En primeur: Viñedos Sierra Cantabria 2025

Finca El Puntido is a 24-hectare single vineyard in Páganos, nestled beneath the Sierra Cantabria mountains at 600 metres above sea level. Planted by Guillermo Eguren in 1975, it became the family's first true single-vineyard Rioja when they released the inaugural vintage a whole 25 years later, a landmark wine that told their story of expressing terroir over ageing classifications. Today, Marcos Eguren knows every corner of the vineyard intimately, vinifying the eight tempranillo sub-parcels of the plot separately before assembling the final blend. The result is a wine of structure and standing, with a Bordeaux-like footing with rich cassis and dark berry fruit layered over saline minerality from the estate's limestone-rich soils. Chewy, chalky tannins and beautifully integrated French oak give the wine both depth and longevity, while never overshadowing the character of the site. Drink from 2029 to 2039. 14%

La Nieta is the flagship wine of Viñedos de Páganos, the Eguren family's estate in the village of Páganos beneath the Sierra Cantabria mountains. Although the tiny 1.78-hectare vineyard was planted in 1975, the first vintage was not released until 1998 when the estate was founded. Sitting just beside the bodega, it is planted on shallow clay-limestone soils over fractured bedrock and propagated entirely through the Egurens' own massal selection, as they seek to preserve their unique genetic material of their oldest tempranillo vines. In this micro-plot, the berries ripen more gently, producing a wine with more perfume, red-fruit and finesse than the more structured Puntido. The result is a beautifully poised expression of tempranillo with lurid red-cherry fruit, blue flowers, violet, oregano and a hint of smoky spice. Marcos Eguren's painstaking, berry-by-berry selection is evident in the wine's purity and precision. Silky, chalky with a pinot-like grace, La Nieta combines immediate charm with the structure and balance to age magnificently. Drink from 2029 to 2039. 14%

The organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards are low yielding, and hand harvested with a rigorous selection, with a double sorting to ensure only the best berries make it into the wine. Fermentation takes place in French oak vats, where the grapes are foot-trodden twice daily during the first 8 days with a total of 21 days on the skins. The wine is estimated to age for around 16 months in new French oak with the resulting wine delivering one of depth and structure. Arguably the most Bordelais of their range, the result is a wine of deep colour, full of intense blackcurrant, black cherry and aniseed, carried by unmistakable energy and chalky minerality. Ageworthy and full of promise. Drink from 2028 to 2040. 14%

Almirez Teso La Monja is fantastic stepping stone into the great fine wines of Toro, produced by the Eguren family, Toro's leading pioneers who co-founded the legendary Bodega Numanthia, The family dry farm with organic and biodynamic principals, from a blend of 20-60 year old tinta de toro (tempranillo) vines across the estate, including a number of ungrafted bush vines, thanks to the poor, sandy soils. 2025 was harvested early due to the heat which was shutting down the vine, which has resulted in slightly lower alcohols than usual, but ripness overall is good. They use very gentle extraction techniques such as pigeage rather than pumping over to avoid excessive tannin extraction, which can be potent due to the thicker skins of tempranillo here. It's a concentrated red, with bold black cherries and damsons, with rich coffee and aniseed flavours, rich, ripe and round with well-integrated tannins and a touch of toast coming through from the new oak. Drink from 2028 to 2035. 14.5%

My wallet has always appreciated the concept of the "second wine", a tradition long established by Bordeaux's grand châteaux. Sierra Cantabria applies the same philosophy with Calados del Puntido, a blend of selected barrels that don’t make the final El Puntido selection. A compromise perhaps, but I also argue that the second wine usually, and is certainly the case here, offers a more immediate, fruit-forward and approachable expression of the same exceptional terroir. The name Calados pays tribute to the ancient underground limestone cellars that run beneath many villages in Rioja Alavesa. Dating back to the Middle Ages, these cool, naturally humid tunnels protected and matured wines long before modern wineries existed. The wine is immediately appealing, with fragrant red fruit with mineral graphite and crushed stone on the nose and palate. Perfumed, juicy and fleshy and without excess, it’s balanced by fresh acidity and ripe, velvety tannins. Easy-drinking classy Rioja with the terroir-driven personality that first established Sierra Cantabria's reputation. Drink from 2027 to 2033. 14%

The ripe, plump and precise Amancio comes from the terraced La Veguilla vineyard in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, The vineyard has over ten different soil types, with a high portion of calcerous clay, responsible for the power and mineral freshness of the wine. First produced in 1993, The 25-50 year old Amancio vines were planted at high density, ensuring low yields and high concentration of fruit. The harvest is carried out by hand in small crates, followed by a meticulous selection process that sees only the finest 8 to 10% of the crop being chosen for the wine, as well as a bordering obsessive berry-by-berry hand de-stemming process. Fermentation takes place in small-format French oak barrels, using indigenous yeasts selected from the estate’s own vineyard. Traditional foot treading is carried out twice daily during the early stages of fermentation and maturation takes place in a combination of French and American oak before ageing for somewhere between 12 and 24 months depending on the vintage. The 2025, whilst concentrated, felt ripe, juicy and refined, led by luscious red and black fruit, plums and black cherries, and spicy, cedar-like characters alongside firm tannins, and taut acidity on the finish. Despite the warmth of the growing season, the long ripening period has resulted in a wine that feels energetic rather than heavy, playful, precise and approachable, with great depth and complexity. The most Château-neuf-du-Pape of the line-up for those who like a comparison. Definitely needs time. Drink from 2029 to 2042. 14%

Colección Privada is Marcos Eguren’s expression of the balance between tradition and modernity in Rioja. Made from 100% tempranillo sourced from two old vineyards, Jarrarte and Finca Los Terreros, planted in 1957 and 1959, both plots are vinified differently; one with whole bunches (modern way), the other destemmed (traditional way). The wine is then aged in equal parts French and American new oak. The result is a concentrated, powerful Rioja with remarkable richness, yet a smooth, approachable character. Layers of blackberry and plum are wrapped in notes of cocoa, violet, and sweet spice, delivering depth, structure, and finesse in equal measure. Drink from 2027 to 2040. 14.5%

Victorino is the most muscular of Marcos Eguren’s Toro wines. Produced from a selection of 45-100 year old vines in Villabuena del Puente and Valdefinjas, across 5 plots spanning 35 hectares, which are grown on poor stony soils that stress the vines just enough to produce incredibly concentrated and complex fruit. The old vines are are well-adpated to the soils, without the need for grafting, and cope well with the heat of the region. The wine will spend approximately 18 months in new French oak, after a very gentle fermentation process, which softens the powerful yet powdery tannins. The result is a wine with a very firm, structured frame, with blackberry fruit, dark chocolate, a hint of tar and some pretty aromatic violet and cedar top notes. Further beneath there density that is pulled together on the finish with good tension and acidity, all of which suggest that it should age very well. Drink from 2029 to 2041. 14.5%