Winemaker Notes
In its visual phase it has a deep garnet red color and a marked layer. On the nose it is expressive and intense, delighting us with the best varietal aromas of Tempranillo del Pago Valderramiro, perfectly assembled with spicy and toasted aromas of the best woods. On the palate it is voluminous, with a complex and wide mid palate with a long finish but a fine aftertaste.
Pair this wine alongside red meats, roasts, or game meat dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
From a single vineyard planted in 1924. Exceptionally deep colour. Powerful intense aromas of dark cherries, fine cedar, even stones. Plush palate with plenty of vigour and tannic structure. A powerful wine, with a chalky edge to the texture. Very long finish with notes of cherry confiture, and distinctly balsamic acidity. Aged for 18 months in French oak. Drinking Window 2021 - 2028.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There is a volatile whiff in the 2016 Malleolus de Valderramiro, which is always headier and feels riper than the Sancho Martín. It has abundant, powdery tannins, good ripeness without excess and a dry, long finish. There's something intriguing on the nose here that I could not identify, sweet spices for sure but something perfumed too.
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Wine Spectator
A harmonious yet powerful red, offering amped-up flavor and structure in equal measure. Shows cherry coulis, smoky espresso, medicinal herb and dark chocolate flavors that are rich and expressive, with dense, fine-grained tannins and mandarin orange peel acidity.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The single vineyard 2016 Malleolus De Valderramiro comes from a great vintage for the region and is all Tempranillo, brought up in French oak. It has a pretty, perfumed bouquet of ripe blue (and some black) fruits as well as candied violets, cedary spice, and tobacco. More medium-bodied, it has good freshness, moderate mid-palate depth, some firmer tannins, and outstanding length. It's a solid step back from the 2015 yet is still a pretty, perfumed, elegant wine. If the mid-palate fills in with bottle age, it will warrant a higher rating. Give bottles another year or two in the cellar and enjoy over the following decade.
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.