Winemaker Notes
Inky purple, it has an expressive bouquet of mocha/espresso, pain grille, graphite, wild blueberries, and blackberry liqueur. This is followed by a full-bodied, full-flavored, plush wine with layers of spicy black fruits, is perceived its varieties complexity. Balanced, long after taste with smoky hints.
Blend: 86% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A red that offers a wealth of plum, chocolate and walnut character. Smoky with redwood undertones. Full body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Needs time to soften. Try after 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Finca Villacreces was produced to showcase the essence of the estate, mixing grapes from different soils fermented and aged separately and then blended into a combination of 88% Tempranillo, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot that fermented in concrete and oak vats and matured in 225- and 500-liter French oak barrels for 15 months. I was expecting more freshness here, but I found ripe black fruit and something earthy/organic reminiscent of peat and coal, plenty of fine-grained tannins and ripe and earthy flavors. It's still quite oaky. Surprisingly enough, the 2017 showed better... 71,242 bottles and 535 magnums produced. It was bottled in July 2018.
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.