Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The opaque purple-colored 2007 Cal Blanca is 100% Tempranillo sourced from 80- to 100-year-old vines. It was aged in seasoned French oak for six months followed by three months in 5000-liter concrete tanks to provide unoaked oxygenation. It delivers a nose of roasted mineral, black cherry, and blackberry. This leads to a structured wine with exceptional richness, outstanding concentration, and a lengthy finish. Drink this remarkable value over the next six years.
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.
Spain's remote, high elevation Spanish wine zone between the regions of Bierzo and Ribera del Duero produces intense, full-bodied reds made from Tempranillo, locally called Tinta de Toro. This local variant has adapted to the region’s climatic extremes and recognizing its potential, top producers from Ribera del Duero and Rioja have invested heavily in its vineyards.