Press Review - Vinous - Mediterranean Spain

01.29.16

BODEGAS MUSTIGUILLO Mestizaje Tinto 2013 || 90 points
“Vivid ruby. Lively cherry, raspberry and fresh flowers on the nose, with a vivacious peppery element. Silky and focused, offering juicy red berry flavors that flesh out slowly on the back half. The gently tannic finish hangs on with very good, floral-driven persistence and echoing pepperiness.”

BODEGAS MUSTIGUILLO Finca Terrerazo || 92 points
“Bright purple. Highly perfumed, displaying ripe blackberry, lavender and a hint of musky underbrush. Juicy and broad on the palate, with powerful bitter cherry and blackcurrant flavors becoming more lively as the wine opens in the glass. The spicy, very long finish shows suave, harmonious tannins and a lingering floral character.”

ATANCE Bobal 2013 || 89 points
Vivid ruby-red. The spicy, focused nose displays lively blackberry and cracked pepper aromas and deep licorice and dark chocolate flourishes. Time in the glass reveals an intriguing floral quality. The finish is gently tannic and taut, with lingering spice and cherry pit qualities.”

ALTAMENTE Monastrell || 89 points
“Youthful purple color. Smoky and ripe on the nose, displaying scents of singed plum, dark berry liqueur and licorice. Broad-shouldered and fleshy, offering sweet cassis and candied licorice flavors and a touch of cracked pepper. Supple tannins build slowly and add gentle grip to the smooth, slightly smoky finish.”

TERRA SANCTUS Clos la Rae 2010 || 91 points
“Vivid ruby. Aromas and flavors of ripe, mineral-tinged dark berries, cherry-cola and spicecake, with a suggestion of licorice emerging in the glass. The silky, seamless palate, displays very good finishing cut and spicy persistence. This wine has the concentration and balance to reward at least mid-range aging but it's awfully appealing right now.”

CELLER JOAN SIMO Viatge 2013 || 89 points
“Opaque ruby. The nose displays intense, spice-dominated dark berries, cherry pit, licorice and a peppery note that builds in the glass. Spicy and focused on the palate, offering zesty blackberry and bitter cherry flavors, along with a hint of gaminess. Closes on a spicy note, with good lift, an echo of cured meat and a gentle tannic grip.”

DIT CELLER Cabirol Tinto 2013 || 90 points
“Vivid ruby. Lively and sharply focused on the nose, intense red berry and floral pastille scents are complemented by peppery spices. The silky and appealingly sweet palate offers juicy raspberry and cherry flavors that deepen on the back half. Very good clarity and lift on the finish, with harmonious tannins and lingering floral character. This vibrant, intensely fruity wine saw just five months in a combination of used French and American oak casks.”

DIT CELLER Selenita Nit 2010 || 92 points
“Bright ruby. Vibrant raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by Asian spices and candied flowers. A hint of allspice builds on the back half of the palate, enlivening pliant red berry and lavender pastille flavors. Juicy and incisive on the finish, with fine-grained tannins and an echo of floral pastilles.”

LA VIDA AL CAMP Perfum 2014 || 90 points
“Pale, bright straw. Here, hints of white pepper and ginger give a nervy edge to fresh melon and nectarine aromas and flavors. The palate shows very good lift and cut, with a pleasing bitterness on the back half. Strong cling and expressive floral notes resonate through the silky, spicy and focused finish. This wine is a side project from Raventós i Blanc, one of the top producers in the region. It's a fantastic partner for southeast Asian seafood, vegetable and poultry dishes.”

RAVENTOS I BLANC Extrem 2014 || 92 points
“Brilliant, green-tinged straw. Powerful, highly perfumed citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complicated by suggestions of smoky minerals and jasmine. Concentrated yet vibrant and precise, the palate offers nervy pink grapefruit, orange zest and pear skin flavors that flesh out slowly in the glass. The long, incisive finish shows excellent clarity and thrust, lingering with dusty mineral and floral notes.”

RAVENTOS I BLANC Silencis 2014 || 91 points
“Light, slightly hazy yellow. Lively and focused on the nose, displaying lime zest, quince, chalky minerals and a suave floral nuance. The dry, racy and precise palate communicates zesty citrus and orchard fruit flavors that become fleshier with air. Finishes spicy, stony and very long, with excellent precision and cut.”

RAVENTOS I BLANC De Nit Rose 2013 || 91 points
“Pale orange. Intense red berry, blood orange and rose pastille scents, along with zesty minerality and a hint of white pepper. The juicy, focused and energetic palate reveals vibrant, mineral-tinged tangerine and raspberry flavors that deepen and expand with air. This vintage shows more depth and breadth than the 2012, with a taut, sharply focused finish that echoes the floral and red fruit notes emphatically.”

RAVENTOS I BLANC L’Hereu 2013 || 90 points
“Green-tinged straw. High-pitched lime and grapefruit scents, along with succulent herbs and quinine. Dry, focused and racy on the palate, offering bitter citus zest, pear skin flavors and a hint of tarragon. Tighter and more linear than the 2012 vintage, with strong closing bite and lingering mineral and lime pith qualities.”

RAVENTOS I BLANC De La Finca 2012 || 92 points
“Vivid gold. Lively, mineral-tinged citrus and orchard fruit aromas are joined by lovely notes of jasmine, green tea, honey and ginger. Fleshy, dry and sharply focused on the palate, with Meyer lemon, pear skin and quince flavors that spread out and deepen on the back half. At once rich, nervy and lithe, this wine displays excellent finishing thrust, length and resonating minerality.”

RAVENTOS I BLANC Manuel Raventos 2007 || 93 points
“Light, green-tinged gold. Deeply perfumed, complex scents of dried pear, orange zest, pungent flowers and toasty lees, along with a vivacious mineral element. Concentrated, sharply focused orchard and citrus fruit flavors are complicated by suggestions of fennel, honey and marzipan, with a bitter quinine nuance emerging slowly on the back half. The extremely long, sappy finish shows excellent clarity and thrust, echoing the orange and floral notes. This compelling sparkling wine is one of the very best that I have ever had from Spain.”