Winemaker Notes
This wine has a cherry color, and it offers a great variety of sensations. On the mouth it’s intense and mouth-watering. On the nose, its richness and variety of aromas stand out: wood, black fruits and vanilla.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Powerful and refined, with solid structure supporting the cherry reduction, steeped raspberry and orange peel flavors infused with anise, loamy earth, toast and baking spice elements. Details of wild herb are carried through the balsamic-laced finish. Drink now through 2033.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of raspberry, blackberry and bramble pave the way for flavors of raspberry, strawberry, cedar, caramel and rose petal. There is a nice interplay of acidity and plush tannins that disperse into a pomegranate-laden finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Malleolus de Valderramiro felt riper and headier when tasted next to the 2015 Malleolus de Sancho Martín, which is always the case, since this vineyard always achieves higher ripeness. It's their oldest vineyard (planted in 1924) on clay soils that produces powerful and tannic wines. It's the oakiest of all the wines I tasted from their portfolio, with intense spice, toast and sawdust aromas, dominated by oak aromas and flavors. There are plenty of tannins and flavors derived from the élevage. For fans of ripe, powerful and oaky Tempranillo. 7,300 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2018.
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Wine & Spirits
Here’s a wine to tamp a chocolate craving, even as it still sends a message from its terroir. This taster thought it was Pesquera, from Alejandro Hernandez. In fact, it turned out to be Valderramiro, from a parcel of vines in Pesquera de Duero looking toward the afternoon sun, the Moro family’s oldest block, planted in 1924 in clay soils. And perhaps it is that particular combination of ancient vines and clay soils that speaks of the place: a sharp edge to the grape-skin tannins to cut through the chocolate richness of oak aging, the meeting of balsamic volatility and violet scents. As ripe as it may be, the wine is zesty, with a long life ahead.
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.