It was one of those days that ended with blackened teeth, beaten-up gums and tongues tied up with tannin. Welcome to Ribera del Duero! But rarely had any of us undertaken a panel tasting of such exceptionally high quality and consistency. The wines were representative of an appellation which now sits with ease alongside the other great winemaking regions of the world.
If you haven’t had a proper look at Ribera del Duero recently, now is the time to revisit this wonderful region of northern Spain. David Williams was both pleased and surprised by the overall freshness and balance of the wines: ‘Things have changed in the past five years.’
Stylistically there has been an important shift in the region to wines which better represent the vineyards, with less extraction and acidity, reflecting the elevation of Ribera [720m-1,100m, according to the Ribera consejo regulador]. This can be seen in the six Outstanding wines selected here (see right). As Diana Rollan went on to explain: ‘The younger generation is producing fresher wines.’
Great typicity, identity and character were on show in this tasting. The wines were bold with intense fruit, high but balanced acid, and evident but well-managed tannin. Many of the wines are born from very old vines – note Dominio de Atauta’s pre-phylloxera vineyards in Soria, at the eastern end of the region – while others are combining concrete vats and larger oak barrels to integrate oak in a more elegant manner. However, there is no denying that this is a region of power and intensity.
Rollan felt that ‘these are great wines, but challenging and not always approachable’. For those new to the region, it takes some time and knowledge to
