Wine & Spirits - June 2021 - 81

Focus Ribera del Duero
of raspberries and honeyed notes of beeswax.
Decant it for a rustic country pâté. § Murphy
Distributors, Branford, CT
525649

tannins. If you open it now, decant it for roast
lamb. § South River Imports, Edgewater, MD
525546

$200

2016 Ribera del Duero Crianza ^ Lean and
cool, this wine's blueberry flavors mingle
with perfumed scents of red currants. The
tannins are sleek, packing some hard edges
along with the textural suppleness of dark
chocolate. This could use a year in bottle to
mellow. § De Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, NC

90 | Matarromera

Ribera del Duero Esencia ^ Esencia is a blend
of top vintages from Matarromera, Carlos
Moro's project encompassing 395 acres of
vines, focused between Olivares and Valbuena de Duero above the north bank of the
river. The mature vintages in this blend provide scents of leather and tobacco on a silken
texture. It shows some primary oak notes of
mocha along with more mature, nutty tones.
A wine to savor with Pata Negra bellota. § USA
Wine West, Sausalito, CA
525580

90 | Milénico

$27

2018 Ribera del Duero Lecco Crianza ^ The
sweetness of fresh black plums meets generous oak in this simple, four-square Ribera del
Duero. It's gracious and integrated, ready for
a steakhouse. § Toros & Vinos, Miami, FL
525583

90 | Rauda

$28

2014 Ribera del Duero Musai de Tinto
Roa ^ This smells beefy, a bloody-rich wine
with scents of clove and black pepper over
supple black plum fruit. Its dark riches and
spice would take on most anything meaty off
the grill. § J. Strecker Selections, Seattle, WA
525599

90 | Dominio de
Traslascuestas

$21

2017 Ribera del Duero Crianza (Best Buy) ^
Light-bodied and spicy, this wine is hijacked
by oak at first, but its fine tannins and umami
richness slowly shift toward notes of mushrooms and meat. Give it time in a decanter
and it will blossom with foods that parallel
those flavors, like a seared steak with chanterelles. § Elite Worldwide Imports, Monticello, FL
525563

90 | Valduero

$38

$48

2016 Ribera del Duero Valdepila Tempranillo ^ This wine's black fruit ripened toward
citrusy notes of Mandarin orange. There's
also an intriguing vegetal note, the greenness of a succulent plant, lending dimension
to the flavors. For mole verde with pork. § The
Organic Cellar, Laguna Beach, CA
525618

90 | Resalte de Peñafiel

90 | Viña Sastre

$130

2012 Ribera del Duero Tierra Alta de
Dos Racimos Gran Reserva ^ From parcels
of 70-year-old vines closing in on 3,000 feet
in altitude, this is a tight black wine that
needs further bottle age to settle down and
show itself more fully. The tannic structure
remains tough while the fruit feels silken, its
blueberry and anise notes lasting past the

525576

90 | Vizcarra

$37

2018 Ribera del Duero JC Tempranillo ^
Rather than focusing on density and concentration, this wine builds power in its depth
of flavor. It's centered on a spicy, sun-ripened cherry tomato note-the red fruit side
of tomato, its brightness pointed up by dry
cedar spice. Delicious with lamb shawarma. §
Olé & Obrigado, New Rochelle, NY
525578

90 | Yllera

$22

2015 Ribera del Duero Boada Campo
de Bueyes Crianza (Best Buy) ^ The fruit
of mature vines (35 to 40 years old), this is
a lush 2015 with rich flavors of black currants and anise. It's clean and broad with
new leather scents in the tannins. Target its
juiciness at a thick-cut sirloin. § Aidil Wines &
Liquors, Newark, NJ
525505

89 | Protos

$14

89 | Viña Mayor

$16

2019 Ribera del Duero P Tempranillo
(Best Buy) ^ Oak provides the plush, modern feel of this wine, while rose and red fruit
scents win out in the end, lasting on juicy
notes of cherries. It's silky and simple, for a
steak. § Monsieur Touton Selection, NY
525613
2018 Ribera del Duero Crianza Tempranillo (Best Buy) ^ Generous in its mix of berry
flavors, from blueberry to blackberry and
raspberry, this is a dense and spicy wine that
keeps its cool. Chunky and rich, it will take
on short ribs. § Bronco Wine Co., Ceres, CA
525566

88 | Vicente Gandia

$17

88 | Isaac Fernández
Selección

$17

88 | Protos

$17

88 | Veganzones

$10

87 | Abadia La Arroyada

$14

87 | Veganzones

$13

87 | Viña Mayor

$12

2019 Ribera del Duero Nebla Roble Tempranillo (Best Buy) ^ Filled with a dried-fruit
savor-from fig to date and prune plum-
this is a simple, pretty and accessible wine for
something as rich as a trotter terrine. § Vicente
Gandia USA, Miami, FL
525508
2019 Ribera del Duero Rios de Tinto (Best
Buy) ^ Rich in its scents of meat and clove, this
is a gamey red with some funky perfume and
tense tannins tightening it up. After the initial richness, the wine feels a little severe in
the end, its tannins needing braised meats. §
Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA
525628
2018 Ribera del Duero Ecológico Tempranillo (Best Buy) ^ Sweet blackberry and tart
black raspberry flavors contrast in this wine.
It's brisk and warm at once, supple and honeyed with depth and complexity in the tannins. Give it six to 12 months to integrate,
then serve with grilled sausages. § Monsieur
Touton Selection, NY
525497
2019 Ribera del Duero El Sueño Roble
Tempranillo (Best Buy) ^ Bright red berry
and red licorice scents fill this light, crisp
tempranillo. It's a clean red with a hint of fireroasted tomatoes, a friendly wine for summer entertaining. Pour it with grilled lamb. §
Baccus (Ercomar), Newark, NJ
525495
2019 Ribera del Duero Joven Tempranillo
(Best Buy) ^ A broad, juicy Ribera del Duero
with clean flavors of plums. The tannins are
smooth, the finish bright, an easy red for
cookouts. § Advintage, Ladson, SC
525517
2018 Ribera del Duero El Sueño Crianza
Tempranillo (Best Buy) ^ Full in the middle
with black cherry flavors and chocolate-dark
tannins, this is a little gamey up front, then
short in the end. " A guilty pleasure, " said one
taster of this ripe and smoky wine. § Baccus
(Ercomar), Newark, NJ
525625
2019 Ribera del Duero Roble (Best Buy) ^
Scents of grilled tomatoes and green herbs
meet dusty tannins in this youthful red. It's
bound up in those tannins, needing a year
in bottle to soften. § Bronco Wine Co., Ceres,
CA ●

WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2021

81
https://www.oleobrigado.com/wine/423-jc-vizcarra
Wine & Spirits - June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2021
