Tabula Damana Ribera Del Duero Crianza 2020

Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain

Variety: Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

Former Explorer Club Selection

The autonomous community of Castilla y Leon contains many of Spain’s most established growing regions, including one of the country’s most critically acclaimed red wine appellations, Ribera del Duero. The Duero river originates in Castilla y Leon and flows west through northern Portugal, where it is called the Douro, before reaching the Atlantic. On the Spanish side of the river the dominant variety is Tinto Fino, the local clone of the Tempranillo grape. Although today it is impossible to imagine Ribera del Duero wines centered around any other variety, prior to the late 1970s there was very little estate bottled wine here, with most wine produced by co-ops for local consumption. Though some Tempranillo was grown, it was often blended with other varieties such as the early-ripening, high yielding Bobal. This all began to change in the late 1970s, when Alejandro Fernandez produced the first varietal bottling of Tempranillo in what would soon become the Ribera del Duero denomination. From only a handful of founding producers in 1982, today there are over 200 independent wineries in Ribera del Duero, and Tempranillo has become the region’s dominant grape variety.

One such property is Bodegas Tabula, founded in 2002 by winery owner Jose Luis Muñoz. Having worked in the agricultural sector for many years, Jose Luis understands the importance of terroir and the micro-climates found throughout the region. In addition, the winery uses a blend of modern and traditional viticultural methods, such as whole cluster fermentation. For this Crianza, the fruit is harvested by hand and fermented in large wooden vats. After 12 months of oak maturation the wine is bottled for release the following year.

When you open this wine, I strongly suggest decanting for at least half an hour. In addition, this wine benefits from being served at cellar temperature, about 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit. Once this wine has a chance to open up it delivers notes of black raspberry, cooked blueberry, caramel, vanilla, and toasted fennel seed. Drink now through 2028 with grilled sausages with paprika, white bean soup, or pork empanadas.