Vera scored this wine: 98/100

Deep purple color and aromas of ripe dark berries, blackberries and wild raspberries. On the palate this is a big, impressive wine, with fantastic layers of dark fruit flavors. The blend is spiced up with soft tones of oak, soft tannins and perfect acidity. I can feel a gentle dust of cocoa on the back of my tong. Superb, long and generous finish. Complexity of this wine promises a long aging potential, experts suggest that it could be at its peak around 2012-2025. I am not sure that I can wait that long with my last bottle of this vintage.

Vera scored this wine: 97/100

By Rioja's winemaker Marcos Eguren, the man behind Numanthia-Termes in Toro. Imagine chocolate that is so rich, bitter, yet velvety, melts in your mouth slowly and makes your eyes roll. Alabaster is like that. "Just" sensational! The name Alabaster describes the wine perfectly. It belongs to 2 distinct minerals: gypsum and calcite. One is so soft that you can scratch it with the fingernails, the other hard and resistant. Muscular, sexy, but tender. Something like Arnold with warm Ralph Fiennes's eyes. Alabaster offers intense dark color with aroma of blackberries, dark plums, spices and earthy tones. On the palate it is rich, very dense red, tones of dark fruit with dust of cacao - so typical for Toro. A lot of tannins promise super long aging potential. Espresso tones and spices in the never ending finish. Wow! This is wine we are going to hear about! Very small production, very high reviews, hard to get = serious collectible.

Vera scored this wine: 96/100

Just like the bull on its beautiful label indicates, this is a serious Toro wine. The best selection of old vines gave it focus, deep color and beautiful aroma of mature dark fruit and spices. This is one of those do-not-spill-any-on-you-because-it's-never-gonna-go-away kinds of red wines. Really rich, it coats your glass with almost syrupy structure. Victorino has stronger tannins so it needs some time in the bottle to soften up. Taste this wine against any superstar Cabernet from California with over $ 200.00 bottle price tag and let me know who won. I say the victory belongs to Victorino! This is a bargain collectible for somebody who can appreciate perfectly made wine at the respectable price. Wine, that's recognized by significant wine critics right from its 1st vintage, and it's going to hold for far more than a decade. I have yet to taste wine made by Eguren family, that wasn't perfect... Dry, Full body, Aged in oak

Vera scored this wine: 96/100

A great aroma of black berries, cocoa, even espresso and dark ruby color. When you take a first sniff, it promises a big, rich, muscular red. And it is exactly that! Rich and spicy dark fruit, dried plum with a slight cocoa dust so typical for Toro. Generous, silky tannins will cover your glass, but the wine is perfectly balanced. Almirez is a modern, macho wine that is approachable right now, but it will improve with a few years in the bottle. The new oak on the long finish is pleasant and not overpowering the beauty and richness of the Tinta de Toro from this vineyard. Superb quality that definitely over delivers at this price. Dry, Full body, Aged in oak

Vera scored this wine: 96/100

Elegant, ruby wine with aromas of oak, vanilla, spices, red berries and wild flowers. On the palate firm and focused. Soft, silky, texture makes this wine delicate and beautifully balanced. Acidity, velvet tannins and fruit expression makes Prado Enea traditional, perfectly structured Rioja capable of long aging. In 2007, when visited the winery, we had the opportunity to taste 1976 bottle of Prado Enea from Muga cellars - and the wine was still holding on to its fame. R. Parker suggests that 2001 Prado Enea should drink well through 2021. Dry, Medium body, Aged in oak