Winemaker Notes
Red cherry color, highlight the violet tones of its nuances, being clean and bright. Great aromatic complexity, which increases with the passage of time in an ostentatious manner; predominantly ripe red fruits, along with aromas typical of their oxidative aging, such as spicy incense and candy. Broad and unctuous, where the sweet tannin causes fleshy and silky sensations. The aftertaste reminds us again and again of all the sensations of the olfactory phase.
Ideal companion for blue fish and soft cheeses. Red meats, white meat, big game and feather, roasted or in sauce.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This delicious reserva is garnet-ruby in the glass, with a violet-colored rim. It has enticing aromas of ripe cherry, red plum and saddle leather. In the mouth, there are flavors of ripe red and black fruits, dried sage and thyme, pencil lead and cedar shavings. The tannins are velvety, the mouthfeel is voluptuous, and the finish goes on for days.
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James Suckling
Lots of vanilla extract and minty oak to the creamy blackberries, Spanish chocolate and cinnamon spices. Juicy and tight on the medium- to full-bodied palate, unleashing vanilla cream to the bright berry fruit, followed by a very long, lingering finish. Give it two years to let the oak settle with the fruit. Try in 2025.
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.