2001 Finca Villacreces Nebro, 3-bottle Lot, Wood Case

Finca Villacreces in Ribera del Duero has its roots in a small winery started several centuries ago by Pedro de Villacreces, a Franciscan monk. He and his fellow clerics founded a monastery and along with it planted crops and vineyards. In the early 19th century the estate was acquired by a nobleman and in the early 20th century it was sold to the Cuadrado family. In 2004 the family met Gonzalo and Lalo Antón, owners of wineries in other Spanish regions, and they purchased Villacreces in 2007. The estate includes 160 acres of vineyards. Villacreces produces three Tempranillo-based wines. Wine Advocate has rated several vintages of Pruno, the estate’s Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, in the low- to mid-90s. And Wine Advocate has rated the estate’s Nebro with ratings as high as 98 pts. Nebro is 100% Tempranillo and produced only in exceptional years.

Ribera del Duero is, in the words of wine writer Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson, “the modern red wine miracle of northern Spain.” In 2012 Wine Enthusiast magazine named it the international wine region of the year. The appellation is a high, rocky plateau in north/central Spain that follows the Duero River for 60 miles before the river passes into Portugal, where it becomes the famous Douro River, then flows into the Atlantic Ocean. There are more than 60,000 vineyard acres in the appellation and only red wines are produced under appellations regulations. Low rainfall, hot days, many hours of sunlight and harsh winters produce grapes of great depth and flavor. Ribera de Duero’s reputation owes much to Vega Sicilia, a 150-year old estate known both for its excellent traditional red wines and its willingness to innovate with the times. Tempranillo, known locally as Tinto Fino, is the dominant red grape in the appellation, and it is often blended with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec or Merlot. The highly acclaimed Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez, world famous for its Tinto Pesquera, is also in Ribera del Duero. The appellation status was awarded in 1982.