Written November 2014, imported February 2015
OK, I’ll admit. I’ve always been a little bit wary of Ribera Del Duero. I’ve had some corkers from the area; but it’s the tannin that I’m not a mega fan of. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always telling people they have to get over their dislike of tannin if they want to try some awesome wines. But seriously Ribera, how much do you need?! That paired with occasional clumsy use of oak; it doesn’t bode well.
But, open minded as I am (or like to think I am) I took myself off to Ribera this October with some other splendid wine merchants such as Vagabond Wines, Vinomondo and DVine Cellars, to see if the area could change my mind.
What did I find? A few surprises.
Yes, there is a lot of tannin and oak. And yes, sometimes it’s done really badly. Think wines that taste like sucking on wood sap.
BUT. There are poorly made wines in every area of the world. Delve behind that and there are some truly lovely wines.
The altitude of Ribera is a great thing. It adds freshness which balances the oak. I’m a fan of anything over 800m and whether coincidence or not, the higher the altitude of the vineyard, the more I liked the wines. There’s also a whole culture of small wineries creating artisan wines that taste wonderful.
Here’s my pick of the best wines from the trip:
Trus ‘Tramuz’ 2013
Trus has 60 hectares just north of Penafiel. They doesn’t spray their vineyards. They manually harvest. They use natural yeasts (a thankfully common practice in Ribera). They have a passionate winemaker at the helm. So far, so good.
Tramuz is its entry level wine; made with 15 year old vines and aged for 3 months in French oak, after being fermented in large oak casks. It’s truly lovely; ruby red colour, medium-full bodied with great acidity which keeps it fresh. Highly concentrated and very fruit forward – think red and black cherry with a touch of spice from the oak. Tannins are fine. Great length.
Vega Clara ‘Diez Alemendros’
For price vs quality, this was my favourite of the trip. I wasn’t sure whether to divulge this information, but winemaker Clara has it on her website – this is a blend of 75% Tempranillo and 25% Syrah – the latter is absolutely not allowed in a Ribera DD wine. But as Clara said to me: ‘you have to bend the rules sometimes.’ I love a rebellious winemaker.
The wine is made from 12 year old vines producing around 40 hectolitres per hectare and is aged for 7 months in new French oak. Yeasts are natural and it only goes through a light filtration.
The wine is really fresh and lively – notes of violets, redcurrants and red cherries. Great balance and length. Slips down pretty easily – a whole bottle went within half an hour between two of us on my return to the UK.
Tierras de Penafiel ‘Ruben Ramos’ Crianza 2011
This winery has just three workers – winemaker Jorge, his wife and his baby. Well, maybe just two workers…..
They own 14 hectares that are worked organically (although uncertified) around the Penafiel area. They’ve only been established since 2001 although Jorge had a lot of winemaking experience prior to setting up on his own winery.
Their Crianza has had 12 months in 2 year old French and American oak – the lack of new wood on the wine is noticeable and a welcome surprise. Ripe fruit and Christmas spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon with a touch of perfume. This wine is elegant, has a great balance between fruit, acid and tannin and body. Lurvely stuff.
An aside on Ribera del Duero – I had one of the best fishbowl gin and tonics of my life at a tiny tapas bar in Penafiel. Just the thing after 80 tannic red wines. Cheers!
Vino Vero 