(2023) A biodynamic wine from vines planted in 1958 in Ribera del Duero's 'golden mile' (home to Vega-Sicilia, etc.). Fermentation was in new French-oak casks, where it aged for 22 months and rested a further 10 months after bottling. There's a definite smokiness and sense of polish to the aromatics here, but quite tightly wound and not too expressive at this stage. It's a big, structured and powerful wine, the tannins and dry extract coating the mouth with an inky, dark layer. Slightly ungiving at present, there are just hints of sweet, ripe fruit notes, but plenty of biting damson-skin dry acidity also adds to a bittersweet and quite chewy character. Another that I would want to decant or cellar in the hope it would ease out slightly. Multibuy £67.50.
(2023) An organic certified Ribera del Duero. 100% Tempranillo from a vineyard planted in 1963, it was fermented with indigenous yeast and spent 20 months in French oak barrels, 1/3 new. Dark and glossy in colour, the nose is deply hued too, with plum and clove, liquorice and spicy fruitcake aromas. In the mouth it is a powerful, full-bodied wine with fairly massive tannins and dry extract, despite five years of softening time. This is a wine with some elegance too, that is just beginning to show through, a vinous, cherry and briar note in there beneath all that extract. I'd decant or give this another few years when it might well merit a point or two more. Multibuy £24.75, but note price and stockist is for the 2017 vintage at time of review.
(2023) All Tempranillo from vineyards at over 800 metres, on chalky clay soils. 18 months in oak. A mature red fruit and slightly gamy, truffly character. There is a bit of vanilla and a bit of bloody oxidative character. Mature palate, fine tannins and good acidity, adding a cherry freshness to the mature fruit and oak character.
(2022) Three months in French and American oak barrels for this Roble young wine. Deep, intense and plummy fruit, a twist of liquorice and some meatiness here, a darker-hued interpretation of Tempranillo. There's a dark, vinous quality to this, plummy, dark and firm fruit and tannins. There is good juiciness though, and spices, with a more extracted feel and firmer tannins than the Glorioiso Rioja for example.
(2022) Selected, hand-harvested Tempranillo is aged mainly in 300-litre French oak, with a small percentage of high quality American oak, medium toast. It spends at least 12 months in barrel. Plenty of vanilla and red fruit on the nose, strawbery-soft with some juicy bramble character too. In the mouth medium bodied, some clove-like, spicy oak adds seasoning to the red fruit. Smooth and well balanced, and drinks well.
(2022) From vines with more than 60 years of age, planted at more than 900 metres altitude. It was aged in French (70%) and American oak of various barrel sizes for 15 months, around 50% new oak. That was followed by more than 20 months ageing in bottle. Lots of spice and a plum and cherry compote nose, a hint of leather or game. The palate has more concentration and flesh than the Crianza perhaps, the spiciness and tobacco of the oak balanced by fresh fruit, tannins very silky and a balanced finish.
(2021) From their Pago del Cielo vineyard at 895 metres altitude in Ribera del Duero, this Tempranillo spent 12 months in a mix of French and American oak. There's a lovely lift of kirsch and violet at first, chocolaty and vanilla oak notes too, and deep black fruits. The palate offers more of the same, that is a depth of creamy and smooth black fruit and chocolate, but a little elegance too, a raspberry and cherry skin brightness with dry, sandy tannins and good balancing acidity. Flavoursome and good value. The 2018 vintage is in Waitrose at £12.99.
(2021) Chosen as wine of the week because it is a very good wine, but also because the death of winemaker and founder of Pesquera, Alejandro Fernandez, was announced just a few weeks ago. Fernandez was one of the most famous winemakers of Europe, and one of the first to put the Spanish region of Ribera del Duero on the map in the 1970s. The colour here is a such a vivid crimson, the nose a blend of smokiness, dark cherry compote and fragrant raspberry. American oak adds a vanilin smoothness to nose and palate, where the juiciness of the tempranillo is set against a bittersweet liquorice twist. The acid and silky tannins combine to give good structure, but the sweet fruit is fat and ripe on the mid-palate. Watch the video for food matching suggestions and more information. A fitting curtain call for Señor Fernandez.
(2021) From the Pagos Del Rey winery which I visited many, many years ago, this is a Reserva meaning it spent at least 12 months in barrel. It has a very deep, almost crimson-black colour for a five-year-old wine, and immediate aromas of cherry, blueberry, liquorice and briar. There's an obvious slick of vanilla adding to quite a plush opening salvo. In the mouth there is good intensity to the fruit, a fairly charry quality to the oak, but that bittersweetness of liquorice and endive sits nicely against the juicy, fleshy fruit. Tannins are soft and background, this finishes on sweet fruit, acidity and that charry and spicy oak.
(2018) From Roda's estate on the northern bank of the Duero, this is Corimbo 1, where Agustin places "an emphasis on Roda elegance, well handled oak and freshness." So much more on the rich, intense small black fruit side. Sweet small berries with intensely creamy flavour and texture. Fine, chocolaty tannins and sweet acidity complete a svelte and delicious picture. Great Ribera del Duero and though there are no UK stockists of the 2013 at time of writing, 2010 and 2011 is quite widely available.
