VINOS DE LA LUZ | Peñafiel | Edición Limitada | 2016
tempranillo

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Tonight we are going to review a very rare, single varietal tempranillo wine from Spain‘s famous Ribera del Duero region – Pagos de Valcerracín Peñafiel Edición Limitada 2016 by Vinos de la Luz. Tempranillo is a spanish 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 mostly savory rather than fruity. Nowadays, tempranillo is recognized as a noble grape variety that can result in firm, bold and age-worthy wines. It is the main grape variety 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 on the right spot of land, 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 comes from the Peñafiel village in Valladolid province and is produced in a limited edition of only 5327 bottles, which that was the population that Peñafiel village in 2016. Part of the wine has been aged for 18 months in french oak barriques, whereas the other part has been stored in stainless steel tanks in order to preserve the varietal characteristics of the tempranillo grapes (known locally as tinta del país), that were sourced from 50-years-old-vines planted on clayey-calcareous soils on 900-meters altitude. 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 shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & rustic
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: dried cranberry | dried sour cherry | red plum | red currant | cranberry | sour cherry | wolfberry
fruit character: overripe & dried

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | savory | earthy
__spice: red pepper
__oak: sun-dried oak | cherry tree wood
__savory: leather | iron | brown olive | cured meat
__earthy: clay | loam
primary layer: fruity-savory

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: seedy
balance: good
__dominant: seediness
body: angular | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: overripe & dried
non fruit: savory & earthy
finish: medium
aftertaste: seedy-astringent

//Scoring
VINOS DE LA LUZ | Peñafiel | Edición Limitada | 2016
variety: tempranillo
country: Spain
region: Ribera del Duero
rating: 92.7

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or within next 2 or 3 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Spain and, with a total of 92.7 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 angular, austere and slightly rough tempranillo wine with a nuanced, savory-rustic accent. The wine is still in its developing phase, but quite close to the peak of its form, therefore we would recommend to drink it today or within the next 2-3 years if you want to give it a bit more time to round up its sharp edges and develop further complexity. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of overripe red fruits and savory-rustic notes in the foreground, followed by some subtle, oaky-earthy hints in the background. On the palate the wine delivers elevated acidity, firms and seedy tannins and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, leading to a seedy-astringent aftertaste. All in all, this is a bold, complex and nicely structured tempranillo wine with well preserved varietal characteristics and a terroir-driven, rustic delicacy. What this wine lacks today is some harmony and finesse on the palate. Our recommendation is to drink it sooner rather than later, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. We believe that this wine will pair nicely with spicy-delicate meats, like for example a peppercorn-crusted filet mignon or a rosemary-garlic rib-eye steak. Cheers!

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