Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Clon de La Familia is intended to show a blend of the three different soils they have in their vineyards, clay, chalk and stone from three vineyards that were planted with the original clone from their older vineyards, selecting their best plants. The vineyard is now about 25 years old and the wine it produced aged in the most exquisite barrels they could get their hands on. This wine was first produced in 2009, and will only be produced in exceptional vintages (there will be no 2012 or 2013). It’s a serious, concentrated, dark, purple-colored and brooding red. It has very good integration of oak, with lactic and smoky aromas intermixed with ripe black fruit. It is sleek and polished, and seems to lack the wildness of Ribera, it’s soft and elegant. This is different, more subtle and approachable, round and pleasant. Only 1,000 bottles are produced and the benefits from the sale of this wine go toward their Emilio Moro Foundation. Drink 2015-2020.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is the granddaddy in the Emilio Moro portfolio, but the wine is so ripe and oaky it's syrupy-smelling. Maximum ripeness means it's a bit Port-like on the palate, with baked black-fruit flavors that finish soft and jammy. This brims with power, extraction and flavor but it's grasping for structure. Drink through 2019.
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Wine Spectator
Tar, licorice and loamy notes frame black cherry and espresso flavors in this assertive red. Chewy tannins and balsamic acidity show impressive concentration. Austere, but fruit and floral notes linger on the finish. Best from 2016 through 2030.
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Wine & Spirits
Scents of tea leaves, figs and dried fruits fill this monumental Ribera. It’s sweetly ripe, but potent enough in its tannins and acidity to reach an equilibrium. Even so, it needs another decade in the bottle to fully mature, when it will be a complex accompaniment to lamb. Limited to 1000 bottles, this grows at three parcels with different soil types: clay, chalk and rock.
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.