In Rioja they are the Singular Vineyards and, in Catalonia, the Finca Vins. Even in sparkling wines there are Qualified Paraje Cavas. All of them are official categories developed by the appellations of origin that seek to distinguish their exceptional estates.
The experts who have signed The La Vanguradia Wine Guide 2024, a publication directed by Lluís Tolosa, have chosen four of these estates in Rioja, two in Catalonia, one in Bierzo, one in Rías Baixas and one on the island of La Palma. , and recommended some wines that they produce there.
They are the following:
Surely El Rapolao is the closest thing to a Grand Cru of Burgundy that we have in Spain. It is not only a parcel demarcation, it is a philosophical concept that explains that the vineyard remains, but the people pass it, we have received it and when the time comes we will transfer it.
Let’s take a mental trip to the León region of Bierzo, a region that for years has been offering red wines with a subtle and light profile with its delicate mencías on quartzite and slate. One of the most prestigious towns is Valtuille de Abajo, a small enclave where 80 people and 11 wineries live. One winery for every 7 inhabitants! Nearby is Rapolao, a vineyard of just 8 hectares shared by 10 wineries and 20 winegrowers.
Any of them can label the wine with this name. This allows us to enjoy the differences between producers for the same vineyard, an anomaly in the Spanish wine scene, where it is normal for a plot to be used by a single winery. We owe it to Spain’s most prolific winemaker, Raúl Pérez, who registered the El Rapolao brand in 2011 with the idea of ??sharing it.
I was lucky enough to participate this year in a blind tasting of all Rapolao. I confess that the one that made me bristle with emotion the most was that of César Márquez, Raúl’s nephew. César has managed to achieve a remarkable level of precision, depth and delicacy. He owns 0.3 hectares and I assure you that each of the 1,850 bottles are a true prodigy. Succulent, with melted tannin, notes of leaf litter and many layers of flavor.
Author: Ferran Centelles
Hacienda Pradolagar is the most exclusive wine from Marqués de Vargas. It proudly displays the name of the estate that surrounds the winery and is only produced in great vintages. Exclusively from the 40-year-old vines of the La Victoria plot, classified as a Singular Vineyard.
This 2017 vintage is relevant, precisely because it is the first to go on the market with the official category of Singular Vineyard. In 2017, the DOCa Rioja established new categories to recognize the quality and origin of its best wines, and at the top of the quality pyramid it placed the Singular Vineyard category for wines from unique places or vineyards.
La Victoria is a 6-hectare vineyard with very characteristic soil, gravel with many calcareous elements, stones and pebbles. Added to the uniqueness of the soil is the precocity of the 2017 harvest, whose vegetative cycle was brought forward two weeks, intensifying maturity.
Tempranillo with a mazuelo soul, which in Rioja has been traditionally used to provide color stability, acidity and abundant tannins, three key factors of aging and aging. This is how they get this wine for aging, of limited and numbered production.
High expression. Power, maturity and density. Pure concentration of black fruit, cherry blossoms, candied plums, black licorice, spices, leather and balsamic, with ripe, fine and delicious tannins. Its great virtue is the balance between power and elegance. Excellent work by its winemaker Ana Barrón and her technical advisor Xavier Ausás. Ranked among the 15 best in Rioja by critic and Master of Wine Tim Atkin.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Eduardo Eguren, a young man who in a short time has become a reference in the wine industry in Rioja and his wines are highly valued by lovers of good wine worldwide. He is the fifth generation of the Eguren family, known for prestigious projects: Sierra Cantabria, Viñedos de Páganos, Teso la Monja and others.
I recommend you follow Eduardo closely, and if you have the opportunity, also save his wines to see their evolution over time. His old vine Grenache always touches my heart, although it is difficult to find, due to the small production. Each bottle involves valuing the quality and craftsmanship of this wine. That is why it deserves to be here, as a reference for wines that express an exceptional estate.
In life everything happens for a reason, after a difficult time for him and the family, after the death of his maternal grandfather, Félix Ramírez, three jewels in the shape of a vineyard came into his hands. That sad event prompted him to make the decision to fly alone and do what he is most passionate about: growing wine. This particular vineyard, the Tejares vineyard, was planted in 1923 in the upper area of ??the Najerilla valley, on the ferrous-clay soil that gives the land that characteristic reddish hue.
This wine is proof that, at the center of the project, there is always the vineyard. It is fermented in small French oak vats with subsequent aging in 500-liter French oak barrels for 14 months. In the glass you will find the most Atlantic interpretation of a century-old Grenache.
Author: Zoltan Nagy
The Pazo Baión is one of the most beautiful estates in Spain and an authentic journey through the history of the most powerful families in Galicia. There are five centuries of history, with the first references to the property in the 16th century and its first vineyards documented in 1731. In the seventies, the first technical Albariño plantation in Rías Baixas was established here, in addition to one of the dairy industries. most modern in Galicia.
Its most ambitious stage began in 2008, when the Condes de Albarei cooperative acquired the farm. Today they make unique Albariños from this historic estate and promote the largest wine tourism project in Galicia (Best Wine Tourist Corner 2016 by Rutas del Vino de España).
Of their three albariños, my favorite is the Pazo Baión Vides de Fontán. He was born with the 2016 vintage, from the highest vines on the estate. They are old vines, not very productive, with small, compact clusters and berries, with a high proportion of skins, matured until the skin reaches a golden tone, harvested in cold hours to retain all their aromatic potential. Triple elaboration, sophisticated, in French oak vats, stainless steel and concrete eggs, seeking the perfect balance.
Albariño of landscape, of estate, of variety. Complex, mature, fatty and structured. Ripe, dehydrated, candied fruit, white flowers, candied orange, with the acidity and freshness typical of the Salnés valley. Great evolution in the bottle, toasted, spicy and fine petroleum and hydrocarbon notes appear. To enjoy it a lot or to keep it for a few years and enjoy it even more.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
Although we did not know each other personally, we recognized each other in the hall of the Marriott Hotel in Aguascalientes. We were the two speakers invited to the keynote conferences organized by the Ministry of Tourism. Mexico is experiencing a wine and wine tourism boom, and we have collaborated with the wine routes of Querétaro, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes and Baja California. Chus’s conference was truly masterful, capable of transmitting very technical concepts to a heterogeneous audience of winemakers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, politicians and students.
Little by little I discovered that behind Chus is Jesús de Madrazo Mateo Real de Asúa. Descendant of the saga of 19th century painters, the Madrazos, directors of the Prado Museum. Fifth generation of the Real de Asúa, founders of CVNE (1879). Agricultural Engineer and Technician in Oenology and Viticulture, he worked at CVNE and was technical director of Viñedos del Contino (1973), a winery founded by his father, José de Madrazo y Real de Asúa.
In 2017 he started his own project, four wines with his own brand, in addition to advising several wineries. Professional Career Award from the Basque Academy of Gastronomy 2023. His most identifiable wine is the Jesús Madrazo Selección. “My chosen vineyards,” says Chus. Three 40-year-old vineyards belonging to his friend Miguel Ángel Muro, between Lapuebla and Laguardia. Pure Rioja Alavesa. Fruity, almost floral, spicy, fresh, mineral, minty character. Ideal with roast lamb or suckling pig, or with spicy cuisines, such as Indian or Mexican.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
In full boom of wine tourism, we follow the main wine tourism innovations in the national and international scope. This year we highlight the Wine Village concept created by Marcelo Desvalls and María José Dalmau at Finca Viladellops, a property with more than 1,000 years of history in the middle of the Garraf massif, between Sitges and Vilafranca del Penedès.
Four generations of the Desvalls have been linked to this farm. The origins of the historic center date back to the year 930. In 958 the Templars were established, during the time of reconquest and Christian repopulation. The fortified tower (11th century) linked to the Olèrdola castle, and the Romanesque hermitage (12th century) are preserved.
The winery dates back to 1877, with wine production until 1980. Marcelo Desvalls resumed activity in 1999, recovering a 400-hectare estate with 60 hectares of xarel lo and garnacha vines, 100% certified organic.
Wine Village because there are 18 farmhouses with different productive and wine tourism activities: visits to the winery, walks through the vineyards, tastings, wine store, La Cantina restaurant, three holiday tourism farmhouses, new accommodation B
The Xarel·lo XXX is the most expressive white of this historic estate. It is born from three old Xarel·lo vines (three X), planted in 1963, 1967 and 1972, fermented and aged in 400-liter French oak barrels. White fruit, floral notes and typical mineral and saline background of the Garraf massif.
Author: Lluís Tolosa
The Rubió de Sòls project began with a small vineyard touching the Segre river, with the intention of reclaiming the landscape of Rubió de Baix, as emblematic as it is unknown. The grapes come from the 5 hectares of the Vinyesdalt estate, in the Serra de Munt (Foradada), in the beautiful and authentic valley of Montsec de Rúbies, in the region of Noguera (Lleida), where the soils are marked by the presence of fossils and minerals that have been preserved since prehistoric times.
The Xarel·lo Selecció is presented in an elegant Bordeaux bottle with a very personal label, like the storytelling of its viticulturist and winemaker, Judit Sogas, since she planted the vineyard herself when her daughter was born. The personality of this wine comes from the selection and blending of xarel·lo blanco and xarel·lo vermell, the latter a variety that continues to arouse curiosity among wine lovers and great admiration among wine experts.
It is a very versatile, organic white wine that has spent 14 months in French oak barrels. Golden color with a high layer with ocher notes, aromas of candied fruits, quince and peach, with a fresh touch of aromatic herbs, fennel and dried flowers. The aging aromas of new wood do not mask the varietal notes of Xarel·lo, which has adapted so well to the territory. In the mouth it is broad, creamy and persistent.
Highly gastronomic, it is recommended to aerate it for a few minutes in the glass to enjoy it in all its splendor. An extraordinary wine, one of the best white wines from Lleida.
Author: Meritxell Falgueras
Viña Pomal is a classic with a new, renewed image. It is one of the historical wines of Spain and remains the main wine of the winery. The first Viña Pomal was a Reserva Especial 1904, which was also initially labeled with the Castle Pomal brand for the British market. Since 1911 it has been made with grapes from the Viña Pomal estate, iconic in Rioja for its emblematic traditional shed for farm implements. There are 90 hectares acquired in 1908 that have been renewed, with the oldest vines from 1971.
Tempranillo aged for 18 months in American oak barrels and 24 months of refining in the bottle. The 2017 vintage offered warm wines, so it is a vintage with more structure, intensity and fruit load than usual, but it is still a Rioja classic, with the red fruits wrapped in floral notes, black licorice, vanilla and roasted notes.
Its new image still maintains nods to its style from the 1920s and 1930s, with the burgundy-type bottle, the illustration of the winery and the seal with the number 10 in the registry of Rioja bottlers. Bodegas Bilbaínas (1901) has been owned by Codorníu since 1997, which optimized the vineyards, rehabilitated the historic buildings, modernized the winery and remodeled the gardens.
Today it is an impeccable century-old winery, with one of the largest areas of underground cellars in Rioja. An essential visit, even more so this year, as the jury has awarded the Best Of 2024 prize to the “Barrio de la Estación Tours”, with a combined visit to three wineries in the Barrio de la Estación in Haro, the largest concentration of century-old wineries in the world. .
Author: Lluís Tolosa
When it comes to steep terrain and a very high altitude on an island, it is very easy to think of La Palma, where there are unique vineyards, always with the sea nearby and watching out of the corner of your eye. The changes are incredible in such a limited area and consequently the landscapes are very changing.
Effort, perseverance, demand, sacrifice and authenticity would be good adjectives to define those who work these places. Most of the vineyards are located on terraces with steep slopes, something that will always be a challenge, especially when picking the grapes.
Llanos Negros is a winery with a long history and very current, which has contributed significantly to putting La Palma wines at the top, thanks to its good work and with a grape such as Malvasía. Without a doubt, Malvasía is the queen of the island in its different versions, it sits on sandy soils covered in volcanic ash, where the vineyards are sculpted into the earth.
In this case, a late harvest is made with the oldest and most qualified vines, with a certain raisining and selection in the field and in the winery. When fermentation is finished, the wine is aged in 500-liter French oak barrels for at least one year. This wine is a delight that delights with its perfumed nose. Aromas of candied orange, dried apricots, dried flowers, pippin apple and sweet spices stand out. The mouth is enveloping, where acidity and sweetness dance in time. Furthermore, this wine offers great aging potential.
Author: María José Huertas
