23 Feb 96 points Tim Atkin for Las Laderas de José Luis 2020
Bodegas Dominio de Berzal continues to obtain excellent ratings from international critics. The most recent ones have come from the renowned British Master of Wine Tim Atkin who, in his Rioja Special Report 2023, has awarded 96 points to Las Laderas de José Luis, a wine belonging to the Single Vineyard category, which the critic considers “refreshing and elegant, with a subtle reduction, polished tannins, spicy acidity and plum and blueberry fruit”.
But not only Las Laderas de José Luis has obtained a very high rating, six other wines from our winery have deserved scores ranging from 94 to 90 points.
Below, we leave you the classification and some of their ratings.
– 2021 Dominio de Berzal Graciano: 94 points. “A wonderful expression of the variety that avoids any hint of rusticity”.
– 2021 Dominio de Berzal Parcelas Garnacha Blanca: 92 points. “Shows the acidity, focus and structure that are typical of the variety, with a winning combination of vanilla pod, orange zest and citrus zest flavours.”
– 2021 Dominio de Berzal Parcelas Viura 92 points. “This Viura from the 50-year-old El Peregigo estate in Baños de Ebro has good concentration, high-altitude freshness, pear and yellow apple fruit and an aniseed twist.”
– 2020 Dominio de Berzal Crianza 91 points. “Sweet and seductive, with elegant French and American oak and succulent black cherries”.
– 2020 Dominio de Berzal Selección Privada 91 points. “Aged in new French oak, it has aromas of coffee and mocha, sweet Asian spices on the palate and layers of blood orange and blackberry fruit.”
– 2021 Dominio de Berzal Maceración Carbónica 90 points. “A classic Rioja Alavesa cuvée of Tempranillo and 10% Viura, made with carbonic maceration in stainless steel. It’s the kind of thing you want to guzzle by the litre: fruity strawberry and full of life and sparkle”.
For some years now, Tim Atkin has been one of the most influential figures on the international wine scene. He holds the title of “Master of Wine”, one of the hardest and most complicated certifications, which requires a lot of time and study. He has a reputation for being strict, objective and never accepts any kind of gratification from wineries or distribution companies.
At Bodegas Domino de Berzal we have had the good fortune to witness this and talk to him in person during one of his many visits.
To compile this report, the expert tasted 1,493 Rioja wines from 295 wineries. Of these, 133 were visited in situ during a 20-day trip in October last year.