($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

($60, Maisons, Marques and Domaines): Marqués de Murrieta retains a small portion of their Castillo Ygay Grand Reserva for extended barrel aging.  Bottled in 1998, this wine spent roughly 18 years–give or take a few months–in barrel.  But since the interior of the barrel develops a thick layer of rock hard tartrate crystals over the years, it’s more like aging in a giant bottle. … Read more

($32, Maison Marques and Domaines): Although the vast majority of wines from Rioja are red, there are also white wines, most of which were dismissed by many in the past because of an oxidative character.  Marqués de Murrieta’s, made entirely from Viura, is fresh and plush with an engaging, creamy, stone fruit character.… Read more

($174, Maison Marques and Domaines): I am thrilled to see this traditional firm making this modern style of Rioja because it means they have no intention of changing the character of their classic Rioja.  Although Tempranillo is still the dominant grape (86%)–Cabernet Sauvignon comprises about 8% of the blend and Graciano makes up the rest–it has no resemblance to their regular Rioja Reserva. … Read more

($26, Maison Marques and Domaines): Although mostly Tempranillo, this traditional–American oak aged–Rioja, has a little Garnacha and Manzuelo included in the blend, which I think helps account for the wine’s alluring complexity.  The producer purposely avoids the new trend in Rioja of more ripeness and new oak aging in this bottling (they have introduced another bottling to satisfy that side of the market), focusing in this case on harmony. … Read more

($54, Maison Marques and Domaines): The Castillo Ygay Grand Reserva, the flagship wine of the Marqués de Murrieta estate, is produced in only great vintages–the 2000 is the fifth since 1978–and entirely from the bodega’s own grapes.  A blend of exclusively Tempranillo and Manzuelo (Garnacha and Graciano have been included in other vintages), the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in American oak barrels for approximately three years. … Read more