Ribera del Duero is Spain’s shining international star and is made from the Spanish “local grape” tempranillo, known in the area as tinta del paÃs or tinto fino.
The vineyards in the area are 700-800 meters above sea level, but short and hot summers, with cool nights. In Ribera del Duero’s perfect climate, wines are created in balance and harmony, which means that the Tempranillo grape here can stand alone without being mixed with other grapes, such as e.g. in Rioja. Until the mid-80s, the area was dominated by cooperatives, but more and more growers are starting to bottle under their own name, which has raised the level of quality in general and certainly also the prices.
Monte Pinadillo Crianza is made from hand-harvested Tempranillo grapes, which after harvest were macerated for 3 weeks under temperature control and then aged for a year in a mixture of French and American oak. The bottle aging has rounded off the fruit and integrated the cask, so that the wine now appears ready to drink with harmonious and soft fruit and roasted aromas from the cask.
Nose and taste have intense aromas of blueberries, blackberry compote and dark cherries with balsamic undertones, smoke and espresso.
Monte Pinadillo crianza is an intense, full-bodied wine with supple tannins, which is an obvious ‘meat wine’ now and for the next 3-4 years.
If you have the time, you can oxygenate the wine for an hour before serving at 17° in a spacious ‘Bordeaux’ glass
