The past few decades have witnessed a dramatic modernisation of the Spanish wine industry. By and large, this change has been positive, revitalising many DO’s and elevating the quality of Spanish table wines. That said, some of Spain’s greatest and most distinctive wines are its most traditional, ‘old school’ Riojas that have undergone extended barrel and bottle ageing.
Ribera del Duero, to the south of Rioja, is the source of some of Spain’s most ambitious and famous wines, among them Vega Sicilia, arguable Spain’s greatest red wine. There are many would be pretenders to the throne, wines that are picked at the precipice and indulged with the Rolls Royce treatment when it comes to winemaking and oak maturation. Not all examples are successful.
This particular example is a relatively modest wine with no great claims to greatness. Aged for 6 months in a combination of French and American oak, it is a fruit forward expression example of Ribera del Duero intended for early drinking. It succeeds in most areas, delivering impressive balance and textbook varietal character and an undeniable sense of place.
2013 QUINTA MILÚ ‘MILÚ’
Producer: Quinta Milú
Variety: Tempranillo et al
Vintage: 2013
Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 9 September 2014
Tasting Note:
Bright cherry road. Lively, prototypical Tempranillo nose of morello cherry, plum and cola. Floral notes. Medium bodied, suave and silky. Flavour profile much the same as the nose. Well controlled and everything is in place with excellent balance. Relatively simple, but a textbook example of the style. Good length and satisfying depth.
Score: 16/20
Ribera del Duero, to the south of Rioja, is the source of some of Spain’s most ambitious and famous wines, among them Vega Sicilia, arguable Spain’s greatest red wine. There are many would be pretenders to the throne, wines that are picked at the precipice and indulged with the Rolls Royce treatment when it comes to winemaking and oak maturation. Not all examples are successful.
This particular example is a relatively modest wine with no great claims to greatness. Aged for 6 months in a combination of French and American oak, it is a fruit forward expression example of Ribera del Duero intended for early drinking. It succeeds in most areas, delivering impressive balance and textbook varietal character and an undeniable sense of place.
2013 QUINTA MILÚ ‘MILÚ’Producer: Quinta Milú
Variety: Tempranillo et al
Vintage: 2013
Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain
Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $25.00
Date tasted: 9 September 2014
Tasting Note:
Bright cherry road. Lively, prototypical Tempranillo nose of morello cherry, plum and cola. Floral notes. Medium bodied, suave and silky. Flavour profile much the same as the nose. Well controlled and everything is in place with excellent balance. Relatively simple, but a textbook example of the style. Good length and satisfying depth.
Score: 16/20
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