Rippa Dorii Crianza, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2022

Grape: 100% Tinta del Pais (Tempranillo), oak aged

Producer Tasting Note:

Aromas of bramble fruit, vanilla, nutmeg and sweet spice. The palate is rich and complex with blueberry and blackberry fruit, ripe tannins and good length.

Critic's Tasting Note:

"Style ,full-bodied, spicy, jammy, toasty, prominent oak"  88/100 points, GUIA PENIN, June 2025

Winemaking: 100% Tinta del Pais (Tempranillo) grapes are selected from a number of different plots near Fuentecén, at 900m altitude. Soils here are a combination of stone, clay and white limestone and vines are over 25 years in age. A first selection of grapes takes place in the vineyard, where those from the highest and coolest areas are chosen, which have experienced a slower and smoother ripening of the berries. A pre-fermentation maceration of the grapes takes place at 10ºC for 3 days, followed by alcoholic fermentation over 18 days at 22-26ºC - with pumping over and daily pumping-down. Malolactic fermentation takes place in batches, both in tank at the start of fermentation and also in barrel at its end. The wine matures for 12 months in oak barrels - 70% French (with different levels of toast) and 30% American. Between 25-30% of the barrels are new, with the rest coming from 2nd, 3rd and 4th use oak.

Estate: Rippa Dorii is an Ontañón Family (Rioja) project, producing wines from two of Spain's most important wine regions that run alongside the River Duero - Ribera del Duero and Rueda. The name Rippa Dorii is the latin form of ‘Ribera del Duero’ – inspiration for the name and label came from the nearby 13th century chapel of Santa Maria de Ripa Dorii, in Torrecilla de la Abadesa.

Food Match: Great with lamb chops, dishes with chorizo, and hearty vegetable casseroles