“How I like Artuke’s wines and how they still stand out in a blind tasting!” – Jancis Robinson MW

VinePair “Asked 20 Sommeliers: What Red Wine Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck?” They said, “Reds from Rioja offer an incredible bang for your buck. Rioja has a rich and storied history of making exceptional wine. These wines have flown under the radar compared to some of their Italian and French counterparts, but wines from Rioja are often ready to drink upon release, where you may have to wait several years for your Bordeaux to mature to its perfect place. Some of the best examples available are by Artuke… these wines offer the maturity and complexity of a wine three times the price.”

We’ve been shouting this from the rooftop! Unfortunately, the folks across the street at Lagunitas don’t seem to care. Today, we put it in writing, again: a double 95 POINTER, genre-redefining, uber-tasty (and quite affordable) Rioja for the discerning Ops out there who want only the best.

Forget the “Rioja” you think you know! None of that over-American oaked blend across the regions, fancy looking while hollow inside, nonsense here today. Here’s to THE NEW RIOJA.

Per Wine Advocate, Artuke remains “one of the finest young family wineries in the region” as the wines offer Bordeaux precision and Burgundy sensibility, with Iberian soul. Single vineyards grown and bottled with love and care. And therein emerges a brave new region from the heart of a traditional one, that you never knew existed.

Vinous calls Artuke wines like this “Reds that bridge tradition and restless modernism,” and adds “Today, Rioja has two speeds. The first is set by the big producers who are responsible for the region’s worldwide fame and its association with extensive oak aging. The second is the more dynamic side, where producers display pride in their place of origin and stylistic choices, more interested in bringing out individual characters than adhering to an established style… the rich nuances found in Rioja today will take your palate on a rewarding joy ride.”

It was Jancis Robinson who first woke up to this exciting underground movement, “Rioja’n’Roll is the name of an unofficial association of 8 restless winemakers in Rioja. They share the same purpose: introducing the B-side of present-day Rioja… and have been turning heads since they gathered in the summer of 2015… Take a good look at my tasting notes, and you will find some of the most promising new-wave Riojas, produced in a respectful way, ‘looking back at our ancestors.’ This is clearly a group of winemakers to follow closely.”

And NO brave new winery can do that as articulately as Artuke. Per Vinous again, “A member of the Rioja’n’Roll group, Artuke harvests grapes from Baños in Sonsierra and bottles their wines by village. Under the auspices of oenologist Arturo de Miguel Blanco, the style is modern and hefty without drowning out the subtle qualities of Sonsierra or the chalky texture imbued by the terroir. This is a producer to follow.”

That, we did for ya, but the production and allocations are very limited – fair warning.

95+ Points – Wine Advocate “Artuke is one of the leading independent Rioja producers, with 34 hectares of vineyards planted between 1920 and 2013 in the villages of Baños de Ebro, Ábalos, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Samaniego and Villabuena de Álava, vineyards that have been certified organic since 2021. The 2024 Paso Las Mañas also has the subtitle of the Paraje el Chorro in Samaniego, where the vines are located, a 3.9-hectare plot planted in 1990 and 2013 with Tempranillo on limestone and rocky soils at 700 meters above sea level below the Sierra Cantabria. The uncrushed grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 3,500-liter oak foudres for 12 months. It’s surprisingly floral and perfumed for a varietal Tempranillo, with depth and complexity, contained ripeness and a moderate 13.6% alcohol with a pH of 3.38 that makes it fresh and balanced. It has a very elegant, medium-bodied palate with abundant, fine-grained and chalky tannins. It’s very serious and harmonious and should develop nicely in the bottle. Drink 2026-2036.”

95 Points – Vinous “Founded in 1991 by Roberto de Miguel Blanco in Baños de Ebro, Rioja, Artuke inaugurated new facilities with the 2025 vintage. If the original winery—now integrated into the new building—allowed the estate to establish a distinctive voice within the modern Rioja movement, the expanded and more comfortable installations, particularly in terms of aging, should bring greater precision to the wines. Arturo and Kike de Miguel lead the estate today, overseeing both vineyard and cellar work. Through partial carbonic maceration and carefully calibrated aging, they craft reds that bridge tradition and restless modernism. The 2024 Paso Las Mañas (Paraje el Chorro) is 100% Tempranillo from Samaniego. Violet and blueberry lead on the nose, followed by fresh plum and raspberry. On the palate, it is fresh and vibrant, delivering fruit purity and clarity framed by fine, reactive tannins. A finish full of fruit is complemented by very fine oak. Precision and energy define it. Drink 2026-2044.”