2016 Bodegas Heredad Pangua Sodupe Pangua Sodupe Rioja Crianza 750 ml

The Riojas rolled into the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards: 380 wines from all over the region,ranging from Gran Reservas to humble, weeknight bottles. When all was said and done at the competition, two bottles sat atop the heap, bearing Platinum medals and 97-point scores.

One of them was the 2016 Bodegas Heredad Pangua Sodupe Crianza Rioja.

We were tipped off to it by one of our good friends in England, who was so enthused by the wine that he picked up the phone right away—and forgot that it was 4:00 am for us. But when he heard our groggy voices, he assured us the wine was worth waking up for.

Once we got our hands on a bottle, we couldn’t help but agree. This is impressive stuff. Dark ruby-purple in the glass, there’s no escaping the aromas on first pour. Scents of marionberries and baked red plums explode out of the glass, mingling with hints of vanilla and cigar box. Grown on 40-year-old vines and aged in a mixture of French and American oak, it’s rich and bold on the palate, balancing layers of dark-fruit flavors with classic Tempranillo spice, earth, and a vibrant, silky finish.

Bodegas Heredad Pangua Sodupe is one of those producers whose stellar wines rarely reach American shores—in fact, there’s so much demand in Spain that they don’t even have an English-language website. But we’ve got it on this side of the pond. Grab some and discover what we’re so excited about.