James Suckling: 95 Points
(12/5/2016) "Deep, dark and beautiful nose of ripe blackberries and black cherries as well as earthy and light, toasted-oak undertones. Floral. Full-bodied and structured with chewy, polished tannins and a long, earthy and mineral finish. A very classy red with aging potential."
Wine Advocate: 93 Points
(8/30/2016) "The valley of Gines names the 2013 Valdegines, a single plot of Tempranillo vines from a cold terroir (the sun leaves at mid-day) in a cold vintage. This is an austere red, serious, quite different from previous vintages. There was some 630 liters of rain in the growing season and the vintage was challenging, but has often resulted in less ripe wines with more freshness. The tannins are a little more severe than the 2014, a wine that should age nicely in bottle, with the freshness of the cold years. Spicy, cold, austere and long. The wood is remarkably well integrated. This is a very good showing for Valdegines; it really impressed me. Drink Date: 2016 - 2022."
Vinous, Josh Raynolds: 93 Points
(2/2019) "Brilliant ruby-red. Lively and incisive on the pungent nose, displaying intense cherry pit, red currant and spicecake scents along with suggestions of vanilla and succulent herbs. Juicy, focused and spicy on the palate, offering bitter cherry, allspice, vanilla and licorice flavors that deepen and unfold very slowly with air. Shows impressive clarity and minerally cut on a long, taut finish shaped by youthfully firm tannins. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2031."
John Gilman: 92+ Points
(6/2018) "I had a chance to taste the 2013 Rioja "Valdegines" from Bodegas Artadi fifteen months ago as well, and the wine is aging gracefully and will be an excellent wine when it is fully mature. Today, it still seems a good five to six years away from really blossoming, but the constituent components are in place for good things down the road. As I mentioned last year, this vineyard is a south-facing, seven hectare parcel planted on clay and sandstone. The wine delivers a fine bouquet of pomegranate, sappy black cherries, Rioja spices, a fine base of soil, spicy new oak and a smoky topnote that will probably turn more cigar-like with extended aging. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very nicely balanced, with a good core of ripe fruit, a good dollop of soil tones, ripe, well-integrated tannins and fine length and grip on the well-balanced finish. The wood tannins were still being absorbed when I last tasted this wine, but they are now nicely buried in the fine fruit of this wine and it is poised to start drinking well a handful of years from now. Drink between 2024-2060."
