Rioja
Rioja, one of Spain's most esteemed wine regions, is renowned for its exceptional fine wines. With a winemaking tradition that spans centuries, Rioja is celebrated for its unique terroir, diverse grape varieties, and the artistry of its winemakers. Situated in northern Spain, Rioja produces wines that embody the rich history and passion of Spanish winemaking.
One of the most famous vineyards in Rioja is Bodegas Marqués de Riscal, a historic winery that has been producing wines since 1858. Their wines, including the iconic Marqués de Riscal Reserva and Marqués de Riscal Gran Reserva, are renowned for their elegance, complexity, and age-worthiness.
Another esteemed vineyard is Bodegas López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, known for its traditional winemaking practices and long-aged wines. Their Viña Tondonia Reserva and Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva are highly sought-after by wine enthusiasts seeking the classic Rioja style.
Rioja is primarily known for its red wines, which are crafted predominantly from the Tempranillo grape variety. Notable vineyards such as Bodegas Muga, Bodegas Roda, and Bodegas CVNE (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) produce exceptional red wines that showcase the region's unique characteristics. These wines display flavours of ripe red fruit, subtle oak influence, well-integrated tannins, and a remarkable balance.
Rioja also offers notable white wines, mainly made from the Viura grape variety. Bodegas Riojanas, Bodegas Ontañón, and Bodegas Valdemar are among the renowned vineyards that produce exquisite white wines with vibrant acidity, citrus flavours, and a refreshing crispness.
The region's wines are often classified into four categories: Rioja, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva, indicating the aging process and quality level. This classification system ensures consistent quality and allows wine lovers to choose wines based on their preferred style and maturity.
Rioja's fine wines beautifully capture the essence of the region, showcasing a harmonious balance between tradition and innovation. Whether you're savouring a well-aged Reserva, a vibrant Crianza, or a complex Gran Reserva, Rioja's wines promise an unforgettable experience that reflects the region's winemaking heritage and dedication to excellence.
Rioja

Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 | 94 (WA) | HK$3,780.00 | ||||||
Wine Advocate (94)Perhaps the finest vintage produced to date of their iconic Tempranillo is the 2016 Pago Negralada, which has a mixture of red and black fruit, some spices and firm but fine-grained tannins that give it tension and a chalky sensation in the texture. It's tasty and balanced, with good ripeness and freshness, medium to full-bodied, with stuffing and balance to develop nicely in bottle. I was surprised to see it has 15% alcohol, as it is very well disguised. 9,769 bottles, 611 magnums and 40 double magnums produced from 35 barrels. It was bottled in May 2018. 2016 marked the 20th anniversary of Abadía Retuerta, who came out with their seminal 1996s at the end of the century, and that somehow changed the view many had about the region just outside the boundaries of Ribera del Duero (part of their vineyards are inside the appellation, as the limit crosses the property). They have produced a 20th-anniversary red and released a white Cuvée Palomar produced mostly with Godello grapes and a red Cuvée Palomar in magnum to celebrate their anniversary. In the meantime, they fermented the first wine from the recovered ancient vineyard they found in 2007, which they have been recovering since, and they have filed the documentation to request the classification as Vino de Pago, the single-vineyard appellation that really makes sense in places like Abadía Retuerta. They now produce some 500,000 bottles from their 192 hectares of vineyards that are divided in 54 different plots, and they have conducted multiple studies of climate change—behavior of the plants and micro-vinifications of different plots—lead by the team of chief winemaker Ángel Anocíbar and consultant Pascal Delbeck. They surely have more knowledge of their vineyards than the majority of wineries in the zone. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | - | HK$17,740.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 96 (WA) | HK$4,675.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)The 2015 El Carretil is nothing short of phenomenal, one of the best vintages for this pure Tempranillo, which comes from a vineyard in the village of Laguardia on soils that have a very high content of active limestone. Even if in 2014 it had been taken out of barrel a little earlier than in the previous year, the élevage was shortened even further in 2015, to nine months. It's super expressive and open, with a captivating nose, pretty much enclosing the Artadi style, clean, floral, serious, with good ripeness but without excess and with generous oak but a lot less than in the past. The palate combines power with elegance, great balance and super fine tannins. This is a great vintage for El Carretil. 6,500 bottles produced. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 97+ (WA) | HK$8,490.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97+)The bottled 2018 El Carretil was phenomenal. It comes from a plot of 3.64 hectares planted at three different times—1930, 1975 and 1988—on limestone, sandstone and silt soils with up to 18% active limestone. Its Tempranillo grapes aged in barrel and then were racked back to stainless steel, where it was left to mature until it was bottled. It's mineral and balsamic, expressive, open and fresh, with beautiful elegance. It's classical with even a Bordeaux twist. It shows pretty much like the sample I tasted 12 months ago, expressive and open, aromatic and perfumed, with great freshness and balance, vibrant and energetic, juicy with fine-grained tannins and with terrific balance and purity. 5,000 bottles were filled in June 2020. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 99 (JS) | HK$8,390.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99)A complete, fresh and complex Artadi single-plot wine with lovely subtlety. Spanish cigars, mineral, cocoa powder, some fine herbs, mussels and spices, with a background of fresh yet ripe, concentrated fruit showing crushed blackberries and blueberries. Tight, powerful but still dynamic and silky, with a mineral tinge to the supple fruit core in the middle. Not trying too hard. Impeccable balance with finesse! Tempranillo. From organically grown grapes. Already drinkable now, but better hold for a few years. Best from 2025. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | - | HK$4,315.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 1 | - | HK$4,010.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 97 (WA) | HK$4,850.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)The bottled 2019 San Lázaro delivered what the sample promised back in January. It comes from one of my favorite vineyards, a 1.62-hectare plot in Laguardia just below Bodegas Palacio that was planted in 1956 on limestone and sand soils that produce elegant wines. In the past, the vineyard contributed to the Pagos Viejos blend that has been bottled separately since 2016 and has quickly taken a leading position in the Artadi hierarchy. The wine is complex and nuanced, serious and insinuating, with fine aromas of herbs and flowers and a lively and balanced palate with ultra fine, abundant and chalky tannins. Superb! 2,000 bottles were filled in June 2021. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | - | HK$2,255.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 100 (WA) | HK$31,625.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)The 2004 El Pison stands out from its peers. It has a deeper color than the 2007 with a splendid nose that jumps from the glass. Notes of espresso, balsamic, Asian spices, pain grille, mineral, and black cherry lead to a velvety, mouth-filling, deep wine that effortlessly combines elegance with power. It should easily drink well for another 30-40 years. It simply does not get any better. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 97 (WA) | HK$16,300.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)The 2008 Vina el Pison comes from a single vineyard planted in 1945 on pure limestone. It is the epitome of elegance with a sensual bouquet, a silky texture, already complex flavors, and a lengthy, pure finish. It will offer at least a 20 year lifespan, just long enough for the 2009 to be hitting its stride. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 94 (WA) | HK$11,510.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)The 2009 Vina El Pison is born from 67-year-old vines within a real clos rather than the fictitious ones that abound. I could be pedantic and separate it from Juan Carlos- wines under the Artadi umbrella, but like my predecessor, I will include it here. The 2009 has a fresh, floral, Margaux-like bouquet with fine delineation and intensity. The palate is full-bodied with an almost impenetrable carapace of licorice-tinged black fruits, minerals, citrus peel and a powerful, sensual finish. Perhaps impressive more than pleasurable (at the moment), this behemoth will need a decade in the cellar before it will shine. Drink 2022-2040. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 3 | - | HK$4,275.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 2 | - | HK$15,545.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 99 (WA) | HK$12,465.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (99)The flagship single-vineyard 2018 Viña El Pisón has to be one of the finest vintages for this bottling. It's named after a plot of 2.4 hectares planted in 1945 in the village of Laguardia. The vineyard is an amphitheater with changing soils of limestone, clay and sandstone with a deep combination of limestone and silt. The grapes underwent a 24- to 48-hour cold soak and fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats for 10-12 days, during which time the grapes were foot trodden twice per day. It matured in French oak barrels for nine months. There's something mysterious about this Pisón; it's subtle and elegant, a little austere and reticent at first. The palate is seamless, silky with very refined tannins, with gobsmacking balance and a very long, clean and precise finish. This is superb. 6,600 bottles were filled in June 2020. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 99 (GPN) | HK$12,945.00 | |||||
Guía Peñín (99)Style: complex, with personality. Colour: bright cherry. Aroma: expressive, characterful, red berry notes, ripe fruit, spicy, balanced, chalk, new oak. Flavour: flavourful, long, chalky, spicy, ripe fruit, round tannins, complex. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 4 | 93 (WA) | HK$2,335.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93)This terrific winery’s 2003 Vinas de Gain is a 100% old vine Tempranillo from their high altitude vineyard sites in Rioja Alavesa. A superb entry level effort, it reminded me of the famed Pomerol, l’Evangile. Wonderful scents of black raspberries, sweet cherries, smoke, truffles, and earth soar from the glass of this dense ruby/purple-hued 2003. Ripe and elegant, with beautiful purity, superb intensity, and a long, smooth finish, it is a glorious Rioja to enjoy over the next 5-7 years. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 94 (JS) | HK$1,440.00 | |||||
James Suckling (94)Impressive, rich, dark-cherry and blackberry aromas with nicely cut oak influence. The palate has a sleek, smooth-honed feel with such impressive freshness and depth. Stunning, vibrant finish. 100% tempranillo from several plots around Laguardia. Drink or hold. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 94 (TA) | HK$1,345.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (94)Finca de Los Locos is a co-fermented field blend of Tempranillo with 20% Graciano and 2% Viura from the Las Escaleras sub-zone of Baños de Ebro. Rich in limestone and comparatively cool for the village, the vineyard has produced a 2018 that is pithy, chiselled and "electric" in Arturo de Miguel's words, with fine-boned tannins, damson and blackberry fruit and a long, refined finish. 2023-2030 |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 94 (TA) | HK$1,500.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (94)Finca de Los Locos is a single, 2.8-hectare parcel in Baños de Ebro, planted with Tempranillo, 20% Graciano and 2% Viura. Paler in colour than some of the other Artuke wines, it has subtle, stony reduction, refreshing black cherry and raspberry fruit and nicely understated oak. Long and well balanced with almost no oak influence. 2024-32 |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 94 (TA) | HK$1,490.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (94)A vineyard doesn't have to be old to make great wines, as this 3.9-hectare parcel, planted at 720 metres in Samaniego as recently as 2013 demonstrates. Balanced, chalky, racy and refreshing, with chiselled acidity, understated oak influence, bramble, blackberry and cranberry fruit and a long, tapering finish. 2024-32 |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 2 | 91 (TA) | HK$865.00 | |||||
Tim Atkin MW (91)I like new wood less and less," says Arturo de Miguel, who uses none whatsoever on this cuvée of Tempranillo with 13% Graciano from the villages of Ábalos, Samaniego, San Vicente and Villabuena. Sappy, crunchy and refreshing, with lots of bramble and red cherry fruit and a hint of stony reduction. 2024-27 |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | - | HK$4,740.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 2 | - | HK$3,935.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 1 | - | HK$10,750.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 1 | - | HK$14,995.00 | |||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 95 (WA) | HK$14,750.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (95)A real blockbuster, the 2003 La Vina de Andres Romeo (100% Tempranillo) is exquisite, but, again, a mere 200 bottles will make it to America. Lucky readers who run across a bottle, and have the financial resources to purchase it, are in for a decadent treat. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 2 | 98 (WA) | HK$4,060.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)The 2005 La Vina de Andres Romeo is a bit more brooding and backward. Opaque purple/black, it has an alluring nose of toasty oak, pencil lead, scorched earth, espresso, truffle, and blackberry. Tightly wound but beautifully balanced, this is an opulent effort that requires patience. Give it 10-12 years of further aging and drink it from 2020 through 2040. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 4 | 95 (VN) | HK$3,525.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)(100% tempranillo, sourced from a single 3.5-hectare vineyard that reportedly yielded 10 hectoliters per hectare; fermented in a single open-top wooden tank; 15% alcohol): Opaque purple. Intoxicating scents of black raspberry, boysenberry, incense and violet, along with notes of black pepper and anise. Lush, spicy and expansive, offering powerful red and dark berry compote and vanilla flavors and an exotic candied floral quality. Clings impressively on the endless, subtly tannic finish, energized by zesty acidity. |
|||||||||
|
Rioja | 1 | 95 (JS) | HK$1,775.00 | |||||
James Suckling (95)A rich, layered red with cherry, chocolate and coffee character. Hints of iodine and oyster shell. Medium-bodied and well integrated with fine tannins and a savory finish. Drink now or hold. |