Bodegas Artuke, Paso Las Manas Rioja Tinto 2020

95 points - Robert Parker The Wine Advocate
"The 2020s feel very elegant, and the 2020 Paso Las Mañas, which mentions the Paraje El Chorro in Samaniego where the vines are, is no exception. It has a very lively palate that is effervescent with freshness and chalky minerality, leaving a dry sensation that is very tasty, almost salty. It's young-ish Tempranillo that achieved 13.5% alcohol and kept a pH of 3.42, meaning moderate ripeness, a medium body and very good freshness—a constant across the 2020s. 6,000 bottles were filled in January 2022."

95 points Tim Atkin
"Anyone who argues that you need old vines to make a great wine in Rioja, or elsewhere, needs to visit Paso Las Mañas, which was planted in 2013 at an extreme 720 metres in Samaniego. Mountain herb aromas are a prelude to a very lightly wooded, spicy, raspberry and red cherry palate wrapped around a focused, mineral-edged core."

Vinous Reverie Notes
A single-varietal Tempranillo from its youngest vines planted in 2003 on the Paraje El Chorro farm located in Samaniego within the DOC Rioja. As always, the harvest is done by hand, selecting the bunches on the same plants. The winemaking is traditional. After the first fermentation in tanks, malolactic fermentation takes place spontaneously in second-year French oak barrels and 500 liters for 14 months until it is bottled. With a production limited to 8,000 bottles, this crianza red wine may need brief aeration before serving.