Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Vintages are therefore selling a little faster now and I tasted the 2011 Pintia, which is produced with the local strain of Tempranillo called Tinta de Toro from, head-pruned, mostly ungrafted, old vineyards (40 to 60 years of age) that were harvested quite early and quickly (50 tons of grapes per day!), September 13-18, to preserve the freshness in a very warm, ripe vintage. The wine matured for one year in mostly French oak barrels and is dark and ripe, but surprisingly fresh for a very warm vintage. The early harvesting has paid back and has provided for a wine that shows the character of the place, with that slight rusticity – especially if compared with Alion – true to its birthplace and the vintage, with notes of tree bark and damsons, spicy oak and a faint reductive character when uncorked. It would benefit from decanting in advance, and notes of beef blood emerge with time in the glass. The palate is medium to full-bodied with juicy tannins and a supple texture that fills your mouth, ending with a pleasant bitter note. This is a generous, big, ripe wine getting civilized and more elegant by the year, still a little marked by toasted oak, but developing different notes with time, becoming very meaty and showy. The 2011 will be released in 2015. 190,000 bottles produced. Drink 2015-2019.
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Wine Spectator
Espresso and bitter chocolate notes frame flavors of plum preserves, dried fig and anise in this dense red. Muscular tannins and balsamic acidity reinforce the sturdy structure. Powerful and austere, but deep. Drink now through 2024. 570 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.
Spain's remote, high elevation Spanish wine zone between the regions of Bierzo and Ribera del Duero produces intense, full-bodied reds made from Tempranillo, locally called Tinta de Toro. This local variant has adapted to the region’s climatic extremes and recognizing its potential, top producers from Ribera del Duero and Rioja have invested heavily in its vineyards.