Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A fine and intricate heavyweight that blends power and ripeness with complexity and class. Quality leather, spice, toast and dark berry aromas set up a structured, grippy palate with generous black fruit flavors, tobacco notes and chewy tannins. Long, sweet and rewarding on the finish. Drink now through 2016.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Alfa Spiga is very pure and feminine on the nose compared to the previous two vintages, perhaps a little more Burgundian? The palate is medium-bodied with very smooth tannins and a generous, sweet finish that does not quite have the same complexity as the 2004 or 2005. Drink 2014-2022.
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Wine Spectator
This polished red delivers coffee, licorice and cola notes that frame a core of black cherry and earth. This has muscular tannins, but stays fresh and clean through the smoky finish.
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.