2013 Bodegas Vinos Pinol Portal Tinto 750 ml

Wine Advocate: “A terrific example of how much wine one can buy for under $25 a bottle!”

In December 2012, Robert Parker sold a controlling interest in The Wine Advocate to a group of Singapore investors. While press releases insisted that Parker would be maintaining an active role in the company, some suggested that the world’s most influential wine critic had had enough — and would be spending his afternoons on the Chesapeake sipping Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne and 1961 Latour à Pomerol.

We shared lunch with Robert Parker twice. We also participated in a tasting with him in Bordeaux (Parker blew away the table that day with the acuity of his palate). On all three occasions, the man was highly animated, engaging, seemingly in love with his work. So when it was suggested that Parker would simply cash in his chips and leave his life’s work behind, we were skeptical.

As it turned out, we had every reason to be.

Since 1978, even as The Wine Advocate became the Bible for high-end collectors across the globe, Parker seemed to enjoy nothing more than to shine a spotlight on bargains he discovered on the world’s lesser-known wine routes. First, Parker highlighted the southern Rhône, the satellite appellations to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Then it was Barossa and Marlborough. Then, almost single-handedly, The Wine Advocate ignited sales of old-vine Malbec drawn from the parcels planted in the foothills of Andes, above Mendoza.

Last winter, the guy who was supposedly kicking his feet up on the Chesapeake published a terrific report on newly released bargains from Spain. As always, Parker was discriminating. Only four of the 49 wines reviewed earned 92 points or more — the most voluptuous of which is this spectacular old-vine blend from the superstar of Terra Alta, Bodegas Vinos Piñol Portal.

The striking beauty of Terra Alta wasn’t lost on Picasso, whose paintings often depicted the region’s rugged, mountainous terrain. The climate is a combination of Mediterranean and Continental. While summer days are torrid, with highs topping 100 degrees, the frigid winters feature lows dipping into the 20s. Most importantly, a dry wind (called “el Mestral” by the locals) keeps vines clean and refreshed throughout the growing season, allowing both Rhône and indigenous varieties to ripen effortlessly.

In his November 30th review, Parker went WILD, calling this Spanish knockout “a terrific example of how much wine one can buy for under $25 a bottle.”

The 2013 Bodegas Vinos Piñol Portal Tinto is opaque purple in color. Lavish aromas of mountain blueberries and cassis, tinged with sweet spices. Rich, powerfully concentrated, plush and polished, absolutely silken in texture. Despite all the opulence, the finish remains high-toned and vibrant, speaking to the mountainous terrain and el Mestral.

$28 on release. Just $18 today.  180 bottles are up for grabs. All orders placed today will ship next week — shipping included on 6 bottles or more. Don't wait.