Was once a STUPENDOUS VALUE at the original $55, yet with another 65% OFF?! Wawaweewa!

A GRAN RESERVA nonetheless, by Manzanos, the highly reputable Rioja family we love with those pricey flagships such as this one we blew through a while back.

The key to these delivering so much joy yet for so little? It’s Navarra! Rioja’s lesser known but equally reputable next-door neighbor is where some savvy Rioja producers, like Manzanos, look, and can make the same magic happen, delivering wines that are unbeatable in quality at unbelievable prices. By that, we mean at that full $55, and NOT this $19 MADNESS you’re looking at! Bodegas Manzanos was founded in 1890 and today, brothers Victor and David along with his wife Laura, run the show, having transformed this traditional establishment into a modern powerhouse.

The Drinks Business put a spotlight on them last year: “This is the story of two extremely focused, charming and disgracefully young wine professionals, Víctor and David Fernández de Manzanos, single-handedly transformed their family business in Rioja from a winery in Azagra with 12 employees to a (still family run) business with 5 wineries, employing 160 people… the transformation of Bodegas Manzanos’ history dates back to 1890 in Azagra. The Fernández de Manzanos family has been cultivating vineyards and producing wines for more than a century.”

Then add the fact that Wine Spectator recommends “seeking out the handful of Rioja wineries that largely deliver across-the-board quality at fair prices… producers from which you can buy with relative confidence… such track records include Bodegas Manzanos… adding in the same article that “beyond Rioja, exploring the country’s many DOs yields great results for bargain hunters.”

Gorgeous fruits galore, be it the grippingly ripe or the alluringly dried kinds, all lie there. Spices too, from the sweet baking kinds to warm woody tones, the heady perfume is a trip to a fall bazaar (Thanksgiving is coming, hint, hint…) Now if this quality, this texture, and this deliciousness came from Bordeaux or Napa, as it easily could, you’d be paying A LOT more.

Under 20 bucks? a completely risk-free by the case buy!

91 Points – Guía Peñín

“Dark red cherry, garnet rim. Aromas of ripe fruit, fruit preserve, aged wood nuances, tobacco, sweet spices, and fine seductive notes. It turns spicy on the palate, with round tannins, and a long finish.”