Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Robert Parker doesn't write the Spanish reviews these days for Wine Advocate as he has given that job to Jay Miller. However, Mr. Parker does still drink Spanish wines and reviews them "informally" in his Hedonist’s Gazette. In July Parker wrote about a great Spanish feast where he enjoyed a short list of excellent Spanish wines including Volver 2009. The review was glowing as Parker gave the wine 92 points noting, "A great value that I would unquestionably drink as a house wine, the 2009 Volver from La Mancha. Made from 50-year old Tempranillo vines...”
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.
The Moors gave it the name, ‘Manxa,’ which fittingly means ‘parched earth.’ La Mancha, the largest Spanish wine producing region in all of Spain, is one of its hottest and driest. Sturdy and drought-resistant white varieietes like Airen, Viura and Verdejo thrive in this environment.