Rioja 'Carramonte'

Score

95+

Score

96+

Score

93+

"As I mentioned in my note on the 2019 vintage of Especial a couple of years ago, this bottling from Diego Maga¤a is composed mostly of tempranillo, with small percentage of graciano, garnacha, viura and malvas¡a also included in the c,pages. This is Diego,s old vine cuv,e, with the vines ranging from seventy-five to more than ninety years of age, with the white grapes co-planted in with the tempranillo, so that the viura and malvas¡a end up being nearly ten percent of the blend. The wine is given twelve months, worth of ,levage in older, French oak demi muids prior to bottling. Diego,s 2021 vintage of Especial comes in at 13.5 percent octane and offers up a superb, youthful bouquet of red and black raspberries, smoked meats, cigar wrapper, dark soil tones, Rioja spice tones, coffee, woodsmoke and a touch of oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and full-bodied, with lovely depth at the core, fine soil inflection and grip, ripe, firm tannins and a long, poised and well balanced that will be plenty complex once it is ready to drink. Fine juice in the making. 2033-2075."

Score

92

"The 2021 Especial is a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Viura and Malvasía sourced from Laguardia and Elvillar in Rioja Alavesa. Fermented with whole clusters, it features blackberry aromas along with lavender and cherry notes. Dry, fairly creamy and taut on the palate, it lingers with textured, reactive, grippy tannins."

Score

97

"The 2021 Anza Especial was produced with the idea to obtain a wine with aging potential while keeping the freshness and drinkability from early on. It was produced with the fruit from three old vines‡Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha and Viura‡fermented by plot in stainless steel and matured in used 500-liter oak barrels. It encapsulates the perfume, finesse and elegance that is present in the whole portfolio here with the aid of a very balanced 2021 vintage. It has notes of violets, red and black berry fruit, wild herbs and subtle spices. The palate has symmetry, elegance and precision, the tannins are extremely fine-bonded, and the flavors pure and precise and stay in your mouth for a long time after you swallow. Great juice. It should age effortlessly. 2,800 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2023."

Score

94

"Mussel shells, oysters, white pepper, chalk and lots of black cherries. There is richness of fruit, which probably shows the warmth of the year. The crushed sweet blueberries and cherries are tightly rounded by nicely chewy tannins, which are abundant and chalky. More powerful than the San Gines. Drink now or hold."

Score

96

"As soon as I was pouring, I knew the 2022 Carramonte was going to be my favorite, because of the bright color and the bright and elegant aromas. It was produced with the fruit from old vines in Elvillar (70 years old) and Laguardia (ungrafted 90-year-old vines) and another one in Laguardia planted 50 years ago and a little Garnacha from Badar n, micro-plots with field blends of grapes‡Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha and Viura. It's serious and balanced and does not transmit any heat at all, coming through as fresh and fine-boned, with very elegant tannins, precision and freshness, terribly precise and mineral. It doesn't feel like a 2022 at all. Like most reds, it matured in used 500-liter oak barrels. 3,737 numbered bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2024."

Score

93

"There's a compact feel to this stylish red, with chalky underlying tannins tightly meshed to the flavors of black raspberry paste, pomegranate puree and black olive that open nicely in the glass. Expands on the palate, showing fragrant violet, sage, white pepper and paprika notes, plus a streak of minerality that echoes on the finish. Best from 2027 through 2040. 311 cases made, 75 cases imported."