TAGONIUS TINTO ROBLE / VINOS DE MADRID

VINTAGE: 2011 BODEGAS TAGONIUS PRODUCER: Bodegas Tagonius The Romans called the Tajuña river that LOCATION: Tielmes, Provincia de runs just south of the Spanish capital Madrid the “Tagonius,” and from there the owners have restored 35 hectares of APPELLATION: Vinos de Madird these ancient vineyards to their former VARIETALS: 40% , 30% , glory. Tagonius’ reputation as the best wines Madrid has to offer is well 20% , 10% known in the area and much AGEING: 7 months in oak, plus 12 appreciated by critics around the months in the bottle world. ALCOHOL: 14% ABOUT VINOS DE MADRID The winemaking tradition in the TASTING NOTES: Clear and shiny, very Madrid area goes back to the 13th high intensity, cherry colour. Stands out century. The vines are found at specially because its fruity character and between 522 and 800 metres. Around complexity. Red fruit jam, black fruits, half the vineyards are in Arganda, the tropical notes (mango, passion fruit), largest subzone. Here the land gently minerals (graphite), toasted aromas, rolls south. Clay and marl terraces lie spicy, torrefacts and balsamics over granite with a good limestone content. The climate is continental, (liquorice). In mouth creamy, sweet with long sunshine hours and extreme mature tannins, elegant and expressive. temperatures. The limited rain and ANNUAL PRODUCTION: 100,000 btls. long hot summers are ideal for keeping yields low and providing wines of great SRP: $19.99 concentration. CLOS LA SOLEYA / BRUT Clos la Soleya / Cava Brut VINTAGE: 2011 EL XAMFRÁ PRODUCER: El Xamfrá Founded in 1987 and now managed by oenologist Francisco Domínguez LOCATION: Sant Sadurní, Penedés Ruiz, the son of the founders. Located in downtown Sant Sadurní, APPELLATION: D.O. Cava but in the process of moving to an VARIETALS: 40% Xarello, 40% old paper mill built in 1872 to expand production thanks to worldwide & 20% demand. AGEING: 20 months in the bottle ABOUT CAVA TECHNICAL:12.5%Alc./9g/l While Cava can be made in several regions throughout , 95% is TASTING NOTES: Intriguing bouquet made with grapes from the that opens up to reveal touches of limestone soils of Penedés D.O. (45 white asparagus and dried herbs. The minutes southwest of Barcelona) palate is nicely balanced with subtle with vines planted as high up as 2,800 feet. Cava grapes at those citrus notes complemented by dried altitudes can be intensely tart, more apricot and a touch of quince. It leads akin to the structure of Champagne to a precise finish with solid length than the fat–styled sparkling wines that completes a very interesting California tends to produce. Unlike other sparkling wines like Prosecco, Cava, one that is full of personality. Cava is always produced using the ANNUAL PRODUCTION: 120,000 btls. Champagnois Method, where the secondary fermentation takes place SRP: $14.99 / 88 Pts. Wine Advocate in the bottle. DAMALISCO ROBLE / TORO Damalisco Roble / Toro ABOUT JAVIER RODRIGUEZ VINTAGE: 2012 Independent “flying winemaker” PRODUCER: Javier Rodriguez currently producing wine in 7 different appellations in partnership LOCATION: Valladolid, Castilla y León with leading producers in Spain and Portugal. Javier Rodriguez is APPELLATION: D.O. Toro revolutionizing the industry by combining the latest VARIETALS: 100% Tinta de Toro (aka technology an innovative Tempranillo) winemaking style. His wines are sophisticated, modern-style wines of AGEING: 8 months in custom American great “drinkability” without losing oak barrels. their sense of origin.

ALCOHOL: 13.5% ABOUT TORO TASTING NOTES: Beautiful red cherry Located in northwestern Spain on color with predominant aromas of red the riverbanks of the Duero river, just about 60 miles west of D.O. ripe fruit and herbal notes nicely . Toro’s continental integrated with the vanilla imparted by climate (very hot summers and the oak ageing process. Soft, round and freezing winters) is even more sweet tannins. Perfect pairing for extreme than in Ribera, producing roasted lamb, pork, chicken, creamy hearty reds of great complexity and balance. D.O. Toro has received pastas and light stews. international attention by producing PRODUCTION: 50,000 btls. 100-point wines and attracting major investments from well known SRP: $14.99 houses like LVMH and Vega Sicilia. ENCANTO ROBLE / BIERZO Encanto Charm / Bierzo

VINTAGE:2011 VINOS DE ARGANZA PRODUCER:VinosdeArganza Vinos de Arganza is a family business bought in 1997 by wine industry LOCATION: Villafranca del Bierzo veteran Víctor Robla and his wife APPELLATION:D.O.Bierzo Ángeles Varela, whose grandmother Sara Álvarez de Toledo was part of an VARIETALS:100%Mencía important noble family and vineyard owners in Bierzo since the XV century. AGEING: 4 months in oak barrels ALCOHOL:13% ABOUT MENCIA & BIERZO Mencia is a grape variety native of TASTING NOTES: This fresh, pure Spain and rarely found outside of El value red cranks out raspberry and Bierzo in Northwestern Spain. boysenberry aromas in front of a Mencia is sometimes compared to Cabernet Franc even though they are crisp, tight palate. Ripe, quick- not genetically related. Bierzo’s soil hitting flavors of red-berry fruits and includes a mixture of fine elements, toasty smoke finish zesty, with a quartz and slate. The vineyards are lasting note of pie cherry. Ideal to planted mainly on humid, dark soil that is slightly acidic and low in pair with chicken, pastas and carbonates. Continental microclimate, anything you would enjoy with a with influences from and the Pinot Noir or a Cabernet Franc. plateau of Castilla y Léon. Average rainfall of ~700 l/yr, 59ºF and 2000 SRP: $14.99 / 90 Pts. Wine hours of sun per year. Enthusiast SIGLO CRIANZA / TEMPRANILLO ()

VINTAGE:2009 BODEGAS AGE PRODUCER: Bodegas AGE In 1881, Félix Azpilicueta founded LOCATION: Fuenmayor, Bodegas Azpilicueta, nowadays known as Bodegas AGE. Over a APPELLATION: D.O.C. Rioja century later, it reflects the efforts of the various generations that VARIETALS: Tempranillo, Mazuelo & have devoted their lives to making Graciano and ageing prestigious Rioja wines. AGEING:12monthsinAmerican& The wines of this bodega possess all the traditional characteristics of French oak barrels + 1 year in bottle the typical Rioja wines, whose ALCOHOL:13.5% flavour has triumphed all over the world TASTING NOTES: Bright, garnet red with purple and gold glints. Aromas ABOUT RIOJA of cedar, smoke, spice box, tobacco, Spain’s best known wine and blackberry. Fruity with a toasted producing region. The Oja river wood and vanilla aroma. In the (Rio Oja) is believed to have given the region its name. Rioja was the mouth it is full, elegant and velvety first region in Spain to be awarded smooth with good body. the highest DOCa (Denominacion PRODUCTION: 1,000,000 btls. de Origen Calificada) category, due to its proven record in consistently SRP: $14.99 / 89 Pts Wine Spectator producing top-quality wines. GORREBUSTO / RIOJA ALAVESA

VINTAGE: 2012 BODEGA TORRE SAN MILLÁN PRODUCER: Torre San Millán The Martínez family has been working its over 80 hectares of vineyards for APPELLATION: D.O.C. Rioja generations. Located in different plots in between the Ebro River and Sierra VARIETALS: Tempranillo 90%, in Rioja Alavesa, the vines are Mazuelo 5%, Viura 5% personally managed and harvested by the Martinez family. The winery, AGEING: Unoaked equipped with the latest technology, is located right outside of the town of ALCOHOL: 13.5% Barriobusto, Gorrebusto in the local Basque language (Euskera). TASTING NOTES: ABOUT RIOJA ALVALESA Red color with medium intensity, The smallest of the sub-regions in Rioja, floral aromas with fresh red fruit north of the River Ebro, the ash-colored (strawberry, raspberry). Clean and Cantabrian mountains dominate the full bodied wine, well balanced and landscape. It is the closest to the Atlantic Ocean and the most influenced persistent. This is a fruit-packed by its cooling effects. The soil on the offering ideal to pair with nearly slopes and terraces where the vines are anything or enjoyed by itself. grown is rich in chalky clay and limestone, resulting in wines that are PRODUCTION: 150,000 bottles. characterful and rich in extract. Annual rainfall is 20” on average, which forces Rating: 88 points “Best Buy/Top the roots to burrow deep into the soil in 100 Best Buys of 2014” Wine search of water. Enthusiast