Winemaker Notes
Intense deep red color with a purple edge. Complex aroma with hints of red and dark fruits. It is a complex wine with different aromatic layers. On the palate, a good structure with volume and great persistence. It is a wine characterized by its good balance between tannin and acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
One-third of this wine is estate grown at La Asperilla, a vineyard in Peñafiel planted in 1994; the balance is purchased fruit from older vines. It aged for 15 months in second-use French oak barrels, where it took on an earthy, slightly Bretty character. Yet the fruit retains the cool feel of a dirt-floored cave carved out of the hillside in Ribera, giving the wine a radishlike bite and a cherry freshness, friendly and welcoming with a grilled lamb chop.
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.