TN: Ribera del Duero $20 to $40

WINE TALK
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RIBERA DEL DUERO $20 TO $40 - (10/27/2009-10/28/2009)

My value group met last night to sample Ribera del Dueros priced $20 to $40 and CURRENTLY avaiable on our local shelves. The wines were served blind and enjoyed over 2.5 hours. Crackers and cheeses were available. This was a very good tasting with all of the wines being enjoyable. A much better performance than last month’s Chilean fiasco. one thing we all noticed is how few the choices available in the stores were. Over the last few years, the choices for Spanish wines have increased, but the shelf space, not as much. I think RdD has been a loser in that fight for shelf space to Jumilla, Toro, Priorat, etc.
Our host dan started us off with a white. I assumed he would stay on theme although that was not going to happen with RdD. Therefore I guessed a Viura, probably a Rioja. I got lucky.

  • 2003 Bodegas Palacio Rioja Cosme Palacio y Hermanos - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (10/28/2009)
    Green, gold in color. Clear and bright. The nose seems to have a fair amount of sulfur. Limes and some minerals. A bit of oxidation. Slightly oily in texture with a bit of tannins. Not much fruit left on the palate. Turns bitter on the finish. Nice enough starter for the evening if nothing special. 50+3+12+15+5=85 (85 pts.)

The Reds:

  • 2004 Alonso del Yerro Ribera del Duero - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (10/28/2009)
    Inky purple. The nose has plums and spice (mostly cinammon). Juicy in texture. Lots of fruit. This took an hour to open up. Plenty of acidity that was off putting at first but I warmed up to it. A long finish. 50+4+12+17+7=90 (90 pts.)
  • 2005 Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (10/28/2009)
    Ruby in color with somepurple swirls. This was very tight on opening and unwound all night. Earthy with plums, dark cherries and spice. Complex if tight. The palate is a complex layering of raspebrries, cherries, and graphite. This was a very interesting wine in search of a decanter. It was the crowds #3 but my WOTN! 50+4+12+18+7=91 (91 pts.)
  • 2004 Dominio de Atauta Ribera del Duero - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (10/28/2009)
    Inky purple wine. Lots of plums on the nose with some dark cherries. Very tannic. Monolithic black fruit on the palate. Lots of cedar too. Where does this go from here? Couple be very good or not. 50+4+12+16+7=89 (89 pts.)
  • 2006 Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero Crianza - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (10/28/2009)
    Purple in color. The nose is reticent at first but opens a bit. Earthy with plums. With more air, it shows dusty. Thinner in body. Tart cherries on the palate. With air, this put on weight and tannins. It had a lovely bitter uality at the finish. Kept improving all night. The groups WOTN and my #2. 50+4+12+17+8=91 (91 pts.)
  • 2004 Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (10/28/2009)
    Purple in color with some ruby siwrls. The nose has cedar, spice and plums. Nice juicy texture. On the palate, cherries, slight menthol and tannins. This took some time to open and then had probably the most complexity IMO. I liked it more than the group. 50+4+12+17+7=90 (90 pts.)
  • 2006 Pagos De Quintana Ribera del Duero Crianza - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (10/28/2009)
    inky purple in color. The nose has cocoa, cherries, clay and cedar. Slightly thinner in body. Black cherries and light tannins on the palate. Strong acidity. Maybe the weakest wine of the night but still one that provide nice short term drinking. 50+4+12+16+6=88 (88 pts.)
  • 2001 Telmo Rodríguez Ribera del Duero Matallana - Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero (10/28/2009)
    Inky purple in color. The nose is different. Jeff surmised this was from french oak. A bit of funk, iodine, decayed meat and spice. Also some dark cherries. On the palate, this was better with plums and black raspberries. This wine stood out from the group. It was the oldest but also just seemed to be of a different style. 50+4+11+17+6=88 (88 pts.)

I think I will get more Emilio Moro and some Condado de Haza to lay down for 3 to 10 years.
Posted from CellarTracker

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Thanks for the notes - this is a category that I always wonder about, but haven’t gotten around to buying in much yet. Do you feel that going up a little further in price is worth it, or not so much?

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Nice write up.

I’m a big fan of the Condado de Haza; it’s an incredibly consistent wine that has always impressed me and is a QPR to boot!

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Alan, I think this is one area where this price range is very good. Yes, you can certainly get better wines for more (although often that includes more oak and more “international”). but you can get a lot of mileage at these levels.

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I’m surprised how little this estate is mentioned here on WB. I went for a bike ride and afterwards split a double decanted bottle of the 2010 Condado de Haza [Ribera del Duero] with a friend, along with a platter of sliced salchicon. It’s a big chewy 14.5% abv wine showing fennel, mocha, licorice flavors. Tannins, and wood, are mostly resolved but still hints of those aspects. For my tastes, low acid, and the fatty but dry sausage pairs well. It may be internationally styled, but its high quality, and I’d think it would be useful in the typical enthusiasts racks as it can be served casually, or to oenophiles. Well maybe all but the most AFWE oenophiles. Keeping well, and I have a few more, that I’ll expect should be fine for another few years. B+ in my ledger.

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Love Ribera del Duero wines…

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Arv how did you find this 10 plus year old post?

I like a lot of these wines especially the Emilio Moro. Probably still drinking well. [cheers.gif]

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There aren’t many Condado de Haza mentions on this board (try a search!) so if one wants to append a note to prior ones…one has to get back in to the WayBack Machine.

I’ve had some Emilio Moro but they didn’t seem anything special to me. The whole RDD region seems a bit hotter, bigger to me nowadays. Maybe its climate change, maybe its my palate change.