Winemaker Notes
Deep purple in color, this Cabernet Sauvignon bursts from the glass with aromas of black cherries, wild berry fruits and sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate and tobacco. It is expansive on the palate: full-bodied, well-structured with fine, integrated tannins, and outstanding depth.
Pair this wine with osso bucco, truffle and boar ravioli, or barbecue.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Dominio de Valdepusa Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection (a working title) is fermented in concrete egg-shaped tanks and is a selection of the finest barrels – just three in total. It has a precocious bouquet with beautiful dark cherries, cassis and iodine scents that are very well-defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of spice and white pepper on the entry. The tannins are fine and supple, with a very good backbone and a subtle saline finish. This has great potential, although oenologist Julio Mourelle is unsure whether the estate will make it again. The price is expected to be between $50.00 and $60.00 per bottle. 'The 'AAA' is like a new issue of a magazine,' explained Julio, 'and this year we are playing with Graciano and Petit Verdot, around 45% and 55% respectively. It is a bit awkward, as it is more or less the same blend as the 2008, but that does not necessarily mean it will work again. It is just something that worked out that way. It should have a strong personality and last a long time.'
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Wine Spectator
This dense and harmonious red delivers plum, tobacco, cedar and mineral flavors that mingle over muscular but polished tannins. A bit reticent, but balanced and deep. Drink now through 2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
Powerful blackberry, prune, juniper, cola and fern aromas are demanding but appealing for Spanish Cabernet. This feels tannic, full and generous, with flavors of spicy, lightly green berry fruits. A foresty note accents an elegant yet strong finish.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.