Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An alluring aromatic array of pain grille, smoke, violets, black cherry, and blackberry that jumps from the glass. On the palate it is medium- to full-bodied with gobs of ripe fruit, succulent flavors, soft tannins, and excellent balance.
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Wine Spectator
This muscular red shows beef and iron notes, with plum and prune fruit in a thick texture. A bit blunt, but distinctive, with enough acidity to keep it all lively. Tempranillo. Drink now through 2014.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.