Winemaker Notes
Glass-coating opaque purple with a flamboyant bouquet of mocha, coffee, spice box, floral note, and wild black berry. On the palate, the wine is packed with layer upon layer of spicy black fruits, superb length, and well concealed tannins. It has a soft toasted aftertaste.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The prodigious 2001 Nebro is a limited production, 100% Tempranillo cuvee. Dense purple to the rim, with an extraordinary smoky nose interwoven with hints of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, blackberries, and scorched earth, it is a heady, ripe, full-bodied offering with superb concentration, balance, and well-integrated acidity, wood, tannin, and alcohol. This is an extraordinary effort from a mythical vintage in Spain. Consume it over the next 10-15 years.
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.