Winemaker Notes
Very deep, intense cherry red colour. An elegant aroma full of character. The balance between ripe black fruit and notes of red fruit provides vivacity and finesse. It expresses subtle and complex tertiary notes soon after pouring, completing the full picture of an excellent wine. It is intense but balanced on the palate, with good acidity and great length, with a long and very agreeable finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Dark and brooding, with rich aromatics of melted licorice, ground espresso and tarry smoke integrated with a core of pureed black raspberry, boysenberry and blackberry fruit flavors. Bright, orange peel acidity animates the profile, and sculpted tannins provide a statuesque frame. Herb and mineral details echo on the enticing finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A burly, full-bodied wine from a high-elevation site with clay and limestone, the 2021 Malleolus De Sanchomartin sees only French oak for 18 months, with very little wine made from the low-yielding vines. More herbal and mineral than many of the producer’s other single-vineyard wines, it offers rich layers of powerful concentration dipped in balsamic spice and blackberry and plenty of youthful grip.
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Vinous
The 2021 Malleolus Finca Sanchomartín is 100% Tempranillo from calcareous soils in Ribera del Duero. In this cooler year, the profile is ripe yet precise, offering aromas of blackberry, blueberry and stewed plum, with moderate oak notes in the background. The palate is tight, chalky and compact, extending into a long, dark-toned finish. Acidity and alcohol are in perfect balance. This Ribera is slightly saline, textured, juicy and well fitted, with a lovely finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2021 Emilio Moro Malleolus de Sanchomartín is a wine lover’s dream—powerful, regal, and deeply expressive. It commands the palate with bold black fruits, polished oak, and layers of spice, earth, and minerality that unfold with remarkable depth and precision. For a truly elegant pairing, serve this Ribera del Duero masterpiece with Spanish Cochinillo Asado—crisp-skinned, slow-roasted suckling pig, simply seasoned and impossibly rich. (Tasted: December 8, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Plums, dark cherries, thyme and a touch of chalk. It’s medium- to full-bodied, very stylized, with chalky, focused tannins and precise, evenly distributed fruit. Very 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.