Winemaker Notes
Intense bright dark cherry color with garnet rim. Powerful, black fruits with nice toasty notes, spicy, creamy oak, complex and elegant. Powerful, flavorful, toasty, round tannins, good acidity, fruity and spicy. Good backbone and lingering finish.
Pair with a variety of poultry, game and meat dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Interesting nose of ripe dark fruit framed by cocoa, spice and herbal character. Smooth palate with full body and fresh finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Robust aromas of dark toast, cool mint, cola, blackberry and chocolate are riper than what most 2013 RDDs show. A round, expansive palate gets drier as rough tannins take grip. Roasted, savory flavors are solid, while this simmers with oaky tobacco notes on a long finish. The more time this has in the bottle, the better.
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Wine & Spirits
Ripe, juicy and refined, this wine’s herbal dark-cherry flavors edge into prune. It’s tart and savory, with firm mineral acidity focusing the wine on lamb.
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.