PARKER: RIBERA DEL DUERO, TORO Y RUEDA

Back to work after vacation, we have the perfect solution for beating the holiday blues.

Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate's specialist for Spain, has published a couple of pieces with the Duero river as the guiding thread.

The first focuses on the wines of Ribera del Duero, one of Spain's most prestigious wine regions.

The second assesses the rest of the designations of origin the river traverses in its passage through the country's geography, such as Toro and Rueda.

As usual, we have concocted a nice selection of wines. All of them got a score equal or above 90 points.

Let's begin with two wines from Ribera del Duero, the craddle of the Tinta Fina (Tempranillo) variety. If you're looking for some fabulous values, you should definitely try Viña Sastre Roble 2016 (Parker 90) and the already legendary Finca Villacreces Pruno 2016 (Parker 91).

We raise the stakes with three nice Crianzas. The unimpeachable Carmelo Rodero Crianza 2015 (Parker 91), the savoury Tionio 2015 (Parker 90) and Dominio de Atauta 2014 (Parker 91), made from high-altitude vineyards.

And we reach the peak with three impressive Reservas. The elegant Pago de los Capellanes El Nogal 2014 (Parker 90), the complex Carmelo Rodero Reserva 14 (Parker 92) and the exceptional Viña Pedrosa Reserva 2014 (Parker 94).

Following the Duero course we reach Toro, home to the bold Tinta de Toro variety.

Our first suggestion is Prima 2016 (Parker 91). Enlivened by a touch of Grenache, it is an amazingly well-priced wine.

The second features a classic, Almirez 2015 (Parker 91), crafted by the respected Eguren brothers.

Of course, we couldn't forget two monumental wines: Numanthia 14 (Parker 91) and San Román 14 (Parker 94).

We close with a white wine from Rueda, arguably the best single varietal Verdejo wine produced in Spain: Belondrade Lurton 2016, which got a truly nice score of Parker 93+.

Until our next post,

Enjoy wine - and let it breathe.