Winemaker Notes
Fresh black and blue fruit aromas are lifted and sharpened by a peppery note and a suggestion of smoky minerals. Vibrant and focused on the palate, offering intense boysenberry and cassis flavors that put on weight with aeration. Seamless and expressive, with no rough edges and a long, gently tannic finish that echoes the blueberry note.
Here, the fresh, red-berried, mineral character of Ribera shows through, with a slightly spicy, minty note. This is one of only a few Ribera wines where you can taste the “cut” and chewy, juicy Tempranillo flavors unburdened by oak. A crisp fruited wine with structure and substance, it's neither light nor unduly heavy. This would pair well with Thai beef salad, marinated Korean BBQ pork, Peking duck, and meat or chicken dishes with a piquant play of spices.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The high altitudes and old vines of north-central Ribera del Duero are famed for producing ambitious, collectible reds. So it’s rare to find that great fruit presented unadorned, as it is here, in this wine from Quintanamanvirgo, a town with centenarian vines and fewer than 100 people, most of whom work in these vineyards planted in limestone and sand, at an elevation of 2,700 feet. Fernando de la Cal makes the wine in stainless steel with gentle extraction, capturing the freshness of the vineyards’ cold nights in the fragrant strawberry and ripe-plum flavors. It’s lean and naked, but the wine is still supple and bold. Decant a bottle and you may end up buying a case. (Best Buy)
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Torremorón Tempranillo brings more than fruit to the fore, and this wine is so delicious. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers appealing aromas and flavors of black fruit, earth, and flint. Enjoy it with grilled Korean beef ribs. (Tasted: November 16, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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.