($18, Underdog Wine Merchants):  The 2003 vintage in Europe was plagued by heat often resulting in over-ripe or baked elements in the wines.  Not this one.  Fresh and lively, it has uplifting acidity and class that amplifies the wonderful complex combination of fruit and spice. … Read more

($15, Vintus):  Telmo Rodriguez is one of the “new wave” Spanish winemakers.  His family owns the highly regarded Rioja estate, Remurelli, and although he left that estate in the 1990s and set off on his own, he is familiar and at home with making Rioja. … Read more

($54, Fines Estates from Spain):  Remirez de Ganuza is one of the star producers of Rioja.  This bottling, the Fincas de Ganuza, is his second wine, which makes its quality all the more remarkable.  A blend of old vine Tempranillo and Garnacha, it has power, dark minerality–almost tarry element–and an appealing meaty element offset by lovely freshness. … Read more

($9, Underdog Wine Merchants):  A more enjoyable $9 wine?  I doubt it.  Made entirely from Tempranillo–the winemaker, Maria Martinez Sierra, is known locally as “Mrs. Tempranillo”–this traditional mid-weight Rioja delivers a lovely and nicely balanced combination of spice and fruit.  Fresh and bright, it has surprising class for a wine of this price.… Read more

($45, Fine Estates from Spain):  Remelluri, a star producer in the region, claims to be the oldest and first estate to bottle Rioja.  A typical Rioja blend of mostly (80%) Tempranillo, with small amounts of Graciano, Garnacha and Mazuelo, this wine comes entirely from the estate’s vineyards. … Read more

($22, Folio Wine Company):  After his father died in 2000, Alvaro Palacios, one of the current superstars of Spanish wine, returned to run the family estate in Rioja.  He replanted the vineyard, modernized the cellar and discarded the traditional nomenclature of Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, terms that indicate the duration of aging prior to the wine’s release. … Read more

($53, Jorge Ordonez):  Consumers wishing to drink wines with mature character without spending a fortune at auction or stocking their own wine cellar can head to their local retailer and pull this one off the shelf.  Gran Reserva designation in Rioja means the wine was aged a minimum of 5 years prior to release. … Read more

($20, Eric Solomon Selections):  Capçanes ranks with the best wine cooperatives in the world.  Working with growers whose vineyards have been in the same family for generations gives them access to old vines.  This blend of Merlot (50%), Garnacha (35%) and   Tempranillo combines lively fruity with earthy–leafy–flavors.… Read more

($17, Eric Solomon Selections):  Val de Sil is one of the best producers in Valdeorras, a small (3,300-acre) and up and coming appellation in Spain’s northwest.  The primary white grape here, the Godello, has enormous inherent acidity and hence the wines are fresh and lively with a penetrating citrus quality. … Read more

($33, Skurnik):  Rioja, Spain’s most well-known wine region, is one the rare places where the producer ages the wine for the consumer and releases it when it is ready to drink.  This decade-old wine is their current release.  From one of the region’s traditional–and best–producers, this aged Rioja delivers a panoply of dried fruit flavors, leafy nuances and hints of leather and other non-fruit flavors. … Read more

($14, Vineyard Brands):  This mid-weight delivers an engaging and balanced combination of bright red fruit-like flavors and winsome vanilla notes.  Suave tannins lend structure but allow for immediate enjoyment.  It’s light enough to accompany a roast chicken, but has enough stuffing to serve with a steak.… Read more

($17, Eric Solomon Selections):  This aromatic blend of Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer–it’s like a flower shop in a glass–is deceptive.  The nose makes you think it’s going to be sweet, but it’s not.  It is exuberant and refreshing.  If you could bottle springtime, this would be it. … Read more

($11, Eric Solomon Selections):  This 100% Garnacha (Grenache) delivers a delightful array of spice and fresh strawberry-like flavors.  It’s an everyday kind of wine–at a very attractive price–that manages to provide a balanced, almost sweet savory, mixture of flavors.  Mild tannins mean it takes a chill nicely, so remember it for the summertime.… Read more

($19, Eric Solomon Selections):  The grapes–100% Godello–come from younger vines in a separate and distinct part of the vineyard from which Palacios produces his iconic As Sortes. Much more aromatic than his As Sortes (reviewed previously), Louro do Bolo has an engaging floral quality atop a hint of minerality and shows the range of wine made from the Godello grape. … Read more

($21):  Consumers unfamiliar with the Godello grape are in for a treat.  Naturally high in acidity, its palate cleansing ability makes it an obvious choice for highly flavored dishes.  Pena das Donas’s rendition, from the small, relatively new DO of Ribera Sacra, undergoes lees-aging in tank, which adds complexity while still preserving the inherent fruitiness of the grape. … Read more

($9, Eric Solomon Selections):  Regular WRO readers know that I fail to embrace the Rosé craze, almost always preferring a chilled light red wine (see this week’s review of Celler Espelt’s Garnatxa).  Well, here’s an exception.  This Rosé, made entirely from Garnacha, has real character and alluring nuances of wild strawberry-like flavors. … Read more

($30, Eric Solomon Selections): Priorat is known for its great red wines.  But distinctive whites can be made there, just as in other great red wine areas, such as the Côtes de Nuits and Pessac-Léognan.  Made entirely from Garnacha Blanca, it leads with a gorgeous floral–almost peachy–nose followed by an engaging earthiness and bracing minerality, all amplified by vibrant acidity. … Read more

($11, Eric Solomon Selections):  Looking for great value in a brisk, lively summertime wine?  You’ve found it with this blend of Garnacha Blanca (65%) and Macabeo from one of Spain’s less well-known DOs, Empordá-Costa Brava, located in the country’s northeastern corner near the French border. … Read more

($12, Eric Solomon Selections):  Although Sauvignon Blanc comprises only 15% of the blend–the remainder is Verdejo (60%) and Viura–it is the primary note in the nose.  Fortunately, the Verdejo and Viura take over on the palate to produce a clean fresh zesty white wine with surprising complexity and body for the price. … Read more

($20, Eric Solomon Selections):  Bierzo is an up and coming DO in the northwestern part of Spain where the Mencia grape reigns.  Made entirely from Mencia, this wine delivers a marvelous combination of earth, herbs and fruit, supported nicely by moderate tannins.… Read more

($23, Eric Solomon Selections):  This family-run winery makes consistently impressive Albariño.  Their 2009 is no exception.  They achieve a hint of roundness to this otherwise edgy wine by aging it on the lees for four months.  It’s a classy wine with considerable body without sacrificing the quintessential zippy character of Albariño.… Read more

($45, Eric Solomon Selections):  With Alvaro Palacios in Priorat and Rioja, Ricardo Palacios in Bierzo, and now with Rafael in Valdeorras, a DO in northwestern Spain, the Palacios family is one of the locomotives that continues to pull Spanish wine onto the world’s stage. … Read more

($8, Wine Associates, Inc.):  The Bobal grape is indigenous to Manchuela, a newly created DO in southeastern Spain that was formerly part of La Mancha.  Both the grape and the region had been known for producing bulk wine, but recently producers having been aiming higher. … Read more

($10, Wine Associates, Inc.):  The Bobal grape is capable of producing fine wine if the vines natural proclivity for high yield is kept in check.  The winemaking team must have done that with this wine.  It’s pleasantly rustic with a nicely balanced array of black fruit, spice and herbal notes. … Read more

($8, Vineyard Brands): Yes, you read it correctly–a white wine from Rioja, Spain’s most recognized region for red wine.  There’s a long tradition of making white wine in Rioja, but the local preference for a heavy slightly oxidized style made them impossible to sell in the United States. … Read more

($20, Kobrand):  The script label makes deciphering the producer’s name difficult, but that should not deter consumers from reaching for the bottle.  A softer–some would say “friendlier”–style of Albariño, it still has sufficient brightness and verve to hold your interest throughout a meal. … Read more

($25, Vineyard Brands): Forget everything you might have heard about a mediocre 2002 vintage in Rioja.  This is a wonderful wine that proves vintage charts need be taken with a grain of salt.  Better to focus on the producer.  In this case, Marqués de Cáceres, one of Rioja’s best. … Read more

($21, Palm Bay International): Rioja, Spain’s most widely known wine region, continues to offer consumers wines with a fabulous combination of ripe fruit flavors and earthy elements.   Not a modern fruit bomb, this gorgeous, traditional blend of Tempranillo (90%) and Mazuelo delivers a stylish balance of bright red fruit and savory notes surrounded by polished tannins. … Read more

($20, Kobrand): Located just outside of Spain’s prestigious Ribera del Duero region, Abadia Retuerta has been producing stylish, well-price wines since 1996 when the pharmaceutical company Novartis finally–a decade after its purchase–completed replanting the vineyards and finished their a state-of-the-art gravity flow winery. … Read more

($13, Elite Wines): With summer upon us—at least by the calendar—here’s a perfect crisp refreshing white for simple seafood.  Verdejo is an indigenous Spanish grape rarely found outside of that country.  In this rendition, delicate herbal notes complement the citric tang and lend more complexity than you’d imagine given the price. … Read more

($17, Grapes of Spain): Verdejo—not to be confused with the Portuguese grape, Verdelho—is the primary grape of Rueda, one of Spain’s superb regions for white wines.  This one is lively and fresh with an ever so slightly waxy texture that adds to its overall appeal. … Read more

($10, Dreyfus, Ashby & Co.): Torres is one of Spain’s best known producers because they produce such a consistently high-quality array of wines.  Delicate red fruit notes marry with vibrant acidity in this refreshing rosé.  Dry and lively, keep a bottle chilled in the refrigerator to banish the humidity of summer.… Read more

($9, Vineyard Brands): Although primarily a region for red wines, Rioja does serve up whites, usually from the Macabeo grape, locally known as Viura.  White wine from Rioja in the past was dreadful–heavy and oxidized–but now is often clean, bright and invigorating, especially in Marqués de Cáceres hands. … Read more

($13, Underdog Wine Merchants): Bodegas Montecillo, an excellent Rioja-based producer, is branching out.  Like many established Spanish producers who are based outside of the Rias Baixas region on Spain’s northwest corner, Montecillo is jumping on the Albariño bandwagon with this wine they call Verdemar. … Read more

($45, Vintus): Judging from this wine, the first vintage of a joint venture of two friends — Sergi Ferrer-Salat and Raül Bobet — that they started in 2002, the project will be a success.  As with many of the newer wines from this region, the indigenous varieties, Carignan and Grenache, predominate, with only a little Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.… Read more

($12, Underdog Wine Merchants): This is a great $12 wine.  It delivers a discreet combination of fresh and dried cherry-like flavors with mild tannins that prevent it from seeming sweet.  It’s the Spanish equivalent of what I call ‘pizza wine,’ which means it must be a ‘tapas wine.’ … Read more

($10, Frederick Wildman): Grupo Baron de Ley, the Spanish company that owns the quality Rioja producers El Coto and Baron de Ley, also produces this more ‘modern’ style wine from the center of Spain.  Its juicy red fruit flavors jump at you, but the black cherry acidity reminds you that its feet are style rooted in Spain. … Read more

($16, Vineyard Brands): This blend of primarily (85%) Tempranillo (the remainder is Garnacha and Graciano) is a classically proportioned, mid-weight Rioja that delivers herbal elements intertwined with black cherry-like fruit flavors.  Fine tannins complete the picture, and lip-smacking acidity keeps you coming back for more. … Read more

($23, American Wine Distributors): Similar to Chianti over the last 20 years, Rioja, Spain’s most well known wine region, has taken advantage of its name recognition but also reinvented itself to be able to offer the world a range of styles. … Read more

($48, American Wine Distributors): If you just looked at vintage charts, you’d wonder why Alegre chose 2002, a below average year for Rioja, for their ‘selected vintage’ bottling.  But this wine shows you that talented producers make excellent wines in so-so years. … Read more

($22, Maisons Marques and Domaines): Marqués de Murrieta, rightly known for their stylish wines from Rioja, recently purchased a property in Rias Baixas, Pazo Barrantes, and are now offering an Albariño to the public.  A rather fuller style of Albariño–with more mid-palate texture and a stone fruit quality–it has less of the biting acidity characteristic of this grape. … Read more

($22): Sardón de Duero lies just down Spain’s Duero River from Ribera del Duero and, like its more famous neighbor, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are planted and blended with Tempranillo, the primary grape of the region.  Lacking official recognition as a DO, its wines, such as this one, which is bottled as a Vino de la Tierra–analogous to a French Vin de Pays–can offer superb value especially when compared to its pricier neighbor. … Read more

($43, Kobrand): Originally founded in 1647 in Navarra, Bodegas Julián Chivite expanded into Rioja in 1998 when they purchased the Conde de la Salceda estate.  This, their top wine, is aged in small French barriques for 18 months and even at 7years of age, the oak influence is still quite prominent. … Read more

($42, Kobrand): Roda–the name comes from the first initials of the two owners’ names, Mario Rottlant and Carmen Daurella–is another new-wave winery in the Old World.  But this ‘modern’ style of Rioja, a blend of Tempranillo (94%), Garnacha (4%) and Graciano, has its feet firmly planted in tradition with impeccable balance.  … Read more

($23, Kobrand): The script on the label makes it tough for the consumer to know who the producer is.  And that’s a shame because it’s a wine whose name is worth remembering.   Aromatic with a cleansing citric finish, it has an attractive bite characteristic of the varietal. … Read more

($23, Kobrand): The script on the label makes it tough for the consumer to know who the producer is.  And that’s a shame because it’s a wine whose name is worth remembering.   Aromatic with a cleansing citric finish, it has an attractive bite characteristic of the varietal. … Read more

($23, Kobrand): The script on the label makes it tough for the consumer to know who the producer is.  And that’s a shame because it’s a wine whose name is worth remembering.   Aromatic with a cleansing citric finish, it has an attractive bite characteristic of the varietal. … Read more