The competition has judged 18,250 wines from around the world. Only 50 wines are on the list of the Best in Show.

Two Zamora Company wines have been chosen Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards, both with 97 points: Mar de Frades Finca Monteveiga 2018 (DO Rías Baixas) and Lalomba Finca Ladero 2018 (DOCa Rioja). This is a singular milestone, an authentic peak in the long global recognition of the brands of the Zamora Company group. And this is so both because of the prestige of the Decanter World Wine Awards and because of the enormous number of wines evaluated in the 2023 edition, 18,250 references from 57 countries, which makes this competition the largest and most representative in the world. The significance of the Decanter Awards is not measured by their size alone. In terms of quality, it stands out for its jury panel, made up of 236 experts from 30 countries, including 53 Masters of Wine and 16 Master Sommeliers. Credibility and relevance in its purest form.

A historical recognition

The Albariño from Mar de Frades Finca Monteveiga is one of the newest labels in the Mas de Frades collection, born a few vintages ago from a wise decision: to produce and bottle separately the wine from a unique estate located on the banks of the Ulla river, in the inland subregion of Rías Baixas. The jury bases its decision to award 97 Decanter points and the choice of Finca Monteveiga as one of the 50 best wines in the competition on this argument:

“The youthful perfumes of Albariño have justly won its popularity, but the fact that it ages well is a more recent discovery for many of us. This 2018 wine has retained its pale silver-gold colour, while the haunting honeysuckle perfume seems, if anything, to have intensified as it aged. On the palate, though, the aromatic profile is now subsiding and the flavours are deepening; the wine’s seaside freshness is still clearly evident in its energetic, broadly founded acidity, ripe and resonant to the last sip.”

As for Lalomba Finca Ladero, it comes from a unique plot on the slopes of the Sierra de Yerga, in Rioja Oriental. Tempranillo and Garnacha make up its blend, which seeks above all the balance and personality of a high-altitude location.

Sus 97 puntos y la consideración como uno de los vinos Best of Show tiene el respaldo de estos magníficos comentarios por parte del jurado:

”2018 was a relatively cool and wet season in Rioja. Not that you’d know it from this blend of 80% Tempranillo with 20% Garnacha: the wine is dark and purposeful, with warm, sweet scents combining ample plum fruits and well-judged oak; it has freshening poise too, though. It’s deeply flavoured on the palate, with ample weight and swing to it. The wine is accessible now but still relatively youthful in style, so another four or five years’ storage seems like to pay dividends.”.

Results of Ramón Bilbao, Mar de Frades and Cruz de Alba wines at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2023: