$37.99 with shipping included on 4 bottles or more

Much of the acreage in this central-northern Spanish landscape is classified Rioja Alta, but when you find well-tended plots carrying the humbler Sonisierra-Navarra designation, you might be able to find a world-class wine from steep mountainside vineyards that are very often far superior, but at a marvelous discount. The big variable to seek out is the combination of farmer and winemaker, which in the case of Finca La Pared means you've hit the big Sonisierra jackpot! Due to its more modest appellation, the winemaking here is free to be a lot more improvisational, not bound to either age-old tradition or convention. Witness the Finca La Pared Cuvee Especial. In next-door Rioja, the ‘Cuvee Especial’ designation is reserved for a very particular set of parameters and required very long (often too long) barrel aging. But here in the Navarra hills, well, it simply means what it says- a very special cuvee; in this case 50% Graciano, 30% Syrah and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon fermented and aged as separate varietals and then blended- the Graciano in French oak and the latter two wines in American wood. I guess the most accurate thing to call this is ‘Super Rioja,’ a wine capable of blowing away its more vaunted neighbors because it breaks all the rules. I am supposing, as I write this, that I could more easily convince you to try this if it cost $75 or $100 a bottle. At only $38, you’re probably thinking ‘how can it be that good?’ I hear you. But, trust me, I wouldn’t be wasting my time writing this if I didn’t think it was kinda cool and more than worth the spend! Lovers of wines like El Nido Clio, for example, will find a lot to love here. While this wine is not quite as flashy or extracted as that monster, it also wears its heart on its sleeve and pumps out tons of glossy flavors, depth and personality, albeit with a bit more obviously Spanish mountain rusticity and earthiness. Drink it tonight with all kinds of beef or lamb dishes and don’t spare the smoked paprika! Very highly recommended. 

Jeb Dunnuck: The 2021 Finca La Pared Cuvee Especial is 50% Graciano, 30% Syrah, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep purple-hued, it has a stunningly pure, nuanced nose of ripe blue fruits, graphite, liquid violets, ground pepper, leather, and cedarwood. I love its overall purity. It's medium to full-bodied, with fine tannins, fabulous overall balance, and a great finish. It's a brilliant wine that I would be thrilled to drink any time over the coming decade. 95 points