Spanish

Pere Mata Cupada Cava @ $19.99: Winemaker Notes:

Fresh, bright and clean with white flowers and citrus lifting the slight bready quality. The fruit component really pops in this cuvée. Complex enough to keep you coming back for more but simple enough to drink with reckless abandon. Blend: 40% Macabeu, 40% Parellada, 20% Xarel.lo

Petalos Bierzo Mencía 2019 @ $21.99: Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:  Moderate alcohol and great balance. It is very approachable right now, open aromatically. There are notes of berries but also plenty of herbs; it's aromatic, complex and with very fine tannins. It's a classical continental vintage from Bierzo. Rating: 93+

James Suckling:  Dark cherries, plums, dried herbs and stones on the nose. Full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Rich, layered, and textured with minerality and balance. Supple finish.  93 pts.

Tarima Hill Monastrell 2012 (D.O. Alicante) @ $16.99:

91 points Wine Enthusiast: Punchy black-cherry and plum aromas are dry, earthy and toasty, with stony minerality and crispness. This is a full, lively, generous Monastrell offering blackberry, spiced cake and chocolate flavors over a dark, coffee-laden finish that goes the distance.
91 points Wine Spectator: Rich yet harmonious, this polished red delivers a core of black cherry and cassis framed with smoke, mineral, licorice and espresso notes. Juicy acidity and well-integrated tannins give this structure. A modern style.

Vina Alberdi Rioja Reserva Tempranillo 2015 @ $19.99: Winemaker Notes:

A lively, medium depth, garnet–red color with an intense pink rim. High aromatic intensity with dominating ripe fruit: raspberries, red cherries, wild strawberries, and red currants set out against a balsamic background of vanilla, toasted caramel, biscuits, coffee, and sweet mints. In the mouth, you can enjoy good acidity, great freshness and balance, and mild, friendly tannins. Aromatic harmony persists through the aftertaste, with notes of red fruit jam, prunes, coffee, vanilla, and caramel.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 91 pts.: The classic Haro-styled red 2015 Viña Alberdi, sold abroad with the mention of Reserva and in Spain as Crianza, is a good introduction to the house style: balsamic reds with abundant notes of sweet spices and cigar ash, developed aromas of forest floor and a creamy twist making small concessions for a fresher and cleaner profile in the last few years but keeping the classic style. There are notes of ground tobacco and earth, and the palate is seamless and sleek, with polished tannins and a soft mouthfeel.

El Coto Imaz Rioja Gran Reserva Tempranillo 2012 @ $35.99:

Wine Enthusiast: 94 pts. Classic Rioja aromas of graphite, cherry, plum and oak are lightly toasted and spicy. On the palate, this offers chewy depth and impeccable balance. Ripe, heady plum, cassis and berry flavors are also nuanced and elegant, while this gran reserva from a ripe vintage tastes of vanilla and mild oak on the finish. For an affordable high-quality gem, look no further. Drink through 2028.

Wine Spectator 91 pts.: This polished red is focused and harmonious. Black cherry, tea, licorice, dried orange and spice notes mingle over firm, well-integrated tannins, while orange peel acidity keeps this lively. Expressive, in the traditional style. Drink now through 2024.