Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Rich, deep and complex nose of baked plums, dark cherries, cocoa powder, hoisin sauce, black mushrooms and mussel shells. Effortlessly full-bodied with abundant, powdery tannins on the palate. Long and densely packed, yet really polished. Drink or hold.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 El Anejón was produced with 93% Tinto Fino, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, a wine they don't produce every year, selected from a plot that names it, a terraced vineyard. It fermented in small French oak vats with indigenous yeasts and aged in new 600-liter French oak barrels. It shows the warm year with 15% alcohol. It's very aromatic, with notes of prunes, dark cherries and Mediterranean herbs. The palate is lush, glossy and full-bodied, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins.
-
Vinous
The 2020 Pago de Carraovejas El Anejón is a blend based on Tinto Fino with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It was aged 12 months in 600-liter French oak barrels. The wine opens with a distinctive aromatic profile of black and red fruit, tomato leaf, menthol and peppery oak. Creamy, plush and fresh, it is a bold, finely crafted red with notable character.
-
Wine Spectator
Hints of ground coffee, sweet smoke and toast underscore fruit flavors of pureed black raspberry, plum skin and fig cake. This harmonious red is rich yet refreshing, with lavender, thyme and anise aromatics lingering on the lightly chalky-textured finish. Tinto Fino, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2035. 1,500 cases made, 100 cases imported.
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.