Best wines of Mallorca: DO Pla i Llevant scores (Mallorca, Balearic Islands)

Three wines from the same winery lead the ranking of the best Mallorca DO Pla i Llevant wines, all with 93 points. They are Ses Hereves 2022, Torre des Canonge Negre 2021, and Chardonnay 2025 by Vins Toni Gelabert. A top tier that summarizes one of the denomination’s characteristics: the ability to impart a recognizable Mediterranean trait to both local varieties and international vines.

Pla i Llevant proved to be the most consistent denomination in the exclusive tasting organized for Winemag at the Regulatory Council headquarters. The 36 wines tasted reached an average of 89.78/100, the highest among the three Mallorcan labels, with a median of 90 points. Twenty labels, equal to 55.6% of the sample, obtained at least 90 points and none fell below 87.

Founded in 1999, the DO Pla i Llevant – recognized as a PDO at the European level – includes 19 municipalities in the center and eastern part of Mallorca: Algaida, Ariany, Artà, Campos, Capdepera, Felanitx, Llucmajor, Manacor, Maria de la Salut, Montuïri, Muro, Petra, Porreres, Sant Joan, Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, Santa Margalida, Santanyí, Sineu, and Vilafranca de Bonany.

The Pla i Llevant Regulatory Council currently declares 513 hectares of vineyards, 85 winegrowers, and 12 wineries. The denomination protects white, rosé, and red wines, as well as sparkling, semi-sparkling, and liqueur wines.

In 2025, the DO marketed 8,383 hectoliters, 10.2% less than the previous year. The data, released by the Government of the Balearic Islands, places Pla i Llevant ahead of DO Binissalem in terms of volume marketed, but still at a considerable distance from the IGP Vi de la Terra Mallorca.

The DO Pla i Llevant production code authorizes a broad varietal framework. Local red grapes include Callet, Manto Negro, Fogoneu, and Gorgollassa. On the white front, there is room for Prensal Blanc, locally called Moll, and Giró Ros.

Alongside the Mallorcan varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Monastrell, and Tempranillo are permitted, as well as Chardonnay, Viognier, Macabeo, Parellada, Riesling, and Muscat. The result is not a simple contrast between indigenous and international vines. In the most successful wines, the two components converge in a style marked by fruit, Mediterranean herbs, minerality, and sapidity.

The tasting results also demonstrate this. At the top are a pure Chardonnay and two reds in which Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Pinot Noir take on a deeply Mallorcan character. Giró Ros and Callet, on the other hand, emerge among the most original and territorial expressions of the denomination.

The geological substrate of the DO is predominantly calcareous. The vineyards are distributed mainly among Calcisols, Luvisols, and Regosols, with more limited presence of Cambisols and Leptosols. Luvisols include the red soils known locally as call vermell, rich in clay and suitable for producing structured, mature wines predisposed to aging.

Calcisols, characterized by the accumulation of carbonates, favor freshness and aromatic intensity. Regosols retain more water and tend to originate more agile wines, while shallow calcareous soils contribute to naturally containing the vigor of productive varieties like Callet.

The climate is Mediterranean, with an average annual temperature between 16 and 17 degrees Celsius and average rainfall around 450 millimeters, concentrated mainly in autumn and spring. Many vineyards are located at altitudes below one hundred meters and are affected by the Embat, the sea breeze that blows from the sea towards the interior during the hottest hours. Its action mitigates temperatures, increases humidity, and contributes to the saline component that recurs in the profile of numerous wines.

Ses Hereves 2022 by Vins Toni Gelabert, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, reaches 93 points thanks to a present tannic texture, supported by minerality and sapidity. A slight Brett component remains perceptible, without compromising character and drinkability.

With the same score, Torre des Canonge Negre 2021 works on the purity of the fruit, aromatic herbs, and the contribution of Pinot Noir, joined by Merlot and Syrah. Chardonnay 2025, the third 93-point wine from Vins Toni Gelabert, stands out instead for citrus, flowers, and a sharp minerality, set within a precise and dynamic structure.

Two whites follow at 92 points. Torre des Canonge Blanc 2025, made from Giró Ros, presents an original profile, with measured wood and a slight tannic grip. Blanc Selecció 2023, from Macabeo and Viognier, combines floral notes, exotic fruit, minerality, and depth.

Fruit appears in 17 of the 36 descriptions, while drinkability recurs in 11 notes. Tannin, citrus, aromaticity, Mediterranean herbs, and sapidity complete the sensory picture of DO Pla i Llevant.

The whites mainly show citrus drive, a floral component, and minerality. In the reds, structure, spice, balsamicity, and hints of Mediterranean scrub increase. When the fruit takes on more mature connotations and the alcoholic sensation grows, the scores tend to drop towards the range between 87 and 89.

The distribution of scores confirms the overall solidity of the denomination. Pla i Llevant did not reach the absolute peaks recorded by Binissalem, but it expressed the highest average and the smallest qualitative distance between the best wines and those at the bottom of the ranking. The following table reports all the DO Pla i Llevant wines tasted by Winemag, with producer, vintage, variety, and score.