Spanish and Portuguese Wine Month Sampler #3 - Next Level Reds

M.O.B. 2023 Lote 3 (Dão, Portugal)
The "Mob" here is a dynamic collaboration between three of Portugal’s top winemakers—Jorge Moreira, Francisco Olazabal, and Jorge Serôdio Borges (M.O.B.) —who combined their talents to showcase the cool-climate elegance of the high-altitude Dão region. Crafted as a nod to old-school winemaking, this traditional blend of Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, and Jaen bursts with crushed wild berries, dark cherries, and subtle floral hints, carrying a vibrant acidity and smooth texture that make every sip balanced and lively. 

Bodegas Habla 2022 "Habla del Silencio" (Extramadura, Spain)
This unusual (Syrah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon) red blend from Extremadura is one of those bold, spicy, deep and smooth reds that is so good and complex that we bet most people who taste this wine blind would believe us if we told them it cost $40-$60 and then not believe us when we told them the real price was just $17. Intense and complex, with hints of cherry, blackberry, mint, pepper and graphite. It is a rich wine, fresh and fleshy at the same time, with abundant fruit notes and cherry liqueur bonbon.

Javier Sanz 2022 Paraje La Encina Bruñal (Castilla y León, Spain)
A fifth-generation family winery in La Seca, Javier Sanz is renowned for resurrecting rare, near-extinct indigenous grapes to preserve Spain’s viticultural heritage. Made entirely from 100% Bruñal, this deeply expressive red delivers intense red cherry and blackberry flavors interwoven with subtle toasted oak and a cool mineral backbone, offering a fleshy, mouthwatering palate that keeps you coming back for more.

Bodegas Portia 2021 "Prima La Encina" (Ribera del Duero, Spain)
Housed in an iconic, avant-garde winery designed by architect Norman Foster, Bodegas Portia crafts powerful, modern expressions from high-elevation vineyards in the heart of Ribera del Duero. Made from 100% Tempranillo and aged in French oak, this rich red showcases layers of ripe blackberries, blueberry compote, cocoa, and sweet toffee, underpinned by fine-grained tannins and a vibrant acidity that gives it magnificent depth and structure.

López de Heredia 2015 "Viña Bosconia" Rioja Reserva (Rioja, Spain)
Founded in 1877, La Rioja Alta’s legendary R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia remains one of the ultimate guardians of traditional winemaking, famous for extended barrel aging and unwavering artisanal standards. This classic Rioja blend, dominated by Tempranillo with Garnacho, Graciano, and Mazuelo, is deeply soulful, offering a seductive bouquet of dried red plums, forest floor, orange peel, and subtle leather, wrapped in a silky texture with bright, enduring acidity. 

Costers del Priorat 2023 "Pissarres" Priorat (Priorat, Spain)
The 2023 "Pissarres" delivers an expressive blend of 60% Garnatxa Negra and 40% Cariñena, opening with aromas of ripe black plum, dark cherry, and crushed Mediterranean brushwood. The palate displays a striking core of juicy dark berries alongside notes of wild thyme, subtle spice, and a cool, slate-driven acidity that carries through a long, focused finish.