Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The warmer growing season was noticeable in the 2014 Pago Negralada, the Tempranillo from a vineyard with relatively warm soils that provides good ripeness. The grapes were picked on September 27th, quite early, and put to ferment with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, followed by malolactic fermentation in brand new French oak barrels, where it had an upbringing of 18 months before bottling after a clarification with egg whites—quite a similar process from vineyard to vineyard and from vintage to vintage. This style of vintage worked really well for Tempranillo and the wine comes through as terribly balanced, with energy, power and elegance. While I see that Syrah has worked well in 2013, the Tempranillo needs to be ripe and years like 2013 are not as complete as 2014. 9,188 bottles, 300 magnums and 50 double magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2016.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine Spectator
Coffee and tarry notes frame rich plum and chocolate flavors in this bold red. Well-integrated tannins and balsamic acidity give this structure. Offers a nice mix of fruity and savory elements. Drink now through 2022.
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.