The 2010 Pontac de Portiles is a big, ripe, powerful wine produced from 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha, displaying some lactic notes and aromas of prunes, licorice, tar and peat. The medium to full-bodied palate follows what your nose tells you after smelling the wine: big, ripe fruit and plenty of fine-grained tannins. A powerful wine that will require both time and powerful food. Drink 2016-2020. I must admit I was a little puzzled by such a wide portfolio from Luis Alegre, which I didn’t know very well, and I was greatly surprised to find some superb wines, including one of my favorite oak-aged whites, and some others that I found excessively oaky and similar to each other. Various American importers, Luis Alegre and Koden brands by Vinos Libres Wine Merchant; www.vinoslibres.com; and Tremo by Barclays Wine Group, www.barclayswine.com

The 2009 Gran Vino Pontac de Portiles comes from a 1.5-hectare parcel planted in 1914, fermented in Burgundy barrels and aged in new French oak. It has an impressive intense bouquet of dark plum and wild strawberry fruit that seems to handle that oak in its stride. The palate is full-bodied with fine, saturated tannins and layers of creamy dark berry fruit laced with just the right amount of creamy new oak. The terroir is allowed to permeate through the winemaking here, making this a superb Rioja. Drink now-2020+. Bodegas Luis Alegre is based in the sub-region of Rioja Alavesa. Importer: Vinos Libres Wine Merchants LLC, New York, NY; tel. (646) 389-4078

The 2008 Pontac de Partiles is a single vineyard cuvee (planted in 1914) tasted from a barrel sample. It was aged for 14 months in 100% new French oak. Deep purple in color with a brooding bouquet of wood smoke, lead pencil shavings, incense, Asian spices, lilacs, black cherry, and blackberry, on the palate this layered, plush offering is already displaying some complexity as well as enough structure to evolve for another 2-3 years. Drink this impressive effort through 2028+. Despite the fact that it was founded in 1968, Bodegas Luis Alegre is making its debut in this journal. Two white wines were presented for tasting. Importer:Carlos Hubner-Arteta, Vinos Libres, New York, NY; tel. (917) 282-6994