Winemaker Notes
Complex on the nose, with toasted and vanilla notes mingling with cherry jam aromas. On the palate it is powerful with silky and well-balanced tannins that make up a big, long finish with mineral and candied notes.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe, smooth blackberry and tobacco aromas are chocolaty and subtle. Full allotments of black fruits, tannins and acidity play well together, while this tastes of blackberry, black cherry and baking spice. To back it all up, a rock-solid finish with notes of lemony oak, vanilla and tobacco is on point. Drink through 2028.
Editors' Choice -
James Suckling
A rich and dark red that carries the oak and its generous slug of tannins better than many Ribera del Duero wines, and that harmony carries through the finish very nicely. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Spectator
A generous, polished texture carries ripe, expressive flavors of blackberry, cocoa and loamy earth in this fresh red. Light, firm tannins and citrusy acidity give this structure. Balanced, in the modern style. Drink now through 2024.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
Ribera del Duero, Spanish wine region, is located in northen Spain’s Castilla y León region, just a 2-hour drive from Madrid. While winemaking in this area goes back more than 2000 years, it was in the 1980s that 9 wineries applied for and were granted Denominación de Origen (D.O.) status. Today, more than 300 wineries call Ribera del Duero home, including some of Spain’s most iconic names.
Notable Facts Ribera’s main grape variety, Tempranillo, locally know as Tinto Fino, is perfectly suited to the extreme climate of the region, where it must survive scorching summers and frigid winters. Low yields resulting from conscientious tending to old vines planted in Ribera’s diverse soils types, give Ribera wines a distinctive depth and complexity not found in other Tempranillos. Rich and full-bodied, the spice, dark fruit and smoky flavors in a bold Ribera del Duero will pair well with roasted and grilled meats, Mexican food and tomato-based sauces.