8 Best Spanish Red Wines for Fans of Traditional Napa Cab and Sonoma Pinot

The wines of Spain offer a fantastic range of expressions from regions across the country, from the ripe fruit and crunchy minerality of reds from Priorat, to the fresh and subtly aromatic whites from Rías Baixas…and plenty more in between.

But given that it’s often the red wines from this part of the world that tend to get the most attention, we have to wonder: Are there bottles from Spain that will appeal to fans of classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Sonoma County Pinot Noir?

With that in mind, I set to tasting. The answer became clear very quickly: Yes! Whether it’s a well-aged Rioja or a structured Ribera del Duero, Spain offers what used to be called an embarrassment of riches for Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot lovers…even with wines not made from those grape varieties. Here are eight of my favorites.

2017 Abadia Retuerta Selección Especial Viñedos Proprios Sardon de Duero

Taut and with terrific posture, this is a toasty wine for the cellar that will also show beautifully right now with an hour in the decanter. Sandalwood and incense inform notes of crushed blackberries, brandied cherries, star anise, scorched earth, and crunchy minerality before a notably peppery finish. The blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot is particularly successful here.

2019 Beronia III AC

Pre-phylloxera grapes — a rarity — have been transformed into a deeply concentrated and mineral wine that’s also full of life and energy. Tea-like tannins frame blackberries, black cherries, candied violets, hoisin sauce, and orange peel-flecked dark chocolate ganache. This will age for 15 to 20 years with ease.

2020 Bodegas Volver Single Vineyard Tempranillo

Crafted entirely from Tempranillo grown outside of Las Mesas in the region of La Mancha, this is a full-throttle expression of the variety. It’s ripe and dripping with cassis and cafe mocha, and while the grilled vanilla-kissed oak spice is still being absorbed, it’s already an excellent, well-structured option for a thick piece of steak or a bacon cheeseburger: Think Stags Leap District by way of Spain.

2016 Castillo de Sajazarra Rioja Reserva

This wine spent two full years in a combination of French and American oak barrels prior to bottling, and the result is a creamy wine that still has enough peppery verve to remain fresh. Flavors of red plums and dried oregano linger through the savory, iron-flecked finish.

2017 Familia Torres Mas La Plana Penedès

A Cabernet Sauvignon that embodies how well the variety can do in Penedès, each sip rolls along with wild berry fruit, cocoa powder, bergamot, olives, and toasty vanilla pod. It’s the first vintage that incorporates 40% used barrels for the aging (higher than previous vintages), a shorter maceration time, and lower fermentation temperature, all to highlight the inherent vibrancy of the fruit. The team at Torres has succeeded deliciously, as this wine will continue to evolve in wonderful ways for another 15 years or more.

2018 Finca Museum Reserva Cigales

Old-vine Tempranillo, grown in pebbly soils, have produced a wine whose power is balanced by remarkable finesse. Cola spice and purple berry fruit mingle with dried sage and oregano before a black-olive finish that lingers with serious savoriness. Fans of mineral mountain Cab will find a lot to love texturally, and Russian River Valley Pinot drinkers will enjoy the black licorice and sarsaparilla notes.

2016 La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Rioja Reserva

The phenomenal, soaring aromatics of venison with cherry coulis, toasted fennel and coriander seeds, and blood oranges tee up a palate of equally impressive depth. Flavors of kirsch, dried bitter-orange peels, lavender, pepper-crusted bacon, and cherries pulse throughout. This still has time, but it’s really fantastic right now.

2015 Ramón Bilbao Mirto Rioja

Crafted entirely from Tempranillo, this is a thoroughly modern wine whose velvety texture, chocolate-covered black raspberries, and balsamic lift will appeal to fans of full-throttle Napa Cab. Yet it’s also very much its own wine, with enough cherries, mineral, and cedar coursing throughout to lend it a deliciously distinct character all its own.