If one wants to proceed down the classic path towards increasing depth and complexity, an excellent proposal is Dominio de Calogía, a winery created by José Manuel Pérez Ovejas in Burgos a few years ago. The fact that he is now among the top wineries is by no means down to serendipity but the result of his long experience at Pérez Pascuas and his excellent vineyards. In Valladolid, I would recommend Valdemonjas, a perennial winner in blind tastings with their Abrí Las Alas.

On the less positive side, if you are an adventurous wine lover, one of those looking for diverse expressions, original flavours, amazing balance and, in two words, new experiences, you will have to work hard in Ribera. There is an increasing number of producers releasing wines that would have been unthinkable a few years ago because they are so unconventional but one needs to be picky when selecting from them. The appellation rules will not help much, since there are no formal classifications around sub-regions in Ribera del Duero. Ribera allows ageing indications on wine labels (Roble (a short period in oak), Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva) but many wineries prefer not to use them.

In the past, I was critical of this but I recognise my error, now thinking that it is better not to have authorities creating quality-based classifications because they are often sabotaged by opportunistic producers. In Spain and elsewhere, formally backed labels relating to quality tend to become irrelevant over time.

The above means that in Ribera, more than anywhere else among Spain’s fine-wine regions, the producer’s name is crucial. But Ribera is redolent of creativity. It is probably not yet at the level of Rioja’s boiling cauldron but bound to reach it soon. Several new or reconverted producers appear each year, with wines worthy of attention and, in some cases, sheer admiration. Close follow-up is necessary.

My favourite wine this year is not the one with the highest score (my admired Francisco Barona, for the second year in a row) but one that has the value of being new to me and absolutely unique in expression, with the loveliest anti- (rather than a-) typical profile. It is Casa Lebai’s El Portillo. The producer dared to work with a field blend in a single old-vine vineyard, so that the wine does not have the aroma of Tempranillo. The audacity of the two winemaker brothers, Rodrigo and Asier Calvo, led them to dispense with French oak barrels for ageing, using instead large old foudres. It’s an approach that, in my opinion, is much more respectful of the wine’s identity and integrity but very few people dare to do. A most exhilarating experience for seekers of beauty.

I make special mention of the province of Soria, one destined to become a global benchmark for excellence in several years’ time. The progression in its wines is amazing and does not seem to slow down. Dominio de Atauta, the leading producer in the area is, after some shy years, returning to the top. Their Llanos del Almendro 2018 is a most precious jewel, an expression of a unique place, a wine bound to be cherished in a wine lover’s memory. Marta Maté accompanies Atauta, with her impressive progression towards utmost finesse and firm identity. I am sure that this winery will be worthy of mention frequently in the years to come.

Some criticism is required before concluding. First, I am sorry not to feel more enthusiastic about the Ribera’s white wines. Although there are several that are very good, I do not see them in the same league as the world’s best. Ribera needs to produce great white wines and has all the elements to do this, except, perhaps, the grape variety. Albillo can be great in some old-vine field blends but it is not the same from younger plantings. I hope to be proved wrong. In any case, happily the average quality is quite good, as you will see in this report.

Second big criticism. I am stupefied that in 2025 it’s necessary to speak about cork but the situation remains unacceptable. I had to taste second bottles of 12 wines from a total of 197, in most cases because of ‘silent’ cork, a malicious TCA infection that does not smell of cork but flattens the wines. It is not only that: I have disqualified seven renowned wines, which I have tasted often, because I did not spot the flattening and thought instead that they were good wines but not very expressive. Of course, I prefer not to mention the wines than to present them with an unfairly low score.

The faults represent more than 9% of the total number of wines. Just imagine the reputational damage incurred by other products if they were to suffer a fault rate at this level. This is not a problem specific to Ribera, of course, but it appeared prominently in the tasting for this report. There is no problem with cork but with the producers. I have tasted many hundreds of wines bottled before World War II and not a single bottle was corked. Food for thought.

Tasting notes and scores from The Ribera del Duero Report 2025 (featuring only those wines scoring 90 points and above) are available to all registered users of The Collection, the online home of our premium wine and spirits content. To register, click here.