PHOTO COURTESY OF DRINK RIBERA. DRINK SPAIN
While the Rioja reacted to Spain's 1990s breakout as a top-quality wine country by largely abandoning everything it had been doing for years and scrambling to find a new identity, the Ribera-which stretches across parts of four provinces along the Duero River, some 120 miles north of Madrid-settled in with firm, consistent, ripe but undeniably Old World wines. Most are made entirely from that quintessential Spanish grape, Tempranillo, with maybe a dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon (which has been planted in the area since at least as far back as the 19th century), but nothing else. In some indefinable way, they taste like Spain.
So far, so good. And for a time, the Ribera was the Spanish flavor of the month for American sommeliers and assorted wine geeks, who usually mangled the pronunciation (ree-BEAR-a del DWAIR-oh) but got the point across. Inevitably, though, they moved on-to the Priorat and to Toro, Jumilla and then Bierzo, and now to Prieto Picudo, Valdeorras and parts unknown. That has left the Ribera as a firm, consistent, undeniably Old World but now resolutely unsexy Spanish wine region that many consumers never think about. Which means the stage is set for Act Two.
The Ribera region runs along the Duero River.
MAP COURTESY OF DRINK RIBERA. DRINK SPAIN
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Having just returned from my latest trip to the region, I can report that the Ribera's wines are as good as ever. Better, actually. The dusty vineyards of gnarled old vines that characterized my first visit there in 1995 are a tiny minority now, dwarfed by new plantings that have helped the region grow to nearly 300 producers. But the expected dip in quality never materialzed, a tribute to the area's rather extreme weather conditions ("Ten months of winter/and two of hell" is the old Spanish couplet), multifarious soils and a core of top-flight viticulturists and enologists that has been able to coax complex flavors out of decade-old vines.
| "We're all still figuring out how to get Tempranillo as good as it can be," insists Peter Sissick, whose Dominio de Pingus is one of the region's two producers that would make any worldwide Top 100 list (Vega Sicilia is the other). "But people here are getting better and better at growing grapes, and when you have really good grapes, you tend to get a natural balance that makes wine easier to make. You don't need all the formulas and recipes." |
The legendary Bodegas Vega Sicilia produces one of Ribera's top wines.
PHOTO COURTESY OF VEGA SICILIA
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These days, too, the bright lights that led the region to prominence over the past 15 years-Pingus and Vega Sicilia, but also Sissick's Hacienda Monasterio, Emilio Moro, Pago de los Capellanes, Arzuaga, Matallana, Hermanos Sastre, Aalto and traditionalists Perez Pascuas, Pesquera and ValSoltillo, to list just a few-are now being pushed by a wave of newer wineries.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DRINK RIBERA. DRINK SPAIN
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Surprisingly, some of these are making wine in a more restrained style, using less French oak (and less new oak), often vinifying in concrete instead of stainless steel, fermenting whole or partially whole clusters and eschewing the range of permitted grapes in the DO-Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Garnacha-in favor of all Tempranillo, all the time.
"All these new wineries, the buildings are modern, the vinifying is modern, but they're doing very traditional wines," says Javier Zaccagnini, who ran the area's governing Consejo Regulador from 1992 to 1999 and now is managing general partner of Aalto. "It's the traditional style, but done properly-not with dirty cellars, but just genuine Spanish wines."
Several of these new producers are in Soria, the easternmost third of the appellation-and the part with the highest elevation, the coldest nighttime temperatures and the biggest remaining percentage of pre-phylloxera vineyards. Dominio de Atauta is the biggest name, and the only one to make an impact on the U.S. market so far. But the rest are coming. |
The wines from Soria are brighter and lighter than those from the heart of the DO, Valladolid and Burgos. They have less density and more acidity. But they're clearly cousins, and the best of them add a Nebbiolo-like lift to the dark fruits and meaty aromas of Tempranillo. When made with a firm hand, such as at Atauta and Tierras el Guijarral (which produces bottlings under the Rudeles name), they offer a delicious variation on the same classical Spanish flavors. Expect the next Ribera gold rush to be in that direction, with both existing wineries and entrepreneurs off to Soria in search of some of the 150- and 200-year-old vines that currently serve only a handful of producers. It might be enough to make the region fashionable again..
Tasting Notes
During a recent five-day trip to the region, I tasted more than 100 wines. Here are 15 of the most notable, current vintages where possible. U.S. prices are approximate.
Aalto PS 2006 ($110)
A thrilling wine, deep and dark but with supportable alcohol and a brightness that belies its weight. EUROPEAN CELLARS
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Alión 2006 ($85)
A floral nose complements explosive fruit and extremely fine tannins; a lithe, elegant wine. EUROPVIN |
Bodegas Hermanos Sastre 2005 Regina Vides ($185)
Dense, dark fruit framed by mouth-puckering tannins; not for the faint-hearted. DE MAISON SELECTIONS
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Bodegas Los Astrales 2006 ($50)
Oak weighs in here, but supports a core of dark fruit that opens up with time in the glass; needs a couple of years. GRAPES OF SPAIN |
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Dominio de Atauta 2001 Llanes de Almendro ($135)
The best of the Soria wines in its inaugural vintage: persistent fruit made almost weightless in the mouth by great acidity, augmented by a long finish; a template for Soria wines to come. RARE WINE CO. |
Dominio de Pingus 2008 Pingus ($600)
A triumph of balance in a difficult vintage; reserved and elegant, it's delicious now and built to last-check back in a decade. RARE WINE CO.
Ébano 2006 ($30)
So dark as to be almost rimless, it's teeth-staining like a barrel sample but has fineness and balance; tastes like a $60 wine. KYSELA PÈRE ET FILS
Emilio Moro 2007 Malleolus de Valdarramiro ($140)
Austere and elegant now, it needs five years to open up and show some fruit, but this bottling's track record indicates that it will. TEMPRANILLO, INC.
Lynus 2006 Pagos del Infante ($30)
Internationally styled, but the meatiness of the Tempranillo comes through; another bargain. SECOND STORY SELECTIONS
Pérez Pascuas 2003 Gran Reserva ($90)
Ripe but fresh, in the traditional style. Remarkably restrained for such a hot vintage.NOT CURRENTLY IMPORTED
Resalte de Peñafiel 2005 Crianza ($25)
Almost Rhône-like with its autumnal nose. Palate shows an appealing crispness. NOT CURRENTLY IMPORTED
Tierras el Guijarral 2005 Rudeles Selección
All blueberries and coffee, an intense wine with a splash of acidity to keep it drinkable. Prospective importers take note! NOT CURRENTLY IMPORTED
Viña Solorca 2004 Gran Solorca Reserva ($25)
Classic Ribera aromatics and open-knit tannins support ripe fruit. Will hang around for a decade and more. MAJA IMPORTS
Vega Sicilia 2000 Único (~$325)
Not yet in the market, it's a tightly wound, introspective wine, a mid-weight Único with the usual glorious future. RARE WINE CO.
Vizcarra 2006 Inés ($150)
Plenty of minerality accents delicious red and black fruit; expensive for what you get, but quintessentially Spanish, and connoisseurs of the region will love it. OLÉ IMPORTS |