Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This red shows focus and intensity. Sanguine, mineral, cola and espresso flavors dominate, but there's a core of blackberry and cassis fruit. The tannins are gripping, but there's a velvety background and an underlying freshness. Best from 2010 through 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The flagship 2004 O. Fournier received the same regimen as AlfaSpiga except for aging in 100% new French oak. Purple/black in color, it offers up a brooding nose of pain grille, lead pencil, espresso roast, blackberry, and black currant jam. Large-scaled, with superb concentration, the wine is dense and packed, with layers of flavor and full tannins. This wine is in need of 6-8 years of cellaring to blossom more completely and should drink well through 2032.
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.