The Spirit of Spain

The vast scope of Spanish wine is on full display in this year’s tasting report. The range of bottlings produced across the country’s many growing regions is truly impressive. Among the nearly 650 wines I have reviewed in blind tastings since my previous report (“Spain: Never Better,” Aug. 31, 2024), there are reds, whites, rosés, sparkling wines and dessert wines from more than 30 different appellations and more than 20 different grape varieties. Some of this array comes from familiar international grapes produced with Spanish flair, but more typically these wines are distinctive and compelling versions made from grapes native to the Iberian peninsula and planted to unique terroirs.

Because my recent coverage of Spain has included a deep dive on the wines of Rioja (“Rioja Rising,” May 31, 2025) and a snapshot on the racy whites of the Basque country known collectively as Txakoli (“Tasting Northern Spain’s Txakoli,” Aug. 31, 2025), I have chosen to focus on the more than 375 wines I have reviewed this year that were not already highlighted in these two previous reports. Of these, eight bottlings stand at the pinnacle of quality with classic ratings of 95 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale.

Perennial leader Bodegas Vega Sicilia once again delivers with two highly rated reds, the Ribera del Duero Unico Reserva Especial NV (98 points, $900), a blend of the 2011, 2012 and 2013 vintages, and the Ribera del Duero Unico 2015 (96, $675). This historic winery, established in 1864, has been helmed for the past four decades by the dynamic yet unassuming Pablo Álvarez, who has succeeded in navigating a strong traditional role in the Ribera appellation while integrating modern techniques in the vineyard and cellar. His attention to detail is well-reflected in the pinpoint balance and harmony of Vega Sicilia’s wines, which are produced by head winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga de Juan and his team. Both of the estate’s top bottlings offer depth and breadth without excessive weight, as well as structure without too much power, showing fresh focus and length that belies their age, suggesting a long future ahead.

Also earning 96 points from Ribera del Duero is the classy Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Tinto Pesquera Janus Gran Reserva 2018 ($399), which plays richly savory aromatics off a pure beam of dark fruit flavors. The Fernández Rivera family is another leader from the region, founding their Tinto Pesquera estate in 1975 and helping to push through the establishment of the Ribera DO in 1982. The Janus Gran Reserva bottling, which sources grapes from the 14.8-acre La Rendeja vineyard, is produced rarely—only seven times since its debut from the 1982 vintage. Aged for 28 months in French oak barrels, the 2018 evolved for nearly five more years in bottle before release. As with the Vega Sicilia wines, it’s aging beautifully, another sign of the cellaring potential for Ribera’s top bottlings.

Three generations of the Fernández Rivera family are involved in the winery operations at Bodegas Alejandro Fernández, which makes exceptional wines, including one of this report’s top-scorers, from its estate vineyards in Ribera del Duero. (Courtesy of Bodegas Alejandro Fernández)

Beyond these high-scorers from Ribera, another five wines rated 95 points. Notably, all of them are single-vineyard or single-parcel bottlings, showcasing the strength of Spain’s terroir as well as the ability of top vintners to express something singular from it. Two of the five are also from Ribera, but the remainder highlight other renowned appellations: Rioja and Priorat.

The Ribera bottlings—Bodegas Emilio Moro’s brooding Malleolus de Sanchomartin 2021 (95, $200) and Pago de los Capellanes’ poised Parcela El Picón 2020 (95, $269)—both come from unique sites. The Sanchomartin sources 1.8 acres of 80-year-old Tempranillo vines in Pesquera de Duero, while the 4-acre El Picón is one of 35 parcels owned by Pago’s Rodero Villa family at their estate in Pedrosa del Duero.

From Priorat, wine star Álvaro Palacios lives up to his acclaim with the 2022 bottling of the Gratallops Finca Dofí (95, $120). Finca Dofí is the vineyard where it all started for Palacios, who purchased the 37-acre site in 1990 and then rapidly helped to bring Priorat to the world’s attention. Palacios calls the challenging 2022 vintage, which saw drought conditions, “a tribute to bush vines,” adding that they “were key to the success of this vintage.” The winery’s vineyard team worked diligently, vine by vine, to access any humidity in the soil, capture any breeze and maximize the benefit from each bush vine’s leaf canopy. The 2022 Finca Dofí, a blend of 87 percent Garnacha with 12 percent Cariñena and a dollop of white grapes, shows beautiful purity to its fruit profile, offering both finesse and tension.

Winemaker Jose Gil is less than a decade into production at his Vignerons de la Sonsierra winery, which he owns with his wife, Vicky Fernández, but the Rioja Jose Gil Paraje El Bardallo 2023 (95, $75) is impressive nevertheless, with fresh structure and expression in a finely knit package. El Bardallo is one of two cru bottlings to express the terroir of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Gil’s home village. (The other is La Canoca.) The grapes for the wine come from three separate plots located near one another, totaling 3.7 acres within the larger El Bardallo vineyard.

Rounding out the 95-pointers is a Rioja wine without a Rioja designation. Nearly a decade ago, an estate co-founded in 1985 by Juan Carlos López de Lacalle, Artadi, left the Rioja DOCa due to regulatory constraints on the site-specific wines that were increasingly the winery’s focus. Today, López de Lacalle works with his children, Carlos and Patricia, to produce 10 different bottlings, including six single-vineyard versions. The El Carretil 2022 (95, $290), sourced from 9 acres of old vines, is seamless and satinlike on the palate. At an elevation of about 1,600 feet, El Carretil is relatively low-lying compared with the other locations utilized for Artadi’s site-specific wines, but Carlos thinks the abundant chalk mixed in the loamy clay soils makes the difference here, meriting its own expression.

This report span vintages across more than two decades, from newly bottled 2024s (primarily whites) back to a long-aged Rioja gran reserva from 2003. But the majority of the best wines under review are from 2021 and 2022. Earlier this year, I rated the 2021 vintage for Rioja 97 points overall, due to the optimal conditions during the growing season that resulted in many wines showing both concentration and finesse. It’s a stellar vintage for the region, and fans of Rioja’s wines should stock their cellars now with current releases, followed by the reservas and gran reservas in the coming years.

Ribera del Duero saw similar success in 2021, where moderation was the key factor. The vines enjoyed long, slow ripening through the growing season, starting with a cold, dry winter that led to a mild spring and an even-keeled summer. The ripening cycle was completed slowly, with warm, sunny days in September followed by rainfall in early October that refreshed the vines. Cool, windy nights kept the vines healthy, and the harvest was relatively relaxed for the region’s growers.

After a decade of work on Bodegas Protos new Carroa label, winemaker Marilena Bonilla released this old-vine Tempranillo from the superb 2021 vintage. (Courtesy of Protos)

At Bodegas Protos, founded in 1926 and encompassing nearly 400 acres of vines in Ribera del Duero, longtime winemaker Marilena Bonilla praises the 2021 vintage. “Cool nights and dry weather promoted the accumulation of phenolic compounds—color, tannins, aromas—while preserving natural acidity and [moderating] alcohol levels.” While warmer vintages in Ribera often yield robust wines, the 2021s are more elegant, with freshness and refined structure that suggest aging potential.

Bonilla’s confidence in the 2021 vintage encouraged the winery to launch a project that had been in the works for more than a decade, a bottling called Carroa. The fruit is sourced from several small, estate-owned plots in and around the town of Roa, all old vines with plantings ranging from 1942 to 1980. After separate vinification and blending, aging first takes place in new French oak barrels for 16 months, followed by eight months in large, 12,000-liter oak vats and finally about five months in 1,900-liter concrete eggs. The 2021 Ribera del Duero Carroa (94, $70) is a stylish, fluid and silky red.

“My purpose was to evolve the wine with gentle micro-oxygenation, with finesse, with greater integration of aromas from the grape, the fermentation, the oak,” Bonilla says. After time in concrete, she adds, “The wine gains volume, minerality and silky texture. For us, this wine embodies freshness, depth, elegance and authenticity.” With the 2021 vintage, she knew the time had come: “That year, nature spoke clearly, and we knew how to listen.”

Other excellent 2021s from Ribera include the harmonious Bodegas y Viñedos Alion (94, $147), Vega Sicilia’s sister estate; the supple Bodegas Hacienda Monasterio (92, $70); and the focused Cuentaviñas 2021 (91, $75), from Rioja-based winemaker Eduardo Eguren. But a great vintage such as 2021 is also a good reason to seek out values, with a rising tide lifting all boats. Some notable examples include three 91-pointers: Viñedos y Bodegas Áster’s Ribera del Duero Crianza 2021 ($23); Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez’s Condado de Haza Crianza 2021 ($25); and Bela’s Arano Moradillo de Roa 2021 ($30), from the Ribera outpost of the Urrutia Ybarra family, owners of CVNE.

In Priorat, producers rejoiced following the 2021 harvest for the combination of strong quality and ample yields. “2021 is a wonderful vintage,” says René Barbier of Clos Mogador. “It was not a [typical] Priorat climate this vintage, but in Priorat, we always have character. Character and balance—this is 2021.”

Ricard Rofes, winemaker at Priorat’s Scala Dei, credits 2021’s generous crop to a wet winter followed by spring rains. “It left a good reserve of water in the soil that advanced the vegetative cycle and meant that the harvest was abundant,” Rofes says. The water reserves also prevented hydric stress, which the summer’s very hot and dry weather might otherwise have caused. Priorat’s wealth of older vines on hillside sites perfectly balanced these conditions, naturally regulating yields while enjoying fine development.

Rainfall in Priorat during the first two weeks of September increased the risk of botrytis, forcing diligent effort to manage the spread of disease. For those who pushed through successfully, the second half of the month shifted to the benefit of growers. “Everything changed,” Rofes says. “Ideal conditions for the maturation of the grape—hot days and cool nights—brought us wines loaded with fruit, with ripe tannin and alcohol levels slightly lower than is common in our area.”

Although Priorat’s overall success in 2021 doesn’t meet the heights of Rioja or Ribera del Duero—due to the potential for botrytis at harvest and the possibility of dilute examples from lesser, higher-yielding sites—the region delivered many fine, harmonious reds that are ready to drink now or to cellar in the short- to mid-term. Seek out Merum Priorati’s El Cel 2021 (93, $135), a silky-textured example loaded with warm, glossy fruit, and Mas d’En Gil’s Bellmunt 2021 (90, $32), which showcases the fresh, balanced and drinkable aspects of the vintage.

As for 2022, many regions of Spain suffered drought conditions throughout the growing season, as Palacios reports from Priorat. Ribera faced similar challenges, says Magda Maestro, an enologist working with head winemaker Antonio Moral at Bodegas Aalto: “The 2022 vintage in Ribera del Duero was defined by severe drought, extreme temperatures and several prolonged heatwaves.” Despite the vintage’s difficulties, Aalto excels with the Ribera del Duero PS 2022 (94, $160) and Ribera del Duero 2022 (92, $72). Maestro attributes their success to a strategic decision to begin harvest early, on Aug. 30, in order to preserve acidity and achieve phenolic balance.

Wines from Priorat and Ribera del Duero, along with bottlings from Rioja reviewed since my May report, account for more than a third of the wines under review. This leaves a wide array of high quality wines to explore from other regions throughout the country, offering diverse styles and distinctive character.

While a vast number of Spain’s top-quality bottles come from Rioja, Priorat and Ribera del Duero, many exciting wines can also be found in regions such as Galicia, Bierzo, Rías Baixas, Toro and Rueda. (Lisa Aurigemma)

For bold reds, look to Toro, northwest of Madrid, and Jumilla, inland from Spain’s southeastern corner. Similar to Ribera, its neighbor to the east, Toro produces reds primarily from Tempranillo, known locally as Tinta de Toro. Outstanding examples include Teso La Monja’s polished Toro Alabaster 2022 (94, $320) and Bodegas Vatan’s layered Tinta de Toro Toro Arena 2017 (94, $450). For more affordable options, try Bodega Elias Mora’s sleek Toro Crianza 2021 (91, $40), Teso La Monja’s rich Toro Romanico 2022 (90, $22) and Bodegas Campo Elíseo’s focused Toro Cuvée Alegre François Lurton 2022 (90, $25).

Wines from Jumilla are typically red blends based on Monastrell, a robust and highly tannic variety that’s often well-oaked to highlight its character. Bodegas El Nido offers two excellent versions with its Clio 2022 (93, $47) and La Viña de Corteo 2022 (93, $120). Bodegas Ego joins quality and value in several bottlings, including the Monastrell-Syrah-Petit Verdot Don Baffo 2022 (90, $22).

At the opposite end of the stylistic spectrum, northwestern Spain’s Galicia region offers fresh, mineral-driven reds based on the Mencía grape. These typically light- to medium-bodied wines come from four of Galicia’s DOs—Monterrei, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro and Valdeorras—but just across the border with Valdeorras, at the western edge of Castilla y León, the Bierzo DO also makes highly rated examples.

Quality abounds in these areas, yet they still fly largely under the radar, with pricing to match. Four wines at 93 points, all for $75 or less, are prime examples. Avancia’s Mencía Valdeorras Cuvée de O 2023 ($30) is fragrant and well-structured; Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez’s Bierzo La Vizcaína Lomas de Valtuille La Vitoriana 2022 ($42) shows good focus and fine balance; Descendientes de J. Palacios’ Bierzo Corullón Vino de Villa 2022 ($60) is graceful and refreshing; and Alvaredos-Hobbs’ Mencía Ribeira Sacra 2021 ($75) is fragrant and enticing.

Galicia is home to quality white wines as well. The same DOs producing reds from Mencía also excel with whites, primarily from the Godello grape. Rafael Palacios’ Valdeorras As Sortes Val do Bibei 2022 (92, $68) shows nice integration and focused expression, while Virgen del Galir’s Godello Valdeorras Val do Galir A Malosa-Éntoma 2023 (90, $22) is floral and citrusy.

But Galicia’s powerhouse for bright, minerally whites is the Rías Baixas DO. The appellation has become almost ubiquitous on restaurant wine lists and wineshop shelves, and much of what we see in the U.S. comes in the form of racy sippers perfect on a hot day or for pairing with shellfish. Torres’ Albariño Rías Baixas Pazo das Bruxas Torre Penelas 2023 (90, $22) and Bodegas Terras Gauda’s Albariño Rías Baixas Abadía de San Campio 2023 (89, $17) fit the bill. Yet Albariño also comes in richer, rounder styles, sometimes via limited oak aging or lees contact, which recommends them to pairing with a broader range of seafood as well as to aging. Look for the Viña Nora Rías Baixas Nora da Neve 2023 (92, $40) and Pazo de Señorans Albariño Rías Baixas Selección de Añada 2015 (92, $92).

Outside of Galicia, white wine fans should keep an eye on central Spain’s Rueda DO and its bottlings from Verdejo. This area is taking its time coming to the fore, but top versions highlight its potential. Bodegas y Viñedos Shaya’s fresh Verdejo Rueda Habis Old Vines 2022 (92, $35), which was fermented and aged for eight months in new French oak demi-muids, ends with a creamy finish, while the Alvarez y Diez Verdejo Rueda Mantel Blanco Sobre Lías 2024 (91, $18) offers enticing notes of ripe stone and citrus fruit.

With expanded tastings this year to encompass my additional reporting on the wines of Spain, the rich bounty of the country shines with the breadth of its offerings.

Senior editor Alison Napjus is Wine Spectator’s lead taster on the wines of Spain.

Álvaro Palacios’ Finca Dofí vineyard in the Priorat village of Gratallops overcame drought conditions in the 2022 vintage to yield a classic-rated, Garnacha-based red. (Mirco Taliercio)

Alison Napjus’ Recommended Wines from Spain

Nearly 650 wines were tasted for this report. A free alphabetical list is available. WineSpectator.com members can access complete reviews for all wines tasted over the past year using the online Wine Ratings search.

Bodegas Vega Sicilia 

Ribera del Duero Unico Reserva Especial NV

Score: 98 | $900

WS Review: Cherry, currant, spiced orange peel, licorice and cocoa powder flavors are layered with savory notes of cured tobacco, iron and leather in this fresh, harmonious red. A blend of the 2011, 2012 and 2013 vintages.

Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez 

Ribera del Duero Pesquera Janus Gran Reserva 2018

Score: 96 | $399

WS Review: This classy red is silky and harmonious throughout, with a richly savory nose, playing aromas and flavors of leather, cured tobacco and smoke off a pure beam of pureed blackberry and cassis fruit.

Bodegas Vega Sicilia 

Ribera del Duero Unico 2015

Score: 96 | $675

WS Review: This enticing red is fluid and silky, offering a core of plumped cherry fruit accented by licorice root, rooibos tea, vanilla and milled pepper. Shows length and expression without overpowering weight.

Artadi 

Spain El Carretil 2022

Score: 95 | $290

WS Review: This seamless red has a satinlike feel and supple tannins, carrying a core of dark fruit, including ripe blackberry, currant and boysenberry.

Bodegas Emilio Moro 

Tempranillo Ribera del Duero Malleolus de Sanchomartin 2021

Score: 95 | $200

WS Review: Dark and brooding, with rich aromatics integrated with a core of pureed black raspberry, boysenberry and blackberry fruit flavors.

Pago de los Capellanes 

Ribera del Duero Parcela El Picón 2020

Score: 95 | $269

WS Review: There’s a subtle power to this rich red, yet with a limber feel, showing notes of black cherry, berry, mocha, black olive and licorice.

Álvaro Palacios 

Priorat Gratallops Finca Dofí 2022

Score: 95 | $120

WS Review: A fresh, graceful red, with lovely purity to the raspberry, pomegranate and cherry fruit flavors, showing pinpoint balance and precision.

Vignerons de la Sonsierra 

Rioja Jose Gil Paraje El Bardallo 2023

Score: 95 | $75

WS Review: There’s tension and drive to this fresh red, with fine definition to the blackberry, blueberry, sage, licorice root and graphite flavors.

Mas Martinet Viticultors 

Priorat Els Escurçons 2022

Score: 94 | $130

WS Review: A suave red, fragrant with floral, sage, cinnamon and licorice root accents that line the core of black cherry and black plum fruit.

Bodegas Protos 

Ribera del Duero Carroa 2021

Score: 94 | $70

WS Review: A stylish, fluid and silky-textured red, with a pure beam of juicy cassis accented by anise hyssop, mountain herbs, mocha and toasted cumin.

Teso La Monja 

Toro Alabaster 2022

Score: 94 | $320

WS Review: A dense, concentrated red, but with polish and integration, featuring a core of pureed mulberry and blueberry fruit, with a vibrant finish.

Bodegas Vatan 

Tinta de Toro Toro Arena 2017

Score: 94 | $450

WS Review: Rich, with a singed apple wood underpinning layered with strawberry preserves, blackberry paste, cedar, dark chocolate and red licorice.

Avancia

Mencía Valdeorras Cuvée de O 2023

Score: 93 | $30

WS Review: Blackberry paste, black plum skin and black cherry flavors are brightened by tangy blood orange peel acidity in this sleek, minerally red.

Llicorella Vins

Priorat Clar del Bosc 2022

Score: 93 | $42

WS Review: A core of flashy black raspberry coulis, boysenberry and plum sauce is reined in by limber tannins and bright acidity in this fluid red.

Bodegas El Nido

Jumilla Clio 2022

Score: 93 | $47

WS Review: Rich and toasty, with a silky mix of boysenberry, cassis, espresso, dried mint and black licorice flavors, backed by muscular tannins.

Aurelio García

Garnacha Spain Alto de la Cruz Sierra de Gredos Alto Horizonte 2021

Score: 92 | $55

WS Review: An aromatic skein winds through the plum skin and black raspberry fruit of this lively red, with good tension from the fine, taut tannins.

Viña Nora

Rias Baixas Nora da Neve 2023

Score: 92 | $40

WS Review: Vivid acidity and a streak of salinity create a crackling frame that’s well-met by the rich flavors in this vibrant, finely meshed white.

Bodegas y Viñedos Shaya

Verdejo Rueda Habis Old Vines 2022

Score: 92 | $35

WS Review: A lithe, fresh white, with fragrant accents to the supple mesh of poached quince and pear, hazelnut skin and Meyer lemon peel.

Alvarez y Diez

Verdejo Rueda Mantel Blanco Sobre Lías 2024

Score: 91 | $18

WS Review: Lithe and graceful, this glides across the palate, with flavors of ripe peach, blood orange sorbet, Thai basil and pink grapefruit zest.

Viñedos y Bodegas Áster

Ribera del Duero Crianza 2021

Score: 91 | $23

WS Review: Toasty mocha and smoke accent the plum cake, plumped black cherry and grilled herb flavors in this fresh, medium- to full-bodied red.

Descendientes de J. Palacios

Bierzo Pétalos Viñas Viejas 2022

Score: 91 | $25

WS Review: Balanced and supple, with coulised black cherry and boysenberry fruit, accented by dried sage and violet, anise, tar and white pepper.

Bodegas Alto Moncayo

Garnacha Campo de Borja Zismero 2022

Score: 90 | $20

WS Review: This juicy red is well-defined by crisp tannins, featuring a core of ripe plum, mulberry and black cherry fruit.

Bodegas Cepa 21

Tempranillo Ribera del Duero Hito 2023

Score: 90 | $20

WS Review: Bay leaf, rosemary and graphite hints are an aromatic thread winding through crushed mulberry and currant flavors in this sleek red.

Clos Berenguer

Priorat Clos de Tafall 2022

Score: 90 | $25

WS Review: A harmonious red, with supple, creamy-edged tannins layered with plum sauce, dried cherry, grilled herb and red licorice notes.

Raíces Ibéricas

Garnacha-Syrah Calatayud Las Pizarrras Fabla #506 2023

Score: 90 | $18

WS Review: This fruit-forward version is thick and creamy on the palate, featuring ripe mulberry, boysenberry and plum fruit, with bright acidity.

Virgen del Galir

Mencía Valdeorras Val do Galir Éntoma 2022

Score: 90 | $19

WS Review: A lively red, with a salty underpinning to the expressive core of ripe mulberry, red currant and plum fruit, ending with a bright finish.

Bodegas Ego

Jumilla Goru Verde 2022

Score: 89 | $15

WS Review: Juicy acidity animates black raspberry, plum, mocha and sassafras root notes in this creamy red, with a smoke- and tobacco-laced finish.

Dominio de Tares

Godello Bierzo La Sonrisa Sobre Lías 2023

Score: 89 | $20

WS Review: A tangy white, with a leesy edge, showing macerated raspberry and apricot flavors enriched by hints of lemon curd, graphite and pine.

Bodegas Terras Gauda

Albariño Rias Baixas Abadía de San Campio 2023

Score: 89 | $17

WS Review: This bright white is creamy on the palate, featuring juicy pear and pineapple fruit flavors layered with a streak of salty minerality.

Volver

Monastrell Alicante Tarima Selección 2023

Score: 89 | $13

WS Review: Fragrant with notes of violet and milled pepper, this juicy, silky red shows flavors of mulled cherry, fig cake and dark chocolate.