Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Malleolus de Sanchomartin comes from vines between 75 and 85 years of age, matured in French new oak for 22 months. The aromatics are a tight fist of fruit at the moment: almost belligerently backward. The palate works better with lush, ripe cranberry, kirsch and raspberry fruit interlaced with tobacco, the decadent, rambunctious finish delivering a payload of sweet, sexy ripe fruit.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is the epitome of a dark, strapping, modern wine from an Old World region. Coffee, mocha and spicy yet smooth black-fruit aromas precede a rich, racy, agile feeling palate, with toasty flavors of berry fruits, licorice, mocha and espresso. Mint and licorice flavors combine with firm tannins and heat on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
This polished, modern red offers alluring aromas of lilac, cocoa and spice that follow through on the palate, picking up flavors of blackberry, mineral and toast. There's plenty of backbone behind the plush texture. The wine is fresh, harmonious and balanced.
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.