Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This pure, bullish, smoky Tinto Fino is full of charred blackberry, cassis and licorice aromas. The palate is massive but superbly balanced. Flavors of mocha, black coffee, bitter chocolate, toast, blackberry and cassis finish with power and precision. Drink 2017–2025.
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James Suckling
Lots of ink and dried fruits on the nose. Full body, chewy tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Rich and layered yet not overdone. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2011 was a warm and ripe vintage, and the Moro brothers are very happy with their wines; they consider the vintage their best in the decade. The 2011 Malleolus is sourced from their older vines, and fermented in stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts and an élevage of 18 months in French oak barriques. It has a very showy, tantalizing nose of smoked bacon, roasted coffee, grains (fried corn?), violets, dark cherries, and raspberries with plenty of spices in a very commercial mixture of oak and fruit. The palate is medium to full-bodied with some crunchy tannins over a core of ripe, juicy fruit, coming through as quite balanced and powerful, with restraint and elegance. This has to be one of the best Malleolus produced, the highlight of this line up.
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Wine Spectator
This fleshy red has ripe flavors of blackberry and kirsch, backed by toast, licorice and graphite notes. The solid tannins are well-integrated, while crisp acidity keeps this fresh. Fruity and harmonious. Drink now through 2021.
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.