Tarón Cepas Centenarias 2021, recognised as Best Rioja Alta Red Wine at the International Wine Challenge
28/05/2025
The new vintage of Pantocrátor, from Bodegas Tarón, scores 96 points from Decanter.
25/07/2025
Gonzalo Salazar de Gurendes, manager of Bodegas Tarón, values the recent Trophy obtained by Tarón Cepas Centenarias 2021 at the International Wine Challenge 2025, recognised as the Best Rioja Alta Red Wine. A distinction that consolidates the work of the team and projects the uniqueness of Territorio Tarón internationally.
Tarón Cepas Centenarias 2021 has been awarded 96 points, Gold Medal and the prestigious “Rioja Alta Trophy” at the International Wine Challenge 2025, one of the most important wine competitions in the world. For Gonzalo Salazar de Gurendes, manager of Bodegas Tarón, this recognition ‘is a great joy and a source of pride for the whole team’.
The trophy, which distinguishes the best Rioja Alta red wine of the edition, not only reinforces the wine’s trajectory, but also recognises the collective work that has been carried out in recent years: “It confirms that the path we have followed from the vineyard to the bottle is going in the right direction. It is also a boost for us to continue working on wines that express the identity of our territory with authenticity and personality”.
The manager highlights three pillars that, in his opinion, make Tarón Cepas Centenarias unique: ‘The origin -a single centenary vineyard with sandy-clay soils and an exceptional grape-; the balance between power and elegance; and the respect, both for the vineyard and for the ageing process, which seeks to enhance the fruit without masking it’.
Within the winery’s range of wines, Cepas Centenarias occupies a special place. “It is our most limited and exclusive wine, but also the most symbolic. It represents the heritage of generations of winegrowers who have tended these vines for over a hundred years. Each bottle is a sample of the soul of Territorio Tarón”.
International momentum
Beyond the award, this type of prizes have a strong impact on the winery: “Internally, they reinforce the motivation of the team. And on a commercial level, especially in international markets, they open doors and give us credibility. For a project like ours, based on quality and not on big campaigns, this recognition is invaluable”.
Gonzalo invites those who have not yet tasted this wine: “I would encourage them to discover not only a wine, but a story. Tarón Cepas Centenarias is not made to please everyone, but to excite those who are looking for origin and authenticity in a glass of wine”.
With this new milestone, Bodegas Tarón reaffirms its vocation to continue making wines that speak of the territory, its people and a way of understanding the vineyard with deep roots and a forward-looking approach.
