Dominio de Atauta Llanos del Almendro 2012
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Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A dense and polished version, this red offers a balance of fruit and savory notes, with plum, graphite, licorice, tar and smoke hints. A bit reserved for now, but balanced, harmonious, powerful and graceful overall.
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Wine Enthusiast
Massive blackberry, vanilla and marshmallow aromas are voluptuous. A just-right mix of lushness and tannins determines the palate, which hosts toasty flavors of chocolate and blackberry. A smooth finish with firm but manageable residual tannins is intense but not rough.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As with other "paraje" bottlings (from very small plots in the same zone of the village), I tasted the 2012 Llanos del Almendro next to the 2013, and I was able to see how different the two vintages are. The grapes here achieved 15% alcohol and come from a north-facing slope at 965 meters in altitude planted with ancient vines. The wine fermented in small stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in second use French oak barrels for a period of 16 months. 2012 was a super dry year, quite the opposite of 2013. This is one elegant and powerful Ribera, with the freshness of the zone and soil and the power given by the natural concentration of the vintage.
Other Vintages
2014-
Parker
Robert
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.