2010 Vina Real Crianza2012 Embocadero 2012 Martinsancho Verdejo1996 Mauro Vendimia Selecionado

 

2011 Aalto

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. Aalto was founded in 1999 by Mariano Garcia(winemaker of Vega Sicilia) The wine ages for 20 months in French and American oak. Production is about 200,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Inky purple

Aromas: Concentrated sweet black cherry and a touch of vanilla and some incense

Palate: Full bodied with sweet soft tannins

Finish/Conclusion: Delicious, dense sweet fruit with long lasting finish. So concentrated and so young. So easy to drink at this stage. SRP is $45  November 2013

 

2011 Aalto PS

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. Aalto was founded in 1999 by Mariano Garcia(winemaker of Vega Sicilia) The wine ages for 22 months in new French oak. Production is about 20,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Inky purple

Aromas: Flowery violets flow from the glass with deep black fruits

Palate: Concentrated tight black fruit, full bodied with soft sweet tannins

Finish/Conclusion: Dense tight sweet fruit with long flowery finish. To young to fully enjoy today.Put it on your calendar to open in 5 more years, minimum. SRP is $105     November 2013

 

2010 Alonso del Yerro

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. The winery has hired Stephen Derenoncourt as a consulting oenelogist. The wine ages for 12 months in French oak. Production is about 30,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Dark purple

Aromas: Blackberry and liquorice with slight spiciness

Palate: Full bodied with blackberry coated sweet soft tannins and some minerality

Finish/Conclusion: Long with acidity appearig with the soft sweet tannins.                  SRP is $25   November 2013

 

2010 Maria  Alonso del Yerro

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. The winery has hired Stephen Derenoncourt as a consulting oenelogist. The wine ages for 18 months in French oak. Production is about 7,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Dark inky purple

Aromas: Flowery violets,dense blackcherry and crushed stones

Palate: Full bodied with dense sweet soft tannins and some minerality

Finish/Conclusion:  Balanced feel in the mouth with long flowery dense ripe fruit.          SRP is $55   November 2013

 

2011 Mauro

Region/Location: D.O. Castilla y Leon

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. Bodegas Mauro was created in 1980 by Mariano Garcia of Vega Sicilia)  The wine ages for 14 months in French and American oak. Production is about 250,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 90% Tempranillo, 10% Syrah

Color: Purple

Aromas: Sweet blackcherries and mocha

Palate: Full bodied with chocolate covered blackcherry sweet soft tannins

Finish/Conclusion:  Balanced feel in the mouth with long sweet tannisn and some nice acidity. SRP is $45    November 2013

 

2008 Mauro VS

Region/Location: D.O. Castilla y Leon

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. Bodegas Mauro was created in 1980 by Mariano Garcia of Vega Sicilia)  The wine ages for 33 months in French and American oak. Production is about 18,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Dark purple

Aromas: Violets,blackcherry and some vanilla

Palate: Full bodied with flowery fruit and soft sweet tannins

Finish/Conclusion:  Long sweet floral finish with some spiciness.  SRP is $120    November 2013

 

2010 Bodegas Luna Beberide Finca La Cuesta

Region/Location: D.O. Bierzo

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. The vines are at least 60 years old. The wine ages for 12 months in French oak. Production is about 40,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Mencia

Color: Dark purple

Aromas: Fresh blueberry,blackberry with some earthy spiciness

Palate: There is some stoney minerality underlying the fresh fruit and you can feel the presence of some dry tannins.

Finish/Conclusion:  The dry tannins awaken on the finish but with good acidity. It would be more enjoyable today with food.  SRP is $20    November 2013

 

2010 Bodegas Luna Beberide Art

Region/Location: D.O. Bierzo

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. The vines are at least 60 years old. The wine ages for 18 months in French oak. Production is about 20,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Mencia

Color: Dark purple

Aromas: Fresh concentrated blueberry,blackberry with some earthy spiciness

Palate: Full bodied with some vanilla showing through the concentrated fruit. It is soft and well integrated.

Finish/Conclusion:  It has a long soft balanced finish.  Could use more aging to appreciate its potential.  SRP is $30    November 2013

 

2012 Fillaboa

Region/Location: D.O. Rias Baixas

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. . Production is about 240,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Albarino

Color: Light straw

Aromas: Flowery lemon with some unerlying minerality

Palate: Light fresh lemon with some herbal bitterness.

Finish/Conclusion: Finishes dry and crisp..  SRP is $15    November 2013

 

2011 Seleccion Finca Montealto

Region/Location: D.O. Rias Baixas

Background: Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana.  Production is about 10,000 bottles.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Albarino

Color: Light straw

Aromas: Soft flowery lemon, green apple and  vanilla

Palate: Creamy with minimal fruit present and balanced

Finish/Conclusion: Finishes dry and fresh.  SRP is $25    November 2013

 

2008 Pesquera Reserva

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background: Pesquera produces more of a traditional style and the wines reflect the terroir.Some of the vines are grown on gravel terraces and others are grown on tablelands. The soil is sand and gravel over a base of limestone and clay.The age of the vines  is between 15 and 30 years. Natural yeast is used and the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks.The wine ages for 24 months in American oak and 12 months in bottle.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Cherry red

Aromas: Fresh black  cherry with sime forest woodsy-ness

Palate: Full bodied with concentrated black cherry and medium matured level of tannins.

Finish/Conclusion: Long perfumey finish. The use of the oak is little detected.  SRP is $48  September 2013

 

2011 JC Vizcarra

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background: The soil is clay and limestone on top of gravel. The vineyards are located within the province of Burgos at an elevation of approximately 2,785 feet above sea level.The wine ages for 15 months in French and American oak.The barrels are half new and half two years old. The ageing falls in between a Crianza and a Riserva.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Cherry red

Aromas: Tight black cherry with oak spices and some woodsy-ness

Palate: Soft with fresh black fruits and spicy oak notes .

Finish/Conclusion: It has a long finish with sweet tannins appearing with the fresh fruit and a high level of acidity. Easy to drink.  SRP is $33  September 2013

 

2010 Vina Pedrosa Crianza

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background: The soil is clay and limestone. The vineyards are located within the province of Burgos at an elevation of approximately 2,100 feet above sea level.The wine ages for 18 months in French and American oak as well as 6 months in bottle. The vines are between 20 and 25 years old.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Purple red

Aromas: Coconut, sweet black cherry, and tar

Palate: Soft oily coconut with black cherry.

Finish/Conclusion: On the finish, the medium mature tannins appear with coconut and some black cherry but the fruit fades away rather quickly.The fruit may be buried under all the oak. SRP is $34  September 2013

 

2010 Astrales

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background: The soil is clay and sand. Native yeasts are used in the fermentation.The vineyards are located around the village of Anguix..The wine ages for 20 months in French and American oak. 80% French and 20% American. 30% of which were new. The vines are between 20 and 25 years old. Eduardo Garcia is the Technical Director. He is also the enologist at Mauro and a partner at Leda.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Dark purple

Aromas: Tight fresh dense black cherry,tarry with a touch of vanilla

Palate: Full bodied with adolescent level of tannins become immedialtey present with the delicious fruit..

Finish/Conclusion: On the finish, the adolescent tannins are juicy with a good level of acidity making the finish fruit filled and long. SRP is $70  September 2013

 

2009 Vina Sastre Crianza

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background: The soil is clay and sand. The vineyards are located in Burgos.The wine ages for 14 months in French and American oak. In the vineyard, lavender and sage are planted in between the vines. It can be said that the grapes pick up these notes.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color: Deep dark purple

Aromas: Fresh, young,clean black cherry with smokey floral tones

Palate: Full bodied and smooth on the palate.There is also some mint coming through the fresh black fruits.

Finish/Conclusion: It all flows through from the aromas through the long finish.          SRP is $33  September 2013

 

2009 Bodegas Emilio More Malleolus

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background:  The vineyards are located in Burgos.The wine ages for 18 months in new French oak. The vines range from 25 to 70 years old

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color:  Dark purple red

Aromas: Fresh dense black fruits with vanilla hovering

Palate: Full bodied and velvety smooth on the palate with sweet tannins.

Finish/Conclusion: Long finish with the sweet tannins and a medium amount of acidity to just give the wine a velvetiness but being balanced at the same time.                                 SRP is $45  September 2013

 

2009 Dominio de Atauta

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background:  The vineyards are located in Soria on the eastern boundary of Ribera. The vineyards are at an altitude of 3,300 feet above sea level with 100 year old vines growing on soils that are sandy with calcareous rocks.The winds constantly run from the west to the east The wine ages for 12 months in 35% new French oak.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color:  Dark purple

Aromas: Concentrated and tight

Palate: Soft black cherry,spicy mint with sweet tannins.

Finish/Conclusion: Long finish with the soft tannins. The wine is still to young to enjoy today. Try again in 3 years to enjoy this great wine.  SRP is $49  September 2013

 

2009 Aalto

Region/Location: D.O. Ribera del Duero

Background:  Member of the Grandes Pagos de Espana. Aalto was founded in 1999 by Mariano Garcia(winemaker of Vega Sicilia). The vineyards are located in Valladolid. The wine ages for 22 months in 1 to 2 year old French and American oak barrels.

Grape Variety/Varieties: 100% Tempranillo

Color:  Inky dark purple

Aromas: Perfumey concentrated black fruits wtih vanilla

Palate: Soft, plummy ,creamy black cherry with sweet tannins

Conclusion: Long finish with the soft sweet tannins. Wine is still very young but can be  enjoyed today.  SRP is $55  September 2013