Winemaker Notes
Inés is a limited-production wine made only in the very best vintages from two of the oldest parcels on the estate. Named for Juan Carlos' youngest daughter, Inés features a dollop of old-vine Merlot in the blend, which gives it a bright, silky character and bolsters its elegance.
This rich, silky red is a perfect match for grilled lamb and other big flavors, as well as mushrooms and earthy vegetable dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Perfumed with ripe black forest fruit, cherries in chocolate liqueur and sweet baking spices. Fine concentration on the palate, the elevated fruit concentration perfectly balanced by the intense but successful oak regime. Moreish powdery tannins will hold this wine effortlessly, in the glass and in the bottle. Enjoy with a good steak.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Ines Vizcarra is named for another of Juan Carlos Vizcarra’s daughters, the younger sister of Celia, from a different plot planted in 1952. It has 95% Tempranillo and 5% Albillo Mayor but included Merlot until 2019. Bursting in minerality, it’s made in the same way as Celia, using concrete and barrels for fermentation, aged also 18 months in larger-format new barrels. Juicy red fruit adds a tartness to the full-bodied layers of dried herb and crushed rock, with ample structure to go another 15-20 years, if not more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As I commented in the note for the Celia, the 2022 Inés is more voluptuous and showier than its sibling—it's creamy, toasty, smoky and spicy, It fermented in 50% open-top 400-liter barrel and 50% concrete vats and matured in 400-liter French and American (10%) oak barrels for 16 months and a further three months in a 2,000-liter oak vat. It hits the scale at 15% alcohol, but perhaps the small percentage of white grapes (3% Albillo from the same vineyard as the Tinto Fino) gave it an extra spark of freshness. It has some tannins that would welcome some more time in bottle, and the oak should also integrate further with bottle age.
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James Suckling
Good depth and complexity, with aromas of rich but fresh plums and berries and touches of chalk and warm spices. Fine-grained, dusty tannins on the palate, with a medium to full body and a long, chalky finish. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Smoke, licorice and vanilla accents are a fragrant entry point for this sleek red, lacing flavors of baked black cherry, fig cake and sweet tobacco. Chewy tannins provide an integrated frame, and a bright beam of pomegranate-infused acidity focuses the finish. Well-tailored. Drink now through 2037.
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.