On the 14th of November 2023, I went to a trade and press wine tasting event ‘Top 100 Tasting with Tim Atkin MW’ focussing on Ribera del Duero. The event was a curated selection of wines from Tim Atkin’s recent visit to the region.
Ribera del Duero is renowned for its deep colours, complex aromas, robust structure and primarily utilises the Tempranillo grape. However, it’s not uncommon to find blends incorporating Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec, adding to the wines’ complexity. You can learn more in my article on Understanding Ribera del Duero.
Despite the ‘Top 100’ title, there were actually 165 wines in the tasting. There were extra sections for ‘Ribera del Duero on a Budget’ and ‘Unrepresented’ wines not yet available in the UK. I mainly focussed on the ‘Ribera del Duero on a Budget’ wines and the top scoring wines, those scoring 97 or higher, for comparison. Here are these wines I tried in no particular order:
Here are my notes. Please don’t take my comments too literally. I was trying to work out, in many cases, the small differences between the wines. For example, if I say a wine is tannic then it’s slightly more tannic than the others I tried. Indeed, all I tried, apart from the Rose, were tannic! At this level, selected by a Master of Wine, they are all great wines and my notes aren’t criticisms but instead observations of differences.
Budget Wines
- Roselito 2022 Score: 92 Producer: Bodegas Antídoto UK Agent: H2Vin Ltd Grapes: Tinto Fino 70%, Albillo Mayor 30% Classification: Cosecha ABV: 14% Spanish RRP: €12 Website: www.bodegasantidoto.com.
The only non-red I tried. Rose. Deep amber colour. Strawberry notes. Fresh. - Romántica 2020 Score: 91 Producer: Bodegas Bardos UK Agent: Majestic Wine Grapes: Tempranillo 100% Classification: Cosecha ABV: 14% Spanish RRP: €11.85 Website: www.bardos.wine/en.
Great but slightly less rounded. - Cepa Gavilán 2021 Score: 92 Producer: Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas UK Agent: Bancroft Wines Ltd Grapes: Tempranillo 100% Classification: Crianza ABV: 14.5% Spanish RRP: €13.50 Website: www.perezpascuas.com
Fruit forward. good length. See my notes later. - Vino de Finca 2022 Score: 92 Producer: Bodegas Trus UK Agent: Georges Barbier Of London Ltd Grapes: Tempranillo 100% Classification: Cosecha ABV: 14.5% Spanish RRP: €11 Website: www.palaciosvinosdefinca.com/en/trus
- Finca Santa María Roble 2022 Score: 91 Producer: Bodegas Valtravieso UK Agent: Milestone Wines Limited Grapes: Tinto Fino 97%, Cabernet Sauvignon 1.5%, Merlot 1.5% Classification: Cosecha ABV: 14.5% Spanish RRP: €9.50 Website: www.valtravieso.com
Tannic, less aromatic, slightly more sour. - El Primer Beso 2022 Score: 92 Producer: Valdemonjas UK Agent: Indigo Distribution Grapes: Tempranillo 100% Classification: Cosecha Certification: O ABV: 13.5% Spanish RRP: €12.30 Website: www.valdemonjas.es
Smokey, oaky, less fruit. See my notes later. - Tinto Figuero 4 2022 Score: 92 Producer: Viñedos y Bodegas García Figuero UK Agent: WAUD Grapes: Tempranillo 100% Classification: Cosecha ABV: 13.5% Spanish RRP: €10.95 Website: www.tintofiguero.com
Dry, tannic.
Tim Atkin’s Top Scoring Wines
- Garmón 2021 Score: 97 Producer: Bodegas Garmón Contintental UK Agent: City Wine Collection Grapes: Tempranillo 95%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Classification: Cosecha ABV: 14.5% Spanish RRP: €42 Website: www.garmoncontinental.com
Aromatic, tannic. - Mirum de Valdaya 2021 Score: 97 Producer: Bodegas Valdaya UK Agent: Bancroft wines Grapes: Tinta Fina 100% Classification: Cosecha Certification: S ABV: 14% Spanish RRP: €79 Website: www.valdaya.com/en
Tannic, slight more sour. - Yotuel Finca de San Miguel 2016 Score: 97 Producer: Bodegas y Viñedos Gallego Zapatero UK Agent: Not represented Grapes: Tempranillo 100% Classification: Cosecha Certification: S ABV: 14.5% Spanish RRP: €75 Website: www.bodegasgallegozapatero.com
Less rounded. - Único Reserva Especial (2024 Release) Score: 97 Producer: Vega Sicilia UK Agent: Berkmann Wine Cellar & Berry Bros & Rudd. Grapes: Tinto Fino 95%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Classification: Reserva ABV: 14% Spanish RRP: €500 Website: www.temposvegasicilia.com
Fruit forward, excellent balance, great length. - Único 2014 Score: 99 Producer: Vega Sicilia UK Agent: Berkmann Wine Cellar & Berry Bros & Rudd. Grapes: Tinto Fino 94%, Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Classification: Reserva ABV: 14% Spanish RRP: €450 Website: www.temposvegasicilia.com
Similar to Único Reserva Especial (2024 Release) but with more nose and maybe slightly sweeter?
My favourite wine was the excellent Único Reserva Especial (2024 Release) which is an intensely fruit forward wine. The Único 2014 was similar but maybe just edged over into too fruity-sweet for me. My favourite budget wine was the Cepa Gavilán 2021, also a fruit forward wine with good length. I tried Único and Cepa Gavilán side by side and the Único was understandably better but not by as large a margin as you might expect. It was interesting to see how the more modestly priced wine easily held it’s own against the much more expensive wine.
A tried several other wines that I haven’t mentioned here and I observed that many of them were very much like the El Primer Beso being smoky and oaky rather than fruity. I believe this is the traditional, specific taste of Ribera del Duero. However, Tim Atkin noted there’s a general shift in style among the region’s top producers. There’s a growing emphasis on elegance, freshness and balance, at least at the top end, moving away from the traditional focus on power and alcohol. This new approach favours fruit and acidity over the heavy reliance on colour and oak. You can learn more in Tim Atkin’s 2023 Ribera del Duero Special Report.
In the UK, Ribera del Duero wines are less ubiquitous compared to, say, Rioja. Most supermarkets offer their own brand versions, typically priced around £9 to £12. Trolly provides a useful search across most of the supermarkets. To explore a much wider range, I recommend visiting independent wine shops and online stores. Perhaps try a Google search on the above mentioned wines. Majestic Wine also stocks a good range of Ribera del Duero.
