Club Vinissimus. January 2012 Selection
La extraordinaria tinta fina y los nuevos vinos de Ribera del Duero
About this selection...Inauguramos el año nuevo ofreciéndoles una selección de tres vinos de una de las principales denominaciones españolas: Ribera del Duero, una zona que en muy pocos años ha sabido situar sus caldos entre los mejores del mundo. En la actualidad, nadie duda del prestigio y la calidad de los vinos de Ribera de Duero en general, ya no sólo de los de la mítica Vega Sicilia, de la prestigiosa Dominio de Pingus, o de las legendarias Protos o Pesquera, por mencionar algunos. Ribera del Duero ya no es, afortunadamente, aquella zona productora de nuevos vinos altamente concentrados y a menudo excesivamente amaderados, sino una denominación muy apreciada, elaboradora de una amplia gama de estilos, mucho más frescos y elegantes. Aun destacando todavía por su potencia y concentración, los vinos de Ribera del Duero son cada día más elegantes, muchos incluso de tendencia más suave, y se está recuperando la identidad del terruño y la personalidad de cada zona. Es la verdadera Ribera del Duero y puede hacerlo: cuenta con la mejor materia prima, la extraordinaria uva tempranillo (conocida en la zona como tinta fina o tinta del país), con un suelo privilegiado y con un clima casi perfecto. Con el objeto, pues, de introducirles en esta "nueva" Ribera del Duero, queremos presentarles los siguientes tres vinos: Alconte 2008, un crianza especialmente seductor, elaborado por Bodegas y Viñedos Montecastro, una bodega de tamaño mediano y relativamente joven; Viña Sastre Roble 2010, intenso y rotundo, el más asequible de esta prestigiosa familia, quien, año tras año, nos deleita con sus grandes vinos de pago a la vez que con sus vinos de gama más tradicional; y Viña Valdemazón 2006, la primera añada de un joven proyecto de dos hermanos, con el cual van a descubrir un tipo de Ribera más sedoso. Esperamos que nuestra primera selección de 2012 le deje un buen sabor de boca y sigan descubriendo y disfrutando con nosotros de muchos vinos más. ¡Feliz año nuevo a todos! Alconte Crianza 2008 (2 bottles)Red CrianzaBodegas y Viñedos MontecastroRegion: Ribera del Duero (Spain) Grapes: Tempranillo Bottle: 11.64 € club members / 13.25 € non-members
ReviewIf you are looking for a Ribera del Duero wine in the 10 to 15 euro price bracket, or perhaps just above, then Alconte is one of your best options. This wine’s quality is undeniable; its price is reasonable; but it comes particularly recommended for its seductive nose, its roundness and for being a wine capable of pleasing a variety of palates. Let us get to know it a bit better. Alconte is the youngest member of the Montecastro wine family, one of the region’s medium-sized bodegas, relatively new but with a promising future ahead of it, judging by the small number of vintages that have been released onto the market so far. It is made solely using the Tinto Fino grape variety, sourced from five vineyard estates growing vines of varied ages (as the winery was only established quite recently, it has made arrangements with certain local vine-growers for them to supply grapes from older, more finely balanced vines); vinification is carried out in concrete vats (not in the customary stainless steel tanks) and ageing takes place in French (70%) and American oak barrels, with just one third made of new wood (another third comprises one-wine barrels, and the other third has previously been used for two wines). The oak has been extremely well handled in Alconte, coming over on the nose as fine toasty and smoky notes that are not discordant in the slightest, complementing an all-pervading feeling of freshness and fruit character, and, quite commonly found in this bodega’s two wines: with a touch of the Bordeaux. The13.5 degrees of alcohol have been very well integrated, and maybe on the palate there is slightly less fruit revealed than on the nose, yet all the same it is balanced, rounded, intense and luscious, with smooth tannins and firm acidity (a vanilla background is evident on the aftertaste). This is definitely a fine wine, powerful but with no rough edges, and a most appealing wine at that.
Viña Sastre Roble 2010 (2 bottles)Young red CrianzaViña SastreRegion: Ribera del Duero (Spain) Grapes: Tinto Fino Bottle: 7.85 € club members / 8.85 € non-members
ReviewViña Sastre presents the youngest member of its well-established range: a 10-month Crianza, made using grapes from their vineyards in La Horra and Roa, with ages ranging between 17 and 30 years old, planted with bush vines at an altitude of 800 metres and cared for in a time-honoured tradition, without applying mineral fertilizers, herbicides or insecticides, practicing a form of viticulture that incorporates organic and biodynamic and results in a particularly intense wine, both in colour and on the palate. Viña Sastre Roble is undoubtedly a young wine, with a deep colour, great density and a violet rim. On the nose, it comes over as open and very apparent, right from the start, although oddly, both the 2010 vintage and the previous one, the 2009, which we have also had the chance to taste, showed a reductive element; this was not at all problematic as it disappeared, with a bit of aeration, giving way to fresh fruit and toasty notes, hints of dried fruits, on a spicy background and complemented by woody, herbaceous and resinous aromas. Revealing a rounded and full-bodied palate, it is juicy, mature and balanced, showing fine, smooth tannins; persistent yet not overly lengthy, but with firm acidity, and fresh. Keep it for a while longer in bottle and you will find this bodega’s least expensive wine even more enjoyable – a clear benchmark in the Ribera del Duero denomination. (Aged for 10 months in French and American oak barrels.)
Viña Valdemazón 2006 (2 bottles)Red CrianzaViña ValdemazónRegion: Ribera del Duero (Spain) Grapes: Tempranillo Bottle: 13.09 € club members / 14.87 € non-members
ReviewWhen you open a bottle of Viña Valdemazón 2006 and observe its colour you may well think that you’ve made a mistake over the region. You’re not mistaken: although far removed from the highly concentrated, opaque wines which we have come to associate with this denomination, Viña Valdemazón is a Ribera de Duero with all the personality of the Tempranillo variety and perfectly structured. Certainly, it requires a little patience to get the complete picture, so we’ll give it some time. Its colour evolution is perfectly in keeping with the nose: aromas of ripe fruit with notes of violets on a background of leathery hints, fine wood and spices that bring to mind certain Burgundies. This wine is evolving most pleasantly. There might be some initial disappointment on the palate, if the bottle has only just been opened, especially in view of what the nose revealed, but… wait a while, and you will discover how those same spicy notes reappear in the mouth and the wine gains in complexity; it is lovely, with velvety tannins, juicy, balanced, smooth, easy to drink…, a fascinating wine. Talking to Ernesto and Eduardo, they admit that they would have liked a bit more potency in this first vintage, as they later achieved in 2007, but each year nature always has the last word and they respect this wholeheartedly. Viña Valdemazón is made using selected Tinta Fina grapes originating from vineyards aged between 15 and 20 years old, planted at an altitude of 800 metres on limestone soils that are poor in organic material; vinification takes place in very small tanks and ageing in oak barrels, with only 25% of them new, for 10, 12 or 14 months, depending on the vintage (in 2006, ageing lasted for 10 months); the whole wine-making process strives to achieve a balance between fruit and wood. The 2006 vintage resulted in 12,000 bottles, and keeping it completely within the family, the label is the work of the artist Patricia Rodríguez, a cousin of Ernesto and Eduardo. Food Pairing
|
Shopping in our storeDo you want to purchase individual bottles of this selection at list price? Alconte Crianza 2008 - 13.25 €
Viña Sastre Roble 2010 - 8.85 €
Viña Valdemazón 2006 - 14.87 €
Your next delivery
No membership or registration fees. Get discounts and a great gift when you sign up. More information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vinissimus would like to remind you that the sale of alcohol to young people under 18 years of age is not allowed
and recommends drinking in moderation, as the best way to enjoy alcoholic drinks.
© Vinissimus 2005-2013. Conditions of Use