Winemaker Notes
Bright cherry color with purple rim. Fresh, where black and red berries blend together with spicy, slight toasted notes and cocoa from the barrel ageing. Very smooth and silky feel, balanced and soft tannins.
Pair with roasted lamb, Italian food (pizza, spaguetti bolognese, lasagna), paella, meat stews, semi-aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Tempranillo 9 Meses Protos hails from Ribera del Duero and was aged nine months in French and American oak barrels (first use), followed by the same period in foudre. Garnet in color, it opens with herbal aromas and enhanced red fruit. The oak plays a notable but not dominant role. Plush, indulgent and voluminous, this is a Ribera with a New World twist.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 -
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2023 Protos 9 Meses Tempranillo offers delicately spicy aromas that lead into ripe plum flavors and a gentle touch of oak as it coats the palate. The wine’s supple texture and warm spice notes make it an inspired match for Bò Lá L?t—Vietnamese beef wrapped in wild betel leaves, grilled over charcoal. The dish’s aromatic herbs, smoky edges, and lightly sweet glaze harmonize beautifully with the wine’s fruit and spice, creating a vibrant cross-cultural pairing that really sings. (Tasted: November 17, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
The history of Protos dates back to 1927, when 11 viticulturists established the “Ribera del Duero” winery, with an avantgarde vision of preparing quality wines under one brand. Over ninety years later, this spirit still lives on and continues growing year upon year. At Protos, we take pride in our roots, using only our native varieties, Tempranillo and Verdejo, and in 1982, allowing our brand “Ribera del Duero” to be used for the recently established Ribera del Duero Denomination of Origin.
Genuine commitment to quality, controlled vineyards, limited yields, manual harvest, barrel aging and a rigorous control of the entire elaboration process, give our wines global prestige.
This commitment to quality is demonstrated through the brand’s ongoing reinvestment in research and betterment of their vineyards & wineries. This eagerness to keep evolving and adapting the wines with the outmost respect to the land, have ensured Protos as one of the most well-known and reliable brands by consumers the world over.
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.