2 | Wine | Tempranillo, $50 to $100

"This generous red offers cherry, currant and cranberry fruit, with accents of cola, licorice and spice. Full-bodied and firm, but not heavy, with lively acidity and a fresh, floral finish."

"An intensely perfumed nose displays cherry-cola, cassis, licorice and woodsmoke, with a sexy floral quality and very good focus. Juicy, penetrating dark fruit flavors are given spine by tangy acidity and pick up bitter chocolate and spicecake nuances with air. Supple tannins add shape to the very long, sappy, smoke-accented finish. This is still a baby."

"Its name is derived from the ancient caves under San Vicente de la Sonsierra castle where the old cellar is located. It has a seductive bouquet with beautifully defined, precise, graphite-tinged black and blueberry fruit that unfolds with passing moments. The palate has immense purity and sense of symmetry and gently grips the mouth on the long, elegant finish. If you cannot afford Contador, well, this sure as hell comes close!"

"It is a fragrant, enticing, already complex offering that will continue to evolve in the bottle for several more years. Rich, savory, and ripe, this beautifully balanced wine will also have a 30+ year lifespan. It will be a pleasant task to compare these 2 great vintages side-by-side once they have peaked in another 10-15 years." 92-95 pts.

"It delivers a complex perfume of cedar, spice box, incense, mineral, and blackberry. This leads to an elegant wine with superior depth and intensity. Layered with tons of savory fruit and well concealed ripe tannin"

"Vivid purple. Ripe cherry, cassis, potpourri and cracked pepper on the intensely perfumed nose, with subtle licorice and woodsmoke qualities adding complexity. Deep, sweet and expansive, offering explosive dark berry compote, floral pastille and anise flavors. A spicy quality gains strength on the finish, which leaves smoke and mineral notes behind. This bottling has been going from strength to strength in recent years and offers superb value relative to its ritzy Pingus sibling."

"A rich, opulent bouquet with kirsch, maraschino, shoe polish and licorice. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with saturated, corpulent tannins that caress the mouth. At its heart are layers of sumptuous ripe red cherry, fresh strawberry and vanillary new oak towards the rambunctious finish."

"Refined and balanced, this elegant red delivers blackberry, espresso, tobacco and spice flavors in a dark but alluring package. Has intensity without heaviness, with a long, perfumed finish."