Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Finca Sobreno Ildefonso is pure Tinto de Toro, a blend from two parcels of 80-year-old vines. It sees 18 months in new French oak. It has a gorgeous, marmalade-scented bouquet with hints of blueberry and black olive tapenade that are very well-defined. The palate is full-bodied with ripe, supple tannins and layers of spicy red fruit interwoven with marmalade, clove, white pepper and bay. It is very well-balanced, powerful but not over-powering, and should age well over the next decade. Drink 2014-2025.
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.
Spain's remote, high elevation Spanish wine zone between the regions of Bierzo and Ribera del Duero produces intense, full-bodied reds made from Tempranillo, locally called Tinta de Toro. This local variant has adapted to the region’s climatic extremes and recognizing its potential, top producers from Ribera del Duero and Rioja have invested heavily in its vineyards.