VINOS DE LA LUZ | Pagos de Valcerracín | Ribera del Duero | 2019
tempranillo

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Today we are going to review a single varietal tempranillo wine from Spain‘s famous Ribera del Duero region – Pagos de Valcerracín Ribera del Duero 2019 by Vinos de la Luz. Tempranillo is a spanish grape variety that for a long time was ignored by the outside world as a slightly rustic grape of strictly local appeal, as its flavour profile is usually savory rather than fruity. Nowadays, tempranillo is recognized as an important grape variety that can result in firm, bold and age-worthy wines. It is best known as the dominant grape of red Rioja wines and is known under several aliases: tinto fino or tinto del país in Ribera del Duero region, tinta de toro in Toro region, cencibel and valdepeñas in Valdepeñas and Manchuela regions, ull de llebre and ojo de liebre in Catalonia and finally tinta roriz and aragonês in Portugal. The vines has traditionally been cultivated en vaso, as little low bush vines, although some growers have been training it up on trellis to increase yields, but when the right tempranillo clone is grown in the right spot without excessive yields and with real care, it can produce extremely long-lived wines. In Ribera del Duero, this grape variety is vinified in a more modern, concentrated style, characterized by an extracted, deep crimson color and an intense flavour profile. This particular wine is made out of 100% tempranillo grapes sourced from 25 to 30 years old vines and has been aged for 10 months in french oak barrels. That said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby-indigo shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & expressive
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black plum | black cherry | blackberry | bramble | aronia | casis
fruit character: overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | earthy
__spice: black pepper | cloves
__oak: roasted oak | black tea | tobacco | hints of charred wood
__earthy: black soil | gravel | dust
primary layer: fruit & oak

//Palate
sweetness: bone dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: green
balance: fair
__dominant: alcohol & acidity
body: coarse | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: overripe
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: medium-
aftertaste: seedy

//Scoring
VINOS DE LA LUZ | Pagos de Valcerracín | Ribera del Duero | 2019
variety: tempranillo
country: Spain
region: Ribera del Duero
rating: 90.9

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or in the next 2-3 years
verdict: nice | quite good wine
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This is definitely a nice wine of Spain and, with a total of 90.9 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a quite crisp and youthful tempranillo wine that has yet to reach the peak of its form – a wine that will surely benefit from another 2 or 3 years spent in the bottle. In its current state it tastes tart, angular and austere, mostly due to its elevated acidity, coupled with green tannins and an unbalanced alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel. On the nose the wine delivers overripe and dried black fruits to the foreground, supported by a quite spicy and oaky background, with subtle earthy hints in between. Overall this is a slightly wide and opulent wine that lacks harmony and balance between all its elements on the palate: a bit thin, a bit opulent and a bit wide, but a fair and a quite enjoyable wine nonetheless. For the best food and wine experience, we would recommend to pair this wine with slightly spicy, but naturally scented meats, like for example an extra-rare peppercorn fillet mignon. Cheers!

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