Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
All Tempranillo brought up in French oak, the 2018 Ribera Del Duero PS offers a gorgeous perfume of black raspberries, cassis, espresso, lead pencil, and Asian spices. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, seamless Ribera del Duero with incredible purity of fruit, ripe, polished tannins, and a powerful yet weightless style that's something to behold. This is every bit as spectacular as the 2016 and is going to keep for 20-30 years in cold cellars.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 PS follows the style of previous bottlings of this wine, selecting plots from La Horra, La Aguilera, Baños and Moradillo, looking for a similar profile of soils and the style of the wine. This is an exuberant, ripe and generously oaked Tempranillo that was matured in new oak barrels for 19 months. It's from a generous crop that was harvested between the 24th of September and the 19th of October, a slow and late harvest of fully ripe grapes that developed plenty of aromas and flavors. It was also a cooler year. This is a long-distance runner. Today, the 2018 Aalto is more approachable and shows better balance.
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.