Inky purple color. Strongly floral nose displays a seductive bouquet of dark berries, lavender, rose and smoky Indian spices. Vibrant blackberry and candied cherry flavors are lifted by zesty minerals, becoming deeper and sweeter with air. The impressively brisk and focused finish features pure berries. Here's another crazy value.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 91

[Issue: Sept / Oct 2008]

A blend of Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera, and other red grapes. The wine was aged for eight months in French and American oak. This purple-colored wine has an expressive bouquet of violets, spice box, leather, game, blueberry, and black cherry. On the palate it comes off as borderline kinky and definitely sexy with lots of easy-going flavor, superb depth, complexity, and a 45-second finish.

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #178 / Aug 08]

The 2007 Puerta Bonita G5 is sourced from 120 year old vines in the new Madrid D.O. Opaque purple with a slightly brooding nose, with coaxing black cherry and raspberry aromas emerge. This is followed by a structured wine with 2-3 years of aging potential. The flavors have depth and concentration marked by spicy, savory red fruits. While this excellent effort will evolve in the cellar, few purchasers will be able to delay their gratification for more than a matter of hours.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #178 / Aug 08]

Made from vines reportedly ranging from 60 to 100 years of age) Inky ruby. Exotically perfumed bouquet displays black raspberry, cherry compote, licorice and dark chocolate, plus a sexy floral overtone. Fresh, focused red and dark berry flavors are given depth by a note of bitter chocolate and framed by silky tannins. Finishes with very good clarity and mineral snap, with the black raspberry note repeating. Year in and out this is a superb value.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: Sept/Oct 09]

The 2007 Finca Resalso was sourced from younger vines and aged in French oak for four months. Dark ruby-colored, it emits an enticing perfume of mineral, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. On the palate it reveals an elegant personality, savory, spicy flavors, good depth, and a fruit-filled finish. Drink this tasty effort over the next four years.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #181 / Feb 09]

Saturated ruby. More powerful than the '04 on the nose, offering deep cherry preserve and plum scents. Displays zestier red fruits on the palate, which is firmed by fine-grained tannins. A suave mineral quality arrives with air, adding energy to the dark fruit qualities. The nicely focused finish is spicy and long.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 91

[Issue: Sept / Oct 08]

Bright purple. Sexy aromas of blackberry, incense and cocoa powder are complemented by a suave smoky quality. Plush, creamy dark berry flavors possess plenty of weight but are energized by racy minerality. Chewy tannins arrive with air, adding grip to the broad, sappy, persistent finish. Complex enough to enjoy now.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: Sept/Oct 09]

100% Monastrell but aged for 12 months in French and American oak. It was sourced from an estate vineyard with 45 years of age. This purple-colored wine offers superb aromatics of wood smoke, damp earth, violets, and blueberry pie. Layered, succulent, and long.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: Sept/Oct 09]

A notable value composed of 55% Samso and 45% Garnacha aged for 10 months in French oak. Dark ruby/purple, it exhibits a fragrant bouquet of cedar, spice box, mineral, and black cherry. This leads to a smooth-textured, elegant, sweetly-fruited wine already revealing considerable complexity. There is some silky tannin lurking in the background which will allow this tasty effort to drink well through 2020.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #178 / Aug 08]

A blend of carinena, syrah and garnacha) Inky purple. Sexy aromas of blueberry and boysenberry compote are complemented by cinnamon and mace, along with a subtle smoky undertone. Gains weight and richness with air, picking up notes of mocha and candied flowers. I looked for tannins but failed to find them. Extremely attractive right now.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: Sept / Oct 09]

Bright medium red. A complex bouquet displays redcurrant, raspberry, musky herbs and fresh flowers. Precise red fruit flavors are supported by tangy minerality and sweetened by a gentle cola quality. There's an intriguing pinot-like focus and delicacy to this wine. Darker fruits arrive on the finish, which is sappy and persistent.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 91

[Issue: Sept / Oct 08]

Inky purple. An expansive bouquet offers scents of blueberry, cola, violet and smoky minerals. Fresh dark berry flavors display impressive depth and are brightened by notes of fresh flowers and mace. Finishes with excellent clarity and assertive lingering flavors of blue fruits and cherry compote.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: Jul/Aug 09]

The 2004 Baron de Magana is a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Tempranillo aged for 14 months in 70% new French oak. Inky purple, it has an alluring perfume of pain grille, pencil lead, wood smoke, blackberry, and black currant. Ripe, sweet, and more structured than the Dignus, it merits 3-5 years of additional cellaring and should drink well through 2018.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #175 / Feb 08]

The 2004 Juan Rojo was aged for 8 months in French and American oak. Opaque purple-colored, the nose exhibits lots of spice, mineral, scorched earth, and blackberry. This leads to a full-bodied, structured wine with layers of fruit, intense flavors, and 4-6 years of aging potential.

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #175 / Feb 08]

60% carinena, 30% garnacha and the rest cabernet sauvignon and syrah. Bright ruby. Complex, highly aromatic nose melds zesty red berries, minerals, flowers and Asian spices; smells a lot like a sexy pinot noir. Perfumed and sweet in the mouth, with a silky texture and sweet raspberry flavor framed by supple tannins. Gentle acidity gives energy to the wine and adds bite to the tangy, focused finish. This is the first vintage for this bottling.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: Sept/Oct 09]

The entry-level wine (what an entry!) is the 2007 Petalos del Bierzo, 100% Mencia from vineyards ranging in age from 40 to 90 years. It spends its first few weeks in new French barriques before transfer to seasoned oak for 6 to 10 months. Saturated purple in color, it offers up a super-fragrant bouquet of smoke, violets, mineral, wild blueberry, and black raspberry. Fruity yet complex on the palate, it has superb depth, grip, and balance. This sexy effort can be enjoyed over the next six years but only hedonists need apply.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #181 / Feb 09]

The purple-colored 2005 Muga Reserva, a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, and the balance Mazuelo and Graciano. It was aged for six months in wood vats followed by two years in new French and American oak. It delivers an alluring nose of cedar, tobacco, earth notes, mineral, and black cherry. This is followed by an elegant wine with good depth and enough ripe tannin to evolve for several years. Nicely balanced and long in the finish, it will be at its best from 2012 to 2020 if not longer.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #183 / June 09]

Vivid ruby. Energetic black raspberry and floral aromas are deepened by rooty sassafras and cola. Very spicy on the palate, which offers fresh black and blue fruit flavors, silky texture and gentle mineral lift. Seems more complex than the '05, surprisingly, and finishes with good lingering sweetness. I suspect that this will be best drunk before the '05. This winery is a partnership between Jumilla's Juan Gil family and importer Jorge Ordonez, and the wines are made by two young Australian winemakers, Iwo Jakimowica and Sarah Morris, who worked at Torbreck.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 92

[Issue: Sept/Oct 08]

The 2005 Cenit is 100% Tinta de Toro from 60- to over 100-year-old ungrafted vines. The wine was barrel fermented and aged for 18 months new oak. Deep crimson-colored, it has a superb bouquet of cedar, wood smoke, saddle leather, tobacco, mineral, blueberry, and blackberry. Full-bodied, rich, and opulent, the wine is intense, complex, and structured for several years of cellaring. It should be at its best from 2012 to 2025.

Wine Advocate Rating: 93

[Issue: #175 / Feb 08]

The 2006 Brao is a blend of 50% Garnacha and 50% Samso aged for 12 months in French oak, some of it new. Purple colored, it offers a similar aromatic profile but is more structured and fuller-bodied than the Acustic. Layered, bordering on opulent, the wine has superb depth, concentration, and a 40-second finish. Give it 3-4 years in the cellar and drink it through 2026.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #175 / Feb 08]

Bodegas Matarredonda, whose first vintage was 2001, is off to a quick start. As is typical in the D.O. of Toro, these wines are 100% Tinta de Toro, the local clone of Tempranillo. The 2003 Libranza comes from a 12-acre vineyard of pre-phylloxera Tinta de Toro vines ranging in age from 100-140 years. The wine received 14 months in French and American oak. Purple-colored and more marked by the oak, this wine is a bit ungiving aromatically but with coaxing, notes of vanilla, earth, spice box, and blackberry emerge. On the palate this large-scaled wine has a supple texture, layers of fruit, and plenty of ripe tannin. Everything is in balance and this wine should continue to evolve for at least 4-6 more years and drink well through 2025.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #169 / Feb 07]

Inky purple. Very rich aromas of dark cherry, plum and mocha. Displays fresher berry qualities on the palate, with slow-mounting minerality adding welcome lift. Deep, chewy and serious, with powerful tannins contributing structure. As this sat in the glass, it became more lively, picking up a black raspberry note and losing some of its brooding character. Leaves smoky minerals behind on the long, chewy finish. This needs some time to stretch out.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90+

[Issue: Sept / Oct 08]

The 2005 El Puntido is 100% Tempranillo sourced from a vineyard of the same name planted in 1975. Malolactic fermentation was sur lie in new French oak for four months followed by 18 months in new French barriques. Purple/black-colored with a brooding nose of great promise, it shows off notes of new oak, crushed stone, scorched earth, roasted herbs, incense, and blackberry. Voluminous yet elegant on the palate, it is mouth-filling and rich with gobs of fruit and plenty of ripe tannin. Give this lengthy effort 6-8 years of cellaring and drink it from 2016 to 2030.

Wine Advocate Rating: 94

[Issue: #183 / June 09]

Bodegas Pintia is owned by Vega Sicilia. Pintia is located further west along the Duero River inside the warmer D.O. of Toro. The estate owns 96 hectares of land. The first vintage released was the 2001. As for the 2005 Pintia, it is 100% Tinta de Toro aged for one year in new French and American oak. Opaque purple-colored, it offers a complex perfume of pain grille, pencil lead, spice box, black cherry, and blackberry. This leads to a full-bodied, ripe, layered wine with intense flavors, serious complexity, and exceptional length.

Wine Advocate Rating: 95

[Issue: #175 / Feb 08]

The 2007 Auditon (error by Parker, it is "Auditory") is 100% Garnacha sourced from a single vineyard with 80- to 100-year-old vines. It spent 13 months in French oak. It offers a more complex aromatic array than the Brao cuvee with liquid minerals, smoky oak, incense, cinnamon, roasted herbs, and black cherry compote. On the palate this full-bodied, muscular, large-scaled effort is loaded with spicy black fruits and ripe tannin. Intense, concentrated, and impeccably balanced, it demands 6-8 years of cellaring. It will offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2032.

Wine Advocate Rating: 95

[Issue: #183 / June 09]