Winemaker Notes
It has a garnet red color, clean and bright. Wine with a multitude of nuances that give it a very wide aromatic complexity. Among them, ripe and compote fruit predominates, along with hints of cinnamon, tobacco and spices. All of them very well assembled and without any edges in particular. In the background roasted and black licorice. There is a great taste harmony, mixing the initial freshness with the unctuousness of the end, showing us a silky and pleasant wine. In retronasal the spicy sensations detected in the nose reappear. It can accompany red meats, roasted or in sauces or game dishes. With cured or quite fatty cheeses its flavor is enhanced
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Deep ruby to the eye, this wine has a bouquet of pomegranate, dark chocolate and pine needle. It is bright on entry, with flavors of cherry and raspberry joined by opulent tannins and notes of chocolate-covered espresso bean, orange zest, eucalyptus and a touch of dried oregano. Bright fruit powers on into the enduring finish.
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James Suckling
A perfumed nose of ripe blackberries, dark cherries, plums, dried herbs, sweet spices, coconut and vanilla. It’s full-bodied with velvety tannins. Round, polished and delicious. Drink now or hold.
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Wine & Spirits
This tempranillo is plumped up by a small amount of cabernet sauvignon and merlot in the blend, bringing out the wine’s violet perfume, emphasizing a core of ripe plum and pluot fruit. That core is surrounded by the vanillin of new oak barrels, adding heft to the wine and threatening to overshadow the fruit if you open it now. The beautiful Ribera del Duero fruit complexity will grow more prominent with a few years in the cellar, and the wine is built to age for a decade or more.
Florentino Arzuaga is an enthusiast of the boundless horizons and wide open spaces of Castile where there is still room for nature and wildlife to exist undisturbed. Here, not far from the silent-running waters of the Duero River, Florentino bought an estate, which due to its large size has horizons of its own.
Later came the vines, the winery and, finally, the wine. Florentino has sought the red is a wine with structure, elegant, assertive and complex at the same time.
Florentino Arzuaga has the tenacious spirit of an entrepreneur coupled with an aesthetic and perfectionist sensitivity.
He is at once modest and soft-spoken, yet has been capable, in a very short time, of placing the red that bears his family name on the most sumptuous wine lists.
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.