Wine is emotion, landscape and memory. But it is also analysis, criteria and comparison. In a sector as broad and diverse as the wine industry, scores have become a tool for interpreting the quality of a wine, contextualizing a vintage and understanding a winery’s style.
The idea is not to reduce a bottle to a number, but to use that number as a starting point. A guide that connects the work in the vineyard and in the winery with the expert eye of international critics and prescribers.
The following are some of the most prestigious scores:
Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate: the origin of the modern system
To speak of scores is, inevitably, to speak of Robert Parker and The Wine Advocate. His popularization of the 100-point system marked a before and after in the way wine is communicated globally.
On this scale, exceeding 90 points means entering the realm of excellent wines, those that stand out for their complexity, balance and personality.
The wines of Finca Valpiedra, born from a singular vineyard on the banks of the Ebro, have been recognized in this context for their elegance, structure and aging capacity, always with more than 90 points. Both Finca Valpiedra Reserva, red and white, and Cantos de Valpiedra reflect a style faithful to the terroir, something especially valued by this type of international critics.
James Suckling: clarity, enjoyment and international projection
Another essential name on the current scene is James Suckling, whose 100-point system has become a key reference for consumers and international markets. His approach combines technical precision with a very clear reading of the pleasure offered by wine.
Suckling particularly values purity of fruit, harmony and expressiveness, aspects that are very well reflected in wines such as Finca Montepedroso Verdejo, which has recently been recognized with 90 points for its freshness, aromatic definition and capacity to evolve.
Tim Atkin: the context, the vintage and the territory
British Master of Wine, Tim Atkin, brings a vision that is especially appreciated in Spain. Beyond the score, his work stands out for focusing on the context, the vineyard and the interpretation of each vintage.
Its annual reports on regions such as Rioja or Rueda have become a reference for professionals, and its scores -also based on the 100-point scale- reward consistency, identity and respect for origin.
In this sense, the wines of Finca Valpiedra and Viña Bujanda fit perfectly into their philosophy: wines that speak of landscape, climate and a way of understanding Rioja from the point of view of precision and elegance.
Finca Montepedroso has also found in this type of analysis an ideal platform to show the seriousness and potential of high altitude Verdejo.
Peñín Guide: the great benchmark for Spanish wine
At the national level, the Guía Peñín de los Vinos de España continues to be the great thermometer of the sector. Its 100-point system is known to be particularly demanding: here, reaching 90 points is already a clear sign of excellence.
Familia Martínez Bujanda wines appear recurrently in the highest ranks of the guide, which confirms the regularity and solidity of the project in our different wineries:
Finca Valpiedra, as a single vineyard reference in Rioja.
Finca Montepedroso, consolidated among the great whites of the guide.
Finca Antigua, demonstrating that La Mancha also offers wines with personality, character and high ratings, from Finca Antigua Moscatel Naturalmente Dulce to Clavis.
Beyond points, a question of style and emotion
The good scores from Parker, Suckling or Peñín make us proud because they come from professionals who have tasted thousands of wines, who know the vintages, who understand the work. But there is something that no critic can measure: what you feel when you taste one of our wines.
So use the scores for what they are: a map, an orientation. But when you find a wine you really like, trust your own judgment. After all, the best wine is always the one you enjoy.
