90 points
2008 Joan d'Anguera Finca l'Argata
Tarragona, Spain
WA, #195, Jun 2011 - Jay Miller
The 2008 Finca L’Argata is composed of 40% Syrah, 40% Garnatxa, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French oak for 14 months. Sweetly fruited, fragrant, and layered on the palate, this dense effort has enough structure to evolve for 3-4 years. Nicely proportioned and lengthy, it will provide optimum drinking from 2014 to 2023.
90 points
2009 Joan d'Anguera Garnatxa
Monsant, Spain
WA, #195, Jun 2011 - Jay Miller
Joan d’Anguera’s unoaked 2009 Garnatxa (100%) was fermented with native yeasts. It offers up an alluring perfume of earthy minerals, spice box, and ripe black cherries. Sweetly fruited, smooth-textured, and plush on the palate, it will provide considerable pleasure over the next 5-6 years. It is also an excellent value.
90 points
2009 Joan d'Anguera La Planella
Tarragona, Spain
WA, #195, Jun 2011 - Jay Miller
The 2009 Planella is a blend of 40% Mazuelo (Carinena), 20% Syrah, 20% Garnatxa, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 11 months in French and American oak. Deep purple in color, it exhibits an inviting nose of cedar, mineral, balsamic, lavender, leather, and assorted black fruits. Rich, layered, and succulent on the palate, it will evolve for 2-3 years and offer prime drinking from 2013 to 2021.
2006 Joan d'Anguera Bugader
Monsant, Spain
$74
The 2006 Bugaderis is 95% Syrah and 5% Garnacha aged in French oak for 14 months. It displays a bouquet of sandalwood, smoke, blackberry, and blueberry. This is followed by a forward, sweetly-fruited wine with enough underlying structure to evolve for 4-6 years. Rich, concentrated, and impeccably balanced, it will be at its best from 2014 to 2021 if not longer. Score: 92 -J.M. (WA #188, Apr 2010)
2007 Joan d'Anguera Finca l'Argata
Tarragona, Spain [Montsant, Spain]
$30
The 2007 Finca l’Argata is made up of 40% Syrah, 40% Garnacha, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French oak for 12 months. Aromas of earth, mineral, spice box, violets, black cherry, and blueberry lead to a layered ripe, succulent offering that will benefit from another 2 years of cellaring. It should be at its best from 2012 to 2019. Score: 90 -J.M. (WA #188, Apr 2010)
2008 Joan d'Anguera La Planella
Tarragona, Spain [Montsant, Spain]
$22
Joan d’Anguera’s 2008 Planella is a blend of Mazuelo, Syrah, Garnacha, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French and American oak for 11 months. Purple-colored with legs that coat the glass, it gives up a nose of spicy black fruits leading a friendly, forward, succulent wine that offers great value. Drink it over the next 6 years. Score: 90 -J.M. (WA #188, Apr 2010)
89 points
2004 Joan d'Anguera Finca l'Argata
Joan d'Anguera
Montsant
$26.00
The 2004 Finca L’Argata is 45% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Grenache. It was aged in French oak for 12 months. Opaque purple in color, at present the wine is tightly wrapped both aromatically and on the palate. It seems to have the right stuff but it will take several more years of cellaring to see if this wine pulls itself together.
Montsant, a relatively new D.O., surrounds the famous D.O. of Priorat southwest of Barcelona. Joan d’Anguera is a family estate dating back 200 years. –J.M. (eRobertParker.com, 2-28-07)
89 points
2005 Joan d'Anguera La Planella
Joan d'Anguera
Montsant
$19.00
La Planella is a blend made exclusively for the United States market. The 2005 is made up of 50% Carignan, 20% Grenache, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Syrah. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and aged 6 months in French and American oak. It is dark ruby in color, with a fruity, spicy nose that jumps from the glass. Medium bodied with some elegance, this is a wine for near-term drinking over the next 2-4 years.
Montsant, a relatively new D.O., surrounds the famous D.O. of Priorat southwest of Barcelona. Joan d’Anguera is a family estate dating back 200 years. –J.M. (eRobertParker.com, 2-28-07)
90 points
2004 Joan d'Anguera El Bugader
Joan d'Anguera
Montsant
$59.00
The 2004 El Bugader is made from 100% Syrah. It shows all the symptoms of first-class Syrah with its opaque/purple color, and smoky, meaty, bacon-like aromas, and even a bit of truffle. On the palate the wine is rich with additional blackberry and blueberry flavors emerging. The wine is structured for another 3-5 years of cellaring and should drink well for a decade.
Montsant, a relatively new D.O., surrounds the famous D.O. of Priorat southwest of Barcelona. Joan d’Anguera is a family estate dating back 200 years. –J.M. (eRobertParker.com, 2-28-07)
88 Points
Joan D'Anguera
2004 La Planella
Monsant
$19
This family-owned winery has consistently produced top-notch efforts, some of which are attractive values. For example, the 2004 La Planella, a blend of Carignan, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre, and Syrah, possesses a dark ruby/purple color in addition to a sweet nose of black fruits intermixed with crushed rocks and lavender. Medium-bodied and elegant, it is best drunk over the next 2-4 years. -R.P. (#159)
92 Points Joan D'Anguera 2002 El Bugader Monsant $60 The stunning 2002 El Bugader is a blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by steely, crushed rock-like aromas and hints of blueberries, wild mountain flowers, and sweet truffles. It is a beautifully-textured, rich, full-bodied effort to drink over the next 5-7 years. -R.P. (#159)
91 Points Joan D'Anguera 2003 El Bugader Monsant $60 The estate's top cuvee, the 2003 El Bugader, is a blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 18 months in new French oak. Tasting more like a barrel sample than a finished wine, this inky/purple-hued beauty reveals superb blackberry, blueberry, violet, crushed rock, and barrique aromas. This dense, full-bodied, layered, impressively endowed 2003 needs another year or two of bottle age, and should be consumed over the following decade. -R.P. (#159)
90 Points Joan D'Anguera 2002 Finca L'Argata Monsant $26 A blend of 40% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Grenache and Carignan, the 2002 Finca L'Argata spent 14 months in a combination of French and American oak before being bottled unfiltered. It exhibits wonderful floral and blueberry-like notes. -R.P. (#159)
88+? Points Joan D'Anguera 2003 Finca L'Argata Monsant $26 A blend of 40% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Grenache and Carignan, the 2003 Finca L'Argata spent 14 months in a combination of French and American oak before being bottled unfiltered. While closed, it reveals plenty of tannin along with abundant richness, extract, and weight. It appears to have outstanding potential, but 1-2 years of bottle age is required. -R.P. (#159)
90 Points Joan D'Anguera 2001 Finca L'Argata Montsant $25 The 2001 Finca L'Argata is an unfiltered blend of 40% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carignan, and 15% Grenache aged in American and French oak. An excellent value, it reveals an inky/purple color as well as a powerful bouquet of blackberry and cassis liqueur intermixed with notions of licorice, pepper, and sweet vanillin saturated oak. Full-bodied, with plump, fleshy flavors, adequate acidity, and a sumptuous finish, it should drink well for 5-6 years. -R.P. (#152, 4-26-04)
93 Points Joan D'Anguera 2001 El Bugader Montsant $55 Even better [than the 2001 Finca L'Argata] is the 2001 El Bugader, one of the finest Syrah-based offerings I have tasted from Spain. An 8,000-bottle blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 18 months in new French oak, it possesses and inky/black/purple color in addition to a sumptuous perfume of spring flowers, crème de cassis, and blackberries. Heady and intense, with low acidity as well as a fleshy, full-bodied, powerful mouthfeel, it should be enjoyed during its first 7-8 years of life. Impressive! -R.P. (#152, 4-26-04)
92 Points Joan D'Anguera 2001 El Bugader Tarragona $45 Fashioned from an unfiltered blend of Syrah and small amounts of Grenache, and occasionally Cabernet Sauvignon, there are approximately 300 cases of the El Bugader. The saturated purple-colored 2001 El Bugader possesses tremendous density and richness along with full body, and even more concentration and texture than the 1999. Glorious aromas of blue and black fruits intertwined with vanilla and minerals emerge from this terrific 2001. It should drink well young yet last for 10-15 years. -R.P. (# 145, Feb. 2003)
89 Points Joan D'Anguera 1999 Finca L'Argata Tarragona $22 The dense, robust, opaque ruby/purple-colored 1999 Finca L'Argata possesses abundant quantities of sweet fruit, noticeable toasty American oak, and a chewy texture. A New World blend of 40% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Grenache, and 10% Carignan, it will drink well for 3-4 years. -R.P. (#145, Feb. 2003)
87 Points Joan D'Anguera 2001 La Planella Tarragona $15 The excellent 2001 La Planella (a blend of 35% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre, 30% Carignan, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Syrah aged in American oak for five months) is a delicious, deep ruby/purple-colored offering displaying lovely aromas of black fruits, chocolate, and licorice. An excellent value, this layered, spicy 2001 will drink well for 2-3 years. -R.P. (#145, Feb. 2003)
90 points
Joan d'Anguera
2010 Garnatxa Montsant($17) International Wine Cellar, #158, Sept./Oct. - Josh Raynolds
Vivid ruby-red. High-pitched aromas of raspberry, cherry and fresh rose, along with a sexy note of Asian spices; smells a lot like a New World pinot noir. Bright and juicy, with pliant red berry flavors and a late kick of white pepper. Offers very attractive fruity character and shows no rough edges on the long, focused finish.
2007 Joan d’Anguera Planella Montsant
90 Points
($22) Vivid ruby. Powerful aromas of black raspberry and blueberry, with notes of licorice and violet adding depth. Chewy dark berry flavors gain sweetness with aeration and pick up a spicy note of cracked pepper. Finishes with solid punch and a strong note of tangy minerality. This will be even better with another year in the bottle. - J.R.(International Wine Cellar Sept/Oct 2009)
2007 Joan d’Anguera Finca L’Argata Montsant
91 Points
($30) Bright red. Highly perfumed bouquet displays raspberry, cherry, dried rose and white pepper, plus a strong mineral overtone. Juicy and sweet, offering tightly focused red berry flavors and showing no rough edges. The gently smoky finish strongly echoes the raspberry note and hangs on with impressive tenacity and focus. - J.R.(International Wine Cellar Sept/Oct 2009)
89 (+?) Points
2006 Planella
Montsant
$24; 40% mazuelo and 20% each of syrah, grenache and cabernet sauvignon
Inky ruby. Powerfully scented nose displays ripe dark berries and candied plum, with an undercurrent of smoky minerals. Deep blackcurrant and cherry flavors are still a bit primary but flesh out with air. Turns sweeter on the finish, leaving behind a suave floral quality behind. I'd wait a year or so to open this. -J.R. (International Wine Cellar 9/08)
91 Points
2006 Finca L'Argata
Montsant
$32; 40% each of syrah and grenache, with 20% cabernet sauvignon
Saturated ruby-red. Powerfully scented nose offers sexy black raspberry and cherry-vanilla aromas, along with sweet tobacco and floral qualities. Broad red and dark berry and cola flavors are reined in by silky tannins, which add welcome focus. Nicely balances sweetness and spiciness, and finishes with very good clarity. -J.R. (International Wine Cellar 9/08)
90 Points
2005 Joan d'Anguera Finca L'Argata
Montsant
$27 Inky purple. Exotically perfumed aromas of sexy cherry, blueberry, cinnamon and clove, underscored by vanilla and mocha. Juicy red and dark berry flavors are gently lifted by suave minerality and gain sweetness on the finish. Impressively focused wine with surprising elegance for its flavor impact. - J.R. (International Wine Cellar Sept/Oct 07)
92 Points
2005 Joan d'Anguera El Bugader
Montsant
$60 Dark purple. Powerfully aromatic bouquet of blackberry, cherry-vanilla, cracked pepper, mocha and clove, with a suave mineral underpinning. The chewy, deeply concentrated black and blue fruit flavors are given structure by youthfully firm tannins, which seem to melt into the sweet fruit with aeration. Sexy baking spices add interest. Finishes with brighter red fruits and a suave floral pastille flavor. Let this relax in the cellar for a couple of years, minimum. - J.R. (International Wine Cellar Sept/Oct 07)
88 Points
Joan d'Anguera
La Planella 2005
Montsant
$19
Light red. Tangy red fruits, flowers and minerals on the lively nose. Zesty and light in weight, with fresh red berry and cherry flavors lifted by dried flowers and anise. Finishes clean, brisk and long, with a lingering note of cranberry. -J.R. (International Wine Cellar Sept/Oct 2006)
90 Points
Joan d'Anguera
Finca L'Argata 2004
Montsant
$25
Deep red. Spicy cherry and dried red berries on the nose, with suggestions of cracked pepper and minerals. Peppery, chewy and fresh on the palate, with redcurrant and red licorice flavors complicated by a tangy mineral tone. The juicy finish features dusty tannins and very good length. -J.R. (International Wine Cellar Sept/Oct 2006)
92 Points
Joan d'Anguera
El Bugader 2004
Montsant
$60
Bright red. Impressively complex aromas of raspberry, wild strawberry, game and minerals. Elegant and silky, with medium weight and a fresh, juicy red berry character framed by subtle, fine-grained tannins. Strikingly pure on the finish, showing excellent energy, cut and length. This has the concentration and balance to age. -J.R. (International Wine Cellar Sept/Oct 2006)
87 Points
Joan D'Anguera
Finca L'Argata 2001
Montsant
$25
A blend of 40% syrah, 35% cabernet sauvignon, 15% grenache and 10% carignan.
Deep ruby-red. Musky aromas of bitter cherry, game, bitter chocolate, espresso and charred oak. Superripe, verging on pruney with concentrated flavors of dark berries and dark chocolate. Fat, sweet and a bit one-dimensional, and still a bit reduced. Finishes with sweet tannins. -S.T. (International Wine Cellar September/October 2004, #116)
90 Points Joan D'Anguera El Bugader 2001 Montsant $45 70% syrah with 15% each cabernet sauvignon and grenache.
Bright, saturated ruby-red. Expressive aromas of blackberry, violet, tar, roasted game and gunflint. Dense, concentrated and creamy-sweet, with dark berry and game flavors along with oaky torrefaction notes of bitter chocolate and tar. Offers a rather fine-grained texture and sound acidity, and finishes with fine tannins and liInternational Wine Cellar ngering notes of licorice and tar. Very good for the appellation. -S.T. (September/October 2004, #116)
From Wine & Spirits Magazine
90 Points
Joan D'Anguera La Planella 2004
Montsant
$19
One of the main players in Montsant, Joan d'Anguera produces La Planella exclusively for the US market, blending cariñena, garnacha, cabernet sauvignon and syrah; extending maceration; and using only American oak. The result is a caramelized red, full of liqueurlike flavors with floral, spicy scentsand gental acidity. (June 2006)
89 Points
Joan D'Anguera El Bugader 2002
Montsant
$60
Like a light weight boxer, this blend of syrah (80 percent) and garnacha (20) is intense, its fibrous tannins focused on supporting the spicy blackberry flavors, powerful acidity framing at all. Pour with prime rib. (June 2006)
90 Points
Joan D'Anguera El Bugader 1999
Tarragona
$45
Grown from some of the oldest Syrah vines in Spain, this is as saturated with flavor as its vivid purple color would suggest: blackberries ripe off the vine, sweet and juicy, playing off against a black pepper spice. It's generous and grand, not to mention substantially oaky for the moment (the wine spends 18 months in new French oak); but that ebullient fruit can more than handle the wood, as could a slow-roasted leg of lamb- 4,000 bottles (Oct. 2002)
88 Points Joan D'Anguera Vi Dolc 1998 Tarragona $45 An unusual dessert wine, similar in its deeply Spanish way to a French Banyuls. Grown from 100 percent Grenache, its fermentation is stopped with natural grape spirits at a four percent residual sugar, then, as is characteristic for this region, the wine is aged 16 months in old open casks. That may account for the slightly cloudy appearance; and it definitely accounts for the sweet red cherry liqueur flavors, laced with suggestions of licorice and rancio. (Oct. 2002)
From Wine Enthusiast Magazine
92 Points 2000 Joan D'Anguera El Bugader Montsant $50 Here's an excellent wine from a high-flying subsection of Tarragona. It's rich, inky and thick, but impeccably balanced. Pulsating dark-berry fruit carries the nose and palate, while chocolate comes on late. Polished and intense, with all elements squarely in place. -M.S. (March 2004)
90 Points 2000 Joan D'Anguera Finca L'Argata Montsant $21 Editors' Choice Full-force blackberry, cherry, and licorice create a lovely bouquet, which is followed nicely by cherry, plum and additional berry flavors. The finish is broad, meaty and firm, with fine tannins. -M.S. (March 2004)
87 Points 2002 Joan D'Anguera La Planella Montsant $19 Saturated and dense, but youthful as well as a few shades shy of refined. There's herbal essence to the flavor profile, but there's also bold and tasty cassis and black plum. The finish is chewy and a bit spicey, and overall you'd have to label it rich and full. -M.S. (March 2004)
93 Points 1999 Joan D'Anguera El Bugader Shiraz, Tarragona $50 A Cellar Selection "Mr. Syrah" is what the late father Josep D'Anguera was called. This Syrah blend justifies that name. Josep started planting the grape back in 1977 and it is doing very well in Tarragona, giving us a wine that is bluish-black in color with a jammy blackberry nose and wisps of frying bacon. Rich tannins beautifully balance the intense fruit and tangy acids. Drink in 2-10 years. Cellar Selection. -C.S. - C.S. (4/1/02)
90 Points 1999 Joan D'Anguera Finca L'Argata Red Blend, Tarragona $21 This deep purple opaque, wine possesses dried sage and milk chocolate with an underlying dustiness on the nose. The tannins are full but will integrate with time. An enjoyable, rich chewy wine to be consumed in 1-3 years. -C.S. - C.S. (4/1/02)
88 Points 2000 Joan D'Anguera la Planella Red Blend, Tarragona $19 La Planella is blended exclusively for the US market. Extended maceration adds to the bright purple color and complexity of this wine, which has rich blackberry fruit and soft tannins. -C.S. (4/1/02)
88 Points 1998 Joan D'Anguera Vi Dolç Red Blend, Tarragona $70 A Banyuls-style dessert wine made from Garnacha. Molasses and dried fruits start the nose off, jumping into flavors of caramel and toffee. The wine is sweet but not cloying, meaning it has grit for a dessert wine. Perfect at the end of a meal. Can be drunk now or will age for a number of years. -C.S. (4/1/02)
From The Wine Spectator
91 Points
Joan d’Anguera Bugader 2005
Montsant
$75
Smoky, toasty aromas give way to rich flavors of blackberry, plum, coffee and mineral in a polished texture supported by firm tannins. This red has density and harmony. Modern, it offers an alluring note of wildness. Drink now through 2015. –T.M. (11/30/08)
90 Points
Joan d’Anguera Finca l’Argata 2005
Montsant
$30
Plum, tobacco, briar and garrique flavors are dark and alluring in this firm, polished red. Austere, even a bit earthy, it remains balanced and clean. Drink now through 2014. –T.M. (11/30/08)
87 Points
Joan d’Anguera Planella 2006
Montsant
$22
This plum red offers black cherry, plum, chocolate and light herbal flavors. Generous and juicy, with just enough tannins for grip. Drink now through 2012. –T.M. (11/30/08)
92 Points
Joan D'Anguera El Bugader 2001
Montsant
$50
This intense red shows an inky black color, with clean , focused flavors of blackberry, boysenberry, black pepper and coffee. The tannins are muscular but well-intergrated, the wine heady but not hot. Tight now; give it time to develop. Better than previously reviewed. Best after 2004. 800 cases made. -T.M. (March 2004)
94 Points Joan D'Anguera El Bugader 1999 Tarragona $45 "Tarragona has only recently gained a reputation for serious reds. But the Anguera family founded their bodega in 1820, and now give nearby Priorat competition with a blend of Syrah, Garnacha and Cabernet. The 1999 is rich, dark and deep, a powerful red that offers blackberry, coffee and licorice flavors wrapped in mouthfilling tannins that ease up to reveal a long, spicy finish. Best after 2005." --T.M. (9/18/02)
89 Points Joan D'Anguera El Bugader 1998 Tarragona $45 Black fruit and toasty oak marry well over firm tannins in this ripe, extracted red, yet it remains balanced and fresh. Great with grilled meats. Drink now through 2005. TM (10/15/01)
86 Points Joan D'Anguera Finca L'Argata 1998 Tarragona $20 This hearty red offers black cherry, tobacco and mineral notes over firm tannins. It's medium-bodied, with good balance. Drink now through 2004. 1,000 cases made. TM (10/15/01)
From FT.com
Red Wines for the Season (2008)
Finca l’Argatà 2005
Joan d’Anguera
Montsant
Really interesting, very well melded, pretty chewy but full of life. A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cabernet from this high, granite-dominated, Catalan zone. - Jancis Robinson (11/28/08)
