Rioja vs. Ribera Del Deuro

Beebe House
Tasted Sunday, August 19, 2012 by CWilliam with 791 views

Introduction

I got together with a couple of friends to taste some wines from Spain (2 Rioja, 4 Ribera & 1 Toro). All wines (except for 2 noted below) were decanted for 1-2 hours before the tasting and were served blind and we mixed up the bottles so the owner did not know which was their wine (except for the owner of the Flor de Pingus and the Pintia).

All of the wines were enjoyable and I was proud that the '04 Bodega Ondarre Rioja Reserva did not stand out as a cheap wine - for $15 and under it held its own and shows the potential for value wines from Spain. The Flor de Pingus was not opened early enough so it did not show to its full potential. My WOTN was the '05 Pintia, followed by the '06 AAlto and the '07 Condado de Haza Crianza.

We did not vote for a group WOTN but we did say our top 3 wines. Everyone put the '06/07 Aalto in the top list (together as on the 1st day they were very similar). The Condado De Haza, the Pintia and the Flor de Pingus also were voted in the top 3 by 4 of 6 tasters. Although it was not in my top 3, the '98 Rioja had the best nose of the wines (to me).

The Ribera's with less age tasted very modern but had great structure & medium body which surprised me. The scores below are my scores and not the groups. This tasting confirmed my interest in Spanish reds that can combine the power of California with old world style.

Flight 1 - White to get the tasting going (1 Note)

Flight 2 - Tasted in groups of 2 and then revealed (7 Notes)

  • 2007 Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero Crianza 91 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    Decanted before tasting. Cedar, earthy, blackberry, dried cherry on nose. Similar palate. high acidity, medium body & long finish. I really enjoyed this and will buy a few for the cellar. 91-92 range.

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  • 2004 Bodegas Ondarre Rioja Reserva 90 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Tasted blind. Decanted 2.0 hours before tasting. I knew this was in the line up (but not which wine in order) but no one at the tasting knew. This wine showed well - while it got no votes for WOTN it did not stand out as a ringer for a "cheap" wine. It did not have the complexity or fruit profile of the Ribera Del Deuros (AAlto, Pintia (Toro technically), and Flor de Pingus) but a nice old school Rioja flavor profile. Cherry, dried cherry, char, cedar, earthy on nose & palate. Full body, good acids, medium finish. Clear meniscus gave away the age. Continue to evolve in the glass. 90+/- I'm glad I have 4 more bottles to enjoy over the next 2-3 years.

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  • 1998 Bodegas Olarra Rioja Cerro Anon Gran Reserva 91 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    Tasted blind. Guessed Rioja with some age. Orange zest, earthy, cedar, beef jerky & dried cranberry on the nose - the most complex nose of the tasting. On palate, relatively simiar with dried cherry / cranberry / meat. Very elegant wine with good acids, silky tannins (barely there) and a long finish. 91+ A treat to try.

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  • 2005 Bodegas Pintia Toro Pintia 93 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

    Decanted for 30 minutes before tasting (not enough) and this continued to improve inthe glass. Tasted blind. My WOTN. Given limited airtime the fruit was quite primary. Cherry, vanilla, blackberry on nose & palate. Medium+ body, great acids & very long finish with silky tannins on the finish. This has improved from my last tasting in 3/2011. 93+

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  • 2007 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto 92 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    Tasted blind. Poor notes - medium body, silky mouthfeel, elegant tannins. Was decanted for 2 hours before tasting. I was surprised at the elegance of this wine. Nice acids, medium+ finish. I preferred the '06 vintage AAlto this. This wine fell apart overnight (in cellar under vacu-vin) so storage may have been an issue. 92

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  • 2006 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto 92 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    Decanted for 2 hours before tasting. Tasted blind. I guessed Ribera del Deuro. Dark purple color. Blackberry / graphite/ coffee on nose. Medium+ acidity (this was excellent with food), full mouthfeel, long finish. Similar palate profile, blackberry, black licorice, black coffe. I preferred this to the '07 vintage of this wiine. 92-93 range.

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  • 2009 Dominio Pingus Ribera del Duero Flor de Pingus 92 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    This wine was decanted 1 hour prior to serving. Very bright, modern fruit profile on the nose & palate. This changed (for the better) with every sip. After drinking some earthier Rioja's and Riberas the nose was almost cotton candy - big in your face - with black cherry, caramel. Bright fruit - black cherry, smoke, blackberry on the palate. While the fruit was big it was not over the top and the alchohol level does not upset the balance given good acidic backbone. Medium to full body and nice long finish. 92+ today. This needs a lot of time IMO. I would love to try this in 5-10 years but not my style today.

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