Evans’ pick: 12 top Tempranillos to try

Dominio de Es, Viñas Viejas de Soria, Ribera del Duero, Spain 2017 95

£69 Decántalo

From old vines at 1,000m, pre-phylloxeric, the wine fermented in large used oak. This is superbly elegant and could not be further from the muscular Tempranillo found elsewhere in Ribera del Duero. Biodynamic. Drink 2021-2030 Alcohol 14%

Roda, Cirsion, Rioja, Spain 2016 95 £ 195 BI Wines & Spirits, Fine & Rare, Harvey Nichols

Modern and glossy, a statement wine, from a bodega that has spent years researching Tempranillo. Unlike many of its peers, it has only eight months in oak, showcasing dark cherry and plum fruit. A study in Tempranillo. Drink 2022-2030 Alc 14.5%

Legaris, Moradillo de Roa, Ribera del Duero, Spain 2016 94

£ 32 (2015) Drinks & Co

One of a relatively new trio of village wines from Legaris, illustrating the diversity of the Ribera del Duero region. This one is grown at 1,000m on a pebbly soil. Well structured, with bright, juicy, cherry fruit and balanced oak, plus finely handled tannin. Drink 2020-2027 Alc 14.9%

Aalto, Ribera del Duero, Spain 2016 93 £ 27.68-£40 Handford, Harvey Nichols, Hedonism, Justerini & Brooks, Wine Direct

Gloriously aromatic Tinto Fino with black cherry, liquorice and sweet spices. Fleshy, with a bright line of acidity that cuts the richness. Fine-grained tannins. A wine that repays cellaring. Drink 2022-2030 Alc 13%

Abadía Retuerta, Pago Negralada, Castilla y León, Spain 2015 93

£62.50-£74.14 Enotria& Coe, Exel, GP Brands, Great Western Wine, Great Wines Direct

A Tinto Fino that envelops you in a sumptuous hug. The vines grow at 650m on deep gravel and sand soils, delivering an abundance of red cherries and spice. Give it time to open in the glass for fullest expression. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 14.5%

Muga, Selección Especial Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2014 93

£ 25.22-£ 27.99 Christopher Keiller, Christopher Piper, Frazier’s, Wines of Interest

Textbook Rioja, a classic from the Muga family. A lively blend showing succulent red fruits and back notes of sweet spices, underlined by freshness. Aged partly in new French oak, partly second fill. Hard to better. Drink 2020-2030 Alc 14%

Struggling Vines, Phinca Hapa, Rioja, Spain 2017 92

£ 28 (2016) Moreno Wines

Named in memory of Hapa, a much-loved hound, the wine is an equally affectionate expression of Tempranillo. Biodynamically farmed, fermented with wild yeast in concrete, and aged in old oak to reveal red fruits overlaid by light spicing and freshness. Drink 2020-2028 Alc 14.5%

Ochoa, Alma de Finca El Secadero, Navarra, Spain 2014 91

N/A UK www. bodegasochoa.com

This is sisters Adriana and Beatriz Ochoa’s tribute to their mother, the soul (‘alma’) of the winery. A single-vineyard Tempranillo that previously went into the reservas, but is liberated in this new release. Fresh, pure and limpid. Drink 2021-2027 Alc 14.5%

Majestic, Definition Viña Majestica Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2013 90

£ 13.99 Majestic

The star of Majestic’s own-brand Definition range is its Rioja. A Tempranillo blend from La Rioja Alta, it’s terrific value for a reserva. Dark cherry fruit, silky tannins, smooth palate. Terrible name for a wine, though. Drink 2020-2027 Alc 13.5%

OTHER COUNTRIES Fall Creek, ExTerra Tempranillo,

Salt Lick Vineyards, Texas Hill Country, US 2016 93

N/A UK www.fcv.com

Texas – with the interruption for Prohibition – has a long history with Tempranillo. Fall Creek was the first Texas High Country winery. This, its top wine, is as dark and broad-shouldered as the bottle itself. Rich, supple, smooth and dense palate. Drink 2020-2025 Alc 14.3%

Quinta do Crasto, Tinta Roriz, Douro, Portugal 2017 91

£ 38.68-£45.50 (2016) Enotria& Coe, Exel, Farr Vintners, Great Western Wine, Great Wines Direct, Vinvm

A deep, dark and profound Tinta Roriz, reflecting the sun and the sun-baked schist Douro soils, and polished by time in new French oak. Iberian certainly, but definitely not Spanish. Full-bodied and structured, and will benefit from cellaring. Organic. Drink 2020-2023 Alc 14.8%

Zuccardi, Q Tempranilllo, Mendoza, Argentina 2013 90

£ 14.17-£ 17.99 Connolly’s, Hard to FInd Wines, Hay Wines, Talking Wines, The Drink Shop, The Fine Wine Co, Worth Bros

The first vintage was 1997 and it was the first wine to carry the Zuccardi name on the label. Grown at 700m on the typical Parral canopy. A style that’s much more about red fruits and softer, approachable tannin. Drink 2020-2023 Alc 14.5%