possibly the best wine museum in the world.
The museum has just received the Best Of Special Achievement Award, awarded by Great Wine Capitals (GWC), the World Network of Great Wine Capitals, in Lausanne, Switzerland. This special award is only given to truly exceptional projects. In fact, it had only been delivered twice before: to La Cité du Vin (Bordeaux) in 2019, and to World of Wine (WOW, Porto) in 2021, with the merit that Vivanco is the only private one.
These are admirable merits for this year the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture to be awarded in this guide as the Best Wine Tourism Project in Spain.
Author: Meritxell Falgueras
