Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Pago Negrelada is pure Tempranillo. It has an introspective, broody nose with blackberry, cassis and violets, all encased in vanillary new oak that does not detract from its delineation. The palate is supple and rounded on the entry and the texture is perfectly seamless. This is supremely well-balanced and sleek, underpinned by beautifully integrated oak. There are bountiful ripe dark cherries and creme de cassis that combine on its poised, sensual finish crafted down to the finest detail.
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Wine Enthusiast
Dense leather, cola and wild berry aromas comprise the bouquet on this massive, layered, suprememly rich Tempranillo. Core blackberry, cassis and blueberry flavors are incredibly ripe, while chocolate and prune flavors carry the finish. This is a thick, dense wine squarely made in the modern style.
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Wine Spectator
This sleek red shows good density and balance, with ripe cherry, plum and cocoa flavors, deepened by smoke and mineral. The tannins are well-integrated, turning a bit dry on the finish. Decant or cellar. Tempranillo.
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.