2015 Ribera del Duero Blanco
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Tasting notes
From Ribera but made from Albillo, which puts it (in this vintage at least) outside the appellation. Indigenous yeast, long ageing in French oak. No malo. Strong matchstick notes on the nose. Dense and bone dry with massive tension. You would never believe this is five years old. Racy and chewy but with masses of complex fruit. (JR)
Critic scores
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Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
They also produced their white in 2015 but were waiting because the wine is too young and they don't know if the wines from 2015 like this 2015 Blanco will be allowed to carry the Ribera del Duero appellation. To me, it's a no-brainer, because the wine is extraordinary and can be one of the ones to carry the white Ribera del Duero flag. But anyway, even in a warmer and riper year, the wine has a moderate 13% alcohol and a very low pH and took over one year to complete its fermentation. It matured in French oak barrels for 35 months. Tasted next to the 2016 white, it shows the differences in ripeness and also the way the wine wears the oak in a different way. The grapes were picked very early and yields were low and maintained parameters similar to 2016. The palate is salty and bright, with flavors and more elegance than the previous years, with a terrific finish. Seeing how good the 2012 is today (I clearly underestimated it when I first tasted it), this should develop beautifully in bottle. 2,358 bottles and 48 magnums were filled in August 2018 after a slightly longer élevage.
Albillo Mayor, barrel-fermented very slowly and aged around 33 months in old barrels. Stunning aroma: smokily reductive, fumy and herbal. Very high acidity, dry chalky texture and both finesse and intensity. There's plenty of fruit but it’s not about the fruit. Stunning herbal intensity and freshness with plenty of struck match on the finish, not overdone though. (JH)