2018 Bodegas Trus Crianza Ribera del Duero Spain 750 ml

Our wine team tastes somewhere around 3,000 wines per year.

Most of the time, they just take a sip. For samples that require deeper consideration, they might work their way through a glass.

The ultra-rare exception is a wine like the luscious, smoky, violet-kissed 2018 Bodegas Trus Crianza Ribera del Duero—where a sip or a single glass just won't do. "I almost drank the entire bottle by myself," says our VP of Wine Laura Koffer, calling this high-altitude 100% Tempranillo "rich and bold but also VERY drinkable and a fantastic value for the money."

It also racked up 96 points and a Gold Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards. “A plush and fabulous expression of variety and provenance,” raved the judges, confirming what Laura found: “Be warned—one glass will quickly be followed by the next.”

Spain’s Ribera del Duero region boasts some of the highest vineyards in Europe, supplying wines like the 2018 Trus with remarkable freshness and lift. Drawn off five sites at around 2,600 feet in elevation, made entirely from Tempranillo, the Trus sings in the glass, suffused with floral brightness and a finish that’s supple and light on its feet.

The deep-rooted vines, which are up to 40 years in age, endure bitter winters, sweltering sun, and extreme temperature variation throughout the day. Owner Javier Palacios, who takes his terroir-transparent cues from Burgundy, works with famed Chilean enologist Pedro Parra and Italian winemaker Alberto Antonini to balance these elements of power and elegance in perfect proportion.