Winemaker Notes
It displays a deep, dark color with black cherry tones, and the nose reveals a spicy, floral bouquet and an explosion of red berry fruit aromas. Balsamic, toasty notes also come through, brought by 18 months’ ageing in new French oak barrels.
Smooth and elegant on the palate, this wine is amazingly expressive as well as powerful and very well balanced, followed by a lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Pago La Garduna, their varietal Syrah from their Garduna vineyard, has chalky and sandy soil and is the cooler plot they have, which in 2010 seemed to work very well. As the plants are getting older their cycle seems to be getting longer and getting better adapted to the place. This is a spicy, smoky and meaty style of Syrah, with a vegetal side (think raspberry leaf) that provides freshness. The palate is medium-bodied with marked balsamic flavors, hints of the archetypical smoked bacon and tapenade, juicy and fresh. In short, this is great Syrah. Drink now-2020.
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Wine Enthusiast
Animal fur, roasted fruit and coffee grinds are the key aromas on this hefty, warm Syrah. In the mouth, this has a bullish, tannic personna. Flavors of baked berry fruits, herbs and ink finish with resiny oak and herbal-lactic notes alongside powerful tannins.
The rebirth of a historic vineyard and of a whole winemaking tradition, the excellence of which remains intact, laid the foundations for today’s Abadía Retuerta winery. It now has over 30 years of history, as expert hands manage the vineyard by carefully looking after it and creating unique wines with their own Protected Designation of Origin.
Abadía Retuerta is a unique place where time stands still and feelings run high. Here, the past lives on in the present, and centuries of tradition and culture remain intact. It sits within an enclave bathed by the river Duero, which defines the traits of the surrounding terroir. Experts with great patience, know-how and anticipation really get the best out of the terrain: they respect the natural cycles and help the vines adapt to the austere climate of the region, in order to produce one of the estate’s most prized assets: its first-rate wine.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.