R. Parker (97/100)
The red 2024 Paraje El Bardallo, which I had already previewed last year and impressed me much, is really superb. It was produced with Tempranillo and 10% Viura from three plots in the paraje, or lieu-dit, that names the wine at 555 meters above sea level, one of the plots is ungrafted and all of them have soils with a high content of calcium carbonate. The grapes were super healthy—in 2023, they had hail twice! It fermented with 15% full clusters in concrete with indigenous yeasts and matured in 500-liter barrels for 11 months. It's a wine that has width and length and is very chalky, textured and serious, and there is a plus of complexity and elegance. It's a very complete wine, the finest vintage to date.
James Suckling (97/100)
Herbal, with violets, wild herbs, juniper and blueberries. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy yet nervy and incisive, with a fine thread of fruit defined by chalky tannins. Ethereal yet with substance, showing a very fine balance between acidity, tannin and fruit, all with a sense of subtlety. From three parcels in the higher section of El Bardallón.
Guía Peñin (95/100)
Jancis Robinson (18/100)
17,5/20:
Mid crimson. Seductive and sweetly perfumed. Sweet and intense aroma of red cherry, a touch of cough medicine, lightly peppery. Utterly seductive on the palate, too – smooth, sweet and fresh, on the path to silky but still with a light chew on the finish. A light herbal note but not green. Great length. Layers of aroma and flavours. Smells as colourful as it looks, if you know what I mean.