Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Loads of dark fruits such as blueberry and blackberry plus citrus undertones. Floral too. Full to medium body plus chewy and angular tannins that give a pretty texture and freshness. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Even more powerful and rich is the 2013 Almirez, an opaque purple wine made from 100% Tinta de Toro from vineyards planted at 2,300 feet (the highest in all of Toro). The wine has a fabulous opaque purple color, notes of blackberry, blueberry and cassis, licorice, graphite and truffle. Deep, rich, full-bodied and powerful with moderate tannin, this wine was aged 12 months in about 30% new French oak. Drink it over the next decade.
Rating: 92+ -
Wine Spectator
This lively red delivers bright flavors of tart cherry, cranberry, licorice and smoke, in a lean texture supported by firm tannins and racy acidity. Drink now through 2021.
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.